The extended Titans stood in stunned silence, staring at the elevator that whisked away the four bearers of bad news. Some began to moan their disbelief. Others turned and gazed out the huge windows, and watched the Air Force chopper fly away from the tower.
Beast Boy opened his packet and dumped its contents on the dining table. There was a Chase Bank debit card with his civilian name printed on it and a Kansas driver's license with a picture of a strawberry blond, freckle faced teen who bore a certain resemblance to him. He picked up the cover sheet and read it. It was mostly boilerplate legalese, but it did spell out in clear terms that he was to immediately desist in vigilante activities and that failure to do so would result in the cancellation of his pension and his immediate incarceration. It also mentioned that the only Titans he was allowed to live with were Raven and Rachel. It also mentioned that if he publicly disclosed the terms of the offer that it would be revoked. It also said that if he left the country the deal would also be revoked.
The changeling turned to his leader.
"Rob, can they do this to us?"
Robin was also reading the terms of his offer. "I'm not sure. That they are bribing us with so much money seems to be a red flag. They certainly seem keen on having us disappear from the public eye and keeping us apart. What they can do is kick us off the island, it's technically government property. They can also make a case against us for being vigilantes."
"That never stopped the Bat." Cyborg remarked.
Robin shoved the contents of his packet back into the envelope. "I never wanted to operate that way, from the shadows, the way he did. When we founded the Titans, I wanted everything to be in the open."
"It looks like you won't have any choice." Rachel remarked. "So, who was told they have to leave the country by the end of the week?"
Mas y Menos, Pantha and Aqualad raised their hands.
"This blows." The changeling grumbled. "Why are they doing this to us?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Raven seethed. "We're the scapegoats. Think about it, this isn't the first time they dropped the ball. When Slade conquered Jump City with Terra's help they were unable to take it back without destroying it in the process, so they let us clean up the mess. They caught a lot of flak for that later; several Generals were forced into early retirement. But this screw up really takes the cake. They were overrun by obsolete Slade-bots, exposing their ineptitude. So they want to divert the attention away from their mistakes by blaming us, saying we are a security risk, that we actually attract people like Slade."
Rachel crossed her arms. "Raven's right. So what do we do? Do we fight back?"
Robin shook his head. "It's too late for that. You saw what people were saying about us in the news. If we take our case to the public, we'll lose."
"So you're saying that we just roll over for them?" Speedy complained. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not planning on retiring, even if it means I have to work solo and undecover."
"Nobody is retiring. But we have to smart about this. Think about it. Who benefits the most if we're sidelined?" Robin asked.
"Slade." They answered in unison.
"Exactly. So we'll play along. We'll vanish from the public eye. Heck, we'll even give big speeches about hanging up the spandex and leaving crime fighting to the pros. We'll even pretend to be retired; we'll buy stuff with the payoff money: cars, houses, etc. We'll fool everyone: the public, the government, but especially Slade. Once he believes we're out of the way, he'll make his move and when he does …"
Robin smacked his fist into his palm. "We'll be ready for him."
-( scene break )-
The following Friday …
Raven taped the cardboard box shut and with a wave of her hand it was encompassed in her dark energy and floated over to a huge pile of boxes that covered one of the walls in her room, softly landing on the top row.
Raven sighed before turning and surveying the room. The bookcases had been stripped clean, the walls were bare and her desk was empty. A feeling of melancholy overcame her. Robin had told everyone that this was a temporary situation and that they would be returning to the Tower when the ordeal was over.
Raven wasn't sure she believed him. She began to pace around the room, as if looking for something she might have overlooked. Other than the headboard on her bed, there was nothing left that was hers and she knew that she couldn't take it with her. Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in, Gar."
The changeling entered the room, carrying a small box in his hands.
"They're ready." He announced as he opened the box, revealing two sets of holorings.
Raven reached for her two rings and slipped them on. They looked perfectly ordinary.
"Aren't you gonna activate them?" He asked her.
"I'm not sure I want to."
Beast Boy slipped on his two rings on. "Then I will."
He smacked his fists together, activating his holorings. The holographic disguise began at his feet, replacing his signature boots with a pair of sneakers. As it rose his pants became a pair blue jeans and his shirt became a Jump City Jaguars jersey. Raven immediately noticed that his arms and hands became Caucasian as did his head. His green hair was replaced with a strawberry blond mop.
"What do you think?" He asked as he raised his arms and rotated on his feet, to give her a full view of the transformation.
Raven furrowed her brow as she examined his disguise. She knew that Cyborg set Garfield's rings to transform him into the young man he would have been had the Sakutia infected monkey never bitten him. She had to admit to herself that he was very cute in his normal form and she suddenly felt sorry for him, as she understood all that he had forsaken to become Beast Boy. Had the monkey never bitten him he would have been a normal boy, gone to high school and would have dated "normal" girls.
But had it not happened he wouldn't have become Beast Boy, and she knew that loved being able to transform into animals. He could become an eagle and soar high above the bay, riding the warm thermals the way surfers rode the waves. He could become a shark and explore the ocean's depths.
"Gar, would you give up your powers to really look like that?"
"Are you kidding? No way! But you still haven't answered my question."
"You look fine." She replied. "I suppose I should try mine."
Raven balled her fists and collided her rings. Her transformation was similar to Beast Boy's. Her blue boots were replaced by a pair of flats, a pair of Capris partially covered her legs and a snug T-Shirt with the name of a band she had never heard of appeared as well. She turned to examine herself in the mirror. A chakra stone free face with a Mediterranean complexion and long shoulder length black hair. She reached for her forehead and her fingertips were able to feel the now invisible stone. Beast Boy joined her and examined himself.
"We look normal." He remarked as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Normal is overrated." She replied.
He grinned at her. "So you think I look better when I'm green?"
"It makes it easier to find you in a crowd."
He laughed. "So that's why I couldn't get anyone to publish my 'Where's Beast Boy Books'!"
She gave him a small smile. "Waldo has nothing to worry about."
He snickered before pulling her into a kiss. Upon releasing her he smiled. "I've never kissed a 'normal' girl before."
"And you still haven't."
"It's OK, like you said, normal is overrated anyway."
He turned to look at her wall of boxes. "You sure have a lot of stuff, you want me to help you carry it down?"
She shook her head. "I have it under control."
Raven gestured and using her dark energy she retrieved a wooden box from her closet, which floated until it landed in front of her. It had two leather handles attached to its sides and wasn't much bigger than the cardboard boxes stacked against the wall. It had a lid, which she raised.
"Gar, would you mind getting one of the boxes?"
He immediately complied. "OK, where do I put it?"
"Inside the wooden box."
He followed her instructions. "Done!"
"Now get another one."
He did. "OK?"
"Now put it inside the wooden box."
He was about to tell her that the box was already full, but he knew that she knew that. So he placed the box on top of the cardboard box that was already in the wooden box. To his astonishment, it sank in.
"Dude! I love magic!"
Raven smiled and with a flick of her wrist the remaining cardboard boxes were enveloped in her obsidian light and floated over to the crate, and one by one they vanished into its impossibly small interior. Beast Boy counted the boxes and when Raven was finished there were 79 cardboard boxes inside the crate.
"Now you can pick it up and carry it down for me."
He looked skeptically at the crate. "It has to weigh a ton." He remarked as he grabbed the crate's leather handles.
To his astonishment, the crate felt empty. "More magic, huh? Say, could I put my stuff in here too?"
"You might as well, since we are moving together to San Diego." She replied.
He sat down on a chair. "That's gonna be weird, we're just gonna be Garfield Logan and Raven Roth."
"And we need to go see a beachfront house in La Jolla that's for rent. I already put a deposit on it. It rents for 10,000 a month."
"Sounds nice." He chuckled.
"It is nice. I'm just following Robin's instructions. We'll also need to buy a car, since we're supposed to remain anonymous and we can't fly around or we'll blow our cover."
Beast Boy pulled out his driver's license from his wallet and frowned as he looked at it.
"Have you ever driven a car before, Rave? I sure haven't. Cy's never even let me touch the steering wheel on the T-Car."
She shook her head. "I've never driven a car before. How hard can it be?"
-( scene break )-
Robin stood in front of his bed, where his suitcase rested. He was packing his final items into it. There was the picture of his parents, in their trapeze artist costumes, smiling happily into the camera. There was also his first Robin costume, the one he wore when he was ten years old. He chuckled as he looked at the shorts and pixie shoe costume, which he stopped wearing when he turned 12. He folded it up and put it into the suitcase.
Robin paused before placing another costume into the suitcase. This one was the traffic light suit that everyone in Jump City associated with the Teen Wonder. He also folded it reverently and placed it next to the original Robin Costume.
Next to suitcase was a cardboard box that had arrived just that morning. He ripped it open and extracted it contents. These were brand new costumes, which he moved into the suitcase, except for one, which he quickly put on. He turned to the mirror and examined himself. The costume was jet black with a blue winged crest on his chest.
Robin was no more, he was now Nightwing.
-( scene break )-
The Titans congregated in the now stripped down common room. Titans East departed the day the Generals came, as they had their own Tower to clean out. Rachel went back with them, with the understanding that she would go back to Atlantis with Aqualad. Pantha returned immediately to Mexico, where she planned to resume her lucha libre career for the time being.
Raven and Beast Boy were wearing their holorings, as was Cyborg, who had just gone out to get some pizzas.
"A fitting final supper in the tower." She remarked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Hey, don't you go getting all sad on us now, Raven. You know we're all gonna come back once we bust Slade for good." Cyborg remarked.
Beast Boy placed a slice of veggie pizza and handed it to Raven. "Hey, where are Rob and Star?"
No sooner than he asked that the missing couple entered the common room together hand in hand.
"So … Nightwing huh?" The changeling asked. "It sounds good."
"Thanks." He replied before turning to Raven. "So, are you ready?"
Cyborg and Beast Boy gave Raven a mildly curious look. The sorceress cleared her throat.
"As you all know, Robin … I mean Nightwing has a secret identity. For this reason he cannot legally marry Starfire, at least not in any legal system on Earth. For this reason, Nightwing and Starfire have asked me to perform an Azarathian wedding ceremony before we leave tonight."
"A wedding?" Cyborg asked. "And all we have to eat is pizza?"
"Actually, Azarathian weddings are not followed by a reception, so pizza is a big step up.. And the ceremony is exceedingly simple. The pizza will still be hot by the time we are done."
Raven picked up the Book of Azar from the table. It was one of the few possessions she did not pack into boxes. She opened it at a bookmark handed it to Beast Boy, who stood in front of her, holding the book so she could read it. She raised her arms to her side, with her palms facing upwards.
"We are gathered here today to witness the exchange of vows between Nightwing and Starfire …"
As promised the ceremony consisted of an exchange of vows of permanence, fidelity, honor and love. After which Raven pronounced them wife and husband, wishing them "serenity, tranquility, bliss and joy" in their marriage. The newlyweds honored the Earthly custom of sharing a kiss while their friends applauded.
-( scene break )-
And today Jump City reaches a new milestone. Just one hour ago the T-Ship, in all of its orange glory, left Titans Tower today, bidding Jump City farewell. Their ubiquitous Tower, which has become a landmark associated with Jump City, much like the Statue of Liberty in New York …
Slade shut off the TV.
"This is most serendipitous, don't you agree, Wintergreen?"
"It is unfortunate that the Terror Titans aren't ready to be deployed yet, Wilson."
"They will be, soon enough."
"I presume that you have a plan."
Slade chuckled. "You know that I always do."
"And I suppose that you don't to share it with me, at least not yet."
Slade picked up a sword he was sharpening earlier. He tested the blade with a feather, which it sliced without even swinging the blade.
"Not yet, but I will share part of it with you."
Wintergreen smiled. "Do tell."
"I think that Deathstroke the Terminator has been absent far too long, don't you agree, old friend?"
Wintergreen nodded. "I couldn't agree more."
-( scene break )-
So Slade's bringing out the big guns, as he's bringing Deathstroke back into the fray.
For those who don't know, Deathstroke the Terminator is Slade's villain name (Slade Wilson is his real name). In the comics Deathstroke was an assassin for hire, a mercenary, and he was the best one in the world, bar none. He also recently appeared in Young Justice. Sadly, they didn't use Ron Perlman to do his voice.
And now time for the mail bag!
punkrocka23
Lol never trust the government. Way to throw us in for a loop! Haha keeping it interesting and I like it!
Thanks!
JasonVUK
8C Goddamn You Mr President! I shall slap you with the rage of MANY!
:D Oh I never reviewed this story I do not believe but I have been really enjoying it. I don't know why I haven't reviewed it before, but it's really good. :-) 8D
New reviewers are always welcome. I always encourage reader to review, as reviews are the "currency" of fan fiction. The reason I encourage people to review is that it lets authors know that you are engaged with their stories.
DeeThom
Wow. I really wasn't expecting that. That really sucks. Why do I feel like Slade's Terror Titans are gonna get the Teen Titans in trouble with the president. Too much is happening! But this story has me completely hooked.
They aren't so much in trouble, but as Raven correctly pointed out, they are scapegoats. Though you can imagine that once Deathstroke reappears things might be different. Or not!
retribution 21
Something smells fishy here.
And we're not even in Denmark!
EbonyVergil
Wow definitely wasn't expecting the government to step in and forcibly dissolve all the Titan teams in one fell swoop.
At first I didn't think this was Slade's doing, but now the more I think about it, the more I think this has something to do with the 'Terror Titans' probably the clones of the other Titans helping to split the regular Titans up so they can take them out one by one.
Good stuff, also the president might as well dissolve the military then as well, since they are security risks for letting their stuff get stolen! :P
You never know what Slade is up to.
Shadico
Didn't see that coming, but it's also a HUGE turn off for the story. The Titan's are a worldwide operation, not just a US operation. Trying to disband them is like trying to disband the JLA. It isn't funded by the government, it's funded by people like Batman and the Green Arrow. I realize you're changing things a bit for the fanfic, but...this just leaves an extremely sour taste in my mouth. I'll give this a few more chapters before I give it up, but I hope this is like, President being forced to try to do this because of the cartels threatening him/kidnapping his family or something, and Titans save the day again.
You're not too far off, actually. I'm sorry if I'm boring you, it's hard to be all things to all people.
bluedog197
DOGS was that i mean that is like omg the goverment got involed. nice twist though now raven and rachel have to stay together because there sisters nice story keep it up
They don't have to stay together, but they could if they wanted to do so.
Teslar
Nope wasn't expecting that at all
Just wait, more surprises are in store.
Prodigy-14
Oh my god! TWIST ALERT! Ahhh Amazing! can't wait for the next chapter!
I'm glad you liked it.
WhovianTitanPotter
Holy Gallifrey! That was definitely not expected! :O I'm interested in seeing where this will lead!
But would the Doctor approve?
Titan18Gamble
Hmph. This is not going to go over well.
Robin/Nightwing is clever; he can make lemonade out of lemons.
titanfan45
You got that right. Looks as though the Titans are retired, although I can't see how they could legally be forbidden to live with whomever they want, but with the way things are these days, legality doesn't seem to count for much.
Oh you know, issues of national security, blah, blah!
Azarune
... All the desire to murder, all of it.
Hey, it wasn't me!
Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer
Noooo! This is like Tough Times! So much for bad governments, they'll have to learn the hard way that not having the Titans around will make everything worse. They have to find a way to stay together, you can't separate a family just like that!
There are some shadows of Tough Times here, though no one is going to Azarath this time.
glittergurl022
I wasn't expecting that! x)
Yeah, the whole San Antonio thing was a side show.