Raven harshly jabbed Beast Boy with her shoulder, forcing him to let out a startled titter; he then realized his mistake, sweat a bit, and laughed nervously. Windflyer glared back at Raven and received a growl in return. Beside him, Robin pulled out an incessantly beeping locator device (he had cobbled it together from some ship parts,) frowned as he looked the screen, then put it back in his utility belt. "We finished just in time," he said to the others. "Cinderblock's been spotted downtown. Come on!"

Windflyer groaned. "We're honestly going after him? Even without… him?"

"We've got to try."

The Toa nodded and turned to leave with the others, but a loud ear-grating gurgle caught his and Beast Boy's attention. The animalistic male's ears twitched, trying to find out where it was coming from. When he realized what it was, he raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Plasmus began to ooze, girders shaking under his sheer weight; soon, they broke, the monster's entire body decomposing and flowing free of the restraints then rebuilding itself into a crab monster with one claw, a large purple tentacle, a set of teeth, and a scaly rear limb. Beast Boy paled.

"Uh… heads up!"

Plasmus formed a second crab claw and rushed at the quintet. Thinking quickly, Windflyer activated his Kakama and hurried them through a pair of giant metal doors, both of which were quickly slammed shut and leaned on. Just in time, too. Plasmus began to harshly pound on the door, snarling as he did so. He could be heard through the metal.

"Five against six!" Beast Boy panted. "Not good odds."

"Those kinds of odds are what we thrive on," Windflyer explained.

Robin clenched his fists and growled. "Forget the odds! We need a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Windflyer asked. "Run away? Sit here and cry? Go back in and rush hi-"

TREMBLE.

As the three talked, Plasmus had assaulted the doors; now, he had finally managed to force them open. A slimy tendril poked out of the tiny slit, then another. Finally a giant head appeared, causing Starfire to scream.

"Titans! Separate!"

SMASH!

The doors swung out with a slam. Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy split in different directions, swerving through machinery. The snake creation began chasing Starfire; although she put up a good fight, turning and bombarding it with starbolts, it was still able to reach out, catch her by her hair, and drag her down to earth. Beast Boy, using the form of a cheetah to his advantage, sprinted away from a crab claw. It opened its "mouth" wide and lashed at him with a long slimy tongue; caught in its grasp, Beast Boy turned into a gorilla to try and escape, but was quickly tackled.

Raven flew over the floor, watching as the tentacle pursued her on the ground. She mumbled an incantation, bolts and screws falling out of processing machines and causing them to fall violently into the aisle. One after another, they crashed; many missed, the puppet swerving deftly to avoid them, but one soon made its mark. Smugly looking back, she was shocked to find it recovered and leaning in to strike in front of her. There was only time for a loud gasp.

Teeth gnashed in anticipation, their purpled gums oozing a sickening pus. Behind them, Windflyer made an attempt to strike. They'd been clever so far, trying to trap him unexpectedly, but the Toa had made good use of his athletic skills. Now he was using his Mahiki to distract the monsters with an illusion of chicken while he caught them unexpectedly.

The projection stayed steady for a while before it began to waver, the teeth screeching in anger; Lewa wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. Hands shaking, he reached out with an unclenched arm, hands only barely touching the slime, and began to clasp them-

BARK!

OW!

The damn thing had bit him!

He pulled his arm away forcefully, shaking his injured hand and trying to inspect the damage. The wound wasn't serious, but the teeth had been strong enough to actually pierce through the armour, leaving two gaping holes. Cyborg would have to fix it… again…

No, wait, he wouldn't. His hand would stay like that. Shame.

He kissed it in an attempt to dull the pain, unsheathed his katana, and aimed for the kill…

BARK!

Change of plans! The monsters had split into two and bit on his hand(s) again, this time leaving him in even more pain than before. Windflyer frantically attempted to get them off of his hands, but to no avail; they were stuck. Well and truly stuck. Not even flying would get the pesky things away, since they split again and held on. One last-gasp attempt to escape and the Toa fell with a WHUMP to the ground. As Plasmus's spawn dragged him off, he sighed. The team really needed some unity right now.

Robin was the only Titan left standing. He continued to run among the aisles holding the rest of the processing equipment, the other crab claw trailing straight behind him and gaining. The Boy Wonder stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath, saw a pair of double doors, readied himself to jump, and smashed straight through them. In nauseating green light he fell, only stopped as he found himself being carried along on a conveyor belt. He rubbed his head in confusion.

The claw did not let up its fight; jumping onto the belt behind Robin, it reared back for a strike. Despite being made of goo, it managed to stay standing; the boy's quickfire bo staff slashes did not even touch its inner parts, only finding purple, and the end of the weapon broke off (although Robin covered with an extension of the other side. Plasmus's spawn retaliated by blocking the staff and knocking it out of his hands, sending it spiraling into the large vats of glowing chemicals below. Robin retaliated by backing up and lunging in for a high kick.

Starfire was still held snuggly by the snake. The slimy thing wrapping itself in a coil on her head and squeezing itself into a ball exacerbated her struggles. Although she was able to break out after a minute, she found the main body perched on a filing cabinet and ready to strike. Beast Boy, Raven, and Windflyer were dragged in, all very slimy, and the Tamaranean's captor reformed by her feet. She recoiled in fright.

Back on the conveyor, Robin continued to fight the crab claw. He backed up a bit, trying to avoid his opponent's advance, but was felled and pinned down harshly. Struggling mightily to get out of the claw's grip, the Boy Wonder and his captor discovered they would soon reach the end of the belt and the vat of icky chemicals below. Robin's body was partially over the edge when he realized something; smiling wickedly, he took the slime monster in his free hand, flipped it over instead, and-

Whoops! Miscalculated!

Now he was going to go over too!

Thanks to his quick reflexes, the acrobat was able to cling on to a corner and save himself, but unfortunately the transport would not hold forever. It began to pull off of its hinges, the claw having grabbed his boot from underneath him and ripping at it powerfully. Robin strained and strained, but he was unable to beat the unstoppable force- the conveyor broke, and the Boy Wonder fell into the chemical bath with it-

Simon has allowed me to leave the premises. He says that the break-in by one Cinderblock and the loss of the prisoner 385901 (nicknamed "Plasmus") has proved a more pressing issue than the rogue alien from another world. A serious issue, in fact. They've never lost a man before. Lewa and Tanika must have been really unimportant so as to not get arrested.

Thing is… I'm not sure where I'll go. I don't know anything here. I'm outside the jail at the moment, looking over some reconstruction that is supposed to be from the heist and the brightly lit city beyond, but it all seems so alien. Like me. Heh.

Simon says I might want to try getting shelter first, but I'm not so enthused. We Glatorian never really needed it since we were always fighting. I suppose things have changed now, but then again I've never been too perceptive.

There's supposed to be a lively square downtown. Guess I'll check that out first.

Okay… I lied!

This isn't lively at ALL!

Yeah, it's loud and boisterous… but people aren't causing it! Some weird monster is! Must be Cinderblock. He didn't seem so hellbent on destruction from what I heard.

I pull out a long metal staff, which Simon has given me as a replacement for my daggers (they are apparently still an issue,) and jump in before it. Might not be as good of a weapon, but I'll take it. This guy could cause trouble.

He's not really interested in me, so I take advantage of this to give him a good hard WHACK. Doesn't seem to do any damage. His skin is solid stone; certainly lives up to the name.

I'm about to give this chucklehead an air blast to the head and show him I mean business when somebody else jumps in and begins taunting him. Hey… I recognize this kid. Tall, well built, cyborg parts. Could pass as one of us if he wanted to.

Doesn't seem to recognize me, though. He's much too busy taking Cinderblock on. I decide to keep fighting as well, only stopping to take a breath. Things are intense.

After a while we have finally managed to defeat the monster. It wasn't that hard. Just needed a few good whacks where necessary.

Cyborg man takes the parts Cinderblock had been carrying and ties him up. I'm not sure why he would do it. Maybe it's supposed to be ironic? Then he turns to me and grins. I have to smile back.

"You the guy Windflyer kept talking about?" he asks.

Windflyer?

"I'm afraid… I don't know a Windflyer."

The man frowns. "Your friend? The green guy? On the ship?"

"That's not very descriptive," I respond.

"Oh, okay." He starts to walk off, carrying Cinderblock with him. "Well, if you do end up knowing him, give us a holler. Dude's been waiting ages to hear from you."

"But I don't have a-"

Cyborg scoffs and throws me something. It registers in my hands, hard and metallic. A communicator?

I raise an eyebrow at the guy in confusion, but he only gives a thumbs up in return. "For when you need us! When there's trouble, call. Oh, by the way… nice prosthetics." Then he is gone.

I am dumbfounded. What is this? A helpline? I cannot be sure. It seems helpful enough, so I will keep it.

As he leaves, I notice something on his coverings. His robotic coverings, you pervert. Same as me.

It is a weird sort of inscription, although I am able to make it out… "STAR Labs." I have no idea what that means, but I must keep it in mind.

I turn on the communicator to see what Cyborg was talking about when I am all but shocked. He is in trouble. There seems to be a factory, and it is dangerous, and somebody is about to fall in…

Safety!

A familiar robotic arm reached down and held onto Robin's wrist tightly, watching as the claw was consumed by the chemicals and dissolved. The Boy Wonder looked up to see who had saved his life...

Cyborg!

He hoisted Robin onto the conveyor ahead of him, letting the hero take a moment to catch his breath. Then he smiled.

"I still got the sonic if you still got the boom."

Robin was wont to smile back.

On the factory floor, Plasmus rebuilt himself. Calling the sludgy body parts back to him, he laughed wickedly. The Titans had been done away with. Slade would be happy. He just had to take them straight to him-

"Yo, ROCKHEAD!"

Oh, not again!

"You aren't getting away with this, Plasmus," Robin said as he and Cyborg jumped down and began encircling him."

But he was! The three were disposed off! What could they do? The monster was just about to dispose of them too when-

"Teen Titans! Go!"

Once again the man and the robin ran towards him for a bit before moving apart and dashing up the walls. Then they jumped towards each other, Cyborg-brother's cannon warming up…

And actually made the move.

By a stroke of luck, they did not get tangled; Robin hurled a blinking disk, while Cyborg fired off his cannon-

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Plasmus was no more.

At least for now, anyway.

What was left of him lay in puddles of the floor, piles of purple goop having been blown off to reveal what lay underneath. A small stocky man lay in them, snoring fitfully in his underwear. But he was asleep, and that was all that mattered.

Beast Boy and Raven sat up out of the slime, giving each other confused looks. Starfire and Windflyer did likewise. It appeared Plasmus had managed to consume them- not a fate anyone wanted to share. Robin and Cyborg both looked at the man warily, blown away by the damage one frail person had managed to cause, then nodded. The robotic man called the police.

Outside, guards loaded the villain, contained in a new tank, into a truck for a return to the prison.

Robin looked at his boots. "Look," he said, "uh… sorry about…"

"Yeah."

"So…" he continued, "are we cool?"

Cyborg smiled and held up a fist. "Frosty."

As the two tapped fists, Robin smiled too.

Windflyer grinned. "Hey! Don't I get one too?"

"Sure, man, sure."

Starfire squealed in joy. "You made up! Glorious!" She clasped her hands. "I wish to initiate a group hug."

"Pass," Raven intoned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Beast Boy said quickly. "Warm fuzzies all around. But we still gotta stop Cinderblock!"

"No we don't!" Cyborg smirked. "Thought I'd bring a present, 'case you were still mad."

He gestured behind Robin, the other Titans watching as Cinderblock was brought to the truck on a winch. The equipment he had been carrying for Slade was now tied to his body as a cuff of sorts. He grumbled in exasperation at his situation.

"Thanks!" Robin replied. He put a finger on his cheek. "Though… there is one thing that's still bothering me."

The Titans paled, eyes widened in disbelief.

"Breaking into jail? Using Plasmus to distract us? I talked to Beast Boy at length about Cinderblock. The whole plan seems to be a little too smart for him."

"For me or for him?"

Cyborg chuckled. "For him, grass stain. And I've been thinking the same thing."

The Titans relaxed, Beast Boy, Windflyer, and Starfire exhaling in gratefulness.

"I know!" Windflyer said, waving his arms. "Someone's gotta have been pulling the strings." He frowned. "Only question is… who?"

"Well, whoever they are…" Cyborg said, "They're no match for the Teen Titans."

He, Robin, and Windflyer traded a high five. "I heard that!" Robin said. The team then watched as lights shone beyond and the moon sat high in the sky.

A teacup and saucer lay empty on a table.

SMASH!

A teacup and saucer that had once been mint condition antiques now lay in pieces on the ground.

A shaking fist rose off the table. A pair of white-gloved hands, also shaking, reached down with a broom and dustpan to clean the mess up. Their holder sighed.

"Everything… all right, sir?"

"No." Slade glared, voice raspy. "Everything is not all right."

Wintergreen cleared out some more pieces and frowned. "But you know that the Titans will protect Robin now! Does that not make you happy?"

"Barely. I would've preferred them here. Although," Wilson said, eyebrow raised, "that is a good point. We can capture the boy and use him as bait to take the others."

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Definitely not with Plasmus or Cinderblock. They are a pain to work with. I will have to find other options."

Wintergreen dumped the porcelain shards in a trashcan then reached into a pantry for a new cup. "Any suggestions, sir? I know the Joker would be happy to do it."

Slade growled. "No. Not the Joker. But again, you are right. We need someone more relatable. More human. More… teen."

He turned to his butler. "Wintergreen. I have an assignment for you."

The man set down the cup on the arm of Slade's chair. "And what would that be, sir?"

The assassin smiled. "The Academy."

A salute. "Right away, master!"

As Wintergreen got his things, went down the stairs, and left in the Toyota, Slade looked at the monitor. "Next time my plans will succeed." He narrowed his eye. "And the Titans will pay."

"This was not one of your better plans, sister."

A cold wind nipped through Tahu's armour, teasing his organics. Packs of snow crunched under his feet. In the distance, a blizzard raged.

They had gone through the White Quartz Mountains.

"Trust me on this," Gali said. "This place is one of the chilliest on the planet. I'm sure our icy brother will have come here."

"Here?" Tahu scoffed, tensing. "This is torture!"

"Torture in only the most literal of senses," Onua said. "He can handle it."

Tahu pouted. "Okay, then. Why haven't we found him?"

"Kopaka said he wanted to be alone for a while. Away from you, I gather; I cannot fault him to an extent."

"Oh…" The Toa of Fire sighed. "All right. I guess this is kind of my fault. How much farther until we get out of this place?"

Onua reached into his pack and pulled out an old map. It had stood the test of time, paper yellowed, torn, and curled in places but still able to be read fairly easily. On it, one could learn the ways of getting around the different villages (unthinkable a few millennia ago, but all the rage as of now.) According to the one he held, once used by Ackar, the White Quartz Pass was a huge trading route that connected Atero to the Northern Region- and if Spherus Magna was as huge as he thought it was-

"A very long time," he finished.

Tahu growled. "We don't have the time! Spirits only know where the Gordanians have gone!"

"Tahu, hush."

"Don't 'hush' me," Tahu said, pushing her away. "I have every right…"

Gali frowned. "Every right to what, brother?"

He pointed in the distance. Something seemed to have caught his attention, and after a moment, Onua's as well. Curious by her brother's finding Gali switched to her Akaku. It had been a while since she had used it, but the Toa was a fast learner-

"Mata Nui!"

It was a foot. An orange foot.

Not much to say here so I'll let this chapter speak for itself.

1. Gresh has a way to contact Lewa now. Expect that to pop up in the future.

2. More interstitial!

3. Don't worry. Whoever that foot belongs to is not dead. Comic books.

The Sisters adaption is up next! Oh, just a note: This was the last chapter I had prewritten. Every one from now on is being done in real time, so expect updates to come a bit slower (probably a chapter a day.) Hey, them's the breaks. *shrugs*

Read and review, as always!