As the night raged on, Cyborg and Beast Boy danced like they had never danced before. (They had actually never danced before.) The dynamic duo had been at it for two hours now and was honestly blowing everyone else out of the water. At the moment, they were currently working on creating a move that would officially establish their superiority. Beast Boy had decided that he was going to jump off of Cyborg and twirl, or something like that- thinking was hard. He moved to exchange a back-and-forth with his buddy-
SMASH!
A massive battle was taking place on top of the warehouse, and the green hero could see it all. Through the transparent skylight, Beast Boy watched as Starfire and the probe from before fought it out on the panes themselves. Starfire was obviously going to lose; there was no doubt about that; but he couldn't help but wish that she would try and put in a bit more effort…
Oh.
The alien craft had seized her and Windflyer in its metallic appendages and zoomed away. Okay then.
Wait…
That wasn't okay! Not by a long shot! Beast Boy had once made a vow with Negative Man to never leave a female in danger, and he wasn't going to break that promise just yet. Even if the whole tentacle thing was a little hot.
He dashed across the room, looking for a way to reach the ship and all the while watching as it sped. After he reached the other side of the warehouse, he unfortunately lost track of it. Thankfully, Beast Boy was sure his robotic dance partner could grant a little bit of assistance.
"Cy!" he yelled. "Star and Fly're in trouble!"
Said requestee was busy dancing his butt off, hoping to make it big with some pretty girls. He knew Beast Boy had lied more than was healthy. Why should he listen to him…?
Cyborg turned to look at the grass stain anyway. He was leaning on the brick wall, left panting by his "chase" with the probe. Suddenly, another reached down with its tentacles and grabbed him, dragging him towards the door.
Me and my big mouth, Beast Boy thought in disgust/elation.
He was much less excited on the outside, though. "Whoa! Help!"
Cyborg began running after him. Grass stain was a good few meters away, but the hero had gained quite a few skills from his upgrade, not to mention his previous fame in the football circuit. He wouldn't take long to rescue Beast Boy… just a bit further…
SMACK!
Just a bit further before he was intercepted by another probe and smashed into the wall. Cyborg tried to resuscitate himself, finding it hard to do among the smashed bricks and dust, only to find the thing staring back at him.
In another corner of the warehouse, Raven and the gothic boy talked in the darkness. Raven obviously hadn't told him much about her, but the male had been quick to spill out his every complaint. His name was Robbie, and he headlined a band called "Muffin Explosion". He enjoyed pistachio ice cream and kicking babies. Robbie had a thing for a girl named Wendy; next summer, if he had the funds, he was going to travel to Gravity Falls, Oregon to meet her. Raven didn't believe this one bit. But he did.
"So," Robbie asked, hesitation and apathy readily apparent, "do you like show tunes?"
She frowned. "Not really. I actually-"
Whoosh. A metal thing carrying Beast Boy- Beast Boy- flew by, interrupting her answer. Raven narrowed her eyebrows while Robbie just looked at the spectacle with eyes wide open. The witch turned to her new friend with a look of regret. "You should probably go."
Robbie nodded quickly. "Yeah." Then he was off, feet beating the hard surface of the warehouse.
Raven flew up to aid the others, levitating two crates with her magic and hurling them at Beast Boy; he was released, skidding across the floor upon impact, but Starfire and Windflyer continued being trapped. She looked through the skylight and was surprised to find their captor staring down at her, almost as if to say "Wrong move, lady." The probe rose into the air before stopping and barreling down towards her, crashing through the skylight in the process-
SMASH!
And into a pile of crates, coincidentally where Raven had gotten her projectiles. One would assume that the witch would put up some sort of barrier to shield herself from the impact, but no, she simply stepped out of the way. Nearby, Cyborg got in a punch on the probe that had broadsided him and Starfire, Windflyer and their probe broke out of the crate pile. It moved to capture them again, but Starfire retaliated by throwing a starbolt in its face.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy had his own problems to tangle with. The probe that Raven had helped him escape was closing in on him, and he didn't want to have to mess with it repeatedly. He yelped in fright and backflipped out of its way, transforming into a tiger to lunge back at the otherworldly creation and swipe it across the room with a simple flick of his paw; unfortunately, it stopped by Starfire and a hesitant Windflyer. Soon enough the probe had righted itself, the triplets converging to take her in.
Starfire gasped and flew around erratically a bit, desperate to get them off her tail, leaving Windflyer to pick up her slack and send a few tornadoes at the probes. This did not take them out- they merely spun around for a bit and were up with no apparent problems- so it was up to Cyborg to destroy them with a massive flying tackle (coincidentally giving the two a breather.) Starfire and Windflyer looked down on the athlete as he fought the probes, grunting dramatically in the process. It seemed he believed it would take only three hits to scrap these things- while one punched its recipient away, and the other took the tentacles of a probe and eventually the whole thing with it, but the third merely flailed around wildly and sent Cyborg tumbling away.
Robin and Blackfire rested on the steps, seemingly having come out of an illicit act. Blackfire was not too enthused by this, but Robin was downright angry. He had just the right mind to give this girl a piece of his mind- suddenly; the Boy Wonder had something else to worry about. There was fighting going on outside the brick cage, and it seemed chaotic. Blackfire would have to wait. Robin turned to the wall, about to get up, when she stopped him and looked into his eyes pleadingly, as if playing with him like a dog.
"Where are you going?" she asked sadly, now pouting. "Stay and talk to me."
Robin sighed. "Look, I just want to make sure that Starfire's okay."
"Yeah… but-"
SMASH! AGAIN!
Cyborg had come crashing through the wall. Robin and Blackfire stared at him incredulously; he could only give a grumble in return. Rubbing his head and standing up, Cyborg watched as Robin came over to him.
"What's going on?"
Cyborg frowned. "Remember that thing, the one that attacked Star?" The two nodded. He narrowed his eyes. "Well… it had friends."
The robotic hero then jumped back into battle. Robin was all too eager to follow him, but stopped when he noticed Starfire's sister staring blankly into the distance, as if in deep thought. He wondered if it was because she was alone on top of the stairs.
"Blackfire?" Robin called hesitantly. She continued to ignore him. He cursed under his breath and tried again.
"Blackfire?" he called, this time a bit louder. "Didn't you hear him? Your sister needs help!"
Blackfire shook harshly, snapping out of her trance. "Huh- what? The probe that attacked Starfire? It has friends?" She smiled. "Right. Of course."
The princess pulled on her new hairdo, revealing it to be but a wig (where she had gotten it remains unknown,) dropped it carelessly, and joined Robin in running down the stairs after Cyborg.
"Phew- we're okay!"
"Not quite!"
CRASH.
They had escaped the probes, no thanks to Cyborg, and were now trying to find a way out. Windflyer had suggested the window, but soon realized the probes would hear the glass breaking. Starfire first thought of going out normally- though the probes weren't that stupid, the Toa agreed with her pretense. The two would need to be sneaky, and thus a… less known option was the way to go. Luckily, Starfire was nearing a wall.
"Do you think we'll make it through?"
Starfire gritted her teeth and frowned. "It does not hurt to try."
She broke through the wall of an outside alleyway behind the warehouse, allowing Windflyer to float past unharmed. Unfortunate that he, being very keen-eyed, did not notice another one.
While they did not crash through the wall on the opposite side, both Titans still took a great impact. There was a dumpster below, to break their fall, but it sadly did not do much. Trash wouldn't have been much of help anyway.
As Windflyer and Starfire took a moment to nurse their wounds, the probes flew right past them. The male rubbed his head angrily then looked at his compatriot, who was still not in a very good mood.
He sighed. "Hey… you okay?"
No response. This seemed eerily familiar. Windflyer tried a different approach.
"Do you think we should check if the others are okay too? Those probes were pretty powerful."
This time he received a slow nod in return. It wasn't much to go on, but the Toa smiled and began to open the lid. Just a peek, in case something came after him-
CLANG!
THEY HAD CLOSED IT ON HIS HAND!
NOT AGAIN!
He would've screamed his throat out if not for the fact that Starfire was doing it for him. The tentacles had grasped onto the dumpster and were hoisting it into the sky. And there was nothing they could do about it…
Sching!
That Robin's birdarangs, couldn't do, anyway. Severed by their sharp blades, the tentacles ripped off for a moment before falling to the ground, taking the dumpster with them. As the birdarangs returned to the Boy Wonder's hand, he smirked and gestured for the other Titans and Blackfire to pose.
"Titans, GO!"
Cyborg frowned. "Wait, why'd we say that together?"
"Beats me," Robin replied. "But it's not important right now. We need to take down those probes before-"
"I've got it!"
Before anybody could move, or even react, Blackfire jumped up, flew over their heads to the alien craft, blocked their interception, concentrated, and evilly smiled as two neon purple beams shot out of her eyes and disabled the probes, sending them a great distance. As she landed, bits and pieces of hull, wire, and tentacle rained down around her. The Titans could not believe this.
"Aw YEAH!"
Cyborg ran up to the elder Tamaranean eagerly; soon the others joined him as well. He grinned. "Good times!"
"Nice shooting, Tex," Beast Boy echoed.
Raven gave something resembling a smile. "Very nice."
"How did you know where to hit them?"
Blackfire shrugged. "Lucky guess?"
"We could use luck like that," Cyborg said excitedly. "Maybe you oughta join the team!"
"Me? A Teen Titan?"
He nodded. It was not long before, although not without some hesitation, the rest of the team agreed. Nearby, the dumpster lid opened again.
"I swear I heard her say she was a Teen Titan now," Windflyer hissed. "Am I right? Did I get that down correctly?"
"We can only hope- eep!"
Starfire poked her head up and gasped in shock. He had been proven right. It was tragic. A banana peel fell on her head.
Your training continues. It is slow, but rewarding. Brother Blood teaches you much about history, fighting, and the ways of villainy.
You learn that the Teen Titans have not been formed for very long. After an alien, who you regretfully discover to be Tanika, crashed to Earth, she began wrecking a city. A group of heroes congregated in the process of sedating her. Among them was one Windflyer- Lewa-
Let me just stop this story by saying that Kiina had no ill will towards Lewa, so to speak. It was just pent-up emotions and anger at past events being channeled into a human target. If the Glatorian had encountered her friend normally, there probably would have been a talk. Maybe a slap or two, that's all. But such is the will of Blood that even she could not help but succumb to the joy of violence.
It is horrible. Yes, he is alive. But he DESERTED you. Left you for dead. And now he's frolicking with those- piraka, of all people! You can't STAND it!
Brother Blood knows you're angry, and he's cultivating that potential. This much you're aware of. He didn't seem to reach that far into your brain, thank goodness. Thing is, though…
You don't know if you'll be able to stay this sane for much longer. And it bothers you.
It's not too much of an issue, anyway. Blood keeps pushing you to become a villain regardless.
You're finally looking to take a rest, panting after a half hour-long fight session where he worked every fibre in your body to full maximum, when the door knocks gently. Four times. You'd go and get it, lest you're punished, but you honestly can't move an inch right now. 'Sides, it's probably better for business if the visitor outside doesn't enter the HAEYP Principal's office to find a sweaty girl cyborg having just come out of practice.
Blood comes out of his private bathroom, hair all too wet, glares at you for a moment, opens the door. Just as you'd thought. Said visitor is a well-kept middle-aged woman, grey hair slicked back in a way that accentuates her faint wrinkles, and she does not seem very enthused to see either of you in this state.
Not for long. She's soon smiling from ear to ear. Yeesh. The wrinkles are actually pronounced now. Girl looks even worse than Ackar.
"Are you Kraken?" the lady asks, still keeping up that warm expression.
Shouldn't she know already? The two of you are trying to keep your existence a secret, but the encounter with Wintergreen was tenuous enough for him to have go and told on everyone. Still, you respond anyway, drawing out your affirmation. "Yeeeeees?"
"That's good." Old girl looks at your body, taking in its kinks, hopefully not getting any wrong ideas. "I see you have been training a lot."
"Yeah. Nothing I already knew, though."
She looks at Blood curiously. He shrugs. "She was a fighter before. Knew some moves, but my hypnosis was such that it suppressed them deeply into her brain."
There's that word again. Hypnosis. What does it mean?
"Interesting. Kraken, have you done any seedy acts before?"
Blind old bat. "Oh, loads," you say, hand on a hip. "When you're fighting for your life on a post-apocalyptic wasteland, it's best to take whatever opportunities you can get."
You have no idea where you just got that.
"And what did those opportunities entail?"
"Uh… stealing, cheating, stabbing… the works, I guess?"
Lady hems. "Most interesting." Then she moves up to you, offering her hand. "Lillian Fairsworth. I'm the headmistress of the HIVE Academy, where you will hopefully soon be studying."
"Quite likely," you mumble under your breath, shaking Lilian's hand all the same.
"You mean to imply you will not attend our school at all?"
"Never been to school. Never plan to."
"I'm sure HIVE can help you."
"I'd rather help Berix do some 'collecting'."
"Kraken," Brother Blood interjects. "This will be a good experience for you, remember? You need to refine your talents. It's the only way to mould you into a better villain."
There is nothing you can to but glare at him. He's obviously not impressed; Fairsworth, surprisingly, is. She winks at you, as if to thank you for the sass.
"No, Sebastian, I think she has a point. It wouldn't be right to just thrust her into the field. Not, at least, until after the Graduates take on their first mission."
Blood perks, at both the apparent use of his real name and the Headmistress's comment. "Really? The Trio is actually getting some action?"
She smiles. "Nothing too serious. Deathstroke and Wintergreen have contracted them to kill the Teen Titans."
The Titans.
There's nothing on this planet you'd like more than to get your hands on that slimy little weasel.
So much so that you actually ask if you can join them too.
They laugh, Fairsworth saying you're not quite ready for it yet, but they seem to acknowledge you could do the deed. That's good.
"I'm sure," Fairsworth says, "that when the time comes you'll have the power to do whatever you please. Especially with them."
She moves to shake your hand again. "Now I must be going. Slade's asked me to meet him. Can't keep the man waiting. Keep up the good work, student!" she finishes, walking out the door.
Blood closes it harshly, making a loud noise, and frowns. "Come, my Kraken. We must train more.
Well that was interesting. Apparently you have a boatload of potential that can be used to your advantage. Even Blood agrees.
But what to use it on…
What to use it on?
Hmm.
Yes.
When the time comes, like Fairsworth told you, you're definitely bashing Lewa and Tanika's heads in. No doubt about it.
After the fight at the warehouse party caused everyone to evacuate, and the warehouse itself to be roughed up quite a bit, the fete was ended quickly without much finesse. The Titans returned to the Tower, all very much surprised by Cyborg's declaration. Raven retreated to her room, while the robotic man and Beast Boy played GameStation. Windflyer watched them tiredly. Starfire, Robin, and Blackfire were nowhere to be seen.
"Yes!" Beast Boy cheered. He had- "I think I win again!"
"That's… great, grass stain."
"Totally amazing."
Cyborg frowned at Windflyer. "What's your problem? Ever since Blackfire took us to the movies you've been actin' a little… off."
"And you can't see why?"
"I can see that it's because you're jealous!"
"Jealous?" Windflyer gaped. "Brother, what makes you think I'm jealous? I'd never get jealous at someone!"
Cyborg explained. "Think about it. Blackfire is stronger than you. Smarter than you. Tougher than you. Nicer than you. Does a heckuva lot more stuff than you. She's an all-around better, cooler person. I know you don't take flattery very… well… but you're pretty much the best person we have on our team. Makes sense that you wouldn't like being upstaged."
"I see your point. But I honestly don't really care."
"Not even that Blackfire's pretty much usurped your and Star's spots?"
"Not in the slightest." Sigh. "Cyborg- it's not that I'm jealous. Seriously. I have better people to get angry with. My problem with Kranika is that she's too… nice! Yeah! Comes into our home. Offers to do everything for us- even the cooking. Takes us out to places she decides to go to and doesn't respect anyone else's decisions. Don't you think that's just a liiittle suspicious?"
"I think it's a blessing from Heaven," Beast Boy gushed.
"Shut up, Beast Boy."
"Dude."
"Whatever."
"You have a point, too," Cyborg said, "but I'm gonna side with grass stain over here. We lucked out. She's amazing. Can't you take pride in abusing her?"
"How long is she staying here?"
"Uhh…" He frowned. "I actually don't know. BB?"
Beast Boy did not respond.
Windflyer got up from his seat on top of the couch. "See what I mean? We have no idea if Kranika's here to pamper us or fatten us up for a stuff-feast. I'm gonna go check on my katana. Spirits know she hasn't tampered with them yet."
He said this offhandedly, as he was walking towards the hallway containing the Titans' rooms. It was still pretty dark, but Cyborg had supposedly installed a system that would allow one to turn on the lights on command. Apparently it was as easy as saying "Lights", although the system was very faulty. Maybe he should try it now, just to see its charm-
"And just where do you think you're going?"
KARZAHNI.
"To my room," Windflyer said. "Why?"
Astonishingly, Blackfire did not get angry with this. And Windflyer did not quite know why he knew it was Blackfire who had stopped him. Maybe he was getting ahead of Raven after all.
More on point, she merely smiled. Evilly, yes, but it was still a nice gesture. "No way, Jose. You're coming with me," she whispered.
"Okay. I'll see what I can- Hey!"
No use. The Tamaranean began to drag him to her intended destination, but the Toa was able to put up a good fight with his Pakari. She instead retaliated by picking him up from his still somewhat sore waist and heaving him onto her shoulder. Windflyer kicked and screamed and used all the wind powers he could think of, but she would not move.
Eventually they came to a room- Windflyer was sure of this because Blackfire dumped him harshly onto a bed. It may have been soft and fluffy, but the impact was so hard he could have sworn his back was messed up again. It was very dark on here, but he seemed to be able to make out some posters… dang, his Ruru was pretty bad… maybe he should've-
"You're wondering about the lights? Eh, don't worry. I can turn those things on-"
"Lights."
Suddenly, the room exploded with a brilliant glare. Both inhabitants had to shield their eyes. It was easier to see now, even with the sheer brightness factored in, and it looked like this was Starfire's-
"Screw you." Blackfire scoffed at the panel. "Can't you turn these lights down?"
"Lights."
It was dark again.
"Uh, Kranika? I think you meant turn the lights up-"
"Lights."
"Aaah! Too bright! Too bright! Lights off-"
"Li-"
"HUUAAARGHH!"
SMASH!
"ghhttssss…."
Windflyer frowned. "Cyborg-brother isn't going to be too happy about that."
"Whatever. I'm not going to be here to hear him."
"You're leaving? Then why am I-"
"Because you're coming with me."
Gresh here: Not much of an update yet. Still trying to find Lewa. Saw him fighting some robotic squids but was too busy trying to be incognito to help.
Good news is he's at a party. And things are loud. Literally. Apparently those guys like him, because he and Tanika have to fight three of them at once!
I wonder what she did before coming to Spherus Magna.
Other than that, I'm still pretty clueless. Some feisty woman came up to me and began flirting with me, but I paid that no mind. Not really looking for a relationship at the moment. Gresh out.
Windflyer was shocked. Doubly shocked. She wanted him to leave? Abandon his friends just when he needed them most? He wasn't just going to-
"If you're worried about the Titans, calm your tits. They're already brainless as is. I don't see how your absence will affect them that much."
"I made a promise. I'm going to stay on Earth and HELP them."
"Help them with what?" Blackfire asked. "Silly cape crap that nobody really cares about?" She was scowling now. "Face it, Lewa. Your people need you. Your brothers need you. I need you!"
"I thought you'd at least care about Cyborg- wait, what?"
Did she really- did she just mention the Matoran? And the Toa? Were they in…
Blackfire sighed, adopting a mocking tone. "And I thought you'd remember your original promise. To the Matoran. You were supposed to protect them from all harm… remember?"
"Yeah, well, everything changed when the Great Beings told me to scram," Lewa spat.
"They're an authority. And authorities are nothing."
"Like you're one to know. Tanika said you took over the crown after you sicced the Gordanians on her."
"That was my SISTER you were talking to!" Blackfire growled. "She's nothing but a pest! A naïve, ditzy airhead!
"And she thinks you're nothing but a cold, two-faced nuisance! So I guess you guys're even."
"Whatever." Blackfire picked Lewa up again and began running towards the nearest window. The Toa was obviously not happy, even less so upon spotting a small pack.
"Where are you taking me now?" he asked.
"Where do you think, Toa of Breeze? Space. The big wide world around us." Blackfire took off his mask; he instantly felt the ill effects. "We're finally gonna get to have those adventures you kept imagining."
"But… you were supposed to join the Teen Titans."
"I'm surprised you took me seriously."
"Don't you want to be a hero?"
She almost laughed at this. "A hero? Seriously? Who do you think I am, Captain Mar-Vell?"
"Not exactly who I had in mind," Lewa rasped, "but…"
"Nah. No way. I'm a goddess, first and foremost. Only real reason I came to see Starfire was to f*** with her."
His eyes widened wearily. "Wait- seriously? So you weren't planning to kill her at all?"
"If she happens to end up in jail," Blackfire smiled, "and I wouldn't be surprised if she did, she would probably off herself anyway. Less effort for me."
"But the necklace-"
"Was a diversion. To throw her off my back. Now c'mon; we're wasting time and I want to blow this Popsicle stand before Robbie Wobbie realizes I'm gone."
"You're… not going to inform the others?" Lewa was now a bit hesitant. "If we're leaving, I at least want to tell them that I'm gone. And… on that note, I don't think I want to be off Earth forever."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why? I wasn't expecting you to, but I'm just curious."
"Even if the Titans are brainless (and I can agree with you on that at least,) they're my team. My Toa team. I'm not sure if the others are okay after I left them and all."
"Huh." The alien smirked. "Go figure. Hey, I changed my outfit back. The gaudy purple just wasn't doing it for me."
Lewa sighed. "Fine by me. You're right- we should go."
"I like the way you think, boy," Blackfire grinned evilly, jumping out of a guest room window and flying off into the distance.
On the roof, Starfire wasn't doing so hot. It was later that night, and she was moping on the roof of Titans Tower, staring sadly into the distance. As waves crashed into the rocks below the Tower, letting up foam and steam, she walked slowly to the raised edge and stood up on it, letting herself be illuminated by the full moon. The girl was carrying a small pink backpack with an overdose of glitter by the shoulder straps; with this and the pained, defeated look on her face, one could pretty easily tell that she was about to run away.
Starfire shrugged the backpack onto her shoulders and sighed. "She will be a better Titan than I ever was."
She lifted off the roof, leaving Titans Tower and the Teen Titans behind forever.
"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
Oh wait. It seemed Robin had been standing on the roof as well.
He stepped out and looked at her, concern very clearly evident. That was rare for someone who had been trained by the Batman. Starfire could just not look him in the eye and confirm this- instead; she hung her head low and floated back down, posture not as straight as it once was. Her knees were half-buckled and the backpack was beginning to slide from her shoulders. For a moment, the two stay silent. Then Starfire found the courage to raise her head.
"Robin…" she whispered, "I-"
BREEN.
A large shadow appeared over the Tower. Starfire gasped while Robin looked over his shoulder to see what was causing it- lo and behold, it seemed to be the same ship that launched the probes. Or at least that's what the Boy Wonder thought. He was just about to ask the short green man on top of the thing why he was here when the flat deck quickly spun around and the alien lashed his right arm at the two. While the purple tentacle did not harm Robin, only pushing him back, it did manage to capture Starfire. Using his clawed left arm, the strange man manipulated the tentacle to wrap around her mouth, dragging her in and gesturing towards the floor. There must have been somebody else piloting. After a short pause, the ship began flying off.
Robin wasn't going to let her get captured again. He got up from where the long appendage had pushed him, sprinted across the roof towards Starfire's edge, and…
l
e
a
p
e
d
off, aiming for the vessel. He didn't have powers, but the Boy Wonder was able to use momentum to his advantage. The alien princess's boots got ever closer, ever so closer… he was just close enough to touch one…
But he missed. Sorry, Robin. The vessel lifted into the air, Starfire's muffled cries ringing out into the night.
This chapter was supposed to be the same size as any, but it ended up being double. Giant-Size Toa Titans, heh. I split it into two for convenience; could care less if it means an extra one.
Oh, big thanks to Zarohk Korobase for the review. It means a lot and I'm hoping I get more.
1. Hey, it's Robbie. What's he doing there? I have no idea.
2. Kiina continues to struggle with the physics of mind control, and I can't blame her for that.
3. The Blackfire sequence makes for a nice mirror to the sequence where Lewa countered her. Why is it never explained how she and the other Titans got to the river?
4. I saw the voice-activated lights joke in a TV show somewhere and I can't remember which.
5. Serious problem with onomatopeia and how I use it. That should be changed.
Read and review!