Well, not many reviews, but this is still a fresh story. And looks like everyone likes it. Yay!

Okay, to be serious now, since this is before "Wavelength", Bumble Bee is still in the Academy.

Divide>

The Road to Glory

"ALL RIGHT! TAKE THAT YOU SCRAG SNIFFING LOSERS! MWA-HA-HA-HA!"

Gizmo, the diminutive wonder kid of gadgetry wizardry, stood on a pile of the defeated Teen Titans, laughing evilly.

"HA-HA-HA-huh?"

Gizmo then saw his pack jump off, hopping around, before it sprouted an alarm clock, and blasted him with intense ringing. He woke up, yelling. Mammoth and Jinx were over him, having held the alarm clock in reality, right next to Gizmo's ear.

"Hey! I was having a dream about-"

"Beating the Teen Titans single-handed. We know. You were yelling in your sleep again..." Jinx muttered.

"You know, he makes for a very effective alarm clock." Mammoth noted, "He always starts his yelling 30 minutes before wake-up call."

"Maybe that computer brain of his can also order clothes by wireless internet." Jinx joked.

"Shut up..." Gizmo muttered, getting up.

The three best students of Hive Academy then began to prepare for the day, within the undersea HQ. It was incomplete right now, but it was leak-proof for the time being. They were yet unaware of their new teacher...

Divide>

The students sat quietly in the lecture hall, Gizmo seeming a bit bored.

"Psst. Gizmo, pay attention." Mammoth whispered.

"I already know all the answers..." he muttered in response.

That was when Brother Blood walked into the center of the hall...with a new person behind him, the only thing visible was their white cloak and hood. This started a murmur in the hall.

"All right now, listen well. As of late, I've noticed that while there are those among you quite able, there are also many of you who are...somewhat lacking in physical ability. While I know my teachings are bringing the best minds in you out to shine, I think perhaps making you the best of the best, just perhaps might be too great a task for one man. That is why I'm announcing a new teacher for physical educations."

"WHAT?" Gizmo yelped.

"Sounds good to me." Mammoth said to himself.

"Hmmm...that cloak would look pretty good on me." Jinx added.

"Aw crud...I don't like this..." Gizmo muttered.

"New guy!" one trouble-making student yelled out before lobbing an apple.

The apple, however, never made it to the target. The new teacher reacted before few could even blink, drawing out a bow and arrow, firing and piercing through the apple, and the arrow hit, apple and all, just barely enough to the left of the troublemaker's head to allow the apple and all to pass without hitting him. The student turned as white as the teacher's cloak, sweatdropped, and fainted. The student body fell silent, all with large sweatdrops over their heads. Brother Blood himself was impressed.

"Well now, does anyone else want t' cause trouble, or do ye want me t' lay down me rules before ye break 'em agin'?"

"Class, this is your new physical education teacher, The Taskmaster."

They gulped. Not many of them were familiar with him, but now that they could see he was practically hauling around a whole arsenal on his body, and that he was well-qualified for the, er-hem, 'task', they didn't want to object.

"Fine then, I'll be tellin' ye me rules durin' our first class together. I'll be prepping the classroom 'til then."

Taskmaster then turned, and walked out of the classroom, not seeming burdened at all by the equipment.

Divide>

The student body was now within the new, but unfinished training chamber, a massive dome solely for the purpose of intense training with the use of holograms and machinations. The Taskmaster was nowhere to be seen yet.

"Viro-crud, this stinks." Gizmo grumbled, "I was getting to like the light training."

Their teacher then came out from a control room, and got in front of them.

"Right now, let's start by organizin' ourselves proper. Tallest students in back, shortest in front. I want ye' all t' be able t' see."

Gizmo's face turned dark red, and he growled. Jinx and Mammoth sweatdropped, then headed off. When the sorting was finished, Gizmo was in the front middle, being the shortest of the lot. Taskmaster paced in front of the line-up.

"Good. Now before we start, I'm goin' t' lay down me law for me teachin's, and I want no one takin' the part about law seriously. I more than know ye' all are here t' be lawbreakin' lil' kids."

Gizmo had steam coming off his head about now.

"I expect nothin' less than yer best here. I don't want ye all t' have inflated heads about yer talents. That's a fatal mistake t' make."

Taskmaster then turned to face the students.

"And I will NOT tolerate mistakes like that! Ye' ain't sidekicks or assistants! Yer all t' be full fledged criminals."

Some students gulped.

"Looks like Gizmo's going to have trouble." Jinx whispered, with a slight chuckle.

"So will you." Mammoth added, being behind her.

Jinx scowled. Taskmaster then looked at Gizmo, and picked him up by the back of the neck on his outfit.

"Well now, what's yer problem shortie?"

Jinx and Mammoth turned white. That was Gizmo's last straw. He flailed in Taskmaster's grip, yelling, cursing, swearing, and ticked off. Taskmaster looked annoyed.

"WHAT'S WRONG! I'VE GOT A BARF-MUNCHING GORILLA WITH A HILLBILLY ACCENT FOR A TEACHER, AND I HATE PEOPLE MAKING FUN OF MY HEIGHT!"

Taskmaster narrowed an eye at Gizmo, and looked to the students.

"THAT, is fatal mistake number 2. Lettin' taunts, jokes, vendettas, and jeers get t' ye. Gettin' angry isn't goin' t' help ye think. Aside from that, many times it's used t' distract ye from the real threat. If ye MUST get payback, do it when ye have them in the palm of yer hand."

"Well I THINK I'm gonna put my foot up your butt!" Gizmo yelled.

The Taskmaster then grumbled.

"Kin' anyone guess what fatal mistake 3 is?"

The students murmured a bit. Jinx had a hand up.

"Yes darlin'?"

"Picking fights with the teachers?" She guessed.

"...well, that too, but I meant somethin' else." He replied, setting Gizmo down.

Gizmo grumbled.

"Don't run when the tide turns in a battle. Ye kin' still win, and running is what usually signals defeat. If ye quit, then yer opponent feels renewed hope t' beat ye with. And just t' reinforce this one, any student that flees from a fight with a hero will be flunked from me classes immediately."

The students then had their jaws drop open, eyes bulging out as white circles with black rings, then all face-faulted.

"...This might be more work for me then I thought..."

The students got up.

"ARE YOU CRAZY! WE DON'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT!" Gizmo shouted.

Taskmaster glared down at Gizmo.

"Ye don't want t' be known as cowards either."

Gizmo was going to speak, but stopped. He REALLY hated the teacher now, he had a point.

"Rassin' frassin' teacher..."

"It's a long and windin' road to the glory of being a feared villain. And no one will respect ye if yer weak and spineless."

"Hmph." Gizmo muttered, "So what can you do? Lecture people to death?"

Taskmaster narrowed both eyes at Gizmo.

"This is why I hate teachin' children." He grumbled, leaning down to glare at Gizmo, "Now if ye don't straighten up, I'm goin' t' put ye through the worst humiliatin' of yer life."

"Ha! Yeah right..."

"Then prove it and fight me."

Gizmo blinked, and looked to see if Taskmaster was serious. He was.

"Oh brother..."

Gizmo and Taskmaster got to the middle of the chamber to fight while the students watched.

"20 to 1 Gizmo wins." Jinx said to Bumble Bee.

"You're on, and an extra 10 if the winner completely trounced the loser."

"Deal."

Gizmo then took out his controller, and used it to pop the wings out of his pack, flying at Taskmaster.

"Coming at ya!"

Gizmo laughed...until Taskmaster leapt over Gizmo, landing on the pack, kicking down with both feet. Taskmaster sprang up and off to land on his feet, while Gizmo grinded against the ground, before regaining some altitude.

"Lucky shot..."

Gizmo then fired a few rockets at Taskmaster. When Gizmo saw Taskmaster take the shield out, he laughed.

"That little thing isn't going to block this!"

"Who said I was blockin'?"

Gizmo then yelped in surprise when he saw Taskmaster hurl the shield at the lead rocket at an angle. It deflected off the rocket, sending it off course into a wall, and kept ricocheting off the rockets until they all had veered off course, before it bounced off the last rocket at Gizmo, smacking him in the forehead, causing him to spin backwards. The shield bounced back to Taskmaster, who caught it, and strapped it back on his left arm. Gizmo ended up flopping onto the ground. He got up, and used the control to switch to his spider legs.

"All right, now let's see you fight."

Gizmo rushed Taskmaster, who shifted battle stance, to a limber looking, active stance. Gizmo tried to strike at Taskmaster, who leapt up off the ground, landing on the top of the leg, hands and feet close together, perched on the highest joint.

"What the?"

Taskmaster then flipped to the side to avoid a laser pistol blast from Gizmo, landing crouched down on the ground, before spinning with his foot out, tripping the front left spider leg, nearly making Gizmo topple. Taskmaster took the distraction chance to take out a pair of sais, holding them so the three blades of each were in the spaces between fingers. Gizmo growled, and had the controller in hand. He yelped when he say the blades of a sai an inch from his face. The other sai had just relieved him of the controller.

"Do ye want t' continue, or will ye admit ye lost?"

"Crud..."

Taskmaster then put the sais away, and kicked the controller up off the floor, so Gizmo could easily catch it.

"Now get back in ranks before I decide t' give ye demerits t' go with yer embarrassment."

Jinx grumbled. Bumble Bee chuckled.

"You owe me $30." She mentioned.

"Dang it, I was going to use that for new clothes..."

Gizmo limped back to his spot.

"Now then, let's start lessons with somethin' relevant."

"What's that?" Mammoth asked.

"First Aid, for when ye take some lumps. And it seems we have a good practice volunteer."

Gizmo muttered numerous swears.

Divide>

Gizmo muttered, limping out of the dome, last out. He was half-way wrapped like a mummy. Taskmaster was wise in starting with this for lessons. At least 3/4 of the student body needed it.

"Stupid scruff-nugget teacher..."

"Oh, and Gizmo..."

Gizmo winced.

"What'da want?"

Taskmaster then gave Gizmo a scrub brush, warm soapy water, a bucket of water sealant, and a bucket of wax polish.

"Clean up yer pack for tomorrow."

Taskmaster left. Gizmo swore up a storm.

Divide>

Taskmaster the harsh teacher. Ooooooh boy...