Chapter 9 — A Dark Surprise

Mac warped Hippity to Barcelona, Spain, Mac's hometown. They found the Titans on the hill that his old home stood upon.

"Wh... what happened to him?" Floppity exclaimed.

"It's okay, he'll be fine as long as someone heals him." Mac replied. "He fought Scurry and Hashmal by himself, and won.

"Are you guys okay?" Kuku asked.

"Yes, we're fine."

"Are you, Mac?" Kuku asked again, clarifying her question since Mac was in Barcelona again.

"I've gotten over it, Kuku." Mac stated.

"Gotten over what?" Sweet asked.

Mac sighed. "My bad memories. May I?" Sweet allowed Mac to speak with the Titans. "Titans, I have a story. Barcelona is my hometown... and on this hill was my old home. It burned down because of a group of bandits that used to run the city, the Diablos. I came back here while I was away, long before this tour started... not only for my revenge, but also to get rid of the pain I constantly felt when I thought about what happened here. This wasn't a normal visit because I immediately crashed that building over there." Mac pointed at the missile-shaped building. "That was the Diablos' headquarters. I felt that they reigned over the city long enough, and that they have caused too much pain and suffering. So, 'an eye for an eye' is what I said to myself... before I took out every last one of the Diablos; they walk this Earth no longer. Now, that building is home to all of our living standards; that is our Titans Tower. I'll lead you there."

"All right, Mac... whenever you're ready." Sweet said.

Mac then teleported the Bean Titans near the 50-story tall Tower and led them inside the front entrance. Mac had infiltrated the building over a month ago, so the place still needed a bit of renovating, as there were local workers helping with the building of the Tower.

"I know, some things aren't finished yet, but it'll get there soon."

The Angels had already set up the barrier around the building.

"Where can we go now?" Sweet asked.

"Hmm... floors 40 to 50 are the only ones that we can access currently; the grand living room and the Suites are there." Mac answered.

"What about the Facility?" Dotty asked.

"Most of it is in the Subbasement right now."

"Subbasement?" Bongo blurted loudly, hearing about something that he recalled from the X-Men.

"Yes. We can go down there now, if you want." Mac offered.

The Titans took the offer, as Mac took them to a secret elevator behind the regular elevator. Mac pressed the button to make the elevator descend.

"Mac, when you fought the Diablos, was there anything weird about them?" Kuku asked.

Mac paused. "Now that I think about it, they seemed stronger than normal humans... their leader had this power, that was almost at our Sacred level of power. I don't know what it was, but they had to have gotten that power from someone or something."

The elevator opened, revealing an underground laboratory made of the Danger Room's high-tech titanium tile.

"Here's the Subbasement... at least, so far." Mac presented.

"Where's the super-computer?" Dotty asked, waiting to commence the data share.

Mac led the Titans to the door that contained not only the super-computer, but also a Cerebro-like platform. "In here."

Suddenly, Mystic put both her hands on her head and fell to her knees. This was her worst reaction yet.

"Mystic! What's the matter?" Aurora asked his wife.

"There's... a dark power in there... and I take dark seriously."

Mac thought for a second. "This must be where the Diablos got their power from. I think it's time I put an end to this."

"Mac, I'm coming too." Kuku said, before turning to her children. "Lucy, Jake... stay with the rest of the Titans."

Mac and Kuku teleported inside of the chamber. It did look like Cerebro, as the "psychic's station" was set on the end platform.

"Something's rising..." Mac sensed.

A metallic, crimson-colored serpent with an full arch structure supporting it revealed itself to Mac and Kuku. Its image was seen through Mystic's crystal ball as well. Dotty identified it.

"Oh no." Dotty uttered. "That's the darkness esper: Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts. He represents Serpentarius... a lost zodiacal sign. He is very powerful."

Mac also sensed that Mystic was using her crystal ball. "Mystic..." he tried to contact her.

"Mac?"

"We'll take care of this thing. You guys go to the next base; we'll catch up."

Zodiark suddenly blew the door open, sending Mac and Kuku through. Mystic told the Titans to leave, while Mac and Kuku handled Zodiark.

The birds got up and led him into the Danger Room.

"All right, Kuku. Let's take him down." Mac said. Both birds assumed their Legendary powers.

Zodiark used its powerful Darkja attack—a massive blast of darkness.

"Kuku, can you cancel that with your tail band?" Mac asked, recalling of her black bracer on her tail. It would repel any force that had the dark element in it.

"I'll try." she said, jumping into the blast, hoping that the bracer would do its magic.

The outcome: she still took major damage and was left motionless on the other end of the Danger Room. Mac took some of the heat as well.

"Damn it." Mac murmured, as Zodiark went towards Kuku for the kill. "I'm not letting that happen... hey Zodiark!"

The serpent turned to Mac, who pushed his power further, to his Spirit Mode. Mac then assumed his Eight Trigrams stance.

"I hope you're ready for this... Eight Trigrams... Blindside 128 Palms!" Mac attacked with sharp Gentle Fist strikes 128 times, teleporting after every hit. After the combo, Zodiark floated, paralyzed. "Now for the finish... Final Shine!" Mac yelled, firing his most powerful blast at Zodiark. It was a hit.

After a moment, Zodiark appeared to be out of energy. Mac moved closer to it, only to get ambushed by another Darkja, a direct hit. Mac was forced out of his Spirit Mode, as Zodiark attempted to finish Mac off.

"Revenge Wing!" Kuku shouted from behind Zodiark, as her entire right wing tripled in size and turned fully black. She struck Zodiark, and its arch disappeared before the rest of his being did. Zodiark was defeated and now in the hands of Kuku, as the citrine crest appeared and placed itself on Kuku's tail bracer.

Kuku kneeled down to Mac. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I think so..." Mac answered, slowly getting up. "Come on... let's get back with the Titans." Kuku supported him by his left wing and took him out of the Danger Room.

The two birds found the Titans on the hill again. Dotty had already did her job with the data, right after Zodiark was led out of the Cerebro chamber; she snuck past it.

"We're going to the base that's just outside my old home..." Mystic said somberly.

Aurora held her close, knowing that her parents had already passed away long ago. "It's okay, Mystic."

Scorch walked up to Mystic. "I know that it's a Scottish myth... but does the Loch Ness ever come to Ireland?" he asked, as he would call it the "Wyrm of the Seas".

"It comes and goes." Mystic replied. "You might see him, someday."

The Titans are headed to Ireland.

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Eight of the thirteen "original" scions have been conquered now.