5. Alien Network News part 1

"Bugs??"

"Yes," Robin nodded. "Giant, buzzing, killer bugs."

The titans stood before a huge monitor in the Main Room, displaying a 3D schematic of a high-rise building in downtown. A level or two near the top of the spire highlighted themselves and blew up into a blueprint of a large, expensive lounge in the sky.

"Eye-witnesses said that about a few hours after opening their offices in the Kobayashi Tower, giant insects started crawling out of the ventilation ducts and began wreaking havoc on anyone in hovering distance."

Starfire remarked, "Was anyone hurt?"

"Nothing serious," Robin said. "They evacuated the workers and chairmen from the highrise and tried to ward the beasts away. But they were too much for the authorities. So they closed the top floors off and called us."

"We're superheroes," Raven grumbled. "Not exterminators."

"You know who this sounds like, right?" added Cyborg.

Robin nodded. "I wouldn't doubt at all if it was Killer Moth back in action."

"But what would he want with the Kobyashi Tower?" Starfire blinked.

"Say, isn't that where that big news agency nearby broadcasts from?" remarked Beast Boy.

"JCN News? Yeah…along with the distribution of a few other cable channels."

"Pffft," Beast Boy crossed his arms. "I knew there was something wrong with the T.V. this morning."

"If it is Killer Moth, he's probably trying to use the tower as a place to broadcast some threatening message to the city," said Cyborg.

"Or get free HBO."

Everyone looked at Beast Boy.

"Okay! Fine! Sheesh….sorry for existing…."

"Wouldn't he know that we'd try to stop him?" Starfire remarked.

"Most likely so," Robin nodded and switched off the monitor. "This is too much of a give away. Still, I'm not gonna keep a patient man waiting. Especially if he's out on the loose again."

"He did escape two weeks ago…," Raven added.

"Alright Titans. Let's all meet at the tower. Cyborg!" Robin pointed. "You and Raven take the T-Car. Starfire…Beast Boy….you can follow along as I ride by motorcycle."

"What about Noir?" Beast Boy gestured.

I waited patiently.

Robin glanced at me. Smirked. And for a split second I saw a twinkle in his eyemask that resembled the flying sparks from our gymnasium duel.

"You're on your own."

"!!!!" My eyes widened under the shades.

Raven and Cyborg were off.

Beast Boy blue jayed out the window.

Stafire giggled and was gone in a flash.

Robin jumped over to a doorframe and went down the a pole.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Cyborg laughed. "I love it when he does this to the noobie!"

I took two steps towards their door—but it slammed closed on me.

Robin's laughter filled the chamber.

I dashed towards his shute, only to be closed off.

Last but not least, I headed towards the window where Beast Boy and the Tamaranian had flown out. But a wall of glass slid up, mocking me.

I pressed to the pane, only to see a green blue jay cawing and a humored Starfire waving good bye as they floated off towards Downtown and the distant Kobayashi Tower.

Yes, I was the brunt of their joke. And something inside me fumed. But no sooner I counted it all for normality. I was indeed the 'noobie', as Cyborg coined. In due time, I'd be accepted into the regular rush of things. I suppose I could deal with one joke or two as I blended in with the task of teenage heroism.

But there was no way I'd let them one-up me that easily.

Masculine as I am, I determined to face their challenge. I turned around, squatted, and shot outward from the Main Room in a blur of smoke. Hallways and walls flashed before me. I twisted and turned down dark corridors in the Titan Tower.

LeftRightLeftLeftDownRightLeftForwardRightStop. Into the cellar. Into the darkness. Behold…the door to my quarters. I pressed a panel and it slid open. I blurred inside and to the mantle. I replaced the training sheathe of Myrkstaff with the hardened one I used in the field. I blurred to my bedside table. I whipped out a bandana. I fastened it around my forehead, keeping the hair in check, and was ready to go.

And go I…went.

Having memorized the inside of the Tower appropriately—I hoped—I decided on the fastest way to the exit. So I blurred up the stairs, out of the tower, down the main foyer and---

WHAM!!!

I fell back, rubbing my sore head.

The front doors wouldn't give.

I pulled on them.

They were locked from the outside.

I could hear a chuckle from both Cyborg and Robin on the exterior…followed shortly by the rearing motors of the T-Car and Robin Cycle.

I clenched my fists.

Sure, I could have exited those doors easily with my powers (not to mention my blade). But I had a better idea.

I made an abrupt turn, and soared up the stairwell.

A few seconds later, I emerged on the roof of the Tower. The midday sun warmed me as I stretched, cracked my neck, and blurred to the edge of the structure.

I looked out and could see the T-Car and the Robin Cycle hovering off. And over them were the distant forms of Starfire and Beast Boy.

I have this ability that I call 'Whisping'. It's when the Destruction inside of me clashes with Light. Thus, smoke and air converge to become a feather-light, frictionless anomaly. In other words, I've learned to become in tune with the Wind itself. It's great for show off.

And it was great for then.

I flexed my arms out beside me, beyond me, faced the edge…..and fell over.

Wind kicked at me…my hair…my bandana. The turbulent waves lapping against the rocky bluffs of the Tower base roared up at my figure as I plummeted. Then at the last second, I forced my body into a backflip, encased the soles of my feet in myrk, and halted my descent directly at the shoulders of lapping water.

There was a rush of air all around me like a fountain, and a circle of waves spouted out from my stance and sighed into tranquility

I stood on the water for a scant few seconds, repositioning my limbs nimbly, and in another blink of an eye I was blurring straight forward. Smoke energy shoved me forward through the realm of mist and light. I was running on water, forming white vapors behind me. To my far left, I caught a peripheral vision through my shades of the T-Car on the bridge heading into Downtown; parallel to myself.

I smirked, saluted in mid-sprint with a pair of fingers, and dashed off towards dry land.

Before I reached the crags and docks that formed the Bay part of the town, I leapt high into the air and let momentum carry me over the waterside streets—swarming with cars and pedestrians—and landed on the buildingtops of a medium commercial center. I dashed along from rooftop to rooftop, leaping my way higher and higher as I approached the summit of downtown. I recognized the beginning of Main Street. To get there, I leapt clear over the road to my left and onto the adjacent building tops. I scaled higher and higher. I heard a bird cry overhead and recognized in mid-blur the green form of Beast Boy. I smiled to myself and jumped extraordinarily high—purposefully upsetting his flight as I reached the side of a skyscraper and ran up its side at the speed of sound. Any more of a lagging behind, and he would have certainly pecked my ears out. I grinned as I pivoted myself and ran perpendicular to the buildings' sides, my right torso facing the street way down below. A banner of sorts blocked my way suddenly. With a gasp, I pulsed the murk at my feet, flipped off the left side of the street, rotated in mid air, and made contact with the buildings' sides on the right. Blurring towards my destination.

Soon the height of Kobayashi Tower rose before me. I brought my arms together, leapt off the building in mid sprint, and sorta flipped-dived towards my target. I landed in a squat straight against the vertical, glass windows of the Tower with such dark energetic force that it was a wonder I didn't shatter a single piece of the translucent material. In half a second, I jabbed my upper half ahead of my legs and stretched my legs back, propelling my body like an obsidian bullet upwards as I dashed up the glass. Before my shades there appeared a horizon of blue. Just at the edge of the building top, I spotted a few police helicopters hovering. I figured that they had the place pretty well covered from the exterior. Now it was our job.

I looked for something to perch upon and was delighted to spot a triad of flagpoles. I headed for the one in the center, dashed up past it, released myself from the building side, backflipped, and landed in a solid pose on one precarious flagpole. One leg in front of the other, I leaned over and squinted inside. Through my shades I saw a passageway inside. I was directly facing a huge, wall-sized window.

The T-Car roared to a stop below me, announcing Cyborg and Raven. A rush of wind sounded on top of me, announcing Starfire and Beast Boy. Finally, the pop and swish of a grappling hook took place on the opposite side of the skyscraper. Robin had arrived.

I smiled as I unsheathed Myrkstaff.

In our own rights…we are all even.

I crouched nimbly on the thin flagpole and channeled murk energy from my staff. All the while I was studying every nook and cranny of the window's glass face. I pressed smoke into it, feeling its cool surface. Feeling its reflective nature. Feeling the edges where it was held into the foundation. Feeling the fasteners. Feeling the nuts and bolts. Feeling the minute pockets of air between them. There! I sensed a half centimeter hole just a finger away from the bottom center of the window.

With a rush, I silently transported through the glass and then stood inside on a curtain of invading smoke. I took a deep breath and sheathed Myrkstaff, holding the dark energies back at bay.

It was dark inside. Dead dark.

The last thing I'd mind…

I snaked my way down the hall, my back neatly pressed against one side. I passed a few doors till I came across one with a slit of light showing at the bottom.

Faint light.

I knelt down, held a finger out, and trickled forth a small fountain of smoke that rolled down the doorframe and slipped underneath. I closed my eyes beneath the shades and 'felt' the inside of the adjacent room. It was a somewhat difficult task, but I tapped my spatial awareness along the currents of murk and sensed the room to be empty of threatening life. I stood back up, tried the doorknob, found it locked, stepped back, and swiftly kicked the door open.

WHAM!!!

I stomped half my body through the frame, one hand tentatively rested on Myrkstaff's hilt along my back.

I squinted into the faint glow of the sun coming in through two clear stories of tinted windows. I was at the top of a small flight of stairs leading down into the base of the huge, highrise lounge. There was not a body in sight. Not even giant killer insects.

Perplexed, I stepped slowly into the room—ever vigil. A beautiful chiming sound hovered over me. I spun around and caught sight of Starfire, descending from an upper balcony.

"Noir! It is you!" she floated overhead. "This place is strangely vacant of all evil, is it not?"

I solemnly nodded.

A green blue jay landed on the hand railing of the stairs, chirped, and morphed into a sitting Beast Boy. "So…..like….did the Orkin Man beat us to this place?"

"I have no idea…" Starfire's head shook.

An elevator opened on the far side of the floor.

Beast Boy jumped into a fighting stance. Starfire's hand glowed over her head.

Robin swung in from the dark elevator shaft and dusted himself off. "Report!"

"Wish I had something worth reporting," Beast Boy shrugged. "Besides, we all got here just seconds before you did."

There was a warbling sound as Raven morphed up from a dark portal in the carpet along with Cyborg. Soon they stood and walked towards us.

"We just talked with the police," Cyborg said. "They've got the SWAT Team for backup just in case we flush whoever it is into their hands."

"Aren't we….um….missing something?" Raven remarked.

"I know, it's all wrong," said Robin. "Not like I expected anything less."

"You mean you knew we could be walking into a trap, and yet you still had us come here?!" Beast Boy complained.

"Calm down. There's nothing here we can't handle. I'm sure of it," Robin said. He thought for a split second, then said: "Titans. Split up. Beast Boy, go check out this floor with Starfire. Noir, Cyborg, you guys go upstairs. Raven and I will check the floors below. Keep in contact via communicator. Whatever's fluttering around in this belfry, we're gonna clear 'em out."

"Wh-What if there *are* monstrous, Earth bugs nearby??" Starfire trembled.

Cyborg shrugged. "Fly swatter?"

Starfire bit her lip.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Let's get moving."

Robin nodded and walked off with her.

Starfire and Beast Boy scampered away.

Cyborg tapped my shoulder and gestured up the stairs.

"Come on, let's not leave any stone unturned."

I nodded and followed the android…though there was no stone in sight. Ha…boy did that sound like Starfire.

Our paths took us up a few grand staircases into what must have been the most expensive offices in the entire city. The firm that ran the business of JCN News was a Japanese group of men, and their workplaces reflected it. Amidst the darklit interiors—no problem for either Cyborg or me—we found ourselves wandering around simulated Japanese gardens, houses, and even a dojo that acted as coffee room. Go figure. We had checked just about every floor—flashlighting and murking our way through each doorframe—when nothing turned up out of the ordinary.

"Whatever was here…it's gone now," Cyborg muttered. "I mean…we checked every room."

I slowly shook my head.

He looked at me funny. "Say what?"

I gestured upwards with a finger.

Cyborg glanced. He smacked the metallic part of his head. "Son of a….how could we not see that?!"

A long escalator led to a balcony with a grand, Japanese sliding-door entrance. It was extraordinarily fancy. Undoubtedly, it must have been the Boss' room.

"Well…no rest for the weary," Cyborg grinned. He lifted an arm, formed it into a laser rifle, and led the way up. I followed the android point man slowly…quietly.

We reached the top of the still escalator and approached the singular entrance with caution. Cyborg signaled with his eyes and I complied by grabbing onto the handle and getting poised to slide open the doors.

Cyborg held three fingers up. Held two fingers up. Held one finger up.

I nodded.

SWISH!!

Cyborg dashed in, gun raised and squealing in charge-up. I posed beside him, Myrkstaff at ready.

And…….nothing.

Cyborg's red eye blinked. "Okay….that was anticlimactic."

I looked around from under his shoulder.

The room was clean. A lot of open space with a desk at one corner, flanked by two heavy models wearing Medieval Japanese armor; complete with katanas. The ceiling was composed of a bunch of horizontal, dojo-esque wooden beams. Slits of light came in from windows that met the outside world. We figured we must have been in the uppermost office room in the city.

"I usually expect more of a party when the boss is not in…," Cyborg said, returning his blaster into a hand. "This is downright wyrd."

"They're heeeeeeeere!"

Cyborg practically went pale. So did I.

Where did that voice come from?

WOOSH!!!!

There was a shrieking sound as two buzzing mantises flew down from overhead and swiped at our skulls. We ducked the giant, insect fury and slid apart in opposite directions—ready to fight whatever or whoever.

A cackle filled the room as the two creatures perched on the two pieces of Japanese armor and glared at us through compound eyes and drooling mandibles.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!"

"Who's there?!?!" Cyborg growled. "Show yourself! Now!!"

A voice fluttered down from the ceiling. I expected something completely demonic and morose. Instead…it sounded like some random person you'd meet in a Hot Topic or Suncoast.

"And no matter how fast you scamper, the Langoliers will get you!!"

"I'm not afraid of no oversized ladybugs!!" Cyborg frowned.

"Those aren't ladybugs you uneducated Wookie!!" the voice squabbled. There was a heavy rushing sound—and I do mean heavy. A modestly rotund, bearded figure landed squarely on a beam right over the Boss' desk. "Those are the exact handpuppets used in the classic 1950s Sci-Fi thriller, 'Nest of the Crawling Terror', which scored a modestly low roster in the decade's box office under the shadow of 'The Creeping Evil!'." The figure spun something in his grasp and illuminated his face with a comically eerie flashlight in the other. "Mr. Kobayashi bought it from cheap in the Land of the Rising Sun just like he bought this here pathetic news and cable Station! But, with a little click from yours truly, they become much more than mere puppets, Mr. Data Wannabe! They're the real McCoy!"

Cyborg's face twisted into something absurdly mixed between fear and disgust. "Control Freak????"

"!!!!" I looked up at him.

"That's Admiral Control Freak to you, Tin Man!" the fat nerd rotated the Klingon controller in his grasp and struck a Cheetos stained grin. "And welcome to the greatest Convention yet!"