These Black Eyes

by P0ST

The ongoing adventures and experiences of the Teen Titans, as witnessed through the eyes of a silent newcomer.

144. Double Jinx part 1

144. Double Jinx part 1

Three and a half years ago......

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Cold air.

Metal armwrests.

Silver shackles.

A stale smell in the darkness.

Distant sounds of muffled children.

Crying.

Screaming.

And......

Shocking sounds.

Beating sounds.

Carving sounds.

She breathed......breathed.........breathed...

"..............."

"Wake up, witch........."

"..............."

"Wake up. That is a commandment. Your first commandment."

"Nnnghh......I......wh-where am I?"

A beat.

"Remove the blinders."

FLASH!!!!

Bright electric light.

She flinched.

Her teeth grit and her arms struggled in the metal restraints.

Panting......

Twelve year old chest falling and rising......

"Who......are........."

"We??" an old woman with ghastly gray hair and a tight face paced before her. She was flanked by men in yellow armor and helmets. The helmet visors were bulbous black spheres, like insect eyes. The cold metal walls were hexagonal combinations of golden plates. "It does not matter who we are......," the old woman walked to a stand-still and stared at the girl. "Tell me......who do you miss??"

The girl blinked.

She shrank back in the chair. "I......I-I......," she felt sleepy and anxious all at once. The world begged to spin before her eyes.

"Who......are you missing......?" the old woman asked with narrow eyes.

The girl shuddered. Her lips parted and her vision blurred momentarily as if reacting to something squirming around in her brain.

"Faye............," she whispered. "............Fiona."

A beat.

The girl bit her lip. A moan came out of her throat that she half expected. But it felt so natural. "M-My sisters.........oh gawd......what's become of them?"

A beat.

The woman paced in front of the girl again. "You......failed them......didn't you??"

The girl's lips quivered. "I......I-I......"

"You were supposed to watch over them. To protect them......," the woman's old eyes narrowed threateningly. "......it was what your mother wanted. After all your mother's been through......you would disappoint her?"

"I......I......," the girl shook all over. Her eyes quivered.

"What did you do??"

"I......f-failed my mother......I-I failed Faye......I failed Fiona.........," she hunched over in the chair's restraints. Tears started trickling down her cheeks. She shook and hiccupped. "I......I w-was reading a book at the p-playground......when they came and t-took them both."

"Were you able to save them??"

"I-I........."

"Your powers. Did you use your powers?"

"I t-tried!!" the girl sobbed. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. "I tried......b-but I wasn't good enough!! I failed them!! Oh god......Faye...Fiona.........p-please forgive me......"

"They may not be able to forgive you for long," the woman said.

The girl gasped. She looked up, her eyes wide.

The woman smiled. "We have them."

"..............."

"We have them. And we will do whatever we want with them. Because you failed your sisters. And if anything happens to them......it will be your fault."

The girl bit her lip. She panted heavily.

The old woman folded her arms across her business suit. "Do what we tell you to. Do whatever H.I.V.E. commands. Do not be foolish again by disobeying us. You will be what we want you to be......or your dear sisters will suffer the consequences of your insolence......is that understood?"

"..............."

"Is that understood?!?!"

"Y-Yes."

"Y-Yes, what??"

"Yes ma'am!!"

"HEADMISTRESS!!!"

"Y-Yes, headmistress!! I shall be what you want me to be!! I shall do whatever you want!! Just please......," the girl sniffed and sobbed. "I don't want them to die......p-please......don't let Faye and Fiona die because of me........."

At that, the old woman smiled. She looked over and nodded at a man.

The man smiled back as he walked out from the shadows to the restrained girl's right. He was a withering thing of old flesh and bulbous eyes. His skull looked as if it had been sawed off halfway and replaced by a sheet of transparent plastic. The girl shuddered as she quite visibly saw his brain matter through the 'skull cap'.

"Tell me......little girl......," the fiendish fellow walked over and held a small mirror in front of her face. "......what is it that you see?"

The girl's face paled......but it was already pale. Pink bangs hung around her shoulder in a long ponytail. Two exotic cat eyes of pink brimmed with tears.

"I.........I-I see......"

"A witch???"

"............," the girl glanced at the Headmistress.

The Headmistress smiled.

".........," the girl sniffed and stared teary-eyed at her reflection. "I see a witch............"

"You will be H.I.V.E.'s witch from now on......," the freakish man hissed. He smiled for good measure as he added: "You shall be H.I.V.E.'s most ruthless sorceress ever...or else your dear sisters will suffer the inevitable fate of your blood-born jinx......"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Saturday

October 23, 2004.

7:42 am

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Commissioner! About time you made it!!"

"Can it! Nobody in this City is allowed to be impatient over me," the man grumbled. As he rushed into the Comms. room of the Police Department, he was still tucking his dress shirt on and adjusting his tie. He was a remarkably dressed man for having waken up and rushed over from his apartment loft inside a span of twenty-five minutes. Flanked by a few other officers, he stormed over and leaned in behind a group of frantic operators on the City's communication relays. "I want updates."

"All I've got is chaos, sir."

"Not good enough. Brief me, I'm in the mood to be humored."

The operator multi-tasked between patching an increasing flurry of radio communications back and forth while listening to squabbles in his headset and finally typing away at a City graphical interface on the computer in front of him. He produced a map displaying the security grid of the Town. With a single keystroke he zeroed the focus of the map up north to the triangular prison structure built barely out of the municipal boundaries. Another keystroke...and a red blur of colored imagery flashed over a segment of the northernmost cylindrical structure of the three-sided prison complex.

"A little over half an hour ago, an explosion took place within the northern pylon. It was four floors up on the South side. An entire wall of a reported diameter of twenty feet has crumbled away completely. There're still fires and huge plumes of smoke.

"Shit....," Decker gritted his teeth. "...Omega Wing."

The communicator nodded. "Latest Internet messages from the Warden's office say that practically half of the Omega Wing has been wracked by the explosion. The last report briefly mentions a prison-wide effort of all unified wardens attempting to put out the flames."

"Screw the flames," Decker gestured wildly. "What about the punks in their cells??"

"No information yet, sir."

"Well, I want information!!" the Commissioner stood up straight and waved at anyone and everyone he could in the room. "I want fifty units going north to the prison! Now!! This ain't no drill, bedwetters!! This is really big crap!! Let's keep it from flaming any further!! Hop to it!!"

"Sir!!!" a worker at a computer station two spaces away suddenly stood up and nearly yanked off his headset in emphatically pointing at his equipment. "I'm getting a direct radio message from the warden's office!!"

Murmurs.

Commotion.

Decker rushed over through the thickening Comms. room and grabbed the headset and mic. "Patch me through....and turn it up."

The worker nodded. He pushed some switches and turned a dial.

A crackling conglomeration of panicked voices and white noiz filtered through the speakers.

......snnkktkk...... snkkkt............ "For God's sak—"snkktkktt...... BANG! BANG!!......... snkkktk "--ORCEMENTS!!"snnkktkkk...... snkkt......

Decker sweat and shouted into his mic. "This is Commissioner Decker! Do you read me???"

............snnkkkktkt......"—t you?!?"......snktktkkktBANG!!BANG!!"—ents immediatel---!!"snktkkkttt......

"This is Commissioner Decker of the City Police Department!! We need a status report!! What is going on over there?!?!"

......snnktkkktkkkk......snkkktkk"—victs from the Omega Wing have escaped!!"snkktkkt......BANG!!!......snkktk"—ttempting to suppress the revolt!! We need reinforcements!! They ar—"snkktkkkt......snkktkkt"—er the place!!!"snktkkktkk......

"Listen!! Can you confirm who has escaped from Omega Wing??!! Over."

A beat.

The officers leaned in.

Decker took a deep breath.

He repeated into the mic: "Can you confirm who has escaped from Omega Wing?? Over."

............

............

............snnkktttkkk"Everyone!!!"snkktkk"Shit, behind y—!!"snkkttkk......BANG!! BANG!! "RAAAAUGH!!!" CRUNCH!!!SNKTKKKTktkkktkkkkkkkkktttt.............................................-beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep-

"..............."

Decker and the other officers looked at each other.

"A-Are you going, sir?"

"Hell yeah, I am...," Decker dropped the mic and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "...and I think I'll be inviting the kids too."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

What in the world???

My naked black eyes narrowed.

I leaned forward, gazing at the laptop's glowing screen.

I sat cross-legged on my bed in the dark. A dim lantern-light drifted down from above. My Solid Snake costume hung over the foot of the bed.

I gazed at the 'stranger' in my e-mail's Inbox. There was no e-mail address. No significant screen name. Just one letter. The letter 'J'.

I blinked.

Spam? A virus?

The e-mail was only 1k in size.

I hesitantly clicked on it.

The e-mail opened up.

My black eyes blinked.

A message read short and simply:

Dear Old Friend,

Red Aviary Has Begun. Be very careful.

-"J"

My lips parted.

Red Aviary......

I ran a hand through my long black hair.

The......Th-The Messenger??

My black eyes focused at the bottom of the message.

But......it's not his style......

A beat.

What does 'J' mean???

WREE!! WREE!! WREE!!

I gasped.

The Titan Alarm......

I snapped the laptop closed in standby mode.

I jumped up off the bed and blurred over to the mantle where Myrkblade rested.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

When I rushed in on the Main Room, most of the Titans had already assembled. I saw Cyborg and Raven standing side by side. Starfire floated overhead. In the center of the scene, Robin leaned into the computer console....his gloved fingers typing like mad. I was still panting by the time he splashed forth a satellite view of the City Prison.....or what was left of it.

Starfire gasped.

Cyborg uttered: "No way...."

Raven blinked. "Uh oh."

My black eyes widened under my shades as I saw a huge, gaping hole in the side of the northern cylindrical building of the prison. Smoke was spewing out, and the tiniest trace of flames still glowed a threatening orange from within. A thick ring of police squad cars and emergency vehicles had formed around the perimeter of the structure and a helicopter or two loomed over the scene. But none of the police forces or firetrucks seemed to be approaching the scene. It was as if they were trying their very best to avoid proximity with the shattered structure.

What's going on here???

"Titans......this is huge....," Robin simply grunted.

"Yeah....maybe," Raven droned. Cyborg glared at her.

"I just got a call from Commissioner Decker. There was a tremendous explosion at the prison nearly an hour ago. He and his men just found out about this....but that's not all they found out."

"Dudes!! Sorry!" Beast Boy hobbled in, slipping a belated boot over one of his feet. "I got tangled up with my laundry and—holy snikeys!!!"

Robin continued on as if nobody came or left. "The entire cell holdings of the Omega Wing have been opened by the explosion. What's more, the occupants of that sector are on the loose and committing ambiguous acts of violence and terror on the city officials inside what's left of the prison. The guards and wardens are fighting a losing war. And—quite frankly—if the police go in by themselves, so will they lose as well."

"It's up to us, then....," Raven nodded gently...firmly. "Considering all of the criminals we've spent months sealing away in that place...it'll be a handful even for those with superpowers."

"Dude.....," Beast Boy shook his head and sighed. "I so did not want to wake up to this."

"Have they ALL escaped??" Starfire murmured.

Robin spun around. "All of them, Star. But if the Titans hurry....they won't get far."

"Damn straight!" Cyborg punched his fist into a titanium palm. "Lightning attack Titan style!! Seven point blitzkrieg!!"

"Don't be melodramatic," Raven droned.

"Have you looked at the screen, girl?!?!"

"No more chatter," Robin waved a green glove. "Let's move! Now!!"

"Affirmative!!" Starfire flew off.

I nodded. I headed towards the window and blurred out of it while Starfire flew away.

At around that time, Tempest stumbled in...yawning. "Oye.....guys? What's going on?"

"Prison break...," Beast Boy ran to the opened window behind Starfire and I. "...a bad one."

"Uh....okay," Tempest blinked. "And just who are we going to do in?"

Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder. "Take your pick!" He flew off in the form of a green owl.

".........," Tempest glanced at the satellite image still plastered across the computer screen. "............no way. Holy Poseidon."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

VROOOOOOM!!!! Robin's R-Cycle burned down the land ridge.

Followed by Starfire's streak and my blurring figure over the water.

Cyborg's engine roared as he and Raven rocketed behind.

Over the scene, a green bird flew...and soon a blue figure was skirting his way above and below the currents of the City's Bay northward along the path.

All speeding forms converged on the distant horizon. The early morning sky was aglow with a halo of red and orange beyond the skyscrapers....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SCREEECH!!!!

Huge black trucks and vans came to a fierce stop along the perimeter surrounding the prison.

In swift fashion, SWAT Team members filed out with guns and riot shields. They formed a phalanx facing the walls and outer doors of the prison cylinders one hundred feet away across the half-barren parking lot. They provided cover while other officers rushed in and set up barrier stands and sensors.

At the same time, a traveling police HQ on wheels was directed to a stop thirty feet outward. The portable facility was barely set up before Commissioner Walker stormed up the rough steps and in through a side door, his lieutenant trailing behind. Inside the HQ, computers were warming up and workers were swiftly typing away program prompts to analyze the explosive situation with available sensors being simultaneously installed beyond the SWAT barriers.

"Data. Data now, dammit," Decker leaned over a worker's chair.

The worker keystroked. "Alive and smoking, sir."

A detailed floor-by-floor digital blueprint of the prison's Omega Wing appeared.

"Simulate the recent damage based on satellite imagery....," Decker pointed.

Another keystroke.

A gash appeared magically in the Omega blueprint.

The lieutenant leaned in and narrowed his eyes. "My god....it eats into three floors. And all those cells in the blast wave—"

"God rest their souls....," the computer worker murmured. Another keystroke. "It'll take a minute...but I may be able to predict the source of the explosion, sir."

"Then stop talking and do it!!" Decker growled. He sighed and turned around. "Where's my damn coffee?"

SCREEECH!! A pair of wheels came to a drastic stop outside.

The lieutenant smiled. "Better yet, sir...."

Bounding steps.

Then....

SWOOSH!!

The door flew open and Robin stomped in, followed by myself and a floating Starfire.

"Got my message?" Decker raised an eyebrow.

Robin marched to a stop. "I got the same message you did," he nodded. "Now maybe we can both figure out just who the messenger is."

"Amen."

Robin's gloved hand pointed. "What do you have?"

"Not sure yet. How's it coming?"

"Sixty-seven percent, sir."

"X'Hal....," Starfire held a hand over her mouth as she eyed the digital damage with shock. "Were all of those shattered holding cells occupied by p-people??"

"It's too late for them, Star...," Robin said. "...right now, there are criminals who are not only alive but bound to take advantage of this disaster to raise Cain. We're going in for the ruthless....not the dead."

I nodded.

"I think I got something!" the worker said.

"Let's hear it...," Decker mumbled.

Typing....typing....typing....

The computer beeped.

Three green-glowing axes converged on the digital schematic and centered on a cell that had only 1/3 remaining of what it originally was.

"There....cell 4-127H," the worker pointed. "Second tier of the Omega Wing. Ironically separated from some of the highest profiled criminals."

Decker's eyes narrowed. "Who was assigned to that cell??"

The worker brought up another program. After a few keystrokes...a list of names appeared. His finger traced down to one in particular. He paused....blinked...and read: "Jean Jenkins....."

".........," the lieutenant glanced back at us.

Robin rubbed his chin. "Jinx...."

I bit my lip.

"Either someone wanted to off that witch....or the girl had let loose one hell of a fart," Decker grumbled.

Starfire did a double-take.

"Whatever the case....we're going in," Robin spun around. "Starfire. Noir. Follow me."

"But we don't know what you'll be facing in there!!" the lieutenant said.

"Nothing we haven't faced before....," Robin muttered.

And we were gone.

Decker rubbed his temples. "One battlefield after another....."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Robin marched forward across the emptiness of the parking lot. Nobody stopped him as he crossed the barrier and approached the wall of the prison buildings. I walked alongside his gait while Starfire floated above.

The Boy Wonder flipped open his communicator with a Star Trek sound. "Cyborg. Raven. Where are you two?"

"A little sidetracked by morning traffic! But I think we've found a detour!!"

"It'd better be a good detour...you're behind," Robin frowned.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Oh, it's a good detour allright!!!"

PHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

The nitro flared out from the back of the T-Car, accelerating it well into the triple decimal places and causing it to literally drive across the wall of a building or two before lifting off, flipping in mid-air, and landing impossibly upright past a huge traffic jam on Main Street.

THWUMP!!!!

Cyborg and the passenger jolted.

Raven was frozen in her seat....her hand glued to the Jesus bar. As they returned to an upright driving position of normal velocity, her hair gradually obeyed gravity and drifted down her brow. ".............."

"Get here as soon as possible!!" Robin's voice drifted through the dashboard's speaker system. "There's no telling how many criminals we're dealing with!!"

"Right on, Robbie! Cy out."

-blip-

Cyborg steered in and around different lanes of traffic as he zeroed in on the City's north side. He glanced over at the frozen Raven and smirked. "You okay?"

".........."

"You look like you could use a hug."

"Or a cyanide pill....," she groaned.

"Come on, girl!! Think about it....in just a second you'll be taking this all out on the crooks!"

"Wear a red flag on your head so I know it's you when the time comes," she spat with glowing eyes.

Cyborg cleared his throat and screeched around a corner.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Tempest!! Where are you located??"

SPLASH!!!

He broke the surface of the water as he swam. His arched back and stroking arms were lined with the hose apparatus. "I'm about a half mile due south of you......and fifty feet below."

"You're taking the sewers??"

"Don't need to tell me that...," he grumbled. He swam through the green sludge down long chasms of cylindrical concrete. A junction formed up ahead beneath where the prison was. "Want me to take a posterior entrance?"

"Huh???"

"Should I come up from below?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll give Beast Boy an order to enter the prison from up top. Starfire, Noir and I will take the prison head on. Cyborg and Raven will provide backup."

"Very well then."

"Can you handle part of the trip by yourself, Tempest??"

"You should ask that....," Tempest grumbled. He distastefully eyed the sludge he was swimming through. "Ever swam in one of your surface dwellers' sewers before?"

"Yes."

"Try doing it with gills."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Robin winced. "R-Right.....Robin out." He flipped the communicator closed and glanced at me. "I think I'm ready to commune with prisoners after hearing that."

I almost wanted to smirk.

"Look!" Starfire pointed up high.

Robin and I glanced up.

In the early morning light, Beast Boy could be seen circling the prison with his green feathers outstretched. He turned into a flying squirrel just long enough to salute us in mid-glide before converting to a pterodactyl and flapping his way towards the northernmost cylinder.

"Looks like he's got the right idea...," Robin said. Snkkt!! He extended his metal rod. "Titans....we have two mission objectives. One.....save the wardens, guards, helpless prisoners, and whoever else may be at risk. Two....seek and stop all escaped convicts from the Omega Wing at all cost."

Starfire took a deep breath. Her eyes and hands glowed. "I am ready...."

I nodded firmly. CHIIIING!! I spun Myrkblade out to my side.

"Titans....GO!!" Robin shouted. He charged ahead. Starfire flew. I blurred.

All three of us converged on the front entrance at once—

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SMACK!!!!

The doors flew open.

Robin landed rolled, and ended in a crouch with his metal staff held high and three projectile discs squeezed between his fingers.

Starfire spun around—emanating a furious emerald.

I stood tall with Myrkblade stretched out....my black eyes drifted murk under my shades.

Silence.

".............."

Robin looked around.

Starfire scanned the interior.

I panted.

Nobody. Not even a soul. The lights were out in that wing of the prison.

"It is........surprisingly vacant....," Starfire blinked.

"Yeah.....," Robin sneered. His eyemask drifted across the scene.

Neither of them saw anything.

But I did. Or at least I was starting to.

My lips parted as I narrowed my black eyes underneath my shades and glared into the shadows of the atrium....just beyond the metal detectors and bullet-proof desk stations.

I saw two figures....both thin.....and both holding a cane or wand.

".........!!!" I pointed--

"Mumbo JUMBO!!!!"

ZAP!!!

Starfire gasped as a streak of magic flew past her and Robin.

My hair kicked up.

I spun around.

The magic struck the front entranceway of the prison. A green light suddenly fluctuated and a thorny veil of roses and gnarled stocks rushed up out of the floor like a solid wall....blocking our way in or out.

"It's a trap!!" Robin shouted.

"Not a trap, duckies!! Just a jolly good chance to bite your arms off!!"

CLANG!!! A bell sound emanated from the shadows.

FLASH!!!!

Bright, swirling lights shimmered in front of us.

I was instantly blinded. I hobbled sideways a few paces and grasped my head in pain.

Starfire and Robin shielded themselves and gasped at the two figures coming into focus.

Mumbo Jumbo and relatively young-looking Mad Mod stepped into the sudden, psychedelic aura produced by the British brute. They spun their cane and wand and leaned on them in pathetic synchronization.

"Your canes....," Robin wheezed. "...how did you—"

"Nothing but pure luck on this fanciful day of whimsy!!" Mumbo Jumbo cackled, his eyemask round and happy across his pale face. "I'm not one to pass up a good show....especially when a nice suit like this presents itself!" He posed.

"Head towards the light, you sprogs," his visage swirled with the cane-induced kaleidoscope. "I'll enjoy eating your brains for porridge!!"

"But not if I wow you first!!" Mumbo Jumbo fingered his suit's cuffs. "What do I have here up my sleeves? Why....your pimply behinds on a platter, of course!!! Hahahahaha!!!" That said, he opened one sleeve impossibly large and two living stuffed-animal lions leapt out, roared, and attacked us with razor sharp claws.

"Titans!!" a squinty-masked Robin gasped and dove. "Fan out—!!!"

RAWWWWR!!!!!

SLASH!!!! SL-SLASH!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Plant!

Beast Boy landed on the rooftop with a crouch. He 'knocked' on the structure with his knuckles, bent over, leaned his pointy ear against it, waited, then stood up with a sigh.

"This is not my fun idea of a 'throw down'," he flexed his muscles, leapt up on two kangaroo feet, gorilla spun in the air, and dove down as a triceratops.

CRASH!!!!!

Beast Boy plowed through the rafters of a prison hall. He fell down forty feet and three tiers of jail cells before collapsing hard on the cement floor below.

THWAP!!!

The cackling echoes of dozens upon dozens of angry inmates inside the jail cells ran around him. Fiends of varying bearded nature banged and pounded against the bars and shouted in a cadence of chaos.

"Nnnnghh.....," Beast Boy rubbed his aching head in elf form and slowly stood up. "Welcome to the rock....."

Suddenly, the rowdy voices all around Beast Boy started cheering.

"......," the changeling blinked. "Well that's not good."

FLASH!!!

He winced and shaded his eyes from a merciless spotlight shimmering from straight ahead of him. An engine sound throttled from the source of the glow.

"Well....if it isn't the City's favorite road kill!!!"

"Uhm....can we get straight to the ass kicking, dude?" Beast Boy shuddered.

VRMMM! VRMMMM!!!

The light pivoted. SCREECH!! Johnny Rancid sat saddled in his motorcycle. He gave Beast Boy a dark grin as he throttled the handles even more.

VRMMM-MMM!!

"Have it your way. Your skin would make a good helmet," he spat in overtly masculine fashion, wiped his lips with his forearm, and produced a spiraling length of rusted chain from his bike's rear compartment. SW-SW-SW-SWISH!! "Gotta paint it red first though, punk!

"Uhm....j-just how did you get that bike??" Beast Boy murmured, stepping backwards.

"Same way I'm gonna tear your guts inside out!"

"Dude...that makes no sense."

"Guess I'll have to show you then!!" VRMMMMM!!! "HAAAAA-HA HA!! SCURRY!!!" SCREEEEE-EEEECH!!! Rancid throttled towards him.

The inmates cheered and whooped.

Beast Boy sweatdropped....and started running.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CL-CLANK!!!!!

A metal grate flew up into the air of the dank interior and fell down across the tile.

CLAAA-AAA-AA-AANG!!!

The grate rang to a stop.

"Nnghh!!" Tempest leapt up and out of the grate's water passageway. He landed in a kneeling position on a patch of worn tile. "..........," with black on white eyes he scanned the interior left and right. A beat. "Wonderful...."

The Atlantean was in the prison showers.

Tempest slowly stepped up to his feet and started pacing across the moist interior. It was empty and dark inside. Only a spare light or two in the corner flickered and partially illuminated the scene. The gently ominous dripping of a faucet or two sounded in the background.

Tempest sniffed. He made a face. "I miss fish....."

A rustling sound.

His feet shuffled to a stop.

"......"

He slowly turned around.

His eyes glowed purple.

He held an arm out, his water hose at ready.

More rustling.

"........," Tempest walked towards the very grated passageway he had just entered through. "Who goes there?"

A beat.

Then a hissing voice: "You should really get your drain cleaned. I'm liable to collect inside."

His purple eyes narrowed. "Who??"

SWOOOOOSH!! A dark body flew out from the passageway. WH-WH-WH-WHAP!!! Four arachnid limbs spun and struck Tempest repeatedly across the chin.

"!!!-!!!-!!!-!!!" Tempest flew back. THWAP!! He struck a wall. "Ughh!!" He fell onto his butt. CL-CLANK!! The faucet head detached and collapsed over his dark skull. "Nnnngh....," Tempest clenched his teeth and growled. He looked up. His eyes widened.

SWOOOSH-CLAMP!!! Fang landed in a four spider-limbed pose on the shower floor. His human body dangled and his fists rose in the air. The mandibles of his 'face' twitched as he uttered: "So the Titans have a new sheep. All the more juices to suck out."

"Uh.....yeah....," Tempest stood up and flexed his limbs. "You're totally gross looking, you know that?"

"The name's Fang, noobie," the red compound eyes on the spider head narrowed. "And it looks like Robin led his Titans astray. Which is just what we expected. Welcome to the food web. RAAAUGH!!!"

The beast scurried over on six legs.

Tempest held his breath. He shot two flushes of water beneath him and vaulted him with a burst of liquid flipping over Fang's charge.

The Atlantean landed on his feet.

Fang lunged backwards and reversed kicked/jabbed with four alternating spider feet. "RR-RR-RRRGHHH!!"

WH-WH-WH-WHAP!!!

Tempest deflected with a flurrying wrist. He held his breath and shot a splash of water at Fang's center. SPLOOOSH!!!

Fang flipped up, grabbed onto the ceiling with spider legs, and swung his human body at Tempest like a pendulum.

WHAM!!!

"!!!!" Tempest slid back in a grinding crouch. He winced. "Are you the most freakish the surface world gets? Cuz I sure hope so."

Fang lowered to the floor on all sixes. "Keep dreaming."

Tempest fired his water hoses and produced a sphere of condensed water in the air which he congealed and formed together into something akin to a threatening ball-bearing. He extended a glowing hand of purple and breathed: "And keep breathing....what left you have of oxygen."

"It's always so cute when the new guys try and threaten me....," Fang crossed his human arms while bearing his spider limbs threateningly. "Go on...flush me out. That's what this place here is built for."

"The land was only built to fall into the sea...," Tempest hissed.

Then....from behind.... "Hey....wash up yourself, handsome."

".....," Tempest raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder. "Huh?"

WHAM!!!!!

A huge, muscular fist plowed into his face.

Tempest ragdolled across the floor and into a wall across the way. He was doused by his own ball of water. "Nnngh....," he shook his wet mop of hair and looked across the way.

A thick-bodied, red-haired young man stomped towards him...cracking his knuckles.

Tempest uttered: "Um....okay....," he limped to his feet and raised his fists. "Are you what Beast Boy keeps calling a 'sasquatch'?"

"Mammoth....," Mammoth pointed at himself. He pointed at the Atlantean. "Carcass."

Tempest sighed. "So I've noticed."

"Let's get to know each other...," Fang cracked his spidery neck. He and Mammoth charged with limbs flying. "YAAAUGH!!!"

"RAAAAAUGH!!"

Tempest readied himself.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

RAWWWRR!!!

A ridiculously violent stuffed-lion pounced on Starfire.

"Ooof!!" she was tossed down from mid-flight and slammed into the floor. WHAP!!! She growled with a flash of green light and shoved the 'lion' back. "Ungh!!"

The lion tumbled back, rolled onto its paws, and leapt mercilessly at the Tamaranian with claws slashing. RAAAWRR!!

Starfire flinched.

"YEEAAUGH!!" Robin dove in with his metal staff. CL-CLANK!!! He uppercutted the lion and then kicked it back with a metal-laced toe. SMACK!!!

The lion tumbled back and slammed into a wall.

Starfire looked up.

Robin growled and charged Mad Mod.

Mad Mod grinned and effortlessly blocked and deflected Robin's attacks with his cane. CL-CLANK! CLANK!!!

Sparks showered.

Robin growled and shoved forward.

Mad Mod shoved back.

The Boy Wonder and the Briton glared at each other nose-to-nose as they struggled.

"How'd you do it, Mad Mod?!?! Chemical agents?? Genetic manipulation??"

"Oh what, lad??" Mad Mod grinned. "My spotty good looks? Thank my new comrade in clock cleaning over there!!"

"Abra cadabra!!!" Mumbo Jumbo's voice bellowed from the distance.

FLASH!!!

Robin's staff turned into a ribbon and wrapped around his body, binding his arms to his side.

"Whoah!! NnnnghhGHHH!!!!" the Boy Wonder struggled.

"Now isn't that just the bees knees, mate?" Mad Mod laughed. "Ha ha ha ha!! Stiff upper lip, now!!" he smacked Robin hard across the mouth.

THWACK!!

"OOF!!" Robin fell on his back, struggling amidst the constricting pressure around him.

"Ha!!" Mad Mod loomed above the Boy Wonder and pointed down. "Looks like you're not so full of beans as you used to be, my duc—"

THWAP!! Robin's foot slammed up between the villain's legs.

"!!!!" Mad Mod's spectacled eyes bulged. "Bullocks!!!" he fell to his knees and groaned. "Why you little sod—"

"RAAAUGH!!!" Starfire flew in with a fist.

WHAM!!!!

Mad Mod tumbled across the atrium.

Starfire panted. She flew over and knelt by the Titan Leader's side. "Robin!!"

He smiled ever so slightly. "Sorry to beat you to the punishment, Star."

"Allow me to remove your transmogrified bludgeon from your chest!!"

A well-polished shoe stepped into view.

Robin and the Tamaranian girl looked up.

Mumbo Jumbo grinned in a clownish fashion and spun his wand. "Now now...kids...save the magic for grownups." He petted the second stuffed-lion on its 'head'. "Not to mention supernaturally animated beasts of foam and polyester!!! Hahahaha....dinner time!!!"

RAWWWWR!!

The 'lion' pounced at them.

Robin winced.

Starfire readied a split-second starbolt....

SLAAAASH!!!!

The lion was ripped in half down the metal.

"Huh???" Mumbo Jumbo's eyemask 'blinked'.

FWOOOSH!!!! I solidified from the end of my teleport, took a deep breath, and charged the evil magician. Myrkblade whistled in the air.

The pale, tuxedoed cretin merely smirked. "Two can play at that, my boy..." He pressed the flower on his lapel. FHHH!!! He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"!!!!" I skidded to a stop, my arms twirling for balance. I looked around, panting.

FHHHH!!!

Mumbo Jumbo appeared behind me. He stuck his tongue out and performed a raspberry. "PLBPLBPLB!!!"

I snarled and spun at him with a slash of Myrkblade.

FHHHH!!!

He was gone.

CLACK!!

Myrkblade got stuck in a support pillar for the ceiling.

I gritted my teeth and yanked it out with a struggle.

FHHHH!!! Mumbo Jumbo appeared at my side, armed with an obnoxiously stuffed white rabbit. "You don't know jack-....RABBIT!!!" THWAP!!! He clubbed me with the fluffy toy.

"!!!!"

I flew back and landed on the floor with a slide.

"Hahahaha!!" Mumbo Jumbo spun the rabbit and turned it....into a revolver. He aimed with a psychotic grin. "Now to air you out..."

FLASH!!! Starfire burned the bondings off of Robin's body.

"NNNGH!!!" Robin tossed a birdarang the first moment he had his arms free.

SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!! CLANK!!! It struck the revolver.

"Augh!!!" Mumbo lost his grip. BANG!!!

PING!!! A bullet flew off the ground between my legs.

I sweatdropped, jumped up, and prepared to charge the magician along with my friends. But I suddenly became aware of something scurrying on the high ceiling of the atrium above me. Something thick and muscular and using clawed appendages at the end of his four limbs.

"......???" I glanced up.

The figure glanced down. Two fake, bulbous eyes of black.

"!!!!"

"RAAAAAUGH!!" Killer Moth let go of the ceiling, spread his 'wings', and glided down at me with the claws on his gloves reared.

My black eyes bulged. I lifted Myrkblade lengthwise over me at the last second.

CLANK!! THWUMP!!!!

He pressed his weight down into me.

My knees buckled.

I sweated.

I strained.

I clenched my eyes shut and let out a silent shout. "!!!!" I shoved up and against him.

FWUMP!!!

He flipped and landed in a muscular stance in front of a pair of double doors. He held his clawed gloves up and fluttered his wings threateningly. "Remember me, samurai-jerk?!?! You ruined my greatest plan for criminal conquest!! And now—alas—I have the perfect opportunity to strike revenge and---"

I charged at him.

"!!!!!" he shuddered.

WHAM!!!! I slammed into him, elbow first.

The two of us tumbled through the double doors, leaving Starfire and Robin to fight Mad Mod and Mumbo Jumbo behind.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CRASH!!!!

Killer Moth and I rolled and collapsed down a set of metal catwalk steps on the other side of the door. We smashed through the guardrail and plummeted a floor and a half down to the hard floor of a corridor full of rowdy, crowded jail cells. THWUMP!!!! Inmates cheered and roared from all around us on three tiers.

But that wasn't all.

VROOOOOOOOOM!!!!

I became vaguely aware of something throttling around me and a blurring body of green.

"Welcome to the party, Noir!!" Beast Boy panted between morphing from four-legged animal to four-legged animal.

Killer Moth and I groaned as we struggled to stand up.

Beast Boy perched in the form of an elf against a jail cell behind me. "Dude! Head's up!!"

"????" I looked at him strangely.

VROOOOOOOOM!!!

SW-SW-SWOOSH-YANK!!!!

I gasped for air as a loop of metal chains was flung around my neck. "!!!!" THWOOOSH!! I was dragged violently by my cranium across the cold floor of the prison row by Johnny Rancid on his bike.

"HA HA HA HA HA!!! Let's STRING HIM UP!!" Rancid howled. "I love a good ghost in chains!!!"

"Noir!!!" Beast Boy gasped and tried 'leaping' into action, only Killer Moth outleapt him.

"RAUGH!!!" Killer Moth plowed the green elf to the floor. He pressed his serrated weight down against the emerald elf. "You too!! I shall DEFINITELY have revenge upon you—!!"

Beast Boy morphed into a bear. "RRAAAAAR!!!"

"CHRISTMAS!!!" Killer Moth squealed.

SMACK!!! The villain got a face full of bear. Beast Boy unleashed a furred frenzy of claws and muscular forearms, punching and slashing the suited creep further back across the row of loud, occupied jail cells.

Back to where I was being 'strung up'....

Johnny Rancid swerved his bike left and right, appropriately slamming me into lockers, tables, and water fountains. WHAM!! SLAM!!! THWACK!!!

"!!!!!" I winced in pain.

"HA HA HA HA!!!" Rancid barked his mouth off and swerved a U-turn to throttle back the way which we came.

I gritted my teeth and gripped tightly to the chain around my neck as my body became airborne from the centripetal force. I kicked my legs, danced them off the jail bars that blurred beneath me, and kicked off with a pulse of murk. SWOOOOSH!!! I soared my body up ahead and over Rancid's head.

While driving, he did a double-take. "H-Huh??"

With slack leftover on the chain around my neck, I flipped and perched on the front of his motorcycle. I stuck my sword-hand out for counterbalance and effectively plowed my right foot up into his nose. WHAM!!!!

"D'AH!!" he fell back in his seat. His arms twisted in their grip of the throttles.

SCREEECH!!!

The bike came to a stop.

The chains slipped free.

I was tossed forward.

I flipped with the aid of warbling smoke and slid to a stop on my boots. I yanked the chain from my neck, spun them in my left hand, and dragged Myrkblade with my right hand as I charged Rancid.

"Nnngh...," the man rubbed his bleeding nose and looked my way dizzily. "Huh???"

SWOOOSH!!!

I flung the chain taunt around his neck.

"SNKKKTTT!!!"

I slipped Myrkblade through the metal links at the other end of the chain and swung it over my shoulder with a mute growl.

SWOOOOSH!!!

Rancid was yanked off his bike and sling-shot by his neck straight into a row of jail bars, practically denting them. WHANG!!! "Nnnngh..." The inmates on the other side of the bars banged the walls and shouted angrily.

I panted........I smiled.

"WAAAA!! INCOMING, DUDE!!!"

I spun around--

WHAP!!!

Beast Boy was thrown into me. We both went sprawling over a table.

THWUMP!!!!

Beast Boy saw stars...while I saw bloody murder in my black eyes. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I disentangled myself from the changeling and tried to sit up.

STOMP!!!

STOMP!!!

STOMP!!!

The concrete floor below dented from an orange and red, metal foot.

I looked up and saw what had tossed Beast Boy so mercilessly.

Cracking his titanium knuckles, the robotic Atlas glared down at the two of us. A wall had been smashed down in the background...signifying his secret entrance.

"Hmmmm....dogpile on the human pile......"

Killer Moth limped into position besides the metal monstrosity. "About time you showed up!! Now....let's exact vengeance on these young cretins and we'll truly have something to boast of once we blow this place!!!"

Atlas sneered at Killer Moth. "NO ORGANISM TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!!!" A beat. His metal face 'grinned'. "Though....that is a pleasing idea." He raised his metal foot.

I gasped and gripped Beast Boy and---

SWOOOOSH!!!

Atlas' foot lowered.

SMASH!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SPLOOOSH!!! SPLOOOOSH!!!

Tempest panted and strained to launch stream after stream of high-pressured water at his foes.

Fang made a great show of twirling, side-stepping, leaping, and dodging the Atlantean's projections in various athletic ways. At one point, the arachnid villain gripped his spidery limbs to the ceiling and dangled his human form with bored arms crossed.

Tempest knelt down low and aimed again, one eye squinting.

"........"

Nothing came out.

"????"

Tempest's dark eyes bugged. He looked at his hose apparatuses attached to his wrists. The water was all gone.

"Awwww....out of juice??" Fang dropped down on his spider limbs and marched threateningly towards the Titan across the prison showers. "Spoil sport."

"There's one thing I missed about fighting my old foes underwater...," Tempest stepped backwards and frowned. "They never got a chance to mouth their heads off."

STOMP!!!

Mammoth marched up onto Tempest's right side.

"All right, fish boy...," Mammoth sneered. His pale eyes thinned as his lips curved up. "We just finished weighing you in. Now it's time for you to get properly scaled."

"Boys....please....," Tempest smirked and raised his hands while backstepping. He strolled with his rear to a set of dripping faucets. "Let us just talk. Surely you all have escaped for a reason. And beating me up is a lousy waste of time, during which you could be properly explaining things to me. Just what caused that explosion in this prison?"

"Nuts to you if we so much as talk about our grandmas!!! Ha ha ha!!" the oafish redhead bellowed.

Fang's mandibles glistened as the two closed in on the Titan. "You're a fun combatant, punk.....but we're tired of dipping our toes in."

Tempest glared purple. "Then take a plunge...." That uttered, he raised his fingers. FLASH!!! His limbs pulsed a bright violet and the solid shower wall behind him started to bulge and quake. "Nnnnnghhhh!!!!"

CRAAA-AAACK!!!

The shower faucets were yanked out magically. The pipes burst through the wall. The metal rings split and a torrent of water gushed out at a punishing rate. SPLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!!

"OOOOF!!!" Fang—the lightweight creep that he was—experienced instant pummeling. He was tossed like a wet insect out the door to the showers and into the waterlogged hallway.

Mammoth on the other hand stood his ground and plowed an iron-strong shoulder into Tempest's aquatic pressure. SPLAA-AAA-AASH!!! "NNNNNGHHHHH!!!!!"

Tempest gritted his teeth. His wrists flicked. The streaming water from the indoor plumbing grew more intense.

SPLOOOOOOSH!!!!

"RRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Mammoth struggled. His muscles rippled and quaked as he marched into the horizontal waterfall.

"..........," Tempest suddenly smirked.

"?!?!?!" Mammoth gasped.

Tempest flicked his wrists.....and stopped glowing purple.

Instantly, the rushing water died out.

Mammoth found himself exerting a huge amount of force and energy into a wall of absolute nothing.

SWOOOOOSH!! He charged dumbly towards the hard wall. "WHOAHHHH!!!"

Tempest nimbly leapt up and flipped over the madly-stomping Mammoth.

STOMP!-STOMP!-STOMP!-CRUNCH!!!

Mammoth's upper body got stuck inside the hollow wall and his lower half comically thrashed about on the outside.

Tempest landed perfectly, dusted himself off, and glanced at his handiwork.

"..........I can think of much better ways to prove one's waste of existence...."

That uttered, the Atlantean marched loosely down the hallway. He whipped out his communicator with a Star Trek sound. "Robin?? This is Tempest. Come in! I've encountered some resistance, but am presently making my way towards the sight of the blast zo—"

CRUNCH!!!

"?!?!?!" Tempest spun around.

Mammoth charged towards him with a huge chunk of the wall hanging around his neck like a wreath. "RRRRRAUGH!!!"

Tempest sweatdropped. "Awwwww crabsticks."

WHUMP!!!!

Mammoth slammed into the Titan and the two went sprawling into the adjacent hallway.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"HAH!! HAH!! HAH!!" Starfire yelled and flung three starbolts in a flurry.

Mad Mod grinned as he stepped back across the atrium. He spun his cane and deflected the energy bursts. He then spun about and aimed his cane with a sparkling pulse. "Ta-Ta!!!"

Two huge sparks of energy arched out like trachea and converged with each other behind Starfire. The resulting surge of both colliding elements shoved the Tamaranian girl forward

"Mmmf!!!" She plummeted towards the psychotic redhead.

He twirled his cane and held it at ready in front of him. "Now for the old round of cricket...."

In mid-fall, Starfire gritted her teeth, glowed her eyes, and—ZAAA-AAA-AAAP!!!

Two green streams of energy surged over the ground and burned over Mad Mod's loafers.

"AAAAUGH!!!" he jumped up and down, his leather-cased toes smoking. "By the Queen's appendix!!"

At the end of her fall, Starfire performed a handstand, tipped over, and spin-kicked Mad Mod upside down in the face. WH-WHAP!! She then tilted herself up right and shoved both hands into his chest. "YAAAH!!!"

"OOF!!" he was pushed back till he tumbled over a desk with a violent CRUNCH!!!

A beat.

Starfire trembled. "Ohhhh....X'Hal! I-I do believe I have acted out of control!!" she floated towards the desk. "Mr. Mad of the Mod....are you too terribly damaged—"

"Awww, to bloody Hell with it!!" Mad Mod appeared out from behind the desk with a pith helmet and a bazooka over his shoulder.

"!!!!!" Starfire 'screeched to a halt' in midair.

PFT-CHOO!!!! SWOOOOOOOSH!!! The rpg flew her way.

"EEEK!!" she dove at the last second.

BLAM!!!!! Fire and debris flew from a nearby pillar. Part of the ceiling collapsed, dividing Starfire and Mad Mod from the other fight in effect...

"NNNGH!!!" Robin jumped backwards with a slicing birdarang in either glove. He sliced and shredded his way through the oncoming advance of Mumbo Jumbo, who was equipped with paper ribbons that he was magically using as lacerating whips.

WHP-ISHHH!!! WHP-ISSSH!!!

"What's the matter, Robin?!?! Today not all it's CRACKED up to be?!?! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

Robin gritted his teeth and ripped through the magician's attacks. "What sort of game are you all playing here, Mumbo?!?! Lives have been extinguished in that explosion and here you are treating it like one big sport!!"

"Oh, where's the sport truly at....Robin my boy??" Mumbo smirked. He twirled back, released his grip on the paper 'whips', twirled his wand, and converted it into a fencing sword which he used to push Robin back in his attack. "Ha!! HA!!!"

CL-CLANK!!! Robin deflected the fencing blade with his sharp birdarangs and paced around the comical villain. "Stop being so vague!! Let me guess....is this the 'code of the magician' or some crap?? You can't tell me your plans or else you'd spoil the trick?!?!"

"Now stop being a thief, Robin! Leave the villainous ramblings to me!!" Mumbo jabbed forward with the fencing blade and leered threateningly close to the Boy Wonder. "Today is no trick, Robin. It is a truce!!"

"A truce???" Robin panted and knocked the blade out of Mumbo Jumbo's grasp. He jumped forward and pressed the birdarangs to the gasping man's chest. "What kind of truce?!?!?!"

Mumbo kept his cool. He said: "She lets us do whatever we want—even escape—if it means a distraction!"

"Who?!?!" Robin shouted. Intimidating. "Tell me!!!"

Mumbo slid a hand into his pocket and produced a card. He winked one half of his eyemask. "Why....the greatest witch there ever is, of course...."

Robin's lips parted.

Mumbo's teeth glistened---FLASH!!! The joker card increased in size by twenty-fold. It formed a shield between Robin and the evil magician. Mumbo Jumbo laughed and kicked the card straight into Robin's chest. WHAP!!

"Nnngh!!!" Robin hobbled backwards.

Mumbo backflipped, landed in a kneeling position, slid backwards across the ground, snatched up the fencing sword, 'spun it' back into a magic wand, and pointed at a row of light fixtures above Robin's location. "Hocus pocus!!!"

POP!!! POP!!!! POP!!!

The lightbulbs shattered one at a time in a row and magically spewed fire down at the Boy Wonder. PH-PH-PHOOOOM!!!

Robin gasped and rolled out of the way. The edge of his cape caught fire and he struggled to put it out as he ran across the room.

"Ha ha ha ha!!!" Mumbo spun, struck a pose, and aimed his magic wand again. "And what a fine brew this day will be!! Eh heh heh heh heh heh!!!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Cyborg! Raven!! Come in!!!" Beast Boy screeched into his communicator.

"YAAAUGH!!!" Killer Moth pounced at him.

The changeling yelped and dodged the villain's serrated dive. He jumped from prison table to prison table. The inmates in the cells shouted and hollered all around us.

"We could use some help in here, dudes!!!" the changeling continued.

In the meantime....

BLAM!!!!!

A crater exploded in the floor beneath me.

I came down from my forward-flip and landed in a crouch, panting.

Atlas' electronic eyes glowed a menacing gold as he aimed his blaster arm at me again and fired.

BLAM!!!!

I dove forward and rolled out of the way of the blast, which formed another crater.

"NNnnnghhh!!!" he rushed over and stomped on me in frustration. THWAP!!! THWAP!!

I rolled left and right, avoiding his crushing limbs. I somersaulted backwards after his last stomp.

"BURN, FLESHLING!!" he aimed his blaster square at me.

BLAM!!!

I jumped backwards, warbled smoke down my right arm, and slashed heavily upwards with Myrkblade.

CLANK!!!!

The sheer strength of murk alone empowered the sword to deflect the blaster pulse back. It sailed over Atlas' ducking head and exploded in the ceiling beyond.

I flew back from the heavy deflection....and became aware of something thin and green leaping towards me from the opposite direction.

"Bread and butter, dude!!"

I hooked my metal arm out.

Beast Boy stretched his limb out.

We contacted each other in mid-air, spun like a pinwheel, and flew off with me flying towards Killer Moth with Myrkblade slashing—CL-CLANK!!—and Beast Boy flying towards Atlas like a missile. "BANZAI!!!!"

Atlas sneered and readied two blasters. Beast Boy's shadow suddenly increased by tenfold. Atlas' glowing eyes rounded--

WHAM!!!!!!! A huge green triceratops plowed heavily into Atlas and smashed the two of them through a nearby wall and into the open courtyard outside and in between the three cylindrical buildings of the prison. They continued their battle where there was more stomping room while I fought toe-to-toe with Killer Moth inside.

CL-CLANK!!! Myrkblade deflected off of his clawed gloves. The man lunged at me.

I backflipped.....and landed uncomfortably close to the jail cells. Two or three pairs of burly hands reached out from between the bars and held me in place.

"!!!!"

"HAHAHA!!"

"We got the shithead!!"

"Beat his Titan brains in!!"

Killer Moth cracked his knuckles through his gloves and came charging. "RAAAWR!!"

I held my breath and blurred into smoke form. FWOOOSH!!

"DAAAH!!" Killer Moth tried to slow his momentum.

CLANG!!!

He slammed into the bars so hard, the front of his helmet got stuck between the metal beams. He struggled and fought to pry himself loose.

"Aw man....you suck...," a prisoner slurred from inside.

"Silence....nnghhh.....pathetic whelp!!"

"You're mine once your ass gets schooled, freak!!"

I materialized behind Killer Moth, exhaled, saluted, and kicked him hard in the rear.

THWACK!!

"AUGH!!" Killer Moth jolted forward....and jolted back. POP!!! His masked head broke free of the bars. He stumbled backwards.

SLIIINK!! I slid Myrkblade between his shoulder and the material of his suit and flung his flailing body over me like a lever.

"UGH!!" THWUMP!! He landed atop a table, rolled off, and limped to his feet.

SW-SWISH!! I twirled Myrkblade and charged at him.

Killer Moth reached into his pockets and flung two things at me. Two cream-colored, squirming things.

"????" I skidded to a stop as two larvae attached to my chest. SPLORCH!! SP-SPLORCH!!! In fast-motion, they sprouted wings and hooked feet and claws and shrieked up at me.

I bit my lip and batted them off with a metal arm, but one of them bit onto the titanium limb and hung on by its teeth no matter how much I tried to shake it loose.

SKREEEE!!! SKREEEEE!!!

I flung the one moth monster off and raised my blade just in time to avoid the diving swipe of the second one. C-CLANK!!!

SKREEEE!!!

I prepared to stab at the flying pests--

WHAM!!! Killer Moth plowed me over with a fist.

I rolled across the floor of the prison row. Cheers echoed from all around.

"Feast, my children!!" Killer Moth petted the giant insects and pointed a sharp glove-finger at me. "FEAST!!"

SKREEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEE!!!

SWOOOOOSH!!!

From where I lay down, I helplessly stretched Myrkblade out in a defensive position.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"RAAAUGH!!" Mammoth swung his right arm.

Tempest dodged.

SMASH!!

A hole in the hallway wall was formed.

"YYAAUGH!!" Mammoth swung his left arm.

Tempest backflipped.

Another hole in the opposite side was made.

Tempest slid into a pose and aimed his wrists up towards the ceiling. "Nnnnghhh!!" he clenched his teeth and concentrated.

C-CLANK!!! POP!! CRACK!!!

The fire sprinklers and their pipes shattered downward from the ceiling structure and shot water into Mammoth's eyes.

"Nnnngh!!" Mammoth struggled blindly. "No fair!!"

"Yes fair...," Tempest hissed. He ran and performed a flying kick into Mammoth's chest. THWAP!!!

Mammoth stumbled back, slipped on a puddle of sprinkler water, and slid towards the top of a long flight of metal stairs.

"HA!!" Tempest flipped and landed squarely on Mammoth's chest.

"WHOAH!!" Mammoth sputtered as he slid down the water-strewn steps on his back.

Tempest road the steroid-induced-villain's body like a surfboard down to the lower floor. WHAM!! Once they reached it, Tempest leapt off, flipped, and perched on a wall on the far side. He took a deep breath and extended a purple glowing hand towards Mammoth's body.

SPLOOOSH!!!

The water underneath the collapsed villain exploding, lifting him up like a punching doll towards Tempest.

WHAM!!! Tempest pounced off the wall with a flying kick that met Mammoth's ascent.

The muscular villain teetered backwards and fell through a glass window that led into the central courtyard of the prison below. CRASH!!! "WAAAA—" THUD!!!

Tempest stood, panting, and looking out the window.

".........."

"Hey gunk-guppy!!" squealed a childish voice from behind.

"???" Tempest spun around.

A bald munchkin in a jetpack and wearing goggles snickered and held what looked like a sparkplug in his hand.

Gizmo cackled: "Throw my buddy out the window and you win a prize!!" He tossed the sparkling tool towards the pool of water that Tempest was wading in. "Fry-Therapy!! On the rocks!! HAHA!!!"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-TTTTT!!!

"AAAAAAAUGH!!!" the Atlantean twitched and convulsed as electrical currents danced through his limbs. His body smoked and he began to fall over--

SWOOOOSH-WHAM!!! Gizmo rocketed into his chest.

"OOMF!!" Tempest ragdolled down the scorched hallway.

"Hahaha!!" Gizmo spun around, produced a laser cannon from the back of his jetpack, and increased his thrusters. "Nerd Empire RISING!!!"

PHOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Tempest could barely lift a muscle as the tiny villain rocketed towards him.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Nnnnnghh....," Mammoth twitched on the ground of the courtyard. He rubbed his head and exhaled: "Well...glad that's over—"

STOMP!! STOMP!! Four triceratops feet thundered over him.

"OOMFF!! NNNGH!!!"

THWOMP!! THWOMP!!

Followed by a pair of golden robot boots.

"AAAUGH!! DAAH!!" Mammoth convulsed in pain and panted.

In the meantime, Atlas was busily swinging his titanium fists at the hardened skin and horns of the green dinosaur's crown.

SWOOSH!! CLANK!! CL-CLANK!!!

The dinosaur roared and backed up against a wall.

"Now....TREMBLE!!" Atlas slammed his foot down heavily into the concrete. Cracks spiderwebbed out across the floor and the entire courtyard shook as with a great tremor.

RUMMMMMBLE!!!

As predicted, the green dinosaur teetered on its feet.

CLAMP!! Atlas' metal hand gripped the terrible lizard's throat and slammed the entire beast up against the prison wall.

WHAM!!!

The dinosaur winced.

Atlas leaned his red head in. "When will you realize?! No slimy beast alive is big enough to take on Atlas!!!"

The pale eyes of the dinosaur narrowed. SCHWUMP!!! The animal morphed into a spider monkey...which promptly scurried down the huge robot's arm, up onto his shoulders, and planted himself onto the android villain's neck. WHUMP!!!! Beast Boy morphed into a kangaroo and kicked off.

"AUGH!!" Atlas stumbled forward into the wall.

CRUNCH!!!

His torso was stuck into the cement structure.

Beast Boy then morphed into a gorilla, growled, and lifted up a huge chunk of iron debris from the devastated courtyard. He played batter-up with Atlas butt. CLANG!! CL-CLANG!! CLANG!!!

"AAAUGH!!! Wait till I get my—" CLANG!!! "—DAAAH!!"

The gorilla broke the iron slab over his knee to form two jagged chunks of serration. With a growl, he slammed them both into the android's ribcages.

CRKKKK!!!

ZZZZZZTTTTT!!!!

Atlas convulsed, sparked, and slumped into the recess his body had made with an electronic groan. "Stupid.....puny......organism.........nnngh...." And his lights were out.

Beast Boy returned to elf form, panting. He spat: "It's called the 'proverbial woodshed', dumbass!!" More panting. He orderly wiped his brow, sighed, and turned around with a happy grin---

WHAM!!! Mammoth punched Beast Boy halfway across the courtyard. "You were saying....," the muscular freak grinned and charged the grounded figure.

"Nnnngh...," Beast Boy rubbed his head and stood up with clenched fists. "God of the Israelites...." He morphed into a huge bull just in time to meet Mammoth's head-on collision.

WHUMP!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SCREEEECH!!!

The T-Car burned to a stop outside of the prison and the police barrier surrounding it.

Cyborg rolled his window down.

He stuck his head out and craned his ear to the incessant chaos emanating from within.

".........," sounds like quite a party.

"Every prisoner we've ever locked up in this City is taking his or her frustrations out on our teammates," Raven droned. "It's their party. Not ours."

"I can't think of a good entrance point!!" Cyborg exclaimed. "And Robin isn't answering our calls to his communicator!"

"He's most likely too busy to reply at the moment."

"Then that means we gotta move fast...," Cyborg's red eye scanned the wall of the nearest building for weaknesses. "There!!" he pointed. "Those windows!! That's the best place for us to enter!"

"Only two stories up...," Raven nodded. She began to unbuckle. "I'll be up there in no time—"

Cyborg placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't go anywhere."

She blinked at him. "Um....."

"Start meditating," he smirked...and revved his engines.

"..................oh joy........."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Nnngh!!" Robin had a fresh metal rod out and was deflecting sharp, armor-piercing roses being flung by a magical 'bouquet'. CL-CL-CLANK!!! He side jumped and flipped towards Mumbo Jumbo with a heavy swing of his staff. "YAAAGH!!"

Mumbo waved his wand. His entire body shrunk and leapt into his hat.

SWOOOSH!! Robin's staff hit nothing but air. "Rghhh!!"

Mumbo's hat levitated across the room. It was there that Mumbo Jumbo reappeared, twirled his wand, and shot at the floor beneath Robin's feet. "Abra cadabra!!!"

FLASH!!

Robin panted. He gasped and fell on his rears as the floor morphed into a warbling mass and rolled Robin like a whipping carpet towards the fiendish magician.

Mumbo twirled his wand and turned it into a bat. Suddenly wearing a baseball uniform, he readied himself for the Boy Wonder pitch. "This oughta break the Red Sox curse! It'll break your skull too! HA!!"

Robin gritted his teeth as he tumbled towards Mumbo's swing. He whipped a hand into his utility belt, fished out a grappling hook launcher, and aimed at the ceiling. POW!! CLANK!! He lifted himself up off the warbling floor and flew over Mumbo via the cord.

SWOOOOSH!! Mumbo swung his bat, but missed Robin's lower body by a hair.

Robin flew up behind Mumbo, let go of this grappling hook, flipped, landed, and swept his leg out. "Strike out, Mumbo!!"

THWUMP!!

"WAAAAH-OOF!!" Mumbo landed on his rear. "Why you meddl—" THUNK!!! The bat fell on his head. "Nnngh....," stars swirled around the villain's head. "Guess you still are the Bat boy."

GRIP!!!

Robin lifted Mumbo up by the collar and practically shouted into his face: "Who set off the bomb?!?! You said it was a witch!! Did you mean Jinx?! Jinx's room was the center of it!!"

"I've never been to that little girl's room!! How would I know??" Mumbo smirked. "I've been locked up for OTHER reasons, silly!!"

THWUMP!! Robin slammed the magician up against a wide set of windows. "Why did she do it?!?! What does she want?! How'd she get all of you free and with your powerful weapons to boot?!"

"Ya know, Robin...not all of us know the answers," Mumbo smiled. Without looking, he flexed his right hand's fingers. The baseball bat lying on the floor behind Robin turned into a wand again and began to slide towards the villain's prone location. "There's an element of mystery to things that even magician's don't know. Ignorance keeps us entertained as much as our audiences!!"

Robin's eyemask glared. "You mean to say you don't know how everyone in the Omega Wing got free??"

Mumbo's face grinned wide. "I mean to say I DON'T CARE!! HAHAHA!!!" SWOOOSH-GRIP!! The wand flew into his gloved hand. He tapped himself with the instrument. "A la Kazaam!!!"

ZZZZTT!!! Mumbo Jumbo's body sparked.

"ARGH!!" Robin jumped back, flinching.

Mumbo spun his wand and struck a goofy pose in front of the wide stretch of windows. "I'm LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF THIS, Robin!! But I'd love it even more if you disappeared!!" He aimed his wand threateningly at the Boy Wonder's body. And that's precisely when a pair of glowing headlights appeared from behind the glass.

Robin wearily smirked. "You first...."

Mumbo's face contorted. "Huh???" He turned around. His eyemask thinned. "Son of a Houdini...," he sighed.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!!!

The T-Car sailed through the window. Shards of glass and metal support structures few everywhere. To say the least, Mumbo Jumbo was toppled to the side and out cold. His wand spun in the air until Robin caught it in mid-leap.

And speaking of mid-leap, Robin landed perched on the T-Car.

CLAMP!!!!!

The vehicle's tires made contact with the floor of the prison hallway. They screeched to a stop and an aura of black telekinesis faded.

From inside, Raven's eyes stopped glowing a bright gray and she blinked at Robin on the hood. "Don't mind the carbon monoxide."

Robin smirked. He looked at Cyborg through the windshield. "About time you both got here."

"Yeah, tell me about it!!" the android leaned his head out the window with one hand on the wheel. "What the Hell's going on in here!!"

"I think Jinx set off the bomb that's freed all of these super convicts."

"Jinx??" Raven remarked.

Robin nodded. "And somehow she's manage to give all of them the tools they need to go crazy on us as usual."

"Man....not good," Cyborg revved the engine to the T-Car. "Better do something so that they don't get out of these walls and 'go crazy' on the Town!!"

"Right! Let's rejoin with the others and fight the convicts en masse! Then once we get their hands full, we'll check on the wardens and other possible hostages!!"

"Where ARE the others??"

"Noir got sidetracked by Killer Moth. I don't know where Beast Boy and Tempest are."

"We heard some crazy noises coming from the central courtyard...let's check that place out!!"

"Good idea," Robin nodded. "Drive."

Cyborg's human eye bulged. "Say what?!?!"

"You brought the T-Car in here for a reason, right?? So drive, dammit!!"

Cyborg sighed. "My Baby wasn't made for linoleum traction."

"Get over it," Raven droned.

SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!

The vehicle zoomed down the claustrophobic hallway.

Robin held his balance on the hood of the T-Car.

"Wait...what about Starfire??" Raven remarked above the noise.

"She was taking on Mad Mod the last time I checked!!" Robin shouted back.

"Don't we need to help her??"

Robin smirked. "Already taken care of...." And he snapped Mumbo Jumbo's wand in two.

CRACK!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

FL-FL-FLASH!!! Starfire flung starbolts at the young Briton from across the prison cafeteria.

CL-CLANK!! Mad Mod deflected with his cane, spun around, and zapped the Tamaranian with a huge, ruby pulse of electricity.

ZAAAP!!

"Ugh!!!" Starfire flew back across the commissary and landed with her back against a long table. "Nnnngh....," she shook her head and looked up at the thin menace with round green eyes.

"Cherio, lass...," Mad Mod spun his wand and aimed it—sparkling—down at her. "You put up a good scuffle. Tis a shame to ruin a pretty face like yours. But my heart goes out for a burned bird anyday!!" And as he prepared to zap her again—he was encased in a puff of smoke and magical light. "What the bloomin' Hell???" In mid sentence, the strength in his voice gave out and soon a wrinkly, liver-spotted old man in a sweater vest and faded slacks stood in front of the girl. "...........aw fiddle sticks."

"........," Starfire smiled. She floated over and held her hands together. "I so apologize for the disrespect of your elderly standings....but I must steal that cane from you."

Mad Mod sweatdropped. "Eheheheh.....horses for courses, love...."

She smiled, took the cane, and curtsied. "Thank you." With a finger, she thwapped the old man in the nose.

"Nnnnghh....," his frail body tipped over and fell back across a table.

THWUMP!!!

Starfire giggled. FLASH!! She melted the cane away with a point blanc starbolt and flew up into the air. "Now to find and assist my frien—"

SMASH!!!!!!!!

The ceiling exploded downward.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" a water-soaked Fang jumped kicked his way down and slammed into Starfire with all eight limbs.

WHAM!!

"AAACKIES!!" Starfire tumbled across the cafeteria floor.

Fang landed, spun to a spidery stance, and raised his human fists. "This table taken??"

Starfire got up, gritting her teeth. "You are an evil....evil....bug!!!"

"And you're pretty....," Fang's multiple eyes narrowed. "Allow me to kiss your face off. RAAAUGH!!" Mandibles glistening, he charged the alien girl.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CL-CL-CLANK!!! I deflected the lunging teeth and legs of the huge moths circling around me. I spin-jumped up onto the second tier stairwell of the prison row. The buzzing sounds of moths increased, and I realized that three extra beasts had been formed.

Sweating....panting....I glanced down at the bottom floor of the interior.

Flanked by cells full of rowdy inmates, Killer Moth kept tossing hatching and metamorphosizing larvae so that a virtual swarm of giant insects were flying and hissing after me in ravenous fury.

I bit my lip. I looked to my left. There was a platform with rails lining the wall between the first and second tiers of prison cells. I looked back down.

SKREEEEE!!!

The moths were upon me.

I blurred murk through my limbs and vaulted off the stairwell and onto the side of the platform. Through momentum and smoke energy, I ran across the wall, trailing Myrkblade behind me and deflecting the biting jaws of the pursuing insects. CLANK! CL-CLANG!!

SKREEE!!!

"Ha ha ha ha!!" Killer Moth bellowed. "Enjoy the quarry, my children!! Enjoy the quarry!!"

I panted. I ran around the curve in the prison row's walls and found more and more insects trailing me.

I glanced down.

I saw Johnny Rancid getting up. He rubbed his head, groaned, and glared up at me. He ran over to his bike, uprighted it, and mounted the seat. From behind he produced a revolver, spun it, and aimed at me with a sneer. "I got him....."

"Hey!! Let my creation devour him!!!"

"Shut up, ya furry clown!! I said I got him!!!" Rancid squinted one eye and took aim.

I bit my lip. I readied a stronger pulse of murk in my sprinting figure---

BLAM!!!!

The bullet streamed at me.

I held my breath. I leapt off the wall and morphed into smoke form.

FWOOOOSH!!! The moths flew through me. Two were splattered dead by the single bullet of Rancid's. SPL-SPLORCH!!!

Killer Moth gripped his helmet and shouted. "NO!!! MY CHILDREN!!"

The frightened moth monsters spun around in the air.

I solidified in an upright position, hanging off of a railing above.

"Shut up, old man!!" Rancid hissed, spinning his pistol. "I'll shoot as many as I want till I hit the meat straight on!!" That said, he aimed at my hanging figure....chuckling.

I took a breath. I looked over at the moths. I whistled.

They looked my way, buzzed their wings into rapid speed, and swarmed on me.

"You stupid punk!! Killer Moth shook his fist at Rancid from afar. "Don't---"

As the insects converged on me, I again teleported in smoke form.

And Rancid again shot.

BLAM!!!

The bullet went through where I would have been and blew up the head of another moth.

"AAARGH!!" Killer Moth convulsed dramatically.

But Rancid laughed his head off. "Whoah!! Did you see that one explode?!?! Ha ha ha!! 'RAAAAAID?!?!?!' Ha ha ha ha!!"

Stomp-Stomp-Stomp-Stomp-STOMP-STOMP!!!! WHAM!!! Killer Moth ran over and tackled the cretin on his cycle. "Rrrghhh!! Why must I always be surrounded by insolent morons!!"

"Hey!! Knock it off, gramps!!! I mean it!!!" Rancid struggled.

I materialized long-distance just above them, panting.

Killer Moth clawed and punched and bit at the motorcyclist. "I swear...if you so much as hurt or harm another one of my children again—"

"Pfft!! Children?!?! Grow a penis, pal!!" WHAM!!! Rancid kicked kicked the costume villain off, spun his revolver, and aimed high. "How's this for an adoption agency?? GOODBYE JUNIOR!!"

BLAM!!! SPLORCH!!!

"Stop it!!!"

"HEY LITTLE SUZIE!!" BLAM!! SPLORCH!! "LITTLE JOEY!!!" BLAM!! SP-SPLORCH!! "WHOOPS! Got twins there! HAHAHAHA!!"

"RRRRGHHH!!!" Killer Moth burned red. Inmates around him booed and hissed. He steamed and pointed a clawed glove at Rancid. "My children....SICK 'EM!!!"

SKREEEEEE!!!

SKREEEEEEE!!!

With a buzzing thunder, all the moths converged on the psychotic motorcyclist.

Rancid's eyes bulged. "Wuh oh!! Hahahaha!!" He revved the engine and took off. VRMMMMM!!! "I am NOT about to get shit upon by the Tinkerbell club!!"

He burned rubber out into a lower hallway of the prison interior. Killer moth and his furious 'children' blurred blindly after him.

I let out a breath of relief and dropped down in the super-villain vacated interior. Most of the inmates groaned and cursed in frustration....but I actually heard some cheering from behind me.

I turned around, smiled, and gave a nervous thumb's up—that is until I realized just how......effeminate that particular cell of inmates looked.

Okay......never thought I'd be depressed by a compliment.

I re-gripped Myrkblade and spun about, scanning for leftover rogues with my eyes....when I noticed a streak of light. My black eyes twitched under my shades. I glanced down an inclined hallway to my right. It lead to the basement levels of the prison.

"......"

A reflective pink glow died out as a light set of footsteps echoed against the far walls and were gone.

"......"

I turned myself invisible with a falling curtain of smoke and tread lightly—but quickly—after the source of the pink hue...

-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Robin had found a firm glove-hold on the front of the T-Car. The vehicle's sides scraped walls with showering sparks as it spun around curves and throttled down the thin hallways.

"All man...," Cyborg sweatdropped while gripping the wheel. "I swear that this Baby is having a love affair with Murphy's Law!!"

"Less weeping and more driving," Raven said.

Above the chaotic noise of the interior, speeding vehicle...the sounds of gunshots and cries echoed down the corridor.

Robin craned his neck. His eyemask went wide. After a beat, he knocked his gloved knuckles against the windshield and yelled: "I'm getting off here!! Keep going!! Find Beast Boy, Starfire, and the others!!"

"Okay!!" Cyborg nodded.

"I have my communicator! I'll rejoin you soon!!" The Boy Wonder then nimbly squatted atop the car and raised his hands just in time to grab a low-hanging bar from the ceiling. He jumped off the T-Car and hung by the metal pipe. After a beat, he dropped down into a crouch, stood up, and ran down a nearby hallway....following the gunshot sounds.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

VROOOOOOM!!!

The T-Car screamed down the thin prison hallway. A bright light was forming ahead.

Gritting his teeth and keeping the vehicle steady, Cyborg uttered: "Got a lock on B.B.'s signal?"

Raven was looking at the map display on the dashboard. Her blue eyes blinked. "Uhm........"

"Uhm what???"

"Just keep driving...," she sweatdropped.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Nnnnnnghh!!" Beast Boy groaned and struggled as Mammoth had the green elf in a violent headlock.

"Say Uncle....," Mammoth grinned. "Preferably a dead Uncle. Cuz that's who I'm gonna send you to see...."

SMASH!!!!!!!

From a huge span of windows two stories above, the T-Car drove through and flew down towards the courtyard.

"Huh???" Mammoth looked up at the hulking blue missile. His white eyes practically cracked apart in dramatic shock.

Beast Boy swiftly held his breath, turned into a snake, and slithered out of the giant's grasp.

VROOOOOOM!!!! The T-Car glided down. SWOOOOOOSH!!!

Mammoth held his breath...then held his arms out.

CLAMP!!!

He grabbed onto the hood.

THWUMP!!! The wheels of the T-Car hit the ground and the vehicle ground into the young villain.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!

Tires burn. Dust and concrete flew. Mammoth's feet carved into the ground as he was slid in his blocking stand clear across the courtyard and against the far wall where finally his strength won out and he pushed the T-Car to a stand still.

"HA!!!" Mammoth smirked. "Think you're so bad and tough!! Nothing's stronger than—"

WHURRR-CHTUNG!! The photon cannon popped out of the vehicle's top and fired point blanc in Mammoth's face.

ZAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAP!!!!!

FLASH!!! "WAAAAAAUGH!!!" Mammoth plummeted backwards from the back and sailed through the prison building's walls. SMASH!!!!! Smoking debris and crumbled buildingside brick was left behind.

Cyborg stepped out, frowning. "Hands off my car....."

Raven teleported out in a black sphere. She reformed and glanced around at the scene. Atlas lay dormant at the far end of the courtyard. Mammoth was nowhere to be seen beyond the huge gash in the wall formed by his body.

"........so....how dead is Beast Boy anyways?" Raven groaned.

"I'm not dead!! Here I am!!!"

SWOOOSH-WHUMP!!

Beast Boy ran up and hugged Raven. "Am I badass or what?!?! Look what I did!!!"

Flames erupted in Raven's eyes. With a snarl she flung him halfway across the courtyard. FLASH!!!

"YAAAAUGH—OOF!! Nnngh.....nice to meet you too, Raven."

"Even I know when not to do that," Cyborg simpered.

Raven blinked at him. "I can't toss you around as easily."

"Good point. Now where is---"

CRASH!!!

A window shattered from above...followed by a plummeting scream.

Cyborg looked up. He blinked. Effortlessly, he caught the flailing body of Tempest. WHUMP!!

Tempest sat up in his arms.

A beat.

"Flipper....," Cyborg said.

Tempest panted. "Gizmo...."

Cyborg frowned. "Cyborg!!"

"No!! Look!!" Tempest pointed up. "Gizmo!!"

"HIYAAAA!!! SCRUFF-MUNCHERS!!!"

"?!?!?!" Cyborg looked up...and got a face full of tiny missiles.

BOOOOM!!!!

"DAAAH!!" He and Tempest went flying across the concrete landscape, plowing into Beast Boy who had barely gotten up. WHUMP!!!

"!!!" Raven looked at them...then upwards.

SWOOOOSH!! Gizmo came flying down, laughing psychotically on his jetpack. "Recess time!! Who's for a friendly game of four square....with GRENADES?!?!" A tube propped up and out from his jet pack and fired two explosive canisters down at the male Titans.

Raven gritted her teeth and raised her hands just in time to deflect the explosives with black telekinesis. The grenades smoke-trailed off and exploded against an upper pylon of the encircling prison wall. BOOOM!!!

"Awww...," the flying munchkin frowned. His goggles almost thinned in mock sorrow. "Spoil sport?? What good is a new friend if you can't decorate your lawn with their insides??"

"Quit it!!!" Raven frowned. She floated upward with her cloak billowing around her. She stretched two glowing arms out and hissed: "You're going back in your cell where you belong!!!"

"Pffft!!" the hovering Gizmo spat. "Nuts to you barf-bimbo!! You're not my babysitter!!"

"I assure you....," Raven's eyes glared. "I can and will put you to sleep...."

"Heheheheheh...," Gizmo aimed a laser turret at her and locked on.

She flung her wrists. "Azarath....Metrion...ZINTHOS!!!!" A balloon of black obsidian surged outward at Gizmo.

Gizmo clicked a trigger on his controls and fired a volley of laser blasts.

Both energy distributions converged explosively in the center.

FLASH!! FL-FL-FLASH!!! PHOOOOM!!!

Smoke and flame erupted.

Raven shielded her eyes. When she looked again, she gasped an incoming rocket.

SWOOOOSH!!!!

Raven blurred to the side in mid-air and barely dodged Gizmo's diving form.

"Heeeeh heh hehhhhh ha ha!!!" Gizmo gurgled like a schizophrenic toddler and spun back around with two missile volleys at ready. "Show me your broomstick, book crammer!!!"

SW-SW-SWOOOSH!!! The missiles fired.

Raven raised a slab of concrete debris and floated it in front of her.

BLAM!!!!!

The concrete shattered.

"Nnnghh!!" she was thrown back a bit from the explosion's concussion.

Gizmo soared through the smoke and debris towards her.

"Geek SLAM!!!"

Raven swiftly teleported through him in a column of black energy.

Gizmo burped. "MMF!! What the--?!?!"

The dark girl spun around with a wrist pointed at him.

FLASH!!!

Black energy encased the thrusters of his jetpack.

Gizmo surged to a stop in mid-air.

"Nnngh!!! Cram it!!! No fair!! Let go!!"

"Have it your way...," Raven gritted her teeth and curled her fingers.

POW!!!!

The fuel cells of the jetpack blew off and exploded a few feet away.

"YAAAAAH!!!" Gizmo plummeted to the floor.

Tempest huffed, puffed, and ran out underneath him. PLOP!!! He caught the tiny villain. "I got 'em!!" Tempest grinned.

"You're crummin' right!!" Gizmo cackled. Whurrrrr-CLANK!!! Four metal spider legs popped out of his pack.

THWACK!!! Tempest was knocked back by the exiting limbs. "OOOF!!"

Cyborg—running over—caught Tempest in a hooked arm. He looked at the Atlantean and smirked. "Nooby...." THWUMP!! He dropped Tempest to the floor, converted his left arm into sonic cannon, and approached the metal-limb suspended Gizmo. "Allright little man!! Just like old times!! You....and m—"

"RAAAUGH!!" Mammoth charged out of the hole in the wall and slammed his fist into Cyborg's torso.

CLANG!!!

"AAAUGH!!" the android toppled to the ground.

"Heh heh heh heh!!!" Gizmo chuckled. "A brother in need is a friend indeed!!"

"Uh....whatever you said," Mammoth cracked his neck and grinned. "TIN CAN CRUSHING TIME!!!" And he stomped down upon Cyborg.

Sweatdropping, Beast Boy turned into an elephant. "This is getting old." With a trumpeting noise, he stomped over and rammed into Mammoth's side.

Gizmo produced a laser cannon and was about to shoot at the green Titan when Tempest flipped onto his back and wrestled with the villain on his four metal limbs.

At the same time, Cyborg wearily got back up and joined the emerald elephant in tackling Mammoth.

Raven considered joining in the cause against Gizmo. She was about to float over when---

"Hey!! Blue chick!! Are you the White Mage's sister or something??"

"?!?!?!" Raven spun around and looked up. "I beg your pardon---"

ZAP!!!!

Raven gasped as a ruby light enveloped her cloak from afar. Soon the cloak seemed to come alive and constrict all around her until it bundled her up like a roll of carpet and sent her plummeting to the ground. THWUMP!!! "Nnnnghhhh!!" she struggled and fought her cloaked restraints. She gradually saw the source of the ruby light leap down from the building sight and land fatly in front of her.

FFFBPPHSSSSS!!!!

A crimson light extended outward from two ends of something in the stranger's grasp. A double-edged lightsabre. SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!! Control Freak twirled the hot weapon around and struck an obese pose. He smiled a cheese puff stained smile down at the dark girl. "So...are you???"

"Am I WHAT?!?!" Raven snarled. Flames danced in her eyes.

"The sister to the White Mage?? Ya know...Final Fantasy I?? Granted, her cloak was—well—white.....but the black mage—also more or less reincarnated to become Vivi in the Playstation monstrosity Final Fantasy IX—wears a cloak of a hue quite similar to yours. And judging by your powers, you seem somewhere in the mix of the two elements. Tell me....," he leaned forward. "Are you light or dark?"

"Right now....I'm feeling very DARK!!!" Raven hissed, struggling.

"You don't say," Control Freak sneezed. SW-SW-SW-SWISH!! He twirled his lightsaber and smirked. "Well then, Miss Sith...do your best energy bolts on me. Cuz I'm a level 45 manga fit to unleash a cheese-elemental limit break unfriendly to 95 of epileptics this side of the Northern Hemisphere!! And in case you're redundancy illiterate—that means you're deader than a hill of bantha fodder. ENGAGE!!!" And he stabbed the lightsaber straight down at her.

Raven flinched.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Robin sprinted into a utility room consisting of metal catwalks criss-crossing over one another. He panted and looked towards the far end of the interior.

Over a dozen guards cowered in a metal-wrought corner. They flinched and trembled helplessly from a solid line of gunmen marching towards them with dual pistols in both hands.

"Hey!!!" Robin barked. He stomped forward with a fan of birdarangs held up in his left hand. "Leave them be---"

The gunmen turned around.....and were revealed to be guards themselves. A solid line of prison workers stared numbly at the approaching Boy Wonder. All of their eyes were glowing a bright, pale-blue. They aimed their pistols at the nimble hero.

"!!!!" Robin skidded to a stop. "Wh-What????" he sweatdropped.

"Ahem....," a small voice uttered from above.

"????" Robin looked straight up.

The Puppet King leaned against a set of metal railings. He held in his hand a glowing control. His googly eyes shook as he throated woodenly: "It would be fair of you not to intercede, Titan. At least one of my curses must fall through before I turn to ashes. Now let me kill the infidels off and march off to safety with the army that's left over!!"

Robin aimed his birdarangs at the small villain overhead. "I've got a better idea. How about I chop you in half and count the rings in your chest??"

"And find what? That I was too young to die?"

"Yeah....something like that...."

CL-CLICK!

CLICK!

CLICK!!

The sounds of over twelve pistols cocking behind Robin announced to him that the possessed guards were aiming their weapons at him.

".........."

"Your move, hero...," the Puppet King sneered. "Let's see your meat strings snap."

Robin tightened his muscles. "Better not blink then...." FWOOOSH!!! He leapt up at the wooden fiend on the catwalk.

The possessed guards aimed and--

BLAM!! BLAM!! BL-BLAM!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"RRRRAAUGH!!!" Starfire flung a huge starbolt at Fang.

SMASH!!! SM-SMASH!!! Three commissary tables in a row exploded from the careening blast.

Fang had flipped over the toss with twirling spider legs and now he side-sprinted towards the girl. "Come on!! Swat me already!! HA!!"

FW-FW-FWOOOOSH!!! Three spider limbs stabbed at her.

"!!!!" Starfire ducked the swing....only to be struck blindsided by a fourth limb. WHAM!!! "NGGH!!" she cratered into the cafeteria floor.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!" Fang leapt straight up, flexed his spider legs like wings, and flew straight down at the girl with a human jump kick.

Starfire gritted her teeth, rolled onto her back, and shot starbolt after starbolt straight up at the plummeting Fang's body. "HAH!! HAH!! HAH!!" FL-FL-FL-FLASH!!!!

Fang was bopped and batted around like a ragdoll towards the ceiling.

Starfire shrieked with one huge, finishing starbolt. FWOOOOSH!!!

But Fang pivoted his body in mid-air, 'gripped' the starbolt, spun around on it, and launched himself downward with six limbs pushing down this time.

Starfire glided backwards across the floor.

SMASH!!!!! Fang landed hard, tossing bits and shards of tile elsewhere. The mutant let out a shout and stormed after Starfire on four spider limbs....stretching the front limbs forward intermittently and stabbing at the girl with the pointed hooks of the feet. CLANK!! CLANK!! CL-CLANK!!

Panting, a back-flying Starfire twitched and jerked and convulsed to barely miss each step-stab. She flew beneath a cafeteria table and kicked up at it with her feet. "NNNGH!!" WHUMP!!!

The table upended hard into Fang's advancing mandible. WHAP!!! "OOF!!"

Starfire pivoted into an upright floating position and pushed the table into him. "Nnnnnnnnnnngh!!!"

Fang anchored himself with two rear spider feet and stabbed through the table with his other two. SLICE!! SL-SLICE!!

Starfire gasped and jerked her head left and right to avoid the serrated spider feet piercing through the surface of the table and ending up on either side of her ears.

"RAUGH!!" Fang kicked at the tabletop with his human feet.

CRACK!!!

The table shattered and Starfire flew back against a concrete wall. WHAM!! "Ooof!!" she exhaled.

SPLORCH!! SPLORCH!!! SWOOOOSH-THW-THWAP!!! Two web strands stuck wetly around Starfire's wrists and pinned her back against the wall.

"Mmmff!! Nngh!!" Starfire struggled to pull herself free from the fluid holding.

CL-CLANK!! Two spider legs stepped down before her.

The girl gasped.

The spider's multiple eyes narrowed menacingly as Fang stepped forward. "That's right....," he cracked his human knuckles. "Try summoning one of your nasty alien blasts with both hands tied up, bi--!!"

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!

A pair of green optic blasts exploded from Starfire's burning eyes and plowed into Fang's chest.

"OOF!!!" he flew back, tumbled over two tables, and collapsed in a moan. "Rrrgghhh!!!" He hopped up and rubbed his spidery head with a human hand. "Always a stupid little trick left....ALWAYS!!!"

"NNNNNNNNGHHH!!!" Starfire strained and pulled at her sticky hands. CRACK!! CRACK!! Starfire stumbled forward. She blinked. She looked down at her two hands...which now had half-gloves of concrete debris stuck to her knuckles. The webbing was still in tact.

Fang got up and scurried towards her. "Now you'll DIE!!!"

Starfire gritted her teeth. "I choose not to!!!" She brought both concreted hands together and flung them upwards in a massive uppercut that met Fang's mandibles. "RAWWWR!!!"

WHAM!!!!

Fang flew back, his spider legs twitching.

Starfire flew forward and punched his gut with a fist full of concrete. "YAUGH!!"

WHUMP!!!

He doubled over.

She punched his jaw with a rocky fist. "RRRGH!!"

SMACK!!!!

Fang half-spun and fell to his knees.

"HAAAAH!!" Starfire brought both hands together with the momentum of the concrete and slammed in both of Fang's temples.

CRAAACK!!!

"Ughhhh.....," Fang dizzily fell to the floor.

Starfire panted, frowning. "I do believe I have given you the squash!!!"

VRMMMMMMM!!!

"Huh??" she looked up. "EEEP!!" she flew up just in time to avoid Johnny Rancid zooming down the aisles of still-standing cafeteria tables and firing a revolver.

BLAM!! BLAM!! BLAM!!

The bullets splashed through the bodies of swarming, giant insects chasing after the motorcycled freak. Rancid circled around the room, shouting and hollering as he shot the multiple bugs and raised Cain.

Starfire panted to herself from where she hovered. "There is an awful lot of criss-crossing absurdity today...."

"The only thing criss-crossing will be your guts!!"

"?!?!?!" she spun around.

"YAUGH!!" Killer Moth pounced on her.

"EEEP!!"

The two fell across a table and wrestled 'concrete-gloves' to clawed fingers. TH-TH-THWUMP!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"........"

I snuck—invisible—down a dark hallway in the basement levels of the prison. The walls were a cold concrete, intermittently kaleidoscoped by red light filtered through a cold metal fan somewhere or someplace. My smoking, black eyes narrowed in the shadows. I slowly stretched my metal hand out and felt around with murk for a mass...a movement....anything beyond the curve in the concrete hallway.

"......."

I didn't feel anything. But I saw something.

My vision danced left across the clear domain.

A hue of pink rose and fell just beyond the stretch of concrete and tile.

"....."

I gripped tightly to Myrkblade and slowly shuffled after the darting light.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

In the courtyard....several feet away from the Beast Boy-Gizmo-Cyborg-Mammoth-Tempest fight....

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Control Freak laughed his head towards the morning sky as he stabbed the lightsaber down and down. A beat. His eyes opened and blinked. "Huh?? No squishy???" He looked down.

Raven's forehead was straining. Her face was tense. Gray light pulsed under her eyelids....and a black 'talon' of energy had extended from her cloak-encased womb and gripped the length of the lightsaber.

"Dammit, witch!!" Control Freak frowned. "Why couldn't I just have thrown water down on you??"

Her gray eyes flashed open. She gnashed her teeth. "Because it's my turn at the dice." RRRRRRRIP!!! The cloak flew apart into tiny shreds as she pulsed the black energy outward and vaulted herself angrily to her feet.

"Whoah!!!" Control Freak's chin shook as he grinned. "A girl's never stripped for me before!!"

Raven nodded in her leotard. "There's a first time for everything. What say we start with you skin next??" FLASH!!! She charged up a handful of razor sharp black energy shards. "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!!!" She flung them at the obese obstacle. They whistled in the air.

Control Freak stepped back and twirled his lightsaber in one hand. CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!! He deflected the shards. He then jerked his other body forward, twirled a remote, and jammed his finger over a button. "HA!!"

ZAP!!!

Raven ducked low.

A stream of red light covered a metal support beam from the pile of wall rubble. It came alive, slinked about like a snake of mobile steel, and leapt at Raven's back.

The dark girl turned around, gripped the metal 'snake' in two black gloves of energy and tossed it over her shoulder at Control Freak. "Mmmmf!!!"

Control Freak uppercutted with his lightsaber and cut the steel in two. SLASH!!! He then twirled his remote and aimed it at chunks of concrete debris lying by the side.

ZAP!!!

The debris glowed a ruby light and formed together to form a 'golem' of stomping gravel. The concrete giant stomped over and swung a heavy fist down at Raven. FWOOOSH!!

Raven held her breath and levitated up high in the air.

SLAM!!!!

The golem's arm smashed hard into the coutyard's floor, forming a nasty gash.

Raven gritted her teeth and slung two 'whips' of black energy down at the being. FLASH!! THWAP!!!

"......," the gravel golem tilted 'up' at Raven and flung two boulders at her. FWOOOSH!! FWOOOOOOSH!!!

Raven dodged the first boulder but--

WHAM!!!

"Ugh!!!" she fell hard to the ground.

THWOMP!!!

The granite monster planted its foot down over her, pinning her down hard.

"Nnnnnghhh!!" she struggled and strained for breath and freedom.

Control Freak whispered. "Great gusto!! You're like Seven of Nine when the air condition's turned up!!!"

Raven gritted her teeth. "Is that some pathetic attempt to flirt with me?"

"Oh please, Miss Sunshine...," Control Freak sneered and eyed the golem on top of her. "I think someone else has got a 'crush' on you."

The golem brought two of its fists up and prepared to fling them down onto Raven's fragile skull.

The girl gnashed her teeth.....

FWOOOOSH!! The fists came down.

CLAMP!!!!

A titanium arm clamped over the concrete limbs of the 'golem'.

"Eh????" Control Freak gasped.

"........," Cyborg frowned...towering over Raven and holding the golem back. "Find yourself another cutie....," he sneered. His blocking fist turned into a sonic cannon that exploded violently into the concrete monster's torso. ZAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAP!!! CRUMBLE!!!!!

Gravel and pebbles flew everywhere.

Control Freak flinched.

Cyborg grabbed what was left of the golem's body and flung it—shouting and titanium muscles rippling—at Control Freak.

"YODA!!!"

WHAM!!!!

The rocky body exploded and Control Freak went tumbling hard across the courtyard floor.

Cyborg panted, wiped his brow, and bent over just in time to gently help Raven up.

She shook her head dizzily and blinked up at him. "Lemme guess...this is the part where the girl kisses you, right?" she droned.

".....," Cyborg smirked. "Actually....I was merely gonna ask you to duck."

Raven leaned her head to the side. "Huh?"

"DUCK!!!" Cyborg shoved Raven out of the way as a volley of tiny missiles flew into his chest.

BLAM!! BL-BL-BLAM!!!!

"OOF!!" Cyborg stumbled back.

Rushing on four metal limbs, Gizmo chuckled and rushed Cyborg with more ensuing volleys.

FWOOSH!! FW-FW-FWOOSH!!!

Raven panted and was about to float after him---

"Pfft!! HACK!!!"

"???" Raven spun around.

A bruised and dizzy Control Freak coughed and sputtered from the floor. "Some convention this was....I was glad to have my remote and all...but it was lacking its spark. Pfft....my kingdom for a cell full of Chobits and Cardcaptors anyday!!"

"What.......on earth......are you talking about???" Raven groaned.

Control Freak slipped a limp hand into his pocket, produced a huge red computer chip, and tossed it onto the courtyard floor. Cl-Clank!! "From Hell's breath I stab thee....," he wheezed. A beat. He smiled: "And other ugly-nasty-stuff!!" With his last inch of energy, he clicked his remote and zapped the computer chip from far.

FLASH!!!

The chip glowed...sparked....sparked...and sparked some more. Soon a bulbous blob of electrical chaos morphed upwards like a blown transformer's hellish bubble. Overload stretched his shimmering tendrils and hollored: "I AM RE-AWAKENED!!!

"Oh super....," Raven sweatdropped.

Panting, Beast Boy ran over. "Rae!!" he leaned on her. "We need help!! Gizmo and Mammoth—they're.....," he looked Overload's way. "OH GOD NO!!!"

"BURN, BIOLOGICALS!! BURN!!!" Overload stretched its arms forward and sent waves of electricity warbling mercilessly towards the heroes. ZZZZZT!!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CL-CL-CLANK!!!

Robin deflected stream after stream of hot bullets.

POW!! CLINK!!! He fired a grappling hook into the ceiling above the Puppet King and lifted himself up, still twirling the metal rod to deflect the possessed guards' weapons.

CL-CLANK!!!

Robin came at the end of his swing, spun up, flipped, and landed in a squat across the catwalk from the Puppet King.

The short fiend turned and faced him, his googly eyes settling still.

"Now that we're on the same level...," Robin ran towards him. "...hand over their souls—"

The Puppet King dropped his control and pulled out a flame thrower.

"!!!!!" Robin's eyemask bugged.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!! A plume of fiery plasma surged out from the Puppet King's two-handed weapon.

The Boy Wonder leapt off the catwalk, gripped a support bar lengthwise by one glove, and swung himself out of the reach of the flames. He leapt through the air again and landed on an adjacent platform to the Puppet King.

"Roast....you pathetic infidel!!" the Puppet King aimed his flame thrower.

Robin took a deep breath and backflipped off the platform as the flame swept over. He found himself plummeting straight down towards the throng of possessed guards and their drawn pistols.

BLAM!! BL-BL-BLAM!!!

Bullets streamed up at Robin.

The Boy Wonder let loose and fired another grappling hook. POW!! CLANK!! He swung—twirled around in mid swing to avoid the hot streaking bullets—and lifted himself up and onto the Puppet King's platform again.

The short villan was ready...

PHOOOOOM!!!

Robin gasped and covered his body facing the Puppet King with his titanium polymer cape.

SPLASH!!!! Flames and plasma erupted all around him. But the Boy Wonder was shielded.

The Puppet King gnashed his wooden teeth and increased the intensity of the flames...marching towards Robin.

PHOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

Flames danced all around the edges of Robin's scorched cape.

The Boy Wonder sweated.

The spiked hair on his head started to curl.

The catwalk beneath him glowed red hot and burned up into his steel-tipped boots.

"I want to smell you smoke....I want to smell your rotting flesh!!!" the tiny regal automaton sneered.

SNKTT!! Robin whipped out a birdarang. "Get a nose first, Howdy Doody..." He lowered his cape just long enough to fling the metal projectile. "NNGH!!" FWOOOOOSH!!!

The Puppet King relented on his fiery punishment and ducked his blockhead just in time to avoid the air-whistling weapon.

SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!!

"Nice try, bird brute...," the Puppet King's googly eyes glared. "But that was rather pathetic."

Robin merely smirked and crossed his arms. "Don't you villains ever learn?"

"??????" the Puppet King turned around.

SW-SW-SW-SWISH!! The birdarang came back around.....and sailed down to directly skewer the glowing control discarded on the catwalk floor. CRACK!!!!

The puppet's wooden jaw fell agape. "NOOOOOO!!!!"

FLASH!! FLASH!!! FLASH!!!

The glow left the eyes of the possessed guards. Regaining their senses, they groaned and teetered back and forth....blinking.

"Up here!!" Robin shouted and slid down a support beam. "Let him have it!!"

"!!!!" the Puppet King gasped. He glanced down over the railing stupidly.

Red-hot-mad, the guards all aimed their pistols up at the catwalk and unleashed a murderous volley of lead.

BLAM!!! BL-BL-BLAM!! BLAM!!!

The stream of multiple bullets actually severed the section of catwalk out from underneath the puppet king. He was sent plummeting—flame thrower and all—down to the hard floor below.

CRASH!!!!!

"Nnnngh....," the puppet's head rolled about and he was out cold.

Panting, Robin limped towards the guards. "Are you all okay?"

A warden nodded and holstered his pistols. "Thanks to you!! Where is everyone??"

"A very good question," the Boy Wonder nodded. He pointed: "All of you! Head to the South Wing!! That's just where I came from....and the place should be vacant by now! The Titans and I will take care of the Omega Wing convicts. You just get somewhere save to reorganize! There're police forces outside waiting to assist!"

"Got it....thanks Mr. Titan!!"

"You're welcome!! I gotta go!!" Robin ran off down a nearby hallway as the guards relocated.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

WHUMP!!!

Starfire somersaulted forward and kicked Killer Moth off of her. "NNNGH!!!"

"YAAAH!!" Killer Moth twirled in mid air once or twice before slamming hard into the concrete wall of the cafeteria far behind.

Starfire huffed....puffed...and prepared to surge after him when---

VRMMMMMM!!!!

"Going my way?!?!" Rancid sneered and hooked an arm out that caught Starfire.

THWUMP!!!

"EEP!!" she struggled in his grasp.

He laughed his head off, swerved the motorcycle around, and flung her through three tables--SMASH!!--before whipping out his revolver and shooting dead the last of the two pursuing bugs. SPLORCH!! SPLORCH!!!

"My children....," Killer Moth groaned...struggling to get up. "My poor....molting....little children...."

GRIP!!!

A pair of spider legs hooked around his neck.

"SNKKKTTT!!!" Killer Moth wheezed as he was held over to the bruised face of Fang.

"You moron!! Can it with the 'my children' crap!!"

"You....," Killer Moth sneered through his mask. He brushed Fang's spider legs off of him. "I don't want anything to do with YOU!!"

"What?? Listen, old man...," Fang hissed. "If this is about your daughter...drop it..." He shoved Killer Moth's head around to face the ensuing scuffle between Starfire and Rancid. "You see that?? That's a Titan...not just that.....she's one of SEVEN Titans. Seven Titans that are here!!"

"What are you saying.....?"

"I'm saying that the party is over and it's about time we leave....," Fang breathed. "The opportunity was given to us. We'd better make do....or else it'd be a waste of explosion....and equipment!!"

Killer Moth's helmet nodded. "I see what you mean....but when could we scurry out of here??"

"We'll wait for an opportunity....then spring upon it."

"And if the Titans try to stop us??"

"That's what webs and porch lights are for....," Fang's mandibles twitched. He rushed out through a pair of double-doors lining the cafeteria. "Come on, old stuff. Let's go."

"Somehow I think I'm going to regret this.....," Killer Moth grumbled and hobbled after the mutant.

In the meantime....

"For a race accustomed to hyperspace...you sure are slow as shit!! HA!!" Rancid shouted and aimed his revolver at the redheaded girl.

Starfire grit her teeth and dodged two shots swiftly.

BLAM! BLAM!!!

She produced a 'shield' of green-hot starbolts and absorbed three more shots.

BL-BLAM!! BLAM!!!

"YAAAUGH!!" she flung the very same starbolt forward.

VRMMMM!!! Rancid steered his motorcycle around the green energy pulse and forward.

FLASH!! Starfire flung another starbolt. "RAAUGH!!" FLASH!! Another.

Rancid grinned, ducked, and bunny-hopped the blasts with his cycle. He propped the rubber-burning vehicle up onto the tabletops and road bumpily towards Starfire while aiming his revolver with a free hand. "Stand still so that you can fall down!!!"

But instead, Starfire flew straight at him.

He fired.

BLAM!!!

The bullet streamed at Starfire's forehead.

She gritted her teeth and launched an optic blast at the last second.

ZAAAAAP!!!

The two green streaks melted the bullet in mid-air. There was nothing in the Tamaranian's way to stop her as she—WHAP!!!—plowed into the psychotic motorcyclist and wrapped around so that she was gripping him tightly from behind. "NNNNGH!!!"

"Snkkkttt!!" Rancid choked. "H-Hey!! Not on the first date, baby!! Not on the first date!!"

"Cease calling me an infant!!!" Starfire shrieked and applied more pressure.

"HEY!! SKKKTTT!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!! WE'RE BOTH GONNA—"

SCREEEEEEEECH!!!

The motorcycle throttled helplessly towards the stretch of wall ahead.

"AAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEK!!!!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CRASH!!!!

The high wall of the inner courtyard ring shattered. Starfire and Rancid went plummeting four stories towards the floor below.

"WAAAAAAIEEEEE!!!"

A black field of energy encased Starfire alone and gently lowered her to a safe floating level.

Rancid—on the other hand—fell down hard as a rock.

"YAAAAAA—" THWUMP!!!! "Ughhh......" He groaned, out cold. SMASH!!! His motorcycle fell hard a few feet away. It gathered smoke and sparks.

Starfire sighed and happily clasped her fingers together. "Raven...thank you kindly for—" A beat. "You are Miss Leotard suddenly!!"

Raven gritted her teeth. "Stop talking, Starfire, and start diving."

"Huh??" Starfire blinked.

ZZZTT!!!

"EEEK!!" Starfire gasped as blue blast of electricity struck her in the back. She plummeted awkwardly into Raven and both girls were sent sprawling. TH-THWUMP!! "OOF!!"

"Ugh!!!"

"Heh...heh....heh.....," Overload took a few sparkling stomps towards the two female Titans. "So many juices to burrrrrrn!!!"

Raven sat up straight and sneered. "Don't you ever find an outlet??"

ZZZZZTTT!!!

"Okay...maybe not...," Raven's eyes glowed. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!!" She produced a black shield that covered the two girls just in time.

FL-FLASH!!! The electricity bounced off the black shield and licked through the air, dancing over the battle between Mammoth, Tempest, and Beast Boy.

"RAAAUGH!!!" Mammoth slammed a fist towards Tempest.

"!!!" the Atlantean nimbly leapt up and flipped.

Mammoth's fist sword through the air and was grabbed in the hold of a huge, green sloth.

Plant!!! Tempest landed on the joint limbs. He smiled, streaked up Mammoth's shoulder, and jumped off with a kick sailing across the thick villain's neck. WHACK!!!

"Ooof!!" Mammoth stumbled back.

The sloth morphed into a goat that charged forward and slammed its horns into the heavy fiend's belly.

WHUMP!!!

Mammoth bent over, wheezing.

Tempest scurried over, held his breath, and leapt up high with an uppercut.

THWACK!!!

Mammoth tilted back. He hobbled up against a wall, panting and wheezing.

Tempest and Beast Boy charged with a finishing warcry......that they didn't finish.

FLASH!!!!

A golden bolt of energy flew at them and knocked them back.

A few feet away, Gizmo stood on four metal limbs with a smoking laser barrel. "Ha ha ha ha!! Taste the gravel, snotchops!!"

Something gripped his metal limbs from behind.

"The Hairball?!?!" Gizmo looked back. "Crammit...it's always you!!"

"Yup...always me!!" Cyborg shouted and flung Gizmo straight up via the metal limbs. "RRRRRGHHH!!!"

"WAAAAAA-AAAAH!!!!" Gizmo shouted and flailed his human limbs as his entire suit was flung up and slammed back down, shattering the metal limbs completely. CRAAACK!!!

"Boo-Ya!! That didn't take long did it, little man??" Cyborg smirked.

The tutle-like Gizmo rolled on his back and grinned evilly beneath his goggles. "Yeah....stand around and enjoy the occasion!!" ZAAAP!! His rifle shot a blue wave of light at Cyborg.

"Huh??? Nnnnghhh!!!" Cyborg gasped, suddenly struggling in a death-grip of paralysis where he stood. "What.....in....the world....?!?!"

"EMP Shockwave up your wazoo!!" Gizmo stuck his tongue out. "Hope you have a lovely afterlife in Macintosh Hell!!" He smirked at the dizzy Mammoth. "Hey!! M! Mince Meat time!!"

"RRAAAAAAAUGH!!!" Mammoth charged murderously towards Cyborg. He grinned animalistically and raised a hulking fist.

The android Titan barely had the strength to sweatdrop....

SW-SW-SW-SWISH-CLANK-BANG!!!!

An explosive birdarang landed in front of Mammoth's charging feet.

"Augh!!" he flew back from the blast.

"Awww cripes!!" Gizmo shuddered.

SWOOOOSH!! Robin swung down and slammed his boots hard into Gizmo's backside.

THWUMP!!

"CrucCrudCrudCrudCrud!!!' the high-tech munchkin rolled repeatedly across the courtyard and came to a stop on the floor, groaning.

Robin stood up, took a deep breath, and smirked. "Hope I wasn't too late...."

"Heh....it depends....," a statue-still Cyborg blinked. "A little help here??"

Robin stood in front of Cyborg, turned around, and whistled loudly. "Hey!! Overload!!" he waved.

ZZZZT!!! ZZZTTT!!! The electrical beast stopped zapping the shield of Raven and Starfire long enough to look over at the Boy Wonder. "?!?!?!"

"Come and get some fresh meat, you freak!!" Robin shouted.

"Yo!!!" Cyborg murmured. "What are you doing—"

"Shhh...."

"Mmmmm....tender morsel....," the 'eye' in the electrically submerged computer chip glared. Overload's glowing limbs went into motion as it stomped its way towards the two.

Robin raised his fists.

Overload charged.

Robin gritted his teeth.

Overload sprinted.

Robin.......dashed to the side.

Cyborg stood still in the open. "!!!!!!!"

"YAAAARGH!!" unable to stop, Overload flew into Cyborg's robotic body.

ZZZZZZZZT!!!

"NNNNGH!!!" Cyborg twitched and groaned.

The bulk of Overload's energy was absorbed into him.

ZZZZZZZTTTTT!!!

Gradually, the electrical splashes died out and the computer chip of Overload fell lonely to the floor. CL-CLANK!!!

"Ugh.....Overload.........sleepy......" ZZZT!! And the chip smoked and went out like a light.

"......," Cyborg found himself able to flex his limbs and function normally. He exhaled.

"See?" Robin brushed his gloves off and crossed his arms with a smirk. "Should have trusted me."

"Yeah....and you should trust me too, dawg....," Cyborg glared. "Trust me to give you a dutch rub as soon as I can!!!'

"That chance may come soon...," Tempest limped over.

"Yeah, dude....," Beast Boy nodded. "Coast looks clear here."

"Then...," Starfire walked up with Raven. "We are victorious??"

WHAM!!!!

The whole group of six stood still. Blinking.

"......"

WHAM!!! WHAM!!!

"Um....," Beast Boy sweatdropped. "Is Raven pregnant? I hear some huge-ass baby kicking."

"Drop dead."

WHAM!! WHAM!!! WHAM!!

"A tremor??" Tempest asked.

A beat.

Everyone stared down to see a huge, gradual bulge pushing up through the concrete floor of the wreckage-strewn courtyard.

WHAM!!! WHAM!!!! WHAM!!!! WHAM!!!

"Titans!!" Robin shouted. "Move—"

The group barely had time to scurry out of the way as the concrete cracked open from below—SMASH!!!!—and a huge gunky body of purple ooze crawled up.

RAWWWWWWWR!!!!!

Green eyes of slime bulging, Plasmus rose fifty feet high in the center of the courtyard and flung its slimy tendrils about.

RAWWWWWWWWWRR!!!!!

Tempest shook his head with a dry grin. "Wow....you surface dwellers are so....so beautiful...."

Beast Boy groaned. "Dude....just shut up. Seriously."

"Don't give it a chance to empower us!!" Raven shouted.

"You heard the girl!!" Cyborg whipped his arm into a sonic cannon. "Blitz 'em!!!"

Starfire launched starbolts.

Beast Boy charged as a lion.

Tempest leapt.

Raven flung dark beams of energy.

Robin jump-kicked.

RAWWWR!!!

Plasmus merely flexed its torso and exploded outward a huge splash of purple sludge.

SPLORCH!!!!!!!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Silence.

"........"

A beat.

"........."

I materialized.

I walked slowly forward into the dead end of my pursuit of the elusive, pink glow.

One step after another.

Slapping against the concrete floor.

"......."

I was in the underground prison's Laundromat. About two and a half basement levels below the first floor. It was a claustrophobic place of concrete pylons and floors and ceilings and walls. The place had a dim, dull brown look and feel to it. An occasional amber lightbulb hung intermittently throughout the chambers. A long line of huge, white washers and driers stretched before me. Half of them were on and rocking about with loud, metal clanking noises. The others stood silent like ghostly house appliances. Metal racks full of cleaning bottles and bleach containers hugged every other concrete pylon throughout the place. At the far end there was a room where orange prison clothes hung on hooks attached to automatic tracks along the ceiling.

I took a deep breath.

I stood staring down the line of metal equipment.

My eyes darted back and forth under my shades.

".........."

My metal arms flexed in....and relaxed out.

I slowly walked forward.

Right foot.

Left foot.

I dragged Myrkblade down by my right side.

The wooden tip scraped quietly...gratingly against the cold concrete floor below.

I breathed in gently.

I glanced left.

Metal racks. Driers. Pylons.

I breathed out gentler.

I glanced right.

Washers. A solid, opaque wall. Paper instructions on the wall.

"........"

Underneath the hum of the occasional working machine or two, I felt nothing more than the echoes of my own two feet.

I shuffled ahead.

Slow.

Undaunting.

Quiet.

"......................"

My black eyes blinked.

I felt....a flutter of my long black hair against my neck. My bandanna's ends twisted a bit.

"....."

I came to a stand-still.

I barely breathed.

I slowly....slowly....slowly turned my head to look around.

"......"

Nothing but empty Laundromat.

The steady hum.

The white shapes....the white shapes....the white shapes.....

"......."

The white shapes suddenly had drifting shadows.

"?????"

I looked straight ahead.

A hanging flashbulb that wasn't swinging back and forth was swinging back and forth now.

My black eyes widened.

The bulb swung back.

Flash!!

It swung forward.

A glare.

It swung back.

Flash!

It swung forward.

A glare.

It swung back.

My eyes twitched.

Flash!!

Pink...

"!!!!"

CHIIING!!!

I raised Myrkblade just as--

--cat eyes.

"HAAAAAAA!!"

CL-CLANK!!!

A pink glowed hand struck my blade.

I slid back from the impact two feet.

I gritted my teeth.

I pushed forward.

SWOOOSH!!

A nimble shadow in gothic-pretty-attire back-flipping, sliding backwards across the floor. Pink hair. Pink eyes. Pink hands outstretched--

"HAAAAA!!!"

Two hot beams of fuchsia searing towards my head.

I tilted backwards by a back-breaking sixty degrees.

FWOOOOSH!!!

The energy bands grazed my nose and bangs as they soared overhead.

And--

---padding feet.

Platform shoes.....

I twirled Myrkblade in front of me.

CL-CLANK!!!

I blocked two stabbing hands of pink.

"HAAA!!"

FLASH!!!

A hex bolt at my feet flew.

I backflipped, handstood on my metal wrist, and vaulted myself upwards by one hand. Spiraling up vertically I deflected two more blasts and clung to the ceiling via murking boots.

Panting...I watched an upside down Jinx run towards me, jump, bounce off a pylon, flip till she was at my level and angle and—SWOOSH—jump kick towards my face.

FWOOSH!!! I teleported so that she flew through me.

I materialized down to the floor in a panting crouch.

At the same time, Jinx's jumpkick planted her against the body of a washing machine. With a pulse of pink she vaulted herself of the machine—denting its white exoskeleton—and backflipped towards me with two streaking wrists of pink. "HAA-AAA!!"

I rolled to the side.

CL-CLANK!! Her hexing hands stuck into the floor.

I jumped up to my feet, ran up the side of a pylon, backflipped, and sailed down at her neck with Myrkblade whistling—SWIIIIISH!!!

She rolled underneath my swing.

CLANK!!

Sparks flew from my blade as she twirled up like a ballerina, spun, and ended with a huge hex bolt flung towards my center.

FLASH!!!

I held Myrkblade in two hands horizontally.

CLANG!!!

The hex bolt exploded around me.

Gritting my teeth, I pierced through the pink splash, twirled Myrkblade, and charged the girl.

SLASH!!!

She jumped back as my sword got nothing but drier. CRACK!!!

SLASH!!!

She ducked. Myrkblade ripped the top of a washer to shreds. RIIIP!! SPLOOSH!!!

SLASH!!

She blurred to the side with a haze of pink. CLINK!! Myrkblade got stuck into a concrete pylon. I tried to yank it out--

WHAM!!!

A platform shoe slammed into my ribcage.

"!!!"

WHUMP!! I landed sideways against a humming washer.

I gritted my teeth and glanced out the left corner of my shades to see Jinx sprinting towards me and swinging both fists held together as one human sledge-hammer. "RGHHH!!!"

With a gasp I leapt up onto the washer and kicked the open-latch loose with my heel. CLANK!!! Water and wet laundry flew out. SPLOOSH!!!

"!!!!" Jinx slid across the slippery concrete and toppled over the door of the washer. "Oof!!"

I held my breath, leapt over her, swung with an arm hooked around the pylong, yanked Myrkblade out—CRACK!!—and charged the girl's rear with a serrated twirl of my weapon. SW-SW-SWISH!!!

Jinx set her body upright and reverse-kicked me with a platform shoe.

WHUMP!!!

I winced and stumbled back.

Hissing, the cat-eyed sorceress spun around around. She raised her right arm in a fist. CHIIIING!!! Before my eyes, a burning psionic blade of pink formed at twenty-four-inches of flickering length off the end of her wrist.

"......," I blinked.

That's a new trick.....

"HAAAA!!" she lunged at me with the pink serration.

"!!!" I barely blocked with Myrkblade.

CLANK!!!

Sparks showered as pink met wood.

I stepped backwards down a line of metal racks and driers.

"HAA!! HA!! HAAA-AAA!!" Jinx shouted as she swung the pink blade of hex repeatedly at my retreating figure.

CLANK!! CL-CLANG!!! SMACK!!!

I gritted my teeth and sought a chance to parry.

When I found it...I found it....

SWOOOOSH!!! I jabbed forward with all my might.

Jinx held her breath and twirled at the last second. SLIIIINK!!! Myrkblade slit a cut in her dark-purple tunic, but didn't break blood. She gritted her teeth and struck down hard with her pink blade against mine.

CLANK!!!

Myrkblade was forced into the floor and my lunge with it.

Jinx then slid her fuchsia blade up my right forearm.

I held my breath, teleported in a blink of steam and materialized so that I was positioned with my left arm gripping Myrkblade this time.

CL-CLANK!! Jinx's blade ricocheted off my metal wrist.

I head-butted her chest.

WHUMP!!

"!!!" she teetered back.

I yanked Myrkblade out from the ground, tossed it into my right hand, twirled it, and stabbed forward.

SLASH!!!

Jinx's pink head ducked.

STAB!!!

I broke apart two bottles of bleach.

Jinx snaked to the side.

I swung my sword at her figure.

SLASH!!!

She cartwheeled out of the way as my sword ripped an entire metal wrack in half. CRASH!!!

Jinx finished her cartwheel, stood up straight, and held her bladed wrist over her head as I came down on her gain.

SWOOOSH-CLANK!!!

I pressed the full length of Myrkblade into her and her figure.

She struggled, shook, and strained all over as I pressed the sword into her magical blade.

I sweated.

She sweated.

The appliances hum and shook all around us.

Our pink and black eyes watered from the fumes of the spilt bleach nearby.

I shifted a foot forward and pressed more of my weight into her.

Jinx squealed. "Nnnnnghhh!!" Her teeth gnashed as she freed her left arm. CHIIIIING!!!

".......," I relented on some of my pressure.

Jinx now had a flickering-pink blade in both wrists.

She took a deep breath, and exploded up and at me with both flickering blades lunching. "HAAAA!!!"

The two hex-swords burned on either side of my ears.

I sweatdropped and flipped back just as Jinx scissor-swung the blades through where my torso and neck just were. SW-SWISH!!!

I landed from my flip and lunged at her.

She crossed her blades and blocked my sword.

CLANK!!!

I pressed into her.

She pressed back, yelled, and uncrossed her blades.

SWOOOSH!!

I was shoved back. Jinx shrieked and swung, jabbed, and lunged at me alternating her two new magical possessions. SW-SWOOSH!! CL-CLANK!! CLANK!! CLANG!! SWOOSH—CLANK!!!

I deflected the best that I could. Two tiny blades versus one ravenous one. I looked for an opportunity to take advantage of her weakening fight. When she offset her balance so much as once, I swiftly swung upwards from a low position and forced her to block awkwardly against that diagonal point. CLANK!!!

I then spun opposite of where I last swung my sword and produced a high-kick into the side of Jinx's cranium.

WHAP!!!

"Ugh!!!" she stumbled sideways.

I spun around, leaned back, twirled Myrkblade, and jabbed forward with all my might.

Jinx somehow recovered, blocked, and slid the length of her left pink blade down my sword till her wrist met my hilt.

We were almost nose to nose.

"HAAA!!" she shouted and flew her right blade at me.

"....," I gritted my teeth.

SWOOOSH-GRIP!!!!

Jinx gasped.

".....," I glared.

I had my metal hand gripping her left hex blade. With such a hold and my Myrkblade keeping her at bay, the two of us were locked limb-to-limb.

Jinx's cat eyes blinked.

"........," I responded.

She frowned.

Her head tilted down.

CHIIIIING!!!

"????" I glanced below us.

A third pink blade formed at the end of her foot inside her platform shoe.

"!!!!!" I gasped.

"HAAAAAA!!!"

In slow motion I let go of her two wrists and tilted back...back...back ...back...so that the warbling heat of Jinx's 'ankle blade' barely grazed the tip of my nose and angled itself off the twitching skin of my left-turned face. Murk was coursing through my body and only by smoke power alone could I contain an eighty-degree backwards lunge from alignment with the ceiling without falling for even that briefest of seconds alone.

Time resumed just as soon as I swept one leg out and let loose a heavy pulse of smoke through my blade. FLASH!!!

WHAP!! Both my right foot and the murk pulse exploded into Jinx's body and propelled her into a crazy-looking horizontal spin. She landed haphazardly into the side of three driers in a row, denting their fronts. CL-CLANG!!!!

THWUMP!!! I finally fell on my back...gasping for air.

"...."

"...."

A beat.

She jumped up. "Nnngh!!"

I jumped up. "!!!"

She spun at me with two arm blades burning and one ankle blade searing the air. SW-SW-SWISH!!!

I blocked vertically with Myrkblade. CL-CL-CLANK!!!

Jinx continued to spin, flip, spiral, and throw her body towards me. Every single lunge she made was swinging a hex blade. Every backwards step she took was uppercutting with her ankle sword. Every time she so much as danced past me, serrations of wrist-situated flickering ripped towards me.

CL-CL-CLANK!!! I deflected and deflected and deflected. She pushed me back towards the hung forest of orange prison clothes.

"HAAA!!" she swung a pink blade at my head. SLASH!!!

I ducked, loosing a few strands of hair. I gritted my teeth and took a chance by kneeing her in the soft gut.

WHUMP!!!

She bent over.

I spun, let out a silent scream, and kicked her hard in the chest with my left boot.

THWUMP!!

She flew back from the impact and contacted a concrete pylon behind her. Before she had a chance to fall, she stabbed her ankle blade and her left wrist-blade into the wall of concrete. CLAMP!! CLANK!! She dissolved the pink sword of her right wrist into oblivion and flung a hexbolt at me from where she hung up above. "HAAAA!!!"

I gasped and backflipped the blast.

FWOOSH!!

She launched two more from where she clung to the wall.

FLASH!! FLASH!!!

I didn't land on the ground—where the hexes went. CRACK!!! Instead, I grabbed onto a hanging orange suit, rolled along the hanging track like an upside down roller coaster, swung around the train of coats, and leapt off in jump-kick towards the girl.

She dissolved her other wrist-blade and her ankle-blade in time to jump down.

CRACK!!!!

I smashed part of the pylon's frame apart as I jump-kicked murkingly through it. I landed in an awkward slide across the floor. I saw my body in the reflection of a washer's glass door. I thusly saw Jinx's charging body reflected behind me and charging a hex bolt.

"!!!" I stabbed backwards, deflecting the blow half-blindly.

CL-CLANG!!!

Jinx's momentum carried her in a forward-flip over my body.

I blindly slashed Myrkblade upward.

She miraculously out-twirled my slash and landed with her platform shoes planted firmly against the wall. She kicked off, twisted her body about in mid-air, and slam-dove into me.

WHUMP!!!

We went twirling. The smell of sweat and strawberries. I flipped up to my feet upright.

She flipped up to her platform shoes upright.

We were nose to nose.

Breath to breath.

A charge of pink.

A charge of murk.

SWOOOOOSH!!!

And then—

CLAMP!!!!!!

Something cold....something heavy.....something lifeless clinging to my metal wrist.

"......."

And clinging to Jinx's right wrist.

"........" My black eyes narrowed.

A pair of handcuffs.

Thick, black handcuffs.

A blinking light in the center.....

I instantly twirled Myrkblade and readied it to sever the thing clean through.

SWOOOOOSH--

Jinx leaned forward with a scowl: "BOMB!!!"

.......

My slashing blade ended a mere centimeter from snapping through the chain link of our fresh handcuffs.

"......," I looked at Jinx.

She panted, but firmly managed to say: "Not all of Slade's carbonite bombs were entirely found, ghost boy...," her pink cat eyes narrowed. "There is still one left. One devastating carbonite explosive is left somewhere in this pathetic City....."

"........," I glared.

"And it's mine now. It's mine to control. It's mine to set off. It's mine to do with according to what I please!" she pointed at the handcuffs. "These shackles....Ghost Boy....if you unlock them, the bomb goes off. If you break them apart....the bomb goes off. If you so much as detach your prosthetic arm or teleport out from the handcuffs....the bomb goes off." A beat. She sneered: "If you even try to kill me....or kill yourself.......the bomb goes off."

"........."

"And the bomb will also go off if you don't do exactly what I say and when I say it....."

"........"

"Do you understand the situation, Ghost Boy??" Jinx grabbed me by the collar.

I didn't fight her.

She stared me menacingly up close. "I need you....and I need you badly.....or else......."

"........."

"Got it??"

God, I hate you so much.......

"We're going for a little trip........will you follow me?"

"........"

"I said....will you FOLLOW ME?!?!?!"

Silence.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

RAWWWWWWR!!!!!

SPLORCH!!!!

Half of the Titans were covered in hideous goo.

Beast Boy flinched and ducked for cover as Plasmus' slimy discharge flew across the shattered courtyard.

Starfire shrieked and tried to melt the pelting liquid away.

Raven produced black shields and gave Cyborg and Robin the space they needed to prepare a sonic cannon and a handful of freezing discs--

"Now, Rae!!" Cyborg shouted. "Now!!!"

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!!" Raven cried out as she exploded a bulb of black towards Plasmus' pliable hide.

SPLORCH!!!

A deep hole appeared in the slimy beast's body.

RAAAWWWWR!!!! The green-eyed monstrosity twitched and convulsed.

Cyborg and Robin took aim for the slimey cater.

SW-SW-SWIIIIISH!!!

ZAAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAAAP!!!!

Robin's freezing discs converged with Cyborg's sonic blast.

FLAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!

Chunks of ice exploded inside out from the slimey core of Plasmus. The creature groaned and twitched for a few lasting moments it took for the glacier to form around its purple body....and then it was still and dead solid.

Cyborg and Robin panted.

Starfire flew up. "Sh-Shall I do the honors??" The Tamaranian murmured.

Robin breathlessly saluted.

She nodded. Her eyes and hands glowed. "Rrrrrrgh....," she summoned a large starbolt and flung it dead-center onto Plasmus' frozen body. "RAAAAAUGH!!!"

FLASH!!!

CRAAAAAA-AAAAAACK!!!!

The slime monster shattered into a million crystalline pieces of purple....and in its center—lying in a bed of dry-ice steam—was a slumbering mutant of a human being. The sign of Plasmus' defeat.

Beast Boy let out a sigh of relief and shook some of the excess slime out of his green hair. Besides him, a puddle parted as Tempest stood covered in purple goo.

".........," the dark eyes of the Atlantean blinked under the moldy covering. "For once....," he sputtered. "....I wouldn't mind being dry."

Raven drifted by. "Stop being so fickle...," she droned.

"Oh....go play with Cyborg's off-switch."

"I heard that."

"I KNOW YOU DID!!!"

Beast Boy chuckled.

"Wait a second...," Cyborg spun around and gestured. "Is that everything?? Everyone??"

"What do you mean, dude?" Beast Boy groaned.

"Is that it, dawg???" Cyborg faced Robin. "Is that the fight??"

".......," Robin blinked under his mask.

".....," Raven's eyes thinned. "No."

Starfire gasped: "Look!!"

Everyone spun around.

"RRAAAAAUGH!!!" Mammoth roared as he grabbed tightly ahold of an entire wall of the prison courtyard and ripped it off its foundation. CRRRRRACK!!! The result was exposing three levels of twenty-five cells full of nearly one hundred and fifty gasping, helpless inmates. Gizmo ran up Mammoth's back, plopped himself down on the huge villain's shoulder, and aimed two poison gas canisters at the tiers full of trembling inmates.

"Here's the deal, you bug barfers!!! It's been a fun game of beat-the-crap-out-of-ourselves-for-no-apparent-reason...but this day is too great to pass up without some grand, awe-inspiring escape!! So unless you want me to test some brand new biological warefare on these crummy, life-sized lab rats...you're gonna let my steroid pal and I walk out scott free!!"

"Yeah!! Heh heh!!" Mammoth folded his arms. "Scottish Free!!"

Gizmo grunted. "Leave the threats to me...noogy-nuts!!"

"Uhm....."

Robin clenched his teeth. "If you so much as even try to—"

WHURRR-CHTING!!! Gizmo aimed the poison grenade launchers at the inmates further.

The men gasped and muttered in fear.

Raven held her calm.

Starfire bit her nails.

Beast Boy wrung his hands.

Tempest blinked. "So what?" he muttered. "They're only prisone—"

WHUMP!! Beast Boy elbowed him.

"Ow!! Sheesh! Okay!!"

"WELL?!?!" Gizmo cackled.

".........," Robin's fists tightened....then released.

A beat.

"Go....," Robin grunted.

Cyborg gasped. "B-But!!"

"GO!!!" the Boy Wonder reiterated.

Cyborg shook.

"PLBLBLBLB!!! HA HA!! WIMPS!!" Gizmo shouted as Mammoth ran a destructive path northwest and out of the prison courtyard through a gash in the wall. "Teen Titans....more like Teen Toddlers! HAHAHA!!!"

".........," Raven glanced at the others while the two villains were gone. "I can't believe we just did that."

Cyborg frowned. "Believe it." A beat. He sighed. He hung his head and glanced at Robin. "What now, man?"

Robin looked at the crooks and villains littering the courtyard...unconscious. He took a deep breath. A pause. His eyemask narrowed. "Noir....."

The other Titans glanced at each other nervously.

"Wh-Where's Noir???" the Titan Leader again remarked.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Look!!" Fang hissed as he pointed a human finger.

From the edge of the prison walls, he and Killer Moth glared across the forest landscape surrounding.

They saw Mammoth and Gizmo charging off towards freedom....uncontested.

"They're getting away!! If the Titans let them go...that must mean the bad guys did a good number on 'em after all!!" Killer Moth said.

"Well...I ain't waiting any longer...," Fang stood up straight and scurried down the buildingside. "Last one out is a rotten abdomen!!"

"Hey!! Wait up!!" Killer Moth climbed down after him.

"Listen, ya old fart....just because we worked with each other before—"

"At least help me find Kitten!! As pathetic a whelp as she is, I'll need her to get a good footing again!!"

"Rgghhhh...."

"Think about it...you owe me."

"I owe you?!?!"

"Yes."

"Pfft...fine...whatever...."

"Shh!! Less talking and more scurrying."

"Steal the words right out of my mandibles."

Separate or not....four villains escaped successfully that morning....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Down here, y'all!! I got his signal!!"

"Noir??!"

"Yoo-hoo!! Noir??!"

"Please respond!! We are your friends!! Are you damaged??"

"Shhh.....," Raven hissed. "All of you. He could be in danger."

Robin held a hand out as they all entered the Laundromat of the prison basement. He leaned in towards Cyborg. "Where's his reading at?"

Cyborg whispered. "Just twenty feet up ahead."

"........," the Boy Wonder crept ahead. "Stay here....for now."

The Titans watched silently.

Robin paced slowly down the line of dented appliances and shattered metal racks. He looked around...shuffled about...and eventually found something. He knelt down beyond sight for a second or two......then stood up with something in his hand.

"?????" the Titans craned their necks to see.

A beat.

Robin glanced their way. He motioned with his head for them to enter.

FWOOOSH!! Starfire was first there, flying in a streak. She gasped. "Noir....."

Robin held out the Sixth Titan's communicator. Abandoned. Beeping...giving the signal.

"Aww man....I don't like the looks of this. I don't like the looks of this!!" Cyborg pulled at hair he didn't have.

"Calm down...," Raven said. "Robin....does it look like he was the only one down here??"

"Nope....not at all...," the Boy Wonder said.

"Dude....how do you know??" Beast Boy planted his hands on his hips.

Robin bent over and picked up a scrap of pink cloth in his grasp.

Starfire's lips parted. "It....It was her...."

"It was....," Raven glared.

Tempest blinked. "Uhm....is this all supposed to mean something??"

"Jinx...."

"J-Jinx??" Tempest scratched his head. He smirked. "And just who's this Jinx when she's at home?"

"That's just it...," Robin muttered. "She's not at home."

"And Noir?"

A beat.

"He must be with her....," Robin said. He scratched his chin.

"Dearest negativities....," Starfire held her hands together and murmured. "What is transpiring here?"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SWOOOSH!!

Plant!!!

Jinx and I landed from hopping over the tall prison walls.

She ran ahead of me.

Yank!!!

I was pulled by the handcuffs.

I winced and kept up with her. I looked over my shoulder at the police barricades strobing around the prison from a distance.

"Keep up with me, Ghost Boy! I mean it!!" Jinx hissed.

I let out a shuddering breath.

Robin.....Raven....Cyborg.....please understand.....

"And no looking back!! Got it???" she squealed.

I frowned, faced her way, and ran alongside the pink sorceress into the woods....