Tales of the Teen Titans: Kidnapped, chapter 2: Opposing Forces

"Medical? What have you found out about those crewmembers you autopsied?"

Over the ship's comm screen, the medic officer's face was a study in frustration. "Not a great deal. We've been concentrating on those bodies that were the most complete. As you know, many weren't." That was true. Even though mortally wounded, none of the bridge crew had allowed themselves to be taken alive. Some were in curious fragments, but whether from their resisting the ship's security forces or from any activities prior to the arrival of said security forces, it was impossible to say. "Those we have examined show no signs of any pathology that might account for their behavior. There were no drugs in their systems, no evidence of radiation poisoning, nanobot alteration, or anything else we can detect. Their brains are the same as anyone else's. Except they're dead, of course. But we can find nothing to account for their behavior." The medical officer remembered that a couple of the bridge crew members seemed to've actually gouged their own eyes out. Yet, according to the reports, that hadn't hampered their ability to inflict grievous harm to the arriving troops. He wondered how they'd managed that…..mystery on top of mystery.

"Keep looking. There's bound to be something." And he broke the connection. He hesitated a moment, then called the auxiliary bridge. "Captain? We are moving away from our previous coordinates? Good. Any anomalies within detection range?"

"None, sir. We are, of course, continuing to scan."

"Good, good. Keep scanning, using passive scans. Alert me immediately if you detect anything out of the ordinary. And, whatever you do, don't try for a visual. Trogaar out." He sat back in his seat and wondered.

What could the bridge crew have seen? For there was little doubt, after reviewing the security footage, that they'd been fine until they tried to get a visual on the anomaly they'd sensed. And apparently, just getting a clear picture of that anomaly had completely broken their minds. He couldn't even imagine what could cause that.

Gordanians had their legends and myths, their bogeymen, of course; any civilization did. But there was really nothing in any mythology, Gordanian or otherwise, that he knew about, that could account for something like this.

He'd given orders to move away from the last known (suspected) coordinates of the anomaly. So far, that seemed to be working out. He hoped it would continue to, even if it meant they'd be a bit longer making planetfall.

But what, in Groo's name, could they have seen?

…..

Down in her holding cell, Starfire had managed to bite completely through the piping that fed the drugs into her system. She could feel her head clearing, but it was an uphill battle. She was careful not to show signs of any activity on her part to what she knew would be security cameras focused on her cell. She now knew where she was: She'd recognize a Gordanian holding cell anywhere. And there was no doubt in her mind as to which Gordanian was behind her kidnapping.

She smiled a smile that had nothing to do with amusement. Perhaps, if she was careful, she'd get the opportunity to….discuss the matter with him.

…

At the Watchtower, Shayera Hol was just coming on shift when the long-range sensors showed the great crystal sphere in orbit around the planet. "J'onn? You might want to have a look at this."

The Martian Manhunter drifted over to her console. "Hm. Interesting. Obviously artificial…or is it? A perfect sphere…..what's its composition?"

She ran a check. "Unknown. Some sort of crystal unlike anything on Earth. Or anywhere else in our files. What do you suppose it could be?"

The Martian was still for a moment, closing his eyes, in order to concentrate on his telepathy. "I'm….not sure. I'm sensing something, a mind of some sort, but nothing like anything I've ever encountered. It-*" All of a sudden, he convulsed, his body shaking uncontrollably, then collapsed onto the deck.

Shayera hit the alarm. "Emergency, emergency! Medic to the control room, stat! Quickly," she turned to Mr. Terrific, just then emerging from the lift, "Who's on? We may need some muscle…."

{{That won't be necessary, Shayera Hol. Your friend is unharmed.}} The telepathic voice was detected by them all.

"What did you do to him?"

{{He sensed a portion of my being. It was too much for him. I withdrew immediately; he should be fine, in a few moments.}}

"Who are you? What are you?"

{{A friend. I come seeking one who would menace you and your world.}}

"Who—and what—is it? And where?"

{{There are no words in any language you are familiar with to describe it. I have detected evidence of its stirrings, here, upon this world. I am here to prevent its evil from bringing harm to you, if I can.}}

Batman came upon the bridge. "You'll forgive us if we aren't very trusting of you, in light of what happened to one of our own, just now." J'onn J'onnz was just then regaining his feet, rubbing his head, an expression of pain on his green face. Batman had never seen the Martian look like that before.

{{I understand your suspicion. Rest assured that I am not here to harm anyone.}}

Batman turned to Hal Jordan, who had also just come to the bridge. "Can your ring sense anything of this…whatever it is?"

"Let me see." Green Lantern concentrated, sending his willpower into the ring on his finger. After a long moment…."Can't really make much out of it. It's crystal of some sort, with some sort of energy field associated with it. But it's either blocking me, or…..it's something the ring can't sense. Something outside its experience, its database."

Batman addressed thin air. "Who are you?"

{{My true designation in not one you would understand. But in times past, others like you have called me Typhon.}}

"Very well….Typhon. What is your purpose here?" Batman cast a concerned eye at J'onn, who was still recovering.

{{A great evil is preparing to manifest itself upon your world. I am here to prevent it.}}

"What is the nature of this evil? Is it a living being, or a condition?"

{{It is both, and neither.}}

"Vague, yet unhelpful," muttered the Dark Knight. "You understand when I say we need more information than that before we can permit you to-*"

{{Excuse me,}} the telepathic voice broke in, somewhat diffidently, thought Shayera, {{Please understand that I mean no offense by this, but your permission is neither required nor necessary. I will do what needs to be done.}} And with that, the crystal sphere ceased communication.

Batman sighed. "So much for the easy approach."

…

"I need more information than that," Lord Trogaar was saying, to his chief engineer. "You say the engines are malfunctioning? How?"

"That's just it, sir. We don't know how. Everything's working the way it's supposed to, but the engines don't seem to be producing the needed effect. We're out of warp, at sublight, and we can't seem to re-engage the warp drive."

"Some sort of short in the system."

"First thing we checked for. They're working fine, producing all the power we need. It's just not having the right effect."

"Why is that?"

"We don't know, sir. You know the warp coils are in a delicate state of balance. If they're out of balance…." The engineer looked off, as though something had occurred to him. "I'll check into that, but I've no idea what could've caused that. Those things are better shielded than the battle cruiser itself. They have to be; otherwise, they'd fling us to the far side of creation. And twist us into knots, too."

"Well, do that, then. And keep us moving, I don't care how." And he cut communication, and went back to his studies on Tameranean physiology.

Except his terminal wouldn't work, for some reason.

….

Had any guard been present outside Starfire's holding cell, they might have heard a very faint scratching sound. Had the security cameras been functional—they, too, were offline—they would've spotted the occupant of the cell kneeling before the locked door, the lockpick that had been in her boot in her hand.

Of course, it was completely unreasonable, to a Gordanian mind, that a stupid Tameranean would've actually learned something from several years of, ahem, extremely close association with one of the best escape artists on Earth…..

…..

Lord Trogaar's terminal still wasn't working, but he'd remembered something from years ago, from some lucrative smuggling operation: it seems Tameraneans and Gordanians alike were extremely vulnerable to the drug triacitin, a powerful neuro-narcotic. Usually, one dose was all it took to induce immediate addiction in either kind, one of the very few points of commonality between the two species they possessed. With this in mind, he strolled down to the medic bay to see if they happened to have any on hand.

…

Earth: Nearly a thousand miles below the unsuspecting surface of the planet, in the green crystal city of the subterranean continent, the Fallen One paused in his studies, looking up with a sight that was more than sight. So. It was happening again.

The Fallen One felt a touch of apprehension. He was coming. The last time he had come here, it had meant the extinction of all life on the globe. And, moreover, the one called Typhon was also here.

The Fallen One knew that, strictly speaking, this was not his battle. By rights, he should simply take what was his and leave for safer environs. Still, he wondered if he should take any kind of action on behalf of the humans on the surface. If he did not, the two contending forces would no doubt have the same catastrophic effect on the planet they had before.

There were a few humans—a very few—for whom he felt a certain fondness, or an emotion bordering on that. But he knew he, himself, didn't have anything like the power it would take to actually stand in between these two. He'd be as an ant before a steamroller.

Perhaps….perhaps he could simply warn someone. Humans were remarkably adept at surviving even the most cataclysmic events. Maybe with a little warning, maybe, just maybe, a few would survive.

Maybe. A few.

To be continued….