As I stood there, preparing to hold my ground against the four Titans that were rushing at me, I felt the world starting to slow down again.
What am I doing, I asked myself. Am I truly about to fight my new friends, and Starfire, I think to myself as if somebody else was listening. It's not their fault, they just don't understand. And without Raven's two cents, they're not going to listen to the killer werewolf who just admitted to killing a human. Besides, Cyborg just finished fixing the wall. Upon coming to the realization that I didn't want to fight my friends, I instead open a shadow portal under my paws and sink into it. I could feel Robin's staff sweeping across my head at the last minute as I disappeared into the darkness. I emerged out of my second portal on the roof of the hotel from the previous night. Once there, I walked over towards the edge where Raven and I sat and lie on my stomach as I looked down at the world below.
"Well, so much for being a Titan", I say to myself feeling disappointed. Recruited on Saturday, but chased out on Tuesday. "What am I supposed to do now? The Titans were my only lead as far as finding Doctor Light. Do I just stay here despite the Titans? Or should I leave and move on?" Just as I was considering leaving Jump City, I remembered that there was somebody who lived in Jump City that I'd be a fool to leave behind. Even though I was once again homeless and now a wanted murderer, the thought of her still managed to make my tail wag. "On second thought, I think I'll take my chances."
"Do you always talk to yourself", asked a sassy seagull who was perched on the same roof to my left. She was accompanied by two other seagulls. "You've got to get yourself some friends, Honey." I glared at her for a moment, hoping she would take the hint to get lost. When she didn't, I huffed and puffed her away instead. The three easily frightened seagulls squawked in a panic as they flew away after my wind pushed them off of the edge.
"Bird Brains", I say to myself as I turn back to the front. As I looked out over the city below, I took the time to think and plan. With the Titans now against me, they were no longer an ally, so once again, the Elementals were on their own. The other Elementals were already at work contacting our allies and rallying our forces, so the only other things I had to focus on were Yea Seul's findings on Jump City's villains, and Kendall. "Well now I definitely can't leave the city. If Doctor Light or Kendall show up, I need to be here", I say as I Change back to my human form and sit up. "Titan or not", I began as I pulled out the communicator Cyborg gave me. "I have a job to do." It was at that moment that I noticed something on my communicator. On its screen, it showed a single red dot in the center. It neither moved or blinked. However, it then showed two more dots above the center dot moving closer to it.
"Uh-oh", I said as I looked over the edge of the roof. Down below, Cyborg and Robin had just pulled up with the T-Car and R-Cycle. And they were looking right at me.
"Freeze", shouts Robin as he points up at me. Naturally I ignore him as I Changed back into Lobomon and ran to the other side of the roof. However, I come to a screeching halt when I saw Starfire and Pteranodon Beast Boy fly up from that side of the building and hover. I slowly started to back up when I heard the sound of metal hitting brick. I look behind me for a moment to see that Robin and Cyborg were using a grappling hook and extendable arms respectively to zip up the side of the building behind me.
"Well, this just blows", I said in a frustrated tone. Starfire immediately responds with a barrage of star bolts. Rather than dodge, I decided instead to hold my ground. I did so by rising to my hind paws, and cloaking my arms with my aura to shield myself as I did before. When the smoke had cleared, I drew back my left paw as I prepared for a Shadow Ball, when Robin interfered. Using his grappling hook, he grabbed my left arm and pulled back on it. I pulled against him in resistance as I was now immobilized by him. "Let go of me", I demanded.
"Not a chance", replied Robin as he continued to pull against me.
"Don't make me do this, Robin", I said as I tracted the claws in my right paw preparing for another Shadow Ball. "Don't make me do this!" Before my Shadow Ball could launch, Cyborg used his left arm as a second grappling hook as he caught my right arm. As a result, the Shadow Ball I was planning to fire at Robin instead is fired up into the sky where it disappears without a trace. With both Cyborg and Robin pulling my arms back, I had no choice but to drop to one knee. The pain and discomfort that came with it caused me to growl. "I don't want to fight!" Beast Boy then morphs back into his human form and approaches me.
"Then don't. There is a bail payment after all." I was well aware of that, but I was thinking about the principle. In that moment when I killed Daniels, I was a Teen Titan, and I did what I felt was right in order to defend innocent lives. I had nothing against turning myself in for doing something wrong. However, I would've sooner turned myself in for the damage I did to the museum, that blonde woman's car, and that dumpster I was thrown in, before I turned myself in for ridding the world of that monster. Besides, the whole bail money idea was a moot point, anyway. With the Titans being my only source of income, once I was thrown in jail after being kicked out, there would've been no way out unless I broke out, which would've only made my situation ten times worse.
"I can't, I shouldn't, and I won't", I roared as I rose to my feet once more and yanked my arms to the front of me. As a result, Robin and Cyborg swung around me and collided into each other, with Beast Boy in the middle. Once I sandwiched the boys, I grew an extra pair of arms and paws and sliced off the restraints they put on my arms, crippling Cyborg in the process as he was now missing his left hand. I then huffed and puffed and blew the three of them over the edge of the roof. Starfire gasped as she dove after them. "That oughtta keep 'em busy", I said as I reabsorbed my extra arms and bolted to another side of the roof. I then leapt off and landed in the middle of the street (fortunately there was no traffic). Once my paws hit the ground I took off like a bat out of Hell.
I had just passed the spot where I killed Daniels (the cops having cleaned up everything there already) when I heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching behind me. I look behind me as I ran to see that I was being pursued by the R-Cycle, the T-Car, and a green cheetah, with Starfire flying above them.
"Fucking Hell", I say as I pick up speed. I then began using my Agility to repeatedly dodge oncoming attacks as I heard the sounds of energy blasts being fired. I look behind me again to see that not only was I dealing with Starfire's usual star bolts, but I was also dealing with two stun blasters courtesy of the R-Cycle, and apparently another proton cannon courtesy of the T-Car. "Aw, crap", I say to myself as the three of them time one final attack with perfect synchronization, so synchronized that I couldn't dodge it. The triple blast hits me and hits me hard as I'm flown through the air further down the road. In fact I think I flew about a good two blocks.
"Okay, that hurt", I say as I picked myself up off the ground. I turn back behind me to see the four Titans charging in for another round of attacks. Since they still had a little bit of distance to go before they reached me, I found this as a perfect opportunity to strike back. "I guess now is as good a time as any." I then rose to my hind paws and crossed my arms across my chest. As I did so, I began charging up my aura. I could feel a symbol being burnt (similar to my spirals) into my stomach. I knew right away what it was. It was the Symbol of Darkness, or rather it was the symbol my ancestors used to represent the Elemental of Darkness, so it was the perfect symbol to use for this situation.
I continued to charge my aura as I waited for the Titans to get closer and closer to me. I was risking my survival against the Titans on this new attack that I had never even tried before now, but if it worked, than it would be worth it. As soon as I felt the Titans were close enough to me, I began to launch my attack. Upon sensing my onslaught, Robin tried to give the Titans one more command at the last minute.
"Titans, move", he shouted. But it was too late. I had them all right where I wanted them, and without Raven, they had no way to shield themselves. I then uncrossed my arms, revealing my stomach as I pushed it forward to unleash my powerful aura.
"Morado Laser", I shouted. I didn't care who heard me at that point. Just as Exveemon's Vee Laser was in the shape of that weird letter that looked like a fusion of the letters "X" and "V", my Morado Laser was in the shape of the Symbol of Darkness. In other words, it was in the shape of a crescent moon. As my laser fired at the Titans, I heard them all scream as they were thrown backwards, vehicles and all, all the way back to where they started after they blasted me. When the purple light died down, I saw them all two blocks away on the ground and wincing as they struggled to recover. "Sweet! It worked", I said as I noticed a familiar building out the corner of my eye to the right of me. I was standing right in front of the Gothic City cafe. It was then that I snapped my fingers after randomly remembering something. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that", I said as I teleported into the cafe, as the gothic counter girl immedately "greeted" me.
"Welcome to—", she began before I interrupted her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, hi. Listen, I'm in a bit of a rush. Do you have a lost and found?" Without even looking the girl points to her left (my right) at a wooden crate to the left of the stage. Without another word, I drop back down to all fours and trot over to the box. I opened it to find that right on top, still in the plastic bag, was the book that Raven bought. "Phew! That was close." I then noticed that a small backpack had been left behind as well. It was at the very bottom of the crate, and from the smell of it, it had been there for quite some time. "Hey, do you mind if I take this, too", I asked as I looked back at the counter girl. She just shrugged in response. "I choose to take that as a "no"", I said as I placed the plastic bag containing Raven's book into the backpack.
I then put it on my back just before I teleported out of the cafe. My paws hadn't even hit the ground yet when I got hit by the T-Car as it slammed into me, at which point I rolled onto the roof of it as Cyborg continued to speed ahead, with my claws digging into the windshield.
"'Sup, Cyborg", I said jokingly as I looked down at him through the glass.
"Get your furry butt off of my car", he demanded as he swerved back and forth trying to shake me off. When I wouldn't let go, Cyborg decided to make a few donuts. The T-Car spun round and round going faster and faster until finally I lost my grip and was flown through the air again. I was then caught by Beast Boy, who had once again morphed into a pteranodon. As he clutched onto my arms with his feet, I could see Starfire charging at us from up ahead. Beast Boy then adjusts his altitude as Starfire starts blasting at me, making sure not to hit Beast Boy's feet. As I growled and roared in pain, I noticed that one of the star bolts destroyed one of the backpack's straps as it hung even more loosely on my back. It was then that I had an idea. Lobomon digivolve to…., I began in my head as my yellow eyes turned red. Suddenly, I was gone. I disappeared from Beast Boy's grasp and the backpack fell. Starfire then dives to catch the backpack before it hits the ground. Once she did, she comes in for a landing while she waited for the boys to catch up to her.
"Where'd he go", asked Robin as he dismounted his bike and approached her.
"Gone. He has vanished again."
"He escaped?" Beast Boy then morphs back to his human form to join in the conversation.
"No, he vanished. One second I'm flying him over the city like this", began Beast Boy as held his arms up pretending that he was being carried away by a flying dinosaur. "And then Star showed up like, "pew pew pew", and then he was gone."
"All that remains is this", said Starfire as she handed Robin the backpack.
"That's weird", said Cyborg.
"What is", asked Robin.
"If he truly did disappear, then why does his communicator say he's right on top of us", said Cyborg as he looked at a screen on his arm. Cyborg was right. I tricked Starfire and Beast Boy into thinking I disappeared, but in reality, I Changed and then teleported. What the Titans didn't realize was that while they were conversing with one another trying to figure out where I was, I was hiding inside the backpack in my spider form spying on them through the use of my x-ray vision.
"I think I know where he is", said a now suspicious Robin as he started opening the backpack. He may have been a pain in the butt, but he was as sharp as he was tough. Knowing that he was on to me, I decided to Change again from inside the backpack. Robin then screamed in shock and in pain as I, Mambamon jumped out and bit his neck. While he and the other Titans were still stunned, I Change again, revealing another of my forms. One second I was a rattlesnake, and the next I was an American black bear with blue eyes, who on two legs stood at eight feet tall. As the Titans gasped at the large omnivore that towered over them, I let out a large growl as I swatted at them with my powerful paws. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were all thrown backwards a few feet, while Beast Boy, with his quick thinking, morphs into an anaconda and then wraps himself around my arms and head, preventing me from moving.
"You think you can beat me at thissss", asked the cocky snake as he hissed in my ear. "I invented thissss game."
"Just because you invented it, doesn't mean you can't be beaten at it", I growled at him as I Changed back into Mambamon. With both of us fighting as snakes, we probably looked like a giant knot as the two of us slipped through each other, desperately trying to outwit the other, while occasionally biting each other. The two of us then, in the heat of the fighting, roll and tumble towards one of those street drain things that led to the sewers, except this one was missing the gate as it was now a large hole in the side of the street that a cat could fall into.
"Beast Boy, be careful", cried Robin, again, it was too late. Before we knew it, both me and Beast Boy tumble into the hole and into the sewer water down below.
"Thissss issss sssso grossss", whined Beast Boy as he poked his head out of the water with his tongue sticking out. With him distracted I took the opportunity to bite his neck. The much larger snake hissed in pain as he struggled to shake me off, all while the current dragged us deeper into the sewers. As the we traveled deeper and deeper in filth, Beast Boy and I continued our battle for dominance. I didn't realize it then, but the two of us had developed a sense of respect for one another as we fought each other. Out of respect for our opponent on the battlefield, I refrained from using any of my extra Elemental powers, while Beast Boy limited his morphs to only a wolf, a lion, a bear, and an anaconda as he fought me. We were about ten minutes further into our battle as we wrestled in the water as lions when we noticed the current getting even stronger.
"Uh-oh", said Beast Boy.
"Brace yourself", I replied. The two of us screamed as we were tossed around like toys as the sewer water now acted like underground white waters. To make matters worse, just like white waters, this increase in the current led us to a waterfall. Normally the two of us could easily avoid this as all we had to do was become a different form and fly away. However, the both of us were fighting off fatigue and were too exhausted to do so. The two of us scream again as the waterfall pushes the two lions over the edge, causing me to black out once we hit the water below.
When I came to, I was washed up on a small shore. As I slowly rose to my paws, I noticed Beast Boy was unconscious next to me, with he and I both still in our lion forms. I take a look around to find out where we were. Behind us, on the other side of a small pool of water, was a cliff with a large pipe in it. The pipe was pouring out water as it collected in the pool below. I looked ahead of me to see that the water then traveled over the side of another small cliff that fell into the river below as it traveled along the coast through a nearby forest, and that Beast Boy and I had lucked out and washed on shore before we fell over. Having realized that, I immediately go over to Beast Boy and drag him by gruff of his neck out of the water. I was relieved to find that the large green cat was still breathing as I placed him back down. I look back at the pool of water and noticed that unlike the sewage we were fighting in, this water was clean.
"Not sure how, but somehow we survived the purification process", I said with a sigh as that was one of the luckiest breaks I'd ever had. I then run over to the cliff and begin scaling my way to the top with my large claws. Fortunately for me, the cliff was in no way very tall, and in any case, scaling that cliff was much easier than when I scaled the tower a few days prior. When I reached the top, I slowly lift my head up so that I could see, as I was still on the run from the other Titans. It was then I noticed the playground about three or four yards away from the cliff, though to its credit, kind of (I didn't think it was an ideal place for a playground), between the playground and the cliff was the street and the metal railing that sat at the edge. I also noticed that the playground was completely empty, which made sense considering the sun was about to set in a couple of hours. "Man, we were out for a while", I said as I climbed back down and made my way back to Beast Boy.
When I returned to him, I Changed back into my human form and pull out my communicator. It was badly damaged and I couldn't get it to turn on. I then Change my fingernails into Lobomon's claws as I pry of the back of the communicator to reveal the wiring that made it work. Since Beast Boy was still in his lion form (don't ask me where clothing or accessories go when we become animals, because I'll just tell you that it's magic), I couldn't use his communicator. Besides, since we'd been lying at the edge of the city unconscious for the past several hours, and the other Titans still haven't found us yet, it was probably safe to assume that his communicator got damaged just as mine had. That said, I started tinkering with mine as volts of electricity sparked from my claws. It took some doing, but eventually I managed to get my communicator to send out a very weak distress signal.
"Let's hope this works", I said as I placed the communicator on the ground by one of Beast Boy's paws. It was then that I heard something approaching us from the forest. Anticipating another fight, I Change back into Pantheramon and move closer to Beast Boy, as if preparing to defend his unconscious body. The oncoming threat rustled through the trees as it got closer and closer to us. After a while, it stopped, and everything grew quiet. "Show yourself", I demanded with a roar. In response to my demand, a little sphere-shaped drone robot thing floated over towards me. It had a little screen on the front of it like a little television. I push it with my paw curiously as it floats around towards Beast Boy. I push it again defensively as I position myself to where I was standing over the sleeping Titan. The robot then releases a blue light as it scans me up and down. When it completed its scan, it spoke to me.
"Scanning process complete. Target identified." The robot's screen then turned on, and its controller appeared on screen.
"There you are", began the man who wore a costume that made him look like a giant anthropomorphic moth. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Why is that?"
"Oh, yes, of course. Allow me to introduce myself."
"There's no need for it. I know who you are." My date night with Raven was paying off. "You're Killer Moth."
"I see. So you've heard of me? What have you heard?"
"Only that you're a mad scientist trying to take over the city."
"Very good, my feline friend. Although, I prefer to think of myself as, "visionary"", he said with a chuckle.
You're a vain bastard, aren't you, I thought to myself as I stood there observing how large an ego the guy had.
"Since you already know who I am, and I know who you are, let's cut to the chase."
"I'm listening."
"Here's the deal. I've been watching you for quite some time. When news of those three murdered kids hit the streets, I sent my drone here to follow you. Based on the way the Titans came after you only moments after their deaths were announced, I assume that it was you who killed them. I also saw the way you handled yourself against four out of five of the Titans single-handedly, even to the point where you took the extra time to rob a coffee shop in the process. You've got real guts, Kid."
So this Killer Moth guy has been watching me, but only for the course of my fight with the Titans. It also seems that he mistook my carrying Raven's book in that backpack for robbing the cafe. Note to self: find out what happened to that book when this is all over.
"I also noticed that you've even dragged one of the Titans into the sewers with you", he continued as he pointed to Beast Boy. I then position myself to where I was standing over the communicator to make sure he couldn't see it. To draw his attention from it, I placed my paw on the green lion's shoulder in a sort of Captain Morgan pose as if to indicate that I defeated him. "Very impressive. Tell me, what say you to a little deal?"
"What kind of deal?"
"My associates and I—", he began. He was interrupted by somebody in the background.
"Daddy! Da-ddy", screamed some nearby younger woman who I assumed was his daughter based on what Raven told me.
"Ugh", said Killer Moth as he facepalmed himself in frustration. "One moment please", he continues as he disappears offscreen to tend to his daughter. I then had to sit through a few minutes of tedious offscreen bickering while I waited for him to return.
Let's go, Dude! Some of us are on the run here!
"Sorry about that", he said when he finally returned. "As I was saying, my associates and I have been trying to take over Jump City for quite some time. Problem is, we're constantly being thwarted by those meddling Titans." I bet a hundred bucks that he wanted to say, "kids" instead of "Titans". "That's where you come in. With your impressive strength, and shapeshifting abilities, I think we can finally put those little brats in their place. With them gone, Jump City will be ours for the taking. We will rule together! The entire city will kneel before Killer Moth and uh, uh, what did you say your name was?"
So to summarize, this guy thinks that I murdered Daniels and his friends in cold blood. Furthermore, because I was able to escape being captured by the Titans, he wants me to join his team to help him defeat them. It was then that I had a very sneaky idea. This guy didn't have a clue as to who he was talking to or what the situation was, but if I played this right, he could prove to be very beneficial to me.
"They call me the Wolfman", I said to him with confidence as I Changed into my wolf form.
"Wolfman, eh? Has a nice ring to it. Very sinister", he says with another chuckle. It was then that my ears began to twitch. I looked behind me to listen for the source of the new sounds I was hearing.
"Beast Boy", cried Robin from somewhere nearby.
"Beast Boy", cried Cyborg and Starfire. They were following my distress signal.
"It's those Titans again! Quickly, follow my drone to my lab. We'll continue discussion there."
"Then lead on", I replied as I looked back at him. The drone then took a dive over the cliff and into the forest. "You're in good hands now, Beast Boy", I said as I looked down at the still sleeping green lion. I then leapt over the edge of the cliff as Killer Moth had instructed me to do.