Nothing but scrap auto parts and tools flooded the garage floor while the sound of mechanical work filled the air. A bit of spot welding was carried out on what looked to be a metal frame, sheet metal was cut to make a body panel, and a shock absorber was set in place with a hubcap being bolted on. Next, a hand reached over and installed a red taillight. An engine was lowered from an overhead crane and once set in place, a torque wrench screwed in a couple of bolts. Finally complete with the engine, two robotic hands reached up and closed the open hood, revealing a familiar bionic African teen with another person wearing a welding mask next to him.
The figure next to him removed the mask to show his face, revealing another familiar teen with brown hair. Giving each other a 'thumbs up' and a smile, both teens climbed into the driver and passenger seats, Cyborg behind the wheel with Kylar in the passenger seat. Once inside, the metallic Titan pressed a button on the dashboard, only to generate no response.
"Huh?" Cyborg seemed confused at the lack of ignition in the car as he hunched down over the steering wheel and started grumbling to himself. A thought balloon appeared over his head, with assorted components scrolling by as if on a stock ticker.
Next to the disgruntled Titan, Kylar placed a hand on his chin, "Hmm." He examined the dashboard more thoroughly before an idea hit him.
"Ha!" Both Titans cheered in a revelation as they snapped their fingers. Without saying anything, the two comrades looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. After nodding to each other in agreement, the panel on Cyborgs' sternum opened and a blue circuit board popped out. Said robotic man removed it from his chest and then slipped it into a slot on the dash.
Rubbing their hands gleefully, this time the aura manipulator tried the button on the dash. After a brief moment of silence, the engine sputtered before roaring in a full voice that brought an enormous smile to each of their faces.
0-0
This was going to be a wonderful day. After finally finishing the car the two had spent so much time working on, Kylar and Cyborg called for the other Titans to meet them in the garage for a full reveal of their project. After the other four finally arrived, the two mechanics prepared for the showing of a lifetime.
"Drum roll, please!" The chromatic bruiser smiled as his brunette helper stood next to him. Filling the request, Beast Boy changed into a green lemur and started thumping his belly. "Ladies and gentlemen-and whatever Beast boy is…"
"Hey, guys. You want a drum roll or not?" The changeling asked angrily after reverting back to human form.
"Sorry." Cyborg apologized. He then turned to Kylar and nodded.
"*Ahem*" The black-jacketed wearing teen cleared his throat, "It is our great pleasure to present…" He said.
"For the first time anywhere," The bionic teen added.
"The thing you've all been waiting for…"
"Our coolest…"
"Hottest…"
"Baddest creation…" The two enthusiastic grease monkeys traded off saying things about their invention with increasing fervor.
"Just get on with it." Raven droned, clearly not amused by the twos antics.
"We give you the future of Titans transportation, the one, the only…" Cyborg grabbed two fists full of tarp and whipped it away, "T-CAR!"
The car was fully exposed to the entire team: white body with blue trim along the sides and a front bumper that resembled the circuitry seen through the transparent coverings on Cyborg's body, and looking like that of a mini SUV.
On the other side of the presentation, Robin stared wide-eyed in admiration while the other three onlookers peeked out from behind him.
"Dude!" The green viewer awed.
"Cool!" The spiky-haired Titan stated, impressed at the sight.
"Oooooh!" Starfire cooed as she happily brought her hands together.
Raven, on the other hand, was considerably less enthused than the rest.
Both mechanics patted the car lovingly. "Yep, we're the proud parents of a new baby." The brunette joked as he popped open the hood of the car, "One-hundred-thousand-horsepower plasma-turbine engine." He described.
"All-terrain hoverjets." Cyborg said as he led the group to the back of the car to show them the custom built exhaust pipes.
"Antilock air brakes…" The aura manipulator added.
"And an onboard computer that links with my systems-so I can literally feel the road." The bionic grease monkey stated smoothly.
"Whoa!" The easily impressed changeling exclaimed while Robin whistled in amazement.
"Amazing!" The extraterrestrial cheered with a huge smile spread across her face.
Oh, let's not forget the residential mage who… fell asleep on her feet, clearly engrossed in what her two taller teammates had to say… clearly.
With cheeky grins on their faces, the two partners in crime rolled the windows of the car down to give a good view of the interior. Oddly enough, the car interior was spaced in such a way that there were three rows of two seats for each team member, sacrificing trunk space, but making enough legroom.
"And of course, leather seats, power windows, and a booming stereo are all standard." The African Titan went on to explain. Above the car, two enormous speakers popped out of the roof and cranked the line up so high that everyone but Kylar and Cyborg were blown off their feet.
Beast Boy, Robin, and Starfire were all momentarily dazed and disheveled from the sonic onslaught.
"Sweet!"
"Nice!"
"It sings!" Each of the excited Titans praised respectively.
"Can we go now?" Raven asked, still absolutely unaffected by the demonstration in any way.
"You bet, Rae." Kylar grinned, "We'll take you anyplace you like."
At the brunettes' words, the shape-shifting Titan grinned, "The beach!" He suggested.
"The movies!" The Boy Wonder offered.
"The swamp moons of Drenthax Four!" The Tamaranean exclaimed happily, causing the two other boys to keel over. "He said anyplace." The girl defended as she blushed.
As the two shorter boys stood up, Robin rubbed his head before his communicator sounded. "Trouble!" He stated once he checked it.
The next thing the Titans realized was the sound of an engine revving. They turned to see Cyborg already seated at the wheel. "I'll drive!"
0-0
Responding to the distress call, everyone made their way into the vehicle and soon found their way rolling on a winding mountain road. Not a cloud in the sky on this beautiful night as the T-Car left behind the Tower and drove into the city. The teens were situated with Cyborg driving, Starfire in the passenger seat, Beast Boy seated behind the alien girl, Robin seated behind the driver, and Kylar and Raven seated at the far back, the former seated behind the greenling, and the latter seated behind the leader.
As much fun as taking the newly built vehicle out for a spin, the ride into town was… interesting to say the least. However, one Titan would strongly disagree.
"Are we there yet?" The blue mage asked flatly as she peeked her head over to look at the driver.
"NO!" Cyborg shouted through gritted teeth.
"So many fascinating buttons!" The giddy Tamaranean laughed as she zipped her hands across the dashboard, pressing every button within reach.
"Stop! Don't! Careful with…" The driver cried out, completely freaked out by the girls' goofing off.
"Your baby is most entertaining!" She added as she continued her innocent antics.
"Not the ejector seat!" Cyborg cried, "Ky, a little help here?"
Said Titan was lounging in his chair in the back row with his hands behind his head, "If we can't have fun with a car, what's the point of building our own?" He said, causing the other to murmur angrily to himself.
"Look they are dancing!" The energetic extraterrestrial awed, as the windshield wipers started moving back and forth.
Cyborg then looked in the rear view mirror and saw a green dog leaning out the window, savoring the wind as drool splattered everywhere from his lolling tongue. "Yo! I know you're not drooling on my paint job." The metallic mechanic stated angrily.
"My bad." Beast Boy chuckled sheepishly after reverting to his human form.
Up front, Starfire's eyes were still glued to the wiper blades. Cyborg shut them off, deflating her mood considerably, and then smiled as he let off a relieved sigh at having gotten everything back under control.
"All right, y'all, hang on." The driver cheered, "Time to kick my baby into high gear and see what she can-"
"There! Stop the car!" Robin exclaimed as he leaned forward and pointed to their destination.
"Oh, man…" Cyborg sighed, disappointment oozing from his voice.
0-0
In Jump City's tech district, a store with the words Cook's Electronics blazing with neon red lights seemed to have something very eventful happening as several screaming people ran through the open front entrance.
Skidding across the parking lot, the T-Car came to a very neat stop at the curb. First one out was Beast Boy, who stumbled dizzily to the pavement, then Robin, who had himself a bit more under control.
"Titans! GO!" The masked leader shouted. On his word, all but the two grease monkeys charged toward the building.
Inside the car, Kylar placed a locking device to keep the car immobilized while Cyborg wiped the windshield lovingly. "Coming!" Both heroes called out.
As they continued shining the car, two teenage boys sidled up, one short, one tall and wearing sunglasses, with a toothpick in his mouth. Both fitting the profile of the typical 1950s street gang member: T-shirt, jeans, and black leather jacket… wait…
"Dude! That is phat!" The shorter of the two complimented.
"Sweet ride. She yours?" The taller teen asked.
Kylar quickly slid across the hood and stood next to his taller friend while the other leaned against the door, "Sure is." The brunette smirked.
"Built her with our own two hands, using the finest parts and cutting-edge techn-AH-AAHH!" The titanium teen yelled in surprise as Raven reached up and seized both his and the brunettes' ear.
"Boys." The mage sighed disgustedly as she dragged them away from the car.
"But Rav-AH!" Kylar cried as she pulled on his ear.
"Whoa! Almost forgot to switch on the alarm." Cyborg pulled out a keychain remote and hit a button; the headlights flashed and a siren blipped briefly, showing that the alarm was now active.
Both of the troublemakers took a step back, but continued gazing upon the home-built conveyance. After a quick moment, they traded a knowing look.
0-0
Inside the store, high-voltage arcs played among the shelves of stereo speakers, which crumbled into dust before being quickly sucked down from their places. Televisions and VCRs received the same treatment as the entire area was awash in current. Standing at the heart of the electrical discharge was a large figure composed entirely of electricity, save for a small circuit board at its center; the arms were outstretched, forming the source of the arcs.
"Mine! All mine!" The figure shouted.
"If you're going to take that stuff, you'd better be ready to pay for it." The electrical being heard a voice call out.
The creature looked over and saw the six Titans standing at the entrance, ready to rush in and attack. "Foolish biological. Overload will destroy!" The being, referring to itself as Overload, shouted as it pounded the floor. The resulting shockwave sent a few thousand amperes straight at the team.
Scattering to avoid the shock, Robin leapt high and extended his fighting staff in a trice. He twirled his weapon to block a shock of electricity and responded by flinging a handful of discs.
Overload deflected these projectiles easily and blasted the Boy Wonder across the store, passing Raven as he tumbled.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The cloaked girl chanted as she levitated several pieces of hardware. The items rocketed toward the electrical villain and disappeared into its' body. Instead of being hurt, though, it merely grew several feet and roared heartily. Raven retreated to where Kylar was floating next to Beast Boy, who was crouched atop a display case.
"Uh-oh." The brunette groaned at the consequence of the attack.
"Smooth." The green teen deadpanned. Overload shot a blast of electricity at the trio, causing them to scatter before the case could be blown apart.
Now, Starfire got into the game with a pass over the walking spark plug's head, shooting a string of starbolts without effect. The entity curled one of its tendrils and countered with a punch that sent her careening out of control to crash into the wall.
"Yo, Radiohead! Listen to this!" Cyborg shouted, priming his right arm in sonic cannon mode, and letting off a huge beam at the villain. This attack, however, did no visible damage, and soon the bionic African found himself on the receiving end of a thundering wall of sound from a large stereo speaker. The force of the sound wave was enough to hurl the poor Titan the length of the showroom and slam him into a column.
"Mine!" The supercharged evildoer yelled as it grabbed Cyborg and held him aloft as he struggled to get free.
"I'll bet you're not waterproof!" The struggling hero barked before throwing a devastating right jab made Overload drop him and skid across the floor toward a water cooler some distance away.
The bottle flew overhead once the villain collided with it, and a fair amount of the contents splashed down on the electrical figure; its face straining in discomfort as it was drenched.
"Good idea." Robin shouted, "Titans! Soak him!"
On his word, Raven exerted her powers over a water fountain and ripped it from the wall. As a result, the broken pipes started gushing water out a high speeds. The cooler bottle that spilled on the villain was now in the hands of Beast Boy as he chugged every drop, became an elephant, and used his trunk as a fire hose. Next, Starfire and Kylar flew around the room and blasted a few shots at the ceiling-mounted sprinklers, knocking them all off and creating one shower after another. Their leader, meanwhile, had an actual fire hose in hand with the nozzle fully open. The combined effect of the assaults shrunk Overload and drove him groaning to the floor.
The defeated villain glanced up from the heap it lied in and saw the six Titans standing over him and smiling triumphantly at their victory.
0-0
Having subdued the electrical abomination and rolling it in a thick nonconductive blanket, each hero exited the electronics store. As they came out, Beast Boy froze in his tracks and stared dumbstruck into the lot as his friends passed him, Starfire was carrying the bound enemy on her shoulder.
The last two to walk out of the store were the two energetic grease monkeys, "Soon as we hand Sparky over to the cops how 'bout we swing by the drive-thru?" Cyborg suggested as he elbowed his brown-haired partner on his side.
"Yeah. But this time, I get shotgun." Kylar replied with a toothy grin as they stood next to their shape-shifting friend.
"Uh… guys?" Beast Boy said getting their attention as he gestured to the parking lot in front of them.
The sight that greeted the bionic and aura manipulator would be enough to crush any hardworking mechanic: an empty lot with the T-Car nowhere in sight. Both panicking Titans ran across the blacktop and looked around aimlessly.
"My wheel lock!" The bionic teen cried.
"My car alarm!" The brunette shouted.
"My baby! Somebody stole my baby!" Cyborg sobbed as he collapsed to the ground and pounded his fists into the asphalt.
0-0
Miles from the crime scene, the baby in question sped through the streets. Inside, the two gangster looking teens were hanging out of the front windows and enjoying the high-speed joyride.
"YEAH!" The teen with the sunglasses and black jacket whooped as he drove the car.
"Make it go faster! Make it go faster!" The shorter of the two boosters laughed as he too enjoyed the wind blowing in his face as the car sped up and disappeared over a hill.
0-0
"Noooo!" Cyborg cried as gripped the broken wheel lock in his hand, tears streaming down his face. "No, no, no, no, no…" He hung his head sadly
"This isn't happening, this isn't happening…" Kylar repeated as he sat on the asphalt next to his heartbroken friend, hugging his legs to his chest and gripping the ripped-out car alarm in his right hand.
The rest of the team was standing behind them, giving them worried looks. Starfire was the first to try and console the two boys. Placing the electric villain that was on her shoulder on the ground, she stepped up and placed a hand on both of their backs. "I understand your pain, friends." She sympathized, "When I was small, my favorite zarnik was eaten by a rampaging gloorg. Believe me, after your zarnik has been inside a gloorg, you do not want it back."
"The car wasn't eaten. It was stolen!" The metallic Titan growled in response to his alien friends' attempt to console him.
"And sitting around isn't going to fix that." The aura manipulator added as he stood up.
"Hey, look on the bright side. At least it wasn't my fault." Beast Boy joked. It didn't seem to have any affect at lifting the mood as neither of his taller teammates paid attention to him.
"Not helping." Robin returned, causing the changeling to laugh nervously. He turned to address Cyborg and Kylar, "We'll help you find your car, I promise. But right now, we've gotta take Overload to jail." He said gesturing to the soggy villain on the ground.
"No! We gotta go now!" The chromatic bruiser panicked as he stood up and approached the leader, "Every second we wait is a second she could get scratched or dinged or-"
"Sold, or stripped for parts, or-" The brunette chimed in, in the same worried voice as the African teen.
"Calm down." The two heard the monotone voice of Raven say to them, "It's just a car."
Both of the distressed owners shot her an over-shoulder glare, showing her just what they thought of this remark. Cyborg pivoted and approached the cloak magician.
"She's not just a car, she's my car." He growled as he stalked away from the group with Kylar close behind. "And we're gonna find her, whether you guys help us or not!"
The other four Titans watched with worried expressions as their two friends walked further and further from them.
0-0
Saying the search for the missing vehicle was going smoothly wouldn't exactly be accurate. The two Titans were smart enough to place a tracking device in the car that fed a signal to Cyborg, but were not sure if the two carjackers had removed it as well. They followed the signal to a drive-in restaurant at the height of the evening rush. All the stalls were filled with customers chowing down on fast foods and milkshakes. As a waitress fed a tray through one driver's door, the two angered Titans marched resolutely past them and received funny stares from both waitress and customer.
The two continued walking down the surrounding sidewalk of the diner, passing more teens and couples. At the end of the path, one teen, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, stood as he spoke to a friend.
"It had a tailpipe this big!" The male gestured excitedly as the hulking semi-robotic man and aura manipulator came up behind him. The other youth got spooked and ran off, confusing the other teen.
However, he had no time to think about what happened as Cyborg turned the boy around and hauled him up by his jacket lapels. "I'm looking for my car. Tricked-out hardtop with a growl that'll make your teeth shake." The angered teen pulled the scared wannabe gangster to his face, "Ring any bells?"
"Um-" The poor youth stuttered as sweat poured from the sides of his head.
"I'd answer him if I were you," Kylar added, seemingly disinterested in the interrogation as he was examining his nails on his right hand. "You don't want to know what he'll do to you if you don't."
The scared teen glanced back over to the larger interrogator just as he snorted heavily, expelling puffs of smoke from his nostrils like an enraged bull. His pupils contracted in fear, "Yeah, yeah, um-Sammy and Cash cruised by in a car like that. Looks really cool with those flames painted on it."
"What?!" The brunette yelled angrily.
"They painted my baby?!" Cyborg shouted as he shook the suspect, "Where are they?" He asked after he calmed down.
"Well, they were looking to race, so they headed to… Crash Alley." The youth replied nervously as he pointed in the direction the thieves went.
Cyborg released his grip on the boy, causing him to fall to the ground. Both teens were completely stunned at the youths' response as their eyes were completely bugged out of their heads.
0-0
The distinctive sound of racing engines rang through the air. Inside a massive stadium, a familiar white and blue car pulled up to the starting line of a track in front of the packed grandstands. True to the previous delinquents description, orange flames had been painted across the hood and front bumper, spilling back along the sides. Next to the T-Car, a tiny vehicle rolled up; it almost looked like a circus clown car, but with a normal paint job. An antenna sprouted from the rear end, marking it as an oversized radio-control car.
Next to the small car, the passenger side window lowered, exposing the two car thieves inside; the shorter teen was in the passenger seat and the taller teen wearing the sunglasses was in the driver seat.
"Hey, Cash!" The shorter of the two laughed, "Check out the cute little windup toy!"
"Get out the butter and jam, Sammy, 'cause this dude is toast." The taller one, known as Cash, smirked.
Both engines revved as the starting lights dropped from red through yellow. Once the light flashed green, both contestants shot off the line in a wailing screech of smoking rubber. The T-Car and the midget racer edged back and forth a few times before Cash and Sammy nudged the competition aside and pulled ahead. They repeated the performance when it started to pull even again, but the tiny auto drove onto the banked outer wall of the track and zoomed on. When it came back down, it had taken the lead while the fans cheered wildly at the spectacle.
Cash and Sammy found themselves stuck behind the swerving micro-car and were unable to get out in front. "Dude, we're getting smoked!" Sammy gasped at their ordeal.
Not wanting to lose to a tiny clown car, Cash floored the accelerator, causing the T-Car to speed up fast enough to put them in first. "Then we'll smoke them right back." The sunglass-wearing youth quipped as he pressed a button labeled Smoke. This caused thick clouds of fumes to pour from the rear into the path of the other car.
The haze soon parted and revealed the vehicle charging on-with a small vacuum nozzle deployed under the front bumper, sucking up the fumes.
Cash noticed the tiny headlights of their opponent approaching in the side view mirror and reached for another button labeled Oil Slick. Pipes popped out from the rear bumper and spewed copious amounts of motor oil behind them. The little car's axles extended to either side, putting the tires beyond the edges of the slick, and the body rose a few feet on the slender rods to avoid the hazard. It rolled neatly past, and over, the T-Car before reverting to its original configuration. Again, the stands erupted with cheers from the fans.
The driver sat bent over the wheel as the two boosters found themselves in second place again. Sammy fixed a bemused stare straight ahead for a second before looking at the dash. "Hey, what's this one do?" He asked as he pressed another button. He got his answer after a short delay as the T-Car accelerated dramatically and raced ahead. It drove crazily up the wall and came down in front before crossing the finish line to take the checkered flag.
With the race over, the T-Car performed a sharp U-turn and came to a stop. "Dude! That was the bomb!" Sammy whooped as he and his friend leapt out of the car.
"The fastest car in town, and she's totally ours." Cash boasted as the tiny car pulled up in front of them.
"Not anymore, pit-sniffers!" The two thieves heard a child-like voice say to them from the small car. There was a brilliant flash of light, and when it cleared, the two juvenile delinquents found themselves caught within a spherical force field projected from the little car's headlights. Slowly but surely, they were lifted into the air.
"Hey!" The shorter of the two cried.
"Huh? Hey, dude, what's going on here, huh?" The taller teen asked. The surprise left them unable to fully comprehend what was happening.
The lights of the tiny car shut of, and the entire mini-auto rose into the air to expose a tiny, bald boy wearing a green jumpsuit with goggles on his head. The car folded itself away into the central equipment pack on the boys' back as he stood up. "Check out Gizmo's bonzer new wheels." The boy bragged as he walked over to the T-Car. "Thanks, hogs. I've been needing a faster getaway car." He opened the driver side door and hopped in.
The two, trapped teens looked at each other in a panic before speaking. "Wait! You can't take it, it's not ours!" Sammy yelled out hastily.
"Yeah, we were just kind of borrowing it… from the Titans." Cash admitted as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hehehe, even better." Gizmo laughed as he plugged a wired controller into a slot on the dashboard. "So long, snot-munchers!" On the end of his words, the tires screeched backwards before the T-Car turned around sharply. With a mighty roar of the engine, the repossessed automobile sped off, leaving the two youths to watch helplessly from within the force field.
Once the supped up automobile was out of eyesight, Cash turned to Sammy, "This is all your fault." He said flatly.
Before the other youth could defend himself, two pairs of hands reached up and yanked both of them out of their prison. "Hey!" Both teens cried out when they came face to face with the people carrying them. Kylar had his hands gripping Sammy by the collar while Cyborg had his hands on Cash's collar.
"What's going on, buddy?" Cash greeted nervously.
"I want my car." The titanium teen stated icily.
"Where is it?" The brunette added with the same amount of ice in his voice.
"Yeah, see, um, the thing is, we sort of lost it in a race." Sammy admitted quickly in hopes of not getting murdered by the two very angered Titans.
"You lost the car?!" Kylar shouted as he held Sammy higher.
"She lost a race?!" Cyborg cried out, more preoccupied at the idea that the high end automobile could possibly lose a race.
"No way! We beat him easy." Cash defended, "She handled like a dream."
"She did? How'd she take the curves?" The metallic man asked, relieved at the youth's words, "'Cause, you know, we've been working on the suspension for-"
"Cy." The black-jacketed teen nudged his friend.
"Don't try to distract me." Cyborg cleared his throat, angry again with the thieves. "Who has her now?" A big drop of sweat popped out on Cash's temple, keeping him from answering.
"Dude named Gizmo." Sammy let out quickly, "Said something about a getaway car and headed downtown." He added in hopes of getting let of easy by the two crime fighters.
The information didn't seem to help their punishment as the next thing the two boys knew, they were unceremoniously stuffed back into the force field. "Hey!" Cash called out as he and his partner pounded their fists against the field.
"You can't just leave us like this!" Sammy cried as the two mechanics stalked away from them.
"You're right. We'll make sure the cops come pick you up." Cyborg shouted back at the two without turning around.
Sammy and Cash traded a very scared look and started crying, believing that this was truly the end for their free lives.
0-0
On the other side of town, a bank had its drive-up window occupied by the idling stolen vehicle. Inside, the sunroof was open and a hose leading from the building was blowing cash into the back seat as Gizmo sat at the wheel, waist-mounted control unit in hand to work the car's systems.
"This is too easy." The midget chuckled as the last of the money flowed into the car, "Wonder if there's a drive-thru jewelry store around here."
As he fiddled with the controller in his hands, Cyborg dropped down and landed on the hood. His boiling mad visage spoke volumes about his mood as well as startled a yell out of Gizmo, "Get your tiny butt outta my car!" He shouted through the glass.
With another panicked cry, the owner of that tiny butt started punching buttons furiously, "Whoa!" The Titan cried as the T-Car peeled out backwards. Reaching the street, the bald driver put the car in drive and began burning rubber. As the car raced through the streets of Jump City, Cyborg noticed fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror. "Fuzzy dice? Aw, now that's just tacky. Whoa!"
Another sharp turn of the car, and into a car wash they went. The tiny terror laughed from inside as the T-Car passed through the whirling brushes and jets of water.
"No! Keep those nasty plastic brushes off my baby! She's hand-wash only!" The African teen yelled in fright.
As the wash continued, suds poured down over a thoroughly peeved amateur mechanic; when they were rinsed off, he bore all his teeth in a snarl accentuated by the hot air pouring from the drying nozzles to peel his lips back. Ever so slowly, the ride emerged from the car wash, sparkling clean, as Cyborg glared through the windshield at Gizmo, who had stuck his tongue out. The flame paint job applied by Cash and Sammy had been scrubbed away as a result of the wash.
Soon after, the car barreled off past a Construction Zone Ahead sign. The metallic Titan yelled time and again, trying his best to hang on to the hood as the bald driver swerved through a string of cones with the tires bouncing on the broken road surface.
After passing the construction zone, the T-Car carried the mechanic up a steep incline. "The clutch! You gotta use the clutch!" Cyborg groaned as he heard the gears grinding.
"I know, you stinking hood ornament!" Gizmo grinned.
"Are you even old enough to drive?" The hood ornament asked, getting a tongue stuck out at him from the driver as a response.
The T-Car reached the top of the hill and went airborne for a few seconds before slamming back onto the road. A too-close encounter with a telephone pole left a long gouge on the passenger-side panels; Cyborg gasped in fright and turned his left hand into a circular buffer.
"That'll buff right out, that'll buff right out…" He panicked as he quickly worked on the damage. However, a sweep against another pole knocked the buffer pad away as well as taking the right side view mirror from the car.
The car continued speeding along a road that paralleled a river, quickly approaching a drawbridge over the waterway. The two halves began to rise as a trash barge approached. The wheels of the car raced toward a Bridge Closed Ahead sign, whose warning lights began flashing. This proved to be ineffective as the car crashed through the barricade and up the increasingly steeper slope.
"Hit the nitro!" Cyborg yelled, on the verge of a total meltdown. Inside, Gizmo was panicking as he quickly scanned the car for the correct button. "HIT THE NITRO!" The titanium teen shouted again as the car came close to reaching the top of the bridge.
The proper button was located and pressed. A mighty blast poured from the exhaust and the T-Car accelerated to incredible speeds as it reached the end of the bridge. Gaining altitude as the barge passed beneath, the car cleared the opening in the bridge and touched down on the far end. Unfortunately, Cyborg lost his grip in midair and crashed down to the barge, landing squarely amid the piled up trash.
He quickly sat up and picked a banana peel off his head, "Oh, man…" The Titan sighed wearily as he watched the bridge piece itself back together.
0-0
"I'm sorry man. It's all my fault." Kylar sighed as he sat on the curb and handed his disheartened friend a red milkshake cup. "I should've been there." The saddened bionic took the cup and drank it quickly.
After losing the T-Car, Cyborg made his way to the drive-in diner the two of them went to when they first tried finding the car. After a while Kylar appeared as well and found him sitting despondently on the curb. Trying to cheer his fellow mechanic up, the brunette offered to buy them drinks. However, one drink became two. Two became three, then five, then eight, then fourteen… you get the idea.
"No, it's not." The African Titan sighed as he finished drinking the shake, adding the cup to the other cups that were scattered around them. "I'm the one who said to split up."
Both teens sat in silence until a voice caught their attention. "Fourteen milkshakes." Kylar glanced over his shoulder and saw Raven standing behind them. "Not a good sign." She added as she took a seat next to the brunette.
"What're you doing here?" Kylar asked as he buried his face in his arms.
"Looking for your car." The mage replied, "Soon as we turned Overload in to the police, we all split up to search the city."
"Might as well stop looking." Cyborg stated sullenly, "T-Car's probably halfway to Metropolis by now." Both boys let out a deep sigh at the revelation.
"You know something funny?" The aura manipulator asked as he picked his head up and looked to the sky, "From the day we first thought of her, we had the feeling she would be special."
"And we worked so hard, every fuel injector, every spark plug… we made her perfect." The bionic Titan added. "We put our hearts, souls, and circuits into that car. And now she's gone forever."
Talking about the car brought some happiness to the two depressed boys, but after coming to the realization that it was gone, they sank right back into their saddened states. "Maybe you were right. Maybe it was just a car." Kylar admitted.
"Maybe. Maybe not." Raven began, "When I use my powers, I have to put a little of my soul into whatever I'm moving. I become a part of it, and it becomes a part of me." She explained, "Just like your powers, Kylar. And that's kinda what happened here. It wasn't just a car. It was… your baby."
The mages' words seemed to have consoled the two mechanics as they brightened a bit. "Yeah." Cyborg smiled as he lifted his chin.
"Thanks, Rae." Kylar said, giving her a warm smile as she gave him a small smile of her own.
The sound of screeching tires quickly wiped the smile from her face, though. "And someone's eating onion ring in your baby."
Both males turned to look in the direction of the noise. Their eyes went wide as they witnessed the T-Car about to peel out of the parking lot with Gizmo still driving.
"Hey! You didn't pay!" A waitress yelled as she rolled up to the car on her skates. The midget just laughed as he sped away from the place.
"HE'LL GET KETCHUP ON THE SEATS!" The titanium Titan shouted as he stood up.
Raven and Kylar quickly stood up as well but looked in a different direction. The brunette tapped his shoulder to draw his attention and pointed in the direction he was looking while the mage walked toward it.
Across the parking lot, standing by a black convertible with the top down, two familiar looking car thieves were talking to another waitress.
"So we were stuck. Looked like we'd get busted for sure." Cash smirked, trying to impress the girl.
"But then we totally escaped before the cops showed up." Sammy finished with a cheeky grin.
A whistle caught their attention and, as they turned to face the source of the noise, they found themselves surrounded by black magic that raised them into the air as the waitress stared in total puzzlement.
"Escape from that before the cops show up!" Raven growled as she approached the two. Kylar and Cyborg walked over to the car and examined it.
"Sweet ride." The blue-eyed brunette smirked as he hopped into the back seat.
"Mind if we borrow it?" The bionic African asked as he held up the keys.
The two young hoodlums had no response but a pair of very scared smiles as they nodded in agreement.
0-0
Outside Jump City, the twice-stolen T-Car rocketed around a curve on a stretch of road. Inside, Gizmo had connected his waist controller to the steering wheel, operating the vehicle remotely as he enjoyed the meal he ripped off from the drive-in. However, the honk of a car horn caused him to spit out a mouthful of soda.
"CRUD!" The mini villain cried as he saw a black convertible gaining on him through the rear view mirror. He sped around a curve in on the mountainside, but the black roadster kept pace easily. With a frustrated groan, Gizmo pulled the controller off the wheel to operate it himself. A cloud of exhaust and rubber smoke poured back toward the black car, but it quickly parted to reveal the three Titans in hot pursuit.
"He may have a better car, but I'm a better driver!" Cyborg stated as he put the convertible into the next gear and sped off after their car. Raven was in the passenger seat as Kylar sat in the back.
The chase continued through the serpentine bends of the two-lane blacktop. "Cy, try and pull up next to the T-Car. I'm gonna jump in it." Kylar explained.
"Got it." The semi-robotic Titan said as he floored the gas pedal, causing the car to close in on their target.
Gizmo was finding it harder and harder to escape from his pursuers as he drove past more twists and turns on the road. "Eat crud, you stinking losers!" The miniature menace shouted as he pressed the Oil Slick button. Behind the T-Car, pipes popped from the backside and dumped the viscous liquid into the Titans' path.
Cyborg gasped and cut his wheels sharply, causing the car to flip up onto its passenger-side tires to keep from running through the hazard. It dropped out of this side wheelie once they passed the oil and continued racing ahead.
As the ultra-high-speed pursuit continued, Gizmo worked his own control a bit before opening his eyes wide with surprise. "Ooooh, cool!" He awed as he noticed a button on the dash labeled Proton Cannon. Once he pressed it, the roof opened up and a large gun based off of Cyborgs' arm cannon extended from within and pointed back along the road. It locked into place and warmed up; the titanium Titan's eyes popped briefly before the right one gushed with tears.
"Boo-yah! Check out my baby's proton cannon." Cyborg awed, drunk off the excitement he felt at seeing the cannon being used. Raven and Kylar shot him an odd look that made him sober up quickly. "Uh… I mean… oh, no." He corrected as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
The gun began firing, forcing the bionic to swerve from side to side in order to avoid being annihilated. One shot struck the road just ahead of the car, but Cyborg was unfazed and drove straight on through the resulting cloud of smoke. Just as Gizmo rode up on the racetrack wall, Cyborg took his car up the rock face a few feet, still dodging the cannon blasts. Gradually he eased higher and higher, finally settling on a stretch of road that was at the increased elevation. The two single-minded drivers continued their mad dash on now-parallel courses.
Despite his best efforts, Cyborg couldn't get the car to go fast enough to catch up with the pintsized villain. "Come on! Faster, faster!" He growled as he pounded his fist against the dashboard.
"Hang on." Raven ordered as she stood up in her seat and gripped the top of the windshield. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The mage chanted, forming her black magic around the entirety of the car.
"Uh, Raven?" Kylar asked, confused at what his friend was doing.
"Yo, what are you-" Cyborg couldn't finish his thought as he was cut off by the car being flung forward, forcing a terrified scream from his and the brunettes' lungs.
The entire car, now under Raven's influence, went flying off the edge of a curve and started to drop. Gizmo, on the lower part of the road, was still grinning and working his controller, but the sight of the black car smoothly descending to his right threw a real surprise his way. The car did not touch the road, but instead eased over to knock fenders.
"Pull over!" The metallic teen ordered as the two cars slammed against each other.
"Make me, Robo-Wimp!" The HIVE villain taunted. He swerved, pushing the convertible against the rock face, and performed a quick 360-degree spin.
The mage quickly evened the car out with the stolen one quickly. Cyborg reached toward the car and got one hand hooked on the passenger-side front door. "I said, pull over!" He called out again as he tried reaching for the mini driver.
"Hey! Let me go, you barf-smelling hairball!" Said driver cried as he turned in his seat and shoved his behind in Cyborg's face.
"Okay, making it really hard to concentrate." The cloaked Titan groaned as she continued her focus on flying the car.
Gizmo quickly jerked the T-Car away from the magically influenced car, forcing the bionic to release his grip. However, this time Kylar quickly leapt from the back seat of the car and jumped across the gap. He just barely made it to the other car as he grabbed the inside of the passenger-side front door window and pulled himself in. As he made his way inside the car, he lunged toward the driver and tried to seize the controller.
"Give it, you little twerp!" The aura manipulator growled as he struggled with the villain.
"No! It's mine! I stole it fair and square!" The tiny terror yelled as he tried pushing Kylar's face away from him.
The two cars continued on. The struggling inside the T-Car caused it to swerve back and forth on the road, causing it to slam against the black convertible multiple times. As they continued driving down the road, the bright flare of approaching headlights caught the other two Titans attention.
"Whoa!" Raven and Cyborg gasped as they got closer and closer to a head on collision with the approaching vehicle.
The blaring horn caught the attention of the brunette and midget in the T-Car, causing them to face toward the source and see an oncoming prison transport van. Kylar had the villain in a headlock and seated in the driver seat as they released a yell of sheer panic before he punched a button on the dash labeled EJECT.
The van was finally upon the group. The guards driving the van jumped clear, leaving it to careen driverless toward the pair of cars. The convertible was levitated to a safe height, and the pipsqueak and brunette escaped on the ejected driver seat.
"NOOOOOOO!" Cyborg cried as the borrowed ragtop rose higher and higher into the sky. Next to the convertible, a parachute deployed from the seat just as a colossal explosion occurred beneath them.
At ground level, the van had been knocked onto its side, while the smashed T-Car had fetched up against the undercarriage. A short distance from the crash site, Raven brought the convertible down for a soft landing on a clear patch of road before Cyborg hopped out and ran toward the wreckage.
Above the mage, Kylar and Gizmo slowly made their descent with the miniature genius cackling wickedly, getting on the brunettes' nerves.
"Heh! Looks like your stupid car is-mmph!" He was cut off when the ticked aura manipulator tore out some stuffing from the car seat and stuffed it in his mouth before ripping out some wiring from his backpack and wrapping it around the thief's torso.
"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…" The worried mechanical teen pleaded as he ran closer and closer toward the wreck.
Sparks crackled over the side of the overturned van and formed into a lightning bolt that poured itself into the not-even-close-to-okay T-Car. Once the lightning disappeared inside the car, it turned itself around and faced the panicking mechanic.
"Car is better than okay." A familiar voice stated, "Car is mine!" Cyborg looked inside the car and saw that Overload was seated at the wheel.
Kylar caught up with the other builder just as he recoiled in fear with a small gasp. The electrical conduit just laughed and pulled out the circuit board that had been put into the dash. Throwing it out, the villain fed itself into the slot it had occupied and all the interior lights began glowing red. Slowly, the damage on the T-Car disappeared and was soon restored to mint condition. However, the white bodywork was now an angry gray, the blue circuit trim had turned red, and the windows and windshield were tinted black. The headlights, narrowed into fierce slits, blazed to life as the engine revved.
The two mechanics growled softly as they stared the T-Car down across the empty yards of asphalt.
"Only way to stop Overload is to destroy your precious car!" The Overload possessed T-Car taunted before it surged forward with a horrid squeal of rubber.
Kylar and Cyborg stood their ground as the brunette engulfed his signature power over his arms. Before he could do anything, his bionic partner placed his left hand on his shoulder. "No. I'll do it." Cyborg said softly as he brought out his cannon and aimed it straight ahead.
Kylar didn't respond. He only closed his eyes and dispelled his aura as he heard a blast from the titanium teens' cannon fire. The charging possessed vehicle took the full force of the blast, blowing off the entire body of the car, as well as the tires, leaving the axles and undercarriage a mass of twisted skidding metal.
A piece of debris rolled across the ground, past Gizmo's fuzzy dice, and stopped at the two Titans' feet. Overload's circuit-board face lied there, but the rest of its body had dissipated.
"Overload… overloaded." The villainous circuit board groaned wearily as it closed its' eye.
0-0
After an incredibly eventful night, the morning sun began it ascent over the horizon. The three Titans watched as two prison guards hauled a cuffed and grumbling Gizmo toward the open doors of a second prison van. Inside, Cash and Sammy had also been apprehended.
The sight of the midget being tossed into the van caused Sammy to laugh. "You got busted." Cash teased.
"So did you, you brainless stinkbombs!" The tiny teen yelled as he passed the two delinquents.
The core of Overload was tossed in after the three auto thieves, and the doors were closed.
As the prison van departed, Cyborg and Raven stood among the T-Car's remains while Kylar walked thorugh them, as if searching for something.
"She's gone." The saddened bionic Titan sighed, "Gone forever."
"Maybe. Maybe not." The mage began, "These are just parts. The thing you loved about that car, the thing that made her special, that came from inside you." She finished as she pointed ahead.
A few feet from the two, the brunette was crouched over something before he stood up. "Hey, guys! Look at what I found!" He grinned, as he held up the original circuit board, completely intact.
Cyborg gasped happily and smiled as he ran over to his friend.
0-0
After a long night of wasting time and chasing cars, it's good to unwind for a bit and indulge in the things that make you happy. That couldn't be truer for the two grease monkeys that inhabited Titans Tower. Nothing but scrap auto parts and tools flooded the garage floor while the sound of mechanical work filled the air. A bit of spot welding was carried out on what looked to be a metal frame, sheet metal was cut to make a body panel, and a shock absorber was set in place with a hubcap being bolted on. Next, a hand reached over and installed a red taillight. An engine was lowered from an overhead crane and once set in place, a torque wrench screwed in a couple of bolts.
Finally complete with the engine, Cyborg lifted himself from under the hood of the newly rebuilt T-Car with a black-jacketed figure wearing a welding mask standing to his left. The bionic Titan passed the torque in his hand to his right and closed the lid. With the car completely rebuilt, the figure removed the welding mask from his head to reveal Kylar. Satisfied, the two male teens traded each other a big, exuberant smile before they faced the third person that helped them. Raven was standing next to the car; her grease-smeared face and the implement she took from the metallic Titan told of the help she had provided. Just like her two taller friends, she gave them-for the first time, at least in the real world-a big, exuberant smile of her own.
Author's Note:
Oh man, I feel terrible. After making you all wait so long for another chapter, this is what you get? A filler chapter?
Yep, that's right. A filler chapter. I hope you all can forgive me. I've just been so busy with things lately that I haven't found the time to be able to write as often as I'd like to. It's nothing major that's affecting my life, just a lot of work and schooling.
I know you're all probably thinking; "DAX, what's the big idea? I've waited long and hard for you to post a chapter, when are you going to post a good one? It's not like I'm reading this because you're a good writer or anything, I'm just bored."
While I understand you're pain and frustration, please understand that I am trying and I haven't forgotten about you all. Whether you know it or not, even though I have no idea who any of you are, you're all very special people to me and for that I thank you for taking the time to read this. I promise the season one finale will be good, or at least as good as I can make it.
Now that I got that out of the way, remember to write a review if you want to, and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me. Believe me, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. For those of you just joining us on this journey, welcome. For those who are returning, thank you so much, you're the greatest.
And... yeah, that's everything for right now.
Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners. Again I own nothing.