Tales of the Teen Titans: Unstoppable, Part 1: Shadow of the Empire, chapter 6: Cry

I don't own the Teen Titans.

"So, you found this, in an alley? Any idea where it came from?" Robin was holding the silvery object Kid Flash had brought him.

"None. It was just there. Didn't you once tell me about stasis fields, though? Could this be an object in a stasis field?"

"Very possibly. Omega's our resident expert on stasis technology; I'll have him look at it. You and Jinx gonna join us on the cruise?"

"We're planning on it." He squirmed, uncomfortably. "Robin? Do I seem old-fashioned, to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"We went shopping for her a bathing suit. I swear to you, the one the saleslady insisted upon was….kinda extreme."

"Wait. Was she a sort of a large woman, brown hair, wore oddly shaped glasses, fast talker?"

"That's her."

Robin smacked a fist into the palm of his hand. "It's that demon saleslady! She'll have every female in Jump City naked, if she has her way. Hm. In some cases, that might not be all that bad a thing, but….Let me guess…the suit she sold Jinx doesn't cover up as much as the dollar bills she paid for it with, am I right?"

"That's only if you fold the dollar bill in half. What's up with that, anyway? I mean, I appreciate a skimpy suit on my girl, but…." He floundered, uncharacteristically out of words.

"Hmm. I don't know. She could just be good at her job, but….maybe I'll have Raven and Hank check it out. Remember, there was that time, a while back, with that succubus, over in Steel City. That almost got outta hand. Could be something similar going on here.

"While I'm thinking about it, though, Jinx hasn't heard of anything up in the supervillain community, has she?"

"If so, she hasn't told me. And…she pretty much tells me everything, these days."

"Well, you heard about Kitten, Killer Moth's daughter, getting shot, didn't you? Yeah. Happened a while back. Omega found her, got her to treatment. But he reported that she'd been shot by a gorilla. Using an ordinary handgun. That's kinda unusual. He's targeting Grodd, right now, but I wondered if you'd heard anything."

Kid Flash shook his head. "No. But it's funny you mention Grodd; he seems to've disappeared, even from the normal—if that's the word—supervillain circles. Wasn't he in on that probe thing? With the Justice League?"

"Last I heard. But that was the last anyone heard of him, even his, ah, usual associates. Hm. Maybe one of his schemes blew up in his face, literally. But somehow I doubt we're that lucky."

"Me, too. I'll check with Flash; Grodd is one of his personal foes. If anyone knows anything about him—besides, of course, Batman—it'd be him." He paused. "So. How are things between you and Starfire?"

Robin blushed; he couldn't help it. "Ok. Yeah, well, better than okay, really. I, uh, I think I kinda accidently popped the question the other night."

"Waytago! It's about freakin' time! Here, gimme some." He and Robin high-fived each other. "So when's the big day?" The two were relaxing in the Titans' meeting room.

"We haven't gotten that far yet. But, to be honest, I wouldn't mind it being rather soon." Did I really just say that? I can't believe I just said that.

"Well, good. Better soon that not-soon. Make an honest woman out of her. Snap her up before somebody else does."

"I plan to." The more he actually talked about it, the easier it seemed to think about it, and the more it seemed just plain right. "Who knows? Maybe we'll make it a double wedding, with Gar and Terra."

...

"Master, I have the information you seek." Grodd proffered coded disks with the news reports regarding Omega.

The Osiran Lord levitated the disks out of Grodd's hands. He didn't need to do anything so primitive as actually putting them into a player to read the information encoded therein. {{SO. AN OSIRAN PRIME WARRIOR, HERE. THAT IS…..NOT GOOD. THE PRIMES WERE REPUTED TO BE UNSTABLE, AND THEIR GENOTYPE DISCONTINUED. SO WHAT IS THIS ROGUE WARRIOR ACTUALLY DOING? AND HOW DID HE GET HERE?}}

"It is unknown how he arrived here, Master. He has allied himself with a group of enhanced-power humans known as the 'Teen Titans'. Together, they seek to combat crime in the city in which they are based."

{{WHAT IS CRIME?}}

"Antisocial activities usually done for personal gain, often at the expense of others. I myself have engaged in it, to some degree." Grodd had nothing to hide from his Master. Not that he could, anyway.

{{HM. I AM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD ENDEAVOR TO RECRUIT HIM OR NOT. THE WARRIORS SIGHTED EARLIER WOULD BE MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. IS THERE NO INFORMATION ON THEM?}}

"None, Master. I have several subroutines even now combing the internet for any information regarding them. But so far, it is as though they disappeared from the face of the Earth."

{{WHAT OF THE PROBE?}}

"After destroying the planet the humans call Venus, it has simply done nothing. It continues in its orbit between this world and Venus."

{{THE THINKERS COULD LINK WITH IT DIRECTLY. I KNOW ITS ULTIMATE PURPOSE WAS TO RAISE THE QUANTUM ENERGY LEVEL OF THIS UNIVERSE TO ONE MORE ACCOMODATING TO OUR NEEDS…..I CAN ONLY SUPPOSE THEY HAVE COMMANDED IT TO NOT DO SO UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS THEY ARE READY. EVEN AS I AM NOT READY, YET. THIS…INTERFERENCE….BOTHERS ME. IT MAY BE A FUNCTION OF YOUR UNIVERSE'S NATURAL LAWS, OR IT MAY NOT.}} He paused, thinking. {{THERE IS NO WORD OF ANY OTHER SUCH BEING AS MYSELF?}}

"None, Master. I think you are the only one."

{{THAT PLEASES ME. SHOULD YOU COME ACROSS ANY SUCH INFORMATION—EVEN RUMORS, UNSUBSTANTIATED—YOU WILL INFORM ME. FOR NOW, I WILL PROCEED WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER LORDS UPON THIS PLANET. GATHER INFORMATION UPON THE ENHANCED POWER BEINGS UPON THIS WORLD, SUCH AS I DO NOT ALREADY POSSESS. NOW. WHAT OF THIS OTHER MATTER, WITH THE ONE KNOWN AS LUCIFER?}}

"He states that he needs some test subjects to complete the second phase of his project. However, he intends to see to that matter himself, without involving us. As to the other matter, he refuses to give me any sort of time element for when results might be ready."

{{HM. AND HE STILL REFUSES TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME DIRECTLY? WISE OF HIM. PERHAPS TOO WISE. IT MIGHT BE PROFITABLE TO PURSUE ANOTHER LINE OF INQUIRY. MULTIPLE SOURCES WOULD ENHANCE THE PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS.}}

"And the probability of discovery. But that will be as you will have it, Master."

{{CONDUCT A SEARCH FOR OTHER REPUTABLE ENTITIES OF LIKE QUALIFICATIONS,WHO COULD FURNISH ME WITH THE DESIRED RESULTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH WHOM I COULD BE IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION. WHETHER BY PERSONAL CONTACT OR BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS, IT WILL BE THE SAME. AND ONCE I CONTROL THEM….IT WILL ALL BE MUCH EASIER. AND THEN WE CAN TRULY BEGIN TO MAKE PROGRESS ON YOUR RUNAWAY WORLD.}} He arose, stretched slightly. {{YOUR PEOPLE, WHETHER HUMAN OR GORILLA, HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL, GRODD. I CAN DO MUCH WITH SUCH POTENTIAL. TOGETHER WE WILL UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF YOUR COSMOS AND BEGIN THE MARCH OF EMPIRE. THIS WORLD WILL SOON BECOME THE SEAT OF A NEW INTERSTELLAR GOLDEN AGE.

AND YOU, MY FAITHFUL SERVANT, WILL REIGN BESIDE ME.}}

…..

The Orb was a bit perturbed.

It knew, from its room there, at Titans' Tower, all that transpired. It could "see," to use the human term, anything and everything it so desired, and sense much more. Nor was its perception limited to the here and now.

It could see, in a manner of speaking, the future it had in mind for its friends, and for the others on this world. But getting there was proving problematical. Guiding human destiny was somewhat like guiding a great many logs floating down a river: one had to guide them around the bends and turns, keep them in the main course of the water, and watch out for logjams.

Unfortunately, logjams happened anyway.

One such "jam" involved the Osiran Lord. The Orb knew it couldn't allow the alien to spread his influence over all the globe. The Lord might have good intentions, at least, as he saw them, but it would result in a kind of slavery that humanity had never even conceived of, a kind of mental slavery that went against everything they believed in and worked for, sometimes even in spite of themselves. They wouldn't be human under the Lord's influence. They'd end up being….something else. And there were other factors at work complicating things.

The Thinkers, or Kindred, as they now called themselves, could easily become a problem, but they could even easier become a benefit. It was their nature to improve things, and, granted, there was much to improve in this new world. Nor were they likely to institute any sort of mentally or spiritually invasive rule, even supposing they did conquer the world. No, they were not really a problem, at least, not yet.

The warriors on Jupiter, now, were what humans called a "different story." They were designed from the beginning to be instruments of destruction, and while under proper control, they were beneficial, here they had no control. Aside, of course, from the Lord, who could not be permitted to acquire them. So the Orb thought, and pondered on the best way to deal with these complications.

Unfortunately, not even the Orb could foresee every rough spot along the way.

…..

Time passed. The slow days continued for the Titans, which they found a welcome relief. Plans were made for the cruise, discarded, and planned anew. A glorious chaos seemed to settle over everything.

After one meeting, Robin caught up with Raven outside the meeting room. "Raven. I need you and Hank to go check something out, if you would."

"I suppose. Why, what is it?"

"Well, it may be nothing, but there's this one saleslady out at the shopping mall who seems determined to turn Jump City into Naked City. As I said, it's probably nothing, but I just wanted you to check it out, make sure there's nothing of a supernatural nature going on."

Raven considered. "I…don't see why we couldn't. Give me the name of the store and a description of the saleslady, and we'll go over there right away."

An hour or so later they were back. Raven had her hood up, cloak closed tightly around her, and refused to speak to anyone. Robin caught up with Hank, who looked a bit shaken. "Hank? What, er, what happened? Is Raven alright?"

"Oh, she's fine, Rob. We, uh, found the saleslady you mentioned. I couldn't detect anything beyond the norm on her, and, from what she said, neither could Raven. But she is one helluva saleslady. She, uh…." He paused, scratching his head, looking uncomfortable. "She kinda sold Raven on a swimsuit."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. Robin, I've never seen suits like that. I don't see how they're legal. But to add insult to injury, not only did she sell Raven a couple of pieces of string to wear, but she also—and how, I swear to you, I'll never know- somehow, talked her into wearing it back to the Tower." Robin choked back a chortle. "Now, don't say anything. You know Raven. I, personally, don't wanna tick her off right now. Especially right now."

"I hear ya. Well, as long as there's nothing of a sinister nature going on, I suppose there's really nothing for us to do. Say, you didn't succumb to the demon saleslady's charm, did you?"

"Heck, no. I went to the men's section."

Omega was a bit puzzled. He hadn't heard from Kitten for a couple of days now. He'd tried calling her several times, but each time, the call had gone straight to voice mail. Was this the "dumping" of him everyone had been warning him about? If so, it was not unexpected, even though it was unwelcome. He found himself thinking of her at odd moments, and, yes, missing her. Even with all her manipulative schemes….

Well. If it was to be, it was to be. He really didn't see any attraction in going on any cruise anyway. He'd just remain here, and "mind the store," as Beast Boy put it.

A couple of times, he thought about focusing his senses on her house, just to make sure she was alright, but refrained. He knew humans really didn't appreciate that sort of thing. Instead, he occupied his time with the Matrix, attempting to communicate with the warriors on Jupiter, and, yes, checking on the status of the probe. So far it had taken no more action, and he hoped it would not. At least, not yet. He had to find the control codes to send it off into space, far away from humanity and all that they knew, so that when, not if, it did attempt to reset the universe to a higher energy level, the resulting changewave would not interact with the worlds of men for a long, long time. Unfortunately, that was proving to be easier said than done. The probe—or rather, its programming—seemed to like it right here, and resisted any effort on his part to send it elsewhere.

There was a knock at his door. "Enter," he said, already knowing who it was. Hank poked his head in from the hallway. "Big guy? You alright?"

"Of course, Hank. Why would I not be?" The Osiran was kneeling on the floor, in his usual position, with the connections affixed to his formet.

"Well, you just seemed….I dunno, maybe a little depressed?"

"Nobody has pushed me down, Hank." Hank just gave him a look, as though to say, okay, don't play Mr. English-as-a-second-language with me, buddy. Omega gave a very human-like sigh. He really couldn't hide anything from this human; they'd once shared a bond deeper than some married couples. "Oh, very well. If you must know, and I suppose there is no reason why you should not, I have not heard from Kitten for a little over a day now. I suppose I am, what is the Earth expression? A little bit down in the dumps." He paused, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. "I did not think it would affect me this way."

"Ah." Now things were starting to make sense. "Well, 'Mega, I…don't know what to tell you. You do know that she was just using you, right? Right. Maybe this is the end of the, the relationship, such as it was, when she saw she couldn't get anything useful out of you. I'm just sayin'. But it may not be that, either. Have you tried calling her?"

"Yes. Numerous times. I get her voicemail."

"And she hasn't returned your calls? Maybe you should go over there?"

"I do not wish to harass her. If this is indeed the 'big goodbye,' then the sooner and more completely ties are severed, the better for us both. At least, so I surmise. From my admittedly limited experience."

"Omega, look." Hank flopped down in a chair by the Osiran, his former soul brother, and one he still considered a brother from another mother. "I…don't like the notion that she may've hurt you, but, but some people just can't change. Kitten kinda has a rep for doing things like this. I'm sure you're better off without her."

"Perhaps."

He got up. "Well, don't barricade yourself in here the whole time, 'kay? You still have friends out there, friends who really do care about you. So don't….just lock yourself in here. C'mon out and mingle with us, some. At least reassure us you're okay."

"I shall, Hank. And thank you." But privately, he wondered: am I okay?

After Hank left, he glanced down at his T-cell. Maybe he was being premature, but if indeed she wished no further contact with him, then perhaps he could derive some small satisfaction from putting her on call block. That was what humans often did in these circumstances, wasn't it? He groaned inwardly at the thought. I must really be "going native," he thought. Just as he was about to, though, with his finger poised over the button, his cell chimed: an incoming message.

With a shock, he saw it was from Kitten. One word: Help!

To be continued….

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