Teen Titans season 6 fan fic episode 5
H.I.V.E.
Things were deadly in H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Eliminations). Severely dangerous. Bumblebee knew. She knew because she had been there years ago. So this was a piece of cake for her. After the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil 3 years ago, H.I.V.E had all but given up on fighting the Teen Titans (Bumblebee's friends on the west side of Jump City) and focused a majority of their efforts on the Titans East (the team Bumblebee currently was a member of.) Their battles had been long but rewarding as the Titans East kept defeating H.I.V.E at every opportunity. Now, they were pushing H.I.V.E. to their knees. At the moment, Bumblebee had broken into H.I.V.E headquarters undercover. Flying in, she had clubbed a purple-robbed priest and had stolen his garbs. Sneaking in, she discovered that the headmistress was going to have a meeting with her followers.
When Bumblebee had infiltrated H.I.V.E years ago, Brother Blood was the head of the organization until her close friend Cyborg successfully defeated him. Blood had been relieved of duty from H.I.V.E and was sent to prison. A year later, a group of juvenile thugs called the H.I.V.E Five had been canned by the headmistress for failing to defeat the Titans. Except for one: Jinx, who started dating Kid Flash and had joined the Teen Titans until a year ago when she mysteriously left. Kid Flash joined the Titans West shortly after. Now is not the time to dwell, she thought. She had her task. Joining the other hooded priests, she followed them into the same classroom she had once stood four years ago during the initial infiltration. Various other students entered as she stood at the room's far end. They were different from the ones she had been former classmates with. She didn't know all of these students but still knew of some. There was a whale woman named Orca, a bit of a hot head but a dang good swimmer. Clock King was another. Having such an interest in time and clocks, he even wore one as his mask. Cluemaster and Spellbinder were others, but not very interesting to Bumblebee. At that moment, the main doors opened, and she took her position. Flanked by two guards, the H.I.V.E headmistress entered, arms behind her back, ready for business.
"Attention, students!" She began with an aged but powerful voice.
"I know our struggles with the Titans East have left us fruitless and humiliated, but as we continue to obtain new contributors to our cause, our goals shall finally be achieved!"
"With the right leader!" bellowed a deep voice.
The headmistress looked around her for the source of the voice, eventually locking eyes with a mysterious figure, glazed in shadow, kneeling against a wall, arms folded. The headmistress frowned.
"And who would you be?" she questioned furowly.
"You don't remember?" it responded. Slowly stepping out of the shadows, the light revealed the figure of a man with a red and black jumpsuit, a cybernetic eye, and white pointy hair on the side of his head. His name was Blood. And it wasn't a good thing, especially for Bumblebee. Turning back to the headmistress, Bumblebee slowly stepped back before hiding behind a pillar. The headmistress looked furious.
"Brother Blood, your employment at H.I.V.E was terminated years ago! I'm afraid there is no need for any comeback from you," she demanded.
Blood looked utterly unfazed. Quickly, his head turned to the ceiling and nodded. Suddenly, a 6-foot man's silhouette came down from the ceiling's darkness and landed loudly on the ground, his impact created by a pair of metal cleats. The headmistress gasped. The man before them was Slade Wilson, the arch-enemy of the Teen Titans West and former accomplice of H.I.V.E. He had last been seen four years ago when he had been the henchman of the demon Trigon during his invasion of Earth. After Trigon had been destroyed, Slade had all but disappeared. Bumblebee had only heard stories about Slade from Cyborg and his friends, but seeing him in the flesh was more terrifying than picturing him in one's imagination. He stood 6 feet tall, wore a two-toned color mask (one side orange with an eyepiece, the other side black with no eyepiece), several bits of metal armor, a massive sword held in a sheath behind his back, and a crimson crooked "S" burned into the center of the helmet. Bumblebee thought he couldn't be more terrifying until she heard his voice.
"Hello, Headmistress." greeted Slade.
The voice sounded calm but cold. It was like this man knew nothing about pain or remorse—just destruction and sadism. The headmistress stood back, horrified. She turned to her guards and pointed her finger at the two terrorists.
"Guards! Attack!" she bellowed.
The guards didn't move. One of them reached for their helmet and removed it. On the base of the guard stood the head of Jinx, a former member of H.I.V.E. Bumblebee opened her mouth in shock and put her hand up. She knew Jinx from back during her undercover work and fought her and her team, known as the H.I.V.E Five. But after the fight with Brain's brotherhood of evil, she defected thanks to new member Kid Flash. Afterward, most of the brotherhood was unfrozen and locked in prison, save for Brain, Mallah (Brain's gorilla henchman), Rogue (Brain's female assassin), and Immortus (Brain's strategist), who were deemed too dangerous to be left unfrozen. She had joined the Titans East for a while and dated Kid Flash. But one day, she disappeared suddenly, leaving Kid Flash confused and hurt. Bumblebee hadn't seen Jinx until now. She watched as Jinx approached the headmistress with a smug grin on her face.
"Hey, boss! I'm back!" she announced proudly.
"And we ain't alone.".
She then snapped her fingers, and a wall on the left blew straight away. Exiting the blown wall came Gizmo and Mammoth (Jinx's former teammates) and Control Freak, a pudgy fanboy supervillain who can pass through cyberspace. The headmistress, looking terrified, ran towards the doorway she came through. Unfortunately for her, another foe named Killer Moth landed in front of the Headmistress, blocking her way out. Turning around, she saw the last two guards in the room remove their helmets, revealing them to be Dr Light and a girl who looked almost exactly like Starfire but with a darker skin tone and black hair. Bumblebee looked at the students, who stood petrified with fear instead of attempting to defend their instructor. Slade's forces, mainly him and Blackfire, took the ones who dared to protect her. After the last thug was taken care of, Slade turned his attention towards the headmistress. She leaned against the nearest wall, terrified. Slade approached her and lifted his hand. A ball of fire slowly formed.
"Headmistress," began Slade coldly.
"I'm afraid this is where we must part." he finished before tossing the fireball towards her very body.
All Bumblebee could do was stand, petrified to the ground as the ball of fire connected with its target, turning it into nothing more than a pile of ashes.
The headmistress didn't even get a chance to scream for her life.
Blood then walked towards the same spot the headmistress was at moments before her death.
"Students! I have returned to lead H.I.V.E to victory! With the support of our Brotherhood of Evil, we shall be unstoppable! Anyone who wants out can take it up with us or can continue their existence as a brother to Brother Blood!".
The students were still shaken from the experience they had just witnessed. They turned to the pile of ash, then to Slade, then to Blood. They nodded their heads. Bumblebee couldn't take anymore. She ran to where no one could see her and then flew through an opening in the roof. Things just got bad, she thought. Time to get Cyborg involved.
Cyborg had been at it for two days. Sitting by his computer, looking for the various possibilities of Slade's new hideout. He had been taking shifts with Nightwing during this time, refusing to stop until their mortal foe was found and brought to justice. It had been exhausting for the 2 of them. Eating very little and barely drinking. Their intensity was brutal but necessary, considering the crime Slade had admitted to. 2 days earlier, he and Beast Boy snuck out to Slade's hideout, where he admitted to having murdered their former teammate and friend Terra as payback for killing him five years earlier. Slade had escaped afterward, but not before breaking Beast Boy's spirit in a cold, cruel fashion. Since then, Beast Boy had been devastated and spent most of his time in his room. Cyborg seemed to be the only person he was comfortable with talking to. It saddened Cyborg to see his friend that down. He had to find Slade. He just had to. As he was about to put the coordinates of the next possible location Slade could be at, he heard someone enter. He turned to see his team leader, Nightwing, enter the scene, more than likely there to see how Cyborg's process was. "Hey, buddy. Ready for me to take the next shift?" Nightwing asked earnestly. Cyborg turned his chair towards his friend with a concerned look.
" I would, but almost every time I do, you seem to be on that thing longer than how we discussed," replied Cyborg modestly.
Nightwing placed his hand on his head. Cyborg was right. He spent a little more time than he needed to on the computer. He was scared and worried for his team and didn't want anyone to suffer any more pain than they had to. Cyborg approached Nightwing. He looked tired but still in good shape. Nightwing admired that about Cyborg. No matter how hard things got, he could still come out alright.
"Dude, I know you feel bad about what happened to Terra and how it hurt Beast Boy, but you don't have to over-exhaust yourself about it," Cyborg advised.
Nightwing nodded. Considering, Cyborg had once made the same mistake when he bought a Max chip that nearly overloaded him.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied. "Look, I got this all covered," Cyborg assured him.
"If I find something, I'll let you know." Nightwing was about to exit until he stopped.
"By the way, how's Beast Boy doing?" asked Nightwing.
He hadn't heard from Beast Boy much since the dilemma. He had spent most of his time in his room and spoke mainly to Cyborg. He had never seen Beast Boy that way before.
"He's getting better," assured Cyborg.
"Go check on him yourself. He's starting to open up again."
Nightwing smiled. It was good to hear that his friend was recovering. As he left, Cyborg returned to his chair and continued his search. When he returned to the map system, an alert sound rang. Cyborg checked and saw his outside emergency alert system was triggered. He had set it up mainly for the Titans East(the East Coast version of the Teen Titans) in case they needed any help. Cyborg clicked it, and a square video chat box popped up. On the screen appeared Bumblebee, a friend of Cyborg's from the Titans East. Cyborg smiled, hearing from her again.
"Hey, Bee, what's up?" asked Cyborg. Bumblebee looked urgent. It could not have been good.
"Cyborg, we have a problem on our end!"
Nervous, Nightwing ascended to the lounge area to address his fellow Titans. He hesitated to check on Beast Boy for a moment, knowing that most people would instead be left alone than talked to when upset. He had given Raven her privacy before, but the circumstances were different. Raven's need was because she needed to keep her emotions in check, or else the power that Trigon had given her could cause god knows what kind of damage. It may be easier with Beast Boy. In the room, he found Starfire and Wonder Girl sitting and chatting with each other. Raven wasn't in the room. More than likely, she was meditating in her room. Kid Flash was off to buy groceries for the Titans, and the only one missing was Beast Boy. Wonder Girl noticed Nightwing and waved to him.
"Hey, big guy! Thought you were taking the tracking shift," she exclaimed brightly.
Nightwing shrugged.
"Cyborg suggested I take a break this time around," he informed the others.
Starfire smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes, I believe that would be for the best." she agreed.
Nightwing stood for a moment, looking at Starfire. Sometimes, he almost forgot how beautiful yet powerful she was. That was a good quality, in his opinion. Eyebrows shooting up, he remembered why he came upstairs.
"Hey, is Beast Boy still in his room?" he asked.
Wonder Girl and Starfire looked at each other, somewhat concerned.
"Not exactly," replied Wonder Girl, pointing her hand toward the couch area.
Nightwing approached it and saw Beast Boy sitting on the couch playing a video game. Nightwing was used to this by now, knowing how much Beast Boy loved his games. But Beast Boy looked different this time. His face was frowning in concentration, but it felt like it was mixed with an ounce of hatred. His eyes looked baggy, and judging by the puddle under his rear, he might have either wet himself or sweating a lot. Nightwing was confused until he turned to the monitor. On it was a fighting game, but one of the two combatants looked too familiar. Beast Boy's player was an Asian-looking guy wearing a white unitard and bandana, while the opponent was taller, wearing an orange and black helmet, and had silver armor over a black jumpsuit. Nightwing looked at Beast Boy, and the fire was still burning. He decided to say something.
"Hey, Beast Boy, mind taking a break from the game?" he suggested.
Beast Boy flung his hand on the couch.
He seemed agitated.
"Just another minute," he grumbled.
Nightwing looked back at the screen and noticed that the game seemed new, meaning someone had bought it for him. He raised an eyebrow in thought. Cyborg had been busy in the monitor lab the past few days, so that it couldn't have been him. There was only one other person in the building who he knew that was into video games. As if God had brought the answer, Nightwing felt a big gust of wind behind him. Turning, he saw Kid Flash with bags in his hand, having returned from grocery shopping. "Ok, guys," he said with a smile. "I got the fruit, the veggies, hair gel for Nightwing, some robot parts for Cyborg to toy with, a six-pack of mustard for Starfire, and, before you ask, I did not ask the lady at the pet store for larva food because she would think I'm nuts and have me committed. I got cat chow!".
He exclaimed that at a very rapid rate as he quickly got everything out of the bags. Trying to be helpful, Nightwing grabbed the six-pack of mustard and gave it to Starfire. Like a firecracker, she caught 2 of the bottles and gobbled them down as Nightwing, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl looked in awe.
"Uh, are you sure that's healthy for her?" asked Wonder Girl curiously.
Nightwing smiled and shook his head.
"Nah, she digs this stuff. Part of the reason we rarely go to barbecues.".
Kid Flash looked on in amazement.
"Wow! Remind me to have her at the next hot dog eating contest," he remarked, impressed. Nightwing put his arm on Kid Flash's shoulder.
" Well, she's got nine stomachs, so you two would probably win in no time. Speaking of games." Nightwing interjected.
He took Kid Flash to the lounge area and pointed his hand out at Beast Boy, playing the game.
"When and why?" he asked sternly.
Kid Flash stood dumbfounded for a second, then his eyes widened, realizing what was being inferred.
"Oh, the game. Well, you see, I felt bad for the kid, so to get him out of his room, I got him this game and customized one of the characters to look like Slade to take his emotions out on him. Pretty good, huh?" he said proudly.
Nightwing, on the other hand, sighed heavily.
"Kid Flash, listen. I know you mean well, but I'd rather help Beast Boy in a more relaxing way. Not by increasing his aggression." he explained.
Kid Flash looked a little sheepish.
"I'm just trying to.." he began, but Nightwing cut him off.
"I know! But there are other ways. More constructive ways."
Turning to Beast Boy, Nightwing approached the monitor and unplugged it.
"Hey!" exclaimed Beast Boy in anger.
He approached Nightwing with a frown on his face.
"I think you've played enough," Nightwing explained. Before anything else could happen, Cyborg barged into the lounge in a panic.
"Guys, we've got trouble!"
"Taken over H.I.V.E?!" exclaimed Nightwing, surprised. The group had gathered in the computer room to hear about the news. On the monitor were Bumblebee and Tempest (who used to be Aqualad) video chatting from their headquarters. It had only been a few days since Cyborg and Beast Boy drove Slade from his old base, so hearing this news was both great and terrifying.
"Yeah, he just came in with those 3 Hive Five fools, Control Freak, Blood, Light, Moth, and this girl who looks like Starfire and just turned the headmistress into a pile of ash!" explained Bumblebee.
The Titans looked at each other in shock and dismay. Cyborg looked at Beast Boy, who seemed sick to his stomach. Cyborg knew why: Slade had claimed he killed Terra days ago, and now Bee just described how Slade killed the headmistress. God only knows what kind of picture that creates for someone who has only heard but not witnessed the death of a friend. He looked at Nightwing, whose expression was a mix of sternness and panic.
"Ok. Bumblebee, can you think of any reason Slade would be interested in H.I.V.E?" he asked.
"Well," interjected Cyborg.
"Brother Blood was the leader of H.I.V.E before I whooped his butt and sent him to the slammer."
He paused for a beat to high-five a begrudged Beast Boy at the mention of his past victory before resuming his theory.
"Maybe it's to help Blood take back control of H.I.V.E." The group looked at him, perplexed. "Yeah, but that's more of what Blood wants," pointed out Raven, eyebrow raised.
"We need to know what Slade specifically wants with the facility."
"Yeah," agreed Nightwing.
"He did have deals with H.I.V.E in the past, but they never betrayed or demoted him like Blood and the Hive Five. Is there any projects H.I.V.E could be working on that Slade would be interested in?".
Tempest and Bumblebee looked at each other and then back at the monitor.
"Well, they did recently recruit some new students, most with super abilities like us, but from what Bee told us, it isn't a small order like last time."
Wonder Girl approached the monitor with curiosity on the whole matter.
"How many?" she asked nervously. Bumblebee took a deep breath before answering.
"50, give or take. They seemed pretty scared after what Slade did. Wouldn't surprise me if they joined him already out of fear."
Nightwing looked back at his team with an "Are you up for this?" expression. The six nodded. Nightwing turned back to the monitor, feeling confident.
"OK, we'll meet you up in a few hours. Make sure your team is ready for anything."
Rust. Again. Chang was used to scraping it off, not that he wanted to. After three years, his entire career fell through the floors. The villain community of Jump City had all but shunned him after his freezing system put half of the old Brotherhood in ice, and H.I.V.E would only allow him to be the boiler room mechanic. Such a waste. Despite him and most of the other criminals having been unfrozen for jail time, Brain, Mallah, Rogue, and Immortus were the only ones to have remained frozen due to them having been deemed too dangerous to be left unfrozen. Hearing footsteps behind him, Chang sighed heavily in frustration.
"I said, Headmistress, pipes will be fixed when pipes are fixed!" he snapped as he turned around.
His jaw dropped when he saw that it was not the Headmistress he had snapped at but the giant figure of Slade Wilson, a terrorist who had fought the Titans in the past and had greater success than most in his endeavors. Chang had only encountered him a few times before disappearing, and seeing him here was enough to make him soil his trousers.
"Ahh, Mr Slade!" greeted Chang with a nervous bow.
Slade only raised his eyebrow in dry skepticism. Chang, sweating, lifted his body and looked around Slade. Next to him was Brother Blood, a former H.I.V.E operative who had been arrested years ago, Gizmo, a short mechanic who worked with the Hive Five, and a girl who looked oddly like Starfire, except she had black hair and darker tones to her skin and clothes. Chang turned back to Slade and smiled to hide his inner fear.
"W-where is the headmistress?" he asked nervously.
"She has been handled for good!" replied Slade coldly.
Chang's smile almost faded until he remembered that she had forced him to do a chump job in a boiler room instead of a position that could utilize his brilliant intelligence. So, his sympathy could not be given to her. He could tell that Slade needed something from him to be in his presence, and Chang was eager.
"It has been years since your legendary career was put on hold. What services may I provide for the great one?" he asked.
In response, Slade slapped a handful of little chips in his hand, all with the letter "S" imprinted. Chang looked up, confused.
"Nanomites," Slade explained.
" These things, if implanted in the bodies of a normal civilian, latch themselves onto the blood cells of the organism and remain until the holder of the control trigger deactivates them. When the trigger is pressed, the organism is slowly electrocuted until death."
Chang was still looking on with confusion.
"And what am I to do with this?" he questioned nervously.
Gizmo and Blood looked at each other in annoyance at Chang's cluelessness while the Starfire doppelganger mildly chuckled and folded her arms. She was obviously amused at the display of cluelessness. On the other hand, Slade answered calmly, his gaze not leaving Chang.
"These are to be replicated within the hour—350 max. Then we take it to the waterworks facility. Once unloaded, the chips shall penetrate every sewer system, leading to every sink, bathtub, water fountain, and shower in Jump City. Have my brotherhood supply the deed."
Chang smiled evilly at the plan. It was an honor to be given an extreme and high task by the legendary Slade Wilson, and his time had come. Chang bowed once again in glee at the task. Slade then turned his head to Blood and Gizmo.
"My associates here shall assist you in the replication process."
The gesture clearly angered Gizmo (he had been frozen along with the original brotherhood three years ago by Chang's creation), but Blood looked at Chang with extreme disinterest. Chang gestured to the two to follow him, and they paced closely behind him. Gizmo yanked Chang by the ear as they walked to Chang's office and pulled it to his mouth.
"If your incompetence gets me in the dog pen again, I swear I'll put your head somewhere no one will find it!" he threatened in his high, juvenile pitch.
Chang frowned at him and continued to lead the pair.
Slade ascended the stairs, Blackfire following him at his side, up towards the main levels of the H.I.V.E headquarters. Slade looked at her for a moment with his single eye and pondered. She had skill. Confidence. Even ruthless passion. Slade admired those in an individual. He had intended to push those traits upon his would-be apprentices in the past, but the ruthless passion had failed to come to pass. Robin would have only agreed to work with him if he had to, but the one flaw was the boy's extreme loyalty to his comrades to the point he'd even give his own life to save them.
The boy had obviously been trained well by one he had previously described as the father he already had. Terra, on the other hand, was easier. When he had discovered her, she was alone, her parents having tried to murder her for her unique ability. Her fear of humanity's fear was an essential trait that could be weaponized psychologically for chaos. For a while, he had managed to convince her that the Titans were enemies that had to be eliminated and even successfully snuck her in as an inside agent. The apprenticeship would have worked if not for the child Beast Boy seeing the good within her. Thanks to the green changeling, she rebelled against Slade and sent him to his death at the hands of a raging volcano. The problems that infected Robin and Terra seemed to be absent in Blackfire. Slade thought to himself about the possibility of a third apprentice. One with no qualms of vice, one with complete loyalty to her master, one who knew one of his foes greater than Slade could know. By the time the two had reached the top of the stairs, Slade put his arm in front of her to stop her. She turned to him with a slick smile.
"Wanna chat about something, Slade?" she asked confidently.
"Your skills are exceptional. You could be a more valuable asset than the rest of these...pawns."
Blackfire raised an eyebrow in skepticism. She was both excited and nervous about what Slade was implying.
"You mean like a vice leader position?" she asked. Slade put his arm on her shoulder.
"Maybe something more."
"Ok, remind me again why we can't just take the sub there?" asked Nightwing as he and his team followed Wonder Girl to the hangar.
She had insisted that the Titans use her personal use of travel to get to the Titans East's lair quicker as opposed to the submarine. She hadn't told anyone exactly what her mode of transportation was to make it a surprise.
"I told you it's a surprise! Like nothing you've seen before!" responded Wonder Girl eagerly.
Cyborg rolled his eyes, annoyed.
"Better be", he grunted.
"I spent half a month modifying the sub for faster undersea travel for nothing."
Wonder Girl shot him an unimpressed frown. They walked down the stairs into the giant garage, covered with various projects on Cyborg's behalf, as well as Cyborg's car and Nightwing's bike. Wonder Girl stepped away from the others to stand near a giant empty space she had reserved when she joined the team, her arms holding out towards the spot. The team looked confused.
"Uh... The transportation is air?" asked a baffled, eyebrowed, raised Raven.
Cyborg folded his arms and looked up and down.
"Where is it? You said you had transportation."
Wonder Girl looked confused, darted her eyes toward the space, and then turned around laughing.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, it's called the invisible jet. I meant to tell you a while back, but I forgot," she explained.
The team looked at her like she lost it. Suddenly, Beast Boy, who was still glum-faced, stood up.
"I'll be the judge of that!" he exclaimed haplessly.
He jumped in the air before turning himself into a crow and charged toward the empty space. He then crashed into a force barrier made seemingly out of thin air. He slowly slid from the barrier and onto the floor. Wonder Girl grabbed his small injured form and put him on her shoulder. Cyborg chuckled a little.
"I like it already!" he commented.
After Beast Boy recovered and rejoined the circle, Wonder Girl gave the scoop on the jet.
"Here's what you need to know about this: 1. I have a scanning device made to help you guys move around in here because it's. Well, Invisible. 2. Don't mess with any of the controls on the ship, no matter what. 3. If you need to go to the bathroom, do it before you get on. Any questions?".
Kid Flash raised his hand.
"Yes?".
" Why can't we use the bathroom on it? Does it not have one?" asked Kid Flash. Wonder Girl sighed and folded her arms.
"It does, but the walls are see-through- so basically everyone will see your business."
Kid Flash lowered his hand. In a gust of wind, he swooped out of the room and back. The sound of the toilet flushing could be heard.
"Any other questions?" she asked.
Cyborg raised his hand. " Just how long have you had this for, and where did it come from?" he asked skeptically. Wonder Girl chuckled and pressed her palms onto her waist.
"When I was Wonder Woman's sidekick, this is what she'd use to get from place to place undetected. After I joined you guys, she let me have it as a loan! Now, all aboard Titans Airlines!" she said, waving her arm invitingly.
Cyborg and Kid Flash looked at each other before shrugging and ascending the jet. Nightwing, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire followed suit. Nightwing turned to Starfire.
" You wanna go on, or would you prefer to fly on the side?" he asked considerately.
She turned to him and smiled.
"I think it would be better if we were together," she responded hopefully.
"Flying on my own is enjoyable, but flying with you is much more pleasurable."
Nightwing smiled, his cheeks turning red. She could tell he was struggling and more than likely wanted to be by him, to comfort him and remind him that the weight of the world wasn't all on his back. But he wanted her to at least know he was ok and could handle himself as well. She deserved some independence.
"I mean, it's no problem; I can wave at you through the walls," he offered. Starfire chuckled a little and wrapped her hand around Nightwing's.
"It's no problem. This is going to be a mission of evil proportions. Knowing you have someone helps not only one person feel better, but the other."
She then dragged him up the ramp playfully as Nightwing tried to keep up. After everyone got in, the jet lifted from the ground and soared into the air.
Thirty minutes had passed after they had left the hangar, and almost everyone looked downright bored. Nightwing was examining his staff, Starfire was drinking one of her mustard bottles, and Kid Flash and Raven were asleep. On the other side, Cyborg was half asleep while Beast Boy continued to sulk. Cyborg tilted his head in exhaustion before jolting it back up after seeing the invisible floor projecting a massive height. Cyborg had a fear of really tall heights, which was part of the reason why he wanted to go underwater. Cyborg called for Wonder Girl up front to take his mind off the dizziness.
"What is it, Cyborg?" she asked.
"Uh, is there anything here for entertainment that's not invisible? Like a magazine or something?".
Wonder Girl sighed and shook her head. Another height, scaredy cat, she thought to herself.
"Should be something up in the above compartments," she responded dryly.
Cyborg pursed his lips as he reached for the overhead compartments, but it was hard to figure out where it was since it was invisible. Grabbing a handle seemingly made of air, Cyborg smiled and yanked it. Suddenly, as if coming out of thin air, a small avalanche of clothes and sports equipment tumbled out and covered Starfire, Nightwing, Kid Flash, and Raven. Nightwing and Raven frowned at Cyborg while Starfire curiously looked through the clothes. Kid Flash had slept through it until a baseball rolled out and knocked his head. Kid Flash woke up and looked at the ball and the others in confusion.
"Ok, two questions. 1. Why am I covered with girl's clothes? And 2. Who hit the home run?".
Cyborg smiled nervously at his goof. Wonder Girl saw the mess and shook her head.
"The other one, you goof!" she contorted. She turned to Raven, and Raven nodded in response. Lifting her hand, she uttered her Azrath catchphrase, and the clothes and equipment were sucked back into the compartment. Cyborg shrugged and looked out at the clouds. Afterward, Kid Flash looked at Beast Boy's depressed expression and felt sympathy. Looking for advice, he tapped Raven on the shoulder.
"Um… may I help you?" she asked, annoyed.
Kid Flash gulped. He forgot how irritable Raven could be, so from now on, he would make sure his request for attention was a good use of time for her.
"Um.. about Beast Boy… is he going to be ok?" he asked nervously.
Raven looked to Beast Boy and then to her lap before sighing.
"If this is about the video game failing earlier, I think the best way for this is to give Beast Boy time to heal," she responded dryly.
Kid Flash looked at the kid and then got an idea.
"Or maybe a little chat," he responded.
Getting up, he approached Cyborg and tapped his shoulder.
"Wanna trade?" he asked politely.
Cyborg nodded and sat in the invisible seat next to Raven. Looking around in boredom, he turned to Raven.
"Got any of your magic books on ya?" he asked hopefully. Raven shook her head. "Wonder Girl was so eager to get us in here; I was unable to grab any."
Cyborg groaned in frustration. Desperate, he pulled himself up and looked upon Nightwing and Starfire in their seats.
" You guys got anything?" he asked.
Starfire looked at him and then dug into her pockets. Her hands came out empty.
"I got nothing. Nightwing?" she asked. Nightwing dug into his pockets and dug out a calculator.
"Well, I got a calculator." he began, but Cyborg eagerly grabbed it out of his hand and said, "Deal!" before flicking his thumbs up and down on the calculator keys.
Kid Flash sat in his invisible seat and gently put his hand on Beast Boy's back.
"Hey, you alright kid?" he asked. Beast Boy straightened himself in the chair and nodded towards Kid Flash. Kid Flash pursed his lips in nervousness. This wasn't going to be easy. "Look, I understand what you're going through. You got your heart broken, then found out that she died, and it wasn't real. I felt like that when Jinx left me. I wanted to know more, but I felt that it was better to leave things be. But I figured that if I kept mopping, things would not get better. So, even today, I keep the faith. If you keep the faith, kid, things could be better." he said. Beast Boy smiled at his comforting words. Afterward, Wonder Girl announced that they were about to descend. Nightwing looked out the jet and saw Tempest and Arsenal waiting for them to land on The Titans East's landing pad. The jet dropped, and the Titans departed down the invisible ramp. Nightwing approached Tempest and shook his hand. "Been a while." greeted Nightwing with a smile. "Too long," responded Tempest. "Follow me". He gestured them onto a nearby platform that doubled as an elevator. The platform slowly submerged into Tempest's cave, where his team was gathered in their lounge area along with the sea creatures that lived there. They all looked pleased to see their Western counterparts. "All right, crew! Titans West is here!" announced Tempest. They all got up and ran to the Titans. "M'ghan!" Starfire greeted Ms. Martian as they embraced each other. Ms. Martian was the niece of Martian Manhunter and had joined the Titans East a few months after the defeat of Brain's Brotherhood and the Titan's encounter in Tokyo. She had been at Nightwing and Starfire's wedding and became close friends with Starfire and Raven. "Starfire, how have things been with your friends?" asked Ms. Martian earnestly. Starfire smiled.
"Oh, just wonderful!"/ Raven then walked up as Miss Martian held her hand out for a fist bump.
"Hey, how's my favorite telepath doing?" she asked.
Raven returned it and answered telepathically, "Just great!".
Nightwing turned to see Cyborg chatting with Bumblebee and Beast Boy towards the Hispanic speedsters as the girls talked.
"Mas! Menos! How ya dudes doing?" said Beast Boy happily.
The twins rushed over to Beast Boy to greet him. Mas Y Menos were a pair of Hispanic speedster twins who spoke only Spanish. Luckily, Beast Boy learned some Spanish in the past three years. They greeted him in Spanish and shook Beast Boy's hands. Meanwhile, Cyborg walked to the Blue beetle to greet him. Beetle became friends with Cyborg after a mission in Europe during their fight with Brain's Brotherhood. After Brain's defeat, Beetle joined the Titans East via a recommendation by Cyborg.
"Hey, man! How's it been?" asked Cyborg.
Beetle fist-bumped him and folded his arms. "Great! Missions have been pretty good, if not perfect!". Cyborg looked around towards Beetle's back in the conversation.
"How's the bug doing?" he asked jokingly.
Beetle turned around, and on his back was a sky-blue scarab attached just meters below the neck base. The scarab was an extra-terrestrial insect that granted Beetle his powers and armor. Lastly, Kid-Flash went to chat with his young nephew Bart Allen, aka Impulse. Impulse was the son of the Flash and Iris West, Kid Flash's sister. Impulse was mostly deadpan (Nightwing felt he and Raven would get along well) but also a good teammate towards the Titans East. Kid Flash's relationship with him was still in the works since Impulse preferred to keep to himself. That didn't stop Kid Flash from chatting it up with him regardless.
"Hey, Kiddo! How's things going in the east?" he asked.
Impulse was playing a video game on his phone, his fingers flying fast from his super speed. He then turned to him and put his phone in his pocket. "Oh, Hey, Uncle Wally," he replied smugly. Kid Flash raised his eyebrow. He was clearly annoyed by the attitude. "Ok, enough small talk. How have things been with the East?" he asked. "Oh, great. Better than in the tower you live in with the pe-" Kid Flash put his hand on his nephew's mouth before he could finish. He looked at Starfire nervously, still talking to Miss Martian, and then turned back to Impulse. "I thought we agreed that whatever I said about Starfire's larva would stay between us," he grunted. Impulse grabbed his uncle's hand and yanked it from his mouth before folding his arms. "All right, whatever, geez."
Nightwing grinned at the interactions.
Turning to Tempest, he knew the look on his face meant time for business.
"Ok, guys! Enough small talk! It's time to get into action!"
It had been two hours, but Gizmo and Chang finally did it. Three hundred fifty nanomite chips were created and replicated. To their annoyance, Brother Blood had overseen them, as he was very strict on the two criminals. Loading them into a crate, Chang pushed them down the long, narrow hallway of H.I.V.E headquarters, followed closely by Gizmo. As they were walking, Gizmo continuously frowned at Chang, much to his annoyance. "I take it your look of disgust is regarding my freeze-ray incident three years ago?" he asked sarcastically. Gizmo rolled his eyes and looked away. "Just keep pushing, pal!" he contorted. Chang frowned and continued pushing the cart. When they reached the end of the hallway, a pair of giant doors stood before them. The room behind it used to be the office of the now-deceased headmistress, now belonging to Slade. Chang gulped. He had only met Slade a few times but still knew what the man could do. Chang turned to Gizmo, who looked undeterred. Gizmo had worked for Slade before but was mainly on loan from H.I.V.E then. For one so small, he showed little fear towards the prominent hulking figure. The doors opened suddenly, startling Chang. In the room, Slade sat at a desk, his hands folded on the table and his expression hidden beneath a two-toned, one-eyed mask, and around the room appeared to be relics from Slade's previous battles. One of which was a pair of dog tags hanging from the back window reading "Slade, "the terminator" Wilson." Chang raised his eyebrow in curiosity but knew better than to question Slade's past. Other relics included a red mask, an old axe pole, and other items on some shelves. Rising from his chair, Slade walked around the chrome desk and approached the two henchmen. "Are the devices ready?" he asked. Chang opened his mouth to speak, but Gizmo shoved him out of the way and answered the question. "Yes! 350 nanomites built, replicated, and configured to your liking!". Slade bent his head down towards Gizmo. "Congratulations," he replied. Gizmo smiled with a smug expression. Getting back onto his feet, Chang walked before Gizmo to get his say. "Uh, Mr Slade? What exactly do we do with all these nanomites, if I may ask?". Slade turned his back to them with his hands behind his back. "Bring them to the waterworks. Bring two teams with you to supply them."
The Titans East were gathered in front of the Titans West and Tempest sometime later to hear information on defeating the new Brotherhood of Evil. The Titans east had faced Moth, Light, Freak, the H.I.V.E five, and Brother Blood in the past, but they had not faced Slade or Blackfire before. As soon as everyone was in place, Nightwing stood up, with Tempest and the Titans west behind him, and gave the others the needed information. "Ok, Titans East! Listen up!You all know why we are gathered here: our enemies have once again united against us. The only difference is their new leader." He pressed a little panel on Tempest's keyboard monitor, and an image of Slade appeared on the display. " This man here is Slade Wilson. He is a sadistic madman who has been our foe since the beginning. We last saw him four years ago after we had saved Earth from the demon Trigon. He went into hiding for the past few years and has returned with some of our other enemies." Suddenly, Blue Beetle raised his hand. Cyborg nodded his permission to speak to him, with Nightwing following suit. "Why and how did he come back?" he asked curiously. The Titans West each looked at each other uncomfortably before Nightwing explained. "Two years before our fight with the brotherhood of evil.." he began before stopping. He remembered that Beast Boy was standing by him as he spoke and turned to Beast Boy. He looked back at Nightwing. Knowing that this conversation would upset him and be useful info for their friends on the East side of the city, Beast Boy smiled and nodded. Nightwing turned back to the others and continued. "We met a girl named Tara, who we let join us. She was young, alone, and in need of our help. What we didn't know was that she was actually a double agent sent by Slade to kill us. She eventually redeemed herself and helped us defeat Slade at the cost of her own life. But a year later.." "I got this one." Raven interjected. Nightwing walked back to give Raven the spotlight. Since this had involved her, it was only fair that she explained the deal with Trigon. "My father Trigon later found him in the underworld. Trigon, despite being my father, was not a good guy. He revived Slade, promised him mortality, and gave him powerful abilities to defeat us. My father needed Slade to get to me, to use me as a vessel to Earth for an armageddon beyond your imagination. After a long struggle, I surrendered myself to Slade and was placed in a secure location in the underworld, in a five-year-old body. Because I allowed Slade to bring me in instead of being kidnapped, his deal with my father was broken, and his abilities were removed. He later discovered a passageway in the underworld that contained his mortality and his powers. But there was one thing that stood in his way: Trigon. The only person who could defeat him was me." she finished. Nightwing took back the stage and finished her story. "He came to us, agreeing to assist in bringing Raven back and stopping Trigon. Little did we know it was a ruse: Slade needed me to bring Raven back because he knew she wouldn't trust him because of all the horrible things he had done. He said that he cared about this city as much as we did and wanted his mortality back. He only half told the truth. The passage also contained the abilities Trigon took from him for failing the bargain. While I got Raven out of there, Slade regained his abilities and mortality. Raven was only needed to kill Trigon so Slade could keep those abilities and take us on. He disappeared after that, only to return a week ago with a few of our old foes, as Bumblebee probably explained." The group looked in awe at this speech, not knowing what to make of it. Nightwing looked at his team nervously before looking back at the Titans East. Considering how powerful Slade was now, It was a lot to take in for their friends on the east. Thinking to himself, he realized one other important detail he hadn't mentioned. "There is also another foe you haven't fought yet that we need to make you aware of." he announced, turning to Starfire. She nodded and took the spotlight, clearing her throat. "I haven't discussed this info with you, friends, but I have an older sister. Her name is Blackfire, but unlike me, she wants to do evil. I had last seen her years ago, planning to trick me into an engagement in a plot for power. Thanks to the help of my friends, we stopped her evil plan, and she was exiled far away". She took a deep breath after that. The mention of these events was painful to her. " I never saw her again until recently. She has joined Slade and his brotherhood, and she can be very dangerous and will not show mercy." She stopped and took another breath. Stepping back, she turned away, the memory of her sister's betrayal burdening her mind., Nightwing gestured to Tempest to let the others know it was now break time. Cyborg caught up with Beast Boy and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Hey, pretty brave how you let Nightwing talk about what happened with Terra and hold your shiz together, pal." he complimented. Beast Boy weakly smiled at him. On the other side of the room, Nightwing was talking with Starfire. "Where do we start with this?" asked Starfire. "How will we know what Slade is up to knowing he owns H.I.V.E.?"
Nightwing looked towards Cyborg and back towards Starfire with a smile. "Cyborg said he might have recorded some data on his internal hard drive from when he and Beast Boy were at Slade's old base. Let's see what he has on it."
It had only been a day since returning to H.I.V.E. For Jinx, it felt like an eternity in hell. She had not wanted this. Sitting on her bed, Jinx dug into her bag and picked out a small wooden box with the words "secret stuff" written on the lid with a red marker. Opening it, she pulled out a picture she had placed in and various small love items, including Valentine's hearts and jewelry. The picture had an image of her and Kid Flash kissing each other during their one-year anniversary celebration. The image brought a tear to her eye. She missed him. She couldn't stand working for Slade now. But if she didn't do it, he'd kill her. She sucked her tears up as best she could. It was challenging. Hearing a knock on her door, she put the picture back in the case and shoved it into her bag as quickly as possible. "Yes?" she answered with a flavor of sarcasm. The door opened, and her former cohorts, Gizmo and Mammoth, stood in the archway. Jinx frowned at them and turned her head away. Gizmo was not deterred. "Hey, you're coming with us. Slade needs us to deliver our shipments. We're going in 2 groups," he informed her.
Jinx's back remained turned towards them. "And what if I say no?" she responded bitterly. Gizmo screwed up his face in disgust at her refusal. He looked at Mammoth, who frowned towards Jinx. Mammoth stepped forth and grabbed Jinx's shoulder. She jerked it away from him and, turning quickly around, used her telekinesis to shove the big brute right towards Gizmo. Gizmo promptly jumped out of the way as his partner was thrown toward his direction on the ground, and Mammoth's body landed with a massive thud on the floor. Jinx then angrily marched towards the door and grabbed it, focusing her angry gaze on Gizmo. "Go away!" she demanded. As Jinx attempted to shut the door, Gizmo grabbed it with his right hand to hold it open and grabbed a trigger device from his pocket with his left. When Jinx's eyes spotted the trigger, she released her grip on the door and collapsed on the ground, propping herself up with her hands. Her eyes were still locked onto the trigger, which brought fear to her eyes. Gizmo slowly edged his finger towards it with a taunting grin. "Let's try this again," he taunted. "Are you coming or not?". Jinx lowered her head as she pulled herself to her feet before sighing with defeat. "Yes," she groaned. Gizmo grabbed her arm, and Jinx let him lead her to the door as Mammoth struggled back to his feat. Before closing her door, Jinx looked at her bag containing the memories. Oh, Wally. I'm sorry about this; she thought as the door shut.
For about an hour, Nightwing, Starfire, Tempest, and Cyborg had uploaded Cyborg's memory mainframe to the control console to discover through the fps memory if there were any clues to Slade's next play of attack. They had replayed the last memory view of Cyborg seeing Slade leave with Brother Blood as his headquarters collapsed due to Beast Boy's attempted attack on him. So far, they had nothing. "If Slade had any supplies for a crime, it seems like they would've been destroyed in the collapse," noted Tempest. Nightwing looked curiously at Tempest and then back on the monitor. Something didn't add up. If Slade were going to H.I.V.E., he would've had a deep purpose. They looked at the monitor for a few more minutes until Starfire pointed at the screen. "I see something! Zoom in!" she proclaimed excitedly.
Tempest quickly tapped the keys on the monitor's keyboard and zoomed in on the opening to Slade's escaped pod. Nightwing leaned forward onto the keys and noticed what Starfire noticed: next to Slade on the ground was a box made of wood. The lid was slightly askew, and on the tippy top, several small silver disks were stacked onto each other. Nightwing recognized them. "Nanomites," he said. Tempest looked at Nightwing, confused. "What's a nanomite?" he asked. Tempest wasn't with them all those years ago when Slade's tech injected his team, so it made sense to Nightwing to need clarification about the tech. Cyborg piped up with the description.
"Devices that Slade built years ago," he explained, removing the USB cords from his head. "He put them into me, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven to blackmail Rob- I mean Nightwing here into becoming his little Slade Jr." Tempest held his hand to his mouth as he tried not to laugh at the "Slade Jr." quote openly. Nightwing rolled his eyes at the humor of it. "Sorry, sorry," apologized Tempest as he pulled himself together. "Continue." Cyborg sighed and resumed the explanation. "Anyway, the device causes radioactive electrical pain to the body. It's minor at first, but if held on for a long enough time, it could be fatal." he finished. The room stayed silent for a moment before Starfire broke the silence. "Why would Slade need more? Why now?" she asked. Tempest leaned on the control console, arms folded in thought while Cyborg placed his hand into a fist and placed it under his chin. What would Slade do with it? Thought Cyborg. It then came to him. "Wait a minute. With all those nanomites and the technology H.I.V.E has, he could try to infect probably the entire city or something," he explained. Nightwing nodded convincingly, but there was still a hole in Cyborg's logic. "How would he infect the city with it, though?" he asked. Cyborg pondered that for a second until his eyes peered onto Tempest. He got it! "Water!" he announced. Tempest unfolded his arms in shock at the assessment. "How would he use water?" "Think about it!" Cyborg pointed out. "What do most humans consume daily that can penetrate most parts of our body? Water! Showers, sinks, fountains, baths, pools! They must be going to the waterworks! Boo ya!" he finished. Nightwing raised an eyebrow in confusion at the last part. "Why say boo ya at a time like this?" he asked. "Because I figured it out!" said Cyborg. Nightwing sighed and turned to Starfire. She shrugged in reply. But there was one flaw in this knowledge: Jump City had two water work plants on the northern and southern halves of the city. "We'll have to go in pairs," he commanded. "Grab the others and go!"
In the lounge area of the Titans Cave, the other Titans were passing the time, waiting for their other teammates to figure out Slade's plan until Nightwing, Cyborg, Starfire, and Tempest returned with the info discovered. "We figured it out! They're going to the waterworks," announced Cyborg. The crowded room turned to them, their attention earned. Mas Y Menos high-fived each other in excitement while Impulse rolled his eyes as his gaze returned to his phone. Raven, who had been chatting with Ms. Martian and Wonder Girl, was the first one to question the discovery. "Why the water works? Is Slade building a water slide or something?" she asked sarcastically. Ms Martian snickered at the remark but quickly composed herself so their leaders could explain the deal. "Remember the nanomites?" asked Nightwing. Beast Boy, who had been taking a nap on one of the recliners in the cave, woke up suddenly at the sound of the word. "What?! Is Slade going to torture us with it again?!" he asked loudly. "No, Beast Boy. Worse," replied Cyborg. Beast Boy gulped.
"We believe Slade is planning to infect the city's water supply with nanometers at one of the waterworks." "We'll need to split into teams," commanded Nightwing. "Team one's with me. Cyborg, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, and Arsenal will make the team up. Team 2, led by Tempest, will be Raven, Ms Martian, Mas Y Menos, Impulse, Kid Flash, Beast Boy, and Bumblebee. Titans Go!" As everyone went to their vehicles, Nightwing closely eyed Kid Flash as he raced his nephew to their sub. He put Kid Flash and Beast Boy on the second team because Kid Flash seemed on the airplane to do a better job making Beast Boy feel better than the other Titans. He liked that.
It had been nearly 30 minutes of underwater diving, but it was worth it when team B arrived at the eastern waterworks. After docking near a dock, Tempest quickly departed, followed by Raven, Mas Y Menos, Miss Martian, impulse, Kid Flash, and Bumblebee. The water works building they approached was a set of 5 big buildings connected by several water tanks being processed. Tempest ordered the team to hide behind an alleyway nearby to spy when the villains arrived. After a while, they saw a truck pull up toward the plant. "Is that them?" asked Impulse. Tempest looked towards Raven for examination. She nodded before placing two hands on her forehead and closing her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened them. "Yes, I can sense the presence of at least ten assailants," she confirmed. Turning back to the truck, Tempest saw a pair of doors open in the back, and a group of figures exited. Bumblebee had mentioned several of these thugs while spying on H.I.V., and the crew wasn't hard to identify. The one in front was obviously Gizmo, judging by his height. Behind him were a few other criminals from H.I.V.E including Private Hive (a foe the Titans fought in the past), Sportsmaster (a criminal who was said to have fought with sports equipment), Lock-Up (an ex corrupt prison guard), Slipknot (a criminal who uses adhesive ropes), Javelin (a criminal who exploits a long pole for combat), Savant (a weapons expert), Xl (an alien thief), Trident ( an old foe of Aqualad's), and the final one was a girl who Kid Flash immediately recognized. "Jinx!" he exclaimed softly. Bumblebee turned to him and put her hand on him sympathetically. "Look, if doing this is going to be hard on you…" she began, but Kid Flash then spoke up. "No, I got this". Bumblebee nodded her head, supportedly, and returned her sights to the criminals entering the works. Kid Flash turned towards Beast Boy. He looked decently focused on the mission but still a little troubled. Kid Flash knew he was close to getting Beast Boy's groove back, and now was his chance to finish the task. Kneeling, he grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders lightly and pulled him closer towards him. "Listen, when we go in, stick by my side, buddy." The boy nodded innocently. Kid Flash nodded and resumed watching with the others. They saw Gizmo go into the truck and lift out a giant crate that he was obviously struggling to drag out due to his height and length of upper body strength. Figuring out the game plan, Tempest turned to his team. "Ok, here's what we do: we stick to the shadows. We take the bad guys out first. Bumblebee will be on sky patrol. If one of the baddies goes airborne, take them out." Bumblebee nodded in agreement. " Impulse, Kid Flash, and Mas Y Menos, since you four are our fastest, you'll quickly run in and run out with as many bad guys as you can and send them to jail. Beast Boy, make a perimeter around the entrances to ensure no one gets out. I'll guard the exits and keep the water in the plant out of his hands. And Raven will use her abilities to take the box of nanomites and destroy them. Got it?" They all nodded. "Ok, go!"
The sun was slowly lowering as the Invisible jet carrying the rest of the Titans landed at the Western half of the waterworks. Nightwing was initially nervous about the villains seeing them floating in midair, but luckily, it seemed they hadn't arrived yet. After landing the jet, the group departed, and Nightwing looked over the balcony for a lookout. Sure enough, a shady-looking truck arrived at the building with a group of scarily criminals covered by night exited. He turned back to his group and gave them their orders. "Ok, here's what we do: Me, Starfire, Cyborg, and Wonder Girl will drop in from the vent shafts for a sneak attack when they come in. Arsenal and Blue Beetle will come in window side. Got it?" they all nodded their heads. "Good. Go!"
Gizmo leaned on a nearby pillar as he waited for Private Hive to break the code on the security system. The others were dragging the crates closer towards the door for their poisoning of the water supplies. Sighing, his eyes turned to Jinx, who had her back turned and arms folded. Gizmo knew that she was hesitant about possibly fighting her hubby again. Not that Gizmo cared. No matter what she did, he would have all the control this time. He then heard a sudden spark and turned to Private Hive. He had cracked the code, and the doors opened. The group ran in with the crates except for Jinx. Gizmo frowned. "Get in or get out of our world!" he barked at her. Jinx unfolded her arms, mainly to clench them in anger. Nothing would please her more than using her telekinesis to throw that midget chump worldwide and back like a boomerang. Unfortunately, he had the upper hand this time. Sighing, she walked into the plant, Gizmo following closely behind her to ensure she stayed in his sight.
Kid Flash and Beast Boy sat hiding behind one of the giant water vats, waiting for the villains to enter. Sweating, all Kid Flash could think of was how to do battle and not let his emotions get in the way. Hopefully, Beast Boy would follow the example as well. The door opened, and the bad guys came in with the massive crates. Showtime thought, Kid Flash. "Go!"He ordered Beast Boy. Nodding, Beast Boy ran toward the other end of the room, turned himself into a hawk, and lunged at Gizmo. Gizmo ducked out of the way but was not wholly unscathed as he got clawed in the black by the green hawk. Gizmo turned to look at his wounds, frowning. "Toss the stuff in the vats! Make it snappy! We got titan issues!" he bellowed. The other Titans came out of their hiding spots and engaged the enemy. Kid Flash zipped from his spot and charged towards Sportsmaster. Sportsmaster drew out a hockey stick to try and swing it at Kid Flash. Luckily, Kid Flash knew how to dodge an attack like that and ducked under the hockey stick. Grabbing it, he tossed Sportsmaster, who was still holding on to the stick, to the other side of the room, crashing him into a set of cardboard boxes. He then turned to survey the room: Raven was by the water vats, protecting it from any of the bad guys, Tempest was engaged with Trident, Slipknot was dueling Impulse, Bumblebee, and Ms Martian were fighting Private Hive, Xl and Javelin were tag teaming against Mas Y Menos and Beast Boy was struggling against Lock Up and Gizmo. Lock up had grabbed Beast Boy by the feathers of his hawk form and held him for Gizmo to blast with his laser gun. Things were not going well here.
The vents were, thought Nightwing, surprisingly, pretty roomy. It helped for a big guy like Cyborg, the tallest out of the East and Western titans combined. As they crawled, they eventually made it to a grate at the end with slits to the outside of the vent. Nightwing climbed forward and peered down. He saw at least eight shadows below on the floor of the plant. He got out his Titan communicator and channeled it to Arsenal's signal. On the other side of the room, behind a control console, Arsenal received the call and readied his bow and arrow. As 2 of the goons carried a crate over to the big water pit, Arsenal aimed it towards a giant air conditioner hanging from the ceiling. Before releasing the arrow, he ensured the villains below weren't near the crate so he wouldn't kill anyone. The Titans came to a stop and were apprehended. Not to kill. After one of them grabbed a handful of the nanomites and ran towards the giant vat, seeing his opportunity, Arsenal released the arrow, and it soared towards the metal beams holding the a/c in place, and the arrow went through them. The a.c raced down from the ceiling like a bullet train towards the crate below. The goons down looked up, saw the a/c coming down, and ran out of the way as it crashed on the crate, destroying the multitude of nanomites. Arsenal looked up towards the vents and nodded towards Nightwing. Nightwing nodded toward the other Titans behind him and returned the nod to them. He then kicked open the vent and jumped down to the floor.
The villains included Twister, Orca, Shade, Cold Snap, Anarky, Kobra, Magpie, and Cricket. Nightwing knew this from Bumblebee's intel. "Titans Go!" he announced, and the other titans emerged from their hiding spots to join the battle. Nightwing ran to engage with Anarky, but as he charged towards him, he heard massive pounding sounds from behind. Turning, he saw the hulking mass of Mammoth charge towards him full throttle. Before he could collide with Nightwing, Starfire dived in front and threw an energy blast at Mammoth, flooring the giant brute. Mammoth lifted his head, weary, but collapsed shortly and remained still.
"Thanks," said Nightwing.
Starfire nodded and went to battle the killer whale woman called Orca. Nightwing turned back to Anarky and traded various blows with him. The fight was brutal, but Anarky was defeated when Nightwing used his electrosticks to shock him unconscious. Wonder Girl was fighting Magpie, who was doing a good job avoiding her lasso of truth. Arsenal, who was in combat with Cold Snap, noticed and tossed a gas arrow in Wonder Girl's direction. Wonder Girl grabbed it in mid-air and clapped the tip. It emitted a gas that seemed to affect Magpie only. The gas knocked her out, and Wonder Girl tied her up with her whip. Arsenal had finished clubbing Cold Snap as he witnessed Wonder Girl's victory. He only hoped the others were doing as well as they were.
Kid Flash struggled to fight PRivate Hive, who, despite being pretty dim, was super quick to block Kid Flash's fast punches and kicks. He looked around the room for Beast Boy but was hindered by a long pole thrown towards him by Javelin, who was multitasking as he was fighting Tempest. Beast Boy had been hiding behind one of the containers, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at one of the foes. So far, everyone had been doing a good job battling the goons until Beast Boy's eyes gazed upon Kid Flash getting undermined by Private Hive. Beast Boy, eager to help his friend, who had been trying to guide and support him since the discovery of Terra's death, turned into a bull and charged at Hive at full throttle. Hive, who had been busy plumbing Kid Flash, looked next to him, and his eyes widened as he saw the shape of a green bull charging at him. He had no time to move from the spot as the forehead of Beast Boy collided with his chest, sending him far across the room onto the cement wall, knocking him out cold. Kid Flash looked up and saw a green hand holding out towards him. Kid Flash grabbed it and allowed it to pull him up. "Thx!" he said. Beast Boy smiled and gave him a light slug to the arm. Briefly distracted, Kid Flash Looked over Beast Boy's shoulder and noticed Gizmo moving the boxes towards the vats. Kid Flash ran super speedily towards Gizmo before being forced back by an invisible force of energy towards a group of boxes on the floor. Noticing the incapacitation, Beast Boy turned into a monkey, leaped into the air, and landed in front of Gizmo.
Gizmo whipped out his blaster, ready to strike, before Beast Boy used his monkey tail to whip the blaster out of Gizmo's hand onto the floor. Gizmo, in an act of desperation, attempted to leap onto Beast Boy to try to kill him. Still, then Beast Boy turned into a triceratops and allowed Gizmo to clobber his own head onto the hard armoring of the prehistoric form. Gizmo fell to the ground with a thud. Tempest, who was dueling Trident, retreated near the blaster and noticed it on the floor. As Trident attempted to stab Tempest with a dagger, Tempest took the gun and blasted Trident away. He smiled at his victory. Beast Boy looked in the air for Raven and spotted her helping Bumblebee fight off XL.
"Raven, Bumblebee! Catch!" he shouted as he reverted to human form, grabbed the box from the ground, and threw it towards the two.
Bumblebee looked towards Raven, who nodded in agreement at their nonverbal plan as they blasted their energy bolts toward the crate. The crate exploded in a blaze of bright light, and the ashes of the nanomites fell to the floor softly. Kid Flash, having recovered from his takedown, witnessed it all. He then made a fist and yanked his elbow down in victory. He observed the rest of the room and saw the rest of the team appeared to be winning as well. Mas y Menos had taken down XL and Javelin, Miss Martian incapacitated Lockup, and Impulse slowly took down Slipknot. His enjoyment of the situation was cut short when he noticed Jinx attempting to flee from the scene, running towards the door. He needed to confront her for closure's sake. Kid Flash zipped up in front of Jinx with his arms at his side.
"Out of the way, Wally," demanded Jinx in a calm but demanding tone.
Kid Flash wasn't sure what to make of it, but he couldn't let his emotions get in the way here. He needed to be professional.
"Jinx, I don't know why you left us or why you're back with that midget thug.." he said as he pointed towards Gizmo, who was recovering consciousness.
" ..and his freak of nature sidekick, but I can't let you leave." he finished.
She frowned at him. A beat later, she lifted her arms into the air to attempt to thrash her magic at him. Reacting quickly, Kid Flash zipped up and slammed both his palms into her, skidding his feet as fast as he could to prevent her from using her spell, but his grip slowly slipped. His eyes locked back on her in labor, and her eyes returned the favor. Suddenly, the angered face melted away, and her face changed into one of a scared, frightened prisoner.
"Save me," she whispered desperately.
Kid Flash's mind was no longer putting its energy into stopping her spell but more into processing what she had just said. Losing his grip on her, a big blinding flash of light emerged, and Kid Flash felt himself thrown to the ground hard. Kid Flash painfully pushed himself up and looked around, his back aching from battle. The other Titans had been floored because of the light, and Jinx and Gizmo were nowhere to be seen. Struggling to get up, he saw a green hand show itself to him. He saw the hand connected to Beast Boy. Kid Flash grasped it and allowed himself to be pulled up.
"Thanks," he said.
"Don't mention it!" Beast Boy replied, smiling.
Having defeated Trident, Tempest ran up towards Impulse and Miss Martian, who had also been knocked to the ground, to see if they were ok. "You alright?" he asked. "I'll live," replied Ms. Martian weakly. Impulse nodded in agreement. After pulling Ms. Martian to her feet, Tempest whipped out his titan communicator and called up Nightwing.
"How are you guys hanging in?" he asked.
"Yeah," replied Nightwing's voice.
"The nanomites have been destroyed, and the bad guys are tied up for the police. Mammoth got away, though."
Tempest sighed. It was cool that they beat the lesser-known baddies, but the escaping H.I.V.E trio felt like a low blow to him. "K, we'll meet back at base," he responded. Clicking the communicator, he walked out of the plant, followed by the other titans. As Beast Boy headed towards the exit, he turned and noticed Kid Flash staring at the area where Jinx had stood in bewilderment. Beast Boy knew what Kid Flash was thinking, walking towards him and placing an arm over his shoulder. "You coming, dude?" asked Beast Boy. Kid Flash shook his head, snapping out of his daze, and turned towards him. "Oh, yeah," he replied quickly. He started toward the exit when Beast Boy spoke again. "If you wanna talk about it, bro, I'm here." Kid Flash grinned. He liked this kid.
"You have once again failed me, Gizmo," Slade told Gizmo softly. He, Jinx, and Mammoth had successfully returned to base, but sadly, not without consequence. Gizmo was kneeling on the floor in the main hall of H.I.V.E headquarters, his head hanging as Slade berated him. "Not only have you let over 16 grand worth of nanomite technology get decimated, but now my Brotherhood has been shortened as the pawns have been abandoned and arrested by the local police." Gizmo looked towards Jinx and Mammoth with a look of desperate help pasted on his face. Jinx folded her arms and turned her back on him while Mammoth casually shrugged. Gizmo darted his head back towards Slade but then felt a black-clothed hand grab his throat and lift him in the air. Gizmo tried to grab his throat in vain as he felt the air choked out. "Since you can seem to do nothing but disappoint, I'm afraid our deal must be…" but before he could finish, Professor Chang ran into the room, wheezing in exhaustion. "Mr. Slade, you might not have to!" he reported. Slade looked at the struggling Gizmo before dropping him back onto the floor. Gizmo breathed heavily, allowing the air to rush back into his tiny lungs. "Go on," said an interested Slade.
"If you would just come with me, you shall see what we have in store for you." requested Chang.
Slade followed Chang, followed closely by Gizmo, who knew his life would be shorter than his height if he didn't accompany Slade. Descending towards the lower levels, the three criminals finally came onto a balcony that, below, housed the lab testing station. Slade placed his hands behind his back, allowing Chang to describe their creation. "Gizmo and I had been talking, and we remembered that H.I.V.E had kept a couple of your old robots back before you got roasted in a volcano pit by that blonde. We got a few out, and we made some, what, say, improvements to them.". Pressing a control console, one of Slade's old robots arrived on a conveyor belt protected by a glass sheet. Gizmo walked past Slade and stood beside Chang to assist in their demonstration. "We had been thinking about how they can do better against the Titans, and we figured it out: they need to be invulnerable to their abilities!" he explained. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a control switch before giving it to Slade. "What is this?" he demanded calmly. Gizmo smiled in delight.
"You see, we made a blaster device for a demonstration. We have given each barrel a unique ability of the Titans to use on our robot to prove it's full proof. One contains Nightwing's boomerang device, one has a replica of Cyborg's cannon blast, and one has a green energy bolt, which, thanks to Blackfire, we have successfully emulated. We also set it so you can blast it with your Azarathian abilities. Give it a try." Slade lifted his hand and pressed the control simultaneously as he let a ball of flames emerge from his hand. The boomerangs, energy bolts, energy blasts, and fireballs all impacted the robot. The smoke cleared quickly, and the robot stood still, unharmed. "And we set it so it can be vigilant of Kid Flash when he goes fast, and so it's impervious to Wonder Girl's lasso." finished Chang. "What do you think?" asked Gizmo. Slade observed the robot for a second or two before making his final decision. "I think we need at least 300 more of these created soon. And I think I need to go pay Billy Numerous a visit and tell him that his prison days are over. You've done well, Gizmo."
Despite The H.I.V.E trio managing to evade the hands of justice once more, the Titans still considered that night a victory. The nanomites were destroyed so no danger could come onto Jump City. After congratulating each other on their victories, the Titans West started getting ready to depart and say their goodbyes to their Eastern counterparts. As everyone said goodbye, Nightwing and Tempest discussed their new conflict with Slade. "...so if you get any updates on Slade's activity from your end, let us know." "Are you sure you don't want us to go in and take them ourselves?" asked Tempest. Nightwing pursed his lips. As tempting as the offer was, he couldn't let these guys get hurt. They hadn't fought Slade. They knew little about him and what he could do. "I think we are good at handling the more direct problems from here, Tempest. You and the others keep an eye out for anything dangerous." Tempest nodded. The two leaders shook hands in respect, and Nightwing approached the invisible jet. The others were getting ready to depart. Starfire finished embracing Miss Martian while Beast Boy gave high fives to Mas Y Menos. Meanwhile, Kid Flash was wrapping up chatting with Impulse, whose eyes were still glued to his phone. "So, you gonna call me when I get back?" he asked. Impulse rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, Uncle Wally." Kid Flash frowned and ascended the ramp into the jet. Just as the Titans ascended, Tempest stood near the ramp with one last thing to say. "Well, I guess we now know what happened to the others." The titans stopped in their tracks upon hearing that. "What happened to the others?" asked Cyborg, his eyebrow raised skeptically. Tempest looked baffled. "You didn't know?" he asked. "Know what?" questioned Raven. Tempest shrugged and let a deep sigh out. "The past year or so, we had been getting reports that some of our allies, the ones captured by Brain during our fight with his Brotherhood, had been found dead. Or rather turned into piles of ashes." Starfire nearly slipped her hand off the railing on the ramp upon hearing that, and Cyborg's folded arms dropped in shock. "What?" asked Nightwing in disbelief. Tempest nodded his head slowly in confirmation. "Panther, Kilowatt, Thunder and Lightning, Argent, Bushido, and Herald are all found in ash piles. We were going to tell you, but we figured the info had gotten to you guys through the news or something." Nightwing gulped. For the past three years, due to the lack of significant crime, the Titans had mainly stayed away from news and updates on criminal activity as they thought there was no point as crime levels had shortened since after Tokyo. If only they hadn't let their guard down. "We didn't know who did it until just now. When Bumblebee told us about what Slade did to the H.I.V.E headmistress, we realized that he was the culprit here." The titans still stood on the ramp with looks of despair and grief on their faces. "Are...are there still some of us left?" asked Starfire hesitantly. Tempest gave a half smile and shrugged. "Jericho's still kicking as far as we know," he replied. " Same with HotSpot. Gnark, Wildebeest, and Kole are good as well." "What about Melvin, Bobby, and Timmy?" blurted out Raven. Everyone looked at her in disbelief. "Not that I care," Raven remarked, smiling nervously. "They're safe," Tempest assured. Raven sighed with relief. Beast Boy then raised his hand. "The Doom Patrol are as healthy as horses," Tempest answered, having realized what Beast Boy was going to ask. Beast Boy then lowered his hand. Having found his voice, Nightwing gave a depressed farewell to Aqualad and let the others onto the Invisible jet. Nightwing lay on his invisible seat, trying to relax from that news, but it was useless. Starfire then tapped his shoulder, having also been pondering the news. "Why did Slade kill them? Why not just have kidnapped us like he used to." Nightwing frowned in thought for a beat. The realization then came to him. "When Brain kidnapped us three years ago, we had teamed up on them and outnumbered them 2 to 1. The less of us there are. The easier it is for Slade to beat us. Unfortunately, for us, Starfire, the game has changed."
End.