The sun's rays beamed down onto the earth, heating the entire city. Birds chirped and flew past Titans Tower. There, the five teenagers sat in the common room engaging in various activities.
Robin and Raven were in the back of the room playing chess, Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing on the GameStation, and Starfire was in the kitchen cooking a Tamaranean dish. Silkie laid on the counter, licking the excess mixture from the meal his k'norfka was making. Starfire noticed this and stopped stirring and let Silkie lick the spoon. She smiled and let out a small laugh as her bumgorf gurgled happily. She turned off the stove and poured the mixture into a muffin pan and let it sit.
"Friends, my Shlork Glor'nars are almost done. Are you all sure you do not want one? They are just like the Earth cupcakes," Starfire questioned.
Her friends turned to see what she had made. The bluish green mixture was rising by itself. Dark spots, somewhat resembling eyes, were sprinkled all around. Although they were quite far away, the other Titans could have sworn they saw fur forming. They all shared a collective look of disgust and a bit of fear.
"No thanks, Star. I think all of us are still full from lunch," Robin answered for the group.
"Checkmate."
The Boy Wonder groaned. "How are you so good at this game?"
The empath simply smirked and began resetting the pieces.
Starfire shrugged. "Well, more for me then," she commented before greedily devouring the alien cupcakes.
The TV emitted a loud chime. Beast Boy stood up on the couch and yelled, "YES!" He turned to the cybernetic man. "Told ya I'd beat your high score."
"Yeah, after thirty-seven tries," Cyborg remarked. "But hey, maybe you can put that much energy into getting a girlfriend."
Beast Boy's face fell and a vein in his head became visible. "I will have you know that I have plenty of adoring fans."
"Right, elf ears."
"Hey, chicks dig the ears! Especially Tokyo chicks!"
Suddenly, the chess board was shrouded in black energy and was thrown to the floor. The other three Titans turned to see the commotion as Raven pulled up her hood.
"You okay?" Robin asked.
Raven quickly picked up the board and the pieces. "I'm fine," she confirmed.
Her friends looked at her with concern. However, before anyone could ask any more questions, the alarm went off. Everyone stopped what they were doing and ran towards the giant screen.
Robin typed a few things into the keyboard and loaded something on the screen. "Mad Mod is robbing a jewelry store downtown. He also has stolen all of the workers' youth and has them hypnotized." He displayed the exact location and sent them to all of their communicators. On cue, all of their communicators chimed.
"Titans! Go!"
The jewelry store had been ransacked.
The assistant manager of the store slightly drooled and stared into hypnotic screens. His brown hair quickly became a shade of gray and his skin began to sag. Several other workers of the jewelry store were in a similar state and could sit mindlessly.
Mad Mod, now looking like a young man, placed several necklaces around his neck. He reached for the rings in the adjacent display case and greedily shoved them onto his fingers. Around him, multiple robots were bagging the remaining jewelry. Satisfied, the former old man looked at his victims.
"Such lovely jewelry you have. Of course it is from the great British motherland."
As he absentmindedly hummed a tune, a birdarang was thrown at one of the robot's screens, smashing it. The robot stumbled and Mad Mod quickly moved out of its way.
"If you're feeling patriotic, maybe you should buy it instead like everyone else," Robin taunted.
The team stood beside him. He had his staff out and was in a battle stance. Raven and Starfire were levitating, their hands engulfed in energy. Beast Boy was in the form of a tiger while Cyborg simply charged his sonic cannon.
"Hello there my duckies. Come to cash in on the deals?"
"If we were, we wouldn't be stealing like you," Cyborg answered.
"Listen here you little snot. I took the no paying deal. It's not my fault the jewelers adore me enough to give them to me for free, along with their youth."
Mad Mod pressed a button on his cane and the remaining robots produced small missile launchers from their shoulders. The Titans tensed.
"I was content with my current state of youth, but why not make it last longer?" he sneered.
He twirled his cane before slamming the end on the ground, signaling the robots to start shooting at the teenagers.
"Titans, go!" Robin cried.
The Titans ran into battle, except for Beast Boy who was currently focused on the hypnotic screens.
Robin and Starfire went right after the red head man. Starfire threw multiple starbolts while Robin threw kicks and punches at him. Mad Mod dodged the attacks rather smoothly, a smug smile plastered on his face. A robot came behind Robin and restrained him. As Robin struggled against it, Starfire continued her assault. Robin had managed to wriggle an arm out and stabbed a birdarang through the robot's head. It let go of him and Robin placed an explosive on its chest. When the Boy Wonder was out of the way, it detonated.
Cyborg and a robot were engaged in a test of strength. Ultimately, the half robot managed to get the upper hand and tore off its arms. Dark energy quickly surrounded the robot and Raven shattered it. This broke Beast Boy out of his daze. He looked down at the drool on his shirt and whined.
"Aw man, why does this always happen to me?"
He let himself wallow in self pity for a brief moment before rushing to help his friends. Beast Boy shifted into a bear and tackled a robot. With a roar, he shredded the machinery, leaving the robot dysfunctional.
Starfire had chased Mad Mod all around the shop. When he saw an opening, he aimed his cane at her. An electrical current erupted from it and hit her, sending her falling to the ground. Robin, who had made his way back over to the two, caught her just before she landed.
The British man was hit by the sense of impending failure as he looked around. Raven had just finished decimating the remaining robots while the others were recovering from their battles. The hostages were all out of their hypnotized states, yet still very unenergized due to their elderly forms.
"It's been a lovely chat, but I must not dilly dally," Mad Mod said mainly to himself.
He turned and sprinted out towards the back of the shop. However, as he entered the doorway, he was yanked by the back of his shirt. Cyborg turned him around to face him.
Mad Mod gulped and adjusted his glasses. "Why hello there, mate. Say, how about we discuss this in a more peaceful manner?"
Cyborg glared at his offer and reached for his cane. Before he could rip out of his hands, the red head pressed a button. Cyborg screamed as an electrical current ripped through him. He dropped the scrawny man and fell beside him. His circuits glitched and he was twitching slightly. Despite this, he was still crawling back to his feet.
Mad Mod stared for a moment before hitting his cane. "What's the matter with it? The bloody thing was supposed to completely shut him down."
Before the cybernetic man could get back to his feet, the Brit ran to the emergency exit of the shop. However, his way was blocked by a black energy barricade. Knowing his options were almost completely gone, he tapped the cane once more and turned to the approaching four Titans. Before they could protect themselves, a large blast emitted from it and surrounded the teens and Mad Mod.
The bright flash blinded everyone in the room, forcing them to the floor. Several objects in the room burst or flew from their original places.
As the blinding light faded, Cyborg had gotten back onto his feet, unharmed from the blast. Luckily, he was out of the range to be hit. His human eye was still adjusting to the normal light as the robotic one tried to assess the situation.
"No, this wasn't supposed to happen!" a squeaky yet weirdly familiar voice cried. "I knew I must have messed up on the programming."
Cyborg's focus shifted to his friends who he saw get hit by the blast. He ran over behind the counter they had fallen behind, worried as they didn't get up.
"Guys! Are y'all okay?" As he went behind the counter, his eyes widened. "What the…"
The four teens weren't teens. Their faces were chubbier, their eyes were bigger, and they had shrunk several feet.
"Um, Cy. I think somethings wrong," Beast Boy said with a lisp.
"You think?" Raven asked sarcastically.
Cyborg paced back and forth in front of the couch, trying to decide what the next course of action was. The four toddler Titans moved their heads from left to right, following his movements. When he had some sort of a plan, he turned to his friends.
"Okay, we know that Mad Mod's souped-up cane turned you guys into kids. But, he steals people's youth, so you guys should be old instead."
"Mad Mod is the only person that knows what that thing is capable of," Robin said in a baby voice. "The sooner we find Mad Mod, the sooner we figure out how to turn back normal."
"I don't know about that, Robin," Beast Boy yawned. "I feel a cat nap coming on."
"Anyway, since he took age from you, he's probably an old man again. People should start reporting him after a couple of days, then we can get this fixed," Cyborg finished.
"We shouldn't be wasting time and let him go into hiding. We need to fan-out and find him. Titans, go!"
Robin hopped off of the couch and sprinted towards the common room doors. However, a large hand grabbed him by his shrunken belt and lifted him up.
"Yo! Where do you think you're going, pint-size?"
"Robin, do you really think we are in any condition to be running around the city?" Raven asked, her voice just as babyish as her friends'.
"Friend Raven has the point. What if an adversary were to come across us in our vulnerable states? We might be captured or harmed," Starfire added.
Cyborg set Robin back down on the ground. "But I wanna go find Mad Mod."
"I don't care. None of y'all are about to get snatched out there."
The Boy Wonder crossed his arms and stuck out his lip. Cyborg stared back at him, a stern look on his face. Huffing, Robin walked back to the couch and sat down.
Starfire sat down next to him. "Do not feel bitter, boyfriend Robin. It is for our own good." She then proceeded to attack his face with kisses, which he pretended to be against.
Beast Boy fake gagged. "Ewww, cooties."
The small alien's eyes suddenly lit up as an idea popped in her head. "Perhaps the coloring will cheer you up!" she thought aloud and quickly flew out of the room.
Cyborg checked the time and saw it was still mid afternoon. "Okay, I'm going to take a look around the city and see if I can find anything."
As he turned to leave, a concern crossed Raven's mind. "If this is going to take a couple of days, we're going to need extra clothes."
The cybernetic man turned around and realized that his friends' shrunken uniforms would be the only things to fit them in the tower.
"Good point, thanks Raven." He had made a mental note to buy them after he had visited the buildings near the jewelry store to take witness accounts.
Starfire zoomed back into the room, crayons and paper in her hand. She plopped back down on the couch and handed Robin some supplies. She set her paper down and scribbled away.
Before Cyborg walked out of the doors, he looked back at his friends. It was obvious that his friends' newfound youth was starting to get to them mentally. Robin was still pouting on the couch, Beast Boy had his thumb in his mouth and was knocked out, Starfire was drawing childish art, and Raven had a book in her hand and was… well still Raven.
"Are y'all gonna be okay by yourselves?" the cybernetic man asked.
"We'll be fine! Go ahead!" Robin whined.
Cyborg's eye twitched in response to his leader's small tantrum. With a sigh, he finally left the room and traveled to the garage. When he got into his car, his concern for his friends being alone faded as he thought.
'I'm probably worrying about nothing. How much damage could they possibly do?'
By the time Cyborg had returned, the sun had gone down and the dark sky was illuminated by the city lights. He had bags full of toddler clothes hanging on both of his arms.
"Those holo-rings sure come in handy," he murmured to himself. If he had not used one, the media would have had a field day upon sighting him with loads of children's clothes.
In one of his hands was a pizza box with enough slices to feed himself and his friends. He absentmindedly walked to the common room. When the doors opened, however, he was snapped out of his daze. He blinked a few times to ensure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
Several cabinets were open with their contents spilling out. Some remnants of food were scattered around, such as an empty cheese ball container. The walls were covered in crayon drawings and other scribbles. Robin's weapons and equipment were all over the floor. In conclusion, the room was an utter mess.
"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!"
The Titans' eyes widened and they turned to Cyborg. Starfire immediately dropped her crayons, Beast Boy, as a puppy, stopped licking the floor and shifted back, and Robin froze on the countertop, still holding his staff and in a heroic pose.
The room became deathly silent.
"I didn't do anything," Raven soon blurted out before immediately going back to her book.
If looks could kill, the other three Titans would be six feet under.
Cyborg turned his attention to the Boy Wonder. "Get your butt off my counter!" Robin quickly scrambled off of it and hid behind Starfire. "BB, why is there cheese powder all over the floor?!"
"Dude! It wasn't me!"
"Who else eats vegan cheese balls?" Cyborg asked accusingly, pointing to the empty container.
The changeling tried wiping the cheese dust off his mouth. "Heh, my bad."
Finally, Cyborg turned to Starfire. Her lip quivered and her eyes watered. As much as he wanted to yell at her as well, that innocent look she was giving him was weakening him. With a grunt, he placed the pizza box on the counter.
"Just come get y'alls food," he grumbled.
The children cautiously, besides Raven, made their way to the counter to eat. Cyborg dropped the bags of clothes onto the couch.
Beast Boy, who was greener than usual, let out a groan and clutched his stomach. "Ohhh. My tummy doesn't feel too good."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have eaten an entire jar of cheese balls," Raven remarked as she grabbed a slice.
"Robin dared me to," he defended.
"You didn't have to do it," Robin scoffed.
"Everyone knows you don't back down from a dare, dude." Beast Boy let out a whine before a dramatic fart erupted from him.
"EWWWW!" the girls squealed and moved their chair from him.
Beast Boy quickly left his chair and ran out of the room, his hands clutching his backside tightly.
Cyborg carefully walked back to the counter, trying to avoid the mess on the floor. When he made it back, he scrunched his nose and fanned. "What is that smell?"
Starfire, still holding her nose, replied, "Beast Boy's flatulence."
"WHEW!" Cyborg covered his own nose and reached inside an open cabinet. He grabbed some air freshener and sprayed it. Once comfortable with the smell, he sat down and took a slice of pizza.
"Friend Cyborg, I am sorry that I drew on the tower walls. I became quite bored when I ran out of paper," Starfire apologized.
Her friend sighed. "It's fine, Star. I got some more paper in my room. Just don't do it again."
"My pinky finger has sworn!"
Cyborg vacuumed his first slice of pizza before speaking again. "Anyway, I didn't think I had to do this, but I think while you guys are still like this, you need someone here with you."
Raven looked up. "You're going to get us a babysitter?"
"No. I'm just going to ask someone in the organization to come over and make sure you guys don't get into trouble."
"So… a babysitter?"
Cyborg sighed and nodded.
"We don't need a babysitter! We can take care of ourselves just fine," Robin protested.
"Look. At. My. Tower," Cyborg bit.
Robin rolled his eyes. "Who are you gonna call anyway? Titans East and a bunch of the other groups are dealing with serious threats in their sectors." Once he finished, he stuck out his tongue and chewed his pizza.
Cyborg lightly slapped the table. The little jerk had a point.
"I'll figure something out," he grumbled and got out of his seat.
He had only taken a few steps before he had stepped on something. Within a second, the object exploded and he was frozen.
Robin smirked. "I knew it was a good idea to keep that lying around.
Starfire couldn't help but to laugh at her friend's misfortune while Raven shot Robin a glare.
Cyborg paced back and forth in his slightly illuminated room. After he had thawed out, he thought about his options. He needed somebody to watch his friends to ensure that they didn't wreck the tower the next time he left. He had thought of many candidates among the Titans. However, he would come to the conclusion that they were too busy or likely couldn't handle his friends' new unpredictable states.
Just as he thought he had run out of options, one more came to mind.
He knew this person very well. He knew they were trustworthy, kind, and full of patience. Most importantly, this personality came with the experience of working with children.
But, he was worried that this person would be too stressed to be able to help.
Then again, it wouldn't hurt too much to try asking. After all, this was his last resort.
With a sigh, he opened his communicator and went through his contacts. He hit the call button and waited. Finally, the person answered.
"Hey baby! I know this is probably a really bad time to ask but… I need a huge favor."
The next morning, Cyborg and the four toddlers sat in the tower entryway. Raven was reading as usual, Starfire was grooming Silkie, Robin was fiddling with a birdarang, and Beast Boy was playing on his GameKid.
After finishing the level, Beast Boy curiously looked around. "Um, why did we have to be down here again?"
The doorbell suddenly rang and everyone looked to the door.
"Because, you have to meet your babysitter," Cyborg answered and got up.
"We don't need a babysitter!" Robin cried.
Cyborg rolled his eyes and opened the tower doors. There stood a young, slender woman. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed in a pink T-Shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled as they met the man's own pair.
"Hey, Cyborg," she greeted him and pulled him into a kiss. The cybernetic man grabbed her and pulled her closer.
"EWWW!" the four children screamed.
When the two pulled away, Starfire excitedly flew to the woman and pulled her into a hug. "Friend Sarah! I have missed you so much!"
Sarah smiled but cringed. Despite being much younger, the alien still held bone crushing strength. The blonde looked over to look at the other Titans.
"So you actually weren't kidding, huh?" she questioned Cyborg through a lack of air.
"I wish I was."
Starfire finally let go, her smile still wide.
Cyborg cleared his throat. "I can't thank you enough, Sarah."
"It's no problem Cyborg. You better be lucky I decided to start college during the summer semester."
Her boyfriend gave her another smile before he checked the time on his systems. "I wish I could stay longer, but it'll be easier to find Mad Mod while it's still early. He's old, but very slippery. I hope they don't stress you out too much."
The four Titans had quietly gone back to their activities they were doing before Sarah arrived.
"They don't look as heinous as you said they were," Sarah commented.
"Don't worry. They'll show their true colors soon enough," Cyborg replied. He then pointed at Robin. "Especially him. He's been having an attitude problem."
Sarah let out a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind."
Cyborg turned back to his friends. "Okay, I'm about to go. Robin, if you take out your 'toys' , put them back. And don't be mean to Sarah. Star, the wall is not a canvas. Just ask Sarah to get you some more paper. Beast Boy, don't eat too much and chill on the animal forms. And Raven…"
The quiet girl stared at him quizzically.
"Just keep being you, okay?" he finished.
"Okay," she replied.
"Does everyone else understand?"
The other three nodded in acknowledgement.
Cyborg pecked Sarah on the lips. "Call me if you need anything," he instructed and walked to the garage.
"Okay!"
Soon enough, she saw the T-Car zooming across the water towards the city. She turned to the still peaceful children.
"Did you guys have breakfast yet?" she questioned.
Robin threw his birdarang at the wall. As expected, it pierced the wall and stuck.
"Yes," he answered.
"Well, it looks boring down here. How about we go upstairs?"
With that, the toddler Titans and Sarah ventured to the common room.
Afternoon once again came over the city.
And once again, Cyborg had no leads. Despite alerts being sent out to civilians, not a single trace of Mad Mod had been found. There were posters of his young and old appearance plastered all around the city. Every supposed sighting just ended up being a case of mistaken identity.
Since it was still the early afternoon, Cyborg decided to take a short break and run some errands in the meantime. Just when he thought his friends were at their peak of junk food addiction, they just had to turn into little kids. He had several bags of chips, macaroni and cheese, and most importantly, a large jar of cookies.
"No! I said that I wanted to take off that item!" a squeaky voice rang out.
Cyborg ears perked up. "Looks like someone's arguing with their mom or dad," he mused to himself.
"Since when are biscuits four dollars?" the boy screamed again.
Weirdly enough, Cyborg didn't hear anyone reply to his complaint. Also, he noted how familiar the voice sounded.
"I DON'T NEED A REPRESENTATIVE! STUPID AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY!"
Okay, now he was curious. He pushed his cart near the self checkout station to see what was going on. At one of the stations, a skinny teenage boy with red hair was pressing buttons on the screen. He let out a cry of frustration and turned around.
That's when Cyborg was able to see his face.
Instantly, he aimed his sonic cannon at the villain. "Hands up, Mod!" he yelled.
The boy jumped and looked to his right.
"Blimey!" he gasped and sprinted off.
The teenage Mad Mod ran towards the front of the store with Cyborg in hot pursuit. He turned to see his pursuer gaining on him. Desperately, he began grabbing items off of shelves and threw them at him. Cyborg remained unphased as some of the items collided with him. The Brit now had several beads of sweat pouring off of him as the cybernetic man could nearly grab him. As he neared the exit though, an idea came to mind.
He ran over to a tower of cans and kicked the bottom of them out. Before Cyborg could react, the tower of cans collapsed on him, causing him to fall. Mad Mod took advantage of this and ran out of the store. With a cry of anger, Cyborg got back to his feet and ran after him. When he got outside, he could see the red head running down the street. He took off after him.
Both boys had to maneuver their way through the busy streets. People quickly moved out of the way while others stopped and stared at the scene before them. Mad Mod would keep throwing obstacles to slow Cyborg down and get farther away.
Finally, Mad Mod had lost sight of him after running through an alleyway. He breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way to the other side of the alley. He had finally lost him. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the hood of his hoodie and hoisted up.
At least, Mad Mod thought he lost him.
"H-hey there c-chap," he stuttered.
"Where's your cane?"
"I don't have it on me! It's glitching out, I swear!"
"But, where is it?!" Cyborg demanded
Mad Mod let out a few more nervous breaths. "W-well i-it's um…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device.
He pressed a button and pressed it against Cyborg's neck. Cyborg screamed as an electric shock tore through him, glitching his systems. He let go of Mad Mod, who immediately began sprinting towards a nearby building. In the commotion, a price tag fell off of the boy's hoodie. Once he gathered his bearings, Cyborg took off in the direction he saw the boy run. Unfortunately for him, he had realized what building the boy had run towards.
High schoolers began to pour out of the building. When he had finally made it onto the property, he couldn't see Mad Mod anywhere. Soon enough, the crowd began to die as they left to go home. Cyborg could tell that the few stragglers that were left were not his target.
He let out an exhausted and dramatic sigh. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Friend Sarah, do you like my drawing?"
Sarah turned to see the small alien girl holding a piece of paper. Her puppy dog eyes perfectly complimented her large smile.
"It's amazing, Starfire. I can tell you worked really hard on this," she replied warmly.
Starfire's smile grew even wider and she pulled her into another bone crushing hug. As she pulled away, her eyes widened as she remembered something.
"Oh, I have not been paying attention to the time! It is time for Silkie's bath. Will you help me?" she asked.
The blonde woman picked up the said pet and got off the couch. "Sure. Is there any specific procedure for him?" To be fair, it was a mutant worm.
"I shall show you."
Sarah turned her attention to the rest of the kids. "Me and Starfire are going to go wash Silkie. Raven, you're in charge until I come back," she instructed. "No fighting, okay?"
"Okay," all the children said at once.
With that, Starfire and Sarah left the room with Silkie.
"Aw man! That's not fair," Beast Boy whined, staring at Raven.
"Maybe you'd be in charge if you knew how to behave," Raven suggested.
"I totally know how to behave!"
"Sure you do, Garfield."
"Don't call me that!"
"Okay, Garfield."
"STOOOOOOOOP!" he squealed.
Raven, still smirking, closed her book and made her way over to Robin. He was sitting in front of the giant screen, typing away. He clicked through several articles.
"Find anything?" she asked.
"Cyborg had a run in with Mad Mod about an hour ago." He clicked and displayed an image someone had taken of the chase. "The reason no one's seen him is because he became a teenager. But since we know what he looks like now, I've caught him on multiple security cameras. Just by analyzing his clothing, I might be able to tell where he's hiding out."
"Interesting."
Just as Robin was about to display another image, the screen suddenly went black. After a few moments, it opened back up to a video game title screen. The two birds turned to see the changeling with the remote in his hand.
"Dude, you've been at that for hours. You need to chill out and act your age," he commented, holding up a white controller and one resembling Cyborg's systems.
"Isn't that Cyborg's lucky controller?" Robin asked, referring to the blue one.
"Yeah. I need some luck if I want to get past the boss level on hard mode."
Raven walked over and grabbed the controller out of his hand. "You know Cyborg said he doesn't want you using it. You'll probably break it anyway."
She walked to the kitchen countertop, stood on her tippy toes, and placed the controller on it. For extra measure, she used her powers to push it back further on the counter.
"I'm not going to break it! Besides, are you gonna snitch if I use it?"
Robin butted in and said, "We're just warning you that Cyborg is going to be very mad."
Beast Boy blew a raspberry at his leader and walked over to the kitchen. He transformed into a monkey, climbed up the stool, and grabbed the controller. He transformed back into himself and began walking back to the TV. Before he got far, Raven grabbed the other end of the controller and started pulling.
"Beast Boy, give it to me."
"No! I wanna play with it!" he whined and began pulling as well.
"Guys, be careful. You might break it."
"Shut up, Robin!" they both yelled.
"Let go, you green poopyhead!"
"Make me, Mrs. Creepy!"
"I'm not creepy!"
"Are too!"
Robin sighed as he watched his two friends fight. "Beast Boy! Just let go of it! You'll be in even more trouble if you rip it in half."
"FINE! SHE CAN HAVE IT THEN!" Beast Boy screamed, suddenly letting go of the controller.
With the resistance gone, the amount of force Raven had been using caused her to fall back.
BAM!
On her way down, her head hit the counter. Hard.
When she hit the floor, she let out a small gasp of pain. Beast Boy and Robin's eyes widened. She opened her eyes and stared at the green boy.
Robin slowly turned his head towards Beast Boy.
"Oooooh…."
A few minutes later, the T-Car pulled into the garage. Cyborg got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He opened his hand and stared at the only piece of remembrance Mad Mod left behind.
It was a price tag for what he assumed to be some type of fancy clothing store. 'Mathilde's Treasures' it read. What Mad Mod had been wearing seemed to be of a decent price.
'Such useful information,' Cyborg thought to himself.
Before he could ponder any longer, his communicator rang. He pulled it out and flipped it open.
"Sarah?"
"Umm, Cy. When do you think you're going to be home?"
"I'm in the garage. Why, what's wrong?" He could hear what seemed to be crying in the background.
"Something happened and I don't think I can deal with it by myself."
Several objects in the garage went flying or were exploded by dark energy. Concern flooded through him. He snapped his communicator shut and began rushing through the tower. Within a minute, he was already in the common room.
The first thing he noticed was Beast Boy whimpering, tears threatening to spill out of his big emerald eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but was nearly hit by a flying stool. He noticed Sarah on the floor near the counter. Next to her was a small, crying empath.
"What happened?" he asked, several more objects exploding around him.
"Raven hit her head and I don't know how to calm her down," Sarah calmly clarified.
Robin stepped up. "Beast Boy and Raven were fighting over your special controller. He let go of it and she hit her head on the counter."
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Beast Boy screamed, the floodgates finally opening.
The lights had exploded, causing the room to grow darker. Cyborg went straight into action. He made his way over to Raven. He picked her up and began walking out of the room.
"You okay Rae?"
"My… head… hurts so… bad!" she wailed.
"I know, I know," he consoled his little sister.
The common room doors closed shut as the two left the room. By this time, Sarah had already begun to try and calm Beast Boy down. She pulled him into a gentle hug.
"I didn't… mean… to… hurt… her…" the changeling managed to gasp out.
"I know you didn't. She's going to be okay. Just take a couple deep breaths for me."
Robin was still staring at the scene before him when he heard another sniffle. He turned around to see his girlfriend holding a sleeping Silkie.
"Star, what's wrong?"
"Our friends have had an altercation. What if they do not do the kissing and making up?" Starfire's eyes began to water.
Sarah had noticed the action and began to think. Soon enough, three baby Titans would be sobbing messes. Before Starfire could add on to the growing number, an idea popped into the blonde's head.
"Hey, who wants ice cream?"
The worker in the ice cream truck finished preparing the last order, a strawberry ice cream with gummy worms, chocolate chips, and every topping imaginable. He had handed it to the blonde woman, who had handed it to a small orange girl. The girl squealed happily and flew off to join her friends.
The two adults and four children walked to a nearby empty park. Beast Boy, who had immediately finished his ice cream upon receiving it, was swinging on the monkey bars. Robin was lightly pushing Starfire on a swing, both of them still eating their ice cream. Raven was sitting on a bench reading, nursing her double scoop ice cream. She would use her powers to have an ice pack touch the back of her head periodically.
Finally, Cyborg and Sarah were sitting on another bench. They were talking quietly and enjoying each other's company.
"You weren't kidding. This is a really nice place," Cyborg commented, observing the quiet scenery.
"I've always liked coming here. Especially with the kids from the baseball team. No one really comes here, so it's always so peaceful."
"You know, you're really good with them. I wish there were more people that could care for people like them like you do."
"Yeah…" She sighed and paused. "They're just like everybody else though. They just have more difficulties than the average person."
"I know that feeling…"
"Don't beat yourself up. Plenty of kids are inspired by you and your friends. You represent millions of people around the world. The best part is, you show that your differences are what makes you so powerful. Even then, it's not about the machine." Sarah trailed her hand up his cybernetic chest.
"It's about what's underneath it."
Cyborg wrapped his arm around her. "You've told me that a thousand times," he lightly chuckled.
"And I'll tell you a thousand times more," Sarah recalled, pulling him into a kiss.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy was slightly limping his way over to the reading empath. He took a seat next to her, giving her his signature grin.
"Hey, Rae!"
"My name is Raven," she answered.
"But Cyborg called you it earlier," he argued. She ignored his point.
Silence fell upon the two for a moment. For only a moment.
"Does your head still hurt?"
"What do you think?" Raven questioned, pointing to the ice pack.
Beast Boy let out a small whine and his ears lowered. "I'm really sorry Raven. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Raven stayed silent and flipped a page of her book.
Beast Boy chewed his lip.
So, she was definitely still mad.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better…" he started again. He pulled up the shorts he was wearing up a bit, revealing a scraped knee. "...I got hurt too."
Raven finally looked up from her book. "How'd you do that?" she questioned, inspecting his wound.
"I got a little carried away on the monkey bars," he chuckled. Though, when he tapped the scrape, he whined and his eyes watered.
The tiny empath stared at his knee for a few moments before changing her attention to his face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I guess we're equal now though."
"Maybe."
"Does that mean we're still friends?" he asked, his voice breaking.
Raven shrugged. "I suppose."
His large emerald eyes lit up and he pulled her into a hug. "YAY!"
Raven tensed uncomfortably as the small changeling squeezed. She allowed it for a few moments before prying him off of her.
"Quit it!" she whined, blushing slightly.
Beast Boy relented, yet his goofy grin was still present on his face.
Elsewhere, Robin and Starfire had switched positions on the swing. They both had finished their ice cream and Starfire was about to push Robin.
"Are you ready, boyfriend Robin?"
"Yeah! Just remember, just be gent-"
Before he could finish, the Tamaranean had already pushed the swing, sending him flying.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed.
Alarmed, Cyborg and Sarah looked up, catching sight of the airborne Robin. Cyborg hopped out of his seat and positioned himself to catch him. Thankfully, his prediction of his descent was accurate, allowing him to safely catch Robin.
"Okay, no more playing on the swings for you two," Cyborg stated.
"Robin!" Starfire yelled, flying over.
"I'm fine, Star," Robin clarified as he was being set down by Cyborg. "I needed to come over here anyway."
"Alright, I will be doing the sliding then," the alien said. She then zoomed over to the playground island.
Cyborg turned back to the Boy Wonder. "What do you want, Rob?"
Robin straightened up and became serious. Well, as much as a four year old could. "I think I know where Mad Mod is hiding out."
"Are you sure?"
"You forget I'm the World's Second Greatest Detective™," Robin bragged, his smile smug.
"Get to the point Boy Blunder."
"Well, I found him on multiple security cameras from the past two days. As we know, he loves dressing up and changing his style. He has worn several different outfits, all coming from one store in particular, 'Mathilde's Treasures.'"
"I thought Mathilde's Treasures was closed down for renovation," Sarah chimed in.
"It is, and there's only one in Jump City. Mad Mod still had a price tag on every single one of his clothes, and they're all in a teenage size."
Cyborg's eyes widened in realization. "How could he get new clothes from a store that was closed down if…"
"...he wasn't at least going there frequently?" Robin finished.
"I'll go there first thing in the morning," Cyborg claimed. He turned to Sarah. "You don't mind if…"
"I'll be there by nine," she interrupted.
Robin cleared his throat. "So… since I told you where he is, can I go with you?" he asked.
Despite still wearing a mask, the cybernetic man could tell he was giving him puppy dog eyes.
"Nope," Cyborg said, smiling.
Robin's eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath.
"But pleaseeeee?"
"No."
"Oh come on, Raven! I don't have anyone to play with!"
"How sad."
"But-"
"Beast Boy, Starfire is already forcing me to let her braid my hair. I. Don't. Want. To. Play," she bit, her eyebrow twitching.
A bead of sweat dropped from Beast Boy. "You know what, I'll just ask Sarah," he chuckled, backing away slowly.
Starfire giggled at his antics as she finished braiding her friend's second pigtail. Her long red hair was in a similar fashion. Beast Boy plopped down on the couch, laying on his back.
A few moments later, Sarah walked into the room. Beast Boy instantly perked up.
"Sarah, will you play Mega Monkeys 5 with me?" he pleaded. For extra effect, he shifted into a puppy, giving her the eyes.
Sarah looked around the room, taking note of the missing Titan. "Sure, but doesn't Robin usually play with you?"
"He's in the bathroom."
"I just went to the bathroom though."
"Perhaps he is in his room or the gym?" Starfire suggested.
"I'll check," Raven said, sinking into the floor.
The three patiently waited for her return, not thinking much of the situation. As expected, Raven soon reappeared, her brows slightly furrowed.
"He's not in either of them."
"You guys don't think he snuck out, do you?" Beast Boy pondered aloud.
"He's probably just hiding somewhere around the tower," Sarah shrugged.
"Actually, I do recall him discussing a plan to capture Mad Mod, and the actions he described would be done by him," Starfire added.
Sarah walked over to the computer and said, "Okay, let's not jump to conclusions. Let's just check the sensors to see where he's at." She typed in the necessary commands and loaded the sensor screen. The screen displayed a blueprint of the tower. Additionally, a few dots appeared on the map, signifying that there were people in that room. When she checked all over the tower, worry instantly plagued her.
There were only four dots showing up in the tower.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
In the basement of the store, Mad Mod sat in a brown cushioned chair. Around him sat fresh and offline robots. He was currently tinkering with his malfunctioning cane on the desk in front of him. The basement was barely illuminated, dusty, and somewhat broken down. As Cyborg snuck around, he found a few unused rooms. He was quietly walking down the hallway, following the faint sounds made by the villain.
Soon enough, he reached the room Mad Mod was residing in. The redhead had his back turned to the door. Slowly, Cyborg angled his sonic cannon at his back. Before he could blast him, a disc came flying out of the blue, entering the room. It exploded into dark gray smoke, blinding both Cyborg and Mad Mod.
"What in the-" Mad Mod choked out. Before he could finish his sentence, a small boot connected with his face, sending him tumbling out of the chair.
He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his cane. As the smoke cleared, he could make out a familiar face.
"Jeez. Even as a teenager you're still ugly," Robin teased. He was once again sporting his miniature uniform.
Mad Mod's eyes widened. "Well look at that. I guess I wasn't the only one affected by my cane's malfunction. And watch your mouth, you little snot!"
"Robin! What do you think you're doing here?!" Cyborg yelled, finally realizing who the unknown attacker was.
"I'm here to take Mad Mod down, duh!"
"I don't think so," Mad Mod countered. Mad Mod pressed a button on his cane, causing the powered down robots to come to life.
Robin immediately went into action, flipping and throwing several hits at the villain. Cyborg ran in and shot at the robots. Mad Mod was trying to block the hits that the child threw at him. Despite his size, Robin still managed to land several hard blows on him, especially in the shins.
The British boy hopped away, holding his ankles and shins. "That does it!" he screamed angrily, pointing his cane at the boy. A robot came to his master's rescue and picked up Robin by his cape.
"Hey! Put me down you mechanical butthead!"
Mad Mod gave him the L sign before being hit by one of his own robots. Cyborg, who threw the robot, ran over to Robin. The Boy Wonder was already tearing the robot's wires with his staff. Cyborg grabbed the robot by the arms and ripped them off, freeing his leader.
"Get your butt outside before you get hurt," he scolded, picking Robin up.
"I was about to disable that thing anyway," Robin retaliated.
Before Cyborg could carry him any further, another robot grabbed him from behind.
The blonde woman sat parked in her car, observing the building. She could see the T-Car parked in the lot, yet several minutes later, there was no sign of Cyborg. She tried calling once more, but it went to voicemail. She let out a sigh of frustration and turned to the three children in the backseat.
"Did either Cyborg or Robin answer?"
"No."
"Nope."
"Ditto."
Sarah cursed under her breath. "But your trackers say they're both in there right?"
The three children nodded their heads.
"Okay," she started, taking her keys out of the car. "I'm going in there to get Robin. When I go in, nobody leaves the car. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am," they answered.
"Good." Sarah stepped out of the car. "By the way, Raven's in charge," she stated and closed the door.
Beast Boy frowned. "Why does she always get to be in charge?" he grumbled.
Raven simply smirked and continued to undo her braids.
Sarah cautiously walked through the vacant store. When she made her way to the back, she noticed a mysterious door wide open. She tried looking to see where it led, but it was still quite dark. Deciding to cut her losses, she walked down the stairs. The already unsettling atmosphere amplified as made her way down the corridor. She could hear faint sounds coming from all around her.
"Cyborg? Robin? Are you guys here?" she asked, her voice echoing.
Suddenly, footsteps rapidly approached her. Just as she turned around, something collided with her, sending both of them to the floor. She gathered her bearings and looked to see what had hit her.
"Why hello there ma'am," said Mad Mod. He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to it. "I know I look a few years younger than you, but I can assure I'm much older, my duckling." He then winked at her.
In response, Sarah slapped him across the face. He let out a cry of pain and rolled off of her. Sarah quickly hopped onto her feet and reached into her pocket. Before Mad Mod could respond, she pepper sprayed him. She ran in the direction he came from, leaving the manchild screaming in pain.
"You're older than my grandpa, creep," she muttered to herself. When she turned a corner, she came face to face with the two people she had been searching for. Behind them, she could see plenty of decimated robots.
"Sarah?" Cyborg exclaimed.
"I came to get Robin," she stated, scooping the boy up. "Don't worry I'll take Robin back to the tower."
"Well in that case, I'll get Mod," Cyborg said, rushing past her. Sarah took off after him.
"But I don't wanna go home!" Robin whined.
"Can it!" the young adults yelled.
The two rushed towards the basement entryway. However, the British teenager that had once been there was gone. They ran up the stairs and towards the front of the store.
Cyborg paused briefly. "Wait, where's the others?"
"In the car," she answered.
A high pitched scream was then heard outside the store. Outside, Mad Mod was running from a small Tamaranean girl, his butt being pelted by starbolts.
"Stop that you little brat," he screamed. Starfire giggled and continued her assault.
Sarah sighed. "They were in the car."
The couple ran outside to observe the commotion. Mad Mod was now climbing up the scaffolding on the side of the building. He was narrowly dodging the starbolts, only getting hit a few times. When he reached the top of the building, he felt his hand be brushed by something. He looked up to see a green garter snake wrapped around his hand. He let out another scream and frantically waved his hand.
The snake lost its grip and fell. Before it hit the ground, it transformed into a bird and safely flew down.
"How's it going, brace face!" Beast Boy taunted.
Mad Mod finished climbing the rest of the building. Angered, he looked over the side and yelled, "Some of us weren't blessed enough to have straight pearly whites like you and your friends!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you prefer pepperoni face?"
Starfire walked over to her friend. "Beast Boy, please. It is not right to make fun of Mad Mod's appearance. It is not his fault he is unappealing at every age."
Mad Mod's face turned beet red. Meanwhile, Robin, who was placed on the ground, slyly reached into his belt. He pulled out his grappling hook and shot it at the building. He was instantly pulled up the side of the building, then climbing up the rest of the way.
"ROBIN, WILL YOU STAND STILL FOR TWO DAMN SECONDS?!" Cyborg yelled after him.
Ignoring him, Robin ran behind the villain and latched onto his back. As Mad Mod tried shaking him off, Robin repeatedly hit him on the head with his staff. In the commotion, Mad Mod dropped his cane.
"Starfire, get me up there!" Cyborg instructed, his eyes locked on the cane.
"I got it," a voice said behind him.
Cyborg and Sarah couldn't help but to yelp in surprise before turning around to see the speaker.
"How long have you been standing there?" Sarah questioned.
"A couple of minutes," Raven responded plainly. She then focused her powers on the cane and brought it towards them.
Meanwhile, Mad Mod had finally shaken the Boy Wonder off of him. He quickly kicked Robin's staff off of the roof and grabbed him by the shirt. He made sure to hold him over the edge of the building.
A sinister smile grew on his face. "Well, well, well. It looks like only some of us will be getting older after today," he sneered.
At the same time, Raven used her powers to break the cane in half. Instantly, the four children and Mad Mod rapidly aged.
Mad Mod gulped as the toddler he was once holding now towered over him. Robin put his dangling feet on the building's edge and forced the two of them in the opposite direction.
"Heh heh, hello there governor," the now old Mad Mod chuckled nervously.
Robin smirked and delivered a swift punch, instantly knocking the man out.
"That was the weirdest experience in my entire life!" Beast Boy commented in the back seat.
"I only remember certain parts of the experience," Robin added, sitting in the front seat.
"But in what you remember, was it not one of the most joyful and exciting experiences you have partaken in?" Starfire asked.
"I would say it was interesting at most," Raven responded.
Robin adjusted his seat. "Well, we could learn more about it, once Cyborg's done chatting with his girlfriend."
In front of the T-Car, Cyborg and Sarah were still flirti-, er chatting. Both of them were sporting huge smiles.
"You know, I actually had fun doing all of this," Sarah told him.
"Even after the constant screaming and escape attempts?" Cyborg joked.
She snickered. "Yeah, even that."
"I keep saying this, but thanks again Sarah. I really couldn't have done this without you."
"Anything for my man," she assured, pulling him into a kiss. He eagerly reciprocated and grabbed her hips.
Sparks engulfed both of them. They perfectly complemented one another. It felt like nothing could come between them.
"EWWWWW!" the four other Titans mocked.
The couple broke away from each other, their faces red from embarrassment.
Cyborg shot his smirking friends a glare before turning back to Sarah. "I gotta take the kids home. I'll call you when I get there."
"Okay," she giggled. Before she walked away, she blew him a kiss. "Love ya, tin man."
Just when he thought his smile couldn't get bigger, he became the Cheshire cat. He walked back to his car and got in, starting the engine.
"Friends, is it wise to leave Mad Mod in his current condition?" Starfire asked, referring to the still knocked out villain handcuffed to the scaffolding.
Raven's eyes turned white and black energy surrounded the bottom half of Mad Mod. In a split second, he was being wedgied, his underwear being hooked onto his head. Raven smirked. "It is now."
Cyborg snorted. "I see you guys still have your childish tendencies."
"Yeah, yeah, can we get pizza, dad?" Beast Boy butted in. Robin and Starfire, laughing, agreed with his suggestion.
"Don't ever call me that again," Cyborg muttered, finally pulling out of the parking lot. As he drove off, several police cars showed up to the scene.
Authors Note:
Well, that was definitely longer than last episode...
I'm so grateful for all the favorites and follows I've received just for Episode 1 alone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I definitely feel like I rushed through writing towards the end. I just really wanted to get the next chapter out for you guys as soon as possible because I'm going on vacation.
Also, after rereading some of the Teen Titans Go! tie in comics, there is something bothering me. The first few episodes of my Season 6 take place in early 2007. As discussed last chapter, in Issue 27, Cyborg and Sarah broke up. However, in Issue 39 we see Sarah, with a rose in her hand, walking with Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin. In the issue, it is said that Valentine's Day is coming up, so that comic would take place around February. Fast forward, in Issue 45, it seems that Cyborg and Sarah get back together. That would mean we would be at least around March currently. Then again, the comics don't follow a linear timeline, meaning the newer issues can take place before the older ones. I have 4 more episodes that take place by May, so if this is correct, I think I'm making episodes happen to close to one another, especially considering the circumstances of some of them.
Should I just ignore a sense of time altogether? It makes things easier to follow, but then again I like being specific. Should I make Issue 45 take place before Issue 39? Or is the way I'm doing things fine?
Also, should I explain my theoretical timeline of the entire series? Or is that just making things complicated?
Once again, please let me know if I made any grammar errors or spelling mistakes.
As I said before, I'm going on vacation and I also have other things to do afterwards. I don't have a schedule of writing chapters, so sometimes the updates might take longer than other times.
Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! The next episode certainly will begin to lead into the more darker tones. Not quite where the main storyline starts though. Hopefully I'll succeed in making it good and not just some cringy edgelord episode.