Here we have the winner of the poll, (to no one's surprise), the continuation of Multiverse Hopping featuring the Teen Titans. I tried to keep the timeline of where exactly this happens in the Titans universe vaguely ambiguous, more for the sake of not subjecting you to half-remembered plotlines from the last time I sat down and watched the entire series which was... oh god, like a decade ago.

I was stuck on this one for a good long while. I had a good lead in, a solid introduction to the Titans, and then... nothing.

And then I had a thought.

It would be an absolute crime if I didn't put Hawkgirl and Artemis through the worst the world of Teen Titans had to offer. And what would that be, you ask? Here's a hint. I had to put time into researching the origins and evolution of the Pop Art movement, particularly its roots in 1960's Britain.

I hope it doesn't disappoint! And thank you to everyone who voted in the poll, it's really helped me out in trying to get my writing life in order.

It was astonishing, how a situation could flip from an innocuous, entirely accidental destruction of a jewelry store into an all-out battle with a doppelganger of one of your best friends, all in the span of a heartbeat. Scarcely had Hawkgirl and Artemis registered the odd battle cry of "Titans, go!" before they were swarmed by young heroes.

The roster was registered quickly, the youngest a green skinned meta who shifted into the similarly verdant form of a tiger, leaping claws and teeth first. There was a hooded, pale girl who reeked of magic, more than any other user Hawkgirl had ever encountered. A red-haired Tamaranean was firing off energy blasts from her hands at Artemis, who barely managed to dodge. The tallest among the group was half-human, half-machine, one of his robotic appendages shifting into a blaster cannon.

That left their unmistakable leader, Robin.

His outfit was... different. Brighter. With... Tights. Green tights. But that mop of untameable black hair, the effortlessly acrobatic way he moved, and that faint scent of petrichor and Gotham that always seemed to linger around its home grown vigilantes, were all somehow the same.

But he was older, perhaps even more so than Hawkgirl, which was a strange thing to think about.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Artemis shouted as she sidestepped the tiger attempting to bite her bow out of her grip. "This is just like India all over again!"

"It's just a tiger." Hawkgirl pointed out, ducking under a solid beam of light courtesy of the cyborg. "India had crocodiles."

The temporary big cat ended up jerking backwards, cocking his head to the side, before his form shifted again, this time manifesting into a snapping reptile that went right for the archer's legs. "Oh come on!" A shriek left Artemis' lips as she batted away the croc. "Don't give the weird shapeshifter ideas!"

Any snappy retort she could have given was forced back, as a bo staff cracked into Hawkgirl's side, courtesy of Not Their Robin. Snarling at the smarting hit, more for the prospect he'd actually landed the strike than actual injury, she readjusted her grip on her mace and darted forward.

His staff shot up, catching on the handle of the mace before the head could make contact. Using his focus on her weapon against him, she ducked low and slammed her shoulder into his gut, sending him flying back into a nearby wall.

"Robin!" Several members of this brightly colored team called out. Despite a hasty affirmation he was just winded, the potential injury to their leader spurred the others into fighting even harder.

Hawkgirl risked a glance over at Artemis, making sure she was holding out okay against both the shapeshifter and the Tamaranean. She seemed to be holding her own, despite the significant power difference.

"You guys are really terrible thieves, you know that, bird brain?" The cyborg taunted, promptly firing off another laser blast straight for her torso, which she twisted to avoid.

"Because we are not thieves." Hawkgirl growled back, her wings flaring out in an aggressive display. "You attacked us first!"

"You broke into a jewelry store!"

"We didn't-!"

" Gah!" A piercing cry of pain, and Hawkgirl fully abandoned her current fight. The magic user had apparently entered the fray, a black tendril of energy emanating from the hooded girl's hand. Bound by a spell, Artemis was squeezed and promptly thrown into a glass display case.

Hawkgirl moved quickly, dealing a swift blow to the cyborg's face to deter his approach, and she felt his nose break under the force of her punch. She sprinted over to Artemis' side, vaguely registering her opponent's muffled exclamations of, 'My face! She broke my face!'

"Are you okay?" Hawkgirl demanded of her friend, dropping to her knees and gently extricating her from the debris.

Groaning, Artemis's now-scarlet splattered hand clamped against her side. "Ribs... Think some glass got in my arm."

Her initial assessment proved true, a few large shards lodged into her forearm, and a dangerous amount of blood leaking from the wounds.

"Uhhh, did you guys forget we were fighting?" The green one had shifted back into his scrawny humanoid form, brow furrowed. "Because we were totally doing that?"

The magic user spoke, her voice low and raspy. "Do you surrender?"

"A Thanagarian does not surrender." All of Hawkgirl's attention was on accessing Artemis's first aid kit in her utility belt. "I am pausing this inane fight until I guarantee my friend does not bleed out as a result of your foolishness."

"A Thana-what now?" She could practically see the question mark hovering over the cyborg's head.

Explanation came from the Tamaranean, who was nearly bouncing in place. "You are truly a Thanagarian?!"

"Just as much as you are Tamaranean."

" Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A noise similar to a bird's screech, albeit a warped one, rang through the destroyed store as an avian-like construct of magic swept towards Hawkgirl, courtesy of the hooded one. Not even glancing away from her inspection of Artemis' wounds, she hoisted up her mace in her free hand and activated its energy aura.

The burst of white energy crackled when the construct hit, dissipating it near instantly as it let out a death rattle not unlike a real bird would.

" Sindarti," Ski'Lira muttered to herself. "Always so overconfident."

If she weren't incapacitated, Artemis surely would have swatted her. "Maybe we don't antagonize the heroes who currently think we're robbers?"

"Are you... not?" At the shapeshifter's tentative inquiry, Ski'Lira graced their assailants with a glance. They were clearly all ready to spring back into action at a moment's notice, but they seemed dedicated to this unofficial time out.

In having her spell blocked so easily, the pale magician had somehow turned even more ashen, which filled her with vindication.

"No," Hawkgirl answered, her tone coming across more than a little irate in her attempt at being genuine. "We landed here by accident."

"Do we waffle or do we just tell them?" Wincing as the Thanagarian tightened the bandages around her upper forearm, Artemis' head lolled back. "It could save so much time."

"I do not understand," the Tamaranean's eyebrows were knitted together in her confusion. "Are they going to provide us the waffles? Is this some sort of Earth custom I am unaware of?"

"It's a figure of speech, Starfire." Robin explained offhandedly, eyes never wavering from the perceived 'thieves' before him. "And I think it's in your best interest to tell us the truth. Now."

Yikes. This version of Robin was a lot... angrier. Usually that tone only came out when their Robin was under mounting stress, not on what seemed to be a typical patrol incident.

Artemis lifted her head back up, "We're heroes from an alternate dimension. We were yoinked to this other dimension first, but their version of Doctor Fate cast a spell to get us home, but clearly he was a little off. You know, 'cause we're here and not home."

"... Okaaaay?" The cyborg looked skeptical. "Hey scary bird lady, how much of that was true and how much of it was blondie's blood loss?"

" Don't call me blondie." Artemis muttered.

Satisfied with her hastily applied first aid (at least until they could go somewhere safer and proper treatment could be given), Hawkgirl stood so that she was positioned protectively over the vulnerable Artemis. "She tells the truth."

"Prove it," Robin insisted, a predictable response from him. "You claim you're both heroes? Prove it?"

Options flitted through her head. There was a practically zero chance that the code she'd used with the other Batman would work here. She had no clue who the other teens could be, apart from recognizing a fellow extraterrestrial and a sindarti. This would be so much easier if there was a parallel M'Gann present.

But she did know Robin, both in and out of the mask.

Just blurting out his secret identity was a no go, as she had no clue if he'd let his teammates in on that tidbit yet. That would just put him on edge, so she needed something real. Something that only a trusted friend would know.

Inspiration came to her suddenly, and she stepped forward, gesturing for him to close distance too. She was proud to see how the other teens went on alert at the proximity, but Robin complied anyway. From the way his fingers were flexing, she knew the moment she made a wrong move, a birdarang would be lodged between her ribs.

In the lowest voice she could manage, so that only he would hear, she steadily listed off the ingredients and ratios of Alfred Pennyworth's signature recipe for blueberry scones.

When she drew back, smirk on her face, Robin's masked eyes were wide. "You... You know Agent A?"

"Do you require further convincing, or may we abscond before the police inevitably show?" Ski'Lira prompted, attempting to jar him out of whatever spiral he'd just fallen into.

Physically shaking himself, he offered a terse shake of the head, turning to address these 'Titans' of his. "I think we'd better finish this conversation in the Tower."

"Agreed," the sorcerer girl's eyes were narrowed, eyeline never once wavering from the weapon dangling at Hawkgirl's hip. "Does your companion require transport?"

"I can handle it." With practice ease, Ski'Lira scooped an unprotesting Artemis into a princess carry, careful not to jostle the rudimentary bandaging.

"Thanagarian Airlines," Artemis quipped, though it came out a little more garbled than she likely intended. "Do I get a little package of peanuts?"

"If you were not at risk of bleeding out, I would dump you back on the floor."

Miming zipping her lips shut, the last vestiges of Artemis' energy flagged and she turned to deadweight in Ski'Lira's grip, fully content to let the older girl do all the work.

H

For two heroes such as themselves, who had been recruited to a Team specifically made to avoid any kind of public spotlight outside of their individual hero personas, the audacity of living in such a visible headquarters was both impressive and unnerving. The overall structural integrity of a 'T' shaped building was in some question, but apart from a disbelieving mumble from Artemis when they first caught sight of the headquarters, they kept their mouths shut on the matter.

Robin was kind enough to fetch a proper first aid kid, one of the big ones more reminiscent of an EMT's bag. With proper equipment, Hawkgirl was able to give Artemis a line of proper stitches, the neatest she could manage. Once the job was done, wound wrapped in gauze, the conversation that desperately needed to happen could wait no longer.

"I don't know about you, but I think some proper introductions are in order." The green skinned shapeshifter struck a pose, his attempt at a suave look manifesting as a slightly goofy grin. "Hello ladies, welcome to Titans Tower. You can call me Beast Boy."

"Because that's his name," the magic user earned herself a betrayed look from her teammate at her immediate betrayal.

"I'm Robin," the leader of their little group took over before a scuffle could break out. "But you knew that already." He shot Hawkgirl a pointed look, confusing the others.

"Cyborg," the cyborg jerked his thumb at his own chest, then gestured to the most sullen of the party. "Little Miss Sunshine over there is Raven."

"And I am Starfire!" The Tamaranean flew to stand before Hawkgirl, "And it is an honor to greet you, warrior of Thanagar!" She proceeded to draw back and slam her forehead straight into Hawkgirl's. A harsh clang ran through the room as hard bone met metal, followed shortly by an immediate outcry.

"Starfire!" Cyborg admonished, "We do not inflict brain damage instead of shaking hands!"

"But it would be impolite not to greet her with proper strength!" Starfire, rightfully, insisted. "It is important to treat those most fierce and fearsome of Tamaran allies with the respect they have earned."

Blinking away tears from the sudden hit, glad for the obfuscation of the mask, Hawkgirl couldn't help but admit that the reputation of Tamaraneans wasn't exaggerated in the least. In a straight competition of strength, likely this 'Starfire' could give Superboy a run for his money. "An honor to greet you, warrior of Tamaran. My name is Hawkgirl."

"Artemis," the archer waved a lazy hand, unbothered by the display, as she was thoroughly jaded with Ski'Lira's more... violent quirks by now. "Please don't headbutt me."

"So," Robin took control of the situation, "You mentioned something about... dimensional magic?"

The explanation didn't take long, seeing as it was a fairly simple tale.

"Can't say we've dealt with dimension jumping, but time travel on the other hand..." Cyborg trailed off, human eye visibly shifting to glance at Starfire, whose megawatt grin faded for a scarce moment. "Don't exactly know if we can help, but Raven is an expert in magical mojo."

"I have some experience with traversing the planes, as well as pocket dimensions." This was the longest stretch of words they'd heard her utter so far. "The spellwork involved to shunt the both of you here is... unimaginable."

"Considering it was done by a Lord of Order, I can believe it." Ski'Lira scowled at the memory, particularly the broken promise that they'd be taken home. "It's probably best to turn the matter over to the League. If you contact your handler, we can coordinate with them. If you don't have a Doctor Fate here, I'm sure we can find someone capable enough."

"Uh... What?" Beast Boy's hand stopped where it had been about to shove a disgustingly large handful of popcorn into his maw, taken from the large bowl he'd insisted on making for 'storytime'. "Handler?"

"Mentor? Den Mother? Babysitter?" Artemis started tossing out the synonyms the Team preferred for their own handlers.

A shadow fell over Robin's face, a bite to his tone. "We don't need any... handlers."

Suddenly, a great number of things make sense. "Oh," Hawkgirl blinked. "Your... Teen Titans... They are not a subsidiary of the Justice League?" A stern shake of Robin's head served as her answer.

"I don't know whether to be jealous or horrified." Artemis' grey eyes had gone wide. "Who trains you? Gives you missions? Tells you off when you screw up?"

" We train us," some of Robin's sudden ire faded as he registered the disparity in experiences here. "Jump City is ours to protect, we take on whatever missions we need to."

"If you can't tell, Robin is the one who tells us off if we mess up." Beast Boy's quip earned him a sharp glare. "Sometimes Raven, but she mostly just gives you long, sullen looks that send shivers up your spine."

A nearby couch cushion was enveloped with black energy, flinging itself at the shapeshifter's head. Squeaking, Beast Boy shrunk down into a mouse for a scant few seconds to avoid the projectile, poofing back into his humanoid form once the danger had passed.

"Guessing you guys don't operate the same?"

Hawkgirl nodded at Cyborg's poignant question, "Covert ops squad run by Batman. Black Canary's our primary trainer, several members of the League rotate to watch over proceedings or act as additional mentors."

"Covert ops?! Cool," stars shone in Beast Boy's eyes. Like, literal five-pointed star shapes where his pupils should be. Was this part of his powerset or just a strange quirk of this disgustingly bright universe? "Like, dress in black, stealthy ninja-style missions?! Do you use night vision goggles? Smoke bombs? Ninja stars?!"

"Half of our Team can see in the dark," Ski'Lira commented idly. "Some members of our team have stealth versions of their uniforms, Artemis and Robin use smoke bombs regularly, and they're called shuriken." Wanting to abandon this particular conversation lest she be subjected to more fanboy questions, she turned to the quiet magic user. " Sindarti, do you have any input on our situation?'

The cobalt hood tilted to the side, betraying its owner's thinking process. "I know of a few diagnostic spells that might make the situation... clearer. If you would allow it."

"Do it. Cast on Artemis, if you would."

A shadowed brow rose in challenge, "Why? Afraid?"

Ski'Lira's teeth flashed into a sharp grin. "Hardly," she rapped her knuckles against her breastplate. "Interferes with magic."

Content with that explanation, Raven acquiesced. "Give me a moment to retrieve the components from my room." Without any platitudes, she flew from the room in a graceful hover.

"So," Artemis piped up. "Do you guys just... live here on your own? What about school?"

The casual questions opened up a veritable floodgate of information. Apparently both Robin and Cyborg had tested for their GED's some time ago. Raven, having not been born on this plane, wasn't subject to Terran schooling, but had a mastery in the magical arts. Starfire completed the Tamaranean equivalent of education shortly before coming to Earth. Beast Boy, on the other hand, liked to watch documentaries and visit the library a lot. A traditional education he may not possess, but his knowledge of animals and biology were far ahead of anyone in his age range.

When Raven returned, it was with a handful of misshapen crystals in hand. Uttering a nonsensical incantation, she waved the crystals over the sigil marked on Artemis' abdomen. The chanting completed, she set the crystals on the table, explaining it would take some time for the gathered data to fully register.

That just meant more opportunity for conversation, as there was little else to do and a great amount of curiosity on both sides.

"Is your Robin a bit of a buzzkill too?" Beast Boy was starting to run out of inquiries by now, switching to more personal questions. "Cause I love you man, but sometimes you can be a bit-" Another pillow was thrown his way, this time by the Boy Wonder himself.

Hawkgirl and Artemis traded a look for a second before bursting into laughter, the latter far more loudly than the former.

"Our Robin's the baby," Artemis crooned. "Our little chaos gremlin."

"Our leader is actually Aqualad," Hawkgirl added. "I am second in command."

The moment mention of the Atlantean left her lips, Starfire and Raven's faces turned nearly comical shades of pink, as the three boys made disgusted expressions. Beast Boy feigned a full gag.

Confused, Hawkgirl dared to venture into the unintentional minefield. "Is that a... problem? It must be another difference in personality, our Aqualad is the most level-headed person I know."

"It's not that." Cyborg grumbled. "Believe me."

"I will show you!" Squealing a little bit, Starfire flew from the room. A distant ruckus came from somewhere else in the Tower, and when the Tamaranean returned it was with a picture frame carefully cradled to her chest.

When she turned it around, they were greeted with the captured image of a lithe, pale teen in blue scaled armor. And it was signed.

" That's Aqualad?" Artemis was at a loss. "He's so... so..."

"The dreamboat?" Starfire filled in with a gusty sigh, cuddling the frame as if it were the real deal, not a rectangle of wood and glass.

" White," Artemis' nose wrinkled. "Why is he white?"

Meanwhile, Hawkgirl was squinting, examining the photo with a keener eye. "Actually, I think that's Garth?"

" Whoa, you're right! It totally is! Man, our Garth is kinda scrawny, but look at this guy! Like, he has no waist. And the eyes? Do all Atlanteans have eyes like that here?"

Hands up, Cyborg shook his head. "Wait, back up. Your Aqualad isn't Garth?"

Fishing her (thankfully still charged) phone from its safe hiding place, Ski'Lira opened her photo gallery to show a selfie of herself and Kaldur taken on one of their beach days. "This is Kaldur'ahm. In our world, Garth is a hero too, but he's called Tempest."

"So weird," Beast Boy muttered.

Cyborg was inspecting the photo Ski'Lira had offered in turn. "Looks like a pretty cool dude to me."

Any further sharing of stories was harshly interrupted by an alarm, wail filling the air as the overhead lights flashed red. Immediately on high alert from the piercing noise, Ski'Lira's mace was in her hand, fully prepared to eviscerate whatever threat had just disturbed their hard fought for moment of peace.

"Whoa! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Beast Boy crowed, literally, as he'd turned into a corvid to avoid the swift draw of her weapon. "You'd think you'd never heard the Titan alarm before...! Oh, uh... See, right as I said it, I got it."

"Why is it so unnecessarily loud?!" Hawkgirl snarled, resisting the urge to cover her ears.

"To keep certain people from sleeping through it." Raven was very pointedly not looking at anyone in particular.

"What is it this time, Rob?" Cyborg asked.

"Someone's taken over the Jump City Museum of Modern Art," Robin relayed tersely, a live feed of the destination playing on the large screen. "On the opening day of the Pop Art exhibition."

"Any clue who our art enthusiast is today?"

"No indication from the police report. No one managed to get out in time, and the place is locked down tight thanks to the museum's pre-existing security measures."

"Yeesh," Beast Boy squinted at the live view of a line of cop cars surrounding the building, but unable to enter thanks to the heavy shutters blocking every door and window. "Who knew they had such heavy duty stuff on that place?"

Hawkgirl had plenty of opinions about the dedication of art thieves and the contingencies needed to thwart them, but kept them to herself.

"I have to remain behind," Raven spoke up. "To monitor the diagnostic spell." There was an unspoken 'and babysit the interdimensional travelers' tacked on via neutral expression alone.

"If we're going to be down a whole Raven, why don't we take along a Hawk instead?" Cyborg jerked a thumb at the winged brunette, entirely too pleased with his own witty wordplay. "We definitely know she can hold her own in a fight."

Robin was not convinced, "Adding new elements to the team could-"

"Claiming I cannot adapt to a new team roster is an insult." Hawkgirl snapped. "If you're worried about me usurping your command, don't. Thanagarians respect the chain of command."

"Oh!" Starfire flew around in a happy circle. "The thought of diving into glorious battle with a Thanagarian at our side brings me much of the joy! Please, Robin? Please, please please?!"

Robin just... stared for a moment, a firm set to his mouth, before sighing and letting loose the tiniest of smiles. "I can see when I'm outvoted. Alright, fine."

"Aww, guess I'll miss out on the fun." Artemis gave an exaggerated pout. "Woe is me."

"Are you sure you don't wish me to remain behind with you?"

"Hawkgirl, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm not hurt that bad. Besides, you probably need to work off some steam by now, and I'm sure this'll give you the chance."

Cyborg snorted, "Did you get knocked in the head harder than we thought? We all just got out of a fight!"

"Yeah, you know she was holding back, right? She wasn't trying to hurt you." A shudder ran through Artemis at old memories, "You should be thankful, she doesn't even go that soft in training."

Faces went paper white around the room, as Hawkgirl shrugged. "It's true. I have very high standards."

H

"Does it... usually... look like...?" Scarcely had they arrived on scene before Hawkgirl started to feel serious doubt about her choice to be here.

"Uh... Absolutely not." Cyborg's human eye was shot wide. "So... Everyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I can think of no other who would use such... distinct decoration." Starfire's so far sunny disposition was slipping into unease the longer they stared at the building.

That proved all the confirmation Hawkgirl needed that this wasn't a new experience. "Then you have had previous encounters with... whatever villain has such blatant fondness for the Union Jack?"

"You could say that," Robin muttered to himself. "I'm guessing Mad Mod doesn't have a counterpart in your world?"

"Clearly not," a villain this thematically recognizable would be unmistakable in any dimension, especially one who literally draped the scene of his own crimes with massive banners as calling cards. "What can I expect from this... Mad Mod?"

"Tech guy," Cyborg was all too happy to give her a quick rundown. "Pretty advanced stuff. Illusions, mind control, really convincing holograms, the whole shebang."

" And he's obnoxious. I count that as his superpower." Beast Boy added.

... Great. Hawkgirl hated the obnoxious villains.

Breaking into the museum itself was almost laughably easy. Even the strongest metal shutters protecting the front door did nothing in the face of a determined Tamaranean. It only took one solid yank from Starfire after she'd dug her fingers into the metal to fling the shutter aside as if it were cardboard.

Darting forward, Beast Boy politely held the door open for everyone else, "Please, after you, after you, after you," he said with every person that passed through, with an exaggerated English accent.

There was no amount of warning the Teen Titans could have provided that could possibly have prepared her for the sight within. Already the museum was a riot of conglomerated color, thanks to its current Pop Art exhibition (an art movement that was a poster child for daring use of bright and clashing colors).

Whatever this illusory tech was that Mad Mod favored, it drenched every surface with stark black and white checkerboard patterns, interspersed with the occasional Union Jack.

She had to take a solid few seconds to process, wondering if she was suffering from some sort of isolated seizure in her occipital lobe. For someone that relied so heavily on her eyesight, this was akin to torture. "Everyone else sees...?"

"Yep," the deadpan response came in unison from the present Titans.

Cyborg was already shifting his robotic hand into its laser cannon form, "It's like this pretty much every time we fight the scrawny creep. You never get used to it."

Shaking off the momentary visual stun, Hawkgirl followed his lead and grabbed for her mace. There's no way this guy could be worse than the scrawniest of creeps, Klarion the Witch Boy.

... Right?

Exactly thirty two seconds later, she was proven entirely and utterly wrong.

Now in the main hub of the museum, hastily installed screens dangled precariously via an elaborate interconnected wiring system that stretched across the museum like a bizarre spiderweb. On their grand entrance, the screens blinked to life, revealing this 'Mad Mod'.

Her first thought was 'unfortunate genetics'.

Her second thought was 'I am going to throw this man into a dumpster.'

"Good evening, my duckies!" The crazed engineer crooned, accent almost insultingly thick, to the point she was seriously wondering if he was actually British or if it was just part of the persona he'd crafted. "Are you here for the art show? When I heard they were doing such a faithful homage to one of Britain's greatest contributions to art, I just couldn't help myself!" His tittering laugh was just as grating as the checkerboard flooring. "And what's this?" He loomed closer into the screen. "A new friend? Quite a shiny bird, isn't she?"

"She's..." Robin hesitated, realizing in that moment they'd never thought of a good explanation for her presence.

"An intern!" Beast Boy's panicked suggestion immediately earned himself an irate look from their 'new hire'.

"An intern!" Mad Mod cried, "how delightful! I suppose even the amazing Titans themselves need someone to buy coffee and fetch their dry cleaning! Hm... Should I have an intern? Bird girl, I don't suppose you-"

"If you talk to me again, I will find you and make you swallow your own rancid teeth."

"... Quite an aggressive one, aren't you? Must be first day jitters getting the better of you, poppet! Well, nothing steadies the nerves better than a skirmish with MY NEWEST RANGE OF ROBOTIC CREATIONS!"

Popping out of previously unseen holes in the flooring, obscured by the vantablack squares, came replicas of Mad Mad. Each bore his signature suit, albeit with silver metallic hue to their skin, and no eyes or mouth, just slim sapphire glasses set upon a cylindrical protuberance in place of a nose.

"The robots are... new." Beast Boy commented as the swarm started to assemble around them. "Good to see he's branching out!"

"All the easier for the smashing, yes?" Starfire pounded her fist into her opposite hand.

"Titans, go!" At Robin's direction, they all moved, with Hawkgirl just a half step behind them. She was unused to relying on a verbal cue to engage, usually they just sort of... did it.

The onslaught of destruction was at least familiar territory. Each swing of her mace shattered through the robotic drones' metal carapaces with ease, scattering the delicate inner workings across the ground. Wising up to the danger she posed, the drones attempted to group up and dog pile her, but she let out a low growl and bodily threw them off her, wings spread wide.

It was laughable how easily these robotic drones were dispatched. If Ivo witnessed this, he would weep from disappointment. And once they were gone, it left them free to hunt down Mod himself.

Robin led the way, darting through the nearest doorway... only to end up on the opposite side of the lobby. "Here we go again..."

Hawkgirl was no stranger to illusory tricks. A certain mission in the Tower of Fate sprung to mind, as it was the only comparison she had to the mind bending and downright... cartoonish attempt to head further into the museum.

To add insult to injury, all throughout Mad Mod's Maze were artworks selectively plucked from the museum's current collection. At one point, they even stumbled across the storage closet where all the rejected art pieces had been unceremoniously tossed aside like forgotten garbage.

Mad Mod was just adding more fuel to the fire of her rage with every single moment, even when he wasn't actively present.

After what seemed like the thousandth time traversing this particular hallway, Hawkgirl noticed something peculiar that she'd glossed past before. A particular painting, a pink skull with a vibrant yellow smudge and a mint green background, hung proudly on the wall along with the rest of 'Mod's Trophies of British Superiority in Art, Part Two' (as proclaimed by a handwritten sign taped to the wall above them).

"... He does know that's a Warhol, right?" Hawkgirl asked aloud, not really expecting anyone to answer. " American artist? Painted in... 1975? Or was it '76?"

For a moment, she didn't notice that she was the only one still moving. "... What?"

"Oh, nothing," Cyborg had a teasing grin on his lips already. "Who knew the big bad Thanagarian was an art nerd?"

"... I work in a museum." Hawkgirl blinked. "I lead tours sometimes when we're shortstaffed."

" Nerrrrd!" Beast Boy's mocking call was met with an echo from Cyborg, "And an art snob nerd at that!"

The last vestiges of Ski'Lira's increasingly fragile patience finally shattered. "This is getting us nowhere! How have you defeated Mod before?"

"Usually once we find him, it's easy." Robin revealed. "But finding him is the hard part. His illusions make it difficult to track him down."

"All of this, it must have some kind of trigger?" She questioned, looking to the resident tech expert for answers. "Some sort of passive wave interference? An aura of effect? Or is it purely machine based?"

Cyborg rubbed at the back of his head, not meeting her eyes. "We... haven't exactly been able to figure that one out. I've never gotten the chance to actually study any of his tech before."

"Okay, so what have you learned?"

"The spirals!" Starfire said. "Looking into the spirals makes it worse! That is how he can do the mind control."

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Hawkgirl's mind was racing. At least one effect of his powers relied purely on a visual element, these 'spirals'. But... maybe it wasn't just one element, one pattern that could influence the mind.

She looked down at the floor, the unusual vibrancy of the white and black squares, the way it seemed to stay static no matter what direction you were looking at it from...

"The floor..."

"What was that?" Robin prompted.

"It's the floor," she repeated, louder so everyone else could hear it. "Something about it serves as the trigger for... whatever is happening. Starfire said the spirals allow him mind control, what if the checkerboard pattern is what's creating this illusion of a maze in a static building."

"So if we don't look at it..."

"How exactly are we supposed to avoid looking at the entire floor?" Beast Boy asked, throwing his hands up into the air.

Hawkgirl rolled her eyes at his theatrics. "From what I've seen, you seem to have very little limit on what form you can take."

"... Oh, right." Without further prompting, he zipped down into a star-nosed mole, and started snuffling his way around.

Starfire slapped her hand fully over her eyes, beaming with pride, Cyborg's human eye closed as the red one burned a brighter red, and Robin fished out a length of bandaging from his utility belt to tie around his head.

"Beast Boy, lead the way!" Robin ordered.

The little mole gave a cheery salut before snuffling about in a little circle, making loud squeaking noises so that it was easy to track him without sight. Scuttling about in a circle, he made a louder noise, indicating he had picked up on a concrete trail.

Giving an experimental sniff of her own, Hawkgirl was flooded with the ambient smells from the museum, old paint, floor polish, and remnants from its visitors. But something was nagging at her, a trail emanating from the opposite direction of where Beast Boy was going.

"Hey!" Cyborg called out, seeing as the others were already moving out. He was the only one that doubled back. "What's up, Hawky?"

"... Hawky?" Teeth gritted, her line of thought was scattered at the use of the abhorrent nickname.

"Hawkgirl," he backtracked hastily. "What's up, Hawkgirl?"

"I think the hostages are being held in the opposite wing." She tilted her head, focusing on her hearing now. "Scared heartbeats. Many of them."

"Rob, you and the others go ahead." Cyborg said. "Hawkgirl thinks she's found the hostages. Alright, lead the way!"

Taking off at a sprint, she led Cyborg deeper into the museum, using the spread of her wings to gauge her proximity to the walls and any potential tripping hazards. At a blind corner, Cyborg snagged her by the shoulder just as they made it around, bringing her to a halt. Only then did she crack open her eyes, confident that now they were at a solid destination, the mind bending floors would be less of a worry.

They were met with a small group of more of the robot minions, milling about the kids-centric part of the museum, picking their way around interactive exhibits and kid-sized chairs and tables littered with forgotten papers and crayons. Just beyond lay a larger space, and Ski'Lira caught a glimpse of huddled civilians.

"We should lure them away," Hawkgirl kept her tone to avoid alerting their enemy. "We can't risk the hostages being caught in the crossfire."

"One distraction, coming up!" Fully prepared for some clever jacket, she was taken aback as Cyborg planted his hands on his hips and yelled at the top of his lungs. "HEY YOU! YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU, COCKNEY TIN CANS! TEA IS TERRIBLE! BEANS ON TOAST AREN'T THAT GREAT! AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO PUDDING!"

A burst of static and distinctly British-esque protestations heralded the stampede of irate androids. In one fell swoop, the herd (bar one left behind to watch the hostages) started to pursue the one that had insulted them so gravely. Hawkgirl passed by completely unnoticed, able to slip in and physically grab the lingering minion, bodily tossing it into the air and into the path of one of Cyborg's laser blasts.

"BOOYAH!" Her fellow hero cheered at the unexpected team maneuver, holding out a hand for a high five when she vaulted over two robots to rejoin him. Long instinct from working with Kid Flash had her returning the gesture without hesitation.

As before, defeat was swift, and Cyborg brushed his hands together as they stood before the pile of mangled mechanics.

"Let's get these people out," Hawkgirl suggested. "Can you locate the closest exit?"

"On it," executing some kind of scan, he pointed towards an adjoining hallway. "That way. I can-"

Hawkgirl shook her head," It would be best if you dealt with the hostages and I opened the door. They'd do better with a familiar face."

"... Right. That's smart." There was an expression of consideration on his face.

"... What?"

"Nothing. It's just... You're one of the scariest heroes I've ever met, but you really care a lot, don't you?"

"Vicious lies and slander," she bit back, heading to the exit. "Apart from the first bit," she left him laughing.

Clearly an employee-only exit, it didn't mean it was any less locked down than the rest of the museum. A keypad asked for some kind of hand scan, something Cyborg likely could have cracked in seconds. Given more time, she could probably muddle through it from lessons she'd learned from Roy and her own Robin.

But this place was already going to have major repairs done on one entrance, a second wouldn't make much difference. Crouching, she wedged her gauntleted fingers beneath the metal shuttering and yanked. The metal sheet mostly slid back into its slotted hiding place, a few inches or so hanging out with finger-shaped dents that kept it from sliding fully away.

Entryway clear, ushering the people to safety was easy, fleeing through the emergency exit in droves under careful supervision and falling into the care of various first responders.

"No one was hurt?" She asked Cyborg as the last few stumbled out.

"Just bumps and bruises. Physical harm ain't really Mod's style. Speaking of which..."

Snapping her eyes shut once more, they made to rendezvous with the rest of the Titans, relying on her other enhanced senses and directions via Cyborg's comm link with the others.

Finding the Titans proved much easier, as the sounds of distant combat were very loud.

Emerging into one of the large, open space galleries, everything was chaos. Hawkgirl had opened her eyes for just a moment to gain a better lay of the land, but slammed them shut lest she become overwhelmed.

Caught onto Mod's tricks from previous encounters, the Titans were faring fairly well, but struggled with the self-imposed limitations to their senses. Starfire had foregone any of the energy-based abilities she had displayed before, instead relying solely on her flight and strength to bulldoze her way past Mod's defenses.

Robin and Beast Boy showed little struggle, the former due to training in darkened environments and the latter from his impressive capability for adaptation. Taking a cue from Starfire, Hawkgirl stowed her mace away for this particular fight, wary of errant swings causing more harm to her temporary comrades.

And pummeling Mad Mod with her fists would be far more cathartic.

Or it would, if she could actually hit him.

In their hasty rundown of his capabilities, no one had mentioned the villain's surprising level of athleticism. She had prepared herself for someone more akin to Ivo, someone who relied heavily on his creations to compensate for a feeble body.

But Mod moved with an uncanny fluidity that made him almost impossible to strike, especially while relying on purely auditory clues.

A grueling game of cat and mouse it was, with all of the Titans (and herself as their tagalong) periodically collided with one another at inopportune (and from an outsider's perspective, downright comical) moments.

One particularly unlucky series of blunders resulted in their current predicament, everybody tangled together in a heap while Mad Mod cackled over them in glee.

"You little duckies think you're so very smart." Mod crooned, Cheshire grin and foot propped up victoriously on Starfire's pinned arm. "Defeating my lovely robots, blinding yourself so you don't succumb to my illusions. But what has it gotten you, ey? From here, it looks like nothing!" And then Mod made an incredibly grave mistake, the worst choice he could have made in his moment of triumph.

He called out Hawkgirl personally.

"And your new intern? I was expecting something... more, especially after that lovely threat and figuring out one of my tricks of the trade. But in the end, you're just another bumbling buffoon. You really should have stayed home, little pigeon."

Oh, that was it.

"I am trying." Growling low, she clenched her fists and bodily shoved the limp form of a dazed Beast Boy (in fully grown tiger form) from her back. "But for some fucking reason, the multiverse just loves throwing me around."

Hawkgirl opened her eyes, determined to land at least one solid swing to make good on her earlier threat, only to be met with a dizzying spiral of black and white.

And... nothing happened.

Well, that wasn't quite true. She did feel something attempt to latch onto her brain, but it didn't catch.

She wondered if there was some sort of passive defense she'd built up from living with a Martian for so long. And there were the multiple attacks from Psimon that threatened to turn her brain to soup... Or maybe his brand of mind control just wasn't compatible with the anatomical makeup of a Thanagarian's brain.

Hawkgirl wasn't going to let a lucky break like this go to waste. Visibly slackening her wings, she forced herself to freeze in place.

" There we go, little pigeon. Now, be a good little ducky and crush them, if you would?" Mod strode towards her, swinging his ruby-tipped cane about and slinging an arm around her shoulders.

Reaching up, she wrenched the cane from his grip and threw it at the nearest wall, the end embedding partway into the wall from the force she put into it. Then, she swung Mod so he was fully upside down, and walked his protesting body over to the nearest trash can, dumping him in head first.

Scrawny legs waving akimbo, his screeching was muffled by the ample amount of rubbish within the bin.

Hawkgirl frowned. "That... wasn't as satisfying as I hoped it would be." She wondered if she should have tossed him around a little more.

"Wow, you really took out the trash!" Beast Boy laughed at his own joke.

"Low hanging fruit, BB," Cyborg said with a low sigh.

"How did you avoid Mod's control?" Starfire had nothing but awe in her eyes, which once again bore those uncanny star-like shapes. "Is this some sort of secret technique of your people that you have mastered?"

Hawkgirl opened her mouth, fully ready to explain that she had no possible idea why it didn't work, but thought better of it. "Sure. Let's go with that."

H

Artemis was wheezing so hard that there was some very real concern she was about to ruin Ski'Lira's stitch job. "In... the... trash can!" Reaching over to give her friend some light slaps on the arm, she struggled to draw in a proper breath. "I wish there was video evidence!"

"I will absolutely beg the museum's security staff for their footage." Cyborg swore. "I think it'd be the perfect souvenir to remember you two weird tourists by."

"Speaking of which... Raven? Status report?" Robin asked. "Good news, I hope?"

"For once, yes," Raven intoned. "The arrays are perfectly functional, they were just improperly calibrated, which has likely been resolved. If I provide another boost of pure arcane energy, it should restart the array and send them home. Properly, this time."

"Oh, how fortuitous!" Starfire's hands clasped together. "But I also find myself sad at our parting, so soon after our meeting!"

"Yeah, I'd have liked the chance for a proper hang with you two." Cyborg agreed. "I bet you guys have the best stories."

Hawkgirl inclined her head, "We were lucky to have encountered you, rather than anyone less... understanding."

"Can you imagine if they'd been picked up by HIVE? Beast Boy's face twisted with displeasure. "Talk about a worse case scenario."

"Thanks for your help today, Hawkgirl." Robin stepped forward next, holding out his hand to shake hers. It seems that Alfred's sense of politeness was something he passed onto this Dick Grayson too. "And I, we, apologize for the initial misunderstanding and any harm it might have caused."

"It was just a scratch, she'll live."

"I was bleeding so hard," Artemis argued. "But yeah, it's fine. Besides, Raven and I got time to hang out and commiserate. So, ready to send us home?"

"If you are done with your farewells, yes." Receiving final nods from the two, Raven held up her hands and began to chant.

As the spell was being cast, Beast Boy leaned over to Cyborg. "It would have been really fun if they'd stuck around."

"They've probably got families at home. Like their Titans. Can you imagine how they must feel right now, two of theirs lost to the multiverse?"

"I hope they get home alright."

"Me too, Garfield."

At the familiar name, Artemis shared a last, startled look before everything went white.

H

Groaning, Artemis struggled to pick herself up off the floor. Her limbs felt like overcooked noodles, but that all paled to the relief she felt as she recognized the flooring of the Hub room of Mount Justice. Almost immediately after her crash landing, she heard a clamor, familiar voices calling her name, grabbing her and turning her around to inspect her injuries, asking rapid fire questions that she tried her best to answer.

Relief faded fast, replaced with spine-chilling terror as she realized that she had returned alone.

Hawkgirl was nowhere to be seen.

Hmmmm, I wonder where the little pigeon could have ended up? I mean, I do now, but that's a secret. I'd love to hear your guesses, though!

I'm so very glad to have this done, and I hope it was worth the wait.

Next oneshot on the docket is the surprise second place, the Green Lantern AU. That one's already about half done, so the wait shouldn't be too long.

Until next time!