Titans: Elemental

Chapter 3: Divide and Conquer

Months later….

We see a prison at night. Smoke pours from behind the outer wall and the shattered front entrance, as well as from a spot on the bridge that leads to the complex. Clues that indicate that something very bad is going on. The blaring klaxons and sirens settle the point decisively.

Inside, we see three guards run in through it. Each has a number emblazoned on their shoulder; 1, 3, 8.

Guard 1 yelled, "code red! Cellblock Nine! Move out!"

The other two follow orders, and he brings up the rear. They run a short distance and then slow to a walk, weapons at the ready.

Guard 8 said, "main yard secure."

Something very large is thrown down in front of them to roll a little bit.

Guard 3 yelled, "there he is!"

They advance forward.

Guard 8 yelled, "he'll free the criminals!"

They all level their weapons.

Guard 1 yelled, "fire!"

Their target has already bashed a large hole through the wall of the cellblock and is on the way in: he threw part of the torn-out section at them. This creature is at least ten feet tall, very blocky, and appears to be built entirely of living concrete.

It is the villain we saw before; Cinderblock.

Laser blasts from the guards strike the edges of the hole he has made, while a few connect with his back and others fly past. He turns to them, revealing his equally blocky face with small, red eyes. The shots are having no discernible effect on him. Voicing a grating roar, he raises one massive foot and stomps the ground; this produces a long fissure that throws debris and dust into the three guards' faces to spoil their aim. He moves into the cellblock and stops upon hearing;

"You know, Cinderblock, normally, the bad guys break out of jail. "

"And I can think of six good reasons why you don't want to break in."

Dick leaps across the floor and lands in a crouch.

Dick said, "One!"

Now Starfire swoops and lands, looking sidelong at Cinderblock from over her shoulder.

Starfire said, "Two!"

Beast Boy, as a tiger, lunges in. When he comes down, he has taken human form.

BB said, "Three!"

Next, Raven drops in and gets ready to cast a spell.

Raven said, "Four!"

Jack jumps in, his staff swirling in his hands as he lands.

Jack said, "Five!"

Finally, Victor jumps in.

Vic said, "Six!"

The Titans stand ready for battle now.

Dick said, "no matter how you do the math, it all adds up to you going down. So, are you going to go quietly…."

Vic said, "…. Or is this gonna get loud?"

Cinderblock roars and barrels straight toward them.

Dick exclaimed, "Titans! Go!"

They charge; Beast Boy becomes a falcon to fly behind Raven and Starfire. Yelling, the six heroes and the one oversized villain hurtle toward one another.

Dick lands a solid kick that staggers the foe. He turns around just in time to catch a double dose of starbolts in the back, courtesy of Starfire. Now Vic aims a right hook; even though Cinderblock stops it, he is still driven back by the impact.

Jack starts shooting chunks of debris at Cinderblock, forcing him back further.

Beast Boy dives in and rakes his talons across the concrete body time after time, forcing Cinderblock to run to another corner. Raven puts herself in his path and levitates a section of the floor, tilting it up until it stands vertical. She rises out of the way an instant before he crashes through this improvised barrier, then flies away as Dick, Jack, Vic, and Starfire rush him.

One giant backhand leaves only Starfire still in motion; the other three have been knocked away. She throws a couple of starbolts, but is then grabbed in those two enormous hands and pulled in with a little gasp for a face-to-face look at Cinderblock. A smile comes over her face.

Starfire said, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am stronger than I look…"

She proves it by breaking his hold and delivering a high kick that drives him back against the wall.

Beast Boy as a falcon is heard, and he swoops in again; in an instant, he has hit the ground and transformed into a tyrannosaurus rex. Cinderblock stands back before unleashing his thundering charge and knocks him back with a single left hook.

Raven tried to say, "Azarath Metrion-"

She cuts off the incantation with a sharp, shocked gasp as she discovers Beast Boy's shadow falling over her and sees him dropping from above. His panicked yell is accompanied by the shadow's change to human form. He falls on her like a ton of bricks and is the first to get up, shaking his head to clear it. Raven stands a moment later with help from Jack and grits her teeth in anger before getting herself under control. A lock of hair falls over her face.

BB said nervously, "heh…. Watch out for falling dinosaurs?"

She gives him a hard glance and blows the hair aside.

BB said nervously, "I'm gonna leave you alone now."

He bugs out. Cinderblock chuckles to himself and starts to cross the area, but Dick jumps onto his neck and tries to put him in a headlock. Stumbling about at random, the stone behemoth tears a girder loose from the wall. A chunk of concrete from the floor goes with it.

Dick growled, "thrashing only makes me hold tighter!"

Cinderblock raises the girder for a swing back over his shoulder to hit Dick, but misses when he jumps away just in time; he only clocks himself in the head. Vic looks at another girder.

Vic smirked and said, "now there's an idea…"

Jack starts freezing the floor, making Cinderblock slip and slide for a moment before smashing the ice as Jack starts shooting balls of fire at him before jumping away as Cinderblock tossed a huge piece of debris at him!

Vic then rips the girder free and charges. He and Cinderblock, swing at each other, the entire area flashing blue every time their makeshift clubs collide. Vic steadily gains ground on the enemy. They struggle at close quarters, and Cinderblock pushes Vic back in preparation for a mighty swing. It connects, sending the Titan and his girder skidding across the floor. Starfire floats down from above; Cinderblock gets ready to let her have it, but the quick flash of a starbolt causes the steel to heat and soften in his hands. He grunts in surprise, and she laughs as Raven looks on.

Cinderblock grunts and runs off down the corridor, heading deeper into the prison. Vic is still flat on his back, but gets up with a helping hand from Dick and dusts himself off.

Dick asked, "want to give this guy the Sonic Boom?"

Vic smiles and converts his arm to sonic cannon mode.

Vic said, "I got the Sonic if you got the Boom?"

Their four teammates regroup and look off down the corridor. As Cinderblock heads farther in, he hears;

Vic shouted, "yo, Rockhead!"

He stops and turns around to find Dick and Vic running straight at him. They peel off to opposite sides and go up the walls, then jump toward each other as the cannon warms up. Whatever they were planning goes badly wrong, however, as their feet get tangled up and they are left spinning out of control in midair. Finally, they fly apart and Vic crashes into the wall. His cannon goes off, producing a blast of sound that engulfs Beast Boy and Starfire. Dick slams against the other wall; a disc in his hand slides away and detonates at Raven and Jack's feet.

Cinderblock is completely unscathed by the fireworks and clumps away, smashing straight through one wall after another in his path. Prisoners step out to look after the lumbering colossus, then start to sprint out the same way he came in.

Various prisoners shouted in glee, "hey, hey, look at this. It's freedom… Let's do it… Let's get outta here… Yeah!"

Dick gets back on his feet and rubs his head; the commotion reaches him from around the corner, and soon a throng of escaping prisoners is coming straight at him. He whips out his fighting staff and extends it to full length, and he, Raven, Beast Boy, Jack, and Starfire get ready to throw down. The five Titans and the prisoners face off. As the latter are caught by surprise, the former let them have it. Beast Boy resumes his T-rex form to scare the living bejesus out of them.

….

We see a sign on a cell door.

It reads; "Prisoner 385901-Absolute Silence!"

Cinderblock's footsteps rumble from outside and his shadow appears over the sign. Inside the cell, which is extremely large, a cylindrical glass tank of liquid is suspended from the ceiling. Within it is the figure of a man, floating erect and clad only in what looks like a pair of swim briefs. The door is smashed off its hinges, and Cinderblock enters and approaches the tank. The man is seen to be perhaps in his thirties, very thin, with a shaved head. He is asleep and snoring loudly.

Cinderblock rips the entire tank away from the ceiling-mounted apparatus that holds it; broken hoses spew liquid and gasses about the cell. He then punches a hole in the floor and jumps through it to make his escape, pulling the tank after himself. Even though the container gets briefly stuck and has to be yanked forcibly through the hole, 385901 does not so much as stir in his sleep.

….

Just outside the entrance of the cell block, two prisoners run out in a bid for freedom.

One Prisoner cheered, "let's go, let's go!"

Another Prisoner yelled, "I think we're gonna make it!"

The first Prisoner yelled, "yeah!"

They approach the smashed gate in the outer wall, which is promptly closed when the pieces fly back into the frame. The prisoners stop in their tracks.

Both Prisoners said in confusion, "huh?"

The black wall resolves into a swirling vortex in front of the gate. It recedes to nothing as Raven floats in through the barrier; repaired by her telekinesis.

Raven said, "think again."

The prisoners try to run, but Jack creates a ring of Earth around them and says, "she warned ya."

….

Later, near the holes Cinderblock smashed through the walls. Guards keep watch as the prisoners return to their cells, their arms shackled behind their backs.

Back with the Titans, Beast Boy is now a gorilla, but he quickly assumes human form.

BB said, "jailbreak? I don't see any jailbreak."

Dick said, "none of us would have seen one if Cyborg hadn't messed up!"

He looks away.

Jack groaned, "oh no…."

Vic growled, "me? I messed up nothing! You got in my way!"

He looks away as well.

He yells so loud that Dick's hair starts billowing.

Dick growled, "you were too far forward, and Cinderblock got away because of it!"

Vic growled, "you saying this is my fault?"

Dick growled, "want me to say it again?"

Sparks fly between both pairs of eyes before Starfire pops up between them.

Starfire said, "stop! No more mean talking!"

They turn their backs on her and each other, and the normal background restores itself as Beast Boy speaks up.

BB said, "yeah. If you two are gonna fight, we need time to sell tickets."

Jack said, "now is not the time for this Beast Boy."

BB nods and backs off; Raven steps up.

Raven said, "Cinderblock escaped. No amount of yelling will change that. So stop acting like idiots, and let's go home."

Jack said, "I'm in agreement. Let's just try to enjoy the rest of our night!"

Vic and Dick throw each other a disdainful glance from over their shoulders, and both of them snort.

Dick and Vic growled, "hmph!"

Their respective exhalations are visible in the air. Now they stride away, leaving the other Titans nonplussed.

Dick growled, "loser."

Vic growled, "jerk."

They whirl to face one another.

Dick and Vic yelled in anger, "what did you say?!"

Jack facepalms and mutters, "tin mad dog."

Raven asked, "what's that mean?"

Jack said, "it's backwards for a phrase I don't wanna say in public."

They go face to face.

Dick yelled, "do you have a problem, Tin Man?"

Vic yelled, "yeah! It's four feet tall and smells like cheap hair gel!"

This hits him the wrong way.

The others have all become scared like infants, with the pair's shadows thrown across them as rough caricatures.

Dick yelled, "well, you're an oversized klutz and your feet smell like motor oil!"

Beast Boy almost bawls like a baby.

Jack pats him on the back.

Vic yelled, "you're bossy, you're rude, you got no taste in music!"

Dick yelled, "I don't even know why you're on this team!"

Vic yelled, "that makes two of us! I QUIT!"

These two words leave the rest of the group staring wide-eyed in total shock.

Vic stalks away from them, and Dick hangs his head.

….

Machinery is heard.

We see turning gears and other heavy equipment hard at work; cams and pistons and crankshafts. We see the same shadowy figure from before seated on a large chair atop a raised platform. No features can be seen except for the glint of his full-body armor and his left eye. An overhead fixture pours light down on the seat.

In the harsh glare, the right side of the head and shoulder show a gray tint, while red-orange appears on the other side.

Cinderblock stumps into the light and places the tank containing 385901 on the floor.

The man said, "Cinderblock. I see your mission was a success. Good. We will proceed with Phase Two. Wake him."

The behemoth strains at the metal cap on the top end of the tank and manages to unscrew it, releasing thick clouds of vapor. When they clear, the occupant begins to stir from his slumber.

385901 asked in shock, "I'm…. Awake? I can never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!"

The man said, "but for what I have in mind, your human form is useless. I need Plasmus."

The man's form begins to swell and distort within the tank, causing the glass to bulge and finally shatter. What comes out is a mass of purplish slime that overwhelms the nearby Cinderblock, accompanied by more fumes from the liquid inside. When the view clears, the overhead light has gone out and the ooze has formed itself into a very large, roughly shaped humanoid with an extremely wide mouth and two tiny yellowish eyes; Plasmus, the form taken by 385901 whenever he is not asleep. The reason for the silence warning on his cell's door is now abundantly clear. Plasmus comes forward and lets off a screeching roar!

….

We return to Titans Tower. It is now the next day. Ringing is heard over a telephone line, followed by the click of the call being answered.

Vic is heard on the answering machine saying, "this is Victor Stone, AKA; Cyborg. I'm either in the gym, playing GameStation, or kicking bad guy butt. Leave a message."

We see the team in the living room. Starfire is at the kitchen counter, Raven is looking at a bank of monitors, and BB paces with a cell phone in his hand: he made the call. Jack is sorting through any mail they received. Dick stands at the windows.

BB is pacing behind Raven as they say, "hello? Vic? Pick up! Come on, Victor, pick up! I know you're there. The phone's built into your friggin' arm!"

We see that Starfire is mixing something in a bowl. Raven reaches up to press a key. Now Beast Boy hangs up disgustedly. Starfire holds up a spoonful of glop from her bowl.

Starfire said, "taste!"

She shoves it into BB's mouth without warning. It sends him into convulsions, which end with him on all fours and trying to keep from vomiting. Finally, he spits out the mess and scrubs frantically at his tongue to remove the last fragments.

BB asked, "what is that? Cream of toenails?"

Starfire clarified, "pudding of Sadness", she takes a spoonful, "it is what the people of my planet eat when bad things happen."

She eats it and is suddenly on the verge of blowing her own chunks; after a monster effort, she gets it down and ends up having a fit as well.

She is about to approach Jack, but he says, "I ain't eating it Star. And that's coming from a guy who licked an armpit on a dare."

Starfire cringed at that little tidbit.

Jack said, "don't worry, I washed my mouth all night after that. Extensively. It every kind of toothpaste and mouth wash."

Raven continues checking the monitors as Starfire brings her the bowl.

Starfire said, "try. The displeasing taste will ease your troubled mind."

Raven turns to her and says, "my mind is never troubled. People come, people go. It's pointless to be upset about Victor."

Her hair flies wildly about her face and all the monitors crack; a sudden flare-up of her powers, caused by the fact that she actually is upset about his absence. She does not notice the damage, as she is looking directly at Starfire's wide-eyed expression.

Raven asked, "what?"

Jack snickers at this, making Raven smile for a moment.

Dick looks morosely out over Jump City as Starfire's flies to him with her horrid concoction. She holds the bowl out to him.

Starfire said, "here, Richard. You must need this most of all since…. Well…."

Dick said, "I'm fine."

He turns away.

Dick said, "who knows? Maybe we're better off without him…."

Starfire lowers her bowl and gazes after him with obvious concern.

….

Later, we see Dick punching something with great vigor. It's a heavy bag. He delivers a final roundhouse kick and slumps over, winded. Looking up, he sees his and Cyborg's weight benches; the latter equipped with the sort of giant barbells only that Titan could lift.

….

In the kitchen, Beast Boy hoists a stack of dirty plates onto the counter by the sink. Many others are already piled up there.

BB asked, "yo! Whose turn to do dishes?"

Dick said, "Victor."

The green Titan cries out briefly in surprise like a monkey at this. Dick goes to the sink and starts to wash a plate.

Jack is sitting on the couch nearby, and can't help but frown in sadness as he looks at a picture he had on his phone.

It was of the entire team when they moved in, smiling like goofballs.

Jack sighs and thinks, 'I hope he isn't gone for good.'

….

Dick is on the couch in the operations center; he is now playing on the GameStation system and blasting enemy aircraft out of the sky.

Dick said, "come on, come on…. I'm not scared to take…. No! Yeah! Got it! Just one more and…. Yes!"

The screen flashes red and blue and shows the message, "Victor 1,000,000."

Dick said, "new high score!"

Cyborg's name is smashed away by Dick's, and the score changes to 5,000,000. However, the Titan who set it is no longer elated by his achievement.

….

Dick approaches the door of Victor's room. It opens to show the interior.

A bookcase with pictures and a baseball on top, a computer desk with a football by the monitor, a trophy case in one rear corner, and areas for self-repair and diagnostics. A large inclined table with a footstop at its lower end is in the other rear corner; what the missing Titan uses for a bed.

Dick then takes a picture from the dresser and is looking at it. It is of the pair, laughing and having a grand time.

Dick said, "I'm sorry…."

An alarm shatters the silence Dick had settled in.

Jack, Starfire, BB, and Raven are in the living room, looking ahead at the screen with surprise. A map of Jump City, with a large flashing dot that slowly moves along. Dick runs in.

Dick asked, "Cinderblock strikes again?"

BB said, "you wish."

Jack said, "it's something much…. MUCH Grosser…."

….

Meanwhile, at a chemical factory; it is now nighttime.

Inside, jets of colored solutions shoot down from nozzles and flow together in a pipeline that snakes across the factory floor. The mixture emerges from its other end and falls into a waiting barrel. Plasmus is at the free end of the conveyor on which it and others are resting. As the belt starts to move, he picks up each arriving barrel and guzzles it, growing a few feet taller after each of the first two. The third is hit with a starbolt before he can finish it; the remaining chemicals spill out the broken end, and he lifts the barrel to his eye to peer through it.

He swivels across the area. The five Titans are waiting for him.

Dick said, "that stuff can't be good for you."

Plasmus throws the barrel aside and belches.

BB said, "nice one!"

Jack said, "dude, please don't compliment the enemy."

He roars and shoots gobbets of sludge from his body toward the heroes, who scatter to avoid the attack. Dick jumps and flips like mad, just barely staying ahead of the barrage, and lands on a crate near a mixing tank.

Dick ordered, "Star! Let him have it!"

She obliges with a starbolt that blows a hole clear through the creature's chest.

Starfire gasps, "did I let him have too much?"

He sucks in a huge breath, and the hole fills in.

BB said, "I'm thinking not enough."

Its hand balled into a fist, one gooey arm extends itself toward Starfire, who shrieks as Raven plows her out of the way.

Dick pulled a disc from his belt and said, "maybe he just needs to chill."

Jack spins his staff around and says, "I'm thinking the same thing man!"

Dick throws the projectile at Plasmus; it freezes the long arm solid upon impact.

Jack shoots a ball of ice at Plasmus, freezing his other arm, with frost all over it!

The owner of said arms looks at them in surprise, then shatters them against an overhead pipe. Dick jumps for cover, while BB turns into a pterodactyl and lifts off. Starfire blazes away from above, driving Plasmus back a bit, and BB executes several punching strikes with his talons. The foe blocks these and retaliates by lashing out with many thick tentacles from the stump of his missing arm.

Both Titans cut and run to stay out of the mess. Starfire throws shots every which way to fend off the attack as BB does a few evasive maneuvers. Now Raven rises into the air.

Raven said, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

She levitates several barrels and launches them at Plasmus; they strike him in the chest, end first, and stick there. His arm now regrows, and he gathers his strength and sends them right back, forcing her to dive for cover.

Jack sees this and sends a huge jet of fire at Plasmus, leaving a huge hole in his chest that quickly reformed.

Jack said, "this thing can take a licking and keep on kicking!"

Dick leaps in for a flying kick only to get that leg stuck in the mire, followed by his other leg and one hand when he tries more blows. He struggles to get loose.

Dick said, "come on! Let me go, you giant zit!"

It only snarls and roars down at him before sending forth a huge jet of slime that carries him screaming along with it. The purple tide washes over BB as well. Dripping with it, Dick groans and gets up as Starfire rushes over.

Starfire yelled, "Nightwing!"

Dick said, "I'm okay…. Sort of."

He spits out a wad or two. BB, meanwhile, has made it partway to his feet; his eyes are watering profusely.

BB said, "and I thought Star's pudding tasted bad!"

Jack can't help but chuckle before he hears a fresh howl from Plasmus' direction!

The creature refocuses the attention of all five Titans in a hurry.

….

Meanwhile, the man and a shorter figure are watching the fighting on a large viewing screen.

The man said, "disappointing."

Cinderblock's silhouette moves into the frame. We see the shorter person, an elderly fellow, bald on top, in a white suit and tie and a black shirt, standing with the man.

The man said, "with one Titan missing, this is almost too easy. I was expecting more of a challenge. Cinderblock?"

An overhead light shines down on him, enveloping the old man and part of Cinderblock. The latter can be seen holding some large piece of equipment.

The man said, "begin Phase Three."

An answering grunt, and Cinderblock stumps away.

….

We see an open area of the factory floor. A gush of Plasmus' muck splatters down from above, and Starfire stands up within it and groans disgustedly.

Starfire said, "I feel like the underside of a Zornian muck beetle."

Raven gets up next to her.

Raven said, "tell me about it."

Jack runs to them with his staff and says, "this stuff is gonna take forever to wash out."

BB runs for his life as Plasmus pursues.

BB said, "dude, I am not on the menu!"

Dick's wingding sails into view trailing a long line behind it. This grappling hook flies around Plasmus' legs to wrap them up; Dick is quick to arrive as well. He grabs the free end of the line and takes a few more turns around the giant.

Dick said, "maybe the best way to take you down… Is to tie you up!"

BB, now a rhinoceros, charges and scores a direct hit that sends Plasmus toppling backward to fall among a group of support columns. Starfire bends one over to pin him, and Raven does likewise with others. Jack freezes some of them. Plasmus struggles against these bonds as the five inspect the handiwork; BB is back in human form.

Starfire said, "we did it!"

Jack said, "I knew we could."

Dick said, "nice work, team.

BB said, "yeah. Didn't think we'd pull it off without-"

Raven angrily socks him in the shoulder to cut him off. He lets off a surprised little sheep-like bleat, then laughs and sweats nervously. Dick checks a locator device briefly before tucking it away in his belt.

Dick said, "we finished just in time. Cinderblock's been spotted downtown. Come on!"

Jack said, "let's hope we can get some rest after this."

The five Titans turn to leave, but a loud gurgling noise from Plasmus' direction stops BB. He turns back.

BB said, "huh?"

Plasmus starts to ooze a bit under the girders. His entire body flows together and free of the restraints, then shapes itself into a gigantic crab-like thing with one claw, an octopus-like appendage, and a snaky rear limb.

BB said, "uh…. Heads up."

Now having formed a second crab claw, Plasmus rushes at the five of them; they burst out through a set of double doors. As they make it through and slam the doors shut just in time, they lean against them with all their weight. Plasmus' snarling and pounding can be heard through the metal.

BB said, "five against five. Not good odds, even if they are even!"

He is referring to the claws/beetles, octopus, snake, and body together; five battering rams to employ against the doors.

Dick said, "forget the odds. We need a plan."

Jack asked, "and pray tell what?"

The doors tremble even more violently under Plasmus' assault, and he finally forces them part way open and pushes a tendril out, then another. Starfire screams as the opening grows wider and the head appears.

Dick ordered, "Titans! Separate!"

The doors are finally smashed open. All of them go in different directions among the machinery. BB turns into a cheetah as he runs. Plasmus' snake, separated from the rest of the body, chases Starfire; she turns in midair and bombards it with starbolts, but it lunges and catches her to drag her from the air. BB sprints along the floor, with one of the crab claws in hot pursuit. It opens wide and lashes out a long tongue that snares him. He breaks loose by turning into a gorilla, but is knocked off his feet by a flying tackle.

Raven, meanwhile, flies along as the octopus chases on the ground. She exerts her powers over all the machinery here, causing the bolts and screws to fall out, and the loosened vessels topple into the aisle one after another. The octopus swerves and slides to miss several of them, but is finally hit broadside. She looks back smugly only to find that it has recovered and placed itself directly in front of her; there is only time for one shocked gasp before it rears up to strike.

Jack suddenly jumps up onto the octopus and starts hitting it with his staff as he tries to keep it away from Raven!

The only one left is Dick, who keeps going full steam among the other process equipment; the other crab claw is after him and not letting up. He reaches a set of double doors, and bursts into a room which is illuminated as he hurls himself through and into space. Lurid green light rises from the direction of the floor. Something breaks his fall, and he finds himself carried along in midair as he rubs his head, he is standing on a moving conveyor belt above several large vats of glowing chemicals.

The crab claw lands behind him and pulls back to strike. Dick has his staff out in a snap and delivers several blows that merely splatter through the purple goo. The end is caught and broken off, but he simply extends the other end to make up for the lost length and swings again. This time, his weapon is not only blocked, but dashed from his hands to go spiraling over the vats. Going into classic kung fu mode, he backs up a few steps and lunges for a high kick.

Starfire is still held fast by Plasmus' snake portion. As she struggles, it wraps a coil around her head and squeezes itself together into a large ball. She bursts out of it after a moment and sees the main body perched on top of an equipment cabinet, lying in wait.

BB, back in human form, Jack and Raven are carried into view, still held by their respective captor body parts. Jack is struggling as hard as he can. The snake reforms at the feet of one very frightened Tamaranean. She recoils at its strike.

….

Back to the conveyor. Dick steadily backs up before the opponent's advance, and it soon throws itself on top of him to pin him to the belt's surface. He struggles mightily as both are swept toward the free end, which hangs over a bubbling vat. He goes partway over, then smiles wickedly and flips the claw backward off the precipice; however, he miscalculates and has to grab the corner of the belt to keep from going down with it. The housing starts to pull loose as the claw has seized one boot and is pulling with all its strength. Dick strains with all the power he can put into his one-handed grip, but the conveyor has had all it can take. His fingers slide away from the ripping material to leave him plummeting toward the last bath he will ever take.

Out of nowhere, a familiar bionic arm shoots into view and grabs his wrist. The sludgy apparition falls into the vat and dissolves harmlessly after having fallen in. On the conveyor, Dick has been hoisted up by Vic, who stands behind him, and tries desperately to catch his breath.

Vic said, "I still got the Sonic if you still got the Boom?"

Dick returns the smile; the feud between the two has ended in a twinkling.

….

On the factory floor, Plasmus' other four body parts have reassembled themselves and the other four are nowhere to be seen. He laughs nastily, but stops short when Dick and Cyborg square off against him.

Dick and Vic yelled, "Titans! Go!"

They go into the same sequence of moves they used while trying to pull off the Sonic Boom attack against Cinderblock inside the prison. This time, however, they do not get tangled up in midair, and Dick hurls an explosive disc while Cyborg fires his cannon. The combined effect of the two weapons is enough to blow Plasmus apart into small puddles of gunk; when the screen clears, we see 385901 dozing among the slop and snoring fitfully.

Back with Jack, BB, Starfire and Raven, who sit up out of the remains of their captors; they had been engulfed by the slime. Dick and Cyborg look down at the frail man who has just inflicted so much damage on the factory.

….

Later, we see them outside, watching as he is loaded onto a truck for the return trip to prison; he is contained in a new tank.

Dick said, "look, uh…. Sorry about…."

Vic said, "yeah."

Dick asked, "so…. Are we cool?'

Vic smiles and holds out a fist as he says, "frosty."

Dick smiles back as they tap fists.

Starfire said, "you made up! Glorious! I wish to initiate a group hug."

Raven said, "pass."

Jack muttered, "I would've liked a hug."

BB said, "yeah, yeah, yeah, warm fuzzies all around. But we still gotta stop Cinderblock!"

Vic said, "no, we don't. Thought I'd bring a present, 'case you were still mad."

He gestures behind himself, and in response, Cinderblock is hoisted up on a winch, with the equipment he had been carrying in the man's lair wrapped around his body to bind him. The stone villain grumbles angrily.

Dick said, "thanks. But there is one thing that's still bothering me."

Jack, Raven, BB, and Starfire first react with surprise, then go wide-eyed in disbelief that anything could be bothering their leader at this point, given the events of the past few hours.

Dick said, "breaking into jail? Using Plasmus to distract us? The whole plan seems to be a little too smart for Cinderblock."

Vic said, "I've been thinking the same thing."

The other four are relieved; BB and Starfire sigh visibly.

Jack said, "thank God."

Dick said, "someone must have been pulling the strings. But who?"

Vic said, "well, whoever they are…. They're no match for the Titans."

He and Dick trade a high five.

Dick said, "I heard that!"

….

We see a teacup and saucer on a table. A fist is slammed down, breaking them, after which a pair of white-gloved hands reaches down with a small broom and dustpan to sweep up the pieces. It is the elderly man previously seen with the man, a butler.

This is Wintergreen. He has a fresh cup, which he sets on the arm of his employer's chair. The man is once again seated and lit as before.

Despite having just lashed out, his voice retains its control.

"Next time, my plans will succeed. And the Titans will pay…."

….

Reviews:

Bailey Radcliff: I'm glad you enjoyed the reuploaded chapters and are eager to see this story back.

SuperSentai199: thank you so much. I'm glad the Batman cameo stood out to you.

pokemonking0924: still one of my favorite jokes.

Canadude2029: thanks for the kind words.

….

Three chapters down. A ton more to go….