Titans: Elemental

Chapter 24: Every Dog Has His Day

We see the full moon in the quiet night sky. A distant flash is seen, and after a moment this resolves into a red-and-yellow alien spacecraft that zooms off. It cuts a path straight through the clouds, it cruises over Jump City Bay and heads straight for the urban center. As it passes the bridge and Titans Tower, the wake of its passage throws up a wall of water.

….

In an alley, several dogs are nosing through the trash in search of something to eat. They cut off their search and bark angrily at the passing vessel, which now sets course for the mountains outside the city. A quick dive behind a ridge puts it out of view; the subsequent crash and cloud of smoke mark a very hard landing in deed. We then see the fresh furrow cut in the dirt by the skidding craft and tilt up to point along its length toward the final point of rest. Within the haze, a red-eyed silhouette rears up and leaps clear to land near us. It is a green dog, tongue hanging out!

….

We once again return to the tower the following day. Inside, Vic is tuning up the engine of the T-Car, with the help of the acetylene torch built into his finger. BB, as a lizard, scuttles up the side of a storage container and reaches the ceiling. Hanging there, upside down, he surveys the budding mechanic hard at work. Vic, who gets an unexpected visit in the form of BB landing on his arm. His eyes bug out.

Vic said in confusion, "wha-? Whoa!"

He stumbles backward; BB is thrown against the container, and both tumble to the floor. The other tools and parts Vic was using scatter everywhere. Both get up, BB returning to human form, and Vic's face goes bright red as he growls in rage.

Vic growled, "Beast Boy!"

BB said, "heh…. Guess I shoulda knocked first."

Vic starts to gather up the items he dropped.

BB asked, "so what's up, Vic? Working on your car? Bet you could use a few extra hands?"

He becomes a squid as Vic says, "nah, I can handle it. 'Sides, some of these tools are kinda-"

The green kraken returns to human form and eyes one tool intently.

BB said, "ooh! What's this do?"

Vic looks over at him and drops all the equipment again with a panicked little stutter. The item comes to life and emits a beam of energy. A scream from Vic drifts back in time with a dense cloud of smoke. When it clears, we see that a good portion of the T-Car's bodywork has been badly singed. Vic snorts furiously at his green comrade.

BB said nervously, "oops…. Heh."

Vic growled, "maybe you should go help somebody else."

BB takes the hint and runs out of the place.

….

We see the rock outcroppings that line the island's shores. On one is a control panel, while on a lower level a couple of man-shaped cutout targets pop up: operated remotely from the panel. Dick sails into view and strikes one, then the other, destroying both; he then goes into a fast run and breaks three more with various kung fu moves. As he hurls himself at another one, BB pops up right in front of it.

BB said, "hey, Dick."

His face goes slack as he realizes what is about to happen; an instant later, he takes the full force of the hit and is sent tumbling high and far. Woozily, he peels himself halfway up.

As Dick helps him stand, BB says, "need a workout buddy?"

Dick said, "sorry, Beast Boy. But this is really more of a solo thing. You okay?"

BB said sadly, "awesome."

He plods away.

….

In the kitchen, Jack, Bryan and Rose are making lunch.

BB walks in and says, "hey guys! Anyone wanna practice their gaming skills with me?"

Jack said, "sorry Beast Boy. Maybe later, after we're done eating?"

BB looks down in sadness as he walks back out.

Rose said, "he seems really depressed."

Bryan said, "eh, I'm sure he'll be fine."

….

We see Raven, Starfire and Blackfire in Raven's room.

Raven chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…."

Starfire pops an eye open and says, "tell me, Raven, does it always take so long to contact the spirit world?"

Raven said, "not always, Starfire, but it does require intense focus."

Blackfire said, "she's right sister."

There is a large crystal ball set between the three girls; they hold their hands out to it.

Raven said, "absolute quiet and-"

BB's image appears.

BB exclaimed, "DUDES!"

The three would-be mediums scream in surprise and grab onto each other, and he stands up: he was behind the ball, crouched down.

BB says, "check it out", he holds up a Chinese takeout container marked "Hong's Tofu", "if I can eat twenty-nine pounds of tofu in under an hour, I'll set a new world record. Want to be my official witnesses?"

Starfire said, "um-"

Raven said, "no."

Blackfire said, "sorry Beast Boy."

His face falls. He looks away, frustrated and dejected.

….

BB is standing by the entrance to the tower.

BB called out, "okay, well…. If, uh, nobody needs me, I'm heading downtown. Crazy party in the big city. Anybody want to come with me?"

No response. The entrance hall is deserted.

BB called out, "yes…? No…? Anybody?"

This last word echoes a bit in the empty space. He deflates and trudges out.

….

Later in Jump City. BB advances into view, still down in the mouth and staring at his communicator.

BB said, "crazy party…. There's gotta be somebody who wants to hang out with me."

The sound of giggling ahead grabs his ear in short order. Across the street, at the Pizza Place. Two girls are at a sidewalk table. Stars appear in his eyes as he grins hopefully.

BB said, "please let them be somebody!"

He strolls up as they giggle to themselves some more.

BB said, "hello, ladies. Want to go for a spin on my moped?"

The first girl asked, "you own a moped?"

BB said, "no…. But I'm saving up."

Trying for a casual lean on the table, he brings his palm down flat and plants it in the center of their pizza by mistake. The hand slides away through the cheese and sauce; he loses his balance and comes down hard to bang his chin on the table edge.

BB exclaimed, "whoa!"

The impact has jarred a pitcher of water, which flies into the air and lands upside down on his head. Laughing, the two girls get up and leave. He stands up and pulls the pitcher loose after a moment's effort, then cocks an ear at the sound of assorted cooing words from the pair. The girls are now in the park across the street. They are talking to and petting a large brown dog whose young male owners stand nearby.

BB said, "lucky dogs. Sure wish I was….", he clasps the side of his head, "okay, duh!"

Acting quickly on the brainstorm, he turns himself into a green dog with large dark spots and runs barking toward the park. BB is now an English Pointer. He stops on the grass, wagging and panting as endearingly as he knows how: only to get puzzled stares from both girls and the real canine.

The 2nd girl asked, "um…. Why is that dog green?"

The 1st girl said, "and, ew. It smells like old pizza."

The 2nd girl said, "shoo! Yucky dog, get away! Go!"

BB whines, hangs his head, and slinks away.

Later in an alley, where the green dog seen earlier barks and pokes its head up from a dumpster. It leaps out and begins to gnaw at a boot left on the pavement; but after a few chews, the sound of something approaching makes it drop the item and yip worriedly. In the sky above, the spacecraft is moving over the alley. It hovers above the dog, and a broad beam of light pours from a hatch on the underside. The boot is sucked up into this, a tractor beam, and the canine takes off running to get away from it.

Around the corner they go, then over an aqueduct, and into another alley. That tractor beam is hot on the green tail.

….

Inside the main room, the window/screen suddenly flashes red and displays a message, "Alert-City Sector 5."

Dick, Jack, Bryan, Rose and Vic are here; Raven, Blackfire and Starfire soon join them.

Dick said, "trouble!"

Starfire asked, "where is Beast Boy?"

Dick said, "no time to find out. Titans! Go!"

They run for the door.

….

We see an unoccupied section of the park. BB comes up over a hill. He stops and whines softly at his twofold rejection, first as a teenager, then as a dog, but a distant bit of yapping shakes him out of it. The real pooch skids out from behind a bush and runs straight at him. A head-on collision sends both to the ground and stuns them for a moment. Shaking their heads, they give each other a good look. Both look very surprised and rhen look up into the sky and see that red-and-yellow ship bearing down on them.

The tractor beam has been shut off, but it is quickly brought back into play. The dog that escaped from it bails out, leaving the impostor to be caught and hauled up; his communicator falls back to earth and lands next to a patch of grass singed by the energy.

….

We see a very large circular chamber dimly lit by only a double row of lights at the base of the walls. BB lies dazed under a pool of light cast from an overhead source. We are now within the ship. He sits up, exposing a metal collar that has been clamped around his neck.

He hears someone say, "bad dog! You should not try to escape!"

A very large shadow falls across the "dog."

We see a huge figure standing nearby; framed from shoulders to knees, it is entirely shadowed except for the yellow light reflecting from its edges. The head is made of gray stone and very blocky, even more so than Cinderblock's, with two slitted white eyes. The yellow is revealed now to be a jumpsuit of some sort. This is Soto. BB shakes himself back into human form and tugs at his collar.

BB said, "um…. You sure you got the right dog?"

Soto just leans down to stare menacingly at him.

….

We see the burned patch of grass in the park where Soto's tractor beam hit. Dick reaches into view to pluck a bit of it.

He is standing with the others at the site. Vic is examining his forearm panel closely. Raven walks up to join them.

Raven said, "word is, it was some kind of flying saucer."

Rose said, "well, since two of our teammates are aliens, it shouldn't be that surprising."

Blackfire said, "agreed."

Vic said, "whatever it was, my sensors can't track it. Didn't leave any kind of trail."

Dick pointed at the burned grass, "but it did leave this. Something got zapped. Question is, what?"

Starfire looks off to one side toward the ground, gasps, and bends over and picks up the communicator.

Starfire exclaimed, "Beast Boy!"

The others hurry over to see, and Vic takes the device and sniffs at it.

Vic turns his head hastily, "it's BB's, all right. Smells like tofu."

Rose said, "with just a hint of dorkiness."

Bryan asked, "but where could he be?"

Starfire takes it back.

Starfire said, "oh, I fear our friend has gotten the zap."

The dog that had been on the ship, the one Soto was trying to catch, jumps across the area and bowls Raven over. It gives her a hearty lick on the face, prompting a disgusted groan.

Raven said, "he looks fine to me."

Jack growled, "dude! Get off of my girlfriend!"

Starfire says, "Beast Boy", she picks up the dog, "you are unharmed!"

Raven gets up.

Vic asked, "where have you been?"

Rose said, "yeah, you just vanished all of a sudden."

Dick asked, "did you get a look at the UFO?"

It squirms out of Starfire's grip and jumps on Raven to knock her down again. More licking.

Raven groaned, "ugh! Don't make me send you to another dimension."

Jack growled, "dude! What the heck!"

She pushes it away and stands; the pooch barks excitedly at her feet.

Dick said, "alright, Beast Boy, quit fooling around. We've got work to do. Beast Boy!"

The dog is engaged in the time-honored pursuit of chasing its own tail, causing a big drop of sweat to pop out in Dick's hair and slide down. After it stops, they move a bit closer.

Starfire asked, "friend! Why will you not resume human form and speak with us?"

Vic suggested, "maybe he can't. Maybe something's wrong with him."

Jack growled, "I'll say, since he kept licking Raven!"

Vic extends a forearm into view and checks its panel. A computer outline of the dog is displayed, and a red bar sweeps across it; his scanner at work.

Vic said, "that's strange."

Bryan asked, "what?"

As he says this, a car speeds past and down a side road; natural instinct takes over, and those four feet are soon racing after the vehicle. Vic stands up.

Vic said, "yep. Definitely something wrong with him."

Rose asked, "as if he weren't weird enough?"

We see the dog, racing across an intersection, and past the entrance to an alley. The Titans emerge and look around.

Dick asked, "where did he go?"

Raven asked, "and what did he do to that car?"

Said car is on the other side of the street, its rear bumper gone and its rear axle severely bent. The owner just stares helplessly at the damage, then jumps all around to see it from different angles and gets out a string of strangled cries before speaking coherently.

The Driver cries, "my bumper!"

He falls to his knees and cries.

Bryan groaned, "good Lord."

Dick said, "split up and search. Start with BB's usual hangouts and fan out from there."

Jack said, "you got it man."

The seven follow orders.

...

We see Dick at the Pizza joint, questioning the two girls, who are back at their old table. The green mutt is tugging on the end of his pants, then let's go and runs off with him in pursuit.

….

At the shore of Jump City Bay, under the bridge, Raven is walking along the water's edge. The creature zips up from behind and knocks her down to lick her face once more.

Jack runs at the dog and chases him yelling, "stop licking my girlfriend!"

….

We see Vic, coming up over the hill in a city street. He suddenly became peeved, the dog right next to him. The king-size Titan's image dissolves into one of a fire hydrant; how he appears in the dog's eyes. He recoils in disgust, realizing that he has just been used as a toilet, and he chases the dog across the area.

….

Bryan and Rose are chasing after the dog through the arcade like a super powered Scooby Doo chase.

….

Back at the park, the green pooch runs along a path with one of Blackfire and Starfire's boots in its jaws; they hop into view after it, keeping their bare feet off the dirt.

….

We see several rooftops. The dog leaps from one to the next, without the stolen boots, staying ahead of Dick. It reaches a ledge beyond which no other buildings are visible and stops to look back at the pursuer. Dick comes to a stop and looks out, seeing no green mutt anywhere in sight at street or roof level. Down in a small niche just below, standing on its forelegs and pressed against the masonry.

….

In the parking lot of the drive-in restaurant. Raven walks through and looks around; no luck for the moment, but that changes when the dog leaps into view and plows her to the ground for another enthusiastic lick. It gives up after a moment and bounds off, leaving her to chase after.

Jack is running with his hands engulfed in fire, still ticked off by what the dog did to Raven.

….

In the park, the sun is now setting and Blackfire and Starfire have found their boots next to a bench. They are soggy and chewed up, but they have little time to worry about it once the canine barrels through. Pulling their boots on hastily, they run off across the grass.

….

Bryan is playing whack a mole as the dog keeps popping out of holes in the ground, while Rose is holding her chewed up staff in anger.

….

We see Vic chasing the dog in the street.

….

We see Raven, backing up across a parking lot only to get flattened and licked yet again.

Jack yelled, "I'm gonna get you!"

It runs into an alley; Dick, Rose, Bryan and Vic go in after it, followed by Raven, Jack, Blackfire and Starfire. Now it is evening.

Dick said, "careful, everybody. We don't want to hurt him."

Raven said, "speak for yourself."

Jack yelled, "I'm gonna give that little punk a piece of my mind!"

Starfire sniffs and covers her nose.

Starfire asked, grossed out, "ugh! What is that smell?

Vic said, "Dog-Boy here confused me with a fire hydrant."

Rose growled, "he chewed up my fighting staff."

The dog pokes out of a trash can.

Dick said, "easy, Beast Boy."

Vic said, "we just want to help."

It lets go with a colossal belch that brings up the bumper from the trashed car. The Titans stare in shock for a long, silent moment.

They all yell, "EWWW!"

The jaws open, and out snakes that wet tongue, several feet of it, to be exact, to lick Raven's face. Retracting it, the dog pants happily before jumping out of the trash can. It runs up to a sewer grate, turns its body into a mass of slime to ooze through the bars, and solidifies again to make its escape. The heroes eye the grate suspiciously.

Vic said, "ummm…. Ooooo-kay."

Jack helps Raven wipe her face.

Raven said, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that isn't Beast Boy."

Bryan said, "the tongue was a dead giveaway."

Dick said, "and if that's not Beast Boy…."

Starfire asked, "... Then where could he be?"

We see Soto's ship parked in a field.

BB said, "dude, for the last time…."

Inside, BB straightens up and strains to pull the collar off his neck, without success. A vein throbs on his forehead.

BB yelled, "I am not your dog!"

As he falls backward, losing his balance, we see that a red energy leash has been attached. Soto sits nearby, watching him, and gasps happily. In the light, his clothing is seen to be a full-body jumpsuit with many patches sewn on, as well as gloves and boots built in. The outfit strongly resembles a giant pair of child's "footie" pajamas.

Soto yelled, "you are funny! Soto likes you."

BB growled, "okay. I didn't want to have to do this, but…."

He becomes a sabertooth tiger, roars at full voice, and leaps, but Soto presses a switch on a remote control in his hand and the leash pulls taut to cut off the rush. BB is yanked back to the floor; the other end of the tether is now anchored to an eyebolt driven in there. Getting to his feet, he eyes it for a moment and then tries another lunge only to have it stopped when the slack runs out. Soto laughs and claps as he flails his paws and then becomes a crane. Pecking at the leash does no good; ditto when he becomes an alligator and tries to bite through it. Donkey, monkey, hippopotamus, fish, none of these forms allows him to slip free of the collar, which grows or shrinks as needed to fit him every time. Even as a pterodactyl, he cannot get free. Soto laughs and claps before getting to his feet.

Soto grabs and hugs BB as he says, "you are not Soto's dog", BB resumes human form, "you are better than Soto's dog!"

He drops the new "pet" to land on a group of cushions, then offers him a dish of assorted strange foods.

BB said, "oh! Uh... thanks."

Soto leans closer.

Soto asked, "you can change into any pet? Any pet Soto asks?"

BB tosses the food aside as he says, "well…. I don't like to brag, but…."

Soto laughed, "change!"

BB asked, "if I do, will you let me go?"

Soto said, "mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm."

The shape-shifter gets to his feet; in an instant, he has become a giraffe. Soto stares, thunderstruck, and laughs after a moment.

Soto said, "change!"

BB resumes human form.

BB said, "uh, hello? Aren't we forgetting something?"

Soto yelled, "Bad dog! Soto said, 'change!'"

BB growled, "and Beast Boy said-"

The press of a switch sends a strong electric shock through the Titan's body; he turns into a parrot.

BB asked, "happy now?"

Soto yelled, "change!"

Another shock makes BB transform into a bighorn sheep; Soto laughs.

Soto yelled, "change!"

Another shock; now we have a green mouse and the stone-faced alien laughs hard enough for his head to flap briefly off his neck.

Soto yelled, "change!"

Shock; a sullen gorilla.

Soto exclaimed, "you're the best dog ever! And now, you are Soto's new dog!"

BB grunts softly and resumes human form. He is sick to the teeth of the whole situation.

BB growled, "say what?! Dude, I am NOBODY'S pet!"

Soto's eyes tear up.

Soto asked, "you…. Do not like Soto's ship? You do not like Soto?"

BB said nervously, "um…."

Soto exclaimed, "good dog!"

He laughs and backs up as BB sighs with relief, having temporarily defused his anger.

Soto said, "now we go home."

BB asked, "home?"

Soto is adjusting the controls, which look very much like the sort of toys a toddler might play with bright colors, simple shapes, little bells that ring when buttons are pressed.

Soto said, "Soto's planet, on far side of galaxy."

The new house pet swallows very hard at the prospect of relocation.

….

We see the dark upper reaches of a sewer tunnel. We see the team going through the tunnel, the sound of water dripping; the green dog makes its way across the area behind them, and they head after it. The barking canine turns into a side tunnel, and after it has passed out of view, we see Vic hiding around a corner. He yells and dives out, getting all ten fingers around the animal, but only for a moment, as it slithers out of his grasp in the same way it escaped down the sewer grate. Off it goes around another corner.

Vic asked, "remind me again why we're chasing this thing?"

Starfire said, "the creature is not of this Earth."

Blackfire said, "not by a long shot."

Raven said, "and neither is the UFO."

Dick said, "the alien ship must have come here looking for the green dog…."

Starfire said, "... And captured our green friend instead."

Bryan said, "a big problem."

Raven said, "so, if we ever want to find Beast Boy…."

Dick said, "... We have to catch that dog. We need a plan."

Vic said, "or maybe we just need some bait."

The Titans all look at Raven.

Raven asked, "what?"

Jack growled, "I don't like where this is headed…."

….

Later we see a patch of sidewalk, where the extraterrestrial pooch is sniffing at a tree. The sound of Raven clearing her throat gets its attention very quickly. She sighs wearily and beckons.

Raven groaned, "here, doggie…. Here, doggie, doggie…."

Hearts pop briefly in the doggie's eyes, and it is off like a shot in no time flat. The four feet are pounding across the cement, closing fast on the extremely reluctant live bait; just as it gets close enough to jump at her, though, Starfire swoops down and places a large glass globe in the path. This item has a hinged lid, open, and the aperture is turned toward the dog. A panicked yelp, a skid of paws on the sidewalk, and it slides neatly into the container. Its speed flips the thing up 90 degrees, putting the hatch toward the sky, and Dick leaps down to slam it shut.

Growling angrily, the imprisoned dog tries a quick shape change, then a lash of its overlong tongue, but neither can even crack the walls. The Titans gather around it.

Vic said, "sorry, Fido. When Victor builds it, nobody breaks it."

Bryan said, "ain't that an understatement."

Jack growled, "I ain't letting his tongue anywhere near Raven again!"

Raven said, "agreed. So, now that we've got him…."

Dick said, "... We just have to figure out how he can lead us to the spaceship. I can run a chemical analysis on his fur, see where he's been."

Vic said, "I can do a molecular scan. Maybe he and the ship have the same isotopic signature."

Rose said, "I could use my skills to track where he's been, and maybe the ship will be at one of those places?"

Starfire asked, "perhaps you could use your powers to communicate with the creature?"

Jack growled, "hard pass!"

Raven said, "I'm in agreement with Jack. I'm still getting his drool off my face. I don't want him anywhere near my brain."

Blackfire asked, "then how are we gonna find Beast Boy?"

"Uh, pardon me…."

The voice is male, but a bit higher-pitched than the average person. The group's eyes pop, staring in surprise toward the ground with an exclamation mark floating above them. The speaker: the dog.

The Dog said, "... But I believe we might be able to help one another?"

Now the eyes of everyone look as if they might fall right out of their respective skulls.

Dick said, "okay…. Am I the only one who heard that?"

Bryan said, "no!"

Vic asked, "you talk? Dogs don't talk!"

Jack said, "well, not normal ones."

The Dog said, "perhaps not on your planet, my dear fellow. Now, if you'll agree to release me, I would be happy to help you locate my odious former master. After I escaped his ship, he pursued me here and mistakenly captured another green dog, your Beast Boy, I presume?"

He makes quotation marks with his front paws upon saying the Titan's name.

Raven asked, "and you didn't tell us this earlier because…?"

The Dog said as he grinned, "I was having too much fun", he grins.

Jack growled, "fine, but no more licking my girlfriend!"

The Dog said, "oh, very well…."

….

Back at Soto's ship, on the monitor, a Pac-Man-like creature, shaped like the outline of Soto's head, munches two rows of dots and then disappears, replaced by the flashing message "Full Power."

Soto said, "engines ready!"

BB pulls feverishly at the leash that holds him to the floor.

Soto said, "hang on, new dog. Time to go home."

BB yelled, "I am home! Now let me go!"

The engines on the underside kick into gear, lifting the vessel clear of the ground. He redoubles his efforts to break the restraining line, but Soto pays no mind; the ship proceeds over the forest.

Soto said, "bye-bye."

Up goes the ship. A defeated little sigh escapes BB's lips and his head drops.

BB sadly said, "see you."

The entire deck starts to tilt back and forth, throwing pilot and pet off balance.

Soto said in confusion, "huh?"

He looks toward his control panels. The monitor shows a simple computer graphic of the ship descending toward the trees; the view through the main window is tilting down toward the ground. Two veins pop out on his temples.

Soto shouted, "no! Soto want up, not down!"

He starts pounding the panels.

The craft advances and descends into view, and we see why its upward progress has been reversed: Starfire and Blackfire are there, pushing down on the upper portion of the fuselage with all their strength. Soto counters by working a few controls; now the engines hit overdrive and power the ship skyward despite their best efforts. From ground level, Dick's grappling hook flies up and wraps its line around one wing, while a beam of Raven's black energy seizes the other one. Jack starts summoning a bunch of wind to slow the ship down. Bryan and Rose use their own grappling hooks to help Dick. The ship is slowly towed down; Raven backs into view, her spell going full blast. Dick and Vic have looped the line on a tree trunk and are pulling for all they are worth. Bryan and Rose did the same with their own. Jack continued his onslaught of air. When Soto's vessel gets low enough, vertical rods extend themselves from the underside so it can balance on them.

Dick exclaimed, "hang on, Beast Boy! We're going to get you out!"

Bryan shouted, "just hang on man!"

Raven chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

This spell hits the underside hatch and forces the front end of it to fall open; the inner surface now forms a gangway. Dick charges toward it, but stops short when Soto emerges in a single leap, shaking the ground when he lands.

Soto shouted, "NO! New dog belongs to Soto! You go now!"

Dick growled, "I'm thinking you're the one who's gotta go."

Rose yelled, "big time!"

The rock headed being leaps impossibly high and comes down with a mighty growl.

Dick exclaimed, "Titans! Move!"

The landing sets up tremors that throw everyone toward or into the trees. Out of the resulting dust cloud comes Soto, roaring mad and charging towards them.

Soto shouted, "Soto smash!"

Jack yelled, "somebody wants to get sued!"

The Titans' leader vaults over the clearing and throws a handful of grenades down at Soto. These explode all around him in a string of brilliant flashes that leave him dazed and dazzled. As Dick backs away, Vic, Blackfire and Starfire move in with sonic cannon and star bolts; the double barrage forces the alien to go on the defensive.

Soto shouted, "NO!"

He tears loose a rock slab to use as a shield, but it is blown apart in his hands. The blast clears to show Dick, Vic, Blackfire and Starfire shielding their faces from debris. They lower their arms with a shocked gasp;on the other side of the clearing, pulling back as the dust clears and Soto emerges from it. He charges straight at them with a growing yell; there is a flash of white when he reaches them, accompanied by the sound of a bowling ball striking pins. The three Titans are knocked into the air like bowling pins to tumble every which way. They crash to the ground as Soto runs along the clearing.

Bryan pulls out his laser gun and shoots at Soto, but the lasers only bounce off of him, as does Rose's staff when she tries to hit him. Both have to dash away as Soto runs back towards the ship!

Jack and Raven make a dash for the ship, but has to get out of the way fast in order to avoid his huge descending hand.

Soto shouted, "my dog!"

They back up a little more and Raven aims a spell off to one side, uprooting a tree and swinging it at him, trunk first. It bashes him away, but he gets a grip and brings the thing to a stop; now he starts swinging it back at her and she has to release her hold.

Jack said, "uh oh."

Vic dives across to knock them out of the way before they can take a few thousand pounds of old-growth pine upside the head.

Vic asked, "why didn't you just hand him a laser cannon?"

They bail out.

Next, Starfire and Blackfire fly in, holding Dick and Ross up by the arms. They let go of them and cleared out, Dick lets fly with two wingdings that home in on the tree trunk, while Rose throws several shurukans at it as well. A quick double flash of metal against wood, and the weapons circle back to the hands of Dick and Rose, who have just landed. Soto is braced for impact, but nothing happens directly to him; instead, the trunk falls apart along the lines scored into it, and the stars stabbed into it. He finds himself holding the last couple of feet as a thick, short bludgeon.

His mouth starts to wobble upon seeing the damage done to his weapon.

He starts crying like a big baby!

After a moment of puzzlement, the boys trade looks and charge with yells of fury.

Soto blocks their attacks with his tree trunk and swings at them, but Raven and Jack's powers soon pull the wood out of his hands. Star bolts rain down all around, forcing him to shield his face. The girls are in midair, blazing away; he scoops up two handfuls of dirt and sends a machine-gun barrage of clods up at them. The double attack ends in a hurry. Now Soto cocks an eyebrow quizzically. We see a descending Dick, who brings one leg up in a huge kick that merely glances off the massive raised arm. Two more boot soles against the chest have no effect, but Soto's next attack, a thundering clap of his open palms, creates shock waves that send him hurtling into the trees.

As Dick tumbles overhead, Vic gets back into the action. With a roar of undiluted rage, he pulls back a fist to clean Soto's clock, but it is caught in a giant yellow-gloved hand. Vic's face goes slack with shock just before he is swung back and forth by that arm to slam into the ground. Starfire's turn is next, in the form of a starbolt fusillade from midair; her shots have no effect, though, and he growls and hurls Vic up at her. The big man crashes into her, and both take a short and very graceless flight back to the forest floor. The dust clears to show both of them severely dazed by the impact.

Bryan tries jumping onto Soto, but he grabs him and hurls him into Blackfire, who was just about to blast at him!

Jack shoots a beam of ice at him, freezing him for a few moments before Soto breaks free and throws a chunk of ice at Jack, sending him back into the others.

The Titans all get back into a line.

Dick said, "we've hit him with everything and it's still not enough! We need more. We need-"

Soto's attention is drawn by the loud trumpeting of an elephant.

Soto said in confusion, "huh?"

A green pachyderm: BB, free of his collar, thunders across the clearing and hits him bang on. The former returns to human form as the latter is knocked back into a stagger.

BB extends his thumb and pinky like a telephone, "you rang?"

He approaches Soto.

Soto yelled, "bad dog! Soto will punish!"

The switches have no effect on BB, no matter how hard Soto hits them or shakes the unit. The discarded collar rolls into view and clatters down. He picks it up, and he stares at it. A huge green reptilian muzzle is pushed into view right in front of him and snorts out a big cloud of steam, and not one, but two big drops of nervous sweat slide down the stone temple.

BB has become a tyrannosaurus rex. A mighty roar, a swing of the tail, and Soto is flying toward the right-field fence. BB resumes human form, then becomes a pterodactyl and takes to the air. The other Titans close in for a final assault. First, the green flyer turns into a kangaroo and somersaults to bring his rear legs and heavy tail down on Soto's head, after which Dick leaps past and delivers a punch that sets him spinning. Vic's hit sends him careening through the clear night sky. Jack shoots a blast of water at him that sends him into the fists of Rose and Bryan, who punch him into the air again. Now Raven, Blackfire and Starfire rise for the finishing stroke, a simultaneous assault with star bolts and black energy that drives Soto to the ground next to his ship.

The smoke and dust clear to reveal that he is now sitting in a deep crater formed by his impact and looking very dejected indeed. Vic and BB, already at the lip, are soon joined by the others as the big granite lip starts to quiver. Before this can blossom into a full crying jag, his original dog's long tongue flicks into view and snaps the abandoned collar around his neck. On the other side of the crater, the animal is sitting next to the remote.

The Dog said, "sit. Stay."

Soto sits up with a gasp and a laugh, then climbs up to ground level.

Soto yelled, "Doggie! You came back!"

The Dog said, "on the contrary, I am only here to retrieve my squeaky toys. I refuse to be your pet any longer."

Soto gasps sharply.

Soto says, "okay", he drops to all fours, "Soto will be the doggie now, and you will be the master!"

He rolls back and forth and starts to jump around, laughing, panting and barking, still on all fours, and even licks the dog's face.

The Dog said, "what? Oh, my. That tickles."

Soto barked, "woof! Woof!"

BB said, "okay…. Weird."

Blackfire said, "very weird."

Raven said, "better him than me."

Jack said, "I'll agree on that one."

Soto barked, "arf! Arf! Arf! Arf!"

The Dog said, "come along, Soto. Time to go home."

Soto runs up and laughs, "bow-wow! Bow-wow! Woof!"

The hatch closes and the ship lifts off into the night, retracting its landing props.

Dick's hand lands on BB's shoulder, and Vic comes up on the other side.

Dick said, "all right, Beast Boy!"

Raven said, "welcome back."

Vic holds out a fist.

Vic said, "gimme some love, dog."

The green Titan taps his own fist against it and gets a big, giggly hug from Starfire.

Starfire exclaimed, "ah! I am elated to see you! We have all missed you so."

BB asked, "you guys…. Really missed me?"

Vic said, "absolutely! Who else is gonna help me wax the T-Car?"

Dick asked, "and spar with me in the gym?"

Jack asked, "and help me make lunch?"

Starfire asked, "and eat nauseating amounts of tofu while Raven, my sister and I watch?"

Raven gives her a funny look.

Raven suggested, "uh, how about we all just go for pizza?"

Vic said, "sounds good to me."

Blackfire said, "me too."

Bryan shouted, "me three!"

Rose yelled, "let's go!"

All but BB walk off. He stays put, gazing up at the stars.

Dick asked, "Beast Boy? Aren't you coming?"

BB said, "thanks. But if it's cool with you guys, I've kinda had enough attention for one day."

The others warmly smile back at a friend who has come through for the team in a very tight pinch and learned a valuable lesson in the process….

….

Reviews:

Bailey Radcliff: Thank you. Happy holidays.

SuperSentai199: Yeah, it's a very intense episode.

Canadude2029: Thanks for the encouragement.

pokemonking0924: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much.

….

Sorry I've been taking so long with updates. Technical issues, trouble in real life, etc, make it hard to work at times.