Here we go! The finale!
The door opens in front of me, and slowly, I step through, ignoring the Boy Wonder's look of surprise at the mechanic teen's absence.
"He lefts us," I say gloomily, bowing my head in shame as tears prick my eyes. "He left us, Robin."
My legs give way and I sink to the floor as the door closes behind me, covering my mouth with my hand to muffle the sobs threatening to escape my lips. I squeeze my eyes shut, edging silent tears onto my cheek, but they're quickly wiped away as the Boy Wonder crashes into me, his arms wrapped around my body in a tight embrace.
I don't dare open my eyes but feel his gloved hand lift my chin up to rest against his shoulder. He doesn't say anything, but pulls me up so that I'm standing. I remove my hand from over my mouth slowly and grip the boy in front of me tightly, not daring to let go. A choked sob leaves my lips and I shut my mouth furiously.
"It's okay," Robin says softly, after what feels like an eternity. He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, motioning for me to sit. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"
~~~
I walk out of my room, my hand brushing the wall as I go. Eventually, I come to a stop just outside the living quarters and press my ear against the wall in order to hear. "... there's nothing I can say to change your mind?" Robin's muffled voice asks.
"No, man. I'm staying in Steel City as leader of the Titans East." My heart sinks as I hear the words of confirmation from Cyborg, over the screen. "That's it, end of discussion."
"Well, could you at least tell me why?" Robin pesters. "I mean, I'm losing a member of my team here. And it's not like I can read your thoughts."
"They need me. And this is my big chance. I'm ready to show people what I can do. I'm ready to grow up, to be a man."
"And what about Brother Blood?" My breath hitches as I hear the villain's name, and with it, the potential for a fight to break out.
"What about him?"
"I know how badly you want to catch him. And I know a thing or two about being obsessed with your target." Robin pauses for effect, and I walk through the doors into the room. "Look, I just worry about what you're getting yourself into."
Cyborg pauses, then turns around as I join Robin. "You think I can't handle it."
Robin opens his mouth to protest, but I immediately put my hand on his chest and push him back. "No, Cyborg, that's not what he means," I say, shooting Robin a look, telling him not to interfere. "Stop, both of you, and take some time to think about it before you say something you'll regret. Please."
Robin says nothing, only mumbling something under his breath as he turns to leave. I fight the urge to press him on what he said as the doors shut behind him.
"Oh, Ember. I'm sorry," Cyborg says, lifting up a large contraption over his head and grunting as he walks it over, into the wall.
"No, don't be," I rush out. "You said it. This is your big shot, to make it as a hero. I want you to take it. I just wish we had more notice, more time, more--"
"I'll visit, remember?" Cyborg huffs in an exasperated manner."I promise."
"Fine. But first trip's here, with all of us."
"Okay, okay," Cyborg concedes, hands up in resignation.
"And no more arguing with Robin," I add. "He means well. He's just concerned."
Cyborg pauses once again, before a smirk pulls its way onto his face. "Man, I'm gonna miss seeing you two lovebirds," he states.
I feel my cheeks flush red, as I struggle to find the words. "Hey! That's not... I don't..."
"Aw, man! I hadn't thought of that. I'll have to get BB to keep me posted."
I grin at the thought of Cyborg and Beast Boy talking, knowing that the shapeshifter would love nothing more. "I'm sure he'd love to talk to you, but stay out of my business!" Hurriedly, I add, "There's nothing there, anyway."
"That's what you think," Cyborg replies in a sing-song voice.
I huff in defeat. "See you soon," I say.
"See you soon," he replies. Neither of us turn off the call, as he shoots me a sympathetic smile that I reciprocate. We stand opposite each other for what feels like hours before I pull a rock and hit the 'END CALL' button.
~~~
I stand at the window, looking out as the team grabs the full reality of what has just happened. "So... he's coming back, right?" Beast Boy asks. "I mean, he's quit before, but he always--"
"Dude," I say, cutting the shapeshifter off with a shake of my head. "I'm sorry."
In response, the green teen lies back on the couch, trying to dissolve into it. "Dude," he moans quietly.
"Then who will shout the 'boo-yah' when we are victorious in battle?" Starfire inquires, standing up as she speaks.
"Who's gonna laugh when I make fun of Beast Boy?" Raven adds, following the actions of the redhead preceding her.
"Yeah!" Beast Boy exclaims, jumping to his feet. "And who's gonna beat me at video games and fall for my practical jokes and shoot spitballs at the back of my head and watch dumb movies with me and barf when I feed him tofu?" He grips the bottom of Robin's cape as he sinks back down, panting loudly.
"This isn't about us," Robin states monotonously. When Beast Boy lets out a surprised sound, he continues. "It's a good opportunity. We have to let him go... no matter how much we're going to miss him."
"But, Robin, if we are not there, who will make sure that he is... safe?" Starfire asks slowly.
"Cyborg will," I reply, the words stinging in my mouth. "He'll be fine."
Just as I say this, the entire shower flashes red and Cyborg appears on the screen, accompanied by static. "Cyborg... calling... mayday! I need y--" As quickly as he appeared, Cyborg disappears, and everyone turns to me.
"Okay, maybe I was wrong," I admit. "But I know where he is. We need to hurry!"
"Titans! Go!" Robin shouts, and we all run to the roof, eager to save our friend from whatever impending doom is looming.
~~~
We arrive at the roof of the Titans Tower in Steel City, and Starfire drops Robin to the ground as the rest of us land. "I'm not telling you anything," Cyborg protests, grunting.
"Oh, you don't need to tell me," Brother Blood says. Starfire and I descend the stairs and hide behind a door as the others separate from us, the unspoken agreement on our method of attack. "I'm just going to take you apart, and see what makes you tick."
Starfire's eyes flash green as mine flash red, and we round the corner as Brother Blood adds menacingly, "Students, you may begin."
"Okay, team... um..." Cyborg stammers, eyes wide as his team step towards him, eyes red, clearly under Brother Blood's mind control. "... now would be a great time to just stop obeying Blood and remember I'm your leader."
His team doesn't react, only diverting their course when Beast Boy, in lion form, jumps on Aqualad and tackles him to the ground. Raven appears in between them and blasts the team in different directions as Robin takes out the yellow robots on his side. Starfire and I let out a battle charge in unison as we take out the robots on our side before joining the team in front of Blood.
"The Titans!" the villain exclaims.
"I'll be honest, Blood. You don't look so good," Robin states.
"Yeah," Beast Boy adds. "Does that stuff get cable, or did a--?"
Just as I'm about to hurl a rock at the back of Beast Boy's head to quiet him, Brother Blood roars, "SILENCE!!" He sends a red blast our way, but none of us move, and he grins before looking up at Cyborg. "If I can't disassemble you... I'll just have to experiment on your new friends. Pity. Trial and error is such a messy process."
Brother Blood and the Titans East evaporate into the air, teleporting away, and walls surround the six of us. Starfire immediately turns to Cyborg, utilising her alien strength to break his binds. "You are okay?" she asks, as Cyborg falls to the ground.
"I'm not hurt, but I'm a long way from okay," he states, standing up slowly.
I instantly rush to Cyborg's side, helping him up. "I should never have left, Cy. I'm so sorry," I apologise, words falling out of my mouth.
"It's okay. You didn't know," he replies absentmindedly, before asking, "What are you guys doing here?"
Robin and I share a perplexed look, before I reply. "You called us, remember?"
"I thought they jammed my transmission," Cyborg comments.
"The signal was pretty garbled, but we got the message," Robin states.
"And it looks like we got here just in time," Raven adds.
Cyborg nods, before turning around and punching the nearest object. "Some leader I turned out to be," he states. "Been in charge for less than a week, and I've already lost my entire team."
"No, you haven't. Not yet," Robin tells him reassuringly. "There's still time to save them."
"So what's the plan?" Cyborg asks.
"You tell me," Robin says. "If anyone's going to know how to stop Blood, it's you. This is your enemy, your technology, your mission. The team is yours to lead."
Cyborg ponders this for a moment before speaking. "All right. Well, I guess we need to head out and--"
"Um, dude?" Beast Boy interrupts. "We're kinda locked in."
If not for the sombre moment, a grin would form on my face. "No," I say, looking at Cyborg. "We're not."
"We put this place together..." Cyborg begins. "... we can tear it apart."
~~~
Raven uses her soul self to check that we're clear before returning to her body, pulling open the hatch and jumping down. The rest of us follow suit, and Raven turns to the mechanic male. "So when they made you, I guess they didn't break the mould," she remarks.
"Okay," Cyborg says, not responding to her comment. "I've never told anybody this, but my electronic eye can't see in low ultraviolet. If these things have my eyes, a simple blue shift should make us invisible."
A light pops up from Cyborg's shoulder, emitting the blue light the robotic teen was talking about. "You sure this is gonna work? 'Cause I can still see me," Beast Boy comments.
"It's for the robots, Beast Boy," I comment. "You don't have Cyborg's eyes."
I walk forward, resulting in the others following me, and open the door. One of the robots steps out, and walks right by us, seemingly unaware of our presence. I grin at Beast Boy, who pulls a face at the robot, and we walk through without a worry.
I push open a door silently, and fly up to the roof, balancing on the metal parts. "No. No. This is... wrong," Bumblebee says, trying her hardest to resist.
Brother Blood stalks over to her, lifting her chin up so that she looks at him. His eyes flash red as he says, "I'm sorry. What was that, dearie?"
Bumblebee makes the mistake of opening her eyes, and when she blinks, they turn red. "Nothing, Headmaster," she replies robotically. "Please proceed."
"Or maybe you should quit while you're ahead," Cyborg exclaims. He fires an attack on Brother Blood, who deflects the blow and surveys us.
"Students, attack," he finally says, once again teleporting away as the Titans East are released from their binds.
"Go easy on 'em. They're still my friends," Cyborg pleads.
"They're ours too," I reply, as Aqualad lines up in front of me.
"Titans! Go!" Cyborg calls, and Aqualad immediately goes in for a punch, that I catch with my hand. He tries to punch me with the other hand, but I pull his first hand over, removing the accuracy of the blow, before catching his second hand and kneeing him as hard as I can manage, sending him to the floor with a groan.
I jump over Aquqlad and move over to Starfire, who runs away from an offensive Bumblebee. I launch into the air and go to pull her to the ground, but miss as the two fly away. "Starfire!" I call. "Over here!"
The alien princess obliges, and I get another shot to take down the girl behind her. This time, I shoot an army of rocks as I attack, and one of them throws Bumblee off course, enabling Starfire to help the others.
"Ember! Robin! Now!" Cyborg calls out, and I whip my head around to see Aqualad surfing on a snake of water, chasing Cyborg. I try to pull the water closer to me, causing Aqualad to let out a confused yelp. Whilst he's distracted, Robin kicks him square in the chest and sends him back. The water instantly surrenders to my control and runs through me before I can halt it.
"Starfire! The bow!" I focus on controlling the water as Starfire flies towards an attacking Speedy. The archer shoots one last arrow at me before the bow is knocked out of his hands, and I shout as it hits me in the stomach, causing me to double over in pain.
I finally stand up and lift back into the air as Cyborg calls out, "Yo, BB!" Upon request, Beast Boy turns into a frog and pulls Bumblebee into his mouth, before spitting her out at Starfire's feet. The redhead lifts the girl up by the wings as Brother Blood reappears.
I run over to the villain as he presses his fingers against Cyborg's chest, and move to tackle him. I jump into red energy and when I look up, both Brother Blood and Cyborg are gone.
"Cyborg!" Robin calls, and I stand up and back into an arrow, which presses against my back. I silently heat my fingers up, and push them into Speedy's stomach, causing him to release his grip and send the arrow flying.
Everything turns into chaos, and I run towards Speedy. We engage in a fist fight, and as the archer begins to use his bow for melee attacks, I jump out of the way and quickly craft a rough, blunted katana before jumping back down.
I swing at Speedy, gritting my teeth as he goes to take my feet. I jump over the attack before hitting Speedy on the neck, and the redhead jumps back before punching my cheek.
A low growl leaves my lips, but before I can retaliate, Raven jumps into the offence, and I look around before running off to help Robin. I pull the pipes from the wall and push them into Aqualad, who doesn't have any time to react and is therefore thrusted to the ground. Robin kicks him as he stands, before pushing him against a pillar.
"We can help you, Aqualad!" the Boy Wonder states. "You don't have to serve Brother Blood!"
"Headmaster!" Aqualad immediately calls out. As if Brother Blood had heard him, several robots enter through the doors and surround us.
"Really wishing Cyborg were here," Raven notes, stepping back. I begin to rise into the air, and my vision is blurred as different colours fill my eyes. Before I can do any damage, though, a sonic blast brings me back to the ground and into the arms of the robots.
I can't do anything but watch as, one by one, the other Titans are captured by the Titans East and the robots, who line us up. "We're ready, Headmaster," Aqualad says, and I feel my soul being transported and close my eyes.
I hover in the air, unable to control my own body. I look around to see Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven all in the same position, struggling against Brother Blood's telekinetic powers. Cyborg stands below us, in the same position, arms and legs amputated.
"Cyborg..." Robin manages.
"No!" the mechanic teen whispers, horrified by the sight of all of us.
"You should have accepted my first offer, Cyborg," Brother Blood states. "I would have made a man out of you. I still could, you know."
"You can take your offer and blow it out your--"
"Insolent child!" Brother Blood roars in response to Cyborg's comment, and I pull my head up to se not just us, but the Titans East in Brother Blood's control. "Where is it, Cyborg?!" he shouts angrily. "I've combed through your blueprints, peeled back your armour, stripped off your machinery, but still you defy me! Where in this vile contraption... is the part that allows you to resist?!?"
At this, Cyborg stops groaning and struggling, and looks down at Blood with a smile. "It's not in the circuitry, is it?" he asks, studying his adversary. The red light around Cyborg suddenly flickers blue as he breaks free from the control. "It's not the machine that resists you... it's me! My spirit!" Cyborg kicks Brother Blood back as he continues. "That's the part you can't break!"
Suddenly, the robots dismantle, and their parts rejoin Cyborg as he grows his limbs back. "I don't need you to make me a man. I already am one!" Brother Blood begins to furiously attack, but his every move is countered by Cyborg's effortless moves.
Brother Blood swings punches at Cyborg, who catches the villain's fists. After a moment, he breaks the villain's mechanic hands off. "NOOOOOOOOO!!" Blood screams, as his parts begin to dismantle themselves, and Cyborg delivers the knockout blow, releasing us.
"Boo-yah," he says softly.
"We're free!" Aqualad exclaims in wonder, looking at his hands. I grin as I rub my wrists and glance around at the two teams.
~~~
I walk over to Cyborg and open my mouth to talk to him, but Beast Boy gets in first. "So... are you, like, magic now?" he questions, and I snort.
"Pretty sure that was a one-time deal," Cyborg states. "Blood was trying so hard to hack into my brain, I guess I sorta hacked into his."
I grin and turn around as Más and Menos fight over Starfire, walking over to Robin as he, along with Bumblebee and Aqualad, laugh at the commotion.
"Thanks for everything," Bumblebee says, shaking my hand, then Robin's. "Blood's in jail, and we'll be sticking around to make sure he stays there."
"Besides, I have a feeling he wasn't the only criminal in Steel City," Aqualad adds, as Speedy, Más and Menos walk over, alongside the Titans, including Cyborg.
"Well, I guess this is it," Robin says softly.
"It is..." Cyborg begins, looking at me as he finishes his sentence, "... for me. Thanks for the offer, team, but I already have a home. And you already have a leader. You just need to listen to her."
A flurry of cheers ensue from both teams as we congratulate Bumblebee on her appointed leadership, and I walk forward to shake her hand. "If you ever need to complain about this lot, you know who to call," I state, and she takes my hand in hers before embracing me quickly.
I widen my eyes, taken off guard, before grinning and turning for the T-Car as the others do. Before I turn around, however, I catch Bumblebee looking over my shoulder in a trance and after following her line of vision, I turn back to her.
"You like Cyborg, don't you?" I accuse, the grin not leaving my face.
Bumblebee grins before shrugging. "So what if I do?" I watch her eyes flicker from me to behind both of us once more, where Cyborg and Robin remain talking. When I spin back around, the girl flashes a teasing grin, and I smile at her.
"We'll catch up soon enough," I say reassuringly. "That is, if we're not brought together by some other bad guy before then." Bumblebee nods as I begin to walk towards the Titans, and I wave goodbye.
"Hey, Ember," a voice rings out, and I feel the archer grab my hand, forcing me to divert my course once more.
"Hey," I reply, drawing my hand back. "How are you? What's mind control like?"
Unlike if I had've asked the others the second question, Speedy seems unaffected. "Well, I knew what I was doing, and I tried to stop... " he begins. "... but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried."
I let out a sound of acknowledgement, nodding. "Sounds like something I don't want to go through."
Speedy chuckles, before looking over my shoulder. The smile vanishes from his face and I follow his gaze to see Robin glaring at him. I smile and wave at the Boy Wonder, before turning back to Speedy.
"Looks like I should go. Robin doesn't seem too happy, for whatever reason." I try laughing it off, but Speedy just nods absentmindedly.
"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"
"Yeah. Sure." I turn around and see Beast Boy and Starfire fly the T-Ship into the air and walk over to Raven, who has a small smile playing on her lips.
"Dudes..." Beast Boy begins, looking at Cyborg and Robin, "... dudettes..." he continues, looking at Raven and I, "... road trip!" One more glance at the two boys next to each other before I hop in the T-Ship, watching as the boys enter the T-Car, still chatting. I help Raven into her compartment before we set off, laughter and chatter filling the two vehicles.
As I gaze at the emerging sun in the distance, tuning out to the conversation, I get the feeling that I'm in the right place, a feeling I'm in no hurry to shake.
Season Three done! Hope it was good. I have a lot planned for Season Four, and I can't wait to share it with you all!