It's been so long! I am so, so, sorry for the wait. At least now, I have my planning done for the season. Hope it's good!
The alarm's ringing bounces around my head as we run to the vault door. Inside, three figures run around, desperately trying to get everything out.
"I could use a hand here!" the giant redhead grunts as he attempts to lift up several bars of gold.
"How 'bout a foot?" Cyborg says as he kicks Mammoth back into the wall. Gizmo and Jinx turn and look at Mammoth's defeated state before turning to look at us.
Robin spins his staff as we stand in front of the exit. "Titans! Go!" We run at the villains, and Gizmo presses a button that duplicates his figure. They all fly around, and I make a staff out of ice and stand back to back against Robin. We whack away the holograms, but Robin jumps away. I follow suit just as Mammoth's punch hits where we were.
The punch rumbles through the ground, and Raven shields herself to block the blast. Jinx jumps behind Raven and pushes her back, but Robin catches her. The pink haired villain sends three waves of pink energy at the roof, and I hold it up as it starts to crumble.
"Three raids in one week? Man, this is seriously getting old!" Cyborg exclaims as he shoots his sonic cannon at Mammoth before jumping out of the way.
"Tell me about it!" I call, growling as a piece of rock almost lands on my head.
"The H.I.V.E. Academy's new leader must be up to something!" Robin states, avoiding Mammoth's kick.
"And wouldn't you like to know?" Jinx spits as she sends more blasts to the ceiling.
A green starbolt hits her in the back and Starfire takes her place. "Yes, we would!" she shouts, and I join her in fighting Jinx as well as holding up the roof.
"Ember, look out!" Robin calls, and I dive out of the way just as Mammoth goes to punch me away. A hurricane of water swirls around the giant, trapping him inside.
"Oh, you did not just do WHAT I THINK YOU DID!!" Cyborg roars, taking my attention from the giant. An amused giggle leaves my lips as I stare up at Cyborg, who's attached to a large magnet on the roof.
"Check it out! The world's dumbest magnet!" Gizmo cackles. Raven throws Jinx back as Starfire floats down. Robin and I walk up beside the pair, arms crossed. "Junk it! Let's blow this place!"
Robin slips a tracking device into my hand and I nod, turning to Jinx. Gizmo and Mammoth are already out of sight, but the pink haired girl focuses on distracting us. Quickly, I wrap the tracker in my fist and punch her out, the tracker attaching to the back of her shirt.
Cyborg jumps down from the roof and begins to chase after the girl. "Yo! Nobody pulls a science fair on me and gets away with it!" he shouts.
"It's okay, Cyborg," Robin says as he helps Starfire up. "We'll see them again, sooner than they think." He holds up his communicator to reveal the tracker in action, and I shoot the mechanic teen a smug smirk.
~~~
The H.I.V.E. logo flashes on the map, showing us the exact location and coordinates of their headquarters. "Tracking device?" Beast Boy says. "Very sneaky. Looks like the H.I.V.E.'s secret headquarters isn't so secret anymore."
"So, what are we waiting for?" Raven asks.
"We need to know what they're planning first," Robin replies. "Otherwise, we could walk right into a trap."
"Do I hear an undercover assignment coming on?" Beast Boy asks, smiling cheekily. "Lucky for you guys, I happen to be a master of disguise." The shapeshifter turns into a monkey, then a kangaroo, and then a mongoose, looking at us all hopefully.
I snort as Raven rolls her eyes. "Yeah, a green mongoose is gonna blend right in," she says.
"Sorry, Beast Boy," Robin says slowly. "I was thinking of someone with a slightly better disguise." He looks at Cyborg, and Beast Boy walks up to the Titan.
"What are you gonna do? Dress Cyborg up like a washing machine?" Beast Boy pushes Cyborg slightly, and the latter falls over, causing the green Titan to let out a shriek. He turns into a lizard and clings to the wall.
"That isn't me," Cyborg says as he walks over, waving a controller. "That's my fully robotic replacement. Not nearly as charming, but he can bench-press a bus." The double stands back up and we all—except for Beast Boy, who's still petrified—stare in awe.
"Boo-yah!" it unexpectedly shouts, causing the four of us to jump back in a startled state. The head falls off and flays about, only attached to the body with a single spring.
"He still has a few bugs to work out," Cyborg states.
I walk back to where I previously stood and cock an eyebrow. "You don't say," I mutter.
"No fair!" Beast Boy shouts, turning into human form when he reaches the floor. "I may be all green, but he's half metal! How come he gets to go?"
Cyborg leans in to the green shapeshifter, who shoots him an annoyed look. "Because I have a new toy," he teases. He shows us two rings, one on each hand, and fists them together. They emit a light that blinds us, but when we look back up, Cyborg's robotic features have been erased.
"A holographic generator!" Starfire says, jumping up and down excitedly.
"Dude! You look—"
"—Unplugged," Raven finishes as the green Titan fumbles for words.
"Nice work. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were just normal." I elbow the leader at these words, and Cyborg looks down at his seemingly human hands.
"Uh... thanks."
I lean in slightly to Robin. "Nice word choice," I hiss, before walking out the living room. As I walk, I begin to regret my words, and shoot him an apologetic smile on the way out, which he returns.
~~~
I stand at Cyborg's door, my hands poised to knock. Eventually, I do, and the door opens immediately. Cyborg stands there, the holographic generators in use, and he stares at his human features in the mirror longingly.
"Ready to go undercover?" I ask, slowly stepping inside.
Cyborg looks at me through the mirror, and I offer a sad smile. "Yeah. Just not used to it. The unimproved me."
"That's fine. You're not expected to prefer your robotic parts." I walk up to Cyborg and sigh, reaching up and placing my hand on his shoulder. "Who are you going as?"
"Stone," he replies.
"As in your last name?"
Cyborg whips around and points his finger at me accusingly. "Now how do you know that?" he asks, waving his finger. I don't fail to notice the knowing smile that works its way to his lips.
I shrug cheekily. "I have my ways."
Cyborg grins at me, the glint in his eyes begging for an answer. "If you know my name, it wouldn't hurt for you to tell me yours," he points out.
I frown slightly. "Yes, it would," I mutter, walking back before shaking my head. "You okay with looking... human?" I struggle to find the right word, and grimace at the one I do find.
"Yeah, I guess." Cyborg turns his head back to the mirror and smiles as he observes his artificial features.
I narrow my eyes before walking forward once more."Cyborg, listen to me," I say. "You don't have to be human to be normal. It's important to me that you know that."
Cyborg numbly nods, and Robin rushes into the room. "Cyborg! It's time," he says, running back out, most likely to the main quarters.
I smile at the mechanic teen. "Be safe, Cy," I say, patting him on the back and slowly turning to leave myself.
"I will. I promise."
~~~
Raven, Starfire, and I watch as Robin paces around the room, and I fight the temptation to do the same. "Cyborg's communication relay has been deactivated," Starfire states.
Robin stops pacing in the middle of the room. "Could be interference," he replies. "Let's just give him a minute."
"Besides, who needs him?" Beast Boy cuts in. "This Cyborg is way more fun." I look over at the green shapeshifter in disapproval and amusement as he stands next to Cyborg's duplicate. The doppelgänger stands in an Egyptian pose, with a yellow scarf and a large, white hat as accessories.
"Boo-yah!" the duplicate shouts.
I clench my fists and look over to see Robin and Raven exhibiting the same anger. "Any chance we could replace Beast Boy with a robot, too?" Raven asks, gritting her teeth.
"Cut it out," Robin tells Beast Boy calmly. "I don't think Cyborg would appreciate—"
"Appreciate what?" I whip my head around, away from Beast Boy, to see Cyborg in his Stone getup on the large screen. "The fact that he's already top butt-kicker in his class?"
Beast Boy and I both widen our eyes, but for different reasons. "Cyborg!" Beast Boy exclaims as he rushes to hide the robotic teen's duplicate. Realising the futility of the action, he instead opts to grab the accessories and hides them behind his back, whistling somewhat innocently.
I roll my eyes and turn eagerly to Cyborg. "What happened? Are you okay?" I rush out.
"Your infiltration is successful, yes?" Starfire says.
Cyborg looks to the right before turning back to us. "You bet," he says, his voice quieter than before. "Had a few close calls, though."
"What have you learned?" Robin asks.
"They're working on some kinda class project," Cyborg tells us. He begins to walk in another direction, and he looks up as he walks. "Sounds heavy, but no details yet."
"Well, find out and get out," Robin says. "The longer you're there, the more dangerous it gets."
"Believe me. I don't plan on sticking around." Cyborg stops moving and rushes his forearm behind his back. I race to the control panel, turning on the camera on Cyborg's finger just in time to see Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth approaching Cyborg..
"Well, what do you know," Gizmo says. "It's the headmaster's scrum-buffing pet. Get him!"
The screen flickers off and the audio cuts out, leaving us in silence. "I'm trying to reach him again," I tell the others, my fingers dancing along the keyboard. "But there's a chance he won't be able to pick up."
"So what do we do?" Robin asks.
I look around at the other Titans and observe the panels in front of me before shrugging, a grim expression plastered onto my face. "We wait."
~~~
"So the plumber says, 'Just because I'm a talking aardvark doesn't mean I can drive!'" Beast Boy laughs at his own joke and he presses a button in his hand.
"Boo-yah! Boo-yah! Boo-yah!" Cyborg's duplicate yells. I watch, sipping on my iced chocolate, as Starfire giggles at either Beast Boy's joke or the double. Raven barely looks up from her book during the exchange.
"No word in four days," Robin says, effectively stopping Starfire's laughter. "That's it. I'm calling him."
Starfire places her hand on the Boy Wonder's shoulder. "Robin, please. We may endanger his mission."
"Or we may save his life," Raven says slowly. "Something's not right here."
I place my drink on the counter and walk over to the others as Robin continues to type. "We need to find out what," I say. "We need to make sure that Cyborg's okay."
As I finish talking, Beast Boy lets out a loud groan. "I can't figure out how to make this thing burp." He presses a collection of buttons, and just as he's given up, the double leans into his ear and burps. Beast Boy shudders before laughing loudly, and we all glare at him, seething. "What? I'm trying to make him more realistic."
I walk forward and press the call button. "Cyborg, do you copy?" I say. "Do you copy, Cyborg?" My calls get more urgent until static replaces the calling sound.
Cyborg appears on the screen, looking at us cautiously. "This isn't a good time, guys," he says. "We've got a Theory of Mayhem test tomorrow, and I'm totally gonna bomb."
I roll my eyes. "Please tell me you're joking," Robin says.
"Yeah, um... look, sorry I haven't checked in. I've been learning their combat technique, weapons, armour, and we had a dance—"
"A dance?!?" Robin says loudly, on the verge of a yell. I take a step back next to the leader as Starfire and Raven lean in. "Cyborg, you're there to find out what the H.I.V.E. is planning, not learn to tango!"
"I know," Cyborg says in a unusually high-pitched voice that would make me snort if not for the severity of the situation. "This hasn't exactly been a tea party, okay? I just need a little more time."
"Or, maybe it's time we went on the offensive," Robin states as he ends the call, turning to look at me. I move to shake my head, but find myself nodding in agreeance.
~~~
I begin to pace back and forth, just like Robin did before me. The sound of typing fills the speakers, until Cyborg looks up at us. "I'm in."
"Good. Just make it quick," Robin says.
There's some more typing, which is left in a pensive silence amongst the five of us. "Okay. I've found the mainframe. Whoa!" Cyborg exclaims. "Think I just found the class project. They're building something called..."
"... an Ion Amplifier," another voice finishes.
I lean forward, as far as I can go. "Cyborg!" I yell in a hushed whisper. "Who's—?"
"Well, this is a surprise, Mr—" the line is filled with static, before abruptly ending and leaving us in silence. I groan and pull my fingers through my hair.
"He's in danger. We have to go," I state, walking backwards already.
"We need to be careful, Ember," Robin warns me. "We could be heading into a trap."
I shake my head. "I don't care. Cyborg's in danger, and we have to help him." Starfire and Beast Boy immediately run to my side, and Raven and Robin exchange a look before following.
~~~
Raven appears in the hallway, looking left and right before motioning to us. "Clear."
Starfire, Robin and I slowly make our way into the hallway, looking around in confusion when we don't spot the green Titan. "Beast Boy! Hurry up!" Robin hisses.
Beast Boy comes out, pushing Cyborg's double in front of him. The metal slides against the floor, creating a loud sound that sends me into a wave of paranoia. "Next time Cyborg builds a robot, he better leave instructions," Beast Boy states.
"Boo-yah! Boo-yah!" the duplicate shouts before Beast Boy covers its mouth in starfish form.
"Could you find a way to turn that thing off?" I ask, heaving a sigh of relief that it's momentarily silenced.
Robin looks down at is beeping communicator. "I'm picking up Cyborg's signal... directly below us," he says. Suddenly, the ground gives way and we fall down, all landing on our feet. The lights turn on to reveal a large, yellow stadium.
"Not good," Beast Boy says.
"You think?" I mumble, slight sarcasm in my voice.
"The Teen Titans. So nice to make your acquaintance," the voice from the call says, and I turn around to face a slim old man in a white and gold gown. "I'd introduce you to my students... but I'm fairly certain you've already met."
We turn to look at four menacing looking H.I.V.E. students: Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth... and Stone. "Attack Pattern Alpha!" Stone shouts, and the four villains jump at us. Gizmo shoots missiles that land at our feet, and we scatter to avoid them.
"No mercy!" the H.I.V.E. Headmaster shouts creepily. "NO MERCY!"
Starfire shoots a starbolt at Jinx and Mammoth as they run, but it hits the space between them. Mammoth knocks over a hexagonal pillar, which barely misses the redhead. Jinx shoots several pink waves that crush more pillars, and Raven takes control of some more and hurls them towards the pink haired villain. Jinx jumps onto one and runs up it, using them to work her way to Raven.
I pull Jinx into the air and slam her against the wall, which sends her to the ground, Raven shooting me an appreciative smile as I do so. Starfire flies into the air and aims a starbolt at Jinx, but before she can throw it, Gizmo flies up behind her.
"You can't hit me, you can't hit me..." Starfire shoots at a hologram and before more can spawn, I throw bullets of water at every Gizmo in the vicinity, electrocuting the circuits of the jet pack that holds the real child in the air. "Crud!"
I turn around to look for Starfire but just as I spot her, I'm tackled to the ground by Mammoth. The ground crumbles where he leaves me, and I sit up slowly as I process what just happened. I find a rock and lean against it as I try to stand up at the same time that Robin flies into the ground beside me.
Stone walks up to Robin, a cruel smile on his face. My eyes widen as he lifts his fists. "No!" I call out, pushing Stone out of the way with one of the pillars. He glares at me, and Cyborg's duplicate rams him into the wall, jumping onto one of the few pillars that remain intact. Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire all get flung back by the other three villains, and Gizmo shoots a small bubble that encases the five of us.
"Force field!" Robin exclaims. I shoot small flames at the shield as I watch Cyborg and Stone stare each other down. Stone charges at Cyborg and gets two punches in before Cyborg hits him back.
"Boo-yah!" the double shouts.
Stone grits his teeth. "Boo-yah THIS!" he shouts as he charges. Cyborg readies his sonic cannon as Stone goes in for the punch, and their attacks occur at the exact same time. Cyborg's right arm falls off, and Stone continues to punch him. One of the punches breaks the ring around Stone's finger and the illusion fades to reveal the real Cyborg.
Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth look on in horror. "I knew it!" Gizmo shouts, and I raise my eyebrow at this claim. "The stinking gack-bag is one of them!"
"No," the Headmaster says. "He's one of us now." The Headmaster's eyes turn red as he lowers himself into the arena.
"And I'm ready to prove it," Cyborg says.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," the Headmaster says. He walks over to Cyborg with a black and gold cylinder. "This will amplify your power by magnitudes unimagined." Cyborg attaches it to his sonic cannon and turns to us, human eye as red as his robot one. "Destroy them for me, and you'll have your reward."
Cyborg walks up to us and lifts his cannon, poised to attack. "Cyborg! No!" Robin says.
"Please!" Starfire begs.
"Come on, buddy!" Beast Boy exclaims. "We're your friends!"
My fingers clench and my eyes turn red to match his and the Headmaster's. "Cyborg! I don't want to—" I cut myself off at the mere mention of hurting him. I don't know if I could, and I don't want to make false claims.
"Sorry, but I have new friends." Cyborg grins at us, and I can't tell if it's an evil grin or a knowing grin until he turns around and fires his cannon at the Headmaster and the H.I.V.E. students. "Psych!"
The Headmaster emits a red light that shoots Cyborg's cannon up into the air, and the ground begins to quake. "A foolish choice, my friend," the Headmaster tells Cyborg, amidst all the chaos. "Very foolish."
Jinx stands up and walks over to Cyborg. "You could've been one of us," she says, almost remorsefully.
"I could've been a lot of things," comes the robotic teen's reply. The Headmaster and H.I.V.E. students fly away and Cyborg shoots the device holding us in the shield.
Robin and Cyborg grin at each other, the former turning to his right. "Raven. Get us out of here."
"Thought you'd never ask."
~~~
We stand in the living quarters, gathered around the kitchen bench. I grin at Cyborg as he opens his mouth, the look of an apology forming on his face.
"Sorry I had to play rough with you guys, but when I found out what this thing could do, I had to make Brother Blood trust me." Cyborg holds up the Ion Amplifier and I whisk it into the air, twirling it around.
"But if all those H.I.V.E. kids were brainwashed, why not you?" Raven asks.
"Because half my brain is electronic," Cyborg answers, pointing to his mechanic parts. "He may have been able to fool the man... but he couldn't fool the machine."
"Which means next time we face him... we have our own secret weapon," Robin states, placing his hand on Cyborg's shoulder.
~~~
Starfire and I watch from the hallway as Cyborg looks at his human hands. "Goodbye, Stone," he says, so quiet I almost don't hear it. He pulls off the ring and stares at it, and Starfire and I enter the room.
"For your thoughts, I will pay six grubfars," Starfire begins.
I smile at Starfire's customs, before turning back to the mechanic Titan. "You okay?" I ask.
"Don't worry. I'm fine." Cyborg looks down before turning to us. "I never got to finish high school... because of this. And when I was at the H.I.V.E., for a while there, I actually felt normal."
I grin softly. "At a school for exemplary young villains?" I clear my throat, getting serious. "Cyborg, you are normal. To us. This is the real you."
"We did not know you before... so, to us, you are normal," Starfire adds.
I slowly turn around to look at the door, knowing exactly what's about to happen. Beast Boy, Raven, and Robin poke their heads in. "Oh, Cyborg..." the green shapeshifter says in a singsong voice.
"You left the Titans," Robin teases, leaning on the door frame.
"That means you have to be initiated all over again." Raven holds up a toy chicken, Beast Boy holds up a pale pink leotard and tutu, and Robin holds up a hot pink wig.
"Sorry, Cy. It has to be done," I say, offering a meek grin as I hold up a transparent set of tights.
Cyborg's eyes widen at the sight. "Oh, no. I'm not wearing..." Cyborg begins as the three Titans enter the room and begin to drag him away with me. "You want me to do what?... I'm not putting that on my head! Uh-uh! Ain't gonna happen! I'm not doing it! No! I said, no tights!"
I'm writing this after note in December, and all I can hear is Christmas music being belted out down the hall.