Work Text:
Catch My Drift
Raven knew what she was about to do was stupid, but being a good friend meant sacrifices. She just wasn't sure if it was worth it.
"Ok, Raven, hold them steady." The Titans' resident engineer was down with the Empath in the tower's garage. This space was where Cyborg spent most of his free time working on his self-proclaimed "baby." The love of his life, the T-car.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Raven remembered Cyborg's first day with the T-car. It was that night the two really started to become friends. At first, she dismissed his obsession with the fact that the car was just a car. Upon realizing his pride in her, she quickly changed that tune. Not only did she help in her rescue but also help with her reconstruction. A bond the two continue to this day.
"It's fine, don't worry. Now, hold those cables steady." Cyborg was standing beside the T-car in the tower garage. The vehicle had wires and cables coming out of every direction. Raven was standing back a few feet away, looking nervous. In her hands were two large cables feeding themselves towards the car.
"Ok, ready, here we go!" Cyborg declared as he pulled a lever on the garage circuit system located on the wall.
"Wait, I'm not!"
"Now, Raven!" The empath juttered and quickly brought the two cable ends together. A bright jolt of power shone through the wires as the T-car began to flash rapidly. After a few seconds, the light settled, and the blue details of Cyborg's baby began to glow.
"Haha we did it Rae, we did... Ohhh" Cyborg had turned around to see the Empath standing looking charred. Steam was pouring off her like she'd just come out of an oven.
"Ow," she deadpanned.
"Hehe, sorry Rae," Cyborg chuckled lightly upon seeing Raven in such a state. Though she quickly got her revenge as a spare tire from across the room quickly shot towards the metal Titan. With a thud, it collided with his head. Upon reflection, however, he knew he probably deserved that.
Raven dropped the cables and began coating herself with her familiar dark magic. Once her body was covered, she clenched her fists, and the charred coating flaked off like leaves falling to the ground.
"You're lucky I'm half demon," she warned, placing her hands on her hips.
"This had better be worth it" Raven still hadn't been told what the whole upgrade was for.
"Oh it is Raven, just you wait and see" Cyborg was giddy. He made his way over to the vehicle and began pulling out cables.
"Is it a time machine now? Because I really need to go back and stop myself from eating that thing Starfire made last week," Raven snarked.
"Better" Cyborg stood back a few paces now the car was free from any external wiring. Raven was now intrigued, what could he have possibly done to it?
"Ok, ready"
Cyborg stood back as the T-car began to shake. The vehicle's frame began to split and crack as parts began to shift and move. Raven was at a loss; she could almost be mistaken for the car, looking as if it were beginning to stand up right. Before long, the car was now sporting a pair of arms. As the new shape settled, a sleek robotic-looking head popped up from the robotic body. The noises the car had made during the transformation had now stopped.
"Booyah!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Well, what do you think, Rae?" He waved his hands, presenting the new robotic T-car.
Raven looked stunned. She simply stared at this thing that was once the T-car and pondered.
"Uh, cool"
"Cool? Is that all?" Cyborg looked offended.
"Well, what more is there to be said? You turned your car into a robot," she argued.
"Well, something more impressive"
"I think it's impressive you waited this long to give your baby hands so you can finally walk down the aisle together." Raven said sarcastically.
"Ha ha, very funny. You're just not seeing the bigger picture here, Rae," Cyborg insisted.
"Enlighten me"
"This bot is essentially our 6th member, and with all the tech I put in it, it can handle any situation."
"A giant robot can handle any situation?"
"We'll, what if one of us is sick or hurt? It's good to have a backup on hand," Cyborg said, looking utterly convinced.
"Did you practice that in the mirror?"
"Make you're jokes while you can Rae, soon the rest of the guys will be asking me why I hadn't done this sooner" Cyborg bragged.
"Whatever, can I go now? I need a shower badly."
Cyborg gestured for Raven to leave, and the empath floated lightly towards the garage door, up towards the tower hallways.
The metal Titan walked over to his newest creation.
"You'll get your chance soon, baby."
The garage flashed red as the alarm began hollering throughout the tower. Cyborg had never been so excited to hear the alarm.
"Or maybe right now!"
Jump City Museum was a target for crime more than the employees would assume. Rare artifacts are always a potential target for thieves yet even items with no clear value or history were still at risk. The latest addition, a large metallic disk that fell from the sky last month. No one knew where it came from yet its origins became a question for many. Clearly not natural, the fallen object was the current main attraction for many residents of Jump City eager to get a closer look. For the first time, it was on full display.
"Now if you look here we have our latest and most popular exhibit" A young woman showcased the disk in a large room surrounded by other artifacts hidden behind glass boxes. The crowd observed the object with awe.
"The Heavens Cent, as we've been calling it, is made of a metal we've never seen before, with markings clearly showing evidence of intelligence." The room was showered with flashes from cameras.
"Our experts are at work every day trying to uncover its mystery." The museum guide bore witness to the crowd capturing photos of the strange object. It was clear that someone else was about to make a move; the nearest wall came crashing down with a powerful explosion. As the crowd panicked at the sight of crumbling debris, the culprits entered the scene.
"We'll take that space frisbee, snot for brains" Gizmo and the rest of the Hive Five had arrived to claim the museums latest edition.
The largest of the Hive Mammoth moved over to grab the disc and with little to no effort smashed through the glass protecting it.
"Looks like you're out of luck today" The small pink-haired witch Jinx raised her hand. A wave of pink energy began to tear through the rest of the building, causing every nearby civilian to flee in the opposite direction.
Cyborg was giddy during the ride in the T-car, eagerly waiting to arrive on the scene and show off his work. The other three Titans had no clue about the new upgrade. Raven was in too much of a foul mood to focus on anything else and refused to speak during the ride.
Beast Boy sat between Raven and Starfire in the middle seat, Not an unusual spot for him, as he's the smallest on the team.
"What's that smell?" The changeling honed in on a particular charred stench. A sharp pain hit his right side as the Empath dug her elbow into him swiftly.
"Ow, Raven, what was that for?"
"There!" Robin cut the changeling off as the view of the museum attack came into view through the windshield.
The T-car screeched as her tires locked, the vehicle painted skidmarks behind it's path before coming to a stop. The Titans jumped out of the car ready to do battle with the misfits of hive academy.
"Drop the artifact now," Robin's tone was fierce, yet the Hive took no real notice of the Boy Wonder's demand.
"You'll have to come get it, snotmunchers" Gizmo taunted.
"He has such the way with words" Starfire remarked.
She beat me by one second Raven berated herself.
"Titans Go!" Robin led the charge as the other two Hive Members, Seemore and Billy Numerous, joined in the fray.
Cyborg hung back at first, waiting for a moment to show off his latest project.
"Time to show us what you've got, baby," the metal Titan pressed a command on his left arm. The sound of shifting and clanking metal could be heard coming from the T-car as a new shape began to form.
As the titans battled, each of them struggled to get the disc away from Mammoth. The hulking villain took amusement in this game of keep away.
"Nice try, pipsqueaks, you'll never get this from me!" The giant smiled gleefully at his tiny opponents. Upon his right shoulder came a hard set of taps, not being the brightest fighter, Mammoth turned his head to investigate. Expecting to see Cyborg, the Hive colossus was instead met with the sight of a large robot bearing down on him.
"Uhh" was all Mammoth could mutter before a swift Uppercut from the bot knocked the disc out of his hand. He fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The Titans were awed in unison.
"Booyah!" Cyborg was already celebrating his latest creation.
The disc rolled over to the Titans' side of the battlefield and was swiftly scooped up by Starfire, who, to her, probably weighed as much as an actual frisbee.
The Hive quickly shook off their shocked faces.
"Smash that piece of junk to bits!" Jinx barked.
"They think they can outnumber us, they've got it all wrong" The red suit-wearing Billy began dividing himself apart before a few seconds had passed. Twenty identical copies were charging towards the transformed T-car.
The robot's head featured a long visor as the billies got close, the bot began scanning and targeting. Much like its creator, the T-car transformed its right arm with a shift of metal and parts to form its own sonic cannon.
Raising its arm up and with careful accuracy, the car let out a light sonic blast that strafed off, hitting one of the billies in the back of the crowd. The crackle in the air caused the Billies to pull back together violently. After one billy remained, fatigue set in, and gravity took him to the ground.
Jinx took her turn next; the witch sent a flurry of pink shockwaves towards the machine. With a forceful stomp, the bot cracked the ground, sending its own shockwaves to meet Jinx's. The witch's power was quickly overwhelmed, forcing her back on the ground with her two other unconscious teammates.
Gizmo had floated behind the T-car with his built-in jetpack, useful for his size. The backpack also came with another feature—a hacking device.
"Time to take over this toy" The foul-mouthed genius attempted to plug into the robot's back. A jolt of sharp electricity danced through Gizmo, whose pain-filled cry filled the streets. Cyborg had learned his lesson with the Hive technician already.
The last member, Seemore, was smart enough to know a lost cause when he saw it.
"I give up," he declared, arms held high.
During the commotion, the other Titans had simply watched in awe, even Raven's skepticism had faded. The robot stood over the scene while the other Titans admired Cyborg's handy work.
"Dude, this is the best thing ever."
"Oh, yes, friend Cyborg, most impressive!"
"Nice work, Cyborg!"
The Titans' comments overlapped as they observed the robot. Cyborg smirked in the direction of Raven. Hoping that his points were proven from earlier. The empath had her hood up, yet a smile wasn't easy to hide.
"What? I never said it wasn't cool" The Empath folded her arms, trying to retain her nonchalant reputation. It didn't matter, however, Cyborg's experiment was a success.
As the Hive was taken away, Robin spoke to Jump City officials regarding the disc. Since the museum had been partially destroyed, he insisted that the high-end storage facility be the best to house it for now. Starfire handed the artifact over to them, and the Titans made their way home.
Over the next week, T-car saw similar success. Whether the villain was Cinderblock, Plasmus, or even Overload, none could stand up to challenge her. The Titans, for the first time in years, enjoyed a rather light week.
Back at the Tower, all five Titans were enjoying something they rarely got—a succession of uninterrupted free time. The T-car, which Cyborg had now dubbed the T-bot in robot form, had many villains scared.
The evening was a generally relaxed atmosphere in the living room. Beast Boy had prepared tofu-based snacks, claiming they were energy for the task of "watching TV." Raven was in her usual spot at the end of the curved couch, engrossed in her latest novel, occasionally snacking on one or two bits of tofu.
The changeling was a few spots next to her sitting in-between the Empath and the Tamaranean. Robin had placed himself in his usual spot next to Starfire. Reluctantly he'd agreed to another disgusting documentary that anyone would rather skip, Yet to keep Starfire happy he'd willingly sit through anything though he'd never admit it.
Cyborg was too excited to sit down. He was still on a high after the week's events and was now taking the opportunity before the show started to get in some well-deserved boasting.
"Oh, I should have done this years ago. Think how many problems we could have solved with the extra muscle?" Cyborg was pacing in front of the large TV screen with the Titans as his audience.
"I admit the T-bot has made things a little easier, but we should still be on our guard."
"Oh, you worry too much, Robin. My baby can handle anything."
"All I'm saying is we've just been dealing with low-level threats; what happens when something stronger shows up?"
"The six of us will beat them like we always do" Cyborg reassured.
"Yeah, Cyborg, let's build five more of these so we can go on permanent vacation!" Beast Boy grinned.
"Isn't your existence already a permanent vacation?" Raven snarked. Beast Boy's looked irked at the Empath's comment but decided not to bite.
"I am enjoying the extra time to partake in cooking my favorite dishes from my homeworld," Starfire said with fondness. She loved to cook, yet her distinctly alien palate caused more chaos around the tower than one could imagine. In fact, the only one who appreciated her cooking was her pet maggot, Silkie.
"See what I mean, Robin? The T-bots are a good thing for us." Cyborg was still adamant about the potential of his creations as a full member of the team.
"So when's the wedding?" Raven deadpanned, not even giving the metal Titan the satisfaction of her lifting her eyes away from her book.
"Whatever you guys can make ya jokes and list ya concerns, but my baby's got us covered" Cyborg finished hoping to have the last word.
A light mist descended on Jump City, the evening was quiet. Eerily so. The lights of some vehicles could be made out through the fog, but the city was asleep nonetheless.
Connecting the city was a large series of highways to ease traffic, some roads were raised above others.
On this cold night in light fog, a small vehicle was traveling at speed. Solitary and with purpose, it was the kind of vehicle a villain like Johnny Rancid would enjoy—a motorcycle. Sinister-looking, with sharp decals and a deep blue finish. The biggest distinction, however, from other cycles around the city, was no rider.
The cycle barrelled down the long highway alone before pulling across the next exit towards Jump City Storage.
The hour was late, and the alarm was a rude awakening for every Titan. They'd enjoyed the quiet bliss of an uninterrupted sleep a lot recently. All of them would never admit it, yet a ray of hope lay with each of them that this was just some bad guy, and that before long, they could be back in their beds, warm and secure.
The late night meant taking the T-car was the logical choice. Sluggish Titans aren't effective Titans and whilst Robin maintained the sleep in costume rule to save time it was still the wiser course. Robin had decided to stretch out the wheels of his own personal motorcycle. Leaving the other four to clamber into their personal transport and with a light purr and a roar the T-car came alive. With both vehicles tires spinning Cyborg's baby bolted out with Robin following behind and both were on their way to the scene.
The T-car sped down the misty highway with Robin following beside her. The high-end facility sat at the edge of the city; getting there by road wasn't the quickest way.
"Are we there yet?" Raven groaned, praying this would be over quickly so she could get back in bed.
Beast Boy sat on the other side of the backseat behind Starfire. The changeling always had more sleep than the other Titans, making his mood a lot cheerier than the others, who woke up at this hour.
"Hey, driving along here at night reminds me of a joke. Why did the chicken cross the..."
"Beast Boy, if you finish that sentence, I'll send you to another dimension," Raven cut him off clearly, in no mood for his shenanigans.
"Eh, you always say that" Beast Boy shrugged her threat off.
"Because I can, never forget it" Raven reminded him. The T-car came to a stop at a set of traffic lights leading towards the outer city. Robin had managed to scout ahead of them and continued on.
On the left-hand side of the lane was another vehicle, one of the first they had seen all night.
"Whoa, check out that car!" Beast Boy had leaned over towards the left side window, practically hovering above Raven. The car to their left was a dark green muscle car with lime green flame decals on its finish. Its engine was a large, loud beast, clearly modified, sticking out of the hood. The sounds of which sounded primal and vicious. Cyborg looked to his left with the window open, looking rather bewildered at the sight.
"You should totally put flames like that on the T-car; it would be so cool," Beast Boy pulled back towards his own seat.
"More like tacky" Cyborg wasn't impressed with the car to his left, for him it was much too loud ironically. Though no sooner had he spoken up against the car did it let out a monstrous roar from its engine. The sound bolted each Titan awake properly.
"I think you ticked them off," Beast Boy whispered, thinking the person in the car wouldn't hear him. The light above them finally changed, and Cyborg put his foot down, taking them off again. Part of him hoped the muscle car would play along in a little race. Instead, the metal Titan watched as the sight of the car shrunk in the rearview mirror as it slowly turned left into a nearby street.
The Titans arrived and caught up with Robin. The Boy Wonder had spoken with the security staff to try and get any information. The facility was large and advanced. Its security was state of the art.
"Whoever is in there, cut the power, and they were strong enough to open safe doors by themselves. We need to be ready; have the T-bot guard outside." Robin ordered.
"Gotcha" Cyborg turned towards the vehicle. "Mode change!" The T-car shuddered as the sounds of metal clanging began filling the night air. The T-bot stood up ready for action. Cyborg pulled up his left arm and began scanning.
"I'm picking up something in there; I can't say what, but it's definitely moving."
"Alright, Titans, split up and close in on them. Starfire, with me, we'll take the west side upper floors. Raven and Beast Boy, the east, Cyborg, move through the front entrance in case they try a quick escape. GO!" The Titans jumped to action at Robin's order.
Raven floated along the east wing corridors of the facility. The building was already like a maze, and the darkness only made it worse. Beast Boy had taken the form of a large wolf, hoping to sniff out the perpetrator. The changeling's paws touched the floor lightly, the only sounds being the sharp sniffs from his nose.
Raven's communicator beeped lightly. The empath flipped the device upwards to see Cyborg on the other end of the call.
"Whoever is here, there is someone over in the east section, not too far from you guys."
Raven nodded and flipped the device back down. Beast Boy turned his head over to her, his ears flicking up. The Empath pointed towards the end of the metal corridor. The wolf ran down the hall with Raven following, they came at the end to see a large round safe door. The two Titans could see no visible sign of entry or damage, the only strange sight was a sinister looking motorcycle leaning against the wall.
"Johnny Rancid?" Beast Boy returned to his human form, looking puzzled. Even he had trouble believing a villain like that would have the skills to break into a well-protected building.
"I don't buy it," Raven said, pulling out her communicator again. "Cyborg, there's nothing here apart from a dumb-looking bike. I doubt Johnny Rancid is behind this."
"Well, there's nothing on my scanner now. Head down towards the main entrance and see if the signal comes back." Raven flipped down the comms device again.
"You heard him," she deadpanned. Beast Boy resumed the form of a wolf, and the two of them made their way down another corridor leading to the center of the building.
Cyborg prowled around the lobby at the building's entrance. The space was filled with waiting chairs and a large desk at the back, bedded into the wall. To either side of the desk were two hallways leading into the facility. Robin and Starfire emerged from the left entrance.
"No sign of anything," Robin reported, the Tamaranean hovering behind him.
"I've got nothing either, but something's definitely in here." Cyborg confirmed.
The sight of a large green wolf was a sight to behold for the other Titans, as Raven floated closely behind.
"All we could find was an abandoned motorcycle," Raven cut in. "Robin looked confused; he knew this wasn't Johnny Rancid's style."
Cyborg's arm pinged. He pulled it up to see the signal. This time, it was in the same room as them.
"There!" Cyborg's shoulder flipped up a small panel, revealing an inbuilt flashlight. The circle of illumination darted about before finally settling on the source of the signal.
Standing in the back of the room near the east entrance was a robot canine, sharp and alien-looking. Its eyes were piercing yellow. In its jaws was the museum's fallen artifact that the Hive had tried to steal the week before. If Cyborg didn't know any better, he could swear the machine had vehicle parts throughout its body.
"Titans Go!" Robin barked, causing each of the Titans to ready themselves. The strange robot began spinning swiftly; the sounds of metal shifting could be heard. As it slowed down, its form was replaced by the motorcycle Raven and Beast Boy found earlier. The cycle spun its wheels, pulling it away at speed towards the facility entrance. The disc was now sitting on its empty seat.
The Titans looked shocked.
"Did that dog just turn into a bike?" Beast Boy looked towards the other Titans, hoping for answers.
"Any other projects we should know about, Cyborg?" Raven asked.
"Don't look at me," Cyborg raised his hands defensively.
"Doesn't matter we need to get that Disc back. If so many villains are after it it must be some kind of weapon, cmon!" The Titans leader lead the charge towards the entrance. The sound of sonic cannon fire could be heard outside the building. As the five came out of the building they came upon the T-bot laying down fire against the escaping Motorcycle. Despite a highly advanced targeting system none of the shots landed and the machine fled down the road towards the city.
The Titans were in pursuit of the strange cycle. The T-bot was back in car form with Cyborg at the wheel, Beast Boy riding shotgun. Starfire and Raven were chasing by air, flying closely behind Robin's bike, which was riding out at the front of the group. The cycle led them onto a long highway laid out above another road.
Starfire blasted a few green laser bolts from her eyes, yet each shot was swiftly dodged by the pursuing vehicle. Frustrated, she began blasting starbolts with her hands, hoping the stronger force could knock it down. Once again, the Tamaranean couldn't land a hit.
"I cannot make the shot" Starfire grumbled.
Cyborg leaned his left arm out of the driver's window as it transformed into its signature sonic cannon.
"Booyah"
A familiar thunderous engine roar blasted from behind T-car as they passed a nearby exit. A shadow fell over her as another vehicle landed in front, barely missing Starfire and Raven. The vehicle's tires struggled against the force of the landing before regaining control.
"This guy again?!" Cyborg was confused to see the same green muscle car from earlier blocking his shot on the motorcycle.
"Must want some payback?" Beast Boy looked just as confused as Cyborg.
The vehicle in front pulled back and came up next to the T-car as the car shoved into her. The T-car smashed into the low concrete wall at the end of the highway edge.
"Hey, nobody scratches my baby's paint!"
Cyborg pulled the T-car away from the wall, aiming his cannon at the muscle car's tires. The vehicle sharply pivoted right, causing him to miss, shattering the ground. The debris almost hit the other Titans.
"Cyborg, what's going on back there?" Robin was still focused on the pursuing motorcycle.
"Just some punk, I'll handle it. You guys go on ahead." Cyborg looked towards Beast Boy, signalling him to follow the others. The changeling assumed the form of a hawk and followed the other three, chasing down the cycle.
"Alright, just you and me," Cyborg brought the T-car up next to the muscle car. He raised his sonic cannon again. He heard the sound of the engine, ready to make a move to dodge his blast. He glanced up at an upcoming set of signs rapidly approaching and swung his arm towards the railing, holding it up.
The blast made contact and Cyborg immediately applied the brakes. The muscle car swung right, locking its tires braking harshly coming to a stop before hitting the falling debris.
Cyborg stopped in front of the trapped car and stepped out.
"Booyah! Alright, battle mode!" The T-car shifted to its robot form and stood behind him. "Now get out of the car before I ruin your paint job too."
Cyborg didn't see anyone exit the vehicle. Instead, he heard the sound of an incredibly sinister chuckle coming from the car.
"Hehe haha aw did you build that yourself little guy?" The voice had a strange sounding edge to it, seeming almost robotic. Cyborg was sure it was a woman speaking through some kind of microphone. The comment irked the metal Titan he was already frustrated at the damage to his car.
"Like I said, get out of the car, and I'd be happy to give you a personal demonstration," Cyborg stood ready to do battle with whoever was behind the wheel.
"Well you see there's a tiny little issue with that" the voice replied. The muscle car's engine flared up as the body of the car began to shift, parts began to move and rearrange. A few seconds had passed before a large robot was standing before Cyborg and the T-bot. The machine like the motorcycle was rather alien looking with a similar sharp design making it also look rather ominous. Its body shared the same green finish as the muscle car. Its eyes were a luminous blood red peering out of its metal face. Cyborg was still in shock of what he had just witnessed. He could swear it was smirking down at him.
"Aw, where's that confidence gone?" The machine stepped forward, looking still, staring down at Cyborg, towering over him.
He instinctively backed up before snapping back into reality.
"Attack!" Cyborg shouted.
The robot looked confused for a second before she saw the sight of the T-bot charging towards her. The T-bot swung its arm back ready to throw a strong punch. The transformed muscle car simply dodged the swift hook and grabbed its arm. With little effort she threw the T-bot across the highway causing it to crash into a nearby factory.
Cyborg gasped at the sight and turned back towards the robot. It turned back to him with another sinister smile.
"I hope you put up more of a fight than your little toy," the muscle car began advancing forward again. Cyborg stood his ground and raised his arm, transforming as it reached its target. No sooner had he pulled up his cannon than the robot in front of him transformed her own right arm into a powerful-looking cannon.
"Too slow," she taunted. Cyborg's eyes widened as a red beam blasted through his cannon, causing a small explosion that destroyed his arm and knocked him to the ground.
Cyborg could hear a loud ringing as he tried to lift himself up. He looked over to see what was left of his arm. If Cyborg hated anything, it was someone messing with his systems. Destroying them? His temper was finally ready to blow. He was hurt and ready to do anything to bring this villain down.
"I'm about to put you in the scrap yard!" He blasted. He raised his left arm and transformed it into his second sonic cannon ready to fire. Cyborg didn't see the robot in front of him instead he felt four objects dig into his body. His body swung up and quickly came crashing onto the road. Writhing in pain he looked up to see the former muscle car pining him down with her clawed hand. He tried to pull up his cannon despite the damage to his body. The robot pulled up her index finger in front of his face and wagged it slowly.
"Nuh uh uh fights over so do yourself a favour and stay down." The robot pulled its hand off the metal Titan and stood up straight.
"Now I need to go deal with your friends but don't worry, it won't take me long" the robot stepped down towards the groundround as the sound of clanging metal flooded the air. A few seconds passed and the green muscle car was back again. Cyborg looked over still on the ground as the cars wheels spun forward. As the vehicle pulled away he honed in on the name on the licence plate.
"Melnox"
The other Titans were still chasing down the motorcycle. Raven was about done with this.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The empath's dark magic pulled up part of the highway in front of the motorcycle like a wall. The bike veered right down an exit sharply. The loss of speed allowed Starfire to catch up giving her a chance to grab the disc. The Tamaranean snatched the object out of the motorcycle seat. The bike braked fiercely causing its body to roll as it slowed back down and shifted form back into the canine. The robot growled as its claws made contact with the road bringing it to a stop. Charging at speed towards Starfire the machine leaped with open jaws. The Tamaranean was ready for a fight except the robot had stopped midway almost frozen in time. Starfire looked up to see a set of massive teeth belonging to a green tyrannosaurus. Its jaws clamped down, the robot yelped as electricity discharged from its body. Beast Boy swung his head and threw the cycle across the street. Rolling several times across the road before coming to a halt motionless in the middle of the street.
Beast Boy reverted back to human form as the other Titans caught up.
"Well done friend Beast Boy" Starfire congratulated the changeling.
"Yeah, good job!" Robin agreed as he climbed off his motorcycle. Beast Boy looked at Raven smugly, putting his arms on his sides. The Empath simply gave him a thumbs up.
"Starfire, you're not from around here, any ideas what this is?" Raven asked. The Titans had walked over to the robot's body.
"I have never encountered a creature such as this" Starfire admitted.
"You think it's from space?" Beast Boy was stunned at Raven's conclusion.
"Well, the disc is from space; it's not a completely unreasonable assumption." Robin concurred. Raven put her hands on her hips and gave a light smirk towards Beast Boy, causing him to look annoyed.
The robots began to shake as its body became covered in energy. The Titans stood back as the energy pulled the machine towards the night sky, disappearing with a flash.
"What was that dude?" Beast Boy asked with wide eyes.
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We've got the disc." Robin was cut off by the sound of his communicator beeping.
He flipped it up to see a static screen. "Cyborg, what's wrong?"
"Robin... Muscle...ar... Not...car... Danger get out" the static cut off most of Cyborg's voice, Robin read his vitals on the comms device.
"Cyborg? Cyborg!" Robin shut off the communicator after the signal cut out. "Something's wrong; we need to head back to him." Robin climbed back on his motorcycle. "Starfire, with me. Raven, Beast Boy, stay here with the disk until the authorities arrive." Robin ordered. Starfire took to the air and followed behind the boy wonder.
Cyborg lay on the road, trying to get his systems to repair the damage they could. Cyborg pulled up his left arm and commanded, "Pursuit Mode." He pulled himself up and examined his torso, transforming his hand into a welding tool. He began repairing the tears in his armor.
Beast Boy was leaning on the disc at the side of the road. Raven had her shoulder against a nearby wall, arms crossed. Beast Boy tried to think of something to break the silence.
"Wanna hear a joke now?"
"No"
Beast Boy looked bummed until the sound of an engine caught his ears as the Green Muscle car swiftly skidded across the road and came to a stop in front of them.
"Wait, this guy again?" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.
Melnox purred her engine as she scanned the two Titans. Locking in on Raven, she made an assessment. "That aura is radiating a prominent Azarath energy signature but the DNA is all wrong. Interesting."
Melnox began to shift to her robot mode, shocking the two Titans.
"Give that to me," Melnox demanded, pointing to the disc underneath the changeling.
"It's talking Raven, why is it talking?!" Beast Boy backed up. The empath was in shock as well and moved her body backwards in tandem with the changeling.
"How should I know?!" Raven was still in bewilderment at the sight in front of her. She could sense Beast Boys panic. As the towering machine approached closer she raised her hands which began to glow a deep black. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Dark energy pulled a large boulder from the ground, forcing it towards the alien robot.
"Definitely from Azarath" Melnox rolled her body forward, dodging the incoming rock. As she landed back around on her feet, she transformed her left arm, which shot out a discharge of red electricity at the empath.
Raven let out a painful scream and fell to the ground.
"Raven!" Beast Boy yelled. He turned back towards the robot with a rage-filled face, the changeling transforming back into his Tyrannosaurus form and letting out a deafening roar.
Melnox was in awe of the extinct reptile and began scanning again.
"Oh, you are remarkable. I couldn't bring myself to destroy you, even if I had to... But..."
Melnox's left arm transformed slightly. This time, it launched a yellow discharge, zapping the changeling. Beast Boy reverted back to his human form and couldn't stop jittering.
"Hey, what's happening? I can't transform!" Beast Boy stuttered. Melnox knelt down towards Beast Boy's eyes.
"It's temporary, I promise. Now, what's your name?" Melnox was genuinely curious.
"What?" Beast Boy was freaked out by the robot's question. He was still shocked she could talk.
"What do you call yourself?" Melnox asked with a sincere voice. Beast Boy didn't want to answer yet thought it would be best to delay.
"Beast Boy"
Melnox looked almost disappointed. "Really?, fair enough. I must say I've never seen DNA like yours. It's like a symphony of pure chaos." Melnox brought her sharp claws towards the changeling, hoping to examine him further. Beast Boy stepped back.
"I assume this wasn't natural, how did it happen?" Beast Boy's eyes widened at her question. Before he could answer, the robot was knocked across the street by a large slab of rock. She crashed into a nearby shop window, causing its alarm to start blaring.
Beast Boy turned to see Raven standing up with steam pouring off her cloak.
"Hands off," she growled.
"Raven, you're okay!" Beast Boy smiled at her.
"Being part demon has its perks," she huffed. She walked over towards the changeling, who was still jittering.
"Are you alright?" Grabbing his shoulder.
"Yeah, she hit me with something. I can't change."
"We have to get out of here," Raven declared.
She had no easy solution to her proposal. The shock had affected her powers as well; she knew they wouldn't be able to run far on foot. Soon the answer she was looking for came rolling around the street corner.
The T-car shifted into robot mode, ready for battle. The signs of battle damage were clearly visible.
"T-bot car mode!" Raven yelled. The T-car was soon back after a quick transformation. Raven grabbed Beast Boy's hand and ran over to the car. She lifted the disc and placed it in the back seat.
"Get in and put your seatbelt on!" Raven ordered, jumping into the driver's seat. Beast Boy climbed into the front passenger seat, looking confused.
"Wait, you can drive, Raven?" The Empath adjusted the rearview mirror and the driver's seat.
"I said put on your seatbelt" she demanded.
Beast Boy complied seeing her growing frustration. Melnox rammed through the hole she had made in the wall back in her car form. She veered right coming to a stop directly facing the T-car.
"Hang on!" Raven slammed her foot down on the reverse pedal, causing their heads to jolt forward as the T-car pulled away. Melnox spun her wheels, producing a loud screeching sound as she followed in pursuit, her engine roaring.
Raven kept glancing back to check the road was clear. She spotted an exit coming up leading to the higher-level highway.
Still in reverse, she drove the T-car up the exit ramp. Melnox was still giving chase, catching up quickly. As the T-car flew up onto the upper highway, Raven swung the car around, turning it forward. The force of which caused Beast Boy to let out a high-pitched scream.
The maneuver gave Melnox the chance to gain ground on them. The muscle car shoved into the back of them. Raven pushed down the accelerator and pulled out her arm, raising several pieces of road with dark energy behind them.
Melnox turned back into robot mode, using her limbs to leap from rock to rock, before changing back into a muscle car and continuing the chase.
"She's still on us, Raven!" Beast Boy was looking in the rearview mirror, looking panicked.
"I'm not blind!" she growled. The empath turned them down towards an exit off the highway, heading towards a smaller part of the city. She took them both through a factory estate as she saw something that could help them escape—a flashing train crossing.
"Oh no this is crazy Raven, we're gunna get squashed!" Beast Boy grabbed his hair looking terrified.
The Empath ignored him and pushed down the accelerator. The T-car gained speed as it barreled towards the crossing. Beast Boy could see the light of the train coming from the right. Closing his eyes, all he could hear was the sound of the locomotive horn. He felt a rough jolt throughout the car as he felt the wind on his face. Opening one eye, he looked around to see the train passing by behind them.
"Haha you did it!" Beast Boy gleefully declared, only to have his look of excitement quickly vanish as one of the train cars exploded behind them. Out of the flames, Melnox emerged, still in car form, and continued the chase.
"You've got to be kidding me," Raven clutched the steering wheel.
Robin and Starfire arrived where Cyborg had been beaten down. Robin looked shocked to see his friend in such a state.
"Cyborg what happened?" Robin asked as his motorcycle stopped in front of him.
"Friend, you're hurt," Starfire said, landing beside him.
"I'm fine, it's that muscle car. It's not a car, it's a robot, like my car but not like my car. It's evil, and a girl?" Cyborg rambled.
Both of them looked confused.
"She's the one who did this to me. That robot dog is probably hers."
Robin heard another beep from his comincator. Pulling it out he heard Beast Boy shouting on the other end of the line.
"Robin, Robin! We need help. That car that attacked Cyborg is a crazy robot and it's chasing us down"
"Stay calm, Beast Boy. Raven, head back towards us. We'll be waiting," Robin insisted.
Raven looked concerned.
"Easier said then done" she deadpanned. Beast Boy turned off the comincator and Raven turned the T-car towards the other Titans direction. Melnox was still in pursuit of the two Titans.
Raven took the car down a long high street, at the end of which the road split in both directions. She saw Melnox gaining on them in the rearview mirror. Her chance had come.
"Grab onto something Garfield" Raven ordered. Beast Boy looked towards the Empath wide eyes.
"Wait, what?"
As the two of them approached the end of the street, Raven adjusted the T-car's gear and flicked the steering wheel to the right, easing off the accelerator. Beast Boy felt his body pull to the right as the T-car drifted across the road. Raven regained control as she watched Melnox brake behind them; her car mode clearly not designed for that kind of turn. Raven gained some distance between them as she watched the muscle car accelerate towards them with its engine roaring. She spotted an exit that led to the upper highway, where Cyborg had been attacked.
She steered up towards the exit. Raven felt a wave of confidence and determination fly over them. A flash of green impacted the ground in front of Melnox causing the alien car to flip upwards and roll through the air. The impact forced her back into robot form as she crashed across the road. She clutched the asphalt with her claws and slowed down facing the source of the explosion. Starfire stood strong eyes and fists glowing a bright green.
Melnox began scanning once again.
"You're a long way from home," she commented.
Starfire was taken aback by the knowledge of her people.
"You are familiar with my kind?" she quired.
Melnox chuckled and stood up straight with a powerful stomp on the ground.
"Oh, I remember your kind before they arrived on that wretched world you call home, " Starfire looked shocked, thinking about the implications of that statement. The robot didn't sound like she was lying either. Instead of pressing further, she remembered the damage done to her friend and tensed up.
"Allow me to show you how far we have come," Starfire shot through the air like a bullet. Winding her arm back, ready to throw a powerful punch at the alien machine. Melnox wound her own arm back, ready to lay her own blow. The two fists collided, causing a shockwave that smashed every nearby building window.
Raven pulled the T-car up next to Robin and Cyborg on the quiet highway. Beast Boy quietly stepped out of the car, shaking. Raven looked at him, concerned.
"Raven... That was amazing!" He turned around and ran towards her, grabbing her hands and lifting them up to her face.
"You're amazing, Raven," the empath blushed at the changeling's words.
"Uh thanks" she wasn't sure what to say, honestly she wasn't expecting this reaction.
"Where did you learn that?" the changeling inquired.
"What do you think me and Cyborg do when we aren't fixing the car?" she explained.
Beast Boy turned towards Cyborg upon hearing his name and released her.
"Cyborg, what happened, buddy?" He ran over towards him. The metal Titan looked down at his green friend.
"You've been chased by what happened most of the night," he explained.
"She did something to us, so we couldn't use our powers properly," Raven commented.
"We need to regroup back at the tower," Robin stated. "I asked Starfire to distract her, and then we head back."
"Wait, we're running away!" Cyborg questioned.
"You've got one arm, Raven and Beast Boy can't use their powers properly" Robin argued.
"You've beaten tougher opponents than this on your own, and you don't have any powers," Cyborg countered. "We're the Titans; we don't just give up."
"I didn't say give up, I said regroup," Robin could tell Cyborg was frustrated. The leader knew the Titans' limits at the moment and was thinking about the best move.
"Besides Starfire, the strongest of all of us, she'll come back in a moment with that robot's head in her hand." Cyborg affirmed, having full faith in the Tamaranean.
Melnox then landed beside them with a loud slam on the ground, causing bits of debris to fly upwards. In her hand was an unconscious Starfire. Robin looked horrified.
"Alright, this encounter has officially gone from amusing to annoying," Melnox raised her other arm and transformed it into a blaster, aiming it at the Tamaranean.
"Starfire!" Robin yelled.
"Shut... Up!" Melnox demanded sternly. "Give me back what's mine, and I'll be on my way."
"I can't let you walk away with that weapon," Robin barked.
The robot tilted its head at the statement. "Weapon? That's my ship's communication antenna" The Titans looked at each other confused. Robin was less than convinced, and neither was Cyborg.
"Why should we believe that?" the metal Titan challenged.
"Trust me, I have no interest in this worthless hunk of rock. This was fun at first but now I want off this pathetic planet" Melnox said, still pointing her arm at Starfire, who was still unconscious in her hand.
"Battle mode!" Cyborg yelled. Melnox swiftly turned her arm blaster towards the T-car and shot out a familiar red discharge. The vehicle shuddered and stopped moving. She quickly pointed the blaster back at Starfire.
"No! No more of that. I'm through playing games. Now...this is your last chance, so what's it going to be?" Melnox's arm blaster began to glow brighter.
"Stop!" Raven stepped forward. "If we give you the disc, will you let her go?"
Melnox turned her head towards the Empath. "You have my word,"
Raven coated the disc in dark energy and pushed it over towards her.
"Raven, what are you doing?" Cyborg and Robin were ready to intervene before being stopped by Beast Boy, who held up his hands. On his face was a look of "trust her." The two Titans looked on as the disc was grabbed by Melnox's hand, which returned to normal. She gently placed Starfire down on the ground and stood back up. Robin ran over to Starfire to see if she was alright. The Tamaranean was still unconscious. Robin looked up towards the alien robot with a burning rage.
"She'll be fine," Melnox examined the disc and turned her eyes back towards the Empath.
"Thank you, Raven"
"Whatever," she muttered, hoping the encounter would end already. Melnox backed up a few feet. delivering one final message.
"For all your sakes I sincerely hope there isn't a next time." The same energy that coated the canine surrounded Melnox as it pulled her up towards the sky with a similar flash.
The Titans didn't say anything after seeing the villain vanish. They each took in what had just happened before returning to the tower.
Cyborg stared at his new arm for a while. He couldn't get the thought of the Melnox encounter out of his head. He looked up at the newly repaired T-car and sighed. He heard the sound of the door to the garage open.
"Hey" The familiar croaky voice came from behind Cyborg. He was still looking at his baby and hadn't had the nerve to turn around yet.
"Hey," he replied.
"Still thinking about it?" she asked, feeling his doubt radiated off him.
"It's just after so many years we've fought all sorts of villains, and we've always won in the end," he lamented.
"The universe is a big place, statistically speaking, eventually we had to lose." Raven said softly, Cyborg turned towards her direction. "And that's okay," she continued.
"It just pushes us to keep going stronger than before," the Empath finished.
Cyborg made eye contact with her. He knew she was right. He then noticed her outfit, a blue hoodie with black jeans and gloves. It was the outfit she wore when he taught her how to drive.
"What's with the outfit?" he asked, smiling.
"I need the car," she deadpanned.
"Uh sure, she's good as new.'"
"Cool, okay, c'mon" Raven turned towards the door as Beast Boy's head peered around. His eyes lit up as he entered the garage.
"Sweet, I'm so stoked!"
"Ah ah ah, what did we talk about?" Raven poked her finger at his chest. Beast Boy looked defeated and pulled out a large helmet from behind his back.
"That's better, now put it on and get in" Raven made her way over to the T-car and placed her gloves on. Cyborg crossed his arms and looked smugly at Raven.
"I lost a bet, move past it" she turned the T-car engine on as Beast Boy smiled under his helmet.
"Let's go!" he yelled. Raven rolled her eyes as she accelerated the T-car out of sight.
"Hey, keep it safe, you two!" He chuckled, shaking his head. As the garage door shut back down, Cyborg looked over towards the glass roof, where he could see the Titans' personal spacecraft, the orange T-ship. Scratching his chin, he mused to himself.
I wonder, could it work?, no, it's stupid. Then again?