Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Real World: Titans Tower ❯ They Came Through the Skylights ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Pivitor

DISCLAIMER: The New Teen Titans and most of their supporting cast were created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez—the character of Matt Logan was created by Geoff Johns and Ben Raab. I owe my inspiration to those talented writers as well as to the staff of the animated series. Thank you for the great stories!

“All Star Teen Titans”

a.k.a.

“The Real World: Titans Tower”

Chapter 7: They Came Through The Skylights

ROLE CALL:

Robin—Dick Grayson: Arrogant former circus star, acrobat extraordinaire and hopeful ladies man.

Wonder Girl—Donna Troy: Adopted sister of Wonder Woman, bestowed with the powers of the Amazons.

Speed—Wally West: A bitter, living embodiment of the mythical Speed Force.

Cyborg—Victor Stone: Half flesh, half machine—all human.

Beast Boy—Garfield Logan: Goofy, insecure animal shapeshifter and former member of the Doom Patrol.

Raven: Cynical empath shrouded in mystery.

Starfire—Koriand'r: Honest, caring newcomer to Earth capable of flight and generating energy blasts.

This is the true story of seven teenaged superheroes, picked to live in a house, fight crime together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when heroes stop being polite, and start being real. The Real World: Titans Tower.

***ON THE AIR—WARRIORS RESTAURANT & NIGHTCLUB, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA***

Warriors started out as a small bar owned by a retired superhero, a personal business filled with memorabilia from his glory days. The hero's former boss, a money hungry businessman, saw potential in the idea and expanded it into a global phenomenon. The simple bar exploded into a franchise of restaurants and nightclubs across the world—though its heroic memorabilia had long ago been reduced to imitations or forgeries (after all, how many used Batarangs could one find?)

It was outside of one such establishment—one of the classiest `Warriors' at that—that stood four teenage boys, three of them members of a superhero group on a reality TV show that called themselves the Teen Titans.

“How do you think we're gonna get in a place like this?” asked Cyborg incredulously as he stared at the long line of people waiting for the bouncer's approval. The door opened sparingly as the burly man let only the cream of the crop inside—thumping bass and blinding fluorescent lights escaped through the open doorway.

Matt Logan, slacker cousin of the Teen Titan Beast Boy, just chuckled. “This place is a super hero haven, and you guys're the real deal! We're guaranteed to get in!”

Cyborg: “Yeah, cause real heroes all go clubbing. Though, eh, I guess they could. Everybody needs some time off...”

Matt marched forward, strutting as it he was the superhero, until he was at the bouncer's side. The lanky boy put his hand on the bigger man's shoulder to catch his attention, not even startling him. The bouncer simply moved to rip the said hand off, until he noticed who it belonged to.

Looking Matt up and down, he decided he was too pitiful to bother with. “I'd tell ya' to get in line, but I already know yer not getting in. Don't waste yer time, small fry.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Matt, not missing a beat as he gestured to the three teens standing behind him. “My friends here are real live superheroes! Of course we're getting in!”

Cyborg hung his head, hoping not to be noticed, while Beast Boy blushed. Robin, ignoring the bouncer completely, turned towards the line and smiled at the assorted raver girls waiting to get in. “Hey, ladies.” They simply rolled their eyes at the acrobat.

Robin: “They totally want me.”

Had the Teen Titans approached him on their own, the bouncer would have considered it, but with Matt leading the charge there was no way they were getting in.

“Beat it, kid,” he grunted, pushing the slacker back towards his friends.

His pride more hurt than his body, Matt just shouted back, “You'll hear from my lawyers about this!”

“C'mon, you're just embarrassing yourself,” said Vic as he pushed the boy away from the line. Whilst Robin stared sadly at the line before following, Gar Logan's sad sights were just set towards his cousin.

Robin: “But how will those poor girls get their hands on me now?! I didn't even get time to leave my number!”

Beast Boy: “Wow. I guess Matt isn't as cool as he's pretending to be. But, like, why is he even bothering to put on the act? I've always thought he was cool.”

As they shuffled towards the side of the club, Matt was still mumbling angrily. “How can they keep us out like that? They'll go out of business if they keep treating stars like this—right Gar?” Looking around, the teen noticed his cousin was nowhere in sight! “Gar?!”

“Yo, dudes!” called the changeling's voice from an open door on the side of the club. “I got us in!”

Beast Boy: “Yeah, just another reason why being a shapeshifter is totally sweet.”

***INSIDE***

“So you turned into a rat and crawled inside under the door so we could get in?” Garfield Logan nodded in agreement, and his cousin Matt's smile grew even larger. “Dude, you're the best cousin ever! Think of all the things you can do!”

Cyborg grunted. “Since this is a public place, I don't know if this was breaking `n entering or not, but that's not the way we should use our powers, Matt.”

Cyborg: “I mean, using their powers to break the law is what makes the bad guys the bad guys! I just hope I can be a better influence on Gar then Matt's being.”

“Spoilsport.” Fortunately, the attention span of Matt Logan didn't focus on his robotic foil for too long. “Yo, Gar, let's go see if you can score me some chicks! Turn into a puppy, chicks can't resist puppies!”

Cyborg: “Poor Gar. Does he even realize he's being used?”

Beast Boy: “Man, now Matt thinks he needs me to score girls? I don't mind helping him out, but sheesh, the Matt I remember was confident! I…I guess it's been a long time.”

As the boy dragged his tiny relative into the teeming crowd of people, Victor Stone collapsed backwards onto a barstool. If Gar wanted to go clubbing that badly, then he could take care of himself for a bit. As the half-robot watched the moshpit churn, girls and guys embracing, dancing and grinding, he signed a deep sigh.

Cyborg: “I shouldn't have come here. Not yet. Not even I can get over all the crap in my life this fast.”

“What would you like, ma'am?” Out of the corner of his eye, Vic caught the bartender extending his offer to one of the most beautiful girls the teen had ever laid eyes on—robotic eyes or otherwise. She was slim and blonde, and though she dressed fashionably, she wasn't showing off enough skin to make him uncomfortable. He noticed her smile as she ordered her drink, and he nearly melted.

Cyborg: “Yeah. Definitely wasn't ready. God, I'd give anything just to be worthy of sayin' something to her.”

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson was having much more success as he navigated his way through the pulsating crowd of people, his athletic body naturally moving with the rhythm of the music as his eyes scanned the numerous females and their…assets.

Robin: “Now this is the life! Man, I really deserved this after all the trouble with the JLA and especially Deathstroke! I mean, the girls and the dancing and the girls…what more could anybody want?!”

One poor guy who had done nothing but dance near Robin received a fist in his face, and as he fell to the floor his attacker grabbed his girlfriend by the arm, spinning her as he moved on down the line. He'd never been happier.

And he'd pay a steep price for his joy.

“Dick!”

An explosion of green rocked the club as tiny shards of glass rained upon the dancers. Floating just below the shattered skylight was a beautiful, orange skinned alien, her normally peaceful face twisted with anger. Blazing green energy sparked around the palm of her hands.

The eyes of Dick Grayson grew larger than saucers as he noticed his volatile teammate floating above him. “Holy s---!”

Robin: “What'd I do to set her off?!”

***TITANS TOWER***

The upstairs hallway of the giant T-shaped tower that served as home for the seven teenaged heroes housed all their bedrooms, seven in a row—standing outside one of those rooms was Speed, Wally West, a living phantom made of energy from the mythical Speed Force.

He was nearly invisible, the energy his consciousness resided in only flickering slightly, not even condensed into a body. He hoped to go unnoticed, for the room he was loitering outside of was not his own, but that of the mysterious empath, Raven.

Speed: “Aunt Iris told me to give these guys a second chance, and even if I did go off on Dick, I'm still going to try my best to. Maybe not with him, cause he's a jerk, but Starfire was pretty happy to see me, for one.

“But then there's Raven. Aunt Iris said that I had a lot in common with these guys, and while I never thought about it, I guess I do. Raven and I…there's some sort of connection there. I don't know what's going on with it, with us, yet, but dammit, I'm gonna find out.”

While Wally's biggest complaint in life was the lack of a corporeal body, occasionally it came in handy—such as now, as he effortlessly slid through the solid door closing off his secretive teammate's room. Inside, he found no windows, and hardly any furniture—in fact, the only furniture in the room were three bookshelves, all overflowing with books, scrolls and tomes. The walls were painted black, and lit candles covered the floors and bookshelves.

Speed: “Cheerful. I feel like I'm at Hot Topic.”

“You do not belong here,” uttered an eerie voice. Wally solidified, turning the Speed Force shell that he used as a body to see a bird shaped silhouette emerging from the dark walls. “Despite my having the capability to do so, I do not use my abilities to breach your privacy. I would prefer it if you did the same.”

Raven: “Of course, I have no interest in his life or the lives of any of the others—and I do not possibly see what he could find interesting about me. I strive to stay boring and lifeless. It is the only way to remain safe.”

Wally west just frowned. “Okay, I'm sorry I snuck in here, but how else was I supposed to talk to you? You hardly ever come out!”

“Why would you want to talk to me?” asked the empath, appearing genuinely puzzled. Then again, considering what she had done to Speed, Raven actually knew exactly why he was there—so any appearances or signals she gave off were not to be trusted.

Raven: “He must want something.”

“If you want any favors,” began Raven, following up on that thought, “Then I doubt I will be of any assistance, especially if it is a new body you seek.”

Raven: “And I doubt there would be much else he would desire.”

Speed: “Jeez, it's like she wants to jump to the worst possible conclusion for everything! Then again, I guess that's what I'm talking about—who knows what the hell happened to her to screw her up this bad. She may even have had a worse life than me…”

Pushing his frustration aside, Wally wasn't ready to give up. “It's not that! I just—I just wanted to get to know you a little.”

“Really now?” She didn't look convinced. “Fine, then. Ask me a question.”

“Well,” stammered the speed specter, “Why don't you have a bed? Don't you sleep?”

Speed: “Dammit, that's a stupid question! I hate my stupid freaking nerves…”

Raven: “Surprisingly, I can sense that he is genuine. Not very surprising, however, I can sense an ulterior motive deep within him.”

“No, I do not,” she began. “At night I mediate, letting both my mind and body rest, though in different ways.”

“Oh,” replied Wally, more than a little surprised—and slightly creeped out. “Interesting.”

With a sigh Raven replied, “Not really, and I know you feel the same. Speed, I am an empath—nothing you can feel remains hidden from me.”

Speed: “So how is her creeping into my thoughts any different from me sneaking into her room?! If I wasn't so…crazy about her…I'd be ready to shoot her! But eh, I guess the jig's up. Hell, maybe she'll understand, know what's up with me…cause I sure don't.”

“Then you probably know more than I do,” Wally said in a half growl. “But as far as I can tell, well…Raven, I think I just may love you.”

The fierce, glowing eyes of the dark empath narrowed angrily. “That is a ludicrous statement,” she said, her voice growing sterner. “You barely know me, you are not capable of loving me yet—and you never should be. If you are wise, you will forget all about these feelings.”

“How can I?!” exclaimed the boy, confused and frustrated. “Believe me, if I could I would! I have no freaking idea why I feel this way, but I do! I thought…I just thought…maybe we had some connection, that maybe we were meant to be together! I mean, just look at us! On a team of freaks, we're still outcasts! The freakiest of freaks! I think we're meant to understand each other! Who else can?!”

Floating backwards a bit, Raven was taken aback by the intensity of her teammate's emotions. “Speed I…I cannot love you. Maybe you are correct in your thinking, but I cannot allow it.”

Raven: “It is too dangerous for everyone, perhaps even for the world, for me to fall in love.”

Speed: “G--dammit, what'll it take to get this through her head?!”

“That doesn't make any sense!” cried Wally. “What are you talking about?!”

“My abilities are intrinsically tied to my emotions,” explained Raven. “I meditate, I stay distant to keep myself from feeling. The more I feel, the more dangerous I become. I…I cannot be what you want me to be.”

Raven: “And he does not know the trouble he is getting himself into.”

Clearly not buying it, Speed replied, “Then we can fight them together! Whatever bad things your powers can do, we'll be strong enough to defeat them!”

“No, we will not,” stated the empath with concrete certainty. “Nobody is that powerful.”

Suddenly, red flashing lights and blaring sirens filled the tower. The holographic image of Mr. Jupiter appeared on the wall, shining twice as bright in contrast to the dark paint.

“Sorry to interrupt,” began the fashion-impaired director, “But there's an emergency downtown.”

“What?” growled Wally, obviously more annoyed at Jupiter's arrival than worried about the danger.

Shrugging, Loren Jupiter said, “I'm not sure. We simply received a danger alert triggered by the other Titans. They must already be on the scene.”

“Then we will be there as fast as we can.” The darkness surrounding Raven grew into the shape of a bird, then disappeared, leaving no trace of the mysterious Titan.

Wally West, meanwhile, was just left pouting.

Speed: “Man that geek has bad timing!”

“Well?!” asked Jupiter as he noticed his Titan just standing there. “Aren't you going?!”

“Fine,” he growled as he disappeared, leaving only a fast fading trail of yellow and the sound of a sonic boom in the distance.

Speed: “But this isn't the end of this conversation. I can't let it go this easily!”

***WARRIORS—A FEW MINUTES EARLIER***

“Kory!”

The bronze skinned alien descended towards Dick Grayson, her intense anger aptly represented by the green energy churning around her hands like fire. Staring up at Starfire with appropriate awe or confusion, half the crowd thought they'd taken one too many hits of acid.

“Hello, Dick,” she growled. “I see you are having fun.”

Grinning like an idiot, Robin replied, “You bet!” Only when he saw Starfire recoil in anger did he realize his mistake.

Robin: “Yeah, thinking about it now, that was really, really stupid.”

Starfire: “What is wrong with him?! He treats me in a way that indicates his interest, yet he acts the same way with all these girls he does not even know! Does he not realize what he is doing?!”

Overwhelmed with both confusion and anger, Koriand'r kept looking back and forth at the crowd before finally asking, “Do you like these girls, Dick?”

Robin: “What kind of question is that?! And what the hell does it have to do with her being so pissed at me?!”

“Um, sure,” said the confused acrobat with a shrug. “They're all pretty hot.”

“And what about me?” inquired the Tamaranian.

Laughing a bit, Robin replied, “Kory, you're smoking!”

“I am?!” Starfire span around, looking for the fire on her person no doubt causing the problem. The edges of his mouth upturning into a slight smile, Dick chuckled. Wonder Girl, who had landed a few feet behind her teammates, just buried her head in her hands.

Wonder Girl: “How embarrassing. This little idea of mine just keeps getting worse and worse. I should have handled it myself. Dick'd already have gotten it through even his thick head by now if I had.”

“No, no,” corrected Dick as he waved his hands. “I meant, you're even hotter!”

“Oh,” Kory blushed as she realized her mistake. “But I meant…do you like me too?”

“Of course!” Robin said with a smile. “You're my teammate and a great friend!”

The beautiful alien's lip started to quiver. “Is that…all?”

Starfire: “Could I really have been that wrong? Maybe he does not feel that way about any of us…Maybe I am just a fool for thinking things worked here on Earth as they did on Tamaran.

“Oh, Donna was right…I have just let myself get hurt.”

“Donna!” The Amazon jumped as Gar and Matt popped out of the massive crowd behind her, the two cousins even more confused by the current situation then the clubbers. “You guys decide to crash the party or something?”

“I guess,” sighed Donna Troy with a shrug. “Kory wanted to talk to Dick because she was jealous of the girls, but really, they've both just misunderstood each other completely.”

Beast Boy: “Man, why do the real hot girls always go for guys like Dick? I wouldn't of broken your heart, baby!”

Matt Logan irately pushed both Titans aside. “I don't care who likes who or any of this s---. This isn't a motherf---ing soap opera!”

Appearing between Robin and Starfire before their conversation could continue, Matt pumped his hand into the air and roared to the crowd. “Yo, I don't know about you guys, but I didn't come here to talk! I want to dance already!”

“YEAH!” shouted back the crowd.

“Pump up the volume, Mr. DJ!” Matt smiled as the lights again fell low and the bass again rattled their skulls. “Alright, let's do this!” laughed the slacker as he grabbed Koriand'r's hand and pulled her into the dancing throng.

Beast Boy: “Now that's the Matt I know!”

Wonder Girl: “Well, that was…dated. But I can't get mad, cause that wasn't going anywhere good. I was hoping Dick'd get humiliated out here, but Kory was just heading for worse herself. We can handle this at the Tower later.”

“Now this is the life!” exclaimed Matt as he grinded close to the alien beauty.

Starfire: “This is certainly uncomfortable. I do not think I need to be familiar with Earth's customs to realize what this indicates…”

Even more confused, Dick finally noticed Wonder Girl from the corner of his eye and ventured to his teammates. “What t'hell was that all about?!”

“You mean you really don't get it?” Donna felt her patience growing thinner than a bulimic celebrity. “Dick, she likes you. Only Zeus knows why, but she really likes you, and she mistook your constant flirting as a sign that you really liked her too!”

Robin: “Uh-oh…”

“I told her not to let herself get hurt, but she didn't listen to me! She was upset when you wouldn't take her with you, and then when she got here and saw you dancing with all those girls…”

“Yeah,” interrupted Dick Grayson. “I get it. S---!”

Wonder Girl: “I wish I knew whether he was upset because he actually felt bad, or if he just didn't want to get incinerated by a Starbolt.”

Beast Boy: “Jeez, growing up is nothing but drama. I wish I could just stay a kid forever.”

Robin: “Oh s---. Like I said, Kory is a great friend and smokin' hot, but…I never thought about her the way she's thinking about me. Heh, I was too busy thinking about Donna. God I don't wanna hurt her, but I dunno what to do either…”

Of course, he didn't have much time to ponder the situation, as right above their heads the other two skylights shattered, and nearly an entire army of bulky figures fell through all three. Each creature was about six feet tall, twice as wide as your normal human, and covered in thin, golden armor. Instead of skin they had rigid green scales, long, thick tails, and a flat face with chubby lips. Each one held some sort of staff in their hand, energy sparking from a three-pronged tip—similar to that of a trident—on the end of the weapon.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!” yelled Gar Logan as he leapt backwards, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “It's the `Stony Faced Lizard People from Zylok Mach 3!' They're gonna kill us all and use our brains as beds for their kids!”

Beast Boy: “It's true! I saw it all on TV!”

“No,” said Starfire as she instantly abandoned her dance, floating above the crowd. Her voice, and the Starbolts she was generating, drowned out the lights and sounds of the club. All eyes were on her. “They are Gordanians, carnage loving planet conquerors! If they are here it can mean only one thing! Either they wish to take over Earth, or—”

“Or we just want you, Princess Koriand'r.” The gruff, labored voice came from what seemed to be the Gordanian leader, as he wore a unique headpiece, and had a jetpack attached to the back of his armor. “We've come three galaxies to find you, I even learned English just so I could greet you, Princess. Aren't you going to say hello?”

Starfire: “Scum. He is their leader, the one who…did horrible things to me. He took me from my family, used me as a slave, experimented on me!

“He will pay!”

“Why should I say hello to you?!” the Tamaranian demanded. “You took my freedom away once—I will not allow that to happen again!”

Suddenly the Gordanian and Starfire were outside, the latter having blown the former through a wall. She had the reptilian alien by his neck as she soared into the sky, leaving a flaming trial behind her. Her beautiful face had been overcome by a warlike expression of pure, unadulterated hatred.

But even as his prey further constricted his windpipe, the leader could still fight. His hand gripped his weapon, and magenta light shone from its spiked tip.

Meanwhile, the other four Titans were left with a much more serious threat—several dozen armed Gordanian soldiers! One growled in his primitive tongue and waved his cohorts forward, and the ground rumbled as they marched towards the teenage heroes.

Beast Boy: “Man, this would be so cool if they weren't gonna try to kill us!”

“Starfire said they're sadists,” began Wonder Girl as she pressed a button on her Titans communicator, then stuffed it into her belt. “They're going to try to kill us all! We have to get the clubbers out of here before we try to take them down!”

“Easier said then done!” yelped Beast Boy as he leapt above a laser beam. “There's no way we can do that and not get fried!”

Grimacing as she reached for her lasso, Donna feared that he was right. “I set off the trouble alert back at the tower, I just hope the others are—”

“Fast enough?” The Amazon was interrupted by a yellow blur that zoomed to her side, actually grinning. “Did you forget who you're dealing with?”

Speed: “Man, ugly green lizard creatures? Bet'cha Dick picked a fight with the wrong guy!”

“Speed and I shall deal with the evacuations,” stated Raven, appearing, as she usually does, out of nowhere besides the Titans' leader. The edges of her cloak sprang to life, enveloping several of the innocent citizens in darkness—they were teleported to their homes, without a scratch. The empath that performed this maneuver, however, staggered a bit as she did.

Raven: “The fears of the club patrons…they paralyze me, stab me to my very soul. Not only that, but some have used substances that change their very mind itself. Their emotions are…bizarre and unpredictable and they only further overwhelm my senses. Dealing with a crowd like this is not my expertise, but only Speed and I are fast enough to get them out of here soon enough to make a difference.

“And it is in my best interest to evacuate them quickly, so I can again battle at my full potential.”

“Fantastic,” smiled Donna Troy. “Titans, go!”

Wonder Girl: “Seems like a good enough battle cry!”

And in a blue, gold and red blur the girl wonder was off, spinning three consecutive helicopter kicks into the side of a Gordanian's head before downing him with a two-fisted punch to the back of his neck. He collapsed into the ground with barely a moment to even register he'd been defeated.

Wonder Girl: “People think of Robin as the martial artist on this team, but I've been trained by the greatest warriors of the Amazons themselves! Sure, our fighting's less about complicated technique and more about efficiency and power, but still, he can't hold a candle to my training!”

Wally cleared a crowd of civilians surrounding a row of the alien soldiers, leaving Donna a nice, clear shot. Tying her mystical lariat around the downed alien's neck, she hurled him through his allies like he was a wrecking ball, sending them all flying through the nearest wall.

A Gordanian behind her, thinking this was his lucky break, fired several blasts of pure magenta power from his staff, but effortlessly Wonder Girl deftly deflected the beast's own attacks right back at him with her unbreakable bracelets.

Dick Grayson, however, wasn't faring quite as well. “Fine then ya bastard, let's see what you've got!” The acrobat easily somersaulted out of the way of a punch from his Gordanian opponent. Its natural power—and the fact that its biceps were practically as thick as a redwood tree—left a huge hole in the floor around its fist.

Robin: “Yeah, that should've been my first clue that this wasn't gonna go well.”

Ducking in beneath the hefty appendage, Robin rattled off an impressive array of punches and kicks—which succeeded in nothing but bruising his hands and feet.

Robin: “Man, punching that guy was like punching a brick wall!”

“You seriously need some lotion, big guy,” quipped the teen as he swerved beneath the alien's lumbering sideswipe. “It'll smooth your skin right up! Make it softer too—that really would've helped me back when I hit you!” Popping a blue disk into his hand, Robin tossed the device straight into the Gordanian's gut—the resulting explosion of blue sparks left it nothing but a chilled statue.

However, the acrobat's arrogance was put to an end as he received a full helping of Gordanian rage. The Titan found himself in a wall; his suit ripped and wounds bleeding as he pulled himself out of the hole his impact had created. “S---head,” growled Dick as he—so angry he didn't even feel his wounds—soared above the creature and landed on its back.

With shrill screeches it reached for the nimble hero, but Robin simply attached a beeping disk to it and leapt to safety. Only a few moments later an explosion completely engulfed the lizard-like attacker, tearing its armor to shreds and leaving it unconscious. His eyes growing wide, even the acrobat himself was surprised.

Robin: “Holy s--- those are some kickass explosives!”

“Out of the way!” Surprisingly, Matthew Logan leapt into the air and tackled one of the bystanders, knocking her out of the path of a Gordanian death-beam. As they crashed to the floor and Matt found himself atop the beautiful girl, he could only grin. “Hey gorgeous, howzit going?”

She only rolled her eyes, but neither had any more time for the other as the massive green extraterrestrial loomed above them, screeching in octaves usually reserved for opera singers in winged helmets. The Gordanian raised his staff into the air, ready to skewer the slacker and his distressed damsel on its jagged edge—until it was knocked out of the way by a rampaging green Triceratops.

Shrinking into the tiny Beast Boy, he only had one thing to say: “Dude, get out of here!” As he made sure his cousin escaped safely, the changeling felt the floor shake behind him—he shrank into a frog and leapt above his attacker at the last possible second, leaving the Gordanian's trident jabbed into the floor, sticking like Excalibur for a moment before the mammoth monster pulled it free.

Beast Boy: “Geez, that was close! I was almost fried frog legs!”

Reaching the apex of his jump above his opponent's head Gar exploded in size, landing atop the creature as a titanic wooly mammoth. He had knocked it out cold, but was quickly overtaken by a barrage of shots from yet another soldier. Suddenly the extinct creature was gone—like it'd vanished into thin air—but the tiny Titan had simply become a fly, escaping the attacks long enough to change into a cheetah and charge into range.

Finally close enough to the Gordanian to attack Garfield Logan became a tiger, baring his teeth and claws as he leapt for its face. Unfortunately, he had to abandon that form for the armored shell of an armadillo as he was swatted out of the sky by his opponent's incomparable strength.

Retaking his human form as he skidded across the floor, Gar could only grimace.

Beast Boy: “Man, why am I always the one outclassed in these fights?! Donna's really strong and Dick's got his gadgets, but no animal's gonna be as strong as these guys!...Wait a second, I got it!”

As the idea entered his head Beast Boy grimaced, focusing his energy for the most strenuous maneuver he'd ever done. The Gordanian's staff soared for his head, but as the Titan's body expanded the weapon was only caught in his newly acquired Gordanian hands. Having imitated the alien's shape, Gar sent him soaring with a ferocious uppercut.

“Sweet,” marveled Gar, the simple statement sounding ludicrous in the alien's gruff voice. He grinned a malevolent smile as his stolen staff lit up in the hands of his imitated Gordanian body. “You punks're in for it now!”

Meanwhile, Victor Stone could feel all his weapons come online as he instantly readied his half-robotic body for battle. Yet, before he could sack a single alien, he noticed a Gordanian already on the attack, standing just behind the beautiful blonde at the bar!

Cyborg: “I knew then was the time to take action! I never expected her to be anything more then just grateful, and though I was hopeful, I knew I had no chance, even if I was savin' her—but turns out I didn't even need to worry. The little toughie can take care of herself!”

Having heard the creature behind her, the girl swung her arm from her purse into the Gordanian's face, releasing a full can of mace. As the alien reeled in pain, she grabbed a bottle of beer in her other hand and span on the barstool, crushing the bottle aside its head.

This only served to enrage the warrior, who raised his arms to crush her flat—and was promptly driven into a wall by a half-man, half-machine! Electricity burst from Cyborg's personal security system, sending the creature into shock.

“My hero,” smiled the blonde as she looked her savior up and down.

Cyborg: “I know she's not undressing me with her eyes—there's nothing more to see!”

“Doesn't look like you need a hero to me,” replied the metal man, half playing along, but half serious.

Looking into her purse she found nothing, and she backed up behind Vic. “Sure I do. I'm out of mace.” A huge grin spread across Victor Stone's face.

Cyborg: “This is it Vic—it's just like high school! Just gotta impress the girl!”

In retaliation for their friend's defeat, about five Gordanians surrounded Cyborg and his new friend, rapidly firing their lazor-staffs. The machine man just smiled as the neon blue implants in his shoulders and head lit up, and a blue shield of pure energy erected itself between the aliens and the heroes, deflecting their attacks.

The blonde gasped happily. “An energy shield?! Wow! That baby powered off your life energy, or do you have an external energy source?”

“External,” began Vic with a smile, “but I've got the source shrank down to the size of a small chip so it barely eve—wait a minute, how do you know about this stuff?!”

“My brother's a science major, so I've learned a bit,” she said. “Teaching major myself, though.”

“Really?!”

Cyborg: “I can't believe we're even talking! This is awesome!”

“Um, maybe later?” Cyborg snapped back to attention as he realized she was right—this certainly wasn't the time for small talk! Pointing both his arms forward, his shield exploded towards the Gordanians as a shock wave, knocking them all off their feet. As they fell the metal-man's shoulders popped open, unleashing a flurry of missiles that targeted the group and thoroughly decimated them.

Another lunged towards the duo from the air, but Victor Stone simply pointed and launched a stream of fire from his fingertips. Lit like a tiki torch, the Gordanian fell into the arms of two more of his fellow soldiers, and all three were sent flying through a wall by the high decibel shock of the Sonic Cannon.

While the action raged on, a yellow streak zoomed towards them. “Get off me!” cried the girl, squirming out of the grip of Speed.

Frustrated, Wally just growled, “Look lady, it's dangerous for you in here. I need to get you outside!”

“No way!” she objected as she walked to Cyborg's side and wrapped her arm around his waste. “I'm staying here with my hero!” The Titan's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

Cyborg: “What?!”

“Fine,” Speed acquiesced as he sped off. “I don't have time to argue with you.”

Speed: “If I ever hear him groan about being half machine again I'm going to slap him upside his stupid metal head. Even if he's a freak, he can still get the girl without even trying! God, that could never happen to me!”

“So,” smiled the metal-man, “you got a name?”

“Sarah,” replied the blonde happily. “Sarah Simms.”

Cyborg: “Wow…I had a ton of ladies before my accident, but afterwards…this feels better than any of them. I don't know if it's just `cause I saved her or if it's somethin' more, but at this point I don't care! I'm gonna enjoy every second of it!”

“Well, Miss Simms,” smiled Vic as he pointed his Sonic Cannon towards several more of the reptilian aliens, “Get ready to be even more impressed!”

***OUTSIDE***

Streaks of emerald and magenta filled the air, colliding and exploding and instantly being forgotten as the Tamaranian and the Gordanian clashed, neither gaining any ground against the other. Starfire's Starbolts and the general's blasts from his staff both kept each other well out of range.

Starfire: “As the war between our people grew more fierce, and neither side would give an inch, I was kidnapped one night by Gordanian forces. I was taken right from my bedroom, and still nobody knows how they got past our security!”

Her rage boiling, Koriand'r strafed besides a sparking streak and lopped off her own attack. Her opponent wasn't quite as maneuverable and couldn't counter attack in time, and was sent soaring by the alien's attack.

Starfire: “They tried to used me to get a surrender from my family, but their plan backfired. So instead they used me as a test subject, tortured me…and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I escaped. A part of me hoped to never again have to see their faces, but at the same time another side of me demanded vengeance. I will enjoy destroying this scum!”

Taking advantage of the Gordanian General's carelessness Kory zoomed forward, gaining an amazing amount of distance in only a few seconds. Her opponent's jetpack roared as he flipped towards her, firing off several more blasts of his own.

“Come on Princess, don't tell me you didn't miss me,” he taunted in his slow English. “I certainly have—more then your family ever did! They wouldn't even negotiate to get you back!”

A Starbolt exploded from Starfire's entire body, enveloping her and destroying all attacks that came her way. As it dissipated she pointed her hand forward and fired off several dozen rapid-fire attacks, like a machine gun. The Gordanian responded, desperately trying to fend off the tiny Starbolts, but as he did so a green streak zoomed through his staff, shattering the weapon.

Yet again an orange skinned hand gripped the monster's throat, but this time it was filled with emerald energy, burning his neck.

“I would not expect anything less of my family,” growled the Tamaranian princess. “They could not surrender the freedom of the entire planet just for my own!”

A powerful beam from the hand digging into his scaly neck sent the General tumbling into his own ship, and as he landed another Starbolt formed in Koriand'r's hand, condensing into a small ball of translucent energy. Tossing it casually towards the General, it exploded on contact, destroying much of the ship's wing.

Starfire floated down low, not yet ready to believe he was dead—and indeed he wasn't. However, the Gordanian was extremely battered. His armor was in shreds, and his scales chipped, scarred, or falling off his body. His hand, however, was looming over a large button that had been hidden under a hatch on the side of his spacecraft, and this only made him smile.

“You haven't won yet…Princess,” growled the General. “Attack me again and I'll make this entire ship explode—and take out everybody in the city!

Gasping, Kory floated backwards. Tears rolled down her cheek.

Starfire: “He deserves to die, this much is certain. But…the people of this city do not. My friends do not. I cannot sacrifice their lives to take his—even if it means sacrificing my freedom instead.”

However, before she could make her fateful decision, a blade of sparking energy, a deep purple hue, appeared out of nowhere and sliced through the general's neck. He didn't even have time to press the button. As both pieces of his body collapsed, a figure leapt from the top of the ship and landed next to him, the same energy sparking in the figure's hands.

“I just saved your life, little sister,” stated the figure in a calm, relaxed voice. “Aren't you going to say thank you?”

However, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, the Teen Titan known as Starfire, was too shocked to do anything. How did she get here?

“You?!”

***INSIDE***

The brittle Speed Force shell that Wally West used as a body was far too weak to do any damage to the Gordanians—but that certainly didn't mean he couldn't fight them! The last bystander had been cleared, and now the golden specter zoomed between several, hitting Mach 1 at the same moment and sending the group soaring with a sonic boom.

Speed: “Man, it's tough trying to think of ways to fight when not having a body screws me up again. It'd be so much easier with my body…I wouldn't have to be doin' this superhero crap at all.”

Meanwhile, the dark empath Raven reached out with her mind and possessed an underground water main, causing it to burst through the club floor, the pressure from the water alone scattering Gordanians like bowling pins.

However, things weren't quite as good as they seemed. Wonder Girl swiped aside the barbed tips of her opponent's staff with her bracelet, then grabbed the weapon and cracked it over its owner's head. As the reptilian alien fell, though, Donna's face filled with fear as she noticed another row of Gordanians marching towards her, their armor already pierced, and their faces already mangled—but still they marched on anyway, steadfast in their devotion to destruction.

“Hera!” exclaimed the Amazon, her gasp piercing through the chaos and drawing the attention of her teammates. “Titans, they're getting back up! The ones we defeated are getting back up!”

“Yeah, I noticed,” growled Cyborg as he blasted an alien with the concussive cannon in his chest, Sarah peeking from behind his back. “An' I don't see how we're gonna get them to stay down! I think I'm starting to agree with Starry on this one!”

Cyborg: “I mean, would aliens even count as killing?”

“No!” protested Donna Troy as she grabbed two Gordanians by their heads and slammed them together like cymbals. “We don't kill—heroes don't kill!”

Wonder Girl: “And despite any evidence to the contrary, we are heroes!”

“Fortunately, I don't really have any problems with killing them.” As soon as the suave, feminine voice uttered the words purple beams rained down like comets. Perfectly accurate, none of the Titans were even singed as death from above obliterated the Gordanian forces.

As the smoke cleared, the Teen Titans were left with the smoking remains of the nightclub, the ceiling cracked, the walls full of holes, and the floor had enough craters to be mistaken for the surface of the moon. Not a single Gordanian remained. In the middle of this chaos landed a single figure, a tall, thin girl with jet black hair that fell past her waist.

Like Starfire her skin was orange, but her eyes were entirely purple instead of green. She was slightly shorter than Koriand'r, and her black and purple uniform was slightly less revealing, though, considering how it was just as tight, that was rather pointless. Smoke still sizzled from her palms, and she didn't even to try to hide the fact that she was behind the destruction.

Beast Boy: “Oh no! Kory's gone Super Saiyan!”

“What…what did you do to them?” asked Wonder Girl as she scanned the warzone.

“Killed them, of course,” replied the girl casually. “Nothing less can stop a Gordanian, at least not for long. They're tenacious little bastards—not like they deserve anything better.”

Cyborg: “I thought of killin' them as a last resort, but whoever this girl is, I don't like how casual her attitude about it is. Not at all.”

Wonder Girl: “I'm…torn on this matter, I suppose. I was raised an Amazonian, and though we try to remain peaceful, our society was forged by war and killing. We regret it, but we are certainly prepared for it as well. But I was born a human, and though death is a natural and all too common part of our lives, killing is frowned upon. It's for bad guys. And as a super-hero, killing is forbidden.

“Sometimes having my heritage is a real pain. That's why I want to know where I come from so badly. Maybe then I can decide where I truly belong as well. But for now, I will act as I know I have to. As a hero, as the leader of this team and under my contract, I cannot let her actions pass!”

“Who are you?” inquired Donna as she reached for her lasso, readying herself to take down this threat if necessary.

“Princess Komand'r of Tamaran, or course,” she replied casually, as if it was common knowledge. Starfire, meanwhile, hovered down to her side.

“She is my sister,” added Koriand'r. And suddenly she was latched around her sister, hugging her so hard that she could have snapped—if she didn't have the same Tamaranian fortitude as her sister. “Oh, it is so great to see you! I thought we would never again meet!”

Starfire: “Komand'r is the first member of my family I have seen since I was kidnapped! But if she is here, with the Gordanians…oh no!”

“Did they capture you too?!” Koriand'r exclaimed, acting on her thought. “What does this mean for Tamaran?! Tell me, sister! It has been so long since I have heard of the goingons of our homeworld!!”

Komand'r cast a sad glance her sister's way. “When the Gordanians saw we weren't going to surrender, they got desperate, and kidnapped me as well. Mother and Father became quite worried after the loss of both their daughters and finally broke under their demands. But in order to meet our parents demands, they had to have you as well.”

“That explains why you and the Gordanians came here,” said Starfire, thinking aloud, “As well as what Hawkgirl was saying about Tamaran back when we met.”

Starfire: “Of course, this still does not explain why the Gordanians resorted to kidnapping, either with myself or with Komand'r. It was never a tactic they employed on any other planet, so why us?”

“Of course, they weren't expecting me to escape,” smiled Komand'r. “Foolish on their part.”

“Indeed,” agreed her sister, before remembering the rest of her teammates still staring at the siblings. “Oh, friends! I am sorry! I was so excited to again see my big sister, I forgot you were there! Please, forgive her slaughter of the Gordanians! She is not yet used to your Earth customs!”

Speed: “As if you are?”

Wonder Girl frowned. “I can forgive it, if Mr. Jupiter can. We'll talk to him a bit, Komand'r, and see if you can stay with us—”

“Stay?!” asked Starfire incredulously. “No chance, Donna! My reasons to stay here are…waning,” she said sadly, looking towards a blushing Robin, “While with my sister and a working spacecraft, I have every reason to return home and help defeat the Gordanian threat once and for all!”

Robin: “Dammit, I was hoping all this s--- had distracted her from…us. Ah, what am I gonna' do about us now?!”

Of course, as the Tamaranian spoke several different parts of the battered alien ship fell into the decimated club, shattering on impact. “Wow,” marveled Beast Boy, “Yeah, I don't think that's going to work out all that well for ya'.”

“Then I believe I'll take you up on your hospitality,” said Komand'r as she walked towards the Titans. Then, taking a look around, she wondered, “So, who takes care of this mess?”

Cyborg: “That's what I've been wondering all along!”

As the metal Titan pondered the question, he felt tugging on his arm. Sarah was trying to get his attention. “Y'know, I understand if you have to get going, but—”

“Don't worry about it,” said Vic with a sigh, knowing he didn't have a chance. “You don't have to pay me back. I was just doin' my job…”

“Don't be silly, metal man,” she smiled as she forcefully pushed a card into his hand. Written on it was her name and phone number.

Cyborg: “What the hell?!”

“I'm free Wednesday night, at seven,” she told him, closing his robotic hand around the card. “Call me and I'll give you directions to my house. Got it, sexy?”

Tripping over his own words, Victor Stone managed to stutter an, “Okay!”

Cyborg: “BOOYAH!”

***TITANS TOWER—LATER THAT NIGHT***

“So that's how I became champion of the Okaaran Tournament,” Komand'r said as the other Titans were gathered around her in the living room. “Though my little sister didn't put in a bad showing at second place, of course, but she never could beat me in battle.”

Raven: “This Komand'r certainly is…vain. While Robin thinks highly of himself, for sure, she thinks highly of herself and nothing else. There is a difference there. I am not sure of her motives here, but she has a suspicious aura around her.”

Starfire: “Of course, I never cared about defeating my sister the way she did me. You see, unlike all other Tamaranians, Komand'r was born without the ability to harness the sun's power to fly, and she has felt the need to…compensate…ever since. I do not see why. Our family has not thought of her any differently because of her disability!”

“So,” asked Dick Grayson, “Are you guys really princesses? It seems kinda important, but Kory never mentioned it.”

Komand'r, enjoying the attention, smiled. “Of course!”

“It just never seemed important to me,” Kory explained.

Starfire: “Indeed, while my sister loves being royalty, I have never really seen the point. It does not make us any better than anybody else, right?!”

Suddenly Donna's phone blipped, and opening it, she saw a text message that made her whole face light up.

Wonder Girl: “Yes! After a day like today, I really needed some good news!”

“Okay guys!” she announced, standing up. “Kyle just texted me. The Martian Manhunter's finally back from space, so the two of them should be by sometime tomorrow to try and figure out the deal with our fight.”

“Oh yeah,” mused Beast Boy, who was sitting cross legged on the floor next to his cousin. “I forgot about that!” Looking over, the green kid noticed that Matt was just drooling, totally spaced out from the rest of the conversation. “Yo Matt, you okay?!”

“Boobs…alien…hot…”

Beast Boy: “Well, I think he likes Komand'r!”

“Anyway, we all remember what happened last time we met the Justice League,” Donna continued with a sigh. “We all need to be on our best behavior, okay? And we need to be ready early tomorrow, get this tower clean and stuff. So, it's definitely time for us to head to bed.”

“What are you,” growled Wally, “Our mom?”

Crossing her arms and frowning towards the speed specter, she replied, “No, but I am leader of this team, Wally.”

“Just do as she says Speed,” suggested Raven as she started to teleport to her room. “Neither of you will budge, so you might as well be the better man.”

Frowning even harder, Wally just ran to his room.

Speed: “God Raven, why do you always have to be so right?!”

“Come, sister,” Starfire said, “I shall show you to your guest room!”

Looking on, Cyborg just smiled. “Man, it's a good thing we got all those spare rooms! If we keep up with the house guests like this, we'll need `em!”

***OFF THE AIR—KOMAND'R'S GUEST ROOM***

Though it took all the effort she could muster, the black haired Tamaranian finally ousted her enthusiastic little sister from her room. Collapsing backwards onto her plush bed, Komand'r's only thoughts were of how much she loathed her.

Fortunately for her, everything had worked out fine so far. She was always better at everything than Kory, and this was especially true of acting. Kory always thought it was no different than lying and thus could never grasp the concept, but Komand'r thrived on acting, on not letting people see the real her—until it was too late. And so far, she was playing these Titans like the measly little pawns they were.

Suddenly a picture came to life on the wall, displaying the face of one Mr. Loren Jupiter, director of The Real World: Titans Tower.

“Why, Princess Komand'r,” he smiled maliciously, “What a pleasure to finally meet you! The Gordanians told me so much about you.”

“I wish I could say the same,” began Komand'r, “but those worthless fools neglected to tell me anything about you.” She frowned at the thought of them. “It took me far too long to track my sister here.”

“Now now Princess, no hard feelings,” Jupiter cooed. Suddenly a chute opened from the wall. “That will bring you to my office—I just want to talk about what exactly it is you want here.”

Smiling she moved towards it, but then turned her head back, looking over her shoulder. “I have no problem with coming down to speak to you, Mr. Jupiter, but I can tell you what I want right now:

“I just want to make my worthless little sister's life miserable.”

Next time: Chase!