Episode 1: Freak Science, Part 1.

The night brimmed with storm clouds. The low rumble of thunder gave the citizens of Jump City fair warning of the storm that was to follow, as deep within his cramped, one bedroom apartment, Control Freak cackled with glee. His most recent creation, the one that he'd spent the last six months perfecting lay motionless on the table. But not for long. Stuffing another handful of cheese puffs into his mouth he continued his work, casting his gaze towards one of several computer monitors lined up along the far wall. Studying the data and licking a thin layer of cheese dust from his fingertips, he began clacking away at the keypad. This was it. With this final diagnostic, it was at long last time to put his plan into action. Turning away from the computer terminal he navigated his way back to the table where his creation still lay (not an easy task considering all the thick black wires running over every last inch of floor space). As the blubbery supervillain leered down at the creature before him, a wide grin spread across his cheeks.

"They called me lame," he smirked to himself. "Well, I'll show them. Soon they'll realize they are the ones who are lame." Raising a fist to the heavens he laughed as he shouted, "First Jump City and then…THE WORLD."

His jovial mood was quickly interrupted however by a sharp pounding from the ceiling and a muffled voice angrily shouting, "Shut up, will ya? Some of us are trying to sleep. What the hell are ya doin down there?"

Control Freak scowled at the disembodied voice of his upstairs neighbor and yelled, "Mind your own business, Leonard!"

The computer terminal across the way beeped with completion. His excitement returning, Control Freak stumbled his way over to it. Studying the numbers he let out a sick giggle, typed a few commands into the keyboard and pressed enter. Every terminal in the room began to hum with vigor. The noise was nearly deafening as streams of data went flooding along every cable directly into the prone figure still lying on the table. Every monitor gave a readout of the progress, counting up swiftly from 1%. Control Freak went to another terminal and entered another command. He jammed down hard on the enter key then, drawing his specialized remote control from his pocket, he took aim at the figure. With one quick jab of his thumb a brief flash of light shot forth from the remote. On command the figure began to glow. What started as a dull red quickly grew bright and neon, covering the figure from head to toe. Energy crackled and danced around it's body as the readout on the terminal slowly ticked over to 100%. Sparks flew and all through the apartment large pops were heard as the terminals, pushed to the brink, overloaded and short circuited one after another. The humming stopped and suddenly the room was silent.

Tentatively Control Freak made his way over to the creature. With hungry, leering eyes he studied it, looking for any signs of life. At first he feared his experiment might have failed. Then he saw it, a slight twitch of the right index finger. It moved an inch off the table then back down. For several agonizing seconds there was nothing. Then another twitch followed. This time the thumb joined in and soon the whole hand was rising up off the table.

"It's alive," giggled Control Freak. "It's alive. It's alive. IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE."

Overcome with emotion he ran to the window, nearly tripping as he did so. Tearing his way past his gaudy prune colored curtains, he faced the night sky as another bout of thunder hit. "Enjoy your rest Teen Titans," he shouted. "For it will be the last peaceful sleep you will ever know!"

As Control Freak broke out into another fit of maniacal laughter there came another bout of pounding from the ceiling. "Shut up with all the noise or I'm calling the cops!" bellowed his upstairs neighbor.

"Go ahead, Leonard," challenged Control Freak. "We can tell them all about your stolen cable."

xxxxx

Beast Boy's expression was that of pure, unbridled determination. Leaning forward, he once again placed his elbow on the table. "Okay," he said, readying himself. "You're going down this time, tin man."

Cyborg, his eyes tired with indifference, merely sighed as he mirrored his green teammate's actions, placing the point of his elbow on the tabletop and raising his hand to meet Beast Boy's. Their palms touched and their fingers locked.

"Raven, my sweet, would you do the honors?" asked Beast Boy.

Not even looking up from her book, the blue cloaked empath let out a long sigh. "3, 2, 1, go," she droned.

All at once the battle was joined. And what a battle it was. Beast Boy's determination was matched only by his confidence as he flexed his little green muscles and threw all his effort into the fight at hand. This was it. He knew it. With this victory, Cyborg's reign as arm wrestling champion of the tower would at long last be over. His teeth clenched, his face tightened. His commitment to winning was absolute. Unfortunately, much like the tale of Macbeth, it was all sound and fury signifying nothing.

"You're finished, iron butt" he taunted as he pushed mightily against his friend's large, unmoving arm. "This is it!" He stood up from his seat and pushed against the massive metal appendage with both hands, the exertion eliciting several grunts and gurgles from deep within his scrawny chest. "I got you now," he gasped through clenched teeth. He planted his feet against Cyborg's side and gave several sharp tugs. "There's no shame in giving up..."

Beast Boy's Sisyphusian struggle continued as the common room doors opened and in entered Robin. "Morning," he said, making his way to the refrigerator and retrieving a carton of orange juice.

"Su'p Rob," said Cyborg. Despite giving Robin his full attention, his battle with Beast Boy did not waver. His arm remained locked in position as the green teen continued to pull and tug and push in growingly absurd fashions. "So how'd it go last night?"

Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, Robin sat down at the table. "Not. Great." he answered.

"Aw don't tell me... It happened again?"

Ever since returning from Tokyo, having realized his feelings for Starfire, Robin had been determined to make a serious relationship work between them within the confines of their jobs as Jump City's guardian protectors. Despite already having a fairly busy schedule composed of training, tests and routine patrols, he'd still managed to work a 'one night a week' in exclusively so he and Star could spend some quality time together. Unfortunately, for the last month and a half, things had not gone as expected.

"There we were. Star and I had just ordered our entrees when suddenly the roof caves in and in comes Dr. Light spouting his usual nonsense."

"You're kidding."

"Fraid not. Needless to say we spent the evening putting him back in jail."

"So this makes, what, five dates in all?"

Robin leaned back in his seat. He folded his arms and looked at the ceiling. "Let's see. Last week it was Billy Numerous looking to hijack the Jump City Charity Marathon. Then it was Adonis and Mammoth busting out of lockup. Then before that it was Red X making off with that priceless art exhibit." Robin shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway when it was all said and done, we spent the rest of the evening helping to clean up the mess then we came back here. By then it was late and I was way past my scheduled 8 hours so I decided to just turn in."

"Damn man, you gotta be steaming."

"Eh. It's frustrating sure, but what can you do? It's all just part of the job."

Raven, who'd looked up from her book halfway through the conversation, fixed Robin with a serious gaze. "And what about Starfire?" she asked.

"Ah, she knows how things work as well as I do. I mean as teammates we used to have our outings interrupted all the time. She never complained then. Trust me she's fine."

Raven and Cyborg exchanged glances as Robin quickly gulped down the remainder of his orange juice. "Welp, I'm gonna hit the gym. I'm already running late. Don't forget, everyone, we got training this afternoon. 2:00 pm sharp." And with that he grabbed a power bar out of the box on the counter and made his exit.

Though the masked teen was gone. The rest of the team did not have time to miss him as less than a minute later the doors opened once again. This time it was Starfire who made her entrance. The usually chipper alien princess appeared to be in a surprisingly surly mood. Without even so much as a greeting she made her way to the fridge and began rooting around inside.

"Good morning, Star," said Cyborg, once he finally decided to break the silence.

With a hateful glare in her green eye, Starfire turned to face her teammates. In one hand she held a milk carton; in the other a raw, dripping spiral cut ham. "And just what is so 'good' about it?" she practically shouted. She then wolfed down the whole ham in three monstrous bites before downing the remainder of the milk in one big gulp. She turned her carnivorous rage on the empty carton next, tossing it in her mouth and chewing on the cardboard bolus for a beat before swallowing and then stomping her way out the door.

So stunned were Raven and Cyborg by Starfire's outburst that they failed to notice Beast Boy, still wrapped up in the contest, quickly shape shift into gorilla. Cyborg yelped in surprise as a sudden emergence of strength not only drove his arm smacking down against the table but also sent his whole body backflipping to the other side of the room, crashing into a floor lamp.

"Woo!" cheered Beast Boy swiftly returning to human form and throwing his arms up in the air. "New Champion."

xxxxx

Barnaby's Music and Movies was positively buzzing with activity. It being a Saturday afternoon the store was experiencing its peek business hours. Dozens of people filled the store, browsing and perusing the lineup of new releases and digging through the bargain bins for lost treasures. Everyone was so pre-occuppied with their own business no one really gave much notice to the fact that none other than the super villain Control Freak was busy scoping the Sci-fi/Horror' isle shoving title after title into a black duffle bag. It wasn't until the pockmarked do-badder went to check out that things began to take a turn for the worse.

Quite casually the villain made his way to right past the register to the exit where the stores electronic sensors immediately picked up the literally dozens of unpaid blu-rays stuffed in his bag.

"Umm sir," called the timid 17-year-old band geek behind the counter. "You have to pay for those."

Control Freak was all deeply-off-putting-smiles as he turned to face the clerk. "Is that so?" he asked sarcastically. With a slow and menacing waddle he made his way up to the counter. "I'm sorry. It must of just slipped my mind."

The store clerk, sensing the imminent danger, swallowed nervously. "Th-thats okay, sir," he answered. "Just let me see your bag and I'll ring you up."

"By all means," said Control Freak, placing the black duffle on the countertop.

The clerk, growing more nervous by the second under the portly man's burning gaze, nevertheless did as he was trained to do. One by one he removed the items from the bag and rang them up with the barcode scanner. "That'll be $355.97," he said once finished.

"Of course," answered the portly customer. He made a motion like he was going for his wallet, but then halted. "Oh, and uh, one more thing. If you don't mind, I'll be taking that too."

The clerk followed the man's gesture to the window display at the front of the store and a life-size fiberglass model of Maximilian Moonblaster, the brave and capable hero of the country's favorite Sci-fi TV series Crash of the Planets. Immediately the youngster's heart sank.

"I'm really sorry, sir, but that item isn't for sale," he said, his voice wavering a bit. "It's just for display purposes."

"Come now, surely we can come to an understanding."

"Please, sir, I don't want any trouble. Just pay for your items and go."

A look of mock hurt flashed across Control Freak's face. "Now is that anyway to speak to a customer?" he said placing a meaty hand on the counter. "I think perhaps you require a lesson in customer service."

Before the clerk could speak again the sound of deep footsteps seized his attention. From behind the furthest isle came the creature. It walked with purpose across the wood panel flooring, casually knocking over displays as it made it's way up to the register, where the frightened clerk stood completely frozen with mouth agape. The creature stood towering over both the clerk and Control Freak.

Control Freak hurriedly slid all of his items back into his black duffle. He retrieved the last one just as the creature arrived at his back and placed a hand on his shoulder. The villain grinned and said, "Be a dear and show this little cretin what happens to those that defy me."

"Yes master," answered the creature. It raised it's fist and in one swift movement brought it crashing down on the solid wood counter top, cracking it in two, sending bits of wood splintering into the air along with a shower of unfortunately placed store flyers. The register slid from its perch and crashed against the floor. A small display for the latest vehicle starring 'soon to be well known actress of the time' went bouncing into the air, sending DVD's and BluRays everywhere. The blow was so great and so thunderous that it even set off the security alarm. This shocking display of power did not go unnoticed by the rest of the stores patrons. Recognizing the danger they forgot about their purchases and fled in terror.

Control Freak, ignoring the still frozen clerk turned his sights on the register as he commanded the creature over to the window display. The creature obeyed and with no effort at all retrieved the life-size Maximilian Moonblaster, stuffing it comfortably under one arm. With the contents of the register now safely within the confines of his black duffel alongside his 30-something movie picks, Control Freak made his way to the exit. He was at the store's threshold. He seemed just about to leave, when he stopped. Turning he looked over his shoulder.

"Well?" he asked the clerk expectantly.

"Whu-whu-whu-what?" answered the clerk, shaking like a leaf caught in an autumn breeze.

Control Freak turned all the way back around. "You didn't tell me to 'have a nice day."

"Oh, uh, have a nice day?"

"No, no, no, it's too late now. The moment's passed." He let out a mock sigh. "I guess another lesson is in order." He looked to the creature. It nodded, gently set down the window display and then began slowly stalking its way over to the clerk.

xxxxx

The Corner was the latest in a long line of trendy eateries that had begun popping up over Jump City as of late. Small and humble, it did its best to evoke the image of a European style cafe. Black ladder back chairs were pulled up to small, two person, circular tables under strategically placed red parasols all within an entirely outdoor setting. It was at Raven's suggestion that Starfire asked Robin to come with her to this place. Having gotten over her little outburst in the common room that morning, and with a little noodling, Starfire finally got the masked teen to agree to her spur of the moment lunch date.

"It greatly pleases me that you have decided to join me today," Starfire said with a wide smile. "I was beginning to fear that nothing would sway you."

Robin smiled in return as he took a sip from his water glass. "Hey, it's no problem," he said. "I love spending time with you."

Starfire blushed slightly. "I am glad to hear you say that." Picking up the menu, she began perusing the lunch items: various sandwiches and salads. "Hmmm. I believe I will try the Turkey and Avocado Croissant. It looks most delicious. Do you suppose they will object if I ask for mustard and chocolate sauce to go with it?" She waited a moment for Robin to answer. "Robin?" she asked again when he didn't. She lowered her menu and was dismayed to find the masked teen with his head down and his nose buried in his communicator, thumbing away various commands at the touch pad interface. "Robin!" she said angrily.

Robin jumped. "Oh, sorry," he said, still not completely looking up.

"Why is your attention focused on your communicator?"

"Just running a quick mobile diagnostic on the tower's surveillance system. We got home so late I didn't have time to do one last night. What were you saying?"

"I wished to know if you thought-"

"Woah, that's weird. I'm gonna have to have Cyborg take a look at that. Can't have that coming to back to bite us that's for sure."

As Robin continued to mutter to himself, Starfire let out a disappointed sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Robin," she said after a moment. "I think we need to be having a conversation."

Somehow, despite all the work related details consuming his mind at that moment, those few words were able to penetrate his psyche enough to get his attention. Looking up, he saw the sadness in Starfire's eyes and immediately became concerned. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want," he answered. He set aside his diagnostic and leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands neatly in front of him on the table, giving the alien girl his full attention. "What did you want to talk about?"

For a moment Starfire's words seemed stuck in her throat as she sat up slightly in her chair. "I just think perhaps we-"

Much to Robin's relief the terrifying conversation was thankfully halted by the piercing sound of screams and the thundering of feet. Looking over Starfire's shoulder he saw a small wave of people running for their lives down the street. "Looks like trouble," he said, jumping up from his chair. "Come on." He ran, leaving Starfire to let out another disappointed sigh before floating up out of her seat to join him.

xxxxx

Following the sounds of distress, the two Titans soon found themselves down the street and around the corner at the ever expanding Jump City Mall. Waves of people were still making their way out the front entrance when they arrived. Robin quickly stopped one of them. "Woah, woah," he said placing his hands against the chest of a fleeing Cinebon employee. "What's the problem here?"

"There's a pair of maniacs running wild inside the mall," said the freckled and visibly frightened 20-year-old. "They blew up the Foto Fun Booth, ransacked the Taco Hut and gave some poor clerk at the multimedia outlet an atomic wedgie."

"Atomic wedgie?" asked Starfire, questioningly.

"Sounds like Control Freak to me," answered Robin. "Let's get in their and cancel this party of his for good."

Starfire gave a confident nod and the two quickly made their way inside.

Locating Control Freak was not difficult. It was easy enough to follow the trail of destruction as well as the still fleeing Mall patrons. They arrived at the Mall's comic book shop just in time to find him waddling his way out the bashed and broken front entrance, his flabby arms full of two huge stacks of various comics and graphic novels. He didn't see them at first, giving Robin the perfect opportunity for one of his smart alec quips.

"Doing a little shopping, Control Freak?" he called.

Control Freak was startled for a brief moment, then a devious smile crossed his crumb stained lips. "Well, well, well. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Starfire, hovering in the air just above the ground, moved slightly closer and readied a star bolt. "Return what you stole and surrender or be prepared to face the consequences."

It was then, in a surprising turn of events, a young blonde woman in a white crop top, miniskirt and heels, turned the corner and began making her way past the comic shop. Seemingly unaware of the danger and carrying two large bags full of items she unknowingly strolled straight into the heart of the confrontation. Control Freak, seeing his opportunity, immediately pounced. He took the woman by the arm and levied his suped-up remote control right at her neck.

"Don't move, Titans," he hissed. "Or the woman gets it."

"You're spineless, Control Freak," declared Robin.

As Control Freak laughed off Robin's insult, the masked teen discreetly activated a secret hacking device built into his right glove. With the push of a button it began scanning for nearby electrical devices. Finding one for the comic book shop's security system, with another button press he activated it. Immediately the air around Control Freak was filled with alarms. The sudden noise distracted him just long enough for Robin and Starfire to make their move. Quick as The Flash, the two teens raced toward the distracted super villain. Starfire seized hold of Control Freaks wrist, leading the remote up and away from the woman before twisting the offending appendage behind the bulbous man's back. Robin meanwhile reached out to the innocent bystander's hand and quickly led her away and out of danger.

"Don't worry," he said. "You're safe now." Looking over his shoulder, he checked on Starfire to make certain she was still handling Control Freak. "Are you hurt?" he asked without looking.

"No," replied the woman. "But you'll be."

Robin had only the barest of moments to ponder the woman's bizarre threat before he suddenly felt his throat seized by a set of extremely powerful fingers. In an instant his feet left the ground and he was dangling by his neck. Looking down he found the blonde woman gazing up at him, a expression of cold indifference plastered all over her otherwise beautiful face. He could barely force out a puzzled "What..?" before being hurled nose over tail fifteen feet into a nearby calendar kiosk.

Starfire, who had Control Freak on his generously proportioned stomach, looked up when she heard the crash. As soon as she spotted the imperiled Robin she forgot her target and quickly raced to his aide. Flying through the air, she made her way to where his green gloved hand was sticking out under the pile of wood and paper. She was nearly there when she felt something strong grab her around the ankle, halting her flight. Looking back Starfire saw that the woman from before had her surprisingly powerful hands wrapped around her boot. The blonde powerhouse planted her heels in the hard tile and with one sharp tug sent the alien girl sailing through an unbroken storefront window.

After being dazed for a few moments, Robin was finally starting to stir. With a burst of energy, he heaved the remnants of the kiosk off his prone body just in time to find Control Freak standing over him, his female accomplice by his side.

"Oooohhh, sorry Robin," said Control Freak facetiously. "Did I forget to mention?" He put his arm around the woman's waist and pulled her close. "I made a new friend."