This little short story is dedicated to two very good friends of mine; Sizzlin-Starry-Night-Sky, and xStarfirexRobinxo. I'm so glad I got to know them and I wouldn't trade that for anything. This is for you two! Enjoy!

Chapter One

The Lone Road

"Dudes! Check it out…..BRAIN FREEZE!!" Amidst Beast Boy's laughter the multitude of heroes and heroines groaned from the pain of hearing such a massively horrible joke.

--AA--

TITANS TOWER………..

They all filed inside, no doubt in the mood for a long awaited break. Jinx intentionally hung back, deciding that perhaps it would be best to silently take her leave. Just as she began turning away, a red and yellow blur zoomed in front of her and blocked her path. Kid Flash, a smirk adorning his face and his arms folded, stood ready to keep her from leaving.

"Going somewhere?" Jinx almost swayed on the spot. She couldn't help but avoid eye contact with him. "Hey Jinx…..you still here?"

"I-I um…I'm not sure if I should go in there?" Kid Flash's face housed confusion.

"What?"

Jinx shook her head. "I think I should just go." She began to move around him but his arms caught her around the waist. "Let me go."

"Jinx, trust me I know these guys."

"I was their enemy for-"

"But you're not anymore!" exclaimed Kid Flash. Jinx's eyes studied him oddly. Kid Flash ran a hand through his hair. "Okay fine, you were criminal and Hive agent. The second part was hardly your fault seeing how you were brainwashed."

"Look, Kid Flash-"

"Wally, please." Jinx smiled.

"Wally, I appreciate what you're doing. But I know how grudges go and I did things that would certainly facilitate some mean memories." Wally rolled his eyes.

"You see that is what we, that is I, call…"quitter" talk. You helped us bring down some pretty bad guys; ergo you are not a bad guy but a good guy..gal….whatever. You're coming in."

Beast Boy fell upon the half circle couch within their enormous living room. "Home sweet home!" Cyborg marveled at the view from the equally large window.

"I sure did miss this place-"

"Cool pad!" Kid Flash surprised Cyborg from behind. The red and yellow speedster zipped about the common room. Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy gawked at the number of Titans spread throughout their operations center. Kid Flash found his way to the refrigerator and after retrieving a snack offered a portion of it to Jinx. Then, without warning the Titan alarm rang throughout the tower while also displaying their insignia on the giant screen. Robin was quick to answer the call. As soon as he did so a screen display of none other than Dr. Light was shown. The footage depicted him blasting apart a bank vault and robbing the precious items within.

With her hands laced together Starfire posed, "The Dr. Light?"

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," droned Raven.

--AA--

The peaceful tranquility of downtown Jump City remained calm as ever, that is until the revolving doors of the city bank were blown away with terrific force. The meager villain emerged from the resulting smoke carrying piles of moneybags. Unbeknownst to Dr. Light, The city's heroes lay in wait for him upon the roof of the bank.

"Maybe we oughta show him who he's up against," suggested Cyborg.

"He's totally gonna freak this time," said Raven. Behind them the mass of honorary Titans also stood ready. Sure it was a bit of overkill, if the expression could be forgiven, but months of fighting the Brotherhood had born a sense of impatience. Robin extended his staff and gave his signature command.

"Titans GO!" Dr. Light froze on the spot. He, like so many other nemeses of the Titans, knew those two words like someone knows the sound of a gun shot. Grinding his teeth, Dr. Light swiveled on the spot. He had not expected every Teen Titan on Earth to converge on him but there they stood and an expression of abject terror on his face.

"Uh…."

"You could just make this easy on yourself," said Raven. For a moment they figured this would end as every one of Dr. Light's encounters with Raven would. The apprehension and fright was in his eyes but it somehow faded. He then put on a smile that would have rivaled the worst poker face in the history of poker faces.

"Well there's certainly many of you. FINE THEN!" He took a few paces backward. "The more, the merrier." He dropped his loot and began running down the street. The Titans stood bemused.

"Robin?" asked Starfire

"Titans! After him!" The group of well over two dozen split up to cover more ground. Dr. Light was surprisingly quick for a man with so much energized technology strapped to his person. It was obvious he had instigated a highly risky gamble against the Titans. There were no allies of his or any other delinquents to back him up. Kid Flash surprised the villain by running straight into him. Dr. Light hit the ground with a painful thud.

"You know, for a guy who uses light as a weapon…..you're not very bright."

"Ha ha," muttered Dr. Light. He out sped the speedster with a quick blast of pulsing light. Kid Flash hit the ground with a painful groan. Dr. Light stood over him bearing a prideful smirk. "It would seem that neither are you." His gloating was short lived. An electrified disk exploded near his feet. With an aggravated growl he look upwards to see Robin and a gaggle Titans flowing behind him. "That's it heroes, come get me," the villain whispered. Utilizing a powerful blast from his suit, he formed a whole in the street and dropped down to the sewer.

Robin and the other Titans following him paused at the mouth of the opening. "Stay alert, this isn't like him. Nobody goes anywhere alone." They nodded and one of after other they dived down into the hole. Kid Flash's eyes slowly opened and he saw Jinx leaning over him.

"You okay?"

He smirked and placed his hands behind his head like a pillow. "Fantastic, a most lovely sight to wake up to."

"Oh shut up." She sprang up from his side and leapt down into the hole. Her feet hit the water with a splash and she nearly turned green. "Nice…"

"Is he seriously being this much of a pain?" Kid Flash had joined her.

"I guess, I've never met the guy but the general consensus was that he's a huge pushover."

"Shall we?" asked Kid Flash. He held out his arm and despite her desire and rising temperature she declined. The two trekked deeper into the underbelly of Jump City. Sometimes they would run into another Titan, update each other, and then be on their way. At the moment they searched with Cyborg, his shoulder lamp providing some much needed light.

"Man this is seriously getting on my nerves. How can a guy like this suddenly be so slippery?" Jinx silently shrugged. Her foot passed over a rat and the resulting squeak caused her to shriek and leap into Kind Flash's arms. After her breathing returned to normal she realized the position she was in and found Wally grinning at her.

"Welcome to the life and day of a Teen Titan." She let out a hopeless sigh. A sound ahead caught their attention and the two parted. Cyborg pointed his light and illuminated none other than Dr. Light. He chuckled evilly and took off running.

"YO! FREEZE!" Cyborg's sonic cannon fired a warning shot but the villain did not stop. Growling, Cyborg activated his arm comm. link. "Robin, I've got him. He's head'n west."

Robin's voice crackled over the radio. "We're on our way!" The three took up the chase, leaving inhibition and worry in the dust. Their path converged with three others and the entire group found themselves once again traveling as one. There were no longer any turns or corners for their target to travel through. Sooner or later they would find him. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to them, that was exactly what Dr. Light wanted. Cyborg glanced at his arm screen, which at the moment displayed a detailed three dimensional rendering of the sewer system.

"Cyborg?" asked Robin.

"He's run himself to a dead end, we've got him."

"Alright, Titans! Close in!" The entire group rounded the bend and skidded to a halt. Before them stood a proud and confident Dr. Light and to his right was a piece of machinery which chilled them to the bone.

"Yes, I'm sure you all very happy to see this." His hand patted an active and ready chronoton detonator. "The time has come for me to finally make fools of you, heroes." Starfire suppressed a loud gasp with a hand over her mouth. Even Kid Flash, Mas and Menos were stiffened by the sight of it.

"You CAN'T!" Shouted Robin. "If you set that off, you'll be trapped too!" Light only laughed insanely.

"You let me worry about that part, Robin." His eyes roamed over the whole group. "You have all made a terrible mistake today!" His finger was poised over the trigger remote in his hand. "You've underestimated me for too long and now you're going to pay for it." Robin's face was one among many with gritted teeth. "With a single button push I shall do what the Brotherhood of Evil could not; I shall eliminate the Titan threat once and for all!"

"NOOO!" Screamed Robin. Light's finger slammed upon the button, draining the color from the heroes faces. There could be no doubt that unlike Slade's detonator, this one would certainly function as intended. A growing charge was heard from the machine. Each separated section began collapsing into the other. It must have been the most glorious moment in Dr. Light's immoral life.

From a previously unknown place in her heart, Jinx suddenly discovered a rising level of courage. Before she could stop herself Jinx had sprinted forward and tackled Light against the wall.

Jinx NO!" cried Wally. The two wrestled with each other, both powers and abilities blazing against one another. Light landed a punch upon Jinx's face and her eyes rolled up into her head. She fell upon the supercharged device and her hand, alight with her powers, sent several electric jolts running through it. The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. Dr. Light stared dumbly at his ruined machine, which at that moment started making another sound which could be described as anything but good. He shook his head madly, cursing the Titan's name as he ran past them down the tunnel. Kind Flash took flight from the group, intent on saving Jinx. His quick stepping feet didn't travel far before the machine exploded and bathed everything around it in a blinding light.

"JINX!" There followed a shockwave powerful enough to throw all present off their feet and nearly bring the entire tunnel upon them. The resounding bang subsided as did the dust and debris. Starfire lay dazed and unmoving until a loose rock fell upon her head.

"Ow! Ohhh…..e-everyone? Is anyone okay?" Following Starfire, everyone was soon either sitting or back on their feet. Gnarrk used himself as a shield by completely wrapping himself around Kole, thus she was unharmed. Raven helped Robin upright, a gesture he promptly thanked her for. Robin dusted his gloves off and noticed Kid Flash standing before a smoking crater. The boy wonder approached him from behind and hung his head.

"I'm sorry." Kid Flash barely heard him. He blocked out everyone and everything except for the blackened hole before him, and the new yellow communicator in his hand……the one he had planned on giving Jinx just hours ago.

Jinx laid on her stomach with one her arms hanging limply over her back. A gentle breeze flowed through her hair and over skin, almost as though it were a mother trying to rouse her child for school. Her lungs suddenly woke and she took in a rapid staggering breaths. Moaning painfully, she sat up and fell against a nearby wall. As soon as she did a cloud of dust was forced in the air and she coughed horribly. Stumbling to her feet the heroine wobbled across the floor and fell into a pile of wood. Jinx remained where she was for the moment. Her mind felt as though it was intoxicated. Every thought sent her whirling into nausea.

"W-Wall…Wally!" Her strained voice didn't carry the name very far. Finally she picked herself back up and looking about she saw that she was no longer in the sewer. Jinx stood in a very small one story building, the windows for which were tightly boarded and sealed. Only a few cracks of light showed through and resonated with the thick cloud of dust in the air. She knew she had to get out of there. Every second she spent in that suffocating cloud meant that more of it ended up in her lungs. Looking around, Jinx spotted a door; boarded just like the windows. She had no official Titan comm. link but she did have an ear piece tuned to the same frequency.

"Hel-Hello?" She stuttered. "Is anyone there…..?" Her only response was static and snow. Her vision grew blurry, it was now or never. She was not in the proper frame of mind to the judge the door's strength thus she only pushed against it. The metal hinges snapped apart like peanut brittle and the door fell flat forward. Jinx quickly emerged from the resulting cloud it kicked up. As soon as her eyes were able to refocus they widened and her mouth remained opened.

Before Jinx was, without a doubt Jump City, but it was completely and entirely abandoned. The setting sun produced a reddish glow over the thousands of failing buildings. Vines and foliage made their home on any surface they could find, mainly up along the building walls. Tall grass and wheat grew up from the cracked asphalt of the streets. Hundreds of earthen mounds scattered throughout were actually cars which ended up buried over by a renegade earth. And off in the distance, windows cracked and looking decrepit and worn, was Titans Tower. Jinx's stare continued to pan around at the city, wondering what was happening to her. One thing was for sure; there was not a single other human being in sight.

Short, I know. But that's how it's supposed to be. Hope this haunting beginning was enjoyable enough for you guys and more will follow soon! Hopefully. Laters!