Everything was dark. He could barely feel anything except cold. Where was?... Who was he?

"Star, call the others! Cyborg is waking up!"

Cyborg? Was that his name?

"Come on Cy wake up! Don't leave me hanging!"

He recognised that voice, that was ….. Beast Boy? Yeah, Beast Boy! His best friend! They both were part of the same team, the Teen...Titanium? No, it was something similar… Titans! The Teen Titans!

Memories soon started to rushed his head. Bits of his old life started playing on his head. It was quite relaxing until he reached the memories of the accident. He could feel his entire body being consumed by the explosion. He remembered the feeling of horror when he woke up and saw that more than half of his body was now machinery. The invasion, meeting Starfire and the others, founding the Titans. It was all coming back slowly piece by piece.

The last thing he could remembering was his team leader briefing him about a mission. He needed to go undercover, but he couldn't remember where.

LOAD BIOS

MEMORY SET COMPROMISED

SYSTEM STATUS

ACCEPTABLE

: Starting Systems

0o0

"Beast Boy, get off of him!" snapped Raven. She was a little crankier than usual due to the fact that her meditation had been rudely interrupted by Starfire loudly knocking on her door too informed her that Cyborg was finally waking up.

"Don't worry Raven, I'm sure he ca- Woah!" Beast Boy was sent to the ground as Cyborg mechanically rose from his bed. A blank look adorned his face as is robotic eye was glowing bright red. The Titans were tensed as they felt their teammate's robotic eye systematically scanned them. Finally they let a sigh of relief as Cyborg's blank face was replaced by one of confusion.

"Guys? What happened? Why are you guys looking me like that? Ar-" Cyborg was interrupted as both Beast Boy and Starfire launched themselves over him almost knocking him down. Robin and Raven watched from afar as the alien princess gave her teammate a bone crushing hug while green changeling has turned himself into a puppy who playfully bark along Cyborg's feet. They both hid a small laugh that threatened to escape their lips, a feeling of peace echoed around the tower, one that felt like it had been missing for years. But all good things must come to an end as Robin cleared his throat to gather attention.

"Okay Team we can do the welcome party later I need to speak with Cyborg… alone" emphasised Robin.

"Can it be wait a moment Rob? I wanna check some stuff around the tower first." pleaded Cyborg as the rest of The Titans returned to their rooms.

"Fine, Oh! Cyborg..." Robin said catching Cyborg's attention just as he was about to leave.

"Welcome back." He said before leaving and just like that after many months it seemed like peace had returned among the Titans…

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR!"

….or not.

0o0

"Now Cyborg before we start I need you to tell me how much do you remember in the first place." Robin informed Cyborg. It had taken the whole team to prevent him from murdering Beast Boy after finding out his beloved T-car buried under some debris. Once he had calm down he was escorted by Robin to small private room where the could talk.

"The last thing I remembered clearly was you briefing me about some kind of mission after we failed to stop the H.I.V.E students from robbing the bank. After that is just bits and pieces." Robin seemed to frown at this before he wrote some quick notes.

"Memory loss" He said without being surprised. "Not completely unexpected considering how much trauma your head suffered…. Cyborg do you recognise any of these people?" Robin asked as he brought up a couple of pictures.

"That's Jinx" answered Cyborg as Robin pull out another picture

"Gizmo"

"Mammoth"

Robin showed him one last picture, this one he did not recognized. It showed what he could guess was a kid no older than 13, the upper part of his head was covered by an orange hoodie. His head throb a little as he tried to remember where had he saw that bucked teeth boy before… Wait bucked teeth? How did he knew that.

Robin must had seen the pain in his face as he quickly answered. "That's Omen, H.I.V.E latest and most dangerous recruit. He was also yo-"

"My name is Stone, and according to the headmaster I am your new roommate."

Cyborg's head started to spin as he heard echoes from a past conversation.

"He was my roommate?" Cyborg mumble out incredulously.

"So you do remember?" Robin queried.

"Just a little of our first meeting, he and I were frie-"

"He was not your friend!" Busted out Robin. "Sorry about that, but I need you to understand clearly who your real allies are here. You blew your cover because you got emotionally compromised by Omen. He played you."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Cyborg unconvinced. "Because I think I'm starting to remember things quite differently"

"Yes, he is psychopath, a manipulator and a murde- "

"You are letting your prejudices get out of hand again" interrupted Raven surprising the two of them.

"Raven!" yelled the two teens in surprised. "How did get here?"

"I can teleport to any place I want in the Tower." She deadpanned. "Also you left the door unlocked" She turned to Cyborg

"Cyborg, as much as Robin wants this to be true I must disagree with him. At his request I have spent the last three days reviewing all the surveillance we had on him and I can safely conclude that he isn't as evil as Robin want him to be." Raven concluded.

"Why are you still defending him?" Robin snapped

"Three. Whole. Days." Robin yelped as Raven turned her glare into him. "And taking into account the fact that he decided to face the 5 of us in order to rescue you when he taught you where captured I can say he has earned himself the benefit of the doubt. Anyway I suggest for you to wait until more of your memories come back before making a judgment. " Robin gave her a final glare which she ignored before leaving the room.

An awkward silence filled the room only to be shattered when the Titans Tower started to trembled followed by the sudden sound of the alarm. Robin and Cyborg went out of the room immediately not knowing that this was only the first move in the game of chess he and Omen had just begun.

0o0

(Flashback)

"Okay guys listen carefully because I won't repeat the plan twice" Lincoln said. Jinx had given him the floor in order to explain the plan to take out the Titans. "Operation Titanomachy consist in 3 parts that must be executed almost simultaneously in order for it to succeed." With a few taps on the keyboard dozens of images were projected for everybody to see. "In the surface it may look like the usual Divide and Conquer tactic we usually use but I've made some 'readjustments' for it to work on this scale "

(Present)

"Oh my God" Muttered Robin from the top of the tower as he watched the ablaze horizon that was Jump city. "Cyborg! Report!"

"We got multiple reports of H.I.V.E students attacking different parts of the city." responded Cyborg as he kept intercepting emergency calls and police dispatches.

"How many?!" Barked out Robin

"About a dozen suspect per incident, but the report state that more than half of the perps look identical." Cyborg explained.

"Billy Numerous!" Robin growled. " How bad is it?"

"Very bad, the zoo is under attack and so is the mall. Many buildings were set up in fire with civilians trapped inside of them, to make things worse some people are taking advantage of the chaos Hive have provide them and started revolting and vandalizing the city. Robin, we need to do something! "

"And we will." Robin answered slowly. "But this kind of chaos…. I have seen it before and I know how to fight it." He turned around to face his teammates. "Hive is trying to divide us and if we are going to face them, then we must do it the right way. Cyborg get me a direct line to the city hall, I have some calls to make..."

(Flashback)

"See-More, Private H.I.V.E., Billy Numerous, I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R., Wrestling Star, XL Terrestrial you will all be in charge of Phase 1: Distraction." Explained Lincoln. "I need you guys to attack here, here and here." He pointed at 5 different places all across the city. "You job is to buy as much time as you can for the guys (Erhem!)... and girls in Phase 2. "

"Dibs on the mall!" exclaimed Billy Numerous as he gave one of his clones a high five.

(Present)

"...We're going till the world stops turning, While we burn it to the ground tonight!" Sang loudly and off key Billy Numerous as he and his clones raided the mall. Everything that wasn't bolted to the ground was fair game, and for those that were he brought a couple of wrenches in order to take care of that.

The best part of it? He wasn't alone and he wasn't even talking about his clones. Hundred of people had joined him in his stealing spree in the mall. It was wonderful what normal people would do when the cops weren't watching.

His clones had just finished looting a nearby store when he heard the sound of glass shattering above him. Smirking he took out his Hive-com.

"This is Sexy Copy Machine to Overdrive, they took the bait. Do you copy? Over"

(Flashback)

"Umm Sir?" asked Private Hive in his usual military tone. "I don't want to question you, but wouldn't the Titans notice we are just a distraction?"

"You don't have to worry about that Private," Lincoln retorted. "In fact, we are counting in it. Do you guys remember what we learned in the counter-vigilantism seminar we had a couple weeks ago?" He inquired.

"Not to give long over dramatic monologues?"

"Don't reveal your evil plan to the heros no matter how helpless They seem?"

"Hire stupid henchman so you appear better in comparison?"

"No capes?"

"That…. And that heroes always prioritize civilians safety over catching the villain. That's why I choose the five zones in Jump City with the highest civilian traffic as our targets." Lincoln smirked as Jinx eyes widened.

"So even if they noticed the distraction they would still be forced to face them! Excellent thinking Lincoln!" Jinx Exclaimed.

(Present)

"Roger that, Billy. Who took it? Also never call yourself that again… ever! Over" asked Jinx as she waited with the rest of the students inside the ship Gizmo had named Overdrive. It was currently cloaked above a Wayne's Enterprise building.

"Space Hottie, I will take care of her. Over" responded Billy.

"Anyone else?" She asked through the radio.

"This is Private Hive reporting Ma'am. Mammoth and I are engaging the shapeshifter at zoo. Over. "

"Seemore here alongside Billy's squad #10. The buildings are still burning, no sight of the Tit- HOLY CRAP! Omen! Goth girl just teleported 4 firefighter's trucks to my location! More are coming!"

"Hey Omen! Space hottie brought backup! The freaking S.W.A.T is here gassing the place!"

"Private Hive request for backup, sir! The Titans are here I repeat the Titans are here!"

"Negative" responded Lincoln who was sitting right besides her. " Seemore, Billy, get the hell out of there and regroup with I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R and Wrestling star down in the docks. Private, you and Mammoth let the clones earn as much time the as possible. Free as many animals as you can without getting caught before leaving. That will buy you some time"

"Lincoln, what happened?" Jinx inquired him.

"The Titans," He answered "they are working together with the City Hall in order to negate our number superiority. The police, the firefighters, certified first responder, even animal control are probably now under the coordination of The Titans... Well play Robin, well play."

"Well play?!" Jinx yelled "How can you say that! What are we going to do?!"

"Relax Jinx, if there is one thing that I've learned after living in a house with ten sisters is that no plan ever survive the first encounter. And while is true that we can't outnumber the entire city, that doesn't mean we can't get a little backup of our own."

"Gizmo! Can your backpack carry us both to our next target?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah" answered Gizmo from the cockpit.

"Excellent, Jinx now is your chance to enter the lab, the Titans should be too busy to come here immediately, but still be carefull" Lincoln explained to her. "Once you secure the device, arm it up and wait for signal after that pilot the Overdrive to our secondary target, okay?"

"No problem Lincoln "Jinx said giving Lincoln one last hug before she and her squad dropped out from the plane into the lab's roof. She was a little scared but she trusted Lincoln's plan.

(Flashback)

Once we have confirmed that the Titans took the bait, we will start Phase two: Deception. Jinx, Angel & Kyd Wykkyd, I need you guys to steal this little project Wayne Enterprise is keeping in one of their labs inside the city. It is on a low security level and with all the ruckus the others will be making you should be able to get in and out without the Titans noticing it. Once you get the device go back to the ship to start Phase 3. Any question?" Lincoln asked

"Yeah," answered Angel. "What exactly are we stealing?"

(Present)

"...A microwave?" asked again Robin to make sure he had heard right. Just a couple minutes ago he had managed to drive off two H.I.V.E students that were terrorizing some citizens near the park when Cyborg called him in order to tell him that he got a report indicating that Jinx, Angel & Kid Wykkyd had been spotted stealing prototype microwave from the home division of Wayne's Enterprise. "Are you sure?"

"A 100%, Robin" Cyborg answered from the other side of the line. "It doesn't make any sense, I have analysed the schematics a dozen times and I can't find anything unusual. It's a pretty good design but it isn't anything out of this world, it's just a regular microwave, even if they somehow modify it, it would still need a ridiculous amount of energy for it to even be considered dangerous."

Robin rubbed his fingers against his forehead. Nothing of this made any sense, then his eyes widened.

"A huge amount of energy?" he asked again. "Yeah, but I doubt that Hive have anything that could power it. I mean it's not like they have a case fil-... Oh shit!"

Oh shit indeed.

(Flashback)

"The microwave alone is harmless" Explained Lincoln after seeing the look of disbelief on his classmates. "There is nothing especial about it other than the fact that it is being developed by Wayne's Enterprises. But once you put it together with this… ." Lincoln opened up a briefcase were what was left of his inhibitor bracelet rested. It was a melted a little but what caught the attention of the students was the signature red glow that emanated from the device. "... that harmless microwave will turned into a bomb big enough to level an entire skyscraper" He finished with a grin. "And I know exactly where to put it."

(Present)

"Robin, I managed to track the radiation levels of the xenothium, it seems like H.I.V.E is moving it at high velocity, probably a plane or something like that." Cyborg informed him.

"Location?" asked Robin

" Working on it, but it seems they are heading towards….. Oh oh"

*With Jinx*

"Jinx now!" signaled Lincoln through his communicator. Jinx opened the suitcase and extracted two xenothium bars from it. She quickly inserted them inside the Wayne's prototype, a red glow started to overtake the device. She quickly went back to the pilot seat and set course towards her new target: Jump City Federal Prison for Metahumans

*Back with Robin*

"Attention to all Titans! Disengage all current targets right now, they're a distraction! Hive has come in possession of a xenothium powered bomb they are planning to use it to blow a hole in the walls of Jump City Maximum Security Prison. If they do, they will release hundreds of the most dangerous criminals into the city. We must not allow for it to happen! Titans Go!"

"Wow I can't believe those idiots fell for it, guess I owe you 5 bucks." Gizmo exclaimed and whistled as he was sitting right next to Lincoln, thanks god he had tap the Titans communication during their last fight, it made things a lot easier for them.

"Told you it would work." Lincoln Answered as he got his gear ready. "I think they would need at least 15 minutes to find where did we stash the bomb. Even then, they would still be halfway across the city, giving us another 25 minutes minimum, is that enough for you?"

"40 minutes to hack into one of the most secure systems in the world? Don't insult me! I can do in 30 with a hand behind my back!" Gizmo answered.

"Perfect! Hey Gizmo, does the tide seem very low to you for being full moon?" puzzled Lincoln upon seeing how the water had retreated from the cost.

"It seem fine to me Albino. Now can we move on?" Gizmo snapped

"Fine, lead the way" Lincoln said as he and Gizmo prepared to stormed the iconic T shaped building.

(Flashback)

"While the xenothium is very good source of energy for the bomb it's also easy to track, that's why we are going to keep it in motion aboard on the Overdrive and lead the Titans in a wild goose chase. As soon as we get confirmation that the Titans are following our bird then Gizmo and I will initiate Phase 3: Infiltration. We are going to access a terminal from within the tower and plant the virus Gizmo crafted for this special occasion that's going to wipe clean everything in the Titan's Computer including any kind of files they have on us. If everything goes according to the plan then by tomorrow night the Titans will be destroy both physically and spiritually. Any questions? None? Great! Then Operation Titanomachy is a go!" Concluded Lincoln as the rest of the students started chanting

"No more Titans! No more Titans! No more Titans!"

0o0

"Hello Omen..." A voice caught Lincoln by surprise. He inwardly cursed himself as he forced himself to turn around. In front of him was standing the last person he wanted to see: Victor, his left arm was transformed into a cannon pointing at him. He wasn't supposed to be here.

From the corner of his eye he managed to spot Gizmo, who was still out of Victor's sight. He stealthily message him to go ahead without him before he finally responded to his former roommate. He put his hoodie down revealing his white hair.

"Hello Cyborg" Lincoln answered him calmly, his face a mask of indifference. " I didn't expect you to be here."

"Oh please, you may had fooled Robin but I was your roommate and most importantly your friend no matter what others say." Lincoln flinched those words, but he did his best to cover it. "But still I gotta said nice plan you did. You knew Robin would figured out the distraction so you gave him another thing for him to chase while you pursued your true objective…. But the prison? Really? It doesn't fit well to your style."

"Yeah, I had to borrow that idea from that one guy from Gotham, but I'm sure he won't mind." Lincoln answered. "But I want to know how did you figured it out? I thought I did a pretty good job covering my tracks."

"You did." Cyborg said while still pointing his cannon at him. "The truth is that I'm having trouble recalling a lot of things that happen while I was at H.I.V.E, but don't worry they are coming back , albeit slowly. For example I remembered I was your roommate, I also remembered that Mammoth is lactose intolerant and what happened after he used our bathroom because he clogged his, and I also remember that I helped you made that plan for Professor White's Final Project."

"Help?" Lincoln snorted. "You and Mammoth spent the whole day fighting over who could eat more cheeseburgers while Jinx and I did all the work. That's why he clogged our toilet!" He finished with a small laugh. "Now can I ask you the real question? If you figured it all, why aren't the rest of the Titans here?"

"Because I wanted to speak with you… " Cyborg said while depowering his arm cannon. "And to be honest Robin doesn't seem to have a very good opinion on you, so I needed to do this alone."

"What makes you think I care about what you do ?" Lincoln snapped back .

"Because Raven told me how you came back for me when you thought the Titans had capture me. The fact that you choose to fight 5 opponents to rescue tells me you care at least a little. So would you hear me out, please?"

Lincoln didn't answer instead he let out a sigh. "You really don't remember, Victor?" He didn't need to raise his head to noticed the look of shock Victor had after saying his name. "Fine, what do you want?"

"I want this to end." Cyborg Explained. "And I know you want it too. So if you stop all this, right here right now, then I can talk to Robin, put in a good word and find you help, no one else needs to be hurt."

"Oh please" He retorted. "Let say I stand down, then what? Boy Wonder will bust down the door with the rest of his merry men, beat me up and send me to a remote prison like a chained dog? I've seen the collar you designed Victor. It's not gonna to happen."

"No! No! I would never allow that happen! Seriously who told you that?" Victor quickly countered. "I know the collar may look bad but it was a stand in design while we figured better way to help yo-"

"Help?" Lincoln snorted incredulously. "Victor, there is no helping for things like me! Wherever we go we always end up bringing pain and misery to everyone around us, it doesn't matter if we want it or not! As soon as people see what we truly are, they come to us like a mob waving their torches and pitchforks or worse they come to us with smiles and promises of a better life but those are all lies! They lie because they don't see as equals, they see us as something below them, as freaks of nature that must be stomp out. Controlled in order for them to feel secure with their miserable existence! Look at Killer Croc, he was born looking like a monster, he was treated like a monster and in the end he became a monster and where is he now? Locked up in a cell of one of the most secure prisons in the world with a kill switch on his head! I mean how long 'till that happen to me? Think about it Victor, I can literally make a planes fall from the sky if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed or cause an earthquake if someone spills coffee over my shirt. What do you think they'll do to me?! Lock me up? Dissect me? I don't want any of that! All I've ever wanted was a normal life!" Lincoln finished yelling, his face was red as tears threatened to come out of his eyes. An grim silence fell over the room.

"You know" Lincoln murmured. " You may not remember, but you once asked me back in the academy how did I ended up there, what roads put me on the path of being a thief, why I didn't became a hero. You were pretty vocal about the last one, should have known. But Victor, I'm bad luck, good was never option for me, so tell me how can I choose when the only options I have are to become a madman or to become some government pet?"

"But those aren't your only options!" Victor retorted. "You have a third choice, you can choose to be better. Look at Superman or Martian Manhunter, people didn't like them first, some fear them and even tried to lock them up, but they rise up to the occasion. They become a symbol of hope. You say you wanted a normal life, I can give you that but only if you let me help you. Don't you want to see your family again?"

"OF COURSE I WANT TO SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN!" Yelled Lincoln finally breaking the dam that contained his feelings. "For God's sake! Do you think I can endure being away from them?! Not being able to get close to someone because you know that all it takes is one bad day for you to hurt them! I hate it... I hate it all so much... ". Lincoln replied barely swallowing the lump in his throat.

"This…" He said looking into his open palms before clutching them, "this unbearable joke… this damn 'powers' of mine, because of me, m-mom…" *sniff* *hem* "My mother she, ended up in a wheelchair..." Tears were rolling down Lincoln's eyes as windows and light bulbs shattered around him. "Th-That's why I left. I may have broken their hearts but I won't break their bodies, not again."

Lincoln didn't knew why he had confessed that, he hadn't even told Jinx about the true reason he left his house. What he didn't expected was a pair of metallic arms wrapped around him. They were cold but it didn't bother him, he just continue to cry on his metallic shoulder. *Sniff* "It's not fair… I don't want this." He sniffled. "I tried my best to be a good son, a good brother, to always do the right thing. Why did this have to happen to me?"

"I hate what I am so much!"

Victor stared at the young boy in his arms as he continue to cry on his shoulder. His plan had worked perfectly. Ever since he woke up he had been experiencing random flashbacks of his time in the academy, especially about this white haired boy. He wanted to know more but unfortunately Omen seemed to be a sore topic for his teammates. Hence why he had planned this secret meeting in order to meet with the kid. He was surprised when Omen addressed him by his real name, guess they had a closer relationship that he expected. Now was a crucial moment, if he could play his cards right maybe he could convince Omen not only to stop the chaos that Hive was unleashing through the city but to leave the life of crime for good. He finally broke the hug.

"Listen, there's nothing wrong with you, you're not a bad person! I may not remember all but I remember enough to know that you aren't villain, you never were meant to it. There's good heart inside you, if there wasn't then you wouldn't have come back for me or have this conversation. I can help you reunite with your family and life but you need to trust me Omen. I know it may seem hard after all that's happened bu-"

"Lincoln" the white haired boy interrupted him. He must had seen the confusion on his face before he clarified, "you used to know me by my name, Lincoln L-"

*Swish*

A metallic red object landed between them. Cyborg recognised it immediately.

*Beep*

*Beep*

"God dammit Robin..." Victor thought.

*BOOM!*

Lincoln was sent to the other side of the room by the explosion. Soon Victor was surrounded by the rest of the Titans.

"FREEZE Omen! You're under arrest" Robin yelled. "Thanks for buying us time Cy." Victor's eyes widened. He tried to signal Lincoln he didn't knew what Robin was talking about, but the damage was already done. In the confusion Lincoln managed to raise up his hoodie covering his hair and eyes but Victor saw shock and anger in his face, just for a moment before a mask of tranquillity fell over his face.

"Robin! Didn't expected you back home so soon." He said with fake cheerfulness. "Shouldn't you and your friends be outside helping the citizens of Jump City? I heard things are quite roused out there."

"Yes they are" Robin retorted with a smirk. "But you could say that reinforcements came with the tide" Robin pointed at the huge T.V screen behind him. The screen showed a teenager in blue using the seawater to put off the fires near the docks, then it changed to two young kids fighting against Billy's clones at great speed, and it changed again and again and again, each image showing the same result.

"Do you like them?" asked Robin "Those are just a few of the honorary Titans I've called as back up. You may recognise some such as Aqualad, Arsenal, Mas y Menos and..."

"Bumblebee" finished Lincoln with a frown. "Should have known you would have sent more than one rat. Clever bird, but are you clever enough for what comes next?"

"What happen next is that you will going to jail, you murderer!" Robin scolded him "You will never see the light of day again!"

At this point Victor really wanted to facepalm really hard. Every single thing that came out of Robin's mouth was making things worse.

"...So much for option 3? Eh Victor?" Before the Titans could react to the name Lincoln yelled. "Gizmo now!"

Almost as if he appeared out of thin air, Gizmo landed right besides him. Six metallic spider legs held him above ground as he ready himself for combat.

"Eeh, dude?" chimed in Beast Boy "I don't want to rain on your parade, but we got you guys outnumbered. Fighting us wouldn't be a good choice."

"Huh, you're way smarter than you appear Beast Boy." Lincoln praised.

"Thanks, Hey!" Beast boy yelled as he finally catched on.

"But I have to clarify one thing…. Who said anything about fighting? Gizmo and I will simply walk out of this place." Lincoln explained with a hint of smugness in his voice.

All the titans, including Victor, looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"And how… are you so sure of that?" Robin growled squinting his eyes at the offending party. "Oh Robin, you know that when playing chess you always need to be 3 moves ahead. Gizmo, did you do it?"

"Of course I did! Who do you take me for? The green idiot over there?" Gizmo bantered. "Again, Hey!" pouted Beast Boy but was ignored.

"Do what?!" Robin barked .

Instead of answering, Lincoln simply gave him a devious smile, one that he learned from the best , Lola Loud. "Let just say I had Gizmo rigging a little surprise to go off in the middle of city in case you guys arrived early."

"And if you don't mind spoilers in case you were wondering, the surprise is filling a zeppelin set to freefall from a cloud bank to the center of downtown. Is a little 'Something' I made with the help of my associates at the academy." Explained Lincoln in the most nonchalant manner, looking at Robin straight to the face.

"Give you a hint: It's color rhymes with custard… Get it?" grinned Lincoln as he did his best Luan impression.

"You wouldn't..." Robin hissed visibly shaken.

"What can I say? Chaos is wonderful, wonderful thing!" Lincoln chuckled.

"Robin wait! Something isn't right" Raven said trying to get her teammates attention.

"So you want to play the ransom game *huh*... But If you are so smart then tell me." Robin said with a smirk. "What exactly is stopping me from sending half of the Titans to stop your 'Surprise', while I stay behind and arrest you?"

"Stop it?" asked Lincoln as he tilted his head slightly. "Robin, I'm not a comic book villain. Do you honestly think I'd explain my 'master plan' if there was the slightest chance of you guys affecting the outcome? I did it five minutes ago."

As if to prove his point Gizmo turned on a monitor, Cyborg felt his blood run cold at what he saw, he was sure the others were feeling the same. A news channel was showing a terrifying image. the entire city being covered by a giant ball of gas, yellow gas. Underneath it the words "City in panic" and "Terrorist Attack?" could be read in the screen.

"YOU MADMAN!" yelled Robin as he tried to launch himself over Lincoln but was stopped by Cyborg.

"Robin stop! He is bluffing I can feel it"

"Am I? That's pretty bold for you to say Cyborg." remarked Lincoln, his smile never wavering.

"Think about it, where would they get that kind of gas?"

"Oh, you know I know a few guys." Lincoln Interrupted with a teasing tone.

"Robin, lis-"

"Tic Toc, Tic Toc, Tic Toc" Lincoln teased. Robin was about to explode. "Time is running out, well not for us, but them 'on the other side'… Get it?" Lincoln asked shaking his head.

Robin finally had enough and escaped from Cyborg's grip. He rushed towards Lincoln and grabbed him by the shirt. He lifted him in the air yet that teasing smile never left Lincoln's face.

"Come on, Robin. The truth is that we could spend the whole day arguing about semantics but that won't do any good to the city would it?" Lincoln said as Robin did his best not to strangle him. "You are a smart boy Robin, I bet you have already thought of at least 5 different ways to disperse the gas, but each of them requires all the help you can get to avoid casualties, am I right?" Robin growled as his grip tightened.

"I will take that as a yes. And in reality you only have two options: either you take your Titans plus anyone you can reach to save the city or you could stay behind and fight us. Just food for thought, you know, for the way I see things from 'up here'… Get it?"

Robin could only glare at him, his jaw muscles now tense enough that any observer would believe he was trying to shatter his own molars.

"Oh, but you can take me in if you want, I don't mind." Lincoln declared extending his hands to Robin, "Gizmo on the other hand may have a few objections," on cue, Gizmo flared all his arsenal including a sizable amount of drones positioned on all over the room. "Also, I must point out that a few of my accomplices are already on their way… and the fact that I could be lying about me not resisting arrest." Concluded Lincoln, his buck toothed smile widening ever so slightly as a couple of screens cracked.

"Clock's still ticking boy wonder, If you keep people waiting any longer you're gonna bore them to 'death'... Get it?"

At this point Robin's breathing was hard and uneven, his mask of stern stoicism nothing but a fleeting memory.

"Robin listen to me. I need you to trust me." Cyborg pleaded from behind him. "I have been living with him for more than a month. He is not the mass murderer you belief he is. He's playing on your para-"

"TITANS!" Robin roared, letting go of Lincoln. "We are going to save Jump city from this madman, tell the others we will meet half a klick west from ground zero."

"Robin, I think it would be smart to lis-" Raven Tried to say before she was interrupted.

"Titans Go!" Robin growled as he advanced toward the door. "That's an order."

One by one the Titans followed their leader until only Cyborg was left in the rooms with the two villains. He didn't said a thing instead he let a sad smile show in his face, one that soon Lincoln returned.

"CYBORG!"

Resigned on following the clouded judgment of his infuriated team leader, Cyborg went through the door, leaving the tower at the hands of Hive students. The silence was suddenly shattered by Gizmo's laughter.

"We did it! I can't believe we did it!" Gizmo barked with glee. "Man I will never doubt any of you plans again!"

"Yeah we did it" answered Lincoln once the reality of the situation finally hit him. "Quick! Signal the others, we need to do this as fast as we can!"

It didn't take long for the Overdrive to be spotted over the Titan's Tower. Once it landed it's back door opened revealing Jinx alongside the rest of the Hive students. She quickly leapt from the plane towards Lincoln.

"Lincoln!" the girl yelled as she hugged him. "I was so worried! When I saw that the Titans were heading for the Tower I feared the worse. Did something happen? What happened to your face? Were you crying? It was Cyborg right! Oh when I see that bastard again I w-"

"Jinx, we are fine!" Lincoln reassured her in hopes of stopping the onslaught of questions. He deeply appreciated the fact that she really worried about him, but sometimes she acted way too much like his sisters when he got hurt. " Do you still have the bomb?"

"Yeah, its lock and load."

"Excellent, let's set it up and get out of here. Now is the time to finish this war once and for all..."

0o0

It was a frightening sight to see. The city was chaos, every street they passed was filled with people screaming. Mothers carrying their childrens away from the gas, people using their shirts to cover their faces as they ran. Officers with gas mask doing their best to evacuate the remaining civilians out of the blast zone.

The Titans did their best to help the civilians get out, they were all wearing special gas masks that Cyborg designed a while ago.

But what truly frightened Cyborg the most, was the fact that the deeper they went into the city the more silent it became. Screams and sirens slowly faded into background the closer they were to the impact zone. Finally the silence became absolute, not a single soul remained apart from them. Hope was dwindling and…. Was that a dog?

*Woof, Woof* A dog happily barked while approaching the party.

Cyborg stared at the pup like it was one of life's greatest mysteries. Neither (they) of the titans saw his hand slowly approaching his face.

With one swift move he tored off his gas mask and took a deep breath. The others tried to stop him in the after-shock but it was too late.

"Dude! Are you crazy!" Beast Boy yelled. "The gas-"

"...is harmless" finished Cyborg in a cold tone as he continued to breath normally.

Seeing that his friend wasn't dying a horrible and agonizing death Beast Boy tentatively took his mask off.

*Sniff, Sniff* "Guys, he's right." Beast Boy exclaimed. "It actually smells sugary like cake?" "Custard" Cyborg assured. One by one the rest of Titans took off their masks until only Robin remained.

"Cyborg" deadpanned Raven in her usual tone. "What does this mean?"

He remained silent unnerving his teammates. "It means..." The titan finally said. "That we missed our chance."

*BOOM!*

As soon the words left his mouth a deafening sound erupted behind them rattling the windows of nearby buildings. The gas was dispersed by a sudden rush of air revealing, to the horror of the Titans, the still exploding form of their beloved Tower. The Titans watched helplessly how their home trickle down piece by piece to the ocean that surround it.

Unseen drones hidden by the gas until that moment, started flying through the roof tops and played a loud orchestral composition. "Is that... Tchaikovsky's...?" Raven inquired timidly as the young heroes could do nothing else, but to contemplate the 'spectacle' performed in front of them.

0o0

Meanwhile on the other side of town the atmosphere was very different as the Overdrive landed in the academy's hangar. Shouts of joy and cheers could be heard as the returning students flocked the still roofless cafeteria. Soon an improvised party was made as the students laugh, dance and ate to the rhythm of the music of Jook N Box, Gizmo had rigged to the speakers. Some students even managed to make some bonfires out of essays that were supposed to be turned in before the Titans attacked. Overall everyone was in a very good mood, well everyone except one particular student.

Lincoln sat alone on a table, absently watching the others students have fun. His mind kept playing back the last conversation he had with Victor. Was the titan really telling the truth or was just buying time for the others to arrive? In all honesty Lincoln knew deep down that a part of him wanted to belief every single word and why not? He would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't root for Ace Savvy every time he read one of his comics or that he didn't wear his Ace Savvy costume for the last halloween he spend back home and acted like him the whole night to boot.

But a much bigger part of him clung Jinx's words. The ones she said upon learning about his powers: "We are bad luck, we can't be good. That's why we must stick together no matter what." Truth to be told the idea of being one of the good guys was something Lincoln had to throw away early during his time on the streets. That idea was further discarded when Headmaster Blood found and enrolled him in The H.I.V.E Academy, an institute for villains-in-training. Now Victor had brought back all those questions he thought buried long ago and he honestly didn't knew what to do.

He suddenly felt someone pinching his cheek. He gave out a small yelp causing a lightbulb to shatterer but nobody noticed. He turned around only to find Jinx giving him an inquisitive look.

"What was that for?!" Lincoln asked rubbing his cheek.

"You were brooding." Jinx replied ignoring his complaints. "So what were you thinking about?" Her eyes widened. "Was it Cyborg? It was him wasn't it?" She emphasize each question by pinching his cheeks.

"Owie! Stopht!" Lincoln pleaded while his cheeks continue to be pinched. "Why doh you alwaysh pinsche my cheeks!"

"Upps! Sorry I got carried away." Jinx apologised releasing his cheeks. "It's just that your cheeks are so… pinchable." She wanted to continue questioning him when two voices interrupted her.

"Fluffy Bunny." Mammoth saluted in his usual way.

"What's up Zeus?! Enjoying your moment of glory? " Gizmo said patting Lincoln's back.

"Zeus?" asked Lincoln with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah you know, Zeus. As in the god of lighting and destroyer of Titans, ring any bell?"

"As long as you stop calling me Albino." Lincoln chuckled

"Not so fast Albino!" Gizmo interjected. "He had white hair too! That means he was also an albino. Plus if I remember correctly, you did smite some of Billy's clones last time you passed Prof. White test!" He finished as all those in the table shared a laugh. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh nothing important." Jinx said once again pinching Lincoln cheek. "Just asking broody over here what's in his mind. Seriously if you don't stop brooding then you will end up like a certain bat-vigilante."

"I was thinking about the future" confessed Lincoln as he rubbed his red cheeks earning looks of curiosity from his friends. "I mean, we just defeated the Titans... now what?"

"...Now what?!" repeated Jinx in disbelief. "Lincoln! Do you have any idea what beating the Titans means?! We just did what many other could only dream about! It will do wonders to our resumes." Her eyes widened. "My resume! I still haven't update it! Oh Madam Rouge will be ecstatic when she learns that her intern was a fundamental part in bringing the Titans down!"

The others could only sweat-drop as Jinx continued her rant about how awesome would be working for Madame Rouge. Eventually it was Lincoln's turn to burst her out of her bubble.

"Eh, Jinx what I meant was that what will happen 'right now'? I mean, yes we just defeated the Titans, but the academy it's also in ruins and it will take at least months before it's even in minimal conditions to get back to classes." Lincoln explained. "Also we just blew the Titans Tower! A lot of people are not going to be happy with us. What if the Justice League decides to get into Jump City? Where will we go?"

The three students looked at each other with serious faces before Gizmo responded. "You're right it would be troublesome if the League came to the city. Good thing we will be far away by the time they get here." He saw the puzzled look on Lincoln's face. "Oh right you were still in coma when the teachers announced it... "

"Turns out that because of the damage the school sustained during the invasion the remaining teachers decided that the internships would start earlier." Jinx took the lead of the conversation. "So in less than a week everyone should be with their respectives mentors. Isn't that great!" She finished with stars in her eyes.

"So Zeus, tell us who is the poor bastard that will be stuck with you for the next six months?" Gizmo asked with glee.

"Professor White arranged for one of his old associates back in Gotham to take care of me." Lincoln replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Gotham? Booooring." Gizmo whined. "That city is filled only by nut-jobs! You should have applied for Metropolis like me! You know, Wayne Enterprises actually offered me a scholarship but screw those guys! I'm going to work for LexCorp. Do you know what kind of tech they test on those labs!? I can't wait to get my hands in all that equipment! The beauties I could create…."

Lincoln watched as Gizmo started drooling and joined Jinx in her mentor-inspired hysteria.

"Eh…. What about you Mammoth? Where are you going?" He asked.

"Ivy Town" Mammoth answered in his usual tone before he chugged down another bottle of yogurt in one go. Lincoln made a mental note to avoid any bathroom near the academy for at least a couple days. "You sure about that big guy? 'Cause the only Ivy Town I know is that university city and I love ya big oaf but you don't seem like the egg-head type." Gizmo said quizzically.

"Yep" Mammoth plainly responded.

"You're too good to be lugging crap around for some nerd. I'm sure we can get one of the teachers to find you a better internship." Jynx assured with concern.

"No need" the hulking youth flatly answered.

"You seem determined on going, any reason in particular?" Asked Lincoln trying to squeeze out some more details out of the guy, "Dr. Zuel" was his only response.

"Wait, you mean Doris Zuel…?" Gizmo queried slitting his eyes. "Holy cow! That's Giganta!" Yelled Jinx almost jumping on her seat, "you gonna work for 'The' Giganta, that's awesome!"

"Hey congrats big guy, what are you going to do for her?" Lincoln asked with a smile placing a hand on his buddy's shoulder, "She asked for someone that can cover her before she grows and can push her out of harm's way in case she's out" Mammoth explained eloquently to everyone's surprise.

A sly smile slowly formed on Lincoln's face "Seems you got all figured out, but those assignments seem kind of generic, did you 'specifically' asked to be her intern?"

"...I like tall women" Mammoth deadpanned causing Gizmo to spit out his drink. Laughter was heard among the youngsters that were honestly truly happy to be in each other company, even if just for a little bit longer.

"So that means this will be the last time we will see each other for long time, doesn't it?" murmured Lincoln but it was loud enough for everyone to hear it.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we will not be able to reach each other!" Jinx suddenly said. "I want you to report at least twice a month. If you don't I will personally go to Gotham and kick your sorry behind into oblivion! Do I make myself clear!" As if to emphasise her point a wall of fire erupted right behind Jinx while she was jabbing her finger on his chest multiples times.

"Yes ma'am!" quickly answered Lincoln with a his best military salute before he broke out laughing. As the laughter died off, the four started talking about their internships, where they would be and how to keep in contact with each other. Finally Jinx decided to stand.

"Hey guys, how about we stop talking about the future and have some fun together while we still can?" She said as she joined the rest of the students at the improvised dancing floor. The three of them look at each other before following her. They spent the rest of the night dancing, singing and having fun under the moonlight. Not once did they stop to worry about the future yet to come. Not even one of them knew about the dark times that were to come.

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Hello guys! Mike here with the first season finale of Bad Luck Lincoln. This is the first story that I've finished so I'm a little bit proud of this achievement. I want to thank all of you who read, review and followed this story and special thanks Quadzilla for being my beta and proof reader. Hope you all enjoyed the first part of Lincoln's journey. Now I will leave you with a small epilogue/ Sneak peak of the sequel As the name implies, it would take place in Gotham and will follow the events Lincoln's internship as well as a more prominent appearance of the Loud sisters. Hope you guys like it.

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Epilogue

*Two weeks after the Titan's Tower was destroyed*

Lincoln sat nervously in the couch as he stared at the unusual decorations that surrounded him. He had never being in a nightclub before be he was certain that most of them didn't had a giant pool filled with penguins in the center of it. It seemed a little weird for him but he had to admit that with the ship themed dance floor, ice sculptures, and arctic motive the club really make live to the "Ice Lounge" name. He subconsciously started to tap the small white bracelet that was attached to his left wrist.

The bracelet was a small parting gift from Gizmo. It was designed to help him control his powers without the risk of exploding thanks to his now xenothium-free powercell. It also had engrave a little white bunny in the front, no doubt it was Jinx's idea.

"Mr. Omen" a sultry voice snatched his attention. He turned around just in time to see a gorgeous red haired lady calling his name. She was wearing a tight leotard and a black bowler hat with some fishnet stocking.

"Y-You can call m-me, Lincoln" He stammered

"Very well, Mr. Lincoln" She giggled melodically. "You arrived earlier than we expected but Mr. Cobblepot is now available for you to see him. Please follow me"

Lincoln nodded numbly before instinctively following the red haired lady across the room. They stopped right in front of the back room's giant door. "This is Mr. Cobblepot office, he is waiting inside." With that, the mysterious lady turned around and disappeared among the dancing crowd.

Lincoln took a deep breath, he was remembering every single life event that lead him to this point. His powering emerging after the squirrel suit incident, his family slowly falling apart emotionally and physically, running away and living on the streets, his time in the H.I.V.E academy, meeting Victor. He honestly was tempted to simply run away back to Jump city and ask Victor for help but he knew that bridge was burned alongside the Titans tower. If only Lincoln knew that the months that will follow would be known as ones of the most violent and chaotic in Gotham's history, maybe he would had reconsidered, instead he knocked on the door and sealed the fate of the entire city.

"Enter" an elegant and refined voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Not wanting to delayed his mentor any more Lincoln opened the door. It was time to meet his new boss.

Many miles away the last bus of the day arrived at Jump City. As the passengers started to get off, one in particular standed out from the rest. She was teenage girl who's only luggage was a duffle bag carrying some food and spare clothing. Her brown hair tied in a ponytail as she weared a simple jacket over her red and white t-shirt with a giant red number one plastered on the center.

"So this is where you are hiding lil' bro?" She said mostly to herself. She took a second to admire the desolated aura that surrounded the city, her lil' goth sister would love this place. "Hope you're ready Lincoln" She murmured as two long sleeved thick chromed gloves could be seen covering her arms. " Because your big sister is taking you home, whether you like it or not!" She finished cracking her knuckles.