Teen Titans: All Things... Good and Bad...: Part One
Author's Note:
I'm not good at writing disclaimers, because at the moment I am not motivated enough to dig around to find out all the copyright information regarding Teen Titans... so...
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... D.C. Comics... blah blah blah... I do not own stock in them.. blah blah.. do not take credit for Teen Titans characters.. blah blah... just paying homage... yadda yadda.
I got stuck on my Beast Boy story... don't shoot me.. but I'm trying a different route with my Teen Titans literature. We'll see if it's easier to write this one than one simply based on one character... R&R if you like.
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Part One: They Moved Like One...
The way the team moved together, yet separately, had always been like art in motion. Being together for so many years had molded the five teenagers into a seamless, well-oiled machine, whose parts, though separate, could move and function together without premeditation. Like five shadows, they could move quickly and silently in the darkness, for they knew exactly where to go and how to go about getting there. It did not matter that, at any given moment, each member was several city blocks apart from the others. What mattered was that their minds were always united; they knew and trusted each other better than anything else.
The way they moved was truly beautiful.
Even the nearly half-ton cybernetic young man contributed to the grace of the Teen Titans' stalking formation. Cyborg was frequently bound to ground travel. However, this did not subtract from his ability to move quickly and efficiently through the black labyrinth of a Jump City night. His large metallic feet impacted remarkably lightly against the hard, solid pavement and cement, and he trekked purposely forward in a surefooted manner. The pale blue lights on his arms and legs illuminated his surroundings, leaving a brilliant azure streak in the large man's wake. His deep chocolate eyes diverted to the left for a moment, glancing down an alleyway where he knew his compatriot was treading, not too far away.
The much younger and much smaller changeling had many different outlets to aid his night-striding. Beast Boy's blade-sharp emerald eyes were fixed on the many obstacles ahead of him as he moved his long, lanky limbs in a heated sprint through the alleyway. Abruptly, his lean frame contracted and morphed into the form of an alley cat. This was more than appropriate enough to negotiate the hurdles ahead of him-- several dumpsters and trashcans were strewn about the alley, blocking his path. In his agile cat form, he managed to leap atop each of these garbage vessels and continue along the set course, ducking and weaving through various other obstructions. Though still, in actuality, very clumsy and physically awkward in his normal form, Beast Boy could not be topped in the area of resourcefulness when it came to his specialty powers. In a period of three seconds, he returned to his normal form, then, narrowly avoiding making unpleasant contact with a high fence, he morphed into a bird and took flight over the wooden barrier. As he ascended, he caught a fleeting glimpse at another airborne creature, but only a very fleeting glimpse.
A small distance away, a shadowy cloaked figure phased in and out of the darkness. Elegance and mystery seemed to trail behind the midnight blue cloak that adorned the native of Azarath. Raven's dark purple eyes were focused straight ahead, but she was aware of the small green avis that was soaring parallel to her in the endless star-spangled sky. The way she moved was without err. Each building she encountered was adeptly evaded with dignity and grace, and not so much of a hair blew out of place. This of course, could be to the fact that her hood was drawn up over her head, but her grace surely had something to do with it as well. The young woman moved best in the after-hours, as she was almost one with the cloak of night. She came in contact with the side of one building, but her ghostly visage merely melted into the structure. A minute later, she re-emerged from the opposite brick wall and continued on her exquisite flight. For but a moment, her eyes lifted to the heavens where they observed a faint glimmer of electric green.
Tamaran seemed so much closer from the high elevation that the young woman so preferred to travel at. Long, layered sheets of vibrant crimson hair billowed in the crisp evening air, flowing delicately from the alien princess's head. Her long legs stretched out behind her and her delicate but deceptively strong arms led her path of flight. Her gentle, verdant eyes were closed as the wind caressed her young face, and she could feel the warmth of her companions below her. She slowly opened her eyes again, and they glowed fiercely green in the navy blue night. The intense benevolence and love that Starfire constantly kindled in her heart and soul were temporarily stifled as she traveled with purpose and determined focus. Her glowing eyes rose to Tamaran, her dearly loved home planet. The muscles in her face tightened as thoughts of the past rushed through her mind, but suddenly she refocused her sight and thoughts downward to the rooftops below, following a small streak of yellow. This was now what the Tamaranean girl lived for. The passion of flight... of the fight... of her teammates, flowed violently through her veins. She focused ardently on that yellow streak.
The inborn agility that the young masked man exhibited rivaled that of the changeling's cat form. The yellow and black cape adorned on his back fluttered violently behind as a testament to his spryness as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop. The proclaimed leader of the team landed dexterously on the edge of the top of a building and he crouched there, arms between his knees, much like an actual cat. He looked up for a moment, nodded, then looked down, and gave another decisive nod. He too could feel his team moving around him. Their minds were almost as one. Perhaps it was ever deeper than that. Robin recoiled in anticipation, then leapt forward and went into a breakneck sprint to prepare himself for another roof-hop. Without any trace of fear, the Boy Wonder threw himself off of the building and began to plummet-- his arms and legs spread slightly to catch the wind and take advantage of its resistance. His cape snapped and whipped violently in the wind as he fell, and it was a wonder that it did not rip from the sheer force of the drop and the abuse from the air. It is arguable that he was by far the most graceful of them all.
With a final curl and a lithe somersault, Robin landed on the top of a warehouse on the East End of the city and rolled to a crouching position. Seconds later, the large form of a half-teen, half-machine vaulted up onto the roof beside him. Moments later, a green crow hovered down to his left, quickly growing to the height of a slender boy. Follow shortly after, a dark cloaked figure phased up from the surface of the roof and stood a few paces behind the others. Lastly, but not a second late, the elegant form of a Tamaranean gently touched down from the heavens. The jet-black mask covering the leader's eyes contorted in a highly serious expression, and he held up a fist as he stood to his full height. His voice was deep and stern, but barely above a whisper.
"We're here."
The others said nothing and merely stood strong and tall, gazing down at the skylight they had all convened at. They patiently awaited the leader's command.
"Titans... go!"
With one mighty motion, Cyborg grabbed the edge of the glass-paned skylight and threw his arm upwards, ripping the window clean off of the roof. Beast Boy transformed into an immense eagle and dove into the opening, his wings just barely able to fit into the newly created opening. Raven took to flight as well, scrupulously lowering herself into the window, while Starfire grabbed a hold of Cyborg's shoulders and lifted him up, preparing to carefully lower him into the building as well. When his team had infiltrated, Robin nodded to himself and clenched both fists, taking a blind leap into the uncertainty of the night's mission.
A mission that would prove to be like no other.