Jabberwocky
May Contain Nuts
(CONTINUITY NOTES: This series takes place three years after the end of the Teen Titans TV series.)
This fic is rated PG-13 for mild swearing, suggestive themes, and some violence.
Not too long ago, a group of heroes banded together, to fight for good and righteousness. The charming bandit, Robin, was their leader. He was joined by the princess, Starfire, who he fell in love with, and vice versa, the machine-man Cyborg, who would become his best friend, a mystic named Raven, and a shapeshifting jester known as Beast Boy.
The five called themselves the Teen Titans: heroes of tomorrow. They were soon joined by Terra, the girl who could control rock. Beast Boy was smitten with her, but she turned out to be a trap laid by one of the Titans' greatest enemies. She betrayed them, but in the end sacrificed herself to save the world, proving that she was, forever and inarguably, a true hero.
Time passed. The Titans faced threat after enormous threat. Splinter teams formed, across the world protecting anyone who needed protecting. The roster of the original Titans remained constant, though identities and appearances changed: Beast Boy became more animalistic and began calling himself Changeling. Robin grew up and became Nightwing.
But before these changes, Beast Boy encountered a girl who looked, sounded, and acted exactly like Terra. However, she did not display any powers, nor did she remember any of her time as a hero or with the Titans. Beast Boy eventually accepted that the Terra he knew would never return, and moved on.
A new chapter in the Titans' story is about to begin. It starts with this young woman, three years later, suddenly and inexplicably… remembering.
Tara sighed as she pulled her kayak in to dock. She couldn't believe herself. She was nineteen years old, and she still couldn't muster up the courage to go to college. It was like something in her mind made her too intimidated to even consider actually leaving Jump City to attend Harvard, scholarship or no scholarship.
She hauled herself onto the dock, moored the kayak, and entered her house.
"Laura?" she called out. However, her roommate did not reply. "Laura!" she cried again, but no one answered. It seemed as if she was alone.
Suddenly, she collapsed. Memories began flooding into her mind. Memories of adventure, fun, heroics, treachery, redemption, and… love. Tara Markov remembered everything. She remembered Slade, Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Mumbo, Plasmus, Speedy, Beast Boy. She remembered, and realized what she had to do. She left a note for Laura: "Going to the store to buy some stuff for a cosplay. Be back whenever."
Tara Markov was no more. Terra was back.
His eyes were, quite literally, blank: no irises. His scalp seemed to be alight, flames sprouting from it. A white helmet-like piece of headgear surrounded his face. A neat black goatee sat on his chin. He wore an elaborate black-and-white costume, complete with cape. The man's name was Doctor Arthur Light, and he was silent as he strode into the bank.
He waved his arm, and the lights dimmed. He waved his other arm, and the bank's doors closed and sealed. He walked up to a teller.
"Good afternoon," he said. "I would like to make a withdrawal. How does every penny in the vault sound?"
"Yuh-you won't get away with this," the teller stuttered.
"I won't?" said Dr. Light, feigning surprise. "And why on Earth won't I?"
"The- the silent alarm," said the teller.
Light chuckled. "You know as well as I do that the police force in this city is completely ineffectual. They won't be able to stop me."
"That's why the alarm doesn't call the police," the teller explained. "It calls the Titans."
Light gave a wicked grin. "Perfect," he snarled.
A black line appeared behind him. From the line emerged a dark-skinned man that had golden metal for parts of his skin, making him a cyborg. Accompanying him were four other people: a masked man in a black-and-blue uniform, an orange-skinned, green-eyed, purple armor-wearing alien woman, a cloaked, grey-skinned woman with a jewel on her forehead, and the strangest of the lot: a man with green skin, covered in same-colored skin adorned with black stripes, a tail, pointed ears, sharp teeth, angular eyes, and a dog's nose. He wore a red-and-white costume.
"Titans," said Light. "I've been expecting you."
At once, he warped the light around them, trapping the Titans in a sort of bright white rack. The Titans struggled, but to no avail.
"Don't bother trying to worm your way out of this," Light grinned. "When I create hard-light traps, I create them sturdily." He rubbed his chin. "Must be humiliating, captured by your most laughable enemy."
"Yeah, what's the deal with that?" snapped Cyborg. "You were always an idiot!"
"Not only were you an idiot," added Changeling, "but you were also really stupid."
"Gar, those mean the same thing," Raven sighed.
"We can argue semantics later, Titans!" said Nightwing. "Right now we've got to figure out how to escape from this trap!"
"I already told you, there is no way to escape." Light laughed, rolling his eyes. "But to answer you, Cyborg, I was not always an 'idiot.' Rather, I was quite smart indeed. But then, I fought you Titans, fresh off of stealing my suit (which, by the way, I've upgraded again; I quite like the new design). A certain girl…" he pointed at Raven, "thought it would be amusing to drag me into some hellish dimension and feast upon my soul. I lost my smarts on that day, and it's taken me the better part of three years to piece it back together. Now, I want revenge."
From the rack, Light produced a tube-like object. "This device will sap your intelligence, just as Raven did mine. I won't bother explaining how it works; your feeble little minds wouldn't be able to comprehend it anyway. You took my mind, Titans. It's time for me to return the favor."
"Why did you even make that costume, Tara?" the redheaded girl asked while chewing on bubble gum.
Terra shushed Laura, and sat down on her bed, picking up the remote control. She wore her new costume: it was modeled heavily after her brother Brian's, with an earthen brown-and-yellow color scheme. Goggles hung around her neck, not so much for protection as for stylishness. She changed the television channel to the news. A picture of a bank appeared. Inside, Doctor Light had the Titans at his mercy.
"Oh no," Laura gasped. "The Titans are in trouble!"
Terra put on her goggles. "It's up to me to save them," she declared, and dashed out the door.
Back at the bank, Light paced before the young heroes.
"Whose mind should I steal first?" he wondered aloud. "Not Raven's. I'll save her for last. Not Beast Boy, either, I always thought that there was probably nothing up there anyway…"
"It's Changeling," the green Titan growled.
"Yes, yes, whatever. Cyborg, perhaps? Not much there, either; mostly circuitry."
"I heard that," said Cyborg, scowling.
"I could not possibly care less. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Starfire. The alien princess. Yes, her I think. After all, brain-dead girls can't say…"
"Don't touch her, you monster!" Nightwing suddenly yelled.
Light turned to the young man. "Nightwing," he said. "The leader. Certainly the brains of the team (perhaps I'll take his mind first, after all…). 'Don't touch her?' Boy, She wouldn't care. Not after I take away everything that makes her her. And who are you to lecture me about the vices of such an act? Your pale teammate here did the same to my mind."
Suddenly, there was a crash, and the glass on one of the doors shattered.
"Enough talking!" a voice shouted. "Let go of my friends, Captain Light!"
"That's Doctor Light, you ignoramus!" Light boomed.
"Really? That was my third guess. My second was Mr. Boulder-in-face."
"Why on Earth would I be called…" Light began. A large rock flew towards his face. "Ah. That's why." The rock connected and knocked him backwards. He lost his focus, and the rack of light holding the Titans disappeared, freeing them.
"What just happened?" questioned Starfire.
"I don't know," Nightwing admitted, "but we don't have time to find out. Titans, go!"
"Mind if I join in?" the voice asked. The Titans turned and saw someone they'd never expected to see again.
"Terra," Changeling breathed.
"Hey, BB!" Terra said, grinning. "You miss me?"
Changeling scowled and turned away. "Let's get Doctor Light before he recovers," he said to his teammates.
"But how did Terra come back?" Starfire asked.
"How'd she regain her powers and her memories?" added Cyborg.
"we can figure things out later!" Nightwing proclaimed. "Right now, let's focus on the bad guy. Uh… T-Terra, you can help if you want. Let's get this over with, Titans!"
And so they did. Though he initially had the element of surprise to give him the advantage over the five original Titans, Light simply did not stand a chance in a fair fight against them plus Terra. He fell easily.
"Looks like smarts doesn't always equal strength," Starfire noted as Light was hauled away by the police.
"Beast boy, I…" Terra began to talk to Changeling, but he walked away from her. "What's his problem?" she said, frowning. Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder.
"It wasn't very pleasant, the way things ended between you two," Cyborg said. "Plus, you just kind of showed up, powers and memories (I assume) and everything. Out of the blue, y'know? Hopefully he'll eventually get used to you, but Gar just isn't the same as he used to be."
"Gar?" said Terra.
"He never told you?" Cyborg exclaimed, astonished. "His real name is Garfield Logan. Gar for short."
"Titans, gather 'round!" Nightwing suddenly ordered. The heroes, including Terra, huddled in a circle.
"First off," said Nightwing, "you're going to need to report for a full debriefing when we get to the Titans Tower, Terra, just to establish why… why you're even here right now. Secondly, it's hard to admit, but if Terra hadn't shown up, we'd all be dead right now. Or at least brain-dead."
"What are you getting at?" Raven inquired.
"The fact is, the Teen Titans are shorthanded. We need new members. Tomorrow, we will be starting a membership drive, to recruit new heroes. Terra, if you want, you can rejoin the team right now. On probation, naturally; no offense, but we all know what happened last time you were a Titan."
Terra nodded. "I understand," she said. "And I'd be honored to be a Titan again. Thank you, Rob… Nightwing."
Nightwing smiled. "Call me ****," he said. "At least, call me **** when there aren't any civilians or enemies around."
"A membership drive, though?" Cyborg asked, a little skeptical. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"I think it is," said Starfire. "In this day and age, the Titans can use all the help we can get."
"I'm fine with it," agreed Raven.
"I vote yes," said Terra.
"Sure," Changeling muttered.
Cyborg sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'm in."
"Then it's decided," Nightwing grinned. "Tomorrow, the first-ever Teen Titan recruitment drive begins, and with it a bold new chapter in our never-ending battle! All together: Titans together!"
"Titans forever!" the six friends shouted in harmony.
Meanwhile, in a remote cave near Jump City, a shadowy figure watched the heroes on a television.
"It's active, then," the figure said. "Good. Soon, the Titans will be crushed forever… in the most ironic way possible."
The figure laughed a horrible, evil laugh, the kind that could give children nightmares. A new era was about to begin…
////////////
This fic is rated PG-13 for mild swearing, suggestive themes, and some violence.
The New Teen Titans
Chapter 1: Titans Reborn,
Part One
Chapter 1: Titans Reborn,
Part One
Not too long ago, a group of heroes banded together, to fight for good and righteousness. The charming bandit, Robin, was their leader. He was joined by the princess, Starfire, who he fell in love with, and vice versa, the machine-man Cyborg, who would become his best friend, a mystic named Raven, and a shapeshifting jester known as Beast Boy.
The five called themselves the Teen Titans: heroes of tomorrow. They were soon joined by Terra, the girl who could control rock. Beast Boy was smitten with her, but she turned out to be a trap laid by one of the Titans' greatest enemies. She betrayed them, but in the end sacrificed herself to save the world, proving that she was, forever and inarguably, a true hero.
Time passed. The Titans faced threat after enormous threat. Splinter teams formed, across the world protecting anyone who needed protecting. The roster of the original Titans remained constant, though identities and appearances changed: Beast Boy became more animalistic and began calling himself Changeling. Robin grew up and became Nightwing.
But before these changes, Beast Boy encountered a girl who looked, sounded, and acted exactly like Terra. However, she did not display any powers, nor did she remember any of her time as a hero or with the Titans. Beast Boy eventually accepted that the Terra he knew would never return, and moved on.
However.
A new chapter in the Titans' story is about to begin. It starts with this young woman, three years later, suddenly and inexplicably… remembering.
Tara sighed as she pulled her kayak in to dock. She couldn't believe herself. She was nineteen years old, and she still couldn't muster up the courage to go to college. It was like something in her mind made her too intimidated to even consider actually leaving Jump City to attend Harvard, scholarship or no scholarship.
She hauled herself onto the dock, moored the kayak, and entered her house.
"Laura?" she called out. However, her roommate did not reply. "Laura!" she cried again, but no one answered. It seemed as if she was alone.
Suddenly, she collapsed. Memories began flooding into her mind. Memories of adventure, fun, heroics, treachery, redemption, and… love. Tara Markov remembered everything. She remembered Slade, Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Mumbo, Plasmus, Speedy, Beast Boy. She remembered, and realized what she had to do. She left a note for Laura: "Going to the store to buy some stuff for a cosplay. Be back whenever."
Tara Markov was no more. Terra was back.
One week later…
His eyes were, quite literally, blank: no irises. His scalp seemed to be alight, flames sprouting from it. A white helmet-like piece of headgear surrounded his face. A neat black goatee sat on his chin. He wore an elaborate black-and-white costume, complete with cape. The man's name was Doctor Arthur Light, and he was silent as he strode into the bank.
He waved his arm, and the lights dimmed. He waved his other arm, and the bank's doors closed and sealed. He walked up to a teller.
"Good afternoon," he said. "I would like to make a withdrawal. How does every penny in the vault sound?"
"Yuh-you won't get away with this," the teller stuttered.
"I won't?" said Dr. Light, feigning surprise. "And why on Earth won't I?"
"The- the silent alarm," said the teller.
Light chuckled. "You know as well as I do that the police force in this city is completely ineffectual. They won't be able to stop me."
"That's why the alarm doesn't call the police," the teller explained. "It calls the Titans."
Light gave a wicked grin. "Perfect," he snarled.
A black line appeared behind him. From the line emerged a dark-skinned man that had golden metal for parts of his skin, making him a cyborg. Accompanying him were four other people: a masked man in a black-and-blue uniform, an orange-skinned, green-eyed, purple armor-wearing alien woman, a cloaked, grey-skinned woman with a jewel on her forehead, and the strangest of the lot: a man with green skin, covered in same-colored skin adorned with black stripes, a tail, pointed ears, sharp teeth, angular eyes, and a dog's nose. He wore a red-and-white costume.
"Titans," said Light. "I've been expecting you."
At once, he warped the light around them, trapping the Titans in a sort of bright white rack. The Titans struggled, but to no avail.
"Don't bother trying to worm your way out of this," Light grinned. "When I create hard-light traps, I create them sturdily." He rubbed his chin. "Must be humiliating, captured by your most laughable enemy."
"Yeah, what's the deal with that?" snapped Cyborg. "You were always an idiot!"
"Not only were you an idiot," added Changeling, "but you were also really stupid."
"Gar, those mean the same thing," Raven sighed.
"We can argue semantics later, Titans!" said Nightwing. "Right now we've got to figure out how to escape from this trap!"
"I already told you, there is no way to escape." Light laughed, rolling his eyes. "But to answer you, Cyborg, I was not always an 'idiot.' Rather, I was quite smart indeed. But then, I fought you Titans, fresh off of stealing my suit (which, by the way, I've upgraded again; I quite like the new design). A certain girl…" he pointed at Raven, "thought it would be amusing to drag me into some hellish dimension and feast upon my soul. I lost my smarts on that day, and it's taken me the better part of three years to piece it back together. Now, I want revenge."
From the rack, Light produced a tube-like object. "This device will sap your intelligence, just as Raven did mine. I won't bother explaining how it works; your feeble little minds wouldn't be able to comprehend it anyway. You took my mind, Titans. It's time for me to return the favor."
TTT
"Why did you even make that costume, Tara?" the redheaded girl asked while chewing on bubble gum.
Terra shushed Laura, and sat down on her bed, picking up the remote control. She wore her new costume: it was modeled heavily after her brother Brian's, with an earthen brown-and-yellow color scheme. Goggles hung around her neck, not so much for protection as for stylishness. She changed the television channel to the news. A picture of a bank appeared. Inside, Doctor Light had the Titans at his mercy.
"Oh no," Laura gasped. "The Titans are in trouble!"
Terra put on her goggles. "It's up to me to save them," she declared, and dashed out the door.
Back at the bank, Light paced before the young heroes.
"Whose mind should I steal first?" he wondered aloud. "Not Raven's. I'll save her for last. Not Beast Boy, either, I always thought that there was probably nothing up there anyway…"
"It's Changeling," the green Titan growled.
"Yes, yes, whatever. Cyborg, perhaps? Not much there, either; mostly circuitry."
"I heard that," said Cyborg, scowling.
"I could not possibly care less. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Starfire. The alien princess. Yes, her I think. After all, brain-dead girls can't say…"
"Don't touch her, you monster!" Nightwing suddenly yelled.
Light turned to the young man. "Nightwing," he said. "The leader. Certainly the brains of the team (perhaps I'll take his mind first, after all…). 'Don't touch her?' Boy, She wouldn't care. Not after I take away everything that makes her her. And who are you to lecture me about the vices of such an act? Your pale teammate here did the same to my mind."
Suddenly, there was a crash, and the glass on one of the doors shattered.
"Enough talking!" a voice shouted. "Let go of my friends, Captain Light!"
"That's Doctor Light, you ignoramus!" Light boomed.
"Really? That was my third guess. My second was Mr. Boulder-in-face."
"Why on Earth would I be called…" Light began. A large rock flew towards his face. "Ah. That's why." The rock connected and knocked him backwards. He lost his focus, and the rack of light holding the Titans disappeared, freeing them.
"What just happened?" questioned Starfire.
"I don't know," Nightwing admitted, "but we don't have time to find out. Titans, go!"
"Mind if I join in?" the voice asked. The Titans turned and saw someone they'd never expected to see again.
"Terra," Changeling breathed.
"Hey, BB!" Terra said, grinning. "You miss me?"
Changeling scowled and turned away. "Let's get Doctor Light before he recovers," he said to his teammates.
"But how did Terra come back?" Starfire asked.
"How'd she regain her powers and her memories?" added Cyborg.
"we can figure things out later!" Nightwing proclaimed. "Right now, let's focus on the bad guy. Uh… T-Terra, you can help if you want. Let's get this over with, Titans!"
And so they did. Though he initially had the element of surprise to give him the advantage over the five original Titans, Light simply did not stand a chance in a fair fight against them plus Terra. He fell easily.
"Looks like smarts doesn't always equal strength," Starfire noted as Light was hauled away by the police.
"Beast boy, I…" Terra began to talk to Changeling, but he walked away from her. "What's his problem?" she said, frowning. Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder.
"It wasn't very pleasant, the way things ended between you two," Cyborg said. "Plus, you just kind of showed up, powers and memories (I assume) and everything. Out of the blue, y'know? Hopefully he'll eventually get used to you, but Gar just isn't the same as he used to be."
"Gar?" said Terra.
"He never told you?" Cyborg exclaimed, astonished. "His real name is Garfield Logan. Gar for short."
"Titans, gather 'round!" Nightwing suddenly ordered. The heroes, including Terra, huddled in a circle.
"First off," said Nightwing, "you're going to need to report for a full debriefing when we get to the Titans Tower, Terra, just to establish why… why you're even here right now. Secondly, it's hard to admit, but if Terra hadn't shown up, we'd all be dead right now. Or at least brain-dead."
"What are you getting at?" Raven inquired.
"The fact is, the Teen Titans are shorthanded. We need new members. Tomorrow, we will be starting a membership drive, to recruit new heroes. Terra, if you want, you can rejoin the team right now. On probation, naturally; no offense, but we all know what happened last time you were a Titan."
Terra nodded. "I understand," she said. "And I'd be honored to be a Titan again. Thank you, Rob… Nightwing."
Nightwing smiled. "Call me ****," he said. "At least, call me **** when there aren't any civilians or enemies around."
"A membership drive, though?" Cyborg asked, a little skeptical. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"I think it is," said Starfire. "In this day and age, the Titans can use all the help we can get."
"I'm fine with it," agreed Raven.
"I vote yes," said Terra.
"Sure," Changeling muttered.
Cyborg sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'm in."
"Then it's decided," Nightwing grinned. "Tomorrow, the first-ever Teen Titan recruitment drive begins, and with it a bold new chapter in our never-ending battle! All together: Titans together!"
"Titans forever!" the six friends shouted in harmony.
Meanwhile, in a remote cave near Jump City, a shadowy figure watched the heroes on a television.
"It's active, then," the figure said. "Good. Soon, the Titans will be crushed forever… in the most ironic way possible."
The figure laughed a horrible, evil laugh, the kind that could give children nightmares. A new era was about to begin…
////////////
Next Time:Tryouts!
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