Teen Titans: Twilight of the Gods (IC/Limited Acceptance/S/PG-16)

[Saiba Aisu]

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GM Post: 

 (Main Atrium, ACNN24 Headquarters, 9:38 P.M.)

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Miles away, safe in the elegant confines of the High Council Chamber at City Hall, Police Chief Rookwood and the surrounding crowd kept vigil, their gazes trained upon the display screens, looking on as Aurora City's young heroes put their lives on the line to protect their home from Shira... To protect them all. In that moment, it was as if their previous differences had been forgotten, as if their divergent wills had been somehow united, bound together by some greater power and fashioned into a single force. As the intense fighting began to reach its crescendo, the citizens of Aurora City got to their feet one by one, clapping their hands and raising their voices in support, cheering on their champions.

 

                                           "Give 'em hell, HAVOC!!"

 

               "You can do it, ARACHNID!!"

 

                                            "Don't give up, CYGNUS!!"

 

                       "Hang in there, ARCANA!!"

 

                                                "Attaboy, SATELLITE! Show 'em how it's done!!"

 

                                    "Light it up, ASURA! Blaze that sucker!!"

 

"Come on, Titans!" Police Chief Rookwood roared, punching the air emphatically with one fist, his mustache bristling as he let himself get swept away by the crowd's fervor. "Show those terrorist scum who's boss!"

 

 

With the last member of The Blade of Shira dispatched, the Teen Titans could breathe easy—for the moment, at least. Picking their way over the toppled columns, smashed furniture, large puddles and piles of ash, the young heroes reassembled at the center of the room, close to where they had been ambushed by the squadron of invisible assassins only a few minutes earlier.

 

"Is everyone alright?" Cygnus asked, his voice rather rougher than usual, turning his helmeted head this way and that, trying to gauge his teammates' condition as they came to a halt around him, offering a series of noncommittal grunts. 

 

Among the group, Ben seemed to have been the luckiest, sporting only minimal superficial injuries. There was a long scratch traced along one arm, but it wasn't enough to prevent the wall-crawling hero from flashing the sorcerer an energetic thumbs-up with his usual good humor. Unfortunately, however, that was the end of their good luck. Several of Batsu's extra arms seemed to have been stabbed and lacerated to the point of complete uselessness, hanging limply at his sides, slowly dripping white blood onto the marble floor. Blake wasn't much better: a vicious jagged cut marred the usually smooth and gleaming expanse of his suit's abdomen, revealing the tattered circuitry underneath. Roxie, on the other hand, looked relatively uninjured—yet Cygnus had seen with his own eyes the physical beating she had taken, the way she had been knocked back against one of the fallen pillars.

 

They might be alive, they might have defeated the enemy... But unscathed? Hardly. It was a sobering thought.

 

"That just leaves... Kiara," Cygnus murmured, turning expectantly towards the massive chunks of rubble where he had last seen the team leader taking cover during the fighting.

 

"I'm here!"

 

The Titans breathed a sigh of collective relief at the familiar sight of Kiara leaping high into the air, landing on top of the rubble and walking across its surface towards them with her usual even stride. The telepathic princess appeared to have caught her second wind remarkably quickly despite having taken a direct hit from Carrion's vibro-blade—evidently, the arcane barrier shielding her was no joke. With a final flourish of motion, the young heroine leaped towards her teammates, touching down smoothly on the marble floor. Yet she didn't stop there—her stride firm, her steps relentless, she continued past them, coming to a halt only when she stood before the closest security camera angled towards them, still broadcasting live to the entire city.

 

Before Lily or any of the other Titans could stop her, Kiara took off her helmet, shaking free her short white hair from its confines. Placing it against her side under one arm, she locked gazes directly with the camera, her golden eyes flashing with fierce energy.

 

"Can you hear me, Shira?" she asked in a loud voice, every single word broadcast and projected across thousands of television screens throughout the city. "Good. This is Arcana of the Teen Titans, with a special message for you. No matter what kind of dirty tricks you try to pull, the people of Aurora City won't give in!"

 

Although the Titans couldn't have heard it, a deafening roar echoed across the city, coursing swiftly through its streets like wildfire, as millions of people raised their hands and their voices in a chorus of agreement.

 

"So now, let me warn you," Kiara continued, each word ringing with the clarity and sureness of a judge's verdict. "You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice! Your time is running out. So until then... We're fighting. We're standing strong. We're not afraid. We are the Teen Titans!!"

 

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]Alright guys, thanks for your patience as we waited for everyone to post and got things back on the road! Hopefully we can keep up a faster and steadier rhythm in the future :) For now, as you can see, the Titans have done more than just survive their deadly tangle with Shira—they've taken the terrorist's broadcasting platform and turned it against them with a message of their own! Take a few moments to react to the latest developments and decide upon our next course of action—to disable the building's generator and put a halt to Shira's broadcast or proceed directly to the upper floors in an attempt to rescue the hostages? Should we stick together, or split up? Decisions, decisions... Time is ticking. There are also still a few loose ends that need to be tied up before we proceed with the next stage of the mission. Roxie still needs to recover Arondite, Blake might need to vocalize some of his feelings of shock and disgust, Kiara's injury might need treatment, and Batsu's arms still need to be ripped off—any volunteers? Lovely. Any further questions or comments will be addressed in Skype chat. Once everything's squared away, I'll take it from there. Teen Titans, GO~!

[Mr. Hyde]

"Can you hear me, Shira?  Good. This is Arcana of the Teen Titans, with a special message for you. No matter what kind of dirty tricks you try to pull, the people of Aurora City won't give in!  So now, let me warn you, You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice! Your time is running out. So until then... We're fighting. We're standing strong. We're not afraid. We are the Teen Titans!!"

 

"Justice...."  Blake mumbled from outside the camera's point of view.  "You call this....this slaughter....justice?  I know you were out of commission for that whole damn fight, so I don't think you have the right to call any of what we just did JUSTICE!"  He was yelling now.  If it his face hadn't been hidden, the others would think that he was foaming at the mouth.  "I didn't sign up to be a Teen Titan to be taking eyes for eyes!  I joined so we could do the right thing."  He pointed to the security camera.

 

"Broadcasting murder...is not the right thing!"  

 

If they could run around with licenses to kill, and took the chance to do so every time they could, what message would that send to the people of Aurora City.  

 

"We aren't better than Shira if we succumb to their tactics....they should've been left for the justice system."  His eyes traced back and forth between three members of the team specifically.  Cygnus, Roxie, and Batsu...all had killed their attackers.  He had expected a few hiccups with the alien, but he thought his other teammates had the same ideals, as symbols of the city...as protectors of justice.  It just didn't make sense.  He still had a grip on Arondite, and he suddenly realized this when his fists tightened around it.  He threw the bat towards Roxie.  

 

"Let's just proceed with the mission."  Disappointment rang in his tone.  He started to walk across the lobby when he turned back towards his team.  "And let's try to not increase the rate of casualties, shall we?"  

[Ren✧]

She didn't like watching her friends kill. Of course, she would have liked watching them be killed even less. Still, her eyes were transfixed on the assassin's head that sat tilted on the now soaked marble floor. Cygnus had killed his attacker with no hesitation, with such ease. It left little to wonder whether or not he had killed before. Of course so had she. She had lost count of the exact number of innocent lives she had taken, she couldn't judge the team for taking lives in self defense. However, knowing this didn't make looking at the tortured battle scene any easier.

 

She was not the only one that was struggling with the fact that several of the Titans had been forced to take lethal action. Blake's own distress wasn't hard for her to detect. Even with the cloud of pain in her mind Kiara could clearly sense Blake's discomfort at seeing his teammate's ease with killing. Moreover, she could tell that this was going to be a problem. "Alright, Kiara. You've had enough time to rest. The others took a beating just so you could lick your wounds. Rest time is over. Time to suck it up."

 

"That just leaves... Kiara." She heard Cygnus say, taking a head count. 

 

"I'm here!" She declared, jumping up from where she had taken cover from the fight, fighting back the urge to scream as her back screeched in protest to her sudden movement. She refused to show weakness though. This moment had to be a show of strength. The Titans were being watched, not just by Shira but by all of Aurora and they had just witnessed a brutal fight. They needed to see strength. 

 

Biting the inside of her cheek as she walked, Kiara began to think that maybe she could deal with her injury until they finished with the mission. No. She would make herself deal with the injury until they completed the injury. The team needed her. 

 

Kiara removed her helmet, a risk given that their foe had a bioweapon but a calculated one. Aurora needed to see her face. "Can you hear me, Shira? Good. This is Arcana of the Teen Titans, with a special message for you. No matter what kind of dirty tricks you try to pull, the people of Aurora City won't give in! "So now, let me warn you. You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice! Your time is running out. So until then... We're fighting. We're standing strong. We're not afraid. We are the Teen Titans!!"

 

Placing the helmet back on her head, she returned her attention to her team. Spasming a bit as she twisted her midriff, jarring the gash down her back. She refrained from crying out. Breathing through the pain she waited until she could speak evenly. Fortunately, Blake filled the silence. She had been right, it had been a problem. With each word Blake spoke Kiara could see the seeds of dissension being planted amongst the team.

 

"..murder...is not the right thing!" 

 

"I understand what you are feeling right now, probably better than anyone else on the team, but this is not the place or the time." Kiara said telepathically to Blake, trying to be as comforting but as firm as possible.

 

"We aren't better than Shira if we succumb to their tactics....they should've been left for the justice system. Let's just proceed with the mission. And let's try to not increase the rate of casualties, shall we?"  Blake concluded.

 

"We're not here to point fingers at each other. We're here to stop Shira. Is that understood, Titans?" Kiara demanded, hoping she could stoping the inter-team fighting before it started. If the team fell into disarray now, they would never stop Shira from releasing Spore. 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Is everyone alright?"

 

Arachnid was lowered by his spiders' webs as he descended from the ceiling, only dropping down near the ground, brandishing an energetic thumbs up at Cygnus. "Heh...aye Swan Prince..." he chuckled, before pumping his fist into the air. "And I gotta say...that has to be one of my BEST finishers since the Orb incident!" Arachnid laughed before glancing at how the others fa-

 

He was a bit caught back by what he saw. The other assassins were...finito...as in...well un-alive. A small wave of uncertainty came over him as he shook his head slightly, only to return to glance back at the 'assassin in a web-blanket' that was Vulture. He was knocked out, but he'd live.

 

"Can you hear me, Shira? Good."

 

Arachnid's focus was snapped out of his small thought process and was sent directly at Kiara. Apparently she now decided to taunt the enemy...

 

"This is Arcana of the Teen Titans, with a special message for you. No matter what kind of dirty tricks you try to pull, the people of Aurora City won't give in! So now, let me warn you. You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice! Your time is running out. So until then... We're fighting. We're standing strong. We're not afraid. We are the Teen Titans!!"

 

It was a very moving speech to Arachnid's ears, as he almost started to clap at it. However, the silence afterwards was put to a halt by Blake. Apparently, he too was a bit miffed by the actions that some took against these assassins. And he wasn't afraid to make these opinions heard...

 

"Broadcasting murder...is not the right thing!"

 

He couldn't lie, but Arachnid knew that Blake's anger was justified. They were heroes...they were different than others. But at the same time, he couldn't help but be a little upset at just throwing Ardonite at Roxie the way he did. "Tin man...just relax..." he said, trying his best to calm his friend down, as Kiara was heard speaking again.

 

"We're not here to point fingers at each other. We're here to stop Shira. Is that understood, Titans?"

 

Arachnid nodded as he moved past Blake for a moment, heading towards Roxie as he picked up Ardonite and swung it around in his hand some, before handing it to Roxie. He extended the hilt of the bat towards her, smiling...which would've been seen if the helmet wasn't in the way...that and his little mask. "Here ya go, Havoc. And...well, thanks for sorta saving my life with that bomb thing." he chuckled. "Nice to know I got someone like you watchin' my back."

[Hälō]

"Can you hear me, Shira? Good."

 

Roxie couldn't help but crack a smile as she watched Kiara jump into her speech. Words couldn't describe how much it meant to the blonde that the other girl was ok, and seeing her leap right back into action gave the knight the strength to ignore her own injuries. Though the fight was tough, all of her friends had somehow managed to pull through, and all that was left was to find Arondite... Maybe Blake could help with that- didn't he say something about a big magnet back at the tower?

 

"This is Arcana of the Teen Titans, with a special message for you. No matter what kind of dirty tricks you try to pull, the people of Aurora City won't give in! So now, let me warn you. You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice! Your time is running out. So until then... We're fighting. We're standing strong. We're not afraid. We are the Teen Titans!!"

 

 

Intent on giving their leader the respect she deserved, the knight silently moved over to Batsu and motioned for him to bend over, before taking grip of the aliens ruined arms. How was she supposed to go about this without hurting the big guy? "Alright, when I get to five, grit your teeth and think about something other than me dismembering you..." She addressed the alien just as Kiara had finished talking. "1....2....3...." 

 

"Broadcasting murder...is not the right thing!"  

 

Roxie's ears perked as she turned to Blake, who actually happened be holding Arondite.

 

"We aren't better than Shira if we succumb to their tactics....they should've been left for the justice system."  

 

The super genius continued, before... THROWING ARONDITE?!?!? Roxie's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched her most treasured possession skid across the marble floor as if it were a piece of garbage. Did he have any idea of what she had to do to earn her weapon? How much of her own blood had been spilled in every f***ing impossible situation Arthur had thrusted her into to prove her worth- her will to live?! She would normally be able to overlook Blake's weak stomach, but Arondite had nothing to do with this! 

 

Gritting her teeth in anger, the blonde suddenly placed her foot on Batsu's lower back and allowed her golden aura to ravenously swallow her form as she tugged at Batsu's arms with all of her might. The sound of popping flesh filled the air as all the limbs were free from their host in one fluid motion, letting loose a rain of white blood. 

 

"We're not here to point fingers at each other. We're here to stop Shira. Is that understood, Titans?"

 

 

 Kiara's words did nothing to calm her anger. Now glaring daggers at the back of Blake's armor, the blonde jumped slightly as Ben's voice sounded just a little too close. 

 

"Here ya go, Havoc. And...well, thanks for sorta saving my life with that bomb thing. Nice to know I got someone like you watchin' my back."

 

"Exactly, Ben!" She growled before tossing Batsu's arms away with enough force to level a nearby pillar. They were watching each other's backs. That assassin would have had no problem killing Kiara in cold blood, and if Roxie hadn't put her down, that might have very well been the case. She would would have killed the b**** for any of the Titan's in a heart beat. Because they were her family!

 

"You think Shira would have thought twice if you had gotten blown up a few minutes ago?!" She addressed Ben whilst gripping Arondite's hilt. Vanishing in a flurry of gold, Roxie reappeared directly in front of Blake with rare scowl. "Those arseholes nearly killed Kiara; not to mention they could have ganked Me, Cygnus, Batsu, or Ben in one shot if they got lucky!" She took a step forward, still glaring up at Blake's expressionless helmet. "But you're still more worried about them???

 

"I'll say it right now so we're clear, Blakey-poo... I'll do anything I have to if it means keeping my friends safe. And if that means offing a couple lowlife pieces of trash to do it, then so be it!" Intent to proving a point, Roxie punctuated her declaration by using her free hand to push against Blake's chest with a small portion of her power.  

[King K. Azo]

"Alright, when I get to five, grit your teeth and think about something other than me dismembering you..." She addressed the alien just as Kiara had finished talking. "1....2....3...."

 

"Wait, Roxie, I asked for my EXTRA---," Batsu tried to explain, but Blake had to open his mouth.

 

"Broadcasting murder...is not the right thing!" oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap! Roxie was mad, and she started to pull at his arms, ripping them off in one smooth motion, Batsu grunting. Okay, that was not what needed to happen. It was fine, he could salvage--- oh, no he couldn't. She tossed his arms into a pillar. Well, that was just great. Now he had to do this the hard way. Staring off at the fallen pillar, Batsu began to ignore everything that was going on to focus on how to fix this.

 

He obviously couldn't ask these people for help, they were too unstable at the moment. He sighed as he grew his lower arms. How many limbs was he going to go through with these people? Grabbing the wrists of the lower arms, he grunted as he pulled, ripping them right out. He spun them around so he could grab the upper part of the arm, and pressed one against he shoulder, watching the skin and muscles slowly reconnect to each other. If Roxie had ripped it his extras, he could just wrap them around his injuries and they would heal, but no. Blake just had to open his mouth and ruin everything.

 

After a few seconds, the arm was attached enough that he could let go of it. So he threw the other arm at the two bickering children, taking an authoritative tone suddenly.

 

"Kyosuke, Zaki, shut the visb up for two minutes," he shook his head, flexing the newly attached arm a bit. Without even noticing his slip up, he continued. "You want to argue the morality of these actions, you go right ahead, AFTER we save the hostages and the city is not in danger," he shook his head. "Right now, that takes top priority," he stared at his new arm before slipping back into his normal state of tone. "You know, is might be strange to say, but I think I like my old arm better... Had it for 13 years...,"

 

He sighed and walked over to the arm he threw, picking it up and attaching it to his shoulder, waiting and mumbling about new recruits and the hassle of arms. "I will say this though. I get it Blake, you value life, and that is good trait. However, sometimes, you have to weigh the choices presented to you and make a hard choice. It's not easy, and trust me, I don't like it more than you...," he drifted off, memories filling his head. No, his eyes were not getting moist! "Let's get going. The longer we stay, the longer we are sitting geese and the hostages stay in danger,"

[Saiba Aisu]

"So now, let me warn you," Kiara declared boldly, her golden eyes flashing from the display screen, her words slightly distorted, warped by its speakers. "You can run, you can hide, but you can never escape justice!"

 

The Agent of Shira contemplated the young heroine for a moment, its ghoulish green eyes unblinking, glowing with a sinister light. It cared nothing for the lives of Carrion and the other members of the elite assassination squad—they were merely pawns in a much greater game, easily forgotten and easily replaced. No, their deaths weren't the problem here. The problem was that in spite of everything, the Titans had managed to survive what should have been their televised execution. They had beat Shira at its own game, humiliated it, even—and what's more, they had done it under the watchful gaze of the entire city.

 

And that was unforgivable.

 

"Master? We await your orders," came a female voice, issuing from a speaker in its ear. Breaking its reverie, reminding it of the greater issue at hand. The plan. No matter what happened, the plan had to move forward.

 

"Cut the live feed of the Teen Titans," the masked figure answered. "But continue watching them using the security system and keep me informed of their movements. In the meantime, prepare to broadcast from my location in two minutes. And start preparing the first set of hostages for execution."

 

"As you command, Master. It shall be done."

 

The young heroes may have managed to save their own miserable hides, but the situation remained unchanged. Whether they were alive or dead, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Shira was still very much in control. The hostages would die according to plan, one by one, and the entire city would bear witness to every glorious second.

 

The Agent of Shira laughed darkly in its throat, anticipating the Titans' expressions of horror and despair when faced with their resounding failure. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that they had defeated Carrion and the other assassins, after all. It had given them a tiny sliver of hope to cling to, a faint light to rally around in the growing darkness.

 

A light that it would take great pleasure in extinguishing.

 

BGM

 

"Broadcasting murder... is not the right thing!" Blake yelled, his voice breaking with anger, completely out of control, like the team had never seen him before. "We aren't better than Shira if we succumb to their tactics... They should've been left for the justice system!"

 

The supergenius hurled Arondite in Roxie's direction with disgust, as if to punctuate each of his barbed words.

 

For the first time in a while, Cygnus felt a flicker of indignation at Blake's self-righteousness and naïveté—no, not just indignation. Disbelief. Anger. Had the Saint Dominique not been enough? The hostages that were probably going to be killed any minute now? Was Blake still unaware of what they were up against? Still ignorant of the methods to which Shira was willing to resort and the consequences that hung in the balance? These people were monsters—they deserved every bit of what they had gotten, and then some.

 

He vaguely registered Kiara and Ben trying to reason with Blake, but he was indifferent to their efforts. Perhaps it was the pressure of the mission finally weighing down on him, but the supergenius' outburst was a painful reminder of the fact that the sorcerer was surrounded by a bunch of mortals—frail, self-indulgent creatures that more often than not lacked the vision and courage to face the truth head-on.

 

"Spare me your theatrics, Blake," Cygnus sneered, picking up after Roxie's tirade, adopting the cold scorn from when he had first joined the team without even realizing it. "You saw how they attacked Kiara, how they tried to kill us all. It was either them or us. And I wasn't about to let it be us."

 

"In case you've forgotten, there's more at stake here than just our consciences," the lunar sorcerer continued with a growl, his lunar sword emitting a faint magical hum as he swung it through the air, as if to emphasize each word. "If stopping Shira and saving Aurora City means that I have to cut down some soulless vermin, then that's fine by me! You can be sure that I won't lose any sleep over it."

[Mr. Hyde]

"You think Shira would have thought twice if you had gotten blown up a few minutes ago?!" At this moment, Roxie placed herself squarely in front of Blake.   "Those arseholes nearly killed Kiara; not to mention they could have ganked Me, Cygnus, Batsu, or Ben in one shot if they got lucky!" She took a step forward, still glaring up at Blake's expressionless helmet. "But you're still more worried about them???  I'll say it right now so we're clear, Blakey-poo... I'll do anything I have to if it means keeping my friends safe. And if that means offing a couple lowlife pieces of trash to do it, then so be it!" 

 

Using a bit of her power, he was pushed back by Roxie's kinetic force.  Irked that she had to use her powers to prove a point, Blake put his hand on her shoulder.  

 

"I'm glad you'd do that for me Havoc...truthfully I am.  However, killing someone wouldn't make me feel better, even if I were killed and you were simply taking revenge or defending everyone else.  I know it seems selfish of me...but I believe that people can change.  However...they can't change if their head's no longer connected to their torso."  It got on his nerves that taking a life was the first thing his teammates thought of to subdue a target...simply knocking them out for the law to handle them correctly was certainly the better choice.  

 

"Spare me your theatrics, Blake.  You saw how they attacked Kiara, how they tried to kill us all. It was either them or us. And I wasn't about to let it be us.  In case you've forgotten, there's more at stake here than just our consciences.  If stopping Shira and saving Aurora City means that I have to cut down some soulless vermin, then that's fine by me! You can be sure that I won't lose any sleep over it."

 

"The words of a true hero I suppose." Blake scoffed.  These weren't the people he read comics about, who he dreamed of becoming.  He turned back to face Cygnus, his mask providing no expression towards the lunar sorcerer.  "If it were up to me, I'd throw you in whatever prison these guys are being sent to.  That's where murderers belong anyways."  

 

Blake walked past Roxie, headed towards where his map suggested the generator room was located.  

 

"I'm going to knock out the power.  If you're coming with, knock yourself out."  His tone had changed from a furious rage, to that of an indifferent annoyance.  There was no use getting worked up over this now...the past was in the past.  The only thing he could do now was try and prevent anymore casualties...on both sides.  

[Saiba Aisu]

"I know it seems selfish of me," Blake murmured, placing one hand on Roxie's shoulder. "But I believe that people can change. However... They can't change if their head's no longer connected to their torso."

 

You'll have a much harder time convincing someone to change if you're the one whose head gets lopped off! Cygnus thought to himself darkly, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes at Blake's hypocritical jab. He didn't seem to remember Blake holding back when he had dive-bombed and skull-bashed one of the Night Sisters against the concrete floor only a few months ago... What, had they not been worth trying to reform?

 

"The words of a true hero, I suppose," Blake scoffed, turning towards the lunar sorcerer, his helmet impassive. "If it were up to me, I'd throw you in whatever prison these guys are being sent to. That's where murderers belong, anyways."

 

Silence. A line had been crossed. Something had broken between them.

 

It was a good thing that Cygnus was wearing an opaque helmet, otherwise the team would have seen the ugly look that descended upon his face, marring his usually smooth features. A murderer, him? As Blake moved away in the direction of the generator room, it took all of lunar sorcerer's willpower not to raise one hand and hex the supergenius right in between the shoulderblades like the arrogant little cockroach he was.

 

"Heroes don't exist," he replied at last, mastering the aggressive impulse. Blake wasn't worth wasting his magical energy. "Except for those stupid enough to believe in them."

 

"I'm going to knock out the power," Blake declared, as if he hadn't a care in the world. "If you're coming with, knock yourself out."

 

"Try not to throw up again," Cygnus advised coolly, "you might get some on Shira, and we all know what an absolute catastrophe that would be."

 

The lunar sorcerer turned away from Blake and strode in the opposite direction without looking back, towards the elevators at the far wall.

 

"Lily, you still there?"

 

"Of course, Cygnet," she replied, her voice purring smoothly from his helmet's speakers, layered with amusement and... exasperation? "This is better than network television."

 

"Perfect. Do me a favor and mark the room in my HUD where Kiara and Blake determined the hostages to be. Some of us have lives to save."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Exactly, Ben! You think Shira would have thought twice if you had gotten blown up a few minutes ago?!"

 

BGM

 

Arachnid fell silent then when Roxie took Ardonite and finally spoke to him. In truth, he wasn't expecting that type of response or reaction. Then again, given the atmosphere of the current situation and point in time...he should've expected it. He could only sigh as he began to speak.

 

"I-I'm sor-"

 

"Those arseholes nearly killed Kiara; not to mention they could have ganked Me, Cygnus, Batsu, or Ben in one shot if they got lucky! But you're still more worried about them??? I'll say it right now so we're clear, Blakey-poo... I'll do anything I have to if it means keeping my friends safe. And if that means offing a couple lowlife pieces of trash to do it, then so be it!"

 

"I'm glad you'd do that for me Havoc...truthfully I am.  However, killing someone wouldn't make me feel better, even if I were killed and you were simply taking revenge or defending everyone else.  I know it seems selfish of me...but I believe that people can change.  However...they can't change if their head's no longer connected to their torso."

 

"Spare me your theatrics, Blake.  You saw how they attacked Kiara, how they tried to kill us all. It was either them or us. And I wasn't about to let it be us.  In case you've forgotten, there's more at stake here than just our consciences.  If stopping Shira and saving Aurora City means that I have to cut down some soulless vermin, then that's fine by me! You can be sure that I won't lose any sleep over it."

 

He was just speechless as these three of his teammates just started bickering and arguing about this back and forth. Honestly, he wasn't sure he could take all this arguing from them. This isn't the place for this... he thought, as he looked at the trio and then away from them, surveying the room itself. Even still...

 

We both know you can't just justify killing...Benjy~

 

Arachnid perked up slightly, quickly looking around as his head snapped around him. That voice...it was his...Baba Yaga. But he wasn't here, thankfully. Otherwise there would've been some movement happening on the HUD in his helmet. He just shook his head slightly, exhaling deeply as he started breaking out in a cold sweat. He isn't here...I'm imagining it...but still. he thought, looking at his own hands. Real or not...I know I won't go down that road. I just can't...I'd end up losing myself.

 

"I'm going to knock out the power.  If you're coming with, knock yourself out."

"Perfect. Do me a favor and mark the room in my HUD where Kiara and Blake determined the hostages to be. Some of us have lives to save."

 

He was brought out of his thought process by Blake and Cygnus' plans of action. One to the generator room and the other to save hostages. Arachnid just stood between the two forces as they walked off, only sighing. I really hope this is the only time this will happen...

[King K. Azo]

Batsu sighed as he watched Blake and Cygnus go at it like children. Well, if they wanted to argue, they could, he supposed. He was in no real position to stop them, being the new guy and all. Instead of picking a side immediately, he went over to check on Kiara. She did take a nasty hit.

The first thing he did was walk around to her back and check her wound. Oh... That looked bad. It was a large rip on her delicate skin. Maybe he could... Well, no, it was painful to sear wounds, and he didn't want to put her through that.

"Does anyone have any medical supplies?" he called out. He then turned back to Kiara. "I can take you back to the tower, if you wish. If not, then do you want to save hostages or get the 'generator'? I will follow you, make sure you are safe...," He would have to admit to himself that Kiara reminded him of her and he desperately didn't want to let her down... But that would not be today.

[Ren✧]

Kiara wasn't sure what the point of being team leader was if no one paid attention to what she said. They were wasting time and short of dragging the Titans away from each other and forcing them to do their job, or fighting the rest of Shira on her own, Kiara was forced to stand and watch as her teammates fought each other. All the while, the hostages got closer to death with each passing moment. 

 

 "Those arseholes nearly killed Kiara..."

 

"Spare me your theatrics, Blake. You saw how they attacked Kiara..."

 

Kiara rolled her eyes as she was reduced to a bargaining chip in this conflict. It wasn't that they she didn't appreciate her friends sticking up for her or their willingness to sacrifice for her, because she did. She really did. They had saved her life after all. She just wished that they valued her as an actual leader as much as they valued the idea of her. Of course, perhaps she needed to take her own advice. 

 

Cygnus and Blake seemed to have reached their own tentative conclusion of the fight, deciding on their own individual plans of action. Part of her wanted to yell at both of them for endangering the lives of the hostages, for wasting so much time, but that would just be counterproductive to her efforts. For now she would just have to try and mitigate the damage that they did within the team. Of course, if everyone continued to refuse to listen to her she wasn't even sure that they would make it out of the broadcasting station alive.

 

"Fantastic, now that we're done wasting time and endangering the lives of the hostages," She said pointedly, making it clear that she wanted no more discussion on the issue, "we can get back to what we came here to do." Taking a moment to calm herself, Kiara compartmentalized the anger she was feeling, those emotions would just get in the way.

 

"Does anyone have any medical supplies?" Batsu had noticed the grievous wound on her back. Kiara turned to hide the gash from him and the rest of the team, only causing her eye to twitch with the pain as she did so. "I can take you back to the tower, if you wish. If not, then do you want to save hostages or get the 'generator'? I will follow you, make sure you are safe...,"

 

Kiara couldn't help but smile warmly at the alien's guardian-like offer.  "That's really not necessary, Batsu, but thank you." She reached out to his mind. "I really do appreciate it." 

 

"I'm sure that Ben here can bandage me up just fine. The hostages can't wait on us any longer. I'm going to save them." She paused, staring at the rift that was quite literally torn between the team, Ben standing between the opposing sides. "Blake can't go without back-up though. That is too dangerous," Kiara spoke from experience, a shiver running down her spine as she remembered the events of Club OXYGEN. "Batsu, I think it best that you go with Blake. I'm sure Cygnus," Kiara looked around and fixed the still pissed off blonde with a look, "...and Roxie more than have back on this."

 

"Plus if Roxie goes with Blake, they might kill each other." Kiara added telepathically to Batsu, making sure he understood that he had a secret mission of calming Blake down should he get too worked up. "Ben, after you get done patching me up, I need you to go with Blake and Batsu. Both teams will update the other on any progress or obstacles. Shira is watching us, we can't let lack of communication be what gets us killed." There was no room for objections, Kiara would not be losing in friends tonight and hopefully Aurora wouldn't be losing any of its citizens either. 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"I'm sure that Ben here can bandage me up just fine. The hostages can't wait on us any longer. I'm going to save them."

 

Arachnid's train of thought stopped as he heard his name brought up by Kiara as he looked in her direction. Her wound was...pretty bad to say the least. "One sec, Arcana..." he said, moving towards Kiara and Batsu, watching him move to the side. "Alright fellas...need ya for another sew job."

 

The moment he spoke this, a few spiders started crawling out onto his hand as he moved near Kiara's exposed wound on her back. "Alright, just relax for a moment." Arachnid said, watching the spiders hop from his hand onto Kiara's back. "Just don't freak out and don't move...it may be a small combination of a tickling sensation and pain."

 

The spiders moved towards Kiara's wound and began to spin a strong web, bandaging up the wound as good as they could. However, during the time, he still couldn't figure out what to do about this whole situation now. It still felt unsettling to him...

 

"Ben, after you get done patching me up, I need you to go with Blake and Batsu. Both teams will update the other on any progress or obstacles. Shira is watching us, we can't let lack of communication be what gets us killed."

 

He looked up and nodded at Kiara, chuckling slightly. "Yeah, sure thing, fearless leader." Arachnid said, before moving away as the spiders jumped back into his hand. "The wound is bandaged up, but I wouldn't suggest stressing your back TOO much...alright?" After this, he moved away before following after Batsu and Blake. "Oi! Wait up, Tin Man! Pyro Maniac!" he said, quickly hopping on the wall, crawling behind them. "And before you ask, Batsu...no...me calling you Pyro Maniac is not an insult."

[King K. Azo]

Batsu saw Kiara's smile as he offered to protect her. It made him feel... well, he wasn't sure about it, but it gave him a warm feeling in his chest. He supposed that was good. However, she seemed to not need his help.

 

"That's really not necessary, Batsu, but thank you." He then heard her in his head. It was an odd feeling, It was like he thought of these words, but he knew they weren't his, but hers... "I really do appreciate it."  He simply nodded in response as she verbally continued. "I'm sure that Ben here can bandage me up just fine. The hostages can't wait on us any longer. I'm going to save them." Batsu nodded, looking up at the divided team. "Blake can't go without back-up though. That is too dangerous," Kiara continued."Batsu, I think it best that you go with Blake. I'm sure Cygnus," Kiara looked up directly at Roxie, "...and Roxie more than have back on this."

 

"If that is what you wish, consider it finished," Batsu said as he stood up and headed over to follow Blake and quickly address him. "You are now temporarily the leader. Try not to visb this up,"  He remained quiet as they walked, until he heard Ben call out to them.

 

"Oi! Wait up, Tin Man! Pyro Maniac!" he said, quickly hopping on the wall, crawling behind them. "And before you ask, Batsu...no...me calling you Pyro Maniac is not an insult." Batsu nodded, before offhandedly saying,

 

"I don't even know what that means... but I'm fairly certain that is not an insult," He jokingly referenced the little yelling session they had before hand. "Sorry for calling you Jevk'xoutot , by the way," He turned back to Blake. "So... This may be bad time, but did we ever figure out what that footprint was?"

[Saiba Aisu]

---

GM Post: 

 (Main Atrium, ACNN24 Headquarters, 9:45 P.M.)

---

[spoiler=GM Post]

What was done was done, what had been said had been said. For better or worse, the pieces had been assembled and the playing board had been set. Each of the teams had their own objective, and it was up to them and them alone to see their missions through to the end. There was no turning back now. Still, it was with a sense of foreboding that the Teen Titans bid each other farewell as they headed in opposite directions, each of them painfully aware of the ugly tension that hung between them, like a noxious cloud.

 

"You're still with us then, Lily?" Kiara asked, speaking into her helmet as she, Cygnus, and Roxie stepped into the middle elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor. The doors slid shut behind the trio with a pleasant musical chime that seemed woefully out of place given the current circumstances, followed by a slight lurch as the elevator sprang into motion, bearing them upwards rapidly—hopefully to where the hostages were still alive and waiting to be rescued.

 

"Naturally," Lily replied. "I'll be keeping an eye out for you and the other team in order to provide logistical support. Both eyes, if I can spare them, but I can't make any promises. I'm currently in the final stages of developing the antidote to Spore and I can't afford to make any mistakes. You understand."

 

Kiara nodded along automatically, focused on the challenges ahead. It would appear that clever and resourceful as she was, even Lily had her limits. That meant that it would be her, Cygnus, and Roxie against Shira now. The only thing standing between them and failure were their skills and their wits. It was a sobering thought, but not a hopeless one—whatever came to pass, she knew she could count on both of them. And at the very least, it was reassuring to know that the antidote was almost complete: it meant one less thing to worry about in the event of a possible contagion.

 

"We're counting on you, Kiara," Cygnus murmured softly, his dark blue gaze flickering towards the diminutive heroine whose psychic abilities were the only semblance of a guiding compass they had left. The telepathic princess would be instrumental in detecting the concealed enemies that undoubtedly lay in wait for them.

 

"I know."

 

The pneumatic doors slid open once more as the elevator came to a halt on the fourth floor, revealing a long, narrow, and dimly lit hallway, stretching out before them for several dozen yards before it turned sharply to the left. Unmarked doors lined the passage on either side, most likely leading to rooms for news broadcasts, meeting, or spare storage... Or perhaps hidden enemies.

 

 

"Everything alright on your end, boys?" Lily inquired, her sultry tones purring smoothly from the speakers of their helmets, gliding across their ears like velvet.

 

"Everything seems fine... for now, that is," Blake replied shortly, leading the way down several flights of stairs, following the service stairwell that led to the basement generator room, Batsu and Ben at his heels. "We're still headed in the right direction?"

 

"It would appear so, yes."

 

Their new surroundings were a far cry from the outspoken luxury of the main atrium—dull concrete, repetitive square angles, and glaring overhead lighting that warped their shadows as it cast them on the walls. The lack of windows served as a reminder that they were descending below ground, and every footstep seemed to echo unnaturally loudly, as if they were traversing an unexplored cave, plunging along some subterranean passage to the center of the earth.

 

"Have you already decided how you're going to shut down the generator system for the entire building?" Lily asked, directing her words at no one in particular. "Something tells me that it won't be as easy as flicking a simple switch..."

 

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Batsu answered, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "If the machine doesn't want to cooperate... Then we'll destroy it, simple as that."

 

"How very refined of you... Well, whatever works, beggars can't be choosers. If you're able to knockout the generator quickly enough, though, you might be able to do more than just put the enemy at a tactical disadvantage... No generator means no electricity, no electricity means no television broadcast, and no television broadcast means no live audience. Call me crazy, but something tells me that Shira won't enjoy the idea of executing their hostages if there's no one watching."

 

"There it is," Ben murmured suddenly, coming to a halt and pointing over his teammates' shoulders towards the bottom of the stairwell.

 

A massive and imposing dark green steel door swam into view, half as tall again as Batsu, its surface marred by a warning spelled out in glaring letters: WARNING. EXTREMELY HIGH VOLTAGE. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. The ominous message didn't seem to be enough to stop Arachnid, though. Vaulting easily over the handrail, he landed lightly on the floor without a sound, drawing closer to the entrance. A loud electric hum seemed to emanate from behind the door, pulsing steadily.

 

"Shall we, gents?" he asked, smiling in spite of himself as Blake and Batsu joined him, pushing the door open with both hands.

 

 

4th Floor, Central Broadcasting Access, ACNN24 Headquarters

 

"Anything, Kiara-love?" Roxie demanded over her shoulder, practically dancing on her toes with eagerness, swinging Arondite to and fro, clearly ready for some good old-fashioned arse-kicking.

 

"Nothing," Kiara whispered back, relieved in spite of herself as she used her telepathic powers to probe the passageway ahead. She had been expecting Shira to set up more assassins to take them out as soon as they got off the elevator, but it appeared that the immediate way was deserted, for the moment. Hopefully it would stay that way. 

 

"Let's get moving, then," Cygnus interjected. "Shira could start killing off hostages any moment now. We don't have much time."

 

BGM

 

The trio advanced as one, their steps muffled by the plush carpet underfoot, their gazes scouring the walls intently, sliding across elegant watercolor paintings and delicate vases, trying to keep watch for any possible traps... A mistake, as it turned out. They should have been watching their feet.

 

As soon as the trio turned the corner, a faint noise was heard from below as one of them triggered a hidden switch. With a series of smooth mechanized clicks, several slender-necked turrets unfolded themselves, seemingly springing from the walls and floor in a staggered formation, their black surfaces gleaming like a scarab's shell. In that split moment, Kiara realized she had made a terrible mistake.

 

"GET BACK!" she cried as the turrets opened fire with a roar, unleashing a blistering hail of armor-piercing bullets. Too little, too late.

 

If it hadn't been for Roxie, she and Cygnus would have perished right there and then. The blonde knight let her battle instincts take over, letting Arondite fall from her fingers as she slipped into her overdrive state in a flash of bright gold. Before the weapon had even hit the floor, she grabbed Kiara and Cygnus by the backs of their necks and lunged forward at top speed, dragging them along with her, as if she meant to smash them all headfirst against the corridor. At the last moment, she jumped feet-first, extending her lower body, landing on the wall on the balls of her feet, perched for the briefest of instants in a perpendicular squat in apparent defiance of gravity. Roxie grit her teeth and kicked off, releasing all of her charged kinetic energy in a single burst, blasting them back along the first corridor with such force that she left a small crater in the wall. Milliseconds later, the salvo of armor-piercing bullets streaked through the air, literally ripping apart the walls and furniture as if they were made of rice paper.

 

THUD!!!

 

The trio was projected backwards for several feet, landing gracelessly on their backs safely out of the line of fire, though the plush carpet underneath helped break their fall. With their targets no longer in sight, the turrets immediately stopped firing, leaving a heavy silence, broken only by the sounds of the three Titans as they tried to catch their breath.

 

"SHITE!" Roxie growled irritably, getting to her feet and slamming the wall with one small golden-shrouded fist, leaving a sizable dent. "First snipers, then assassins, and now turrets?! Is there anything these rotters haven't thought of?! AND I've gone and lost Arondite AGAIN!!"

 

"C'est pas la peine, Blondie, calme-toi,"¹ Cygnus murmured, dusting himself off as he stood up, though still fighting the temptation to burst into a chorus of French expletives.

 

Swearwords would solve nothing—they needed a plan to get past those motion-tracking turrets, and fast.

 

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]1. It's not worth it, Blondie, calm down.

 

 

Basement Floor, Main Generator Room, ACNN24 Headquarters

 

BGM

 

As the steel door swung shut behind them with a loud clang, the three young Titans advanced slowly into the large subterranean room, their heads turning in all directions, trying to take in as many details as possible. The electronic humming was louder now, almost unbearable, like a million bees busily at work... And it wasn't difficult to see why. At least fifteen medium-sized generators—easily as tall as a full-grown man, colored the same dark green as the door—stretched out before them at regular intervals along the floor, practically crackling with energy, providing Shira with the power they needed for their sinister television broadcasts. From the looks of things, Lily's prediction had been spot-on: shutting off the tower's electricity wouldn't be as easy as flicking a simple switch.

 

Unfortunately, however, the trio didn't have much time to make observations and draw conclusions. A low rumble and piercing screech of protesting metal suddenly echoed from somewhere across the room, just out of sight, followed by a loud whooshing sound as something monstrously heavy hurtled towards from them from overhead.

 

Batsu hadn't been on earth long enough to learn the French phrase "déjà vu," nor was Cygnus around to explain it to him. But the concept of irony, of being crushed by an enemy after he himself had done the very same thing? That he understood very well. With a roar, the brawny alien seized Blake and Ben by the waist, using his powerful muscles to kick off from the ground in a low, dizzying long jump, propelling the trio rapidly through the air towards the left, borne on the thick jets of flame blasting from his other arms.

 

BOOM! CRASH!! SCREEECHHHH!!

 

Moments later, one of the rectangular generators collided with the space where they had been standing with the force of a small elephant, sliding across the concrete floor with an ear-splitting shriek in a storm of sparks, coming to a halt against the wall, blocking the room's entrance.

 

"Ahhhhh, unlucky~!!"

 

The male voice, heavily distorted by speakers, wafted towards the three Titans from somewhere nearby, drawing closer by the second, accompanied by a chorus of loud thuds and mechanical cracks and whines, until its owner finally came into view.

 

"OH, VISB!" Batsu cursed, his eyes widening in shock in spite of himself at the sight.

 

A metallic giant lurched towards them, the smooth expanse of its powerful segmented body armor gleaming a dull silver in the overhead light. The concept wasn't extraordinarily different from that of Blake's Satellite armorsuit... If the latter were to be twelve feet tall, several hundred pounds heavier, and armed to the teeth with wrist-mounted machine guns. With every step, the giant's four-pronged feet gripped and smashed the concrete floor, leaving the same bizarre set of footprints that Cygnus had spotted in the main atrium. The flat angular head mounted atop the mechanical monstrosity's neck seemed more reptilian than anything else—its beady eyes flashed with a serpentine gleam as it swiveled in the Titans' direction, its savage jaw almost seeming to twist in a hungry grin as it hefted its weapons towards them with glee.

 

"Peek-a-boo, I see you!!"

 

A roar of heavy gunfire erupted from its wrist-mounted cannons, blasting holes in the walls and floor, obliterating anything too slow or too stupid to get out of the way. Somehow, the Titans managed to to avoid the deadly salvo at the last moment, crying out as splinters of concrete and metal hurtled by them, buffeting them in passing. Breaking formation, Blake, Ben, and Batsu each hauled ass in different directions as fast as they could, trying to split the giant's attention and divert its firepower, taking cover behind different generators scattered across the chamber.

 

"Sorry... Bad time?" Lily inquired, her velvety tones unruffled and unhurried, as if she were discussing the weather.

 

"YES!!!" the six Titans cried in response, practically shouting into their helmets' microphones in unison.

 

"Ah, right, okay then... You may want to know that Shira has started broadcasting again. We have less than fifteen minutes before the first hostages are executed."

---

[spoiler=OOC. Please Read.]

Alright guys, thanks for your speediness in posting! I am so, so, so happy with our current pace and energy—let's do our best to keep it going! ♡ In the meantime, you can see that our heroes are in a serious pinch, to put it lightly! Please refer to the notes below for more information about the challenges being faced by your respective characters.

 

1. Cygnus, Roxie, and Kiara are so close to the hostages that they can almost taste them! Er... Yeah. The only problem is that their way forward is barred by at least a dozen strategically placed military-class turrets. Equipped with state-of-the-art motion sensing and auto-targeting systems, these babies have some pretty nasty firepower and are capable of doling out the same armor-piercing bullets that were used to ambush the team at the beginning of the mission. With the exception of Kiara, these projectiles can and will blast unshielded targets like Cygnus and Roxie into smithereens like overripe grapefruit in seconds—and even then, Kiara can't take more than a handful of hits before her barrier breaks down. The turrets are spread out evenly in a staggered formation across the floors and walls, meaning that they can all fire at the same time without getting in each other's way. How to proceed? Time is running out...

2. If you thought the above situation sounded nasty, think again. Batsu, Ben, and Blake have been ambushed and cornered in the tower's main generator room by a G0LI7TH ("GOLIATH") Unit, piloted by a member of Shira. A top-secret experimental class of military technology, it has apparently been stolen and redesigned for Shira's sinister purposes. The unit is heavily armored and heavily armed, capable of taking an incredible amount of damage and dealing out ridiculous amounts of destruction using its twin wrist-mounted machine guns to blast apart targets, in addition to being a powerful close-range combatant. Although conceptually similar in some ways to Blake's Satellite armorsuit, the G0LI7TH unit trades tactical utility, speed, and mobility for pure power. Nevertheless, it is equipped with a back-mounted jetpack that allows for short bursts of rapid movement and short jumps. Projectile or energy-based attacks like Blake's Repulsor Blasts or Batsu's fire will do practically zero damage to the unit's armor, though its wrist-mounted cannons seem more vulnerable to attack. Physical attacks may be able to stun it or push it back, but most likely won't be enough to defeat it—again, this thing is basically a tank on two legs. As of now, all three of our heroes are in mortal danger. This enemy is ranked within the B to B+ range, making for an extremely deadly threat that even full-fledged members of the Justice League would think twice about engaging alone. It will take every ounce of our heroes' cunning and strength if they want to survive.

 

As always, the regular rules about not taking the enemy out of commission apply—particularly in the case of the G0LI7TH Unit, which I will be stepping in to control from time to time as needed. Any further questions and comments will be addressed in the Skype chat. TEEN TITANS, GO~!

 

[Ren✧]

Her senses on high alert, Kiara could feel the minds of the hostages grow closer with each step that she took but despite her relief at knowing that none of them had been executed yet she felt her apprehension grow with every passing second. Why hadn't Shira mounted another attack? They could have easily caught them in the elevator where the Titans would have had a hard time of fighting their way out. At the very least surely there would have been a patrol circling the 4th floor that the three of them would have run into by n-

 

CLICK! 

 

"That's why there aren't any guards..." 

 

"GET BACK!" Flailing her arms out, Kiara intended to take as much of the incoming barrage as she could, knowing that she had the highest likelihood of surviving it. Fortunately, Roxie had other plans. Kicking in to Overdrive, she wrenched the Titans out of the incoming swarm of death. Kiara cried out in pain, the wound on her back screaming as she was thrown onto the floor but she quickly silenced the outburst. Better that then to suddenly resemble swiss cheese.

 

"Thanks, Rox. I'm losing track of how many times you've saved my life today." She said, flashing the knight a toothy grin. Returning to the situation at hand, Kiara wished they had Ben by their side. No doubt his spiders would be handy in taking down these turrets. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to think about what they should have done. 

 

Looking around, Kiara slowly rose from where she was on the floor, and moved to a tackily displayed vase. She knew that the fragile piece of art couldn't possibly stand up under the pressure of the blaster fire, but perhaps-

 

Grunting with effort and pain as the wound in her back shrieked from the strain, Kiara lifted the heavy display overhead. Aiming it at the closest turret, Kiara gave another shout as she turned the display into a projectile. Unfortunately as soon as her makeshift missile entered the turret's sight range the heavy armor piercing rounds blasted it to pieces, leaving only harmless chunks of rubble to bounce off the black casing of the turret. 

 

"Dammit...alright new plan, new plan..." Kiara muttered, her vision swimming with the faces of the hostages that would be killed in less than 15 minutes. Thinking back to the conflict the Titans had with the assassins Kiara looked over at Cygnus. "What about those bubbles? Can you conjure them inside the turret's range of fire?" Perhaps that would generate the kind of chaos necessary to destroy the turrets. 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"I don't even know what that means... but I'm fairly certain that is not an insult. Sorry for calling you Jevk'xoutot"

 

"Yeah well, didn't know what that meant in our language...so no worries." Arachnid chuckled as he gave Batsu a thumbs up. That's about when Batsu asked about the footprint. "Actually...ya know what, I don't think we did. Only due to the fact that we had some assassins try and take us out." he gave a slight chuckle, trying his best to lighten the mood.

 

"We're still headed in the right direction?"

"It would appear so, yes."

 

Arachnid heard Blake immediately speaking to Lily, after she asked if everything was going alright. Apparently they were heading in the right direction. However, he could still heard Blake's voice having a bit of the same tone he had earlier. A small sigh escaped his mouth as he just continued to crawl on the wall beside them. He wanted to help him out...say something to him...but he was fairly certain that would lead to more problems.

 

"Have you already decided how you're going to shut down the generator system for the entire building? Something tells me that it won't be as easy as flicking a simple switch..."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. If the machine doesn't want to cooperate... Then we'll destroy it, simple as that."

 

He could only chuckle at Batsu's response. "Very optimistic Pyro..." he said, shaking his head as he stopped along the wall, seeing their target. "There it is."

 

With the greatest of ease, Arachnid vaulted over the railings and headed towards the green door that was obviously giving them a warning of not being here. Under normal circumstances, probably would've listened. However...superhero business trumped this door's rules...

 

 

"Shall we, gents?"

 

Those were Arachnid's words...right before he opened the door. Right after, however...

 

"MADRE DE DIOS!!!"

 

He felt Batsu grabbing him by the waist, and being airborne as he watched another suit of armor literally trying to throw a generator at them. After that...hell broke loose on this close encounter with this robo-warrior.

 

"I think we found the source of the footprints!!" Arachnid shouted, barely dodging the shots being fired by the suit. He dove behind a few generators, before he heard what Lily spoke.

 

"Ah, right, okay then... You may want to know that Shira has started broadcasting again. We have less than fifteen minutes before the first hostages are executed."

 

Merde... Arachnid thought, as he looked at the suit. He knew it was somewhat similar to Blake's Satellite suit...and, well even with him ALMOST beating Blake...he probably had no chance. But, upside was that he was quicker. Alright. Given the exact look and firepower of the suit this nutjob has...it probably means it's going to be weighed down heavily.

 

Arachnid quickly moved and sent his thoughts to Batsu and Blake, via Communicator. His plan now...well, it was naturally a distraction.

 

"Hey!" Arachnid shouted as he leaped and stuck to the ceiling of the room. "Neat outfit! Does it come with it's own nightlight? Oh no, wait! How much was this prop from the "Alien" movie? And do they have it in red?"

[Mr. Hyde]

"Ah, right, okay then... You may want to know that Shira has started broadcasting again. We have less than fifteen minutes before the first hostages are executed."

 

The three man squad was now face to face with a bipedal tank.  The rest of his team wouldn't be able to notice, but he was definitely sweating now.  The situation just kept getting more and more intense.  

 

"Of course there would be something down here, and a copycat at that!" he thought to himself.  Not only was the team on a fifteen minute time, a giant hunk of machinery stood in their way from doing what they came here to do.  Shira had thought of everything that the team might've tried to pull off.  Blake had severely underestimated the terrorist organization.  Not only did they have a greater tactical edge than the team possessed, but they also had military grade tech at their disposal.  

 

Then, a fly on the wall...or more along the lines of a spider on the ceiling, started whispering sweet nothings to the team.  Plans of a diversion...they couldn't take this guy head on, especially not while he was spraying the whole vicinity with a hail of bullets.  

 

"Hey!  Neat outfit! Does it come with it's own nightlight? Oh no, wait! How much was this prop from the "Alien" movie? And do they have it in red?"

 

Blake could be seen smacking the front of his helmet with his palm.  Taunting an assassin...surely it wouldn't work.  But Ben had his methods, and Blake had his.  This had been the first time that the trio had really been on their own together on a team.  Blake opened the communication channel between the three.

 

"Batsu, how hot can your flames get.  Maybe if we get that thing tied down in one spot, we can start roasting this fool!"  Of course, Blake merely meant that the conditions inside the suit would become unbearably hot, and the denizen within would surely abandon ship.  "First...we have to take care of those guns!  Actually...on second thought...They could work towards our cause!  If the team were to make the behemoth mech shoot at the generators for them, the task would get done much faster than taking out the obstacle.  "Ben, rile that guy up some more, and start hopping in between the generators.  Let's make him take them out for us!"

 

Still hiding behind cover, Blake still had to figure out what he himself should do.  Sure his armor could withstand getting shot by some tights of anti-armor rounds, but he wasn't sure taking that risk was a good option by now.  Especially with the gaping weak spot he had in his suit currently.  

 

"Come on Blake...get out there..."  

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

 

As his gaze fell upon Kiara, Cygnus bit his lip, his eyes narrowed with concern. The girl had taken a serious injury head-on, she was in no state to be exerting herself, and yet there she was, picking up heavy displays and hurling them at the turrets blocking their path. He knew that it was pointless to try and dissuade her—Kiara was in full-on hero mode, she wouldn't let anything stop her until the hostages were safely rescued.

 

"Dammit... Alright, new plan, new plan," Kiara muttered feverishly, clearly wracking her brains for ideas, before turning towards her teammate. "What about those bubbles? Can you conjure them inside the turrets' range of fire?" she asked.

 

"I can try," he replied, "though something tells me that they won't be able to inflict much damage against metallic targets like that. The fact that I don't have a direct line of sight also makes things a lot harder. If I could just get a clear shot with my Moon Bolts, I'm almost certain I could blast them apart..."

 

The sorcerer lapsed into silence, trying to come up with a solution. They needed some way to draw the turrets' fire in order to provide an opening to launch an attack of their own. But how? Anything that ventured into the devices' line of sight would be immediately cut down. The only thing he could think of was conjuring intangible constructs of pure light to draw their attention, but if they were intangible, they wouldn't be able to deal any damage. They were caught squarely in a stalemate, unless...

 

"I think I have an idea," Cygnus murmured at last, his gaze shifting from Kiara to Roxie, "but it won't be easy."

[Hälō]

Roxie listened to Cygnus's plan intently as she sat cross legged against the wall. This had to be the most she had ever used Overdrive in the field, and her body was beginning to ache from the the strain she was putting on it. But she couldn't let the other two know that... After watching Kiara keep pushing herself forward- even with the injuries the other girl had sustained, the blonde couldn't bring herself to show even a trace of weakness.

 

Had she been completely honest with herself, Roxie would have to acknowledged that she was slightly jealous of Kiara. Smart, beautiful, and and an outstanding leader; it was no surprise that she was still her feet right now, whilst the knight was sitting on her ass. People were in danger, and Arcana wouldn't be able to rest until they were safe and sound. That's just the kind of hero she was. Glancing over to the other Titan, a wave of insecurity washed in from a place in Roxie's heart that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Was she falling behind? Would her friends still need Havoc if this was all it took to slow her down? If she couldn't fight, what else would she good for?!

 

"You still with us, blondie?" Cygnus's voice penetrated the haze that had set over her brain, casing her do jump slightly. Realizing that she had been staring at Kiara in a peculiar manner, the blonde ripped her cyan gaze away before nodding and smiling at Cygnus. "So you wanna use your geese to draw their fire, whilst me and Kiara smash 'em up?" She recited his plan to confirm that she was paying attention before leaping to her feet.

 

"I'm game!"

 

"Alright then," Cygnus eye'ed the blonde with a hint of suspicion before smoothly turning to move towards the the corner. "shall we get to it, ladies?"  

 

 

BMG

 

"Scatter!" Cygnus's voice echoed across the hallway, followed almost immediately the mournful song that accompanied a salvo ethereal swan constructs as they materialized and began gracefully dancing around the room. Though the song was soon interrupt by a roaring hail of gunfire as the turrets attempt to gun down the ghastly moonlight constructs. 

 

With the first part of the plan complete, Roxie burst into action. "Alright, lets do it!" The former knight roared, summoning forth her golden halo with a grunt before leaping around the corner and setting her sights on her first target. Waiting until the turret's barrel turned away from her, Roxie hastily span around at jumped towards the wall closest to the bend, firmly placing both feet against it just as she had done the first time. Though now she wasn't running. 

 

With another grunt the girl blasted herself off the wall, using her power to boost her momentum and leave a sizable dent in her wake. Within seconds the girl had become a golden missile that tore right through the turret closest to her and the other Titans, dispensing her tiny form on the other side of the ruined machine with her fist extend as if she had just thrown a punch.

 

Panting, Roxie watched as a swan construct flew overhead, causing another one of the turrets to fire off a barrage of shots just a little too close for comfort. Instinctively rolling to the side, Havoc's face twisted in pain as her body screamed in protest. "No." She growled before sprinting forward in a golden blur whilst gathering energy in her still smoking right hand. "I won't fall behind!" Watching as her next target turned face her, Roxie swung her fist forward with all of her might just as the turret began to fire. "ROX-GUN!" Her voice heralded a violent shock wave that pushed the turrets barrel into it's core, causing it to crumble before exploding in a rain of metal. 

 

Seconds later, the blonde would burst from the smoke brandishing the the glowing purple barrel of the ruined turret. "I'll just have keep pushing," Leaping high into the air, Roxie sent the kinetically charge projectile spinning towards the next turret, watching as it broke through it's base and collided another gun a few feet behind it before loudly exploding in purple light. "I need to keep getting stronger..." 

[Saiba Aisu]

BGM

 

"Karreylos Ethonim Cazar!" Cygnus breathed, each syllable laden with sorcery, shaping the magic to his will, summoning a flock of ethereal translucent swans. "Scatter!" he commanded, directing them around the corner, towards the enemy turrets.

 

The moonlight constructs took flight obediently in a flash of silver, dancing and diving swiftly through the air, their voices raised in an otherworldly lament. The turrets reacted immediately, their rotating necks swiveling rapidly to keep track of the new arrivals, unleashing a blistering salvo of bullets. The incorporeal apparitions continued to twist through the air in all directions, unaffected by the projectiles that tore through them. Two or three of them even descended upon turrets, spreading their wings and throwing their long necks back as they sang, forcing several of the turrets to open fire on each other.

 

"I won't fall behind!" Roxie roared, cloaking herself in the vivid gold aura of the Overdrive Mode, darting from one enemy unit to the next at top speed. Within moments, the blonde knight had turned Cygnus' tentative plan into a reality, taking advantage of the opening to destroy four turrets in quick succession.

 

"Moi non plus, Blondie!"¹ the sorcerer cried, spinning into the corridor and joining the fray, hurling an explosive barrage of Moon Bolts with a magical hum, making quick work of four more turrets. "Take that! And that!!"

 

[spoiler=Learn French with Cygnus: Today's Lesson]1. Me either, Blondie!

[King K. Azo]

Batsu cursed to himself as he dodged the thrown generator, dragging Blake and Ben for the ride. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Visb, he needed a vacation after this, or maybe a girlfriend. Then again, what girl would go for a guy like him? His thoughts were interrupted by Ben starting to taunt the giant piece of metal.

 

"Hey! Neat outfit! Does it come with it's own nightlight? Oh no, wait! How much was this prop from the "Alien" movie? And do they have it in red?" Well, if that worked, it worked. If not, then... Hey, no hurt, no offense? ... That didn't sound right either.

 

"Batsu, how hot can your flames get? Maybe if we get that thing tied down in one spot, we can start roasting this fool!"  Right. Metal conducts heat, so could work. "First...we have to take care of those guns!  Actually...on second thought...They could work towards our cause!  He supposed that made sense, but the armor threw one at them. Would it really help that much?  "Ben, rile that guy up some more, and start hopping in between the generators.  Let's make him take them out for us!" Well, Blake was leader. Time to see if was worthy of the position.

 

"I'm not sure if I can make it hot enough... Not without becoming angry," Batsu answered. "But, I shall try," With a grunt, he forced his hands to generate fire. With a mighty roar, he threw all six hands forwards, focusing them on one spot: the cockpit of this machine. It had to work. They had less than fifteen minutes to shut this thing down!

 

.... How long was a minute?

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Ben, rile that guy up some more, and start hopping in between the generators.  Let's make him take them out for us!"

 

"Ha!" Arachnid started laughing, nodding at Blake's approval of his plan. "I knew you'd see me for my genius sooner or later!" he said, before scurrying around the ceiling, whistling at the robo-guy. "Hey metal head! Your aim sucks! I mean, c'mon...I've seen old ladies with better aim than you. And that's with them throwing a freakin' shoe!"

 

He began to hop between the generators, hearing the sounds of bullets hitting the ceiling as well. "Ooohhh...consider that nerve touched." Arachnid snickered, calling his spiders out as they quickly swarmed down the wall and making quick work of the ground near the suit's big clumsy feet. That'll be good. If he makes one small step, he'll fall flat on his face thanks to my spider's tripwire webs! he thought triumphantly.

 

"So seriously, who let you out of the house dressed like that?" Arachnid said, still ducking and weaving between the generators. "It's a fashion faux pa! Don't you know red and black are in this year?"

[Ren✧]

It was really more of an involuntary movement than a conscious decision, scratching the bandages on her back. Still, Kiara couldn't have picked a worse time to assuage her discomfort. Before she even had time to react, the despondent song of the Cygnus' swans had graced the air and almost immediately it was cut short by the clatter of gun fire. Roxie and Cygnus had already started to destroyed the turrets before Kiara had stopped scratching herself. "Great job, fearless leader." Kiara chastised, jumping into action.

 

Figuring that simple was better than overcomplicating the situation, Kiara settled for sprinting and crushing the distracted turret with her fist. Breaking through two of the automated machine guns, Kiara realized that the Titans had significantly thinned out the obstacles in their way. Perhaps she grew complacent in seeing the number of turrets shrink, maybe the conjured swans hated Kiara, or maybe it was bad luck but one of the remaining turrets swiveled to focus on Kiara. 

 

"We are not doing this again."  Instead of trying to roll out of the way, like every instinct screamed at her, Kiara leapt towards the incoming volley of bullets. The first of which smashed into her fist as she collided with the turret. "That was gutsy." She was applauded herself, shaking her hand out. Never before had she tested her barrier like this. Another hit like that and she would end up looking like swiss cheese. 

 

"One left!" Kiara cried, a familiar twinge of joy entering her voice as she ran towards the turret. This almost felt like the patrols she worked in the training she did for the Justice League before she joined the Teen Titans. Before people started to count on her. Scooping up Arondite, Kiara waited until she was within striking distance and thoroughly clobbered the final piece of hardware. After taking a moment to admire her handiwork she turned to Roxie.

 

"So, are we gonna have to keep cleaning up after you or...?" She said with a smile. 

[King K. Azo]

Batsu growled to himself as he noticed that his flames did nothing to the suit. They didn't have time to mess around with this thing! They were rapidly running out of time, and they weren't any closer to their goal!
 
"Hey metal head! Your aim sucks! I mean, c'mon...I've seen old ladies with better aim than you. And that's with them throwing a freakin' shoe!" Ben began to hop between the generators, taunting as he danced around bullets. "Ooohhh...consider that nerve touched." Arachnid snickered. "So seriously, who let you out of the house dressed like that?" the spider-teen asked, still ducking and weaving between the generators. "It's a fashion faux pa! Don't you know red and black are in this year?"

Batsu watched as the suit remained stationary, still firing. This was getting them nowhere fast! Time to take some drastic measures.

"We don't have time for this jxak!!" Batsu roared as he suddenly stopped shooting fire and instead charged at the suit. The man inside was not fast enough to react to Batsu's sudden approach, so Batsu managed to grab the suit around the waist and leap into the air, flipping the suit so it would land headfirst into the ground.

 

When the head did smash into the ground, Batsu rolled across the ground, causing the suit to be positioned onto his shoulders. With this done, the alien took a mighty leap into the air, using his elbow flames to reposition so Batsu resembled a flame propelled hawk swooping at its prey as they dived at the ground, the suit crashing into the floor as Batsu let go to tuck and roll safely away.

"Did it work?" He asked as he stood up, looking over his handiwork.