Into the Depths – Chapter Two

Chapter Two
Earth and Stinger

April 27th, 2009. Monday, 2:47 pm.

The sun shone brightly that afternoon, a gentle, salty breeze flowing through the air. Cars hocked, people talked, people laughed; the bustle of the city never ending. Most, if not all, were unaware of the teen – the one which they hailed as a hero – that was running across the rooftops.

“Cyborg, where’s the trouble?” asked Dick, just before he leapt off a roof. Swiftly, he shot a grappling hook to the other side and smoothly sailed through the air to the other rooftop. He landed in a crouch and waited for Cyborg’s reply, which came quickly.

“South side of the city – mountain range,” said Cyborg through the communicator. “We got an alert that a colony of scorpions went on a rampage. Something about a disruption of their nests.”

As Dick turned to go in the direction of the mountain range of the city, he frowned slightly.

“Why would there be trouble over scorpions, Cy?”

“Apparently, they’re big. Really big.”

“Wonderful,” drawled Dick, unaware just how much he sounded like his adopted father at that moment. “All right, see you guys there.”

Dick cut the communication and pocketed the communicator. Without ever slowing down, Dick leapt from rooftop to rooftop with his grappling hook. It took him a few minutes to reach the appointed area, but he didn’t mind too much. The feeling of flight was truly wonderful and he was thrilled to be out of the haunt – yeah, he still called it the ‘haunt’; still a home, though – and out of that horrendous kitchen.

Life felt pretty good at the moment. He didn’t have to worry about his sleeping issues, he didn’t have to clean an impossibly messy kitchen, and he could just bask in the free feeling he was experiencing as he swung from rooftop to rooftop.

Being a Teen Titan definitely had its high points.

“Hey, team!” said Dick with an excited wave. He landed on the upper side of a rock face and smiled as he saw all four of his friends waiting for him. He was greeted with the usual expressions.

“Robin! It is glorious to see you today!” cried Starfire. Instantly, Dick was collided with a pair of strong arms that tightened around him; his senses were overcome with the scent of her hair as it fluttered in his face. For a moment, Dick wondered whether or not he was going red because of physical contact with Starfire or because he couldn’t breathe.

Both seemed like probable suggestions.

“H–hey, Star. Nice to see you, too,” said Dick; his voice slightly choked from her tight hug. Starfire pulled back and smiled blindingly at him. Dick was momentarily dazzled. Well, this was troublesome. It took him a moment to remember exactly where he was.

“Yeah, man, I totally thought you were on house arrest today!” piped up Beast Boy, folding his arms; but appearing happy that Dick was there.

Subtle alarm rose inside Dick’s chest. He hoped to all the heavens above that Beast Boy would keep his obnoxious mouth shut about the conversation they had earlier. With jerky movements, he managed to turn his gaze over to Cyborg – hoping to steer the conversation a thousand light years away from any potential embarrassing subjects – who was giving him a strangely smug look.

“I’m the leader of the Teen Titans,” said Dick, trying extremely hard not to stutter. “Gotta go when there’s trouble. Uh, so, just where is the trouble?”

It took a minute for that smug look to slide off Cyborg’s face, his human eye flicking back and forth between Dick and Starfire. Dick wanted to groan, but he held it in. He couldn’t help about being obvious. He froze nearly every time now around Starfire. It was getting downright annoying.

“Not sure,” said Cyborg with a light shrug. “All I know is that someone complained about a disturbance in the mountains. They mentioned a colony of scorpions, but not much else was said.”

“Do you know who gave you the tip? Male or female?”

There was a shake of the head.

“Female, but that’s it.”

Dick frowned. He turned his gaze out towards the canyon. He took a few steps forward to the edge of the cliff. The canyon was wide, but the distance could still be grappled across. Broken stone littered the sides of the rock face, dust flying upward as the wind blew through the canyon.

Another breeze fluttered through Dick’s hair, strands of his black bangs flying against his cheek – he hadn’t bothered to spike it back today, due to his kitchen cleaning. There’d been no time to gel back his hair, but he didn’t mind so much any more.

His eyes continued to take in the canyon as Starfire lifted into the air and floated next to him.

“What are you thinking, Dick?” asked Starfire in a low whisper. Dick smiled lightly. She was doing it more – calling him by his real name. He had to admit: he rather liked it. He liked hearing his name from her lips. He glanced over at her, happy that he wasn’t completely freezing up at that moment – definitely a rarity that he needed to work on having become more common.

“Not sure. Something strange is—”

His words were drowned out by a tremendous roar in the canyon. Dick had to grab onto Starfire’s wrist to steady himself as the ground shook furiously. Rocks broke beneath his feet and he stumbled backwards to avoid falling, landing right on his seat. He winced, gritting his teeth.

“Robin!”

“I’m fine, Star,” said Dick, just as Starfire began hovering over him. He quickly leapt to his feet, brushing the dust off his Kevlar pants.

“What the heck was that?” asked Cyborg, trying to get as close to the edge of the cliff as he could without falling. His eyes scanned the depths of the canyon, but there was nothing in sight.

“It sounded like it was big,” commented Raven, her dry tone flat.

Then, there was another fierce roar, the ground trembling again. The entire team tensed, preparing for a fight that was sure to follow. Then, an enormous boulder in canyon exploded forth. Something small ran through the falling stone and broken rock, blonde hair flying out, while the largest scorpion Dick had ever seen was chasing close behind.

He had never liked scorpions. He just wasn’t a poisonous bug person. Those pincers, that long stinger, those creepy beady eyes – he never could understand what was the appeal of Silkie to Starfire – none of that appealed to him as a child, nor as a teen. He had always preferred martial arts or some type of physical activity as a pastime, even before becoming the ward of Bruce Wayne, Batman.

It wasn’t that they weren’t cool or interesting, he just preferred them dead.

Unfortunately, there was a giant, live scorpion – which was definitely at least three times larger than a school bus – and it was thrashing down the canyon in a hot chase. Before Dick could shout out the usual call to fight, the scorpion had cornered its prey. Dick looked down into the canyon to see – to his horror – that it was a girl. She was boxed in, with no way to escape.

In the moment just as the monster was about to strike and the Titans about to jump to the rescue, the earth trembled once again. Dick was about done with all these earthquake like movement below his feet. True, it was California, but he definitely preferred the ground to stay still, please.

Yes, indeed.

The girl below was lifting her hands, a yellow light appearing around them; her eyes glowing yellow as well. An overhanging boulder lifted into the air as the earth continued to tremble. Then, with a shout, the girl threw her arms downward; the boulder crashing on top of the enormous scorpion. There was a terrifying screech from the monster as it was completely crushed by the boulder.

“Looks like we don’t even need to help,” said Cyborg. “It’s like she was leading it into a trap.”

Dick frowned slightly; remaining quiet for a moment as he observed the event below. The girl had been leading the monster into a trap, it would definitely seem that much. There was a slight smug look on her face – that much Dick could see.

But how did she know?

How did she know about the dead end or the fact that the Titans would be there right at that moment, perfect to display her skills? That was certainly what it appeared to be – especially since they had received an anonymous tip, from a female no less. Was it all coincidence or preplanned? Dick had been taught by two men – first Batman, then Slade – to observe every possibility in a situation. Not only that, he was also more perceptive than the average teen male.

Something in this situation just didn’t seem right to him.

The earth groaned at Dick’s feet yet again, causing him to glance down. The edge of the cliff was beginning to crumble where the girl had cut the rock face off with her powers. Before he could think even more on the matter, the earth down in the canyon shook slightly. There was a loud, furious roar. The enormous boulder that was on top of the monster shivered and shattered into small rocks, which slowly crumbled into dust – the scorpion completely broke free.

The girl screamed.

Dick quickly pulled out his grappling hook.

“Titans, go!” shouted Dick, sending his grappling hook across the canyon.

The group ran into action as Dick leapt off the edge of the rock face, swinging down towards the girl. The large scorpion screeched terribly; its dark eyes flashing red. Its stinger poised above her before it came rushing down at a frightening and powerful speed. There was another scream. Dick swung by; grabbing the girl around the waist just as the stinger blasted into the ground where the girl had been.

Apparently, he was fast enough. Dick gave out a low cry of pain as part of the stinger scraped his right arm. Rocks exploded, blasting him off course. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he threw out another grappling hook to redirect his path to the other side of canyon with the girl in his arms. Once his feet touched ground, he dropped to all fours; breathing heavily as the pain washed through his arm viciously. He flexed the hand on his injured arm, forcing it to work properly through fierce will power.

There was a gasp from the girl.

“Oh, no, you’re hurt!”

“I’m fine,” said Dick; his tone curt. He hissed slightly as he saw the wound. There was a trail of blood sliding down his forearm from the deep gash that adorned the area to the side of his elbow. Quickly, he dug into his utility belt and pulled out a long cotton bandage strip. He deftly wrapped his elbow and forearm with it to stop the blood flow.

“Hey, I’m Robin. And you’re?”

“Terra—”

“Nice to meet you, Terra,” said Dick; quickly overriding her. He stood up from his crouch and turned towards the fight. He lifted his arm in a wave. “I gotta join the fight. You stay here.”

“But—”

“Stay safe.”

Dick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, with a fierce cry, he leapt into the fray. The creature was thrashing into the walls of the canyon, trying its everything to attack the other four Titans. Rubble and stone shattered against the canyon ground as the monster throttled the rocky sides. Starfire was throwing as many green starbolts as she could at the monster. Raven was lifting earth with her black magic and striking the creature’s back.

However, it seemed as if the monster’s thick armor was making it impervious to damage.

Dick landed onto the trembling ground as the scorpion continued to thrash and fight. Beast Boy quickly transformed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and engaged the creature; snapping and biting his enormous jaw at the scorpion’s thick armor. Cyborg opened his arm into his sonic cannon and sent out a blast. The scorpion screamed in fury; its stinger lashing down at Cyborg – who ducked quickly and rolled away. The ground burst from the impact of the stinger; shattered rocks spraying in all directions.

“We can’t stop this thing,” cried Cyborg as Dick came to his side, crouching beside him. “Star’s bolts aren’t doing anything and neither are Raven’s attacks. BB can’t get a bite into either and my cannon isn’t penetrating its armor.”

“We can try,” said Dick. He stopped for a moment, watching the raging battle. The pincers of the scorpion lifted into the air and snapped at the girls that flew in the air. Its stinger lashed in the air as well, trying to take down anything it could.

“Yo, Rob, you’re bleeding,” said Cyborg, bringing Dick’s attention to him. Then, Dick glanced at his arm, which was bleeding through the bandage; the crimson color staining the pure white cloth.

“I’m fine,” repeated Dick, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day; putting a hand over the bleeding bandage. “We need to take out the stinger first. Stop trying to break through its armor.”

“I can help.”

Dick startled slightly and turned to see Terra crouching beside him. Her light blonde hair folded down over her eye briefly before she tucked it behind an ear. He glanced past the girl to watch the ongoing battle between the monster and a Tyrannosaurus Rex Beast Boy. Starfire and Raven were supporting the green dinosaur with their own attacks. Then, he looked back at the girl.

“I thought I told you—”

“Hey, I can help!”

Dick narrowed his eyes beneath his mask, carefully gauging the girl in front of him. She was determined to lend a hand it seemed and to be honest, any assistance would be most helpful.

“What can you do?” asked Dick.

“I can manipulate the earth,” responded Terra. “If you want rocks moved, I’m your girl.”

Dick’s mind quickly formulated a plan. His eyes were quickly taking in each of his team members, along with this additional help that could be used. As his mind finally reached a decision, he turned his gaze towards Cyborg.

“All right, Terra, get a us a big rock. A really big rock. BB, Star, and I will continue to occupy its attention. I need Raven to cut the rock with her powers to a point – unless you can do that,” said Dick, stopping in the middle to look over at the girl. For a moment, she hesitated, before she slowly began to shake her head. There was a sharp nod from Dick before he continued, “Right, then; Cy, your job will be to take out the stinger. Thrust the rock towards the base when I give the signal.”

“All right, then, leader!” said Cyborg with a grin, snapping to action. He stood up and called Raven down, before informing her of the plan. As he did that, Dick turned to Terra.

“Work with Raven to prepare a sharp rock. Listen to what she says.”

Without waiting for a reply, Dick bolted forward to his feet and into the fray. Beast Boy was continuing to engage the raging monster in his Tyrannosaurus Rex form. Starfire was constantly throwing starbolts at the thrashing creatures; flying through the air to avoid one of its large pincers that kept trying to attack her. All the while, Beast Boy was trying to attack it head on; biting the other pincer with his ferocious teeth.

Dick raced on the ground past the falling rocks and debris that filled the air as the monster crashed into the walls of the canyon. Its unearthly voice screeched loudly, piercing Dick’s ears. But he continued to run without stopping; dodging the rocks and clacking legs of the scorpion. He whipped out a few ammunition discs from his belt and began throwing them one by one at the feet of the monster.

An instant later, they all exploded; causing the monster to lose its footing and crash into the left side of the canyon. Dick slide out from beneath the head of the scorpion just in time. He rolled out of the way as Beast Boy’s giant foot came down near him in the battle; smashing into the earth with a large crunch. Dick hurried to his feet and ran beneath the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. Once he reached the tail, he leapt upward, running along Beast Boy’s back. As the large dinosaur reared back in a tremendous roar, snapping his teeth, Dick leapt off, flying down on top of the scorpion’s head.

Dick pulled out his grappling hook and shot it toward the stinger – about three fourths of the way up. He kept running; waiting for that moment when the hook would catch and require his strength. Just as he reached the very end of the scorpion, the very moment he jumped off the back of the creature, his grappling hook wrapped around the stinger. With a shout of strength, Dick tugged on the grappling rope with all his power; his muscles flexing with the exertion.

His feet crashed on the rocky ground, dust flaring up as he landed. He wrenched the line with a shout, fighting against the power of this tremendous monster. His feet dragged against the dust as he struggled against the scorpion. The power that was inside this small section of the scorpion was indomitable; strength with such an intensity beyond anything Dick had ever experienced. Still, he endured against it and threw everything he had in taming the lashing tail.

He threw his head to the side, searching for Cyborg in the upper areas of the canyon. When he saw the older teen, ready with a large, sharpened boulder on his shoulders, Dick screamed his command.

“Now, Cyborg!”

Dick’s strength was waning against this impossible creature, but he focused all his energy on holding down the stinger. He truly couldn’t believe the power it had just within its tail. Starfire was flying above the scorpion, tossing her starbolts down on the armored back – they glanced off, however. The tip of the tail lashed out dangerously beside Dick, but he held onto the grappling line as Cyborg leapt into the air. The older teen thrust the rock beneath him, straight down at the base of the scorpion’s tail.

It connected.

A second later, Dick felt all the power die in the tail, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground; landing hard onto his back. There was a bloodcurdling screech from the scorpion, along with a burning, hissing sound near the base of the tail. Dick had to roll out of the way as the tail thrashed with a life of its own. A part of the skin scraped his arm, causing a light burn. He rolled to a crouch, dust clinging to his sweaty skin. He hissed slightly as new pain latched onto his upper arm. His other injured arm was stinging viciously as the dust and grime sneaked inside the simplistic bandage.

Then, Dick’s eyes widened in horror.

At the base of the scorpion, bursts of molten lava were spewing forth. Cyborg had rushed out of the way after his attack to avoid getting burned; however, a burst flew into the air before Starfire could be warned.

The scream that echoed through the canyon chilled Dick’s very heart.

“Starfire!” cried Dick, bolting to his feet. He ran forward, dodging the now enraged and injured scorpion. A purple, orange figure was falling out of the sky, light steam trailing behind her. Dick pushed his body to its limits as he rushed to catch her. A second later, Starfire’s dead weight landed in his outstretched arms; causing the pair of them to crash and roll into the ground. Through it all, Dick held Starfire close to his chest.

There was a lull moment – even when the battle raged around the two of them – as Dick breathed deep, heavy gasps for air, his chest choked with a sharp stitch. There were rattling hisses of pain from Starfire. He drew her closer as he dragged their bodies to the wall of the canyon, away from the smashing feet of the scorpion.

“Star, are you all right?” asked Dick, pulling her up so she could rest against his chest. “Where’d you get hurt?”

“M–my leg,” whispered Starfire, continuing to take gasps of pain. Dick’s eyes immediately flittered to her legs, causing him to suck in his breath in shock. On her left thigh was a terrible burn, about the size of Dick’s hand. Even part of her skirt was burned along the edge of the area. The burned flesh was blistering, the color darkened from her usual bright orange tan. It was certainly a second degree burn, verging on third degree. But there was no time to heal her.

His arms unconsciously tightened around her for a moment. Then, he snapped into action and pulled out another long cotton bandage strip from his utility belt. Carefully, he leaned her against the wall of the canyon and knelt down in front of her. Ever so gently, he began to wrap her burn, avoiding pulling on it too tight so that the blisters wouldn’t break. Every now and then as he did so, Starfire would suck in her breath as a wave of pain assaulted her; causing him to go even more slowly and carefully.

When he was done, he scooped her up in his arms.

“Ro–Robin? I can—”

“No, you can’t,” said Dick, his voice strong. As the battle continued to go on tirelessly, Dick leapt away from the fray to find a good place to set Starfire down to rest.

“But Robin—”

“It’s okay, Star. I’ve got you.”

If Dick had been looking down and not watching for falling debris, he would’ve seen the gentle blush that graced Starfire’s cheeks. But he missed it. Instead, he tightened his arms that were holding her beneath the back and legs. A moment later, he found a safe upper area and gently set her there. Starfire was giving him an unusual look and he couldn’t help but feel unsettled by it.

“What?” asked Dick, raising an eyebrow at her.

“You are… stronger.”

Dick let out a chuckle.

“I better be, after all the training Dad’s put me through.”

Those monochromatic eyes dipped in a kind smile. Starfire put a hand to her mouth, her eyes squeezing shut as she began to giggle. As Dick watched her with another raised eyebrow, an impression came upon him, making his cheeks burn.

Even with the dust sticking her glistening skin, even with the dust marring her clothes, even with her hair slightly tangled and messy, Dick couldn’t help but notice one very important fact – Starfire was still beautiful.

Of course, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Still, his brain went there, distracting him from the battle that he was sorely required in. All he could do was take a moment to watch her giggle and laugh, her dirty face crinkling with laugh lines.

“Yes, I am sure that Slade has taught you much.”

For some reason, Dick blushed. Something about the way she said that statement caused the heat to intensify in his cheeks. He forced his head to the side, drawing in a deep breath, before looking back at her.

“Are you gonna be all right?”

Starfire nodded. “I am perfectly fine. You have tended to my wound most expertly. I can still fly. There was no need to carry me.”

“But don’t,” said Dick, his tone firm. “Stay out of the fight. We’ll finish it.”

He turned away, but he stopped, glancing back at her for a moment. She gave him an encouraging smile and he turned back to the battle. He took a deep breath, Starfire’s smile imprinted in his mind. A gentle warmth flowed through the pit of his stomach. With a mischievous laugh escaping his lips, he leapt down; pulling out a grappling hook midflight and connected it with the other side of the canyon.

Raven and Terra were currently trying to fight against the monster, while Cyborg was helping Beast Boy his feet, who had transformed back into a human and appeared thoroughly exhausted at that moment. His green eyes looked at Dick, concern filling there.

“Is Star okay?”

“She’ll be fine, she just got burned,” answered Dick.

“Why the heck is there lava coming outta this thing’s butt?” demanded Cyborg.

“That’s a very good question,” said Dick, snorting once. Then, his expression turned serious. “We have to kill it, though. It’ll destroy the city otherwise. Beast Boy, you think you can keep it occupied with me while Cy and the girls get ready again?”

Beast Boy gave a weak nod.

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Excellent.” Dick turned to Cyborg. “Same as before, but this time aim for the scorpion’s brain – right in between the eyes. We’ll give you a clear shot now that the stinger is out. Then, we’ll bury it.”

Cyborg only nodded and the three of them broke away to do their jobs. Cyborg communicated with Raven and Terra, while Dick and Beast Boy leapt into the fray. The canyon shook as a giant green Tyrannosaurus Rex landed on top of the scorpion with a colossal roar that seemed to rattle Dick’s brain in its cavern. A moment later, the dinosaur had leapt off the back of the scorpion, swinging his tail into the face of his enemy. A large pincer struck back.

Dick wasn’t far behind Beast Boy. As he leapt down into the canyon, he threw three ammunition discs at its other pincer, ice instantly forming along the claw as they hit their target. Steam hissed from the arm, a moment later the scorpion smashed its claw into the canyon wall; ice shattering into pieces. As Dick landed nearby, he didn’t have time to dodge the pincer that caught him in the chest.

He was thrown backward, smashing into the rock behind him. Pain burst across his entire back, a choke bursting from his mouth. It took him a moment to clear his head with the sparkling lights that began to pop in his sight. He struggled to get to his feet, groaning slightly from the pain. Good grief, this was getting annoying.

Beast Boy was struggling against the monster as well, being smashed into another area of the canyon wall; broken rocks falling to the ground from the blow. His transformation broke and the young boy was lying face down in the dirt; struggling to get back up again. Dick looked up towards the sky, hoping to see if Cyborg, Raven, and Terra were ready.

This battle needed to end, now

Then, Dick saw that Cyborg was ready. He whipped out another grappling hook and shot it towards the closest pincer. It connected, wrapping around the pincer. A second later, Dick felt the familiar strength and power of this creature. He fought against it with all his remaining strength, sweat trickling down his temples. There was a lull in power struggle and Dick used that time to shout.

“Now!”

With a thunderous roar, Cyborg threw the sharpened rock down, nailing the scorpion monster right in between the eyes. The beast screeched and writhed with a terrible unearthly voice.

“Bury it with the rocks!” cried Dick.

Side by side, Terra and Raven lifted their arms in the air, each of their hands glowing their respective colors of power. Boulders of all sizes piled on top of its head and pincers. Beast Boy pulled back, transforming once more, and barreled into the side of the canyon, causing rocks to fall down. Cyborg did the same with his sonic cannon at the other side. Soon, the dying scorpion was covered with rubble and stone, only part of his body visible.

Its dying sounds echoed through the canyon, before a stillness fell over the canyon. A gentle breeze fluttered by, giving Dick a comfortable respite from the sweat in his face. A tickle slid down his temple and he lifted a hand to wipe it away. He let out a soft huff of relief. He looked up at the edges of the canyon. Cyborg, Terra, and Raven were gathering themselves together. Beast Boy had transformed into a hawk and had flown to Starfire’s side.

A few moments later, the four team members and Terra had congregated around Starfire. Dick looked over each of his teammates. Raven didn’t look injured, though there was plenty of dust and dirt on her clothing. Cyborg was in a similar position, as was Terra. Beast Boy had a few tears on his uniform at the shoulders and a few scratches on his face, but overall he was unharmed. He had flopped to the ground and was breathing deeply; appearing thoroughly exhausted. Dick himself had a gash on his right forearm, to the side of his elbow – which was still bleeding through the white bandage – and a light burn mark on his other arm beneath his shoulder. Without a doubt, everyone was covered in copious amounts of dust, which stuck to their sweating skin.

They pretty much looked like a disaster had struck them – which it had, interestingly enough.

“Here,” began Raven, kneeling down beside Starfire. She held out her hands, a silvery power glowing from them. They hovered over Starfire’s injured thigh. It took a few minutes before Raven pulled back. “There, that should help the burn. I don’t think it’ll scar.”

“I thank you, Raven,” said Starfire with a smile, placing a hand over the bandage and touching it softly. She gave the other girl another smile. “It no longer pains me.”

Dick was at her side in a second as Starfire tried to stand. At first, she protested his aid, but Dick silently took her by the underarm and helped her to her feet. She put a little pressure on her leg and smiled again.

“I will be fine. Please, Robin needs healing more than I.”

Dick tried to protest this, but Raven completely ignored him. Dick had no choice but be sat down and prodded for healing. Raven put her hands over his bandage, a glowing, silver light surrounding them. Relief began to fill Dick’s flesh as he felt a cooling sensation rest over his arm. Then, he could actually feel his skin being knitted back together again. Raven pulled back after a few minutes.

“That’s all I can heal right now,” said Raven. “The wound can still open if you aren’t careful, but the deep gash is healed.”

“Thanks, Raven, it’s good enough,” said Dick with an appreciative smile. He stood back up again, uselessly brushing dust from off his Kevlar pants. Then, he turned his attention to the outsider that had aided them in the fight quite well. He held out a hand to the blonde girl, “Thank you, Terra, for helping us. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

The girl looked taken aback. Her cheeks flushed as her sky blue eyes darted from side to side. She lifted her arms in the air and waved them nervously.

“No, no, I didn’t do much. You’re the Teen Titans, after all. Of course, you’d have beaten that thing without me.”

Dick only smiled knowingly.

“Everyone has their limitations.”

He looked over the group again. Everyone looked exhausted. It certainly wasn’t one of their more glorious or heroic battles, nor did they appear pleasant. Truly, they looked like a group of rugrats in bright, slightly obnoxious costumes that had played in the dirt. It was an amusing picture for certain. Dick lifted an arm and wiped the perspiration that had built up on his brow. He placed his hands on his hips and gave everyone a wry smile.

“Guys, we’re a mess.”

The group looked at him, before breaking out into giggles and laughs.

“We should go for pizza,” said Cyborg finally, still laughing with the others.

“Would they even serve us?” asked Beast Boy, giggling.

“Doubt it.”

Dick snorted at Raven’s deadpan voice. Giggling still flowed over the group as he gave a wave to the young blonde girl.

“Well, gang, I haven’t formally introduced her, but this is Terra.”

The blonde was greeted with enthusiastic greetings – well, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were enthusiastic; Raven was just Raven.

“Well, you may know us as the Teen Titans, but you might not know us individually. I’m—”

“Robin, yeah, I know,” said Terra, grinning at him. “I know everything about you guys, you totally rock!” She began to point to each in succession. “You’re Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy.”

Beast Boy looked floored that she actually knew his name. In fact, the only thing he was currently doing was staring at the girl with a light flush glancing across his cheeks. It was quite comical to see the young thirteen year old staring at the blonde as if he’d never seen a girl in his entire life. At least Dick admitted he had a crush and while he tried his best not to make it too obvious, he knew he was failing pretty badly at it.

Looks like Beast Boy was joining that party.

“So, what brings you to Jump?” asked Dick.

“I go where the wind takes me,” said Terra with a shrug. “It’s really great. I get to travel, see new places, and if I stop a few bad guys along the way, all the better.”

Beast Boy almost appeared as if he were drooling. “So cool!” he cried finally, apparently forgetting that one fact – he basically was doing the same thing. Terra seemed pleased by his response, giving him a blushing smile. Dick shook his head, but then a thought entered his mind.

If Terra was traveling around the country, then that would only mean one thing.

“So… You don’t have a home?” asked Dick, his voice quiet as he looked at the girl. Terra shrugged with a smile, lifting her arms into the air.

“The earth is my home. My name is Terra, after all. And besides, there’s this great cave that I’ve been camping out in. It was completely calling my name.”

There was a horrific gasp.

“This is unacceptable!” cried Starfire, looking aghast at the very thought that this girl had to sleep in a cave. “You must stay with us! I cannot bear the thought of our new friend sleeping in a gloomy, dark cave.”

Terra blinked.

“I have a flashlight.”

“Yeah, come on, Terra, you gotta stay with us!” cried Beast Boy, tugging on her arm. Cyborg joined in the group and began to push her forward. “What if another scorpion comes along? It’s not safe out here! You don’t wanna be in a creepy cave all by yourself.”

“Yeah, man, there’s plenty of room at the Tower,” said Cyborg.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re not gonna take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Dick, folding his arms and giving the girl a smirk rivaling his father’s. Terra looked from Starfire, to Beast Boy, to finally Dick, before she let out a resigned sigh.

“All right, all right, I suppose I could stay for one night.”

“Or for one thousand nights!” cried Starfire, happily lifting in the air and clapping her hands together.

“Well, I’m not sure I can stay that long…”

The other three members of the Teen Titans chattered happily as they guided their new friend towards the Tower. Dick stayed behind, watching them go. Raven held back as well, glancing over at him.

“Are you not coming?” asked Raven.

“In a minute, there’s something I want to check out first,” said Dick, pulling out his grappling hook. He shot it across the canyon and swung down into its depths; stopping next to the defeated scorpion that now lay dead. He landed near the only area that wasn’t covered in rubble. Raven levitated down after him.

“Something wrong?” asked Raven, walking up to his side. Dick frowned and knelt down at the body of the scorpion.

“I’m… I’m not really sure,” said Dick, hesitantly touching the hard skin of the beast. It felt frightfully hot and he had to retract his hand in a snap. His fingers rubbed his burning palm, trying to alleviate some the pain. After a moment of studying the creature, Dick pulled back and grabbed his bō-staff from his utility belt. The instant it expanded, Dick thrust the end of the staff into a cracked section of the scorpion’s body; pushing with all his might.

There was a cracking sound, followed by the sound of hissing steam. A moment later, the crack widened; causing Dick to leap backwards to avoid what oozed out of its center. The molten material slowly flowed from the crack, sizzling slightly.

Dick lifted the end of his staff to inspect it. The tip was melted through, the edges of the metal a fiery red.

Molten lava continued to ooze out of the dead scorpion. Dick glanced upward, taking in every visible detail of the creature. Raven took another step forward, doing the same. After a moment of silence between the two – only the sound of sizzling, crackling lava lifting in the air – Raven finally spoke up.

“Well, that’s not normal.”

Dick let out a pent up sigh, shaking his head once.

“No, it’s not.”

ooOOOOOoo

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