The Sixth Titan | Teen Titans

Chapter Forty-Eight - Stranded

    Just noticed Chapter Seven was titled 'Swithed' (without the 'c') and has been for eight to ten months now--oops.

    I step out of the T-Ship, landing on the ground with a soft thud. I quickly wipe my index finger against the floor, a thick layer of dust coating it. As I stand up, I wipe it onto my uniform as a flame is ignited on the tip of the same finger.

    "Looks like we've found out why communication relays from this space station have stopped," Robin states, well ahead of me. I hover in the air and fly towards him and Beast Boy.

    "Everything has been destroyed." Starfire lands on my other side and looks around in clear dismay.

    Cyborg walks over to some loose cables, leaning down to examine them. Eventually, an almost inaudible gasp leaves him and he stands up. "I knew it. We've got a malfunctioning bifurcating dilator."

    "Yeah," Raven remarks. "That was my first guess."

    "Can you fix it?"

    "No problem." The mechanic teen flashes Robin a confident smile before cracking his knuckles. His hands retract and an extended array of tools replace them. When he notices my wide-eyed look, he shoots me the same flashy smirk that he gave Robin before turning around and getting to work.

    "I've just gotta cross the conjoining wires with the transistor couplers, connect the oscillator to the main data port, and we're good to go."

    I rub my chin, jaw essentially hitting the floor. "You lost me at 'transistor couplers', Cy," I remark.

    "At least you know what they are," Beast Boy comments, turning to Robin and I. "Can't he ever just speak English?"

    I open my mouth to reply, closing it once more as the lights flick on. "Hey, nice work!" I call out, looking around in awe.

    Cyborg pats the nearest mechanism as it turns blue. "Thanks, Em." He turns around to face us, striding towards the exit. "She's purring like a kitten. Let's go."

    The other Titans make for the exit as well, but I don't move. "Shouldn't we, you know... find out why it was wrecked in the first place?" I question slowly, still looking around attentively.

    I watch the other Titans' steps falter, and one by one, they turn around and begin to walk back to me. "Starting with why somebody would trash the communications station, of all places," Robin says.

    "Not somebody." Raven's words halt everyone's steps, including my own, and I spot the large glob of saliva on her hood. "Something."

    I look up to find a large creature, at least triple my size, standing above Raven. The creature intakes a large amount of air before letting out a loud shriek, so ear-piercing that I feel as though my head will explode. Screaming myself, I muster as much focus and will as I can and create a bubble of water that surrounds me, softening the blow. Still, I clutch the back of my head and cover my ears, thinking it better safe than sorry.

    I can tell when the shrieking stops, and open my currently screwed shut eyes. Pulling my hands away from my neck and ears, I look around at my friends, who look like they've just survived a bombing—I decide that I probably don't look much better.

    "What was that thing?" Beast Boy's voice wavers as he speaks and I walk up beside him.

    "The best I can give you is a banshee," I state. "But that would mean someone's—"

    I cut myself off as the creature jumps down in front of us, towering over all of us. I involuntarily take a step back, wanting to escape the proximity of the wail it produces.