Chapter 6 - Big Problem

Chronicles of a New Titan

Chapter 6- Big Problem



The next morning, Holly came down in a much better mood. Beastboy just looked at her and smiled, she smiled back at him. He was happy he had made her feel better. Secretly, he was also happy she had only told him.



It was just after breakfast when Robin said,



“It's a beautiful day! What do you guys think? Should we go to the park?” his suggestion was met with agreement from (almost) everyone. They were about to leave when the alarm went off.



“Trouble.” Starfire said, slightly disappointed.



“Aw man!” Beastboy exclaimed as he morphed into a raven and flew outside. Holly just stood there not sure what to do. After all, she wasn't a Teen Titan.



“You coming?” Robin asked from the doorway noticing her hesitation. She nodded smiling and followed him out the door.



Robin's POV



The alarm went off. `Oh great.' I thought sarcastically.



“Trouble.” Starfire murmured. I started running through a list of who it could be. `Slade? No, Tara took him down. Killer Moth, Mad Mod, Mumbo? Who was it this time?'

`Whoa! I almost forgot Holly!'



“You coming?” her face seemed to brighten. `How is she going to get there? She could ride with Cyborg in the T-Car, but he probably already left… she could ride on the back of the R-Cycle with me. Yeah, that would be best.' A slight smile crept onto my lips at the thought.



“Come on Holly, you can ride with me.” I tossed her an extra helmet. She caught it with a grin and looked up in the air, I looked too. Beastboy was just turning his back to us again and he seemed to be flying rather stiffly.



Holly put on her helmet and climbed behind me. I started the engine and in no time we were speeding to the scene of the crime. We both jumped off and went towards the screaming and hysterical people all running from a giant mechanical… ant?!



Who else besides Johnny Rancid would choose anything large and mechanical to create a distraction for him? Sure enough there he was in the middle of the street with bags of cash all around him laughing like the maniac he was.



“Johnny Rancid.” I mumbled.



“Dude!” Beastboy said now observing the giant ant that was destroying buildings with its ridiculously large metal mandibles.



“An ant? Yo, you've got to be kidding!” shouted Cyborg over a low rumble that filled the air.



“How are we to defeat this `Aunt'? It does not look like an Aunt, rather like a large metallic insect.” questioned Starfire.



“Uh, that's ant, not Aunt Starfire.” Holly explained still staring at it in awe.



“Let's just get this over with.” Raven said with her usual enthusiasm.



Johnny stopped his laughing as he noticed us and then shouted, “Well lookie here! It's the little birdy! He's come out to play! And look, the birdy has a new little friend!” I gritted my teeth at these words and I felt my blood bubbling just below the surface.



“Hope you had fun while you could, because my ant is going to squash you like a bug!” at these words he pointed to us and the ant turned letting out a tremendous roar.



“Holly stand back!” I threw a hand behind me to motion for her to take cover. Raven, Starfire and Beastboy took to the sky and Cyborg readied his sonic canon while I pulled out my bow staff.



“Titans go! I'll get Johnny!”



Normal POV



Robin went for Johnny while the others went after the giant metal ant. Holly ran, but not to far and stayed behind the corner of a nearby building so she could watch the battle. Soon, Robin and Johnny were in hand to hand (more like staff to electric stick) combat while Raven, Cyborg, Starfire and Beastboy were trying to take down the ant without much success.



Cyborg's sonic blast seemed to bounce off the metallic armor. Raven was snatched out of the air when the ant wrapped one on it legs quickly around her and her mouth, silencing her attacks. Beastboy charged in as a Musk Ox and was easily thrown several yards backwards as the ant brushed him away with a front leg. He groggily sat up and held his head in his hand and let out a cry as one of the legs quickly pinned him down and was slowly crushing him no matter what he turned into.



“Beastboy!” Starfire flew to him, but the ant swung its head and the mandibles hit her with such force that she was thrown sideways into a building.



Before Starfire could get herself oriented and fly away, the ant grabbed her in a tight embrace with yet ANOTHER one of its numerous legs. As Starfire was captured, she let out a high-pitched scream, which caused Robin to turn. Seeing his opportunity, Johnny swung the electrically charged stick and it connected with the side of Robin's head, emitting a sickening crack.



The whole time, Cyborg was relentlessly and uselessly firing his sonic canon trying to find a weak spot. Then when Robin was hit and sent skidding across the pavement Cyborg turned from the ant and called, “Robin!” he was about to run to aid him, but the ant swung one of it's free legs and slammed Cyborg into a building. This was the older part of town, so when Cyborg hit the building with as much force as he did, the walls began to crack and crumble until the whole building came down… on top of Cyborg.



Robin looked up from the pavement and yelled, “Cyborg!” he quickly picked himself up and began to rush towards him but was pulled back by his cape towards Johnny Rancid and some more fighting.

“Where do you think your going little birdy?” Johnny sneered. Robin's only response was an angry, frustrated growl.



Meanwhile, Starfire was shooting green laser beams form her eyes. Raven was struggling to wriggle out of the ant's grasp, Beastboy was gasping for air under the heavy metallic leg and the pile of rubble Cyborg was buried under remained motionless. It would seem that the titans were as good as defeated.



It was only when Beastboy let out a cry of pain as the ant put more weight on him that Holly decided to jump in and help.



She ran from behind the building where she had been hiding and threw a few carefully and quickly aimed silver balls that seemed to come out of nowhere. Each one struck separately at the base of each of the ant's legs. There was a clang as metal struck metal then there was an explosion of flames and smoke. An ear splitting crash could be heard from miles away as the body of the mechanical ant fell from the severed legs.



Immediately, Starfire, Raven and Beastboy were released. Raven began moving some of the larger boulders of the ruble off of Cyborg and Beastboy shape shifted into a bloodhound to sniff him out. Starfire flew to help Robin and Holly put her efforts into the search for Cyborg, not knowing what else to do.



After a short while of digging, Cyborg's head popped out of the rubble.

“Thanks.” he said breathlessly as he quickly jumped out to join in the attack of the squirming torso. After a few moments of constant bombardment, the smoke thinned. On the ground was the once giant deadly ant.

“Boo-ya!” Cyborg yelled as he pumped a triumphant mechanical arm in the air.

“Dude, `bout time!” exclaimed Beastboy.

Holly was smiling feeling the joy of victory, but it didn't last long.



“Where'd he go?! Where's Johnny Rancid?! Don't tell me he got away!” yelled a livid Robin.

“He… he did,” Robin looked like he was about to punch something or someone so Holly hastily added, “but, I… I know where he is.”

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