Author's Note: This story is in continuity with my other stories, though it isn't a direct sequel of the previous story "Evanescence". For those of you who haven't read those other stories, here's all you really need to know.

- Terra is alive and still a Titan.

- Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth are friends of the Titans and no longer Hive members.

- Due to events in the previous story, Raven doesn't have her magical powers, but her father's supernatural influence is no longer a problem for her. She and Beast Boy are officially a couple.

- Slade is alive, but has gone into hiding for the moment, presumably to prepare his next evil plan. He probably won't appear in this particular story.

--

A civilian-dressed Raven stood on the stage of the downtown poetry club, where dozens of teens and young adults just like her exercised their freedom of speech to speak what was in their hearts, no matter how dark and dreary it turned out to be. Raven loved to come here and release her pent up frustrations with poetry and limerick. It was a place for release. And right now, it was Raven's turn for release.

She tapped the microphone to make sure it was on, then began her soliloquy. "Warrior," Raven said, entitling what words were to follow. She took a deep breath, and began.

"On the shadowy path of Time, our wish for peace is never-ending. Sometime ago, we gave up our own happiness to protect the ones we love. Now, all we can do is remember the childhood we left behind."

The scene changes to Robin in Gotham city, swinging through the urban jungle on a lifeline, his black and gold cape flowing behind him like a pair of wings. Down below, a woman is about to be mugged by a gang of Joker followers in search of a good time. Robin swoops in, and like a hurricane he knocks each and every thug to the ground like dominoes. Half of them have broken limbs, the other half broken noses. They run away quickly, not even bothering to pick up their knives and guns that Robin disarmed. The woman tries to thank Robin for his gesture, but he's gone before the words even escape her mouth. She watches as he flies into the darkness like a lonely eagle in the night.

"When I'm afraid, I close my eyes and think of your smile," Raven said, her eyes closing in time with the lyric. "We've embraced each other with a love that will guide us into the future. Someday, when the eternal fight is over, I will give you everything I have... all that is locked in my heart. But until then, I must pray that the eternal fight will not end tonight."

Every romantic in the audience sighed delicately. There were more of them than Raven expected.

The scene changes to Cyborg in Los Angeles facing a gang of tech ninjas from the Hive that are trying to steal from a Cadmus research center. Cyborg fist-fights and brawls with dozens of souped-up thugs, each trying to cut into the mechanical hero with vibro-knives or blast him with energy pistols. None of them even scratch or dent Cyborg's armor as he knocks them all out in turn. Finally, it's just him and the leader of the ninja team, a self-styled tech samurai wielding a vibro-katana that can cut through normal steel like it was butter. But just like the knives from before, the sword has absolutely no effect on Cyborg. The teen smiled cockily, pointed his sonic cannon at the armored warrior's torso, and shattered his defenses with one well-placed blast. Naked and alone, the tech samurai surrendered. Cyborg gladly accepted the offer.

"Tonight, my warrior will rest in my arms. I ask myself, how many nights must pass before you can put down your sword? The dream we have of living happily ever after... it's crying, at the edge of our memory. It fears that the end will never come."

The scene changes to Starfire in the atmosphere, where she's chasing a rocket through the clouds over Seattle as it streaks towards the city. Starfire tries to close the gap between them with a burst of speed, but the rocket does the same while also fending her off with a series of anterior laser blasts. The redheaded alien shot a pair of starbolts towards the rocket to distract it, then swooped under cloud cover as the machine blasted away at the approaching 'bolts and neutralized them in mid-flight. Starfire tackled the rocket from below, wrenched it in half before the machine's defenses could counter, and ripped out the machine's control system to prevent any further resistance. With a great heave, she launched the battered rocket into the upper atmosphere, then blasted it into smithereens so that nobody could use it for evil again. Satisfied, Starfire whooped a Tamaranean battle cry and descended through the clouds, homeward bound.

"Never forget the love that guides us into the future!" Raven's feelings grew with intensity, and these feelings channeled through her words like bursts of electricity. "I'll wipe your tears and tend your wounds, for an eternity and more. Because I still believe that that day will come... that day when it will be over, and our story together will truly begin. But until then, my warrior, never give up the eternal fight. For I am praying that you will come home, tonight."

The final scene change finds Beast Boy, here in downtown San Francisco, facing a mutant animal that looked like a cross between a massive lion and a huge ram, with the tail of a massive anaconda and an incomprehensible command over fire and other explosive forces. Beast Boy transformed into a giant tyrannosaurus rex and waged war on the primal monstrosity. Each of them dug their claws into the other and raged with all their might, but Beast Boy ended as the victor. He bit down hard on the beast's thickest neck and held on tightly until the creature chocked itself into unconsciousness. People gasped in awe at the spectacle as Beast Boy roared triumphantly, then shrunk down to normal size. His civilian clothes were considerably damaged, but they were still intact. The SFPD arrived on the scene and bound the monster Beast Boy defeated, while the green changeling wandered a few streets down to his intended destination.

The door to the poetry parlor opened, and Beast Boy straggled in. His khaki pants and Super Ninja Fury XL shirt were covered in holes, dirt marks, and tatters, just like his face. The green boy smiled toothily as part of the audience stared at him. The other part was too lost in Raven's song to care.

When Raven finished her presentation, the audience clapped and snapped their fingers loudly, showing great appreciation for Raven's stylized reading. She smiled calmly, nodded to the audience in gratitude, then wandered off the stage to where Beast Boy was standing, still catching his breath.

Raven fingered the material of his shirt, sticking her index finger through one of the holes. "Looks like you got into a fight," she drolled in her usual tone of pseudo-apathy. She knew just by looking at the little green goblin that he was alright.

"Nothing I couldn't handle on my own," Beast Boy said confidently. His goofy smile dispelled what coolness could have come from that line. "I'm sorry I missed your piece. I know you were looking forward to reading it."

Raven shrugged. "I didn't write it for you," she said. "I just had a moment of inspiration."

"You're writing poetry about someone besides me!?"

Raven turned her back to him, where she could safely smile in amusement. Beast Boy, of course, thought he was in trouble and she was raging.

"I may have confessed my feelings to you, but what makes you think I would love you enough to make a poem about you?"

Beast Boy took her seriously and became one giant set of puppy dog eyes that spewed torrents of crocodile tears. "B-b-but... I thought... I mean... I thought we had something when you kept asking me to sleep with you!"

The entire audience went silent and stared at the pair. Beast Boy sweat-dropped, and Raven went beet-red. Some of the braver members of the audience starting giggling and whispering cat calls.

"I was a kitty cat at the time," Beast Boy said in his defense. That only goaded the audience on. That is, until Raven's eyes started to burn with hellfire. Even if she lost her magic, she was still a woman. And all women could make hellfire come from their eyes when they were angry.

The audience went silent and pretended to be distracted by the ceiling. Raven grabbed Beast Boy by the scruff of his neck and dragged him outside, where they could talk in the more "private" setting of the street corner.

"Just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I can't throttle you," Raven warned, her cheeks still a little flushed from before.

"Sorry, sorry," Beast Boy said, almost begging for his life. He knew better than to make Raven angry. She inflicted the most insidious tortures on people when she got angry. Plus, Raven's left hook was very painful.

Speaking of women with mean left hooks...

"Where's Terra and Jinx?" Beast Boy asked. "I thought you three were hanging out today?"

"They convinced me to meet them at the Tower for a little party they wanted to throw, when everybody came back home," Raven said, a tone of irritation in her voice.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered. "The tower's been so empty lately, so I'm all for a party! It's been so boring lately, since there's nobody for me to hang with."

Raven scowled, and Beast Boy caught himself before she even said a word. "I mean besides you! I love hanging with you." Raven's scowl subsided, and Beast Boy laughed a little, which brought a smile to her lips.

"You want to go home and help with the preparations, or do you want to... go to the movies?" Raven asked casually.

They stopped at a crossing light. Beast Boy glanced sideways. "You want to go out? That's not like you."

"You don't want to go?"

"No, I'd love to go!" Beast Boy said quickly. He happily snatched Raven's hand and held it for all the world to see. Raven tried to hide her blush under her bangs. The light eventually changed and they walked side-by-side towards the nearest theater.

--

"Police in Dakota City finally released the full report of a young man, believed to be the son of Alva Industries chairman, Edwin Alva, who turned to stone after the overuse of metahuman powers derived from the 'Big Bang' chemical. Experts explain that this is a side-effect of the mutagen when too much-"

(CLICK)

"-'Big Bang' chemical, more properly known as Biboranium. It was a highly experimental combination of tear gas and radioactive tracer material intended for use in war overseas, but has since been labeled unusable due to its unintended mutagenic effect on victims, and it's tendency to introduce psychotic instability into any metahuman it creates."

(CLICK)

"-number in the hundreds, according to Gotham City police Commissioner Gordon. Metahuman outbreaks, believed to be caused by gang recruitment and illegal shipments of Biboranium, the legendary 'Big Bang' chemical born in Dakota City, have taken Gotham City crime to a new level of violence and destruction."

(CLICK)

"-says President Colin Powell. The plague of metahumans created by the fallout of the Big Bang has extended to every corner of the country thanks to aerial currents and chemical pollution on everything from clothes to food. A yellow alert has been declared for all medical facilities, which are tasked with bringing the metahuman outbreak to a halt."

(CLICK, CLICK)

"Tara Markov, a child believed to be dead after domestic violence ended in tragedy, due to a metahuman attack that caused the entire Markov estate to collapse. Experts believe the child lashed out with a metahuman power after her father nearly crippled her and his wife during a drunken rage. The child was cleared of guilt by local courts but was never apprehended, and has since been filed as deceased. However, Dakota City police believe that the Teen Titan known as 'Terra' matches the identity of the Markov child, and are debating a re-opening of the case in light of the metahuman panic washing over America. The Titans and their sponsors at S.T.A.R. Labs refuse to comment, claiming that despite appearances, 'Terra' does not have a genetic match to the Markov child and has no ties to Dakota City or the Big Bang."

(TV scene change to live interview between reporter and a hastily vacating S.T.A.R. scientist.)

"Professor MacKinnon! Professor! What do you have to say about the reports of the Teen Titans harboring a psychotic metahuman?"

(Professor): "Those accusations are based solely on broad assumptions. Terra has done many things to help our fine city in light of her actions with Slade and The Hive, and I for one think she's done more than enough penance. Furthermore, I think our reports on the genetic mismatch of Tara Markov and Terra are all the evidence you need."

"And the reports of the Big Bang having changed her genetic imprint?"

(Professor): "Vague accusations to garner the media's attention. Nothing more!"

"What about the reports of S.T.A.R. labs researching the 'Big Bang' chemical as a potential weapon in the third world?"

(Professor): "Biboranium is an unsafe chemical that no company in their right mind will use for anything short of immediate disposal. S.T.A.R. labs has collected all remaining sources of the mutagen and is in the process of safe and expedient disposal with the help of Alva Industries' affiliates all over the country. We are also distributing the company's mutagenic antidote to all affected areas of the United States to prevent any further metahuman outbreaks."

"Professor MacKi-"

(OFF)

(The Gas Station of Solitude)

Virgil Hawkins sighed and fell to the couch, the one piece of furniture that he could recline on while watching the old TV they used at the station. "Man... all they ever talk about are metahumans nowadays. Every time I fly overhead, I get weird stares. Now I know what Spiderman feels like in the comics."

Richie toiled at his work bench, where he fiddled with his busted-up robot companion, Backpack. "Huh? You say something Vee?"

"I said Janet is putting on another half-time show."

Richie snorted as he fished for a rusty screwdriver in his tool box. "I wish. Maybe this time I could get it on TiVo."

Virgil stared at the ceiling of the dilapidated gas station he and Richie called home when they were resting between school and patrols as Static and Gear. Virgil's mind wandered down memory lane, and a pretty little face kept appearing in those memories. "Hey Rich? You remember Tara?"

"Who?" Richie's attention was firmly on Backpack.

"Tara. The blond girl who spent all her time at Alva's gifted school with Frieda."

"You mean the one that was so skinny, Frieda swore she was bulimic?"

"Yeah, her." Virgil pulled himself up and leaned over the back of the couch so he could face Richie - or at least the top of his head as he worked. "You ever wonder why she was so unhappy, even though she was the richest girl in school?"

"Not really," Richie muttered. He shrank from a spark that leaped from Backpack. "I mind my own business usually. But I do remember you spending a lot of time with her when Frieda was trying to set her up with friends. Said something about her being shy."

"Yeah. She was always so... quiet. It was like she was always afraid of something. And one day, I kinda found out why. Her dad was always pressuring her to do well in school so that he didn't look bad in front of his company peers. He'd hit her whenever she got a bad grade or hung out with someone he didn't like."

Richie paused at that. It was a familiar subject for him, since his father had issues with who Richie hung with. He put his tools aside and looked Virgil in the eye. He could see that Virgil was lost in his memories.

"I used to go visit her at night," Virgil admitted. "Her father hated me apparently."

"Why wouldn't he? A middle class black boy hanging with an upper class white girl is bound to be good for his social standing." The line was dripping with sarcasm. He and Virgil knew how racism reared its ugly head all the time in Dakota City, due to its unique dichotomy of industrial upper class families and a ghetto suburbia just across the street.

"She said she didn't want to be alone," Virgil said. "I used to spend hours talking to her in her room, about whatever came to her mind that day. Her parents never checked up on her, because they were too busy with their own lives to care. And the maids there were people I knew from church, so they kept our meetings a secret."

"I never knew you were that close," Richie said. "You must've took it real hard when... you know, the accident."

Virgil nodded gently. "I did. This was shortly after the Big Bang, so I was determined to protect her with my new powers. But the night it happened... I ended up getting dragged into a brawl with Ebon and the Metabreed. I didn't find out until the next morning what happened."

Richie watched his best friend cover his face and wipe the bad memories from his mind with a gesture. Like a true "man", he didn't cry, but it was obvious how strong his emotions on the subject were. Richie knew from firsthand experience just how much Virgil cared about his friends, and the people he wanted to protect. And he blamed himself when things didn't go the way he planned, even if they were beyond his control.

"You really think what Aya on Channel 9 said is true? That the 'Terra' with the Teen Titans might be the 'Tara' you knew?"

Virgil sighed as he collected his thoughts. "I don't know. But if somebody reported it, then there's at least a small chance that it's true. I want to make sure. Because if the story is true, then she's a Bang Baby too. And she might be in trouble because of it."

"You're talking about the kind of trouble you had with Permafrost," Richie said. "Her bad memories nearly drove her crazy because of the Big Bang chemical in her system."

"She was so alone because of what she was," Virgil said. "I don't want anyone to suffer like that if I can help it."

"So the hours of community service at the church just aren't enough for you," Richie smirked. "I just can't believe how much love you got in ya, Vee. It's inhuman."

Virgil smirked cockily. "Not inhuman. Metahuman." His eyes sparked with the same electrical charge that allowed him to beat the bad guys in his neighborhood. "You up for a little 'camping trip' this weekend, Rich?"

"You bet!" The two leaped from their seats and slapped fists to seal the deal. "Let's go pay a visit to this 'Terra' girl. Even if she's not the one, we'll get a free trip to California out of it!"

"And Robin can finally introduce us to his crew." Virgil and Richie knew the Boy Wonder through Batman and their meeting during the fiasco with Static being trapped in the future. They'd been promised a chance to meet the Teen Titans one day, but the meeting never came.

The Dakota boys were going to change that.

--

In a few hours, the arrangements were made. Virgil and Richie had permission to go on a camping trip, so long as they took their cell phones with them and called back periodically to verify that they were indeed camping, and not out partying in the big city. The two boys did their best not to give away their true motives, but they'd had a lot of practice at keeping secrets from their fathers, so they didn't have much trouble now.

A short trip to their gas station, and the pair became the dynamic duo of Static and Gear. They flew through the clouds at high speed, passing flocks of birds and westbound airplanes as they did. They got a kick out of waving to the children who eagerly pointed them out to their parents on the plane. They also enjoyed racing each other through the clouds to prove who was fastest. By the time they reached California airspace, the score was tied at eight-to-eight, and both boys were feeling worn out from their long morning of flight.

"I could really go for a pit stop at Burger Fool right about now," Gear said. His stomach grumbled so loudly that his metal suit actually vibrated in tandem. "And a double order of chili fries."

Static scanned the horizon and listened to passing radio communications with his electrokinetic powers. He learned their ETA through one such communication to an airplane they passed a little while ago. "We're about fifteen minutes from San Francisco. And it's a nice day."

"Perfect weather for flying," Gear noted.

"And perfect weather for a little sky writing," Static said. That sly smirk again. He was ready for mischief.

"You want to send a love letter to the little blond?" Gear laughed.

"It's not like that! And for your information, I thought I'd try sending a shout-out to that Titans redhead you like so much."

Gear gave him a nervous glance. "Let's just keep that on the down-low."

"Why? I thought it'd be cute to confess your love!"

"Don't even play like that Vee!" Gear snapped. Static laughed and juiced up his flying disk as he ascended. His sidekick followed suit, still protesting Static's proposition. Fifteen minutes later, they were over the city.

"I don't know about this," Gear said. "What if they don't think this is funny? I hear the cops are armed to the teeth and use laser cannons and everything."

"Don't worry. It's just a little message," Static smiled. He held his hands up high, and power exploded from his fingertips and arced in all directions as bolts of lightning, except that they didn't go earthward like real lightning. They were at Static's total command.

Gear's power sensors clocked Static at 12.1 gigawatts - about ten times the strength of normal lightning, and almost nothing to the boy hero. "You're dogging it, Vee."

"I don't want to fry the electrical equipment in this district," Static smirked. "I just want to say 'Hi'."

In seconds, the message was sculpted. And the whole city could see it as clearly as they could see the sun.

GEAR LIKES STARFIRE

"Wha- VEE!!" Gear tried to tackle Static to stop him from making the message, but Static back-peddled his flying disk while maintaining the message with one hand. Gear shouted all kinds of threats, but it only made it more funny. Finally, Gear managed to take Static down, and they wrestled a bit before descending to the nearest fast food restaurant.

--

(Titans Tower)

The tower was alive with decorations, thanks to the efforts of Starfire, Jinx, and Terra. And their man-servants, Gizmo and Mammoth. The two boys moved the den couch back and forth as per Jinx's requests, and she took great delight in making them repeat their prior movements while she tried to decide. Starfire and Terra focused their efforts on streamers, chandelier bells, and other party trinkets that they could populate the ceiling with. Terra used an earthen footstool to get to those hard-to-reach corners, while Starfire flew the old fashioned way to do the same.

"I am overjoyed that our friends will be returning soon!" Starfire cheered. "Robin and Cyborg have been gone for so long, I feared they had forgotten the way home!"

Terra pshed loudly, her breath causing her bangs to flail about. "Robin can leap skyscrapers blindfolded from the pizza parlor to the Tower. There's no way he'd ever get lost."

"And Vic has a GPS, so the same is true for him," Jinx said offhandedly. She was the only one who called Cyborg 'Vic'. Gizmo and Mammoth hated that, and made that clear quite often. They were her closest friends for the longest time, and she never called them by their real names. Jealousy reared its ugly head.

"Are we done with this stinkin' crap-sponge?" Gizmo snarled, ever eloquent in his speech.

"How can you be tired?" Mammoth growled. "You're using robot arms. And you're too weak to help anyway." To prove his point, Mammoth picked up the couch himself to shake Gizmo off, but the couch started to buckle in the middle. Before it broke entirely, Jinx hissed an order to halt their squabbling, then used her own magic to hold the couch together. 'Luckily', Jinx's hex had enough good luck to keep the couch together.

Terra floated over to another corner, quietly humming a country song to herself as she set up still-more streamers and chimes. As she passed the main window of the den, she gawked at something so spectacular that it defied explanation. It was a HUGE message made out of... out of lightning!

"Uh... guys?" Terra pointed. "I think that's intended for us." Everyone in the room wandered over to see what she meant, and everyone gawked just as much as she did. Starfire was stunned more by the message itself than its medium.

"Who is the Gear whom the dancing lights are speaking of?" she asked. "And why is he liking Starfire when we have not met?"

"Star's got a stalker!" Terra cheered. She stool-surfed to Star's side and smiled with exaggerated fiendishness. "Some lonely soul out there is so amazed by your appearance that he's watching your every move!"

Starfire, of course, took her words seriously. "The stalker sounds like the Rancors of Myrgal Seven! Is this Gear truly following me!?" Her eyes darted from corner to corner in search of the stranger. Terra tried not to laugh at Star's cute naivety.

"You'd best watch out," Jinx added. "Boys will do lots of crazy things for girls they like. He might try to steal you away."

Starfire's eyes flared with green light. "I will not let that happen!" She tried to jet through the ceiling access, but Jinx used a hex to make her foot catch on Terra's stool, sending them both tumbling onto the couch on top of each other.

"Relax. We're just joking. Boy, are you easy." Jinx sauntered towards the kitchen, patting 'poor wittle Star's' head as she passed. Starfire glared at Terra, who laughed innocently and tried to wriggle herself from beneath the alien before it proved fatal.

Gizmo checked the anomaly with his homemade tricorder. "Weird... there's no way that thing's man-made, but it's sculpted way to chaotically to be mechanical or caused by a higher dimensional being."

"It's just that yellow guy with the spiky hair," Mammoth growled. He sidestepped as Starfire pursued Terra in search of vengeance.

"You mean Lightning?" Gizmo considered that. "Maybe. But why would he bother? And that still doesn't explain who Gear is."

"You think too much." Mammoth slapped Gizmo playfully on the back, knocking him head-first into Terra's and Star's wrestling match. He ended up squished between the two, then as a boneless mush on the floor with scratch marks on every inch of skin. Mammoth laughed gutturally.

"Wait!" Terra cried, just as Starfire reared back with a pillow for the mother of all pillow-slaps. "I've got an idea! Let's go investigate! We can find out if this guy Gear is cute or not! And if he isn't, there's nothing lost except a few calories from flying over! What do you say?"

Starfire's even glare and cartoony frown spoke volumes. "I am not in search of a boyfriend, nor do I wish to go on a date with a stranger."

"Oh, come on!" Terra said. "Who said anything about a boyfriend or a date? There's nothing wrong with looking, right? Besides, whoever made that message certainly ain't normal. Maybe we can make friends with this super-boy."

Starfire lowered her pillow armament. "I suppose... that is true." She tossed the pillow aside, where Mammoth happened to be, and the resulting force sent him and the pillow flying into the den wall. "Let us go see who the Gear is!"

"Right!" Terra thanked the heavens for sparing her. She looked over Starfire's shoulder to Jinx. "You wanna come too?"

Jinx nursed her fresh cup of cherry soda. "I'll wait for Beast Boy and the witch here. And I'll make sure these two dolts finish with the decorations." She of course referred to Gizmo and Mammoth, who both were still dizzy from their encounters with Star's super strength.

"We will be back shortly," Starfire promised. She grabbed Terra's forearm, making the girl squeal a bit. "Come Terra! Let us go!" The alien flew through the skylight, and Terra conjured up a rock from the island and used it to sky-surf at Star's side.

Jinx shook her head and sipped her drink. "Kids."

--

Static and Gear chose not to change into their civilian identities yet, since they were bound to run into the Titans sooner or later. That being said, waiting in line at the Pizza Parlor they found was an interesting experience. It seemed that all the young people there were fans of Static's, and were even bigger fans of the music made in his honor by artists like Lil' Romeo. Gear had a few fans as well, but they were mostly computer 'enthusiasts' and self-styled inventors - basically the dateless geeks in the area who spent their time at Radio Shack and playing Halo all evening.

"You are SO much cuter in person!" exclaimed a blond teen and her equally cute friend. "And those dreadlocks are so Reggae!!"

Static scratched his head. "Uh... thanks. I don't suppose you've met any other superheroes, have you?"

"Oh, all the time!" one of them said. "The city's just crawling with costumed people. The Teen Titans hang out here all the time, but sometimes Conner comes by, and then there's-"

"Can I help whose next please!?" shouted the fast food jockey at the register. Apparently it was Static's turn. It seemed that Gear was trapped by the tech-fans, so it was up to Static to break away if they wanted to eat anything.

"Gimme a sec, ladies," he said, trying to sound as suave as a sixteen-year-old could sound. The girls swooned dramatically, which made Static wonder if they were being serious or were just teasing him. San Francisco was legendary for having odd people in it, so he knew these people wouldn't be like the suburbanites back home.

"Move it or lose it, boy wonder," the register operator grouched. Static hurried up, not wanting to hold up anyone in line - not that they seemed to care. The only one in a bad mood seemed to be the guy behind the register, who wasn't much older than he was.

"You'd better have money too, kid," he warned. "We don't do give freebies just because you think you're a superhero. We get enough of that crap around here."

"Sure thing," Static shrugged. "We'd like a large stuffed crust double whammy pizza with sausage, pepperoni, olives, and two small sodas."

"Twenty-three, seventy-five," the boy droned. Static checked his long coat pockets for money, then he remembered that he had his wallet in his pants. He worked on getting the wallet from his back pocket, but his protective gloves made it a tad difficult.

"Come-on, come-on, come-on," the operator snapped. "I got customers waiting, super-dork!"

"Take it easy, Larry!" one of the girls behind Static snapped back. "Why do you always have to pick fights with people just because their superheroes?"

"Because they always think they're so much better than everyone else, just because they got super powers from some crazy accident!" Larry growled.

Static dropped a $20 and a $5 on the counter and shoved his wallet into his back pocket again. "Keep the change, bro."

"What, you're not even going to hand it to me?" Larry spat. "Am I just not worth the superhero's time? I ain't taking your damn money like that." He shoved the bills off the counter, and they fell to the floor. Static frowned out of irritation, but he controlled it well.

"Knock if off, Larry!" the same girl said. "You're being a jerk for no reason!"

"I bet you got your powers from something stupid, like getting struck by lightning," Larry pressed on. "Why do the little punks get all the powers, when a guy like me goes through his entire life with unfortunate events that do nothing but ruin me!"

Static picked up his money and held it towards him. "I don't know man. I'm not the Man-in-Charge. I just do what I can with what blessings I've got, just like my mother taught me."

Gear and the proximal crowd looked on with bated breath. Although Static seemed to be preaching like a PBS mascot, Gear could see the suppressed anger in his friend's eyes. He was trying his hardest not to let this guy get to him. He wanted to set an example.

"Your mother," Larry muttered under his breath as he finally rang up the meal and snatched the money from Static's hand. "Did she get shot by a taser gun when she birthed you?"

Uh-oh, Gear thought. His mother was a touchy subject. As evidenced by Static's fist clenching.

"She died from gang violence," Static said through taut lips. "She tried to help people, and she ended up being a street-side victim because of it."

Larry seemed unconcerned. "So what. Lots of people die. What excuse is that for you to act so high and mighty?"

The girls behind Static literally shoved him out of the way to get in Larry's face. "The only one here acting 'high and mighty' is you! Now quit it before we tell your dad that you're making his parlor look bad!"

THAT got Larry's attention. "I... uh..."

"Now go make his pizza before we get nasty!" they warned. Larry scowled, but did as he was told. He gave Static one final angry glance before going to do his job. Static let out a sigh and thanked God that turned out as well as it did.

"Thanks, ladies," Static smiled. "I appreciate it."

"Larry's always like that. He's a little off-kilter," they explained. "He complains all the time that he should have been born special. He's just a high school dropout who hates his job, so don't mind him."

"He reminds me of most of the guys I grew up with," Static admitted. He shook his head and turned to find a seat, when suddenly a scream erupted from the back of the restaurant. People dove for cover in the back as Larry rushed to the front counter, brandishing a loaded and cocked shotgun!

"THIS WILL TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT!!" he shouted. He pointed the gun straight at the girls in front of his register. They barely had enough time to scream before he pulled the trigger, and a loud BOOM filled the room.

No bullet came. The barrel of the gun had imploded on itself, knocking Larry off-balance and blinding him with heat and smoke. At the same moment, his clothes suffered an incredible amount of static cling and constricted around him before sticking him against the wall like it was flypaper. Static's electrokinetic powers were quicker than a speeding bullet, and everyone knew it now.

"Just like home," Static frowned. He used his powers to pick up what was left of the shotgun and wrenched it until the barrel was a pretzel. If there was anything he hated more than bullies, it was guns.

Gear rushed over and handcuffed Larry's free wrists. The 'Static Cling' held him firmly in place as Gear finished the job. He looked at Static, who dropped his hold on Larry while Gear took over. Soon, Larry was on his knees and 'cuffed into submission.

"Incredible...," one of the girl's said, still surprised by the sudden action. "Th-thank you!" She hugged the hero fiercely, as did her friend. Gear shook his head at his stunned partner, who didn't know quite how to react.

Enter the two femmes from the Tower.

"So you are 'the Gear', yes?" Starfire said as she and Terra waltzed into the parlor, much to everyone's delight. Superheroes were always fun to watch during a lunch break. "Why did you say you are liking me!?"

"... Pardon?" Static and Gear said at the same time.

"Get real, sister," one of the blond's holding Static said. "This is Static, the hero who just saved our lives! That guy is Gear." They indicated the metal-armored boy, who seemed mesmerized by the fact that one of his TV idols stood only a few steps away from him.

Static politely but hastily shooed the two blonds away, then stepped forward to introduce himself properly. "I'm Static. That message was just a joke, honest. We're friends of Robin's."

Starfire blinked. "You are? Then, you are from the Gotham City? You do not dress the part."

It was common knowledge that Gotham City was stuck in the 1950's in terms of fashion. So the Dakota boys and their brightly colored costumes would definitely be out-of-place in such an environment. That only made it all the more amusing that Starfire would think that.

"N-not exactly," Gear cut in, his body fully erect like a pole, or a soldier standing at attention. "We're from Dakota City, where we fight crime and protect the innocent, just like you guys! A-and we've even helped the Justice League shave the world! I mean, 'save'!"

Poor Gear earned a few laughs instead of the respect he deserved. Starfire laughed as well, but her laugh was so beautiful and delicate that the boy beneath Gear's mask was overjoyed by it. Making a girl laugh was something that gave boy's great joy, even if the reason for them laughing was them saying or doing something stupid.

All this time, Terra was staring at Static, and vice versa. Terra's confused expression gave Static hope that his general appearance conjured up memories of some prior relation between them. He didn't tell Richie this, but he was hoping strongly that this Terra was the one he knew roughly two years ago. There were things he never said to that girl that he would give anything to say if he could.

At this point, Starfire and Gear started to speak about Dakota City, since the alien was clearly confused by "this place that she was certain was a state". People gathered around to listen in, until Terra finally came to her senses and shooed them all off in her own boisterous fashion. The cops came and went to take Larry the pizza boy away, and Static and Gear's pizza was given for free as reward for their actions. Static protested, saying that he wanted to pay, but finally he caved in when everyone in the room convinced him that it happened all the time. Starfire and Terra agreed.

Soon, the two girls and the two boys were eating together outside. Terra and Gear hungrily devoured half of the pizza, and Terra found the chance to show off her burping skills with one loud belch that made Gear lose his grip on his soda. After an exclamation of "NICE!", they discussed some of their more disturbing exploits as teenagers, such as being able to burp the alphabet and having total mastery of the video game Super Ninja Fury III.

Static was surprised, because the girl he thought Terra to be was as prim and proper as any princess. This girl was almost the polar opposite, even though they looked exactly the same.

Starfire cleared her throat gently and with an exaggerated 'Ahem'. She obviously had little practice with the earthly custom of coughing to get someone's attention. Static glanced at her.

"Your visit is certainly a pleasant, if unexpected, surprise, but why did you wish to come here?" she asked as she slurped at a bottle of mustard.

"We wanted to see who this team was that Robin always boasted about in Gotham," Static said. "The last time we met, he wouldn't stop talking about you guys."

"I can see why," Gear exclaimed. He and Terra were in the middle of a game of Paper Football, and Terra just punted the triangle 'ball' into Gear's mask, at which point she exclaimed 'GOAL!' They shared a laugh and resumed their game.

"Robin has not mentioned you two," Starfire said. It took her a few moments to realize that saying that might be rude. "Oh! But, what I mean to say is..."

"It's alright," Static said. "Robin must hang with hundreds of different heroes. We're not exactly famous or anything."

"But you are so nice!" Starfire countered. "I do not understand why Robin wouldn't want to introduce you. Perhaps he has merely forgotten because of all the things that have happened in our city lately."

"Yeah. All that stuff on the news about Slade and The Hive. You guys have enough to worry about."

"It's been nice and quiet lately though!" Terra cheered. "We're about to throw a party at the Tower, and any superhero aged thirteen to sixteen will be there!"

"Really?" Static and Gear looked at each other, then at the girls. "You think we could come too?"

Starfire jumped out of her seat, startling them. "Of course! I would not have it any other way! You must come and 'shake the groove thing' with us!" Starfire promptly flew between the boys and grabbed them in the fiercest group hug they'd ever experienced. Gear squealed like a smooshed hamster plushie.

Terra was happy that she wasn't the one being crushed, for a change. "Starfire's a very friendly person."

"I didn't notice," Static groaned.

Starfire's smile was as broad as a car grill. "Welcome to the Teen Titans! Friends forever!"

"Hurray," the boys moaned simultaneously.