Sorry this took so long. I’ve been a bad girl. You see, I wrote a Mary Sue Litmus Test for Teen Titans and submitted it, and it was against the rules. So I’ve been restricted from submitting my work until today.

To TerrasTerrain: Prisoner 1029 wanted to go back to jail because he is an honorable creature, even if he is a criminal. He only escaped because his tri-mester alien hunger would have made him eat anyone in sight—like prison guards and fellow inmates. And Robin only wanted to kiss Raven because he was so happy that she let Starfire stick around. You know, that old line “I’m so happy I could kiss you right now!” There’s nothing romantic going on.

I had soooo much fun with Chapter Five. It is like, one of my favorites out of this fic. At first it felt mediocre and I dreaded writing the Titans-meet-Star-in-battle scene, but I loved her appearance.

This is the last chapter, the one I told you back in Chapter 3 that I was looking forward to. I’m sorry to make you wait for something that is shorter than some of the other chapters, but that’s what happens when people like myself break the rules.

EPILOGUE

Operation…Unknown

The soft grinding of slowly turning gears and thrusting pistons were the only sounds in the massive darkened room. There were hundreds of them, all powering an enormous underground complex that extended farther than any of Jump City’s citizens were aware of; indeed, very few knew it existed at all.

Plans were dispatched from here, from elaborate schemes given to “trusted” lackeys that roamed the upper level streets to seemingly petty plans that were taken by those who owed the creator of them in some way. There were very few living souls here; most of the beings allowed within were special servants or high-ranking criminals, but mostly, robots that were designed by the man who owned all of this and many things in Jump City above him as well.

That man sat in a heavy metal chair, a hundred viewscreens before him. Each one held an image, and there were many images displayed before him.

Some were of various key location points in Jump City, while others were carefully watched locations where enemies or so-called allies dwelt and worked. One dwelling in particular was that of a giant T-shaped building set out in Jump City’s harbor, standing silent and grand upon its small island. On the view screen, the sun was setting, and its golden rays shone off the glass-and-metal structure of the tower beautifully. Its five inhabitants were currently out, either to fill their bellies or to stop the raging crime machine of the city, or perhaps just to take a walk and be children—they did not realize the machine was more complicated and deliberately-orchestrated than what they saw every day.

The man’s hand grazed a small button on the arm of his chair, and some of the view screens were replaced with new video images, recorded on different dates that extended to one month prior. On each image was a different Teen Titan, fighting against a foe that was just powerful enough to provide a small challenge for them.

The first Titan the man turned his attention to was the latest edition to the team. Her name was Starfire, a Tamaranian alien with incredible strength and the ability to fire green bolts from her eyes. She was a traditional newcomer, with too-perfect English and a naiveté that was almost endearing. She had quickly become a regular Titan, often outdoing the others with her super-human Tamaranian abilities. He’d watched her interact with the others and saw that she was most comfortable around one in particular. She was intelligent, brave, and good-hearted. She was, quite rankly, a hero among heroes.

The second Titan he turned he focused on was the youngest of the Titans, a green-skinned human named Beast boy. With the ability to turn into the most vicious of animals, the 14-year-old Titan should have been more effective at his job than he was, but his youth and immaturity curbed that ideal and turned him into an amateurish hero at best. He was the most childish and insipid out of the bunch, with very few respectable, redeeming qualities. Even his strange appearance and unique ability could not make him truly special. He was average, horribly so.

The man turned his head slightly, removing his one-eyes gaze from the changeling to another screen, where a half-human, half-machine teenager. Cyborg was his name, and he was an interesting specimen, the man thought; a teenager made mostly of metal, with built-in gadgets to aid him in rising above his human limits. He was smart, the man knew, especially when it came to tech, and though he had proven to possess a rather hot temper he was a well-rounded individual. He was good at his job, but he still could not impress the man. He’d seen better heroes—and villains—all too often.

That left only two Titans.

The one in a hooded cloak, Raven, was certainly interesting for a moment or two—thoughtful, broody, and constantly dark, she almost reminded him of himself…almost. Her gloomy nature and acerbic personality set them apart, and it was something he had seen in teenagers all too often to consider novel. A telepath and empath, she had a great advantage in battle. Her powers were intense, but she too had failed to truly impress him.

And, ah, the last of the Titans. Formerly the student of a legendary dark hero, and formerly from the crime-ridden Gotham City, the boy known as Robin had co-founded the Teen Titans and led it with a loose authority that was rarely challenged by his teammates. Unlike his companions, he had no abilities, surpassed his physical limits, but those abilities were nothing to take lightly. Though short and lean, he was nothing but firm muscle and endurance, already a gifted martial artist and acrobat. he carried a plethora of weapons and gadgets in his belt, and also armed himself, the man watching was again pleased to note, a metallic retractable bo staff. He wore a white, expressionless mask, and had never been seen to take it off. The man doubted even his friends had seen his eyes. The boy was brash, impulsive, but competent and unlike anything the man had ever seen before.

Well…he’d seen it only once before.

He stroked another button, and the video of the Titan leader paused. Slowly, the man began to nod; the boy was perfect. He had been watching him with a special attention for months, and after viewing success after success, and one uncanny similarity after the other between them, the man had no doubts about his decision.

It would take careful planning, plans that were already set in motion. The test would begin, and the boy would decide his own future, without ever knowing that he was being asked to do it. And Slade had a good instinct that he would pass the test superbly.

“Yes...” The criminal, known only as Slade, gave the slightest nod of the head. Everything was coming to place at last. “It seems my search has finally come to an end.”

And you all know what happened next.

—THE END—