'nuther teen titans fanfic, help!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

I have a spectacular idea for a fanfic, but i have a feeling it might not be recieved well.

i wont offer up too many details, but it would require the insert of a new charac ter into the teen titans. i know its bad practice, but thats part of the plot. then it goes deeper into a sort of romance story between *gasp* starfire and the stranger. would this be crossing some sort of unspoken boundary in fanfics? i mean, starfire never fully expressed an interest in Robin in the series.

yay or nay?

Edit-I changed the title of the thread to black and white, cause this is mostly a story of conflicting emotions and opposites.

[EternalShadow]

By all means! Give it a shot! I find it would be interesting. I'm sure many people would find Starfire to be off-limits (the Whole Rob and Star Crush) but New characters are always welcome in my stance. I hope to hear all about it!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

thanks. see, the problem is to try to make the new character fit in without using the hackneyed "everything conveniently fits in place" situation. im hoping i have enough control over the english language to avoid it.
i warn you if i do this it will be slow in coming. but ill give it a shot.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

ugh, nevermind.
it all came out so trite and...ugh.

Ill work on it, but i really need to take this years english class first.

[PressureCooker]

If you can use the word "trite" in a sentence... you should really reconsider waiting to submit your fic. I'm sure we would like to see it now...

Just my opinion, nothing more.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

@ pressurecooker
just the guy i wanted to talk to!

here's my situation.
I am really great with the english language. I got a 740 on the SATs and I have a great vocabulary. The problem is that I am great at writing analytical papers (i.e. nonfiction), but my creative writing skills are lacking. All of my introductions always seem to come out as boring, overused etc. You know what I mean.

You happen to be the best writer I have ever talked to, all of your work seems professional. Do you have any advice for someone looking to break into the creative writing genre? I need these skills anyway for college application essays.

HELP ME!

(I havent really started the fanfic yet, I have a plot. I just need to make it all come together. And your work kicks butt.)

[Reket]

it works well, it ends well. ^-^

[Reket]

It's always welcome to see different perspectives on the whole Robin and Starfire thing, so I'm really interested to see what you have to offer! Go for it!

[Starfire5]

O.o sounds good. And that was a good choice to ask pressurecooker. And you should try it out i didnt think my fanfic was going to sound good and it uh actually does.

[Lord Welshi]

It sounds like you have a nice idea for a story here. True, there will be some who disagree with a romance between Starfire and an outside character, but a fanfiction is just that: A work of fiction by a fan. So by all means, the romantic element should be included (if it contributes to the plot itself, alls the better.) HOWEVER, as i have seen in many titan's fics, new characters sometimes appear all-powerful, or at least a heck of a lot stronger than the titans themselves, which can ruin the overall effect of the story. But i doubt you'd fall into this trap.

If you are unsure about your work, try posting the first chapter (or however much you have written) and ask for some feedback. The people here are friendly and won't openly slam your work, but will give helpful and constructive ideas and criticism (which is usually good.)

Hope some of that advice helps

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, i got a rough first draft. im not done editing, and may change anything from character names to the whole plot. im just throwing this one out to see if its worth continuing. here it goes.

---------------------------------------------------

The corridor was silent as Robin walked down towards the common room, save for the deep thrumming of the power transformers in the basement vibrating through the floor. On a typical day you wouldn’t even notice it, but at two in the morning, you notice a lot of things you wouldn’t during the day. The tread of Robin’s metal-soled footsteps echoed off the walls as he strolled. With a muffled whoosh the door to the main room in Titan’s Tower opened, admitting him entrance, and closed behind him with an audible thump. The nighttime lighting in Titan’s Tower was enough to discern shapes, but made it hard to find anything, which was fine because Robin wasn’t looking for anything. He stepped up to the main window facing the City and sighed. He stared across the bay at the glittering city, his city. Or, he thought it was. After the disappearance of Slade, the city had been silent and the Titans had been relegated to cleanup duty-second rate bank robbers and car jackers. He was proud of ridding his city of the real criminals, but deep down, he missed the action. Life had become quiet, predictable, and…well, boring. Robin hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he had wished that something, anything would happen.

And it did.

Over the past week there had been three major incidents. First, Plasmus had been set free again. His liberator was unknown. And then there was Control Freak, who managed to gain control over a billboard and make a mess of downtown. Then there had been a break-in at a high-level research facility for the government. No one had been implicated, but the only thing stolen was some Zynothium-and Robin only knew one person who wanted that. This sudden surge of crime was not a coincidence, and Robin was sure that there was someone masterminding it. Who he couldn’t say.

Outside there was a familiar flashing of red and blue lights and a very distant siren. Robin watched with growing interest as more and more tiny lights joined the group. They must have been 3 miles away. The sirens had become inaudible and Robin lost interest, figuring it was only a fire or something. As he turned to leave, there was a flash of light, followed several seconds later by a deep bang. Robin immediately switched into battle mode.

“Lights, full!” the room became blindingly bright as the overhead lights powered on. “Titan Alert!” Robin yelled, and a siren began sounding throughout the tower, instantly waking everyone in the tower. Robin ran over to the main console and punched into the police network. The details were preliminary, and the cops didn’t seem to know much. Large unknown suspect, breaking and entering, assaulting police officer, nothing of any particular value. As he was finishing up, Raven and Cyborg entered the room.

“What’s going on?” asked Raven in her monotone voice.

“I think the real question here is what’s going on AT THREE IN THE MORNING!” yelled a very angry Cyborg.”
“Don’t know yet. The cops haven’t figured it out.” Replied Robin with a wave at the screen. Cyborg leaned down and scanned the lines of text.

“Great. So you woke us up at this hour to go chase down some insomniac crack-head who couldn’t keep his greedy little hands to himself, huh?” Cyborg said sarcastically.

“Could we please…*yawn*…turn that alarm off?” Beast Boy said tiredly as he came through the doorway.

“It is most unpleasant.” chimed Starfire. Robin flipped a red switch on the panel and the klaxon went silent.

“I don’t know what this is, but I don’t like it,” said Robin as another explosion sounded off in the distance. “I don’t think this is an ordinary robbery. We’d better check it out.”

“Right,” they all replied in unison.



They arrived at the crime scene several minutes later, finding a mess. Robin dismounted the T-cycle and put his helmet down, walking towards the building. It looked like a warehouse. There was a conspicuously large hole in the side, about 10 feet in diameter.

“Has anyone been in there yet?” Robin turned and asked a nearby police officer.

“Uh…no. We think that, whatever-it-is is still in there.” The officer answered nervously.

“All right. Titans, lets check it out.” Said Robin as they began walking into the building. Inside it was dark, the only light came through the hole. There were crates and shadows everywhere.

“This place is mondo creepy,” said Beast Boy. “This guy could be anywhere.”

“I doubt he’s here. Only an idiot would stay at the scene of the crime,” remarked raven dryly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Robin. “He came here for something and would probably not leave without it.” As Robin said that there was a deep, guttural growl from somewhere behind him. “Good one Beast Boy, you got me.”

“Um…I’m right here, dude,” said Beast Boy. As Robin began to turn around he heard the high-pitched sing of something moving very fast. He leapt into the air with a backwards flip to land on one of the crates just as a giant steel sword crashed into the box, sending splinters of wood everywhere. The creature was completely in the shadows, but the Titans could see enough of it to realize that it definitely wasn’t human.

“Titans, go!” Robin shouted as he leaped from the crate just in time to avoid another earth-shattering blow. He let loose a fistful of bomblets from his belt, but the creature swatted them out of the air and they exploded harmlessly over on the other side of the warehouse. Starfire let loose with a volley of star bolts, but the agile creature easily dodged them and countered with a barrage of strange red energy. He missed, but the blast was powerful enough to knock Starfire to the ground with a loud “Oooff.”

“Star!” Yelled Cyborg. Looking at the creature, he said, “You’re messin’ with the wrong people!” He shot a sonic blast at the assailant and knocked him backward, into a pool of light.

“Oh, man! Is this for real?” asked Cyborg. The creature was a large, hulking, hairy juggernaut of a being. It looked as if it had stepped straight out of Raven’s nightmares. The creature bellowed a fierce cry and began charging straight at Raven, swinging his sword as he went. Raven used her telepathic powers to fling several crates at him, but they merely glanced off of him. He continued his charge, raising his sword and swinging it in a deadly arc straight for the girl’s head. Raven formed a shield, blocking blow after blow.

“Raven!” shouted Robin as he and the other Titans ran to help. Just then, they heard the terrible screech of tearing metal and the ground shook as something very heavy hit the floor, sending cracks through the concrete in all directions. Everyone turned to see what had happened. Crouched there was another strange being. It slowly stood up, rising until almost eight feet tall. It took a slow step, the ground slightly shuddering under its heavy feet.

“Whatever that thing is, its big.” Said Cyborg. The creature that had been attacking stopped and turned to look at this newcomer also. It walked under an overhead light, and the Titans were shocked to see what it was.

Standing there before them was what looked to be a walking tank. It was black, and metal. It looked very heavy, and moved slowly. There was a yellow emblem on the right side of its chest, but it was too dark to make it out. Finally it spoke.

“You,” it said, pointing to the creature, “are coming with me.” From its voice they could tell it was male, whatever it was. He had what looked to be metal armor, with a helmet. The helmet had a glass visor, but it was impossible to see through. He reminded Robin of those giant fighting robots you always see on TV, with the big, spiky shoulders and heavily armored feet and hands. Raven rose through the floor next to the rest of the Titans, having moved out of reach of the creature. Now the newcomer was walking straight at the Titans, who were between the two strangers.

“Whoa. Cyborg, is he your cousin?” asked Beast Boy.

“Titans, get ready.” Cautioned Robin. All of them assumed their fighting stances ready for an attack. But the newcomer just thundered by, slowly walking straight through them without even breaking stride. Robin’s jaw dropped, and a large sweat drop appeared on both Cyborg’s and Beast Boy’s forehead.

“Hell-oooo? We’re over here!” said Beast Boy, waving his arms at the intruder. He stopped and crouched down in a fighting stance, looking at the creature.

“So, you thought you could just take it from me and run, did you?” he asked the monster. “Well, you’re gonna pay now.” With that, large knives shot out of his fists, making large blades on his hands much like Red X had, except these were straight. They began crackling with some sort of pink energy. Both of them squared off, staring at each other.

“So, does he even know we exist?” asked a surprised Beast Boy.

“I’m not really sure,” said Cyborg.

“Perhaps we should assist him.” Starfire offered floating over closer to the fighters.

“No, not yet. Lets see what he does,” said Robin. With that the creature leapt at the newcomer, raising his blade. With a scream, he dropped it towards his opponent and there was a blast of wind and debris as the shockwave shattered several crates. Robin shielded his eyes. When the dust cleared, both of the fighters had their blades locked in front of them, each one fighting for the upper hand. The newcomer freed one of his hands and grabbed the creature’s foot, spinning him in an arc and flinging him into a support pillar. He moved surprisingly fast for something so big and heavy. The creature hit and crumpled on the floor; shattering the concrete it collided with. It slowly righted itself, rock crunching underfoot. Bellowing, he charged at the newcomer again. He swung down and the newcomer deftly dodged to the side of the blow. Again and again the creature attempted to cut the newcomer in half, but couldn’t hit him. He suddenly crouched and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent the beast flying backwards hundreds of feet. The creature spun in the air and landed with a thud on its feet. It reached one hand over its shoulder behind its back and withdrew another blade from its scabbard. Now with a weapon in each hand it raised its head and yelled. The newcomer leaned forward on his feet. There was a click of panels springing open and the increasing whine of turbines, much like a jet. Suddenly, in an explosion of light the newcomer shot forward at the beast, blasting his way across the warehouse floor. The creature was caught off guard and didn’t even have time to raise an arm to block itself. The newcomer slashed with his fist across the beast’s chest, cutting it and sending blood spattering. The creature pitched forward on its hands and knees, dropping both weapons. The stranger stopped a short ways past and before he stopped sliding from momentum, he leapt backwards through the air and spun until he was parallel to the ground. He landed with his elbow on the creatures back driving it into the floor.

“Wow. Just like Pro Wrestling.” Said Beast Boy. The creature had fallen to the ground, completely unconscious. The newcomer stood up and straightened out, withdrawing the blades back into his fists. The Titans began approaching, all wanting to know the same thing.

“Who are you?” asked Raven to him. He acted as if they weren’t there, bending over and searching the beast’s sash for something.

“This guy’s a jerk. He gave us the silent treatment earlier, remember?” Beast Boy quipped.

“That was quite a number you did on him. Mind telling us why?” Robin asked as the stranger flipped the creature over before removing something small and shiny from the creature’s pocket. He straightened up and was about to leave when Starfire stepped in front of him.

“Please, at least tell us your name.” She said. He paused for a fraction of a second, and looked down at her. Neither of them moved for a short while. Then he looked up. There was another loud click as the boosters sprung out and another whining sound. All the Titans backed away and the stranger crouched, then jumped into the air. His boosters fired and he shot straight up through the roof and out into the night.

“What kind of guy leaves through the ceiling? This place has a door!” said Beast Boy. The cops had seen everything and were entering cautiously to arrest the creature. Robin looked up at the hole in the ceiling and raised his eyebrow.





It had been three days since the stranger appeared and life had almost returned to normal. There had been no new alerts, and everyone in the Tower was feeling better. The subject of who the stranger was had become common conversation, but for Robin, it was an obsession. He had spent most of his hours in his room, reviewing surveillance video taken at the warehouse, trying to figure out who, and why. The newspapers had run an article on it, but all they had were conflicting eyewitness reports. The article made no sense, but was enough to spur public opinion on this new vigilante. Many people thought he was a welcome addition to the city’s peacekeeping force.

“Where’s Robin?” asked Raven as she walked into the main room.

“Guess,” said Cyborg as he watched the TV. “He’s been in there all day.” Raven walked over and sat down. She opened her book and was just about to start reading when Robin walked in, holding something in his hand.

“What’s up man? You figure anything out?” asked Cyborg.

“Yes, I have some new data on our mystery guest. Call the rest of the team in here.” He said. Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. Shortly after, Starfire and Beast Boy walked in.

“What’s going on?” asked Beast Boy. Starfire saw Robin and said,

“Did you find out who that was?”

“Not yet,” he replied. “But I do know something about him.” He popped the disk into the TV and began playing back the recorded events at the warehouse. “I’ve analyzed his speech patterns and modeled his movements. He is not a machine.”

“What do you mean he’s not a machine? This guy’s a giant walking salad shooter!” Beast Boy said.

“No. I checked his movement patterns and he is definitely not a machine. I can't say for sure exactly what he is, but my guess would be a human.” Robin said as several scenes of the stranger moving showed up on the screen.

“Well he doesn’t look human!” exclaimed Beast Boy.

“Neither do I.” Said Cyborg. Beast Boy opened his mouth, then shut it. Starfire turned to Robin and said,

“Robin, are you going to retire to the solitude of your room again?”

“Not right now. I’ve been over that data thoroughly. Now all I can do is wait and see if he shows up again. Actually, I’m kinda hungry.”

“All right! I’m makin’ Tacos!” exclaimed Cyborg.

“Don’t forget the tofu.” Said Beast Boy.

“Man, keep that nasty tofu to yourself. No one likes that stuff.” The argument heated up until it was an indecipherable flow of words. Robin walked over to Starfire who was standing near the window.

“Is everything OK?” he asked her. She turned from the window and looked at him.

“I am fine. I was just wondering who that person was. And why he helped us?” she said.

“I don’t know…” was all he could say.



BREEEE! BREEEE! BREEEE!

The alarm went off at around seven. All of the Titans were gathered around the monitor nearly instantly, hoping to see news of their stranger. It was a similar report to last time, but this time the police knew who was the culprit. It was Doctor Light. The Titans were on scene as fast as they could be. The T-cycle and T-car pulled up next to a transformer station. Dr. Light was destroying the electrical equipment, attempting to short out the city’s power grid. The Titans grouped right outside the complex.

“Dr. Light!” called out Robin.

“Well, the Teen Titans. Isn’t this a treat? You’re just in time to witness my plan. I’m going to black out the city and destroy all artificial light, so that only I, Dr. Light, will be the true Master…of…Light! Haaa, ha ha ha ha ha!”

Beast Boy whispered, “Man, this guy needs some new evil plots.”

“You’re going down Dr. Light. Its time to say good night!” Robin said. Raven rolled her eyes.

“Titans, go!” All of the titans split up and charged at him. Robin let loose a birdarang, but Dr. Light knocked it down with a blast of light, then knocked Robin sprawling. Raven summoned some of her black energy into a projectile and hurled it at Dr. Light, but he deflected it with a light shield straight into Beast Boy. Cyborg shot at Dr. Light, but the Dr. sprung out of the way and hit Cyborg with a blast of light. All the Titans regrouped.

“Give it up Titans. You’re no match for the awesome power of light!” said the doctor confidently. “You can never…what?” There was a deep roar that slowly began to build in intensity, quickening as it went. Suddenly, it was right on top of them. The stranger landed twenty feet from them, throwing up dirt and punching in the pavement by several inches. It was the same person they had seen before. He gleamed in the setting sun, light glinting off of all the angles in his mechanical frame.

“What’s this? Who are you?” insisted Dr. Light. The stranger said nothing, but straightened up and began walking towards the doctor. “Well, if you won't talk, then I hope you like the taste of LIGHT!” he said as he shot a beam from each hand. The stranger sprung forward onto his hands, then flipped over twice until landing on his feet next to Dr. Light. He extended his arm from front to back in a sweeping motion and caught the doctor in the back, sending him flying into a building, without moving anything but his arm. There was something very calculating about his movements.

“Are you sure he’s not a robot?” asked Beast Boy. The stranger began heading for the cloud of dust where Dr. Light had landed. A bright beam lanced through the cloud and struck the stranger in the leg, sending a shower of sparks everywhere.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Starfire.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha! You will never defeat Dr. Light!” the man exclaimed as he walked towards the stranger. A bright blue beam knocked him down.

“Why don’t you pick on someone who’s not injured,” said Cyborg.

“Very well then.” Dr. Light took aim and fired at the group, sending them scattering. Starfire immediately flew over to the stranger. He was slumped on one knee, unable to get up.

“Let me help you.” She said reaching for his arm. He looked up at her and grasped her hand, and suddenly yanked her down to the ground.

“Eeeeep!” she shrieked as she shot towards the ground. As she began descending, a bright white light cut through where she had just been. She looked at the stranger’s faceplate, trying to discern anything, but was unable. “Thank you…” she said. He didn’t answer. Slowly he struggled to his feet, his leg sending sparks and smoke cascading down every time he moved. He clenched his fist and the blades shot out. Dr. Light had knocked the other Titans down and was looking at the stranger.

“What do you think you can hope to do to me? Look at you. You can barely stand!” exclaimed Dr. Light triumphantly. The stranger took a slow step forward, then dragged his injured leg behind him, limping towards the doctor. Dr. Light began to laugh.

“Ha ha ha ha. What a fool. Very well then, I will destroy you.” The doctor pointed one of his hands at the stranger. All of a sudden, the stranger was right in front of Dr. Light. Then he was past him. In a fraction of a second, he had covered 20 feet. Both fighters stood there, without saying a word, when Dr. Light fell forward and collapsed. Robin ran over and checked him.

“He’s still breathing.” Robin said. Slowly the Titans congregated around the stranger. Robin turned to him and said, “Who are you?”

“My name…. is Knives.” The stranger said slowly.

“Why are you here?” said Raven.

“To keep the peace.” Knives replied cryptically. Then before any one could ask another question, Knives turned to go. Starfire floated in front of him.

“Where are you going? You can't leave like this, you are injured.” She said. He looked down at his leg. “Cyborg has an excellent repair station back at the Tower. Will you come back with us?” she asked questioningly. Slowly he looked around.

“Do you really want me to come with you?” he asked Robin. “How do you know you can trust me?”

“We don’t. But we’re willing to give you a chance.” Said Robin.

“I still don’t like this…” muttered Beast Boy.

”Thank you.” He said, looking at the group around him.



Back at the tower, they showed Knives to Cyborg’s room. He walked over to the workbench and started picking up tools.

“I’m still a little wierded out by all this. I mean, what if he’s some kind of robot serial killer or something?” Cyborg asked Robin.

“I’m sure he’s a great guy. Besides, he’s saved your neck before.” Robin said.

“Yeah, I guess.” Cyborg replied.

20 minutes later, he walked out of Cyborg’s room looking great.

“You fixed all that extensive damage in 20 minutes!?” Cyborg exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess.” Replied Knives nonchalantly.

“Well, I’m supposed to take you to the main room. Follow me.” Cyborg navigated them back to the main room of the tower, where the other Titans were assembled. They all looked up when he walked in. He had to crouch down to fit through the doorway, and each step he took made a rumbling echo, making it hard to miss him.

Robin stepped up to meet him. “I’m glad to see you’re better. As you can understand we have a few questions. I guess the big question is…what are you?”

Knives chuckled, then flipped up a panel on his left arm. He hit a series of keys. Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound. With a loud series of clicks his armor began to fold up into itself-much like the convertible top of a car. As the metal began to recede, the Titans had their first look at Knives. He was a tall (6’1”) person about robins age, but bigger (170 pounds). He had brown hair and an average build, maybe slightly stronger. He wore black pants, a black and red shirt and heavy boots. He could have passed for normal, if it weren’t for his eyes. They were a slate grey color. All of the armor seemed to slide into a place on his back, but then it disappeared. Almost like it absorbed into him, which Robin know was impossible.

“I’m just a normal human.” Knives replied, flexing his limbs to show that it was real.

“Then, how do you do all that fly-around, slice and dice roboty stuff?” asked Beast Boy.

“Oh, you mean my Armor? Yeah, that stuff’s pretty neat, huh?” he said.

“I’ll say! You really whipped some butt back there.” Cyborg said. “Maybe you should join the team.”

“That’s what you said about Blackfire, remember?” remarked Raven, distrustful as always.

“You wanna repeat that?” asked Cyborg through gritted teeth. Both of them stared the other down. Starfire attempted to keep the peace, and changed the subject.

“So where are you staying?” she asked.

“Well, I’m new in town. Right now I’m living in a small unoccupied building on the edge of town.”

“What kind of building?” she asked.

“Oh, you know…a toolshed.” He said sheepishly. Starfire gasped, putting her hands to her face.

“A repository for tools!? Unacceptable. We cannot allow our new friend to live in such a horrible place. You must stay here!” she said loudly. Knives turned the word over in his head. Friend?

“Oh, I couldn’t impose.” Knives said. Raven nodded in agreement, obviously in agreement that he shouldn’t stay.

“It’s fine, really. Why don’t you stay here tonight and we can work everything out tomorrow?” Robin offered.

“Well, if it’s not a problem…” he said, still cautious.

“Then it’s settled. Cyborg will show you to your room. Now it’s late, we should all probably turn in.” There were no arguments from anyone.

“Aw yeah,” Cyborg said as they left the room. “We love company here. Hey, you every played Ultimate Extreme Combat 6 before?” he asked as they went around a turn.

“Played? I own that game!” Knives exclaimed. Cyborg seemed happy to have a challenger other than Beast Boy for a change.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I could really use a shower,” said Knives.

“It’s just past your room.” Said Cyborg as they walked down an unfamiliar hallway. They came to a stop in front of a door. “This is the bathroom, that’s your room.” He said pointing first to one door, then to another farther down the hallway.

“Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.” He said to the departing android. What a day! he thought to himself as he stepped into the bathroom and disrobed. The shower was a touch pad design, so he just hit the hot pad with his fist. Steaming hot water began to run from the faucet and he stepped in the shower, relishing it. It had been a while since he had a good, hot shower. But that was the price you paid for being a vigilante, he reflected as he washed. These people had it pretty good.

Starfire walked down the hall holding a fresh pile of clothes in her arms. She had gotten them for the newcomer while his old clothes were being cleaned. He was such an enigma, she thought. They knew nothing about him, and he didn’t know who they were. Yet still he had helped them, and even saved her from Dr. Light. She reflected back earlier, remembering being pulled down just in time to avoid getting fried by a light blast. Lost in thought, she wandered up to the bathroom and stood there. She raised her hand and was about to knock when the door slid open, revealing Knives wearing a towel, and not mush else.

“Eeeep!” Starfire let out a squeak and looked down at the ground, blushing. Knives was drying his hair and had a towel over his eyes, not even noticing Starfire.

“Umm…I have brought you new clothes.” She said, looking up at him a little. She noticed he was in good shape, and strong, too. She blushed even deeper.

“Why thank you. You are too kind.” He said with a smile. He took the clothes from her. “Good night.” He said.

“Good night.” She said quietly to herself as he walked down the hallway towards his room. Even when not in his “armor”, as he called it, he was still rather large. Not quite as big as Cyborg, but close. She silently floated down the hallway, heading for her own room.

Robin awoke with a yawn the next morning, looking over at the clock. It was 7:43. Too early for breakfast, but too late for him to go back to sleep. He swung his legs out of bed and put on his cape. Sleepily, he walked out into the hallway and headed for the kitchen. He heard the loud music of the Xtremestation 2 all the way out here. Who would be playing video games this early, he asked. As he walked into the common room, he saw Cyborg and Knives sitting in front of the TV.

“You wanna put me in a chokehold. But you can't. You can't put me in a…hey!” Cyborg yelled.

“Ha. You’re going down metal man!” cried Knives. He had knocked Cyborg’s player over.

“Oh yeah. Then how about a little bit of THIS!” he said, as his character pulled out a sword and decapitated the other player. “BOO-YAH!” he said. “Still the champ!”

“Cheap shot.” Said Knives sullenly.

“What are you two doing?” asked Robin.

“Well, I only need 2 hours of recharge time a night, and Knives doesn’t sleep much, so we’ve been playing video games for a while. Its great to finally have something to do while y’all sleep.” Cyborg said. Knives got up. “Where you going? Tired of getting your butt whooped?” Cyborg taunted.

“Gotta go to the bathroom.” Knives said as he left the room. As soon as he was gone Robin turned to Cyborg.

“So what do you think about him. Can we trust him?” Robin said to Cyborg.

“Hard to say. He seems like a nice guy, but so did Terra…” Cyborg said.



During breakfast, conversation mostly focused on Knives. They found a lot out as they ate. He had been moving from city to city, fighting crime wherever he could. He had no fixed address, and was indeed a good guy. He had been in this city for about 2 weeks. The ‘armor’ he had was actually a mechanized power suit that he was linked to.

“So, where’d it go?” asked Beast Boy between bites of tofu eggs.

“Well, when I don’t use it, it kinda disappears. The suit is a part of me now. That’s why I didn’t change back to normal until I had fixed my leg. If I did, I would have had a huge gash in my leg. Damage is transferred between my forms.” He said.

“Where did you get that kind of technology?” Raven asked him. He put his fork down and looked at the table, very silent. All of the Titans could see the pain on his face; it was some sort of repressed memory. They became uneasy, and Starfire changed the subject.

“What do you plan to do now?” she asked him. He looked up, waken from his state of tension, and returned to normal. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, I’ll probably go back to wandering the country. I never stay in one place too long.” He said sadly.

“Well, have you ever considered it?” Robin asked him.

“What do you mean?” he said.

“You seem like a good guy, and an excellent fighter. Things have begun heating up around here, we could use an extra hand. You wanna try to become a Teen Titan?” he said. “Now, it won’t be easy, and we have to make sure you are who you say you are, but I think you could do it.”

Knives looked at Robin. “For real? You all would let me join your group?” All of them nodded, even Raven. He looked around the table at his new friends. “Hell yeah!”

[oneeyemonkeypie]

i know the endings kinda corny, but im gonna fix that. so? you want a chapter 2.

[EternalShadow]

Hmm, you seem like quite the Anime Buff.

Swords >> Katanas >> Samurai >> Anime

Knives >> Vash's Rival >> Trigun >> Anime

Wanderer >> Kenshin >> Wandering Samurai >> Anime

Good work overall, and don't let anyone ever tell you the Sword is unconventional. Robin does use a Bo-Staff after all.

[Lord Welshi]

That was really good. Excellent sotryline so far, and Knives seems like a good, colid character. Nice to see you seem to have a background prepared for him and a few hints at a shadowed past. Alos good to see you haven't made him into a "god" character. Excellent start

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Oh My GOD!
PRAISE FROM THE MASTER!

your fanfic was amazing. i LOVED it. infact, im gonna go post on it. read my post on your fic!
thanks

Also, that was perceptive of you eternalshadow. im sorta a closet anime fan. i didn't think anyone would get the knives thing. I just drew a blank for a name, i may change it. but it seems to work. originally i had the character bristling with weapons, but i discarded the idea as too "convienient". also, the wanderer thing was directly related to kenshin, but maybe subconscioulsly.
the big problem is that I am doing this on the fly, which means time inbetween posts.
also, 75% of my classes are AP, so i might fall behind. but I'll try!

so where should i go with this. im assuming you saw the episode about tamaran yesterday. do you want the whole group to go to tamaran? or just deal with some intruige here on earth? Maybe I'll have him try to discover his past. Maybe he doesn't know what it is! oh man, im getting so many ideas just rambling on here.
alright, im workin on 2

[PressureCooker]

Sorry for my scarce appearances on the board lately, just been mondo busy with work.



So... you only write analytical papers eh? LIAR!!! No way have you have only written essays and reports. This could not be written by some verbose thinking student of the analytical arts, no sir. If what you are saying is indeed true... You are nothing more than a closet fiction writer! I'm glad to see you tossed off the chains formal writing and joined us on the dark side of the page, the fiction side .



Seriously, this is good stuff. The elements are coming into play very nicely. So far we have character interaction (at various levels), action, suspense, a slight hint of romance. Let me see... Yup. It's all here!



Congratulations on a rousing first chapter and some positive reviews. I only ask of you one thing, please add me to the list of your fans. Thank you.





The Cooker



P.S. Welcome to the best home on the net for Teen Titans fanfiction. Enjoy your stay here and keep posting!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

cool!

i hashed out a shorter second chapter last night while i was supposed to be studying math (oops. o_o). im still not happy with the end, tho. Ill post it today after school when i can edit it.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, here we go.

I'm not terribly proud of it, but I wrote it and by god your gonna read it. I have a feeling that quality has slipped somewhat as some of the story just didn;t fit together on paper as it did in my head. oh well, here it is.
----------------------------------------------

Sweat rolled off of Knives’ brow, running down his chin to drip onto the mat. He kept hitting the punching bag over and over, as Robin recorded his results. The bag had some sort of pressure sensor, and every time Knives struck it, it showed on a monitor in the wall. Robin and Cyborg stood there, watching the screen.

“You’re doing fine.” Robin said unemotionally. He wasn’t kidding, joining the Titans was tough. He had been doing this for the past 15 minutes, just laying into the bag over and over. His fists and arms were armored, but his shoulders and chest were not; it was as if he was holding 20-pound weights in his hands. His muscles had long since knotted up and the only thing keeping him going was pure adrenaline. Cyborg glanced at him worriedly, noticing his slack jaw, glazed eyes and profuse sweating.

“I’ve never seen anyone keep this up for this long.” Cyborg whispered to Robin. “He should have passed out by now.”

“It seems like he’s gone into a trance, look at his heart rate and brainwaves.” An array of sensors on Knives was feeding the continuously beeping machine data. “His heart rate is holding steady at 75. And there’s virtually no brain activity. It’s almost like he’s stopped thinking.” Robin mused. That was truer than he though. Knives was intent on impressing them and wasn’t about to screw an opportunity like this up. He had simply started with the intent to pound the bag until it broke. Now his breath came in short, ragged gasps and a flash of pain from his shoulders brought him back to reality. He couldn’t do it. He realized that he couldn’t do it and slowed down. He had failed. Knives slumped against the bag and leaned on it, gasping.

“That was…impressive.” Robin said. “I’ve never seen anyone go for that long.”

“Huhh.” Was all Knives could say. He had heard Robin, but the words didn’t register. He’d failed. He kept playing it over and over in his mind. It started to make him angry. His rage built, his whole body beginning to shake as the word failure began to repeat over and over through his head. His heart rate spiked and the machine started blipping various warnings. Robin and Cyborg looked at him.

“What the…” was all Cyborg could get out. Knives stood up and balled his fists. He yelled fiercely, and drew back his arm. He stepped into the punch and flung his whole body into a single blow. The machine that read the high score for impact had been reading 97. The numbers spiked, and the machine hit 300 before letting out a horrible piercing shriek and going blank. The S-hook holding the bag had taken enough abuse, and snapped, sending the bag arcing towards the floor. It hit with a dull thud, and rolled once before coming to a stop several feet away.

“Well, I feel better.” Knives said between pants. Cyborg just looked at him.

“Great. I suppose I have to fix that.” He walked over and picked pieces of electronics from inside the bag. “Oh, good. The whole sensor is shot.” He said dejectedly.

Robin just looked at him, with an eyebrow raised. He seemed to be calm and collected, but Robin could see the telltale signs of rage. Something had pushed him over the edge. “How did you…never mind.” He let it go, knowing firsthand that no one is consciously aware of how they break their own limitations. “Come on, it’s lunch time. Lets get you some food and rest, then we’ll run the obstacle course.”

“Good, I’m a bit hungry.” Said Knives.



7 sandwiches later, 4 sodas and 2 bags of chips later



All of the titans stared at Knives and Beast Boy. An argument had started between them over which one was hungrier, and they had been matching food items for the past half hour. Neither one showed signs of stopping.

“Dude, give it up. Beast Boy, remember. I have the stomachs of a cow!” he said, mooing for emphasis.

“Ha. Well I’m an eating machine!” he said, holding up a robotic fist.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah”

“OH YEAH!?” Beast Boy yelled leaning over the table and spewing tofu crumbs all over Knives and Raven.

“Enough! You can finish this contest later, Knives has agility training next. The last thing he needs right now is an eating contest.” Robin stated. Beast Boy and Knives laughed self-consciously.

“Uh, sorry.” Beast Boy said.

“No, my fault.” Said Knives.

Finally able to speak, Raven said, “That…was…gross.” She picked Tofu off of her cloak.

“I agree. Well done.” Exclaimed Cyborg. Starfire laughed.

“Alright, enough nonsense. We’re heading down to the obstacle course. Whoever wants to watch can come. The rest of you can stay and clean up.” Robin said. The group looked about at the mess the pair of contestants had made. The table was empty instantly, a few chairs still spinning.



Down on the beach, Knives was preparing to go through the course. The others were up at the control station watching him. To their surprise, he closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest.

“What’s he doing, sleeping!?” asked Beast Boy in surprise.

“No, concentrating. He is focusing.” Said Raven, the master of meditation. “Probably attempting to drown out the distractions (she shot a glance at Beast Boy) so he can draw on his power.” Indeed he was. As the group watched, a small wind kicked up, curiously centered around Knives. It began to blow his clothes, forming a sort of slow cyclone around him. Like a hay devil (small, non-dangerous tornado). He picked up his head and opened his eyes. A large metal plate seemed to appear on his back. Other sections began to slide from it, covering his body. In 5 seconds, he was covered. Then more metal began appearing from under the plates already there, forming the distinctive features of his armor. This time, the armor looked different. There was much less of it. Now he looked like a regular person wearing some sort of metal suit, not a giant walking truck. A helmet sprung from the armor around his neck, encasing his head. His voice crackled over the speaker in the console.

“Testing 1, 2, 1, 2 check check red blue. Robin, you read me?” he said.

“Loud and clear. Ok, your goal is to get through the course as fast as you can and go through all the gates. Go when I say.” The course was about a mile long, in a large circuit. Knives laughed once to himself. This time, he wouldn’t fail. His boots clicked open and the thrusters warmed up to operating temperature. He couldn’t fly through the whole course; some wall would paste him at that speed. But he could dash short distances. Two long, thin panels sprung free of his back, looking like upside-down ‘L’s attached to his shoulders. They were also thrusters. All of the Titan’s were cheering words of encouragement except Robin, who was counting down.

3…

Knives tensed up, all of his muscles taut as he crouched and engaged his combat systems. Displays on his HUD showed temperature, boost power and speed, along with other various instruments.

2…

All of the Titans held their breath, looking at the figure on the starting line. They all waited silently as he prepared to go.

1…

Robin hit the button. A bead of sweat ran down Knives’ face. Everything slowed down, and he could hear his heartbeat.

GO! Knives jumped. He had traveled about 4 inches into the air when the boosters on his back and legs fired, propelling him forward. He shot forward, inches above the ground scanning for any movement. A large turret popped up to his right. Knives shut down the boosters in front of the target and dropped to the ground. As soon as he hit he made a tremendous leap into the air and flipped over the turret, crushing it with his gloved hand as he flew overhead. It exploded in a shower of sparks. He immediately began running for the gate, only feet away. Robin pressed a button on the control panel. A large wall slid up just in front of the gate.

“AHHHHH!” Knives yelled. He was moving too fast to stop, so he crossed his arms in front of his face and fired his thrusters. They propelled him through the wall. The gate binged as he cleared number 1. Shaken, he continued on.

“Dude, he cleared gate one in 7 seconds. That’s gotta be a new record.” Said Beast Boy.

“It is, but lets not celebrate yet. He has a lot of the course left.” Robin mused. Knives hade taken to running again, and his HUD warned of large heat sources in the ground up ahead. Knives extended the blades in his fists in preparation for the enemies ahead. Raven saw the sun glinting off the steel blades just as two large metal tentacles shot out of the ground and at the fighter.

“How did he know that would happen?” she asked as he jumped over one and sliced the second one, rendering it inoperable.

“Beats me. Maybe he saw the power signal” observed Cyborg. “Don’t know how though, the time lapse is less than a tenth of a second.”

“Hmm…” said Raven. While the others were impressed by this stranger’s strength, she was not. She could easily re-create any feat of strength with meditation that he could create with brute force. What amazed her was his mind. On the outside, it seemed very simple. He had done nothing extraordinary since they had seen him and exhibited no special powers whatsoever. But she believed he was hiding something. She had attempted to make contact with him and get a reading on his emotions yesterday. It was as if she had run into a solid wall. His mind was a cold, impenetrable barrier. Even Robin, the most mysteroius of the group, didn’t have that kind of mental ability. That sort of thing required intense concentration. And when she had asked where he got his suit, something had happened. It was as if the entire room went cold and black, becoming a desolate wasteland. And now it seemed he was able to think almost immediately even during combat? There was something different about him. She wondered quietly to herself.

Knives was running for all his worth down the field. The next gate was only a hundred feet away. Suddenly large stone pillars began shooting up in front of him. He dodged left and right to avoid slamming into them. Then, each pillar began shooting out metal rods connecting to another nearby pillar, creating an impenetrable web. Knives jumped onto one of the rods and jumped again, until he was hopping from pillar to pillar, above the mess. Disk launchers conveniently placed at the same level as him began shooting deadly projectiles at him. He flipped and twisted avoiding all of the disks. The last launcher shot a disk straight at him. He caught the disk with one hand, spun, and let it go, redirected at the launcher which erupted in a gout of flame and sparks.

“Woo-Oooo! Did you see that!?” shouted Cyborg.

“That was nicely done…” agreed Robin.

Clear of the pillars, he had traversed the rest of the field, dispatching of various threats and nuisances. Almost done, he sprinted for the finish line when a large pit opened right in front of him.

“Woah!” he yelled, falling into it. As he gained momentum he tried to fire his boosters, but overheated from the race, they sputtered and refused to fire. Again and again he tried as the Titans became concerned; he had bee falling for a while. Suddenly they caught and he shot wildly out of the chasm and straight at the gate. He shut down in front and dove headfirst through the gate, hitting the ground and rolling so that he came to a stop on his feet. The other Titans came down to meet him.

“Aw yeah! That was some quick steppin’. You’re pretty good.” Said Cyborg.

“Cy’s right. You kicked butt.” Added Beast Boy.

“Agreed. Wonderful.” Starfire said.

“You did good. A little practice and you might break the record.” Robin said. Knives’ helmet receded.

“You mean I didn’t?” he asked.

“No, but you came close. Plus this was your first try. You should be proud.” Robin said to him.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Said Knives, visibly disappointed.



Knives was sitting on the roof of the Tower looking out at the city, thinking about the events that had transpired. He often found that the cool, steady breeze of sea air made it easier to think. He was lost in thought and didn’t hear the roof door open.

“I am not intruding, am I?” asked a soft voice from behind him. He knew it was Starfire.

“Not at all.” He said without turning around. She walked over and sat beside him.

“It is late, you ought to be sleeping.” She said with some concern in her eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been thinking…about today.” He admitted.

“You mustn’t be upset,” she said, seeing his emotions. “You did a wonderful job today. I was impressed.” She trailed off, seeing that he couldn’t hear her. He was lost in thought. She noticed how lonely he seemed. What a fate, she reflected. To have to travel from place to place, never knowing anyone. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“You know, we are very much alike.” He looked over at her quizzically. “I came to this planet not long ago, from a very different place. I am a stranger here, too.” She said. He smiled at her weakly.

“Thank you. You know what it’s like to be totally new to a place.” He lied back and put his head in his hands. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve been traveling from place to place, never having a home, or a family. I never knew where I’d get my next meal. It is nice to have a bed. And friends.” He looked over at her. She returned his gaze for a short while, until they both became uncomfortable and giggled. He sat up next to her. “You have been so nice to me. Everyone else also, but you most of all. Thank you.” He said sincerely. She beamed back at him.

“I welcome you.” She said happily. They silently looked out at the stars for a short time, until she spoke.

“Have you ever been to Tamaran?” she said. He shook his head. She leaned towards him and pointed off to a spot in the sky. “It is that way, very far away. That is my home. Where are you from?”

He was silent for a moment and looked down at the roof. “I don’t know. I can't remember more than 6 years ago. I don’t know anything- where I was born, what my parent’s were like, or how I got this,” he held up his hand and a metal glove assembled itself. “That’s why I travel from place to place, looking for answers.”

He slowly rose to his feet. She looked up at him and he offered her his hand to help her up. She reached for it. His hand was warm and strong. He pulled her up to standing and looked out across the bay. It was a beautiful night; it seemed a shame to waste it staying inside.

“Have you ever played a game of tag?” he asked her. She shook her head.

“No, I have never played the tag. Is it some sort of labeling game?” she asked, confused.

“No no. It’s a chase game.” He said, chuckling. “I touch you, and you are it. You have to catch me and touch me back so that I’m it, or I win.” He said.

“Oh, I think I get it.” She said, still a little confused. Knives formed his steel booster boots and his back booster ‘wings’. Reaching over to her, he poked her in the arm.

“Tag.” He said, and with that he let himself fall backwards arms outstretched off the edge of Titan’s Tower. Starfire screamed and ran over to the edge, seeing him hovering about 10 feet down laughing hysterically.

“Ooooo. I will get you for that.” With that she shot into the air directly at him. He immediately flew off with her in hot pursuit. They skimmed the tops of the waves, looping back and forth. Suddenly he lost sight of her.

“Star?” he called out. Getting no response, he called louder. “Star!?” He was getting worried. Suddenly she slammed into him from behind, knocking him spinning off into space.

“TAG!” she shouted. He regained flight control and she flew off giggling with him right behind her. Back and forth they played for almost an hour.

“OK, you win.” He said, puffing. All this flying had worn him out. She laughed.

“I am victorious?” he nodded his head, and she laughed and flew in a celebratory loop. After finishing up, they flew over to Starfire’s window.

“In the name of Zall! I haven’t had that much fun since the ceremony of Chargobs!” she exclaimed, still giggling.

“I had a great time too, Star.” She flew into the frame of her window, and turned to face him.

“Goodnight Knives’ she said. He just smiled.

“Sleep well, Star.” With that, he drifted away and back towards the roof of Titan’s Tower, the sound of his thrusters slowly fading until once again it was silent outside of the window, save the occasional cricket. She floated over to her bed and sat on the edge of it, removing her boots. She had truly enjoyed herself, flying with Knives. He was so nice to her. For some reason his company seemed, sort of…comforting, in a way. She slid into bed, thinking about him. That was the first time she had actually just played since she left Tamaran. This ‘the tag’ was quite fun indeed. She slowly closed her eyes.



The next morning, Knives awoke rather late, because of his midnight workout last night. He got up, and the Tower was conspicuously silent. He walked towards the kitchen, and there was no noise. Odd, usually someone was up at this hour. He walked into the common room and the lights were off. Oh man, how did you work these things again?

“Uhhh, lights…on?” Nothing happened. “Oh yeah, lights full.” The room illuminated.

No-one was here. He walked over to the fridge and opened it, rooting around for some food. All he could find was some old beef jerky, and he chewed on the tough meat as he walked over to the couch. As he was about to sit down, the rest of the Titans came filing in. Beast Boy was chatting with Cyborg, and they walked over to the counter. Robin and Starfire were engaged in a conversation, and walked over to the console. Raven came over and sat down on the couch beside Knives.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Oh, me? I’m fine, why?” he said. Raven was the least likely of all the Titans to ask him how he was.

“Well, training is always tough. And you seem, preoccupied she said. He could feel her presence, obviously trying to get a bead on what he was thinking. He smiled at her and blocked off his mind completely, focusing on not thinking about anything. She obviously wasn’t expecting it, and sat up, startled. Looking at him, she shrugged.

“Fine. If that’s how you want it…” She levitated one of her books over to her and began reading, completely shutting him out. He leaned over.

“Is that a first edition Dorian Von Shaaber?” he asked, interested. She slammed the book shut so he couldn’t see.

“Yes, how did you know?” she replied, mildly amused.

“Oh, I know…things. May I see?” he said. The book floated father away from him.

“You share with me, I share with you.” She said. The book opened and she continued reading at such an angle that he could no longer see the pages. Shrugging, he looked away and stared out the window.

Robin and Starfire had been talking, and she was giggling a whole lot. Suddenly Robin turned around and looked at him.

“Think fast!” he said, flinging something directly at Knives’ face. He raised his arm and caught the object without flinching. He looked down, and saw a yellow two way radio with a big ‘T’.

“But this is a…I mean…” Knives was speechless.

“Welcome to the Titans.” Robin said. Beast boy and Cyborg leaned over the back of the couch.

“Your one of us now.” Said Cyborg, smiling.

“Yeah, way to go.” Added Beast Boy. He looked over, and ever Raven smiled at him.

“Well done.” She said simply,

“This is awesome. I don’t know what to say.” Said Knives, turning the radio in his hand over. “Thank you.” He finally said.

“You earned it.” Said Robin.

“Don’t thank us yet,” said Cyborg, holding up a pink dress and a tricycle. “You still gotta go through initiation.”


I just gotta get back into the flow. I will be getting my own computer in the next week or so, and my quality and quantity should increase when i do.

more later.

[EternalShadow]

Good work, very action-y. I enjoyed picturing every drop of sweat produced in this chapter (Yeah, I know, sounds weird). btw...

The book floated father away from him.

I almost busted a gut reading that typo!

[rrarbecy]

Dont get me wrong, this story is very good, but I cant believe that you are breaking up the Robin/Starfire relationship. I am one of those old-fashioned people who believes in true love, and I believe that, if true love was in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Robin and Starfire next to it. Other than that, the story is flawless.