All For Nothing (feedback requested)

[rrarbecy]

Here we go. My first fanfic. It has a format kind of like that Disney movie with the llama. It starts at a point, goes back in time, intersects with the beginning point, and continues on toward the end. Enjoy.

All For Nothing

Prologue

Picture, in your mind’s eye, Ground Zero on Patriot Day 2001. Imagine the utter destruction and feel the emotional surge of sadness as you picture the lives lost. This is Jump City, California.

We gaze over the desolate wasteland that was once a hustling, bustling city full of life and happiness. We travel past the sickening gray sky once full of white fluffy clouds and chirping birds, and to the ghostly remains of a building. It is a building on a small island on the bay, a huge metal skeleton in the shape of a giant “T”.

Standing beside the building, is a lone figure. His fur a dark shade of green, his hair, a midnight green, his purple jumpsuit stained with mud. His fanged mouth, once stuck in a seemingly endless smile, now turned down at the corners. His eyes are squeezed shut tight, though the tears still drip onto one of the four freshly dug graves before him. Mixed emotions of anger and grief surge through him as he struggles to keep control. Now, facing the miserable sky, he opens up, telling his story.

“Once, I had friends,” he begins, “four wonderful friends. They were lovers, they were fighters. They were the Teen Titans. A one man army and a naive alien. An isolated, brooding telekinetic and a half man, half machine mechanical expert. And then there was me. The fifth wheel. The unwanted, unneeded comic relief. At least that is what I thought of myself. I retreated into my jokes and pranks, which probably made my teammates hate me more. A piece of my soul was missing.”

“Then I met her. The girl of my dreams, a headstrong earth mover named Terra. She made me feel complete again and we shared something special, nearly. It turned out that Terra had tricked us all and turned us over to our greatest enemy, the mysterious madman Slade. But, when it really counted, she came back to us, sacrificing herself to save us and our city. She, however, was turned to stone for her nobility. Cyborg told me that we could bring her back, someday.”

“After a long while, he found a way. Cyborg used a machine to separate her body’s molecules from the stone molecules. After a few dramatic moments, Terra stood before us, as she had been before. After a few days, however, I realized that Terra had changed. She was not the fun loving girl I had known before. She was very different. Eventually, she had me choose between her, my love, and the Titans, my friends.”

“My choice resulted in this, the destruction of our city and the demise of my friends. Terra and I, lovers turned enemies. It was all for a love I thought I had. It was all for nothing.”

[Crowgirl]

I thought that was really good. I can totally picture that scene happening. I like how you brought Terra back differently. That was really cool.

Please check out mine, A Girl Called Crow, brand new, all shiny and sparkly.

[EternalShadow]

Very nice, however I deeply despise Terra for some odd reason so I hope she playsthe enemy. But can this really be the end of the Titans?

[PressureCooker]

I'm glad to see you decided to post your fic after all. If this prologue is a slight hint of things to come I'm never going to use the back half of my seat because I'm going to be pearched on the edge till I read the next chapter.

Seriously, daddy needs his medicine... so inject this board with a fresh chapter and quickly. I can alredy hear the voices...

THE VOICES!!!

ok, just kidding... but give us more!

[Lord Welshi]

'Tis good. Tis real good. So 'tis. Gloomy start, well set up for the rest of the story. Enjoy Niagra falls while you can, for when you return you'll be facing the mobs and hordes of dissatisfied readers baying for more.

More, I tell thee!

[raven54]

Very emotional and deep. I like it- it's a side of BB you don't see very often in fanfics. Interesting plot idea. Can't wait til ya post again!

[rrarbecy]

I lied. I decided to put part of a chapter on now rather than the whole thing later. Here we go. Chapter One.


Chapter 1 The News


Cyborg and Raven sat at the Teen Titans’ huge dining room table. Cyborg, a 6 ft. 6 in. hulk, shoveled tons of eggs down his throat and making loud snorting noises. Raven, clad in her usual purple hooded cloak, widened her grimace at Cyborg’s gobbling. When Cyborg capped off his eating spectacle with a huge “Boo-yah!!!!” Raven lost it.
“Cyborg!” yelled Raven, “do you not see that I am trying to concentrate.” Her herbal tea cup was enveloped in black and thrown against the ceiling. “Soooorrrrrryyyyy,” shouted Cyborg sarcastically, coming out of the shocked state Raven’s outburst put him in. “I happen to have just broken the world record for the fastest eating of 100 eggs,” he said, rising to his feet, his red eye flashing dangerously
“Guys,” complained a higher voice from the doorway, “Stop the yelling. I can hear it all the way from Robin’s room.”
“What were you doing in Robin’s room?” asked Raven accusingly, glaring at Beast Boy. “Well…I…um,” he stammered, quailing under Raven’s piercing stare.
“Where you spying on Robin and Starfire again?” asked Raven. “Um…yes,” admitted Beast Boy sheepishly.
“Have you no…,” began Raven, but Cyborg cut her off. “What were they doing in there?” he asked with curiosity. His human eye widened in anticipation. “The same thing they’ve been doing since that close call with Star.” He paused for a moment, remembering his friend’s near death experience. (There you have it, my Vanishing Act reference!) Shaking it off, he reiterated his point by pursing his lips and making annoying slurping noises.
“Ew,” said Raven in disgust. “What?” asked Beast Boy, taken aback, “It’s not like its ‘R’ rated or anything.
“No, it’s not that,” explained Raven, “It’s the drool all over your jumpsuit from your slurping.”
“Oh, sorry,” said Beast Boy, embarrassed. He didn’t notice Raven smile to herself.

[Lord Welshi]

I liked that little chapter. Short, but full of some very human-seeming interactions. Very nice. I liked the little touch of Raven smiling to herself. Good work, keep writing.

P.S. yay, reference to Vanishing Act!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

ahh, i now see why you were most resistant to Knives being involved with starfire----in your story, they were already in a serious relationship.

i get it now.

[rrarbecy]

Here we go. The rest of chapter one. Enjoy.

Robin tenderly pulled his lips off of Starfire’s and smiled at her lovingly. She giggled to herself and looked down at his gloved hand on the bed. She kept glancing around the room. “You OK Star?” asked Robin, noticing the look in her eyes.
“Everything is wonderful,” exclaimed Starfire unconvincingly. “You can’t fool me,” said Robin, “What are you thinking about?”
Starfire sighed and admitted “I am thinking about Beast Boy.” Robin drew back from her, a million questions racing through his mind. What did I do wrong? Am I not good enough? What does Beast Boy have over me? What...
His horror evidently showed, because Starfire down turned her palms and waved them in front of her chest saying, “No, no, no. Not like that. I was wondering if he would have wanted, with Terra, what we have with each other.”
“You mean as a girlfriend?” he asked, his racing mind easing. “Yes, I think he would have wanted that.” He sighed and, the moment ruined, leaned back on his bed as Starfire walked to his desk. He knew that Starfire hadn’t meant to ruin the moment and he blamed himself. Idiot, he thought furiously, why did you have to press the subject? If you hadn’t you could be...
His musings were interrupted by a ring tone from his bedside table. He turned to see a small, round communicator engraved with a yellow “T” dancing across the smooth surface. Both Robin and Starfire flipped open their communicators to see Cyborg’s expectant face.
“Hey y’all,” he exploded, “I got one hell of a news break for you. Come down to the living room.” Confused, Robin led an equally confused Starfire out the door to hear the news.


Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy sat on the Titans’ huge sofa waiting for Cyborg. The Titans’ living room was like the sofa inside it, huge, and semicircular. Large 12 foot high windows stretched from floor to ceiling an all around the room. These windows gave the teens a beautiful view of the city beyond the walls. The room also contained a jumbo-screen TV equipped with a GameStation console and DVD player.
“What the heck is taking him so long?” complained Beast Boy for the fifth time, “We’ve been waiting here for 10 minutes.”
“Stop you’re wining Beast Boy,” said Raven in her dull voice, her sallow skin tingeing pink a bit, “you’re giving me a headache.”
“Don’t blame me,” he said, “blame…” Before he could finish, Cyborg came bounding into the room, a broad smile pasted on his face.
“What the hell took you so long,” fumed Beast Boy
“Never mind that,” said Cyborg, brushing him aside, “My news is about Terra.” Raven’s eyes widened, Robin clenched his fists, and Starfire nearly fell out of her chair. Beast Boy, who had jumped out of his chair, rushed over to Cyborg demanding “What’s the news!?”
“I’ve found a way to bring her…” Before he could finish, the TV screen flashed on. A face appeared on the screen. A face half black and half brass with one glaring eye. It was a face the Titans knew all too well. The face of their mortal enemy. The face of Slade.

[raven54]

Anyways...

Nice job. I like how it's developing- cool storyline and excellently written. I agree with Lord Welshi on the Raven smiling part, too. Write more!

[moro loci]

All i can say is wow! the start of your story is way better than mine. i take my hat off to you sir! (clapping)

[Crowgirl]

Very nice, you have set up the Titans really well. Give yourself a hand. (Just please, make it Slade's)

[Lord Welshi]

Oooh, a twist to the tail. Just when Cyborg was getting to the news. Darn it, what does slade want now? The villainous scoundral! This is turning into something very good, keep writing (and yay! my starfire-robin relationship is still going! woo! feel free to make more references to Vanishing Act! it's good advertising, hehehe!)

[rrarbecy]

Here we are. The first section of chapter one. There is a bit of action at the end, but not throughout this section. I promise that there will be fighting in the chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 2 Resurrection


“Good morning Titans,” said the cold, smooth voice of Slade, “How are my friends today?”
“What do you want Slade?” demanded Robin. “Right to the point, as usual,” sighed Slade in a disappointed voice. “All right my friends, first I shall ask you politely. Abandon your plans to bring Terra back to life.”
“How the hell did you know about that?” asked Cyborg, surprised. “Why do you keep calling us friends?” asked Raven in her dull voice. “You can bring Terra back?” Beast Boy asked Cyborg hopefully.
“Please,” said Slade, “I expected better of you. Especially you Robin.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Starfire in confusion. “I call you friends because I feel I know you so well,” said Slade. “Do you really think that I would have a mole in your midst for as long as I did and not have her plant cameras?”
“Where are they?” demanded Robin.
“Do you actually think I am going to tell you?” Slade laughed coldly. “However, I will say one thing. I’m a bit happier, at this point in time, that Robin is not my apprentice. Love weakens the soul Robin, as does desire. Or at least the kind I am talking about.” With this, he glanced over at Starfire.
“They’re in our bedrooms,” said Robin to the Titans, “Go!” All of the Titans ran to their respective rooms, except for Robin, who stayed to talk to Slade. “Very good Robin,” said Slade, “This is why I like you so much.”
“Enough small talk,” snapped Robin, “Why should we leave Terra as is?”
“My dear boy, do use your common sense,” said Slade seriously, “You and your little friends could not beat me with your powers combined. Then, along comes Terra, and not only does she single handedly defeat me, I’m not afraid to admit it, but she nearly destroys the city, something I could never do. Imagine if she went rogue. Imagine what destruction she could make.”
Robin hesitated, and then said “Why would she turn on…”
“She did before, didn’t she?” interrupted Slade. Before Robin could reply, the rest of the Titans reentered the room. Each one held a camera in one hand, except Starfire who carried two. Robin called a conference.
“Slade doesn’t think that we should bring Terra back,” explained Robin. “And you’re going to listen to that psycho!?” exclaimed Beast Boy, shocked. “He does have a point,” said Robin, “Imagine what she could do if she went rogue.” Cyborg added, “She hasn’t exactly been trustworthy.”
“Trustworthy!?” interjected Raven, “She’s been downright deceptive! How can we trust her now? We’ve given her too many chances.”
“I can’t believe you!” shouted Beast Boy. “After what she sacrificed, you still don’t trust her!? Just because you don’t have any feelings doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t!” He immediately realized that this was a mistake, as Raven’s eyes glowed black and a plate shot itself across the room and shattered. With this, Raven turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. The other Titans glared at Beast Boy. “Why do I always make her do that?” he asked, a slight hint of shame in his voice.
“Made your decision yet,” asked Slade, breaking up the distraction. Robin replied, “I think we have. I think we’ll take our chances.”
“Fine,” said Slade in a surprisingly calm voice, “you had your chance.” At this, a glowing 5 appeared on the camera lenses. “Raven!” shouted Starfire.
A 4 appeared.
Starfire grabbed up the cameras in her arms and flew out the window.
3
Raven rushed in and followed Starfire out the window
2
Starfire threw the cameras up in the air.
1
Raven enveloped them in black energy.
BEEP.
The cameras exploded, but the blast was contained by Raven’s energy. Raven and Starfire flew back inside and plopped down on the couch. Robin turned back to the TV screen. “That was one lame attempt on our lives,” he said. “I agree,” replied Slade, “but it was a good distraction.”

[Lord Welshi]

Originally Posted by rrarbecy

“That was one lame attempt on our lives,” he said. “I agree,” replied Slade, “but it was a good distraction.”

I loved that part! Humorous, and something that Slade would probably do. A good chapter, nicely done. Keep writing.

[starburn1116]

DUDE!!!!!!

you are officially the COOLEST

it is this kind of robin starfire interraction that makes me feel all fuzzy inside

and then you followed up with an interesting plot and a great portrayal of each character

this is the greatesT fic i've read since the last great fic i read

CONTINUE SOON!!!!

[rrarbecy]

The Eagles are victorious again. HA! Anyway, here is the rest of Chapter two: Resurrection.

“What are you talking about?” asked Robin incredulously.
“Allow me to enlighten you,” said Slade, a slight snicker in his voice, “This meeting, the cameras, this entire incident, has been a decoy to distract you from the object of our conversation.”
Realizing what he meant, Beast Boy demanded “What are you doing with Terra?”
“Well,” said Slade, “The entire time we have been talking, one of my robots has been, slowly but surely, making its way to the town square, where it shall annihilate Terra. My actions are,” he paused, “for the best.”
“Well screw that,” Beast Boy mumbled, then shouted, “What are we waiting for. Let’s go.” He ran to one of the windows to fly out, but was blown backwards by a beam of orange energy. “Damn!” he shouted as he hit the ground and, noticing the burn hole in his jumpsuit moaned, “Man, that’s not cool.”
“Please,” laughed Slade maliciously, “Do you really think I would tell you my plan and just let you waltz down there and stop them?” The Titans looked out the tall windows to see a terrifying sight. “100 armed robots,” said Slade, smiling under his mask, “While I was formulating my plan I figured, if I am going to kill Terra, why not get the Teen Titans as a bonus.”
“This is bad,” said Raven taking in the sight of the hundred hunchbacked killing machines hovering outside.
“How’re we going to get out of this one?” asked Cyborg.
“We’re going to get out of it the way we always get out of jams like this,” began Robin.
“We fight,” Starfire finished for him.
“This is what I love about you people,” interjected Slade, “No matter what the odds, you will battle until you die. And you will die today.”
“We’re not going to die today Slade,” retorted Robin, “Teen Titans, Go!”

Another shadowy figure flew through the air and smashed into pieces on a wall of Titans Tower. Starfire had just blasted a robot with a bolt of green energy when she was blasted by a scalding hot ray in the bare part of her back. Robin leapt in to continue her fight, slicing a robot’s head off with a razor sharp birdarang. He turned to see a robot flying at him at high speed and narrowly missing his head. “Hey!” he shouted.
“Sorry dude,” Cyborg yelled back while bashing one of the robots’ heads in, “Didn’t mean to throw him so close to you.” As he was saying this, a robot snuck up behind him and prepared to strike. Before it could, however, a chant was heard from behind and it was enveloped in black energy and pulled apart. Cyborg turned to see Raven, lowering her hands, her eyes slowly turning back to their normal indigo. “Thanks Rae,” said Cyborg.
“Any time,” replied Raven, flying up higher to avoid a beam of orange energy. “Azarath Metrion Zin…” she began, but before she could finish the incantation, a green pterodactyl flew out of nowhere and knocked the robot she was trying to curse out of the air with a huge wing. The pterodactyl then changed into a green boy, who shot downward like a missile, and knocked a robot into the ground.
“Nice one BB,” complimented Cyborg. Raven just grunted. Beast Boy didn’t reply to Cyborg’s compliment, he instead transformed into a hawk and flew toward the city. Before he could go anywhere, however, a beam of energy grazed his wing. “Ow ow ow ow ow!” screamed Beast Boy, transforming back into himself. Suddenly, he remembered he was 50 feet in the air. “Ahhhhhhh!” he screamed, attempting to brace his fall.
The painful death by splattering he had expected never came. He opened his eyes to see Starfire carrying him in her arms. “Wow, um, thanks Star,” he said, and he truly was grateful. “Do not mention it,” replied Starfire, blasting a robot out of the air with a green beam of energy. She threw Beast Boy up into the air, where he became a parakeet and snuck past the line of robots separating the Titans from the city. The others should be able to handle it from here, he thought, now it’s time to save Terra.

A hunched figure, shorter than the robots at Titans Tower, yet much wider, slowly made its way to Jump City town square. It would have been there much earlier if today hadn’t been the city’s 100th anniversary. The parade spanning the entire city had slowed the robot more effectively than the Teen Titans could have. The fact that it had to stick to the shadows to avoid being seen attributed to its lateness. Finally, it reached its destination. Its master would be very pleased that it had completed its objective. An orange hole in the robot’s head glowed bright. The laser was about to fire when a loud cry resonated from the sky.
A green figure flew toward the robot, transformed into a gorilla, and bashed its fist into the robot’s head. The sudden impact knocked the laser off course, causing it to smash into a nearby building. The robot turned over and fired its laser at the gorilla, but the gorilla disappeared. It was replaced by a tiny green rat, which was too small for the robot’s laser to make contact with.
The rat turned back into its original human sized form, which rammed the robot with its shoulder. The robot flew back into the ground and, before it could react, was crushed into the ground by the huge foot of an Asian elephant.
It was at this time that the rest of the Titans arrived on the scene. “Wow,” said Raven frankly.
“You did that all by yourself BB?” asked Cyborg in astonishment. Beast Boy turned and smirked at the looks of astonishment on his friends’ faces.

Cyborg's dark laboratory glowed with a faint yellow light. The light flashed brightly to show the dark forms of five people and the statue of a pretty girl. “It is creepy up here,” piped Starfire from her spot next to Robin. The light flashed again, causing her to jump and squeeze her boyfriend’s hand even tighter. Robin winced slightly, but kept his attention on the illuminated figures of the other Titans.
“Turn the lights on, Cyborg, before Starfire has an accident,” said Raven dully.
“Why are the lights off anyway?” asked Beast Boy.
“I just wanted to make the scene more dramatic,” said Cyborg.
“You failed,” said Raven simply. With a scowl, Cyborg crossed over to the wall and flipped the light switch. His lab was gigantic, and looked like something straight out of Frankenstein. Its metal walls were made to look like brick, and the only window was a tiny porthole on the west wall. Cyborg walked over to his 10ft x 10ft computer screen and clicked a few keys. Lasers popped out of the walls and pointed themselves at Terra.
“Didn’t you say something like she could come back a half a person?” asked Beast Boy with concern.
“Don’t worry,” said Cyborg, “I’ll concentrate the beams enough so that they only affect her and not matter around her.” He clicked a few more keys, and the lasers glowed yellow. “Here we go,” he said, “the moment of truth.”
The lasers glowed even brighter and, quite suddenly, fired at Terra. They connected, sending up thick, gray clouds of smoke which engulfed her. Beast Boy muttered a silent prayer.
As suddenly as it began, it stopped. The lasers eased and the smoke began to thin. A skinny figure could now be seen through the smoke. Finally, after an eternity, the smoke dissipated. There stood Terra, alive, but something was missing. The boys flushed bright red and turned in different directions. Terra squeaked and hastened to cover herself. “Um,” she asked in a slightly scratchy voice, “where are my clothes?”
“I must have concentrated the beams too much,” said Cyborg to his computer, “Sorry.”
“Here,” said Raven, unclipping her cloak and tossing it to her. Terra gratefully took it and wrapped it around herself.
“You can look now,” said Terra, “and I forgive you Cyborg.”
“Um,” said Beast Boy, “I’ll take you to your room.” And he did, feeling happier than he had in a long time.


It feels so good to refer to Robin as Starfire's boyfriend. True believers, I present a confirmed Starfire/Robin relationship. Oh, and about the end, my perverted teenage mind took over.

[HEADphones]

Vikings rock! Please, the Eagles already creamed that game. And cremed another today. Anyway, what does Slade want? And why did you make him interupt after the big news. This story is very mysterious. Update soon. Peace out.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

How dare you post your poisonous lies!
j/k, but I know you thre that B/F reference in there for me. I guess I should be touched.
I like where this is going, but if you're gonna match up to the point where you started, then go past it, you have a lot more chapters to write. keep it up.