The Hunter Trio

By Linda Soft

Chapter 1: Victory and Loss

Numerous out-of-control animals are rampaging through the city streets. This huge cluster of beasts crushes and smashes everything in its path. Although there are many types of animals in this ëherdí, such as horses, bulls, buffalo and moose, they all clearly have something in common. They are all bright blue. It is apparent that these blue animals are not natural. The Teen Titans are on the scene however, to deal with this unusual situation.

ìI do not want to hurt you, but you give me no choice.î Starfire says as she zaps a few of the creatures with her starbolts.

Meanwhile, a large group of the blue animals have cornered Beastboy. ìOh yea? You think Iím scared of you?î he tells them, and then shape-shifts into a big green T-Rex. One roar from the mighty predator sends the animals cowering away.

Terra is using her powers to trap a large group of the animals in a make-shift pen, made from concrete she tore out of the road. Nearby, Raven struggles with a goat trying to eat her cloak.

The evil blue animals continue to advance in seemingly endless numbers. They trample over cars, smashing and crushing every vehicle on the road. Cyborg stands his ground, with his own ëT-carí behind him, as of yet undamaged by the blue beasts. ìYou are not hurting my ride!î he yells at them, knocking out one after another with his sonic cannon.

Finally, the real villain behind this disaster appears, riding on the back of a blue rhino. He is dressed more like a farmer than a super villain. Wearing overalls, a plaid shirt and a straw hat, the man is clearly evil as he shouts, ìThatís it! Smash everything. Reduce this city to rubble!î

As his rhino charges through the streets, the man laughs and delights in his sure victory. In an instant, a pole swings out from around a corner, directly into the manís face. With a sharp ëWhackí, the villain is knocked out.

ìNot today, Stampede,î Robin says, standing triumphantly over the unconscious villain.

With the madman out-cold, his power over the blue animals is lost. Their unnatural blue color begins to fade and they begin to shape-shift back into their original forms. Now back to normal, the people of the city look around in confusion, unable to remember whatís happened.

ìAll-Riiiight!î Cyborg yells loudly as the Titans gather on a street corner after the ordeal. ìWe whooped the badguyís butt, saved the people, and the T-car doesnít have a scratch on it. Letís celebrate!î

Robin, Cyborg and Beastboy stand over the defeated villain. Terra is standing on a flying rock overhead, with Raven and Starfire floating at her sides, all looking down on the scene.

ìWe will Cyborg, as soon as we make sure this guy is behind bars,î Robin tells him.

ìDid you see me?î Beastboy says ecstatically, ìI showed those blue guys that green isÖî

Beastboyís boast is cut short by the loud crack of thunder nearby. Without warning, a roaring vortex appears in the air behind the three girls. Dark tendrils of energy reach out, grasping at anything within reach. It happens so quickly that the girls arenít given a chance to fight back. One wraps around Starfireís ankle, while another catches Terra by the waist. A third tendril grips Ravenís cloak. She quickly slips the partially goat-eaten garment off, but a fourth tendril wraps around her neck. In a flash, all three girls are yanked into the mysterious opening in the sky, like a frog eating flies.

Watching all of this happen in mere seconds, the three guys never noticed a fifth tendril wrap itself around the rear bumper of the T-car. The heavy automobile is pulled up into the air toward the swirling vortex. The Titanís vehicle is half-way through the opening when the portal fluctuates and closes with a flash.

Robin yells, ìSTARFIRE!î

Beastboy yells, ìTERRA!î

The front half of the T-car smashes into the pavement in front of the three remaining Titans. ìMY CAR!î Cyborg yells.

There is a brief moment of silence before all three yell out, ìRAVEN!î not wanting to leave her out.

The three Titans become panicked and angry. They look for clues and try to figure out what happened. They take to the streets and question any possible suspects. They were sure it was some sort of portal, but to where? For days, then weeks, they searched for answers but found none. Desperate for help, Robin even paid a visit to his former mentor, but even he was unable to provide any new leads to go on.

ìWe are not saying goodbye,î Robin says, in a somber moment as the Titans think of their lost team-members. Many other Teen Titans from around the world have come for this event. The three missing girls had many friends. ìThey are alive out there somewhere,î Robin continues, ìWe may not be able to find them ourselves, but they are Titans. I know that they will find a way back, someday, somehow.î

Chapter 2: New outfits

The portal device swirls and crackles with energy. Itís never been used before, but the old professor knew that it shouldnít be acting like this. Something is wrong, but before he can solve the problem, the portal pulses and three young girls come through it. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that they were ëlaunchedí out of it, each landing with a ëthudí on the hard metal floor of the laboratory. The old man pays them no heed. Once he fixes the problem with the machine, all three of them will go back to where they came from.

ìPolarity, thatís it!î The old man says to himself and begins to work quickly at the deviceís control panel. As he works to re-adjust the portal machine, another object begins to emerge from the energy vortex. ìWhat? No!î The doctor shouts as the portal seems to react badly. The machine overloads and the portal collapses in on itself. Important looking components on the machine pop, spark and smoke. ìOh no,î The old doctor says dissapointedly, ìItís ruined.î

The three girls pick themselves up off the floor, rubbing at the new bruises theyíve received. Half of the T-car seems to have followed them through the vortex, sitting just in front of the ruined machine.

ìWhere are we?î Raven asks as the three look around.

ìOh dear!î the old man says, noticing the three. ìOhÖ I am truly sorry. I never meant to bring you here.î

ìWho are you, and how did we get here?î Terra asks.

ìMy name is Professor Zeek,î he tells them sadly. ìI am a scientist, and I was trying to open a doorway to another world. But, itís a one way portal and I miscalculated. The polarity was reversed, so instead of sending me to your world, it brought the three of you into mine. I tried to fix it, but that ridiculous looking machine was in the event horizon at the time.î The doctor motions toward the back half of Cyborgís car. ìThe machine overloaded and now itís ruined.î

ìCan you not just fix this machine?î Starfire asks.

ìOh, but there is no time for that,î he tells them, ìWe are all in terrible danger!î

ìWhy am I not surprised?î Raven says coldly.

ìThere are pirates swarming all over this facility,î he tells them.

ìPirates?î Starfire asks.

ìYes, space pirates. They attacked without warning. We were unable to defend ourselves.Ý This is only a research station. We are scientists, not soldiers. I only survived this long because I have sealed myself inside this laboratory.î

ìBut why did you open that portal?î Terra asks.

ìThis machine was only experimental. We have never even tested it before. I had no idea where it would take me, but it couldnít be worse than here,î the professor explains. ìI decided to take my chances, wherever it might send me.î

ìThen we must fight the space pirates!î Starfire says firmly.

ìWhat? You have a fiery spirit young lady, but oh heavens no, you cannot fight them. They are dangerous criminals.î

ìWe are the Teen Titans. Fighting criminals is what we do,î Terra replies.

ìIf we could fight our way get past the pirates, we might be able to escape in a shuttle,î the old man suggests. îBut their ship would overtake us easily. We would have to use this stationís self destruct to cover our escape.î

ìAnd now we have a ticking-clock. Wonderful,î Raven says.

ìOh my, you are a cold one arenít you,î the professor muses to himself. ìWe canít let the research here fall into their hands. It pains me to destroy it, but it is too dangerous to let them steal it. But there is still the matter of whether you three girls can actually deal with the pirates or not. I am an old man. Even in my prime, I was never a fighter. It will be up to the three of you to ensure our safe passage through the station.î

ìThen enough talk. It is time to swash the buckles,î Starfire says, ready to fight. She turns toward the laboratoryís door and leaps into the air. She fumbles and stumbles as she unexpectedly hits the ground, failing to fly. Confused, she says, ìThere seems to be something wrong.î

The three Titan girls quickly experiment, and discover to their dismay that none of their powers work.

ìThis could be a problem,î Raven says. ìIf weíre in another universe, the laws of magic could be different here. My powers wonít work.î

ìMy abilities are turned off as well,î Starfire says.

Terra pulls a couple small rocks out of her pocket, something handy she carries around. She holds them in her palm, and stares intently at them, but they do not move. She looks up at the others and shakes her head.

ìSo much for fighting space pirates,î Raven tells them.

ìmmmÖ I wonder,î the old scientist mutters as an idea comes to him. ìOther than the portal device, there was another invention we were developing in this lab.î He turns and moves up to a large glass chamber at the back of the room. ìThis is what the pirates are really after.î

The girls look into the glass room, but see nothing. Itís a cube shaped class structure at the back of the laboratory. The cube is large enough for several people to stand comfortably inside. There is a doorway like opening on the left side, and a control panel standing in front of the structure.

ìWhat is it?î Terra asks.

ìThis is a fabrication chamber. But more specifically, it is designed to construct a new prototype weapon system that we have been working on for years. It is practically finished now, and the pirates want it for themselves. I am too old to use it, but it might be just what you girls need to deal with those pirates.î

ìWhat sort of weapon is it?î Raven asks.

ìOh, itísÖ well, I suppose I should tell you the old storyÖî he says.

ìOh joy, ì Starfire beams brightly, ìit is a Tamaranian tradition to tell stories before fighting space pirates.î

ìSeriously?î Raven asks.

ìOver one hundred years ago,î the old man begins, ìthere was a legendary bounty hunter, who fought the space pirates. Historical records are poor at best, because this person was very reclusive and spent much of their time alone in the wilds of deep space. Historians say this bounty hunter was a woman named Samus Aran. No other bounty hunter was as successful. She single-handedly fought off the space pirate forces many times, leaving them a scattered and defeated people for many decades. What made this particular bounty hunter successful was her unique power suit. It was made by a highly advanced, but now extinct race called the ëChozoí. For over a century, we have tried to replicate that advanced technology, with minimal success.î

ìWe still cannot reproduce that awesome power suit Samus possessed, but here in this room, we have created something similar with our own advanced technology. This chamber you see before you can create the Synthetic suit. Itís a unique weapon, based on our new Synthetic technology. This suit can perform some of the abilities of Samusí legendary armor, and even do some things she couldnít. The space pirates learned well the power of Samusí weapons. They have picked up the pieces of their broken society and are once again a threat to the galaxy. Somehow theyíve learned about this new Synthetic technology, and what it can do. They want it for themselves.î

ìInstead,î Raven says, ìwe are going to use it against them like in the olden days.î

ìThat is correct,î the old man says with a smile. ìWith the portal machine destroyed, this may be our only chance of escaping with our lives. It is only a matter of time before the pirates are able to override the security lockouts I put on this door. We are wasting too much time as is. If you girls are ready, please enter the chamber.î

The Teen Titans look at each other, but they have no better ideas. Without their powers, they will be no match for an army of space pirates. Weapons are not their style, but this seems to be their only fighting chance. The three girls enter the glass chamber of the strange machine, not knowing what to expect. Professor Zeek begins to operate the control panel just outside. The glass door slides shut, sealing the girls inside.

The chamber around them begins to hum and glow. Waves of unknown energy swirl through the room, tickling their skin. The room glows even brighter, to the point that they can hardly see anything. Without warning, the intense energy in the room disintegrates the girlsí clothing. Even the harder materials like metal dissipate and vanish without a trace. The three are left standing completely nude for a short time before new materials begin to form on their bodies and take shape. When the chamber finally powers down, all that can be seen inside of it is a thick gray fog. Three silhouettes are visible in the thick fog. Each of the three figures has the shape of the legendary bounty hunter in her power suit.

The three exit the chamber, but find it difficult to walk in their new gear. They wobble and stumble their way out of the foggy room, finding it difficult to walk in their new suits. Finally, they get a clear look at these ëSynthetic suitsí.

*Click the links to see the pictures*

ìThese new clothes are light and comfortable, but seemÖ inadequate,î Starfire observes.

ìAre you kidding Star? These are awesome,î Terra says happily, as she rubs her cheek into one of her large shoulder orbs. ìItís like wearing bubbles.î

ìUh, Terra? You might want to take another look,î Raven tells her. ìThese things donít cover muchÖ and they are transparent. Weíre practically naked.î

Terra looks Raven up and down as the reality sets in. A good deal of Ravenís gray skin is visible, with the suit mostly covering her arms and legs. The rest of Ravenís form and features are blurry but visible through the bubble-like coverings. The suit offers nothing in the way of modesty. Terra quietly blushes as she realizes her own suit must look the same way.

ìNaked?î the old Professor Zeek says, squinting at the girls with his aging eyesight. ìNo, I am sure you girls are just being too modest. You are wearing some of the finest technology weíve ever produced. Go ahead and get a feel for it.î

Each of their bubbly suits has a color tint to it. Starfireís has an orange tint, Ravenís is a light blue, and Terraís suit is a faint violet.

Although there are space pirates swarming throughout the space station, the Titanís first challenge is to learn how to walk in these suits. These bubble-like suits even have large bouncy parts directly under their feet, making walking difficult. Starfire seems to have the easiest time, as her soles have a relatively flat shape. Terra and Raven however, have rounded bubbles on their feet, giving them a more difficult time keeping balance. Eventually they both discover that it is easiest to stand on this round footwear if they treat it like high heels, and point their toes downward.

Now that the girls have gotten the hang of moving around in their suits, Professor Zeek begins to explain how they work. ìI know they do not look like typical space suits, but each of your Synthetic suits has three functions. First of all, they all emit a life-support field to protect you in harsh environments. You need not worry about oxygen or extreme temperatures. The life support field will keep you alive and comfortable just about anywhere you need to go.î

ìFor the other functions, each of your suits are different. Ms Starfire, will you please hold out your right arm and close your fingers?î

Starfire does as Zeek asks. As her fingers close, the bubble material on her arm shifts and reforms below the elbow. It takes on the shape of a canon on her arm, with her hand completely encased within. As her fingers close, she feels a solid handle form in her hand, with a trigger beneath her index finger.

ìGo ahead, give it a shot,î the old man tells her.

Although the device on her arm appears to be little more than a balloon, when she pulls the trigger, the weapon proves to be quite real. A bright orange energy blast rockets out of her canon. It even appears to burn as it streaks through the air. When the projectile bursts against the far wall of the room, the metal surface glows bright orange and melts away. A glowing orange hole is left in the wall.

ìBecause of your fiery spirit, I told the fabricator to construct your orange suit with a Plasma Beam,î he explains. ìIt is a very powerful weapon, using extremely high temperatures.î

A similar projectile streaks through the air unexpectedly. This one is bright white, and when it strikes the far wall, the surface immediately ices over. They turn to look at Raven, now standing there with her own arm canon deployed. ìIceÖî she says, ìCool.î

ìOh yes, an Ice Beam for the cold one,î he tells them.

ìI donít suppose mine shoots rocks?î Terra asks while forming her own arm-canon.

ìNo,î he says, ìyour suit was given the Wave Beam. The projectile has a very fine energy signature and almost no physical properties. It will not have as much punch as the other two, but it will pass through solid objects, and still be able to knock out your enemies.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo, I can shoot through walls.î Terra says, as she fires a shot from her weapon. A pair of violet energy balls launch forward. They twirl around each other as they go, leaving a spiraling trail in their wake. It strikes the same wall as the other weapons, but vanishes into the wall, leaving only a small glow on the wall. ìBut what good is shooting through walls, if I canít see what I am shooting at?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOhÖ wellÖ I am sure you will find some use for it,î He tells her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The four of them hear a commotion from outside the door. The pirates are gathering outside and are eager to get in.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIt looks like we are out of time,î Raven says, ìget ready.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìBut I havenít explained the third function of your suits yet.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYou can teach us later,î Starfire says.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLetís see how well this works,î Terra says, as she fires her Wave Beam toward the doorway. It passes through the solid door and an alien on the other side screams. Despite wounding one, the space pirates continue their efforts to get through the locked door.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The girls form a line in the room, beam-canons ready. Professor Zeek takes shelter behind a nearby computer station. Terra continues to shoot through the door, unsure of how much damage she is doing. Finally, the invaders overcome the locks on the door, and it slides wide open. Several large and very angry insect-like aliens charge into the room. Their monstrous appearance takes the Titans by surprise. Some of the aliens leap at the girls, but the Titans donít hesitate to open fire. They have fought alien bug-monsters before; they can squish these ones too.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Ravenís Ice Beam strikes one of the aliens, freezing it solid. Starfireís Plasma Beam proves to be just as effective. The searing hot projectile strikes one of the aliens and it melts into a puddle of goo and monster bits. Terraís Wave Beam strikes one of the creatures, but does not pass through it. Violet colored electrical arcs jump across its body and it falls to the ground. It twitches a little, then stops moving. Several more of the aliens charge into the room, and are just as easily dispatched by the girlís new weapons.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAre you alright Professor?î Terra asks the man cowering behind the computer.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOh my, yes.î He tells her in great relief. ìIt seems that you girls can fight after all. We just might be able to get out of this mess.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell, the doorís open now. We better get to that shuttle,î Raven says.

Chapter 3: The escape.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

The four of them exit the laboratory, stepping over a couple of the aliens who were taken out by terraís shooting through the door. As they progress through the space stationís corridors, they frequently come under attack by the monstrous aliens.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìI must reach the control center, two decks above us,î Zeek tells them, ìI need to activate the self-destruct system before we leave.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThey are not letting us escape quickly.î Starfire says, pointing out how slowly they are moving with the constant attacks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìStar is right,î Terra says, ìat this rate, we might not make it to the shuttle before the time runs out. If we split up, you two could clear the way to the shuttle bay, and I could take Professor Zeek up to the control room.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìGo ahead, we can handle things here,î Raven tells her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìBe safe, friend Terra and Professor Zeek,î Starfire says, as she and raven continue on down the hallway.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Moments later, a few floors up, Terra emerges from an elevator with the old scientist cowering behind her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe control center is at the end of this corridor,î he tells her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWeíll get there,î Terra assures him.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ More of the bug-like space pirates appear from a side hallway. Once again, Terra is pressed into combat, blasting away with her new weapon. They fire back with beams of their own, but fail to hit the blond Titan. The twirling violet wave beams rapidly streak toward the aliens. Some of them miss and sail past the aliens, but Terra manages to eliminate all of the attackers without getting hurt.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Finally, she and the Professor reach the doorway to the control room. Before they open the door, Terra quickly fires several shots through it, just to be safe. Professor Zeek enters his security pass code on the pad next to the door, and it slides open. They enter the main control room, but come face to face with a single, unusually large space pirate.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThat must be their leader,î Terra says, ìProfessor, go do your thing, I will keep this guy busy.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The nervous professor scurries off to a nearby control panel, so frightened that he has trouble operating it properly. The large alien moves to attack the old man, but is met with several wave beams.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYouíll have to get by me first, ugly.î Terra shouts at the monster. She hits it with several of her wave beams, but he does not seem as hurt by them as the smaller aliens were. A run and gun battle ensues. The creature swings its enormous claws, smashing machinery, but fails to hit the quick little Terra. It fires its own energy blasts at her, but she takes cover behind various control panels or pillars in the room. All the while, she continues to fire her wave beams at the monster, often firing directly through whatever object she is hiding behind. Terra loses count of how many times she hit the alien, but it eventually falls to the floor from the numerous wave beam hits.

Zeek quickly finishes his work, and the lights in the room begin to flash red. A five minute countdown appears on a nearby display screen. ìThatís it, now we need to get out of here quickly,î he tells her.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Wasting no time, the two of them rush back to the elevator. Terra is still getting used to walking and running in this strange suit, and trips just outside the elevator. The bouncy bubble-like material of her suit cushions her fall, and she is not hurt from the fall. Professor Zeek helps the girl back onto her feet and into the elevator.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Back onto the lower level, they continue down the corridor after Raven and Starfire. The path is littered with defeated space pirates, either frozen in place or melted to the ground. There are even melted or frozen spots on the walls, from shots that missed the pirates.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Finally, they find Raven and Starfire fighting off a last group of the aliens in the shuttle bay. Braving the danger, Zeek makes his way toward the nearby shuttlecraft, to prepare it for launch. Terra joins her friends in blasting the last of the space pirates in the room.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe timer is ticking, we only have a couple minutes left to get out of here,î Terra tells them.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWe knew you were successful when the lights started to flash red,î Starfire points out.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìLetís go, before more of them show up,î Raven says.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ They all pile into the small space vehicle. It was only designed to transport personnel and some small cargo, but now itís their best chance to escape. They each take a seat while Zeek quickly pilots them out of the shuttle bay and away from the space station. From space, they can clearly see the space pirateís huge starship looming next to the station. It turns to pursue their small shuttle, but they have run out of time. In a flash, the space station bursts, destroying the pirateís ship along with it. The shuttle speeds away as quickly as it can, but is jolted and sent spinning out of control from the explosion.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ After spinning around several times, Professor Zeek manages to get the little ship under control. The three girls sitting behind him look almost as green as Beastboy, each feeling sick from the spinning.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell we got away, now what?í Raven asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìNow we can get these weird suits off,î Terra says, tugging at one of the arms of her suit.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìAre you sure you want to do that?î Raven asks her. ìOur clothes were vaporized, remember? Besides, these bubbles seem to be stuck on pretty good.î Raven demonstrates by pulling on one of the small bubbles on the back of her hand. The object looks like it should peel off easily, but holds fast to her gray skin.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìSo we are stuck in these strange transparent clothes,î Starfire says, a little disappointed.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìYes, Iím sorry about that, your Synthetic suits might not come off very easily,î Professor Zeek says over his shoulder. ìBut donít worry; as you saw with your weapons, your suits can be reshaped a little. Later, I will tell you the other things you need to know about the suits. You each have another ability that you have not used yet, and there are a couple verbal commands for your more practical needs.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìPractical needs?î Terra asks, confused.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWere you planning to ever use a restroom again?î Raven asks her, understanding what the old man meant.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWe still have the problem of getting home,î Starfire points out, ìThe portal machine was destroyed with the space station.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThatís a good point,î Raven says. ìSo Professor, do you have any idea how we can get back?î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìIím sorry to say, but that machine was the only way to access your world.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìCouldnít you build a new one?î Terra asks.

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìWell yes, I do know how to rebuild the machine, but the costÖ it will take a great deal of credits to reconstruct it. With the whole research station destroyed, it will be impossible for me to secure new funding.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìOk, so we need to earn money,î Raven says. ìWe will have to find work somewhere.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìNo,î Zeek tells her, ìYou will never make the kind of money we need with ordinary employment. I hate to put you girls in harmís way again, but the three of you seem to be capable fighters. If you really want to return home; Bounty hunter missions may be your best method of earning credits.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìFight monsters for money? We can do that,î Terra says, ìBut letís get one thing strait. From now on, weíre calling these things ëBubble suitsí.î

ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ The other two Titans agree on the better name, and they set course for the nearest colonized planet, with the hope of earning enough money to return to their own world. It may take a while, but they will build a new portal and see their friends again. In the mean time, they will have to adapt to a new life in this strange universe, and deal with the fact that their Bubble Suits are much too revealing.

To be continued?