The Spectacular Titan (Teen Titans x Male Reader)

Chapter 18 - Fear Itself

The night sky is filled with dark storm clouds and flashes of lightning. At a video store in Jump City, a crowd of panicking customers bursts out and breaks for cover. Inside, a clerk screams and backs across the floor. Some large thing with many long, sparking appendages rears up before her, causing her to stumble down. It is then revealed to be coaxial cables that are connected to the main body, a large television set whose static-filled screen frames an evilly grinning face with narrowed red eyes.

It brings two of the cable ends together, striking an arc, and leans toward the imperiled young woman as she cries out and shields her face. A remote control, its front end fashioned into a menacing creature's head, is held in someone's hand. The press of a button stops the big screen in its tracks, wipes out the static, and leaves just a blank expression on the face. The remote's user stands atop the shelves near a wall of video screens.

He is fat, has long straggly hair, and wears a dark gray overcoat topping off the ensemble. "Okay. Either you admit that Warp Trek Five..." He points the remote at the screens and brings up an image of a green-skinned starship crewman. "... which reunited the entire original cast of the classic TV series, deserved to be on your Favorite Rentals list, or..." He aims the device toward the television monster as it comes back to life.

The clerk scuttles back toward the candy counter. "Please! I-I don't even know what Warp Trek is!"

"And that, my little tribble, is why you must be destroyed!" Another button pressed, the screen roars, strikes sparks from two cables, and reaches toward her.

She screams and dives over the counter to get out of striking range. She hides behind the display and looks up fearfully as the thing floats steadily toward her hiding place. Before it can get to her, though, a sonic cannon blast drives it off to one side. The villain covers his face as dust flies back from the area of its collision with the far wall. He looks up with a gasp. Inside the entrance, the Titans have arrived on the scene and Cyborg has his weapon at the ready.

The overweight movie nut hops nimbly from one shelf to the next, approaching them. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my old arch-nemesis... ses... the Teen Titans!"

"Um, yeah." Beast Boy looks to his bionic friend. "Who is this guy?"

Cyborg shrugs, equally puzzled, and both get their answer when the screens all come up showing an image of the villain at the click of his remote. "I am the master of monsters! I am your darkest nightmares come to life! I am... Control Freak!" The genuine article stands up into view on the end of this and produces applause and clapping with the right button.

"The name doesn't ring a bell." You shrugged. 'Venom?' 'Never heard of him.'

"A couch potato with a souped-up remote. I'm petrified." Raven said, unimpressed.

"You will be." The villain approaches the camera. "You will be." He laughs and fires up the controller.

Near Raven, a video drop box grows considerably and turns its deposit slot into a toothy mouth. She gasps and backs up from its expanding shadow as it growls in a very rusty manner. The drop box growls as it stomps toward her.

Cyborg leaps in and hits the thing broadside with a flying shoulder to knock it away, but it soon recovers and locks up with him. "Don't worry, Raven!" He picks it up. "I can drop the drop box!" He tosses it across the store. It fetches up against several sets of shelves, and he leaps in with a yell to do a little old-school clobbering.

"Get his remote!" Robin dashed, followed by you, Starfire, and Beast Boy.

"Show's not over, Titans. And if you thought Part One was scary, just wait for the sequels!" Control Freak aims his remote at the two cash registers.