Teen Titans: The Alien Force

Chapter 9 (Christmas Special?): Fixation on the Future

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...Excuse me, dear reader.

Yes, I am talking to you, and however many of you there are out there.

For some time now, I have been telling you the story of Devan Morgan Tennyson, and now that we've reached this portion, I must inform you that we'll be observing a different individual for this chapter, but before we do, allow me a minute or two to ponder...

What do you think Time is? Do you consider time as a linear, predetermined path, where all our choices have already been made for you? Maybe, you believe that time is something one could be separate from, and that you could travel throughout it and change it to your desire. Or perhaps, time is merely an illusion, and it doesn't mean anything towards the Grand Scheme.

All of these possibilities are correct, however, that means it can only be explained via experience than me telling you how it works. So, instead, we shall witness the actions of a novice Time Traveler, and how his ability taught a certain Titan about the existence of probability...

(...)

An alarm begins to ring, and soon after, an orange ball of energy springs from her bed in excitement.

Starfire: The day has finally arrived!

She looks off to one side and finds source of the ringing, an alarm clock shaped like the Amazing Mumbo that sits on her dresser. She reaches over to shut it off, and heads to a small wooden drawer, which she opens to reveal a pile of toys and party favors. She sweeps up the lot and giggles, taking a moment to open her door, peeking cautiously back and forth before resuming. More bubbly little laughs escape her as she zips out and starts to ease toward the corner, whisking from one wall to the other as she goes. Her armload jingles slightly, one item falls away when she ducks around the bend and out of sight, but she reaches back to pick it up.

Now she makes her way past the stairs, reaching an automatic door; it slides open to admit her, and she lowers her goodies to expose her beaming face.

Starfire: HAPPY BLORTHOG!! ...Huh?

Instead of revelry, Star found the Ops Room to be in a bit of trouble. Raven sits off to one side and reads, Dev stands before a boom box in the kitchen, and Beast Boy and Cyborg are playing GameStation; thundering heavy metal tracks drown out all other sound at this point. If we observe the two gamers, they were currently fighting over the controller itself.

Cyborg: Come on, Beast Boy, gimme that thing!

Beast Boy: Dude! I'm in the middle of a game, Cyborg!

Cyborg: Yeah, my game, 'cause it's my turn!

She approaches.

Starfire: Friends! We must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog, the Tamaranean festival of friendship!

She grins broadly for several seconds, but she soon realizes that no one is paying the least attention. Disgruntled, she looks around the place and drops the items she has carried in, except for a few strands of jingling bells that hang from her wrists. Cyborg leans into her view, still struggling with Beast Boy, and she turns cheerfully to him.

Starfire: Joyous greeting, friend! I, Starfire, give you this tinnabula as a symbol of--

She's cut off by a tendril dragging Cy backwards, wrapping around his neck; she gasps.

Cyborg: You're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!

His eye implant hangs amusingly in the air a moment after he is pulled back, then zips after him. A few seconds later, there is a new struggle for the controller, and Beast Boy hops into view as a frog, with the GameStation device in his mouth. Reverting to human form, he laughs and starts playing again. Starfire holds a string of bells out to him.