Deception/Transcript

Prologue

(Opening shot: the lobby of a bank at night. The place sits in quiet darkness, but the calm is broken when an alarm and red warning lights go off. Zoom in on the far end of the room, where the vault stands open; cut to inside and pan slightly to the stacks of gold bullion stored there. Mammoth, one of the three HIVE Academy graduates who took on the Titans in "Final Exam," strains to move one pallet as his fellow classmate Jinx walks into view. Her wrists and neck loaded with gold chains and bracelets, she eyes a large jewel in one hand. Gizmo, the third member of the team, flies in using his jet pack; a sack of loot is slung over his shoulder.)

Gizmo: Move it, slug-crunchers! We're running outta time! (Close-up of Mammoth; he finally stops for breath.)

Mammoth: (vein popping on his temple) I could use a hand here!

Cyborg: (from o.c.) How 'bout a foot?

(The oversized thief looks off toward the vault door; cut to a close-up of Cyborg's swinging foot and pull back as he pastes it across Mammoth's chin. He is propelled the full length of the room to crash into the far wall; after he hits it, pull back to show Gizmo and Jinx looking his way, then at the camera. Cut to behind them and zoom in on the open door: the Titans stand ready, and the view dissolves to a close-up of the five. Robin brings his fighting staff up for a twirl.)

Robin: Titans! Go!

(They charge. As Jinx and Mammoth move in, the former dropping her stolen jewelry, Gizmo just hangs grinning in the air. Close-up of his chest control panel; he presses a button, and the camera pulls back to frame several holographic doubles appearing around him. They fly in all directions, dodging attacks from both Robin and Starfire, and the leader swings his staff up only to see it swish through one of the duplicates. Beast Boy, as a hawk, flies after another one just before Mammoth somersaults in to throw a killer punch at Robin, who flips away in the nick of time. However, the impact of fist on concrete sends a shock wave directly toward Raven. She puts up a shield to defend herself against such a blow; as soon as she takes it down, though, Jinx hits her with a blindside hex that sends her flying.)

(Robin catches her, and Jinx flips a couple of spells at the ceiling. Down come a few hundred pounds of it, forcing the two Titans to move off, and Cyborg backs into view to fire his sonic cannon.)

Cyborg: Three raids in one week? Man, this is seriously getting old!

(He stops blasting and runs o.c. to avoid being brained by a falling stone. Pan to Robin, his staff twirling at full speed and knocking rocks away.)

Robin: The HIVE Academy's new leader must be up to something! (He leaps away, just avoiding Mammoth.)

Jinx: And wouldn't you like to know?

(She has been preparing a new spell, but a starbolt in the back lays her out. Starfire flies down, eyes and hands ablaze.)

Starfire: Yes, we would!

(She hurls a Tamaranean knuckle ball or two; the shots just miss Jinx, who nimbly skips away, and the camera pulls back from the dueling teens to a balcony. Gizmo is here, stuffing more valuables into his sack.)

Gizmo: Sweet. This crud should be worth--

(He trails off when a large glob of something wet and nasty sails into view and splatters against his cheek.)

Gizmo: Hey!

(Cut to behind him and pan a bit. He is staring at a large green camel-Beast Boy, who has taken advantage of that animal's propensity to spit when angered. The humped mammal quickly becomes a velociraptor and lunges; the criminal runt screams in terror, just barely avoids getting chomped, and /flies for dear life with that huge creature after him. Before Beast Boy can close in, though, a section of balcony railing blows out in his face. The dust clears to show him back in human form, dazed and drooling amid the wreckage, and the camera cuts to Mammoth. He idly tosses a small stone, revealing his throw as the cause of that wipeout, but soon gets rammed away by Cyborg and slides toward the vault door.)

(Gizmo leans into view, a gigantic crazed grin plastered across his face, and presses a button on his waist controller. Some force starts to exert itself on Cyborg.)

Cyborg: Huh?

(He is summarily yanked up off his feet with a yell and ends up stuck to a large horseshoe magnet that has been attached to the ceiling.)

Cyborg: Oh, you did not just do WHAT I THINK YOU DID!!

(On these last five words, his face goes bright red and veins throb all around him. Back to Gizmo and Mammoth.)

Gizmo: Check it out! The world's dumbest magnet!

(He laughs, but quickly cuts himself off when Jinx is flung into view by the o.c. Raven's powers. Cut to the cloaked Titan and pull back as Robin and Starfire land behind her.)

Gizmo: Junk it! Let's blow this place!

(He and Mammoth make tracks for the door. A moment later, Jinx stands up and throws a spell that sends a wave of cracking stone straight at the trio, throwing them off balance. She too bugs out-but there is now a tiny flashing dot on her back, near one shoulder. Pull back as Cyborg drops to the floor; the magnet is still stuck to his back, but the bit of ceiling it was bolted to has been torn loose.)

Cyborg: Yo! (Close-up; he runs after them.) Nobody pulls a science fair on me and gets away with it!

Robin: (from o.c.) It's okay, Cyborg.

(He stops his charge. Cut to just in front of him, the camera pointing at Robin and the two girls.)

Robin: We'll see them again, (Close-up.) sooner than they think.

(As he finishes the line, he holds up his open communicator and the camera zooms in slightly. On its screen is a coordinate grid, with a flashing dot-the bug planted on Jinx without her knowledge. Snap to black.)

OPENING THEME

Act One

(Opening shot: a close-up of a HIVE insignia, yellow H in hexagon, flashing on a computer map.)

Beast Boy: (from o.c.) Tracking device?

(Dissolve to a longer shot, then pull back to show this map on the window/screen in the operations center of Titans Tower. It is now the following morning, and the Titans are gathered here. Cyborg has removed Gizmo's magnet from his back.)

Beast Boy: Veeeery sneaky. Looks like the HIVE's secret headquarters isn't so secret anymore. (Cut to Raven and Starfire.)

Raven: So, what are we waiting for? (Pan to Robin.)

Robin: We need to know what they're planning first. Otherwise we could walk right into a trap.

Beast Boy: (his ears start twitching) Do I hear an undercover assignment coming on? Lucky for you guys, I happen to be a master of disguise.

(In nothing flat, he becomes a monkey, then a kangaroo, then a mongoose. Back to the two girls.)

Raven: Yeah, a green mongoose is gonna blend right in. (Pan to Robin.)

Robin: Sorry, Beast Boy. I was thinking of someone with a slightly better disguise.

(Beast Boy resumes human form and slides up next to Cyborg with a disdainful laugh. The latter has not moved or spoken throughout this entire scene.)

Beast Boy: What are you gonna do? (thumping Cyborg's shoulder) Dress Cyborg up like a washing machine?

(As he finishes the line, the big man totters on his feet and finally crashes backward to the floor, stiff as a board. The green joker lets off a panicked cry and jumps straight up; cut to a patch of ceiling as he clings to it in the form of a small lizard.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) That isn't me.

(Overhead view of the prone form. A second Cyborg: this one moving and talking properly-walks in, carrying a remote control unit that looks like one of the GameStation controllers.)

Cyborg: That's my fully robotic replacement. (Head-on; he gets it standing.) Not nearly as charming, but he can bench-press a bus.

(On the end of this line, cut to a profile view of the robot. Robin, Starfire, and Raven pop up to give it a wide-eyed look, and Starfire cautiously taps on the head. Silence for a moment.)

Robot Cyborg: Boo-yah!

(All three Titans are scared off, either by the yell or by the head popping loose on a spring at the same time. The real Cyborg is caught off guard by the malfunction.)

Cyborg: He still has a few bugs to work out. (Beast Boy comes down in human form.)

Beast Boy: No fair! I may be all green, but he's half metal! How come he gets to go? (Beaming, Cyborg leans over to him.)

Cyborg: Because I have a new toy.

(A red spark flashes by the verdant temple as he leans away. Beast Boy then pulls his head down on his neck and literally blows his top, that piece of his skull spinning briefly in place before settling down again. Cut to a head-on view of Cyborg, holding both fists out to the camera. On each middle finger is a ring set with a large blue stone. He pulls his arms apart and bangs those fists together, knuckle to knuckle. A great flash issues from the rings; pan across the other four Titans as they shield their eyes.)

(Once the glare clears and they look up, cut to a close-up of two muscular, brown-skinned legs that issue from blue shorts and tilt up slowly. Atop them is a powerfully built body clad in a white muscle shirt and topped by a bald scalp; the rings are still on the middle fingers. Only the face gives any hint that this is Cyborg, as there is not one hint of circuitry or artificial components visible anywhere on him. Dissolve to a close-up of the chest and tilt up to the head. He raises his face; as all stare dumbfounded, Starfire gasps happily.)

*** All lines marked with one asterisk are spoken by Cyborg in this disguise. ***

Starfire: A holographic generator!

Beast Boy: Dude! You look-

Raven: -unplugged.

Robin: Nice work. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were just normal.

* Cyborg: (a bit surprised) Uh...thanks.

(Dissolve to a letterbox view of his room, the image in the top half of the screen. He stands before the mirror and flexes his muscles; cut to a fullscreen close-up behind him. Light from the open door is reflected behind his image.)

* Cyborg: Aw, yeah, baby! Somebody's been working out!

(Zoom in closer; he works his biceps a bit, but stops suddenly and looks over his shoulder.)

* Cyborg: Uh?

(He whirls to face the camera with a surprised yell, his face going bright red as he moves. The shift fully exposes the doorway, in which Starfire is now standing and looking on.)

* Cyborg: Whoa! Hey! (clearing throat) Star! (sweat drop rolling down temple) I didn't...how long have you been standing there? (Letterbox.)

Starfire: Forgive me. Your door was open.

* Cyborg: Ah, it's cool. Just checking out the old unimproved me. (Fullscreen.) I'd forgotten what it was like to have real hands. (Close-up of one; he continues o.c.) Well-almost real. (Pull back again.)

Starfire: They are most convincing. (stepping in) However, my preference is for the original version.

* Cyborg: Heh. (turning to mirror) This is the original version.

(She touches his shoulder but immediately jerks away at the sound of the next voice.)

Robin: (from o.c.) Cyborg! (They turn; cut to him in the doorway.) It's time.

(Cyborg and Starfire trade a noticeably worried look. Dissolve to the cafeteria of the HIVE Academy-students of various forms carrying lunch trays and eating at tables, the school crest seen in "Final Exam" on the far wall. Very close to the camera, Cyborg slides into view, seen from waist to shoulders. He has donned a dark gray T-shirt and black pants, as well as steel wrist bracelets and belt, and he carries a tray of his own. On it is a sandwich and a carton of milk whose side shows a picture of the school's previous headmistress under the heading "MISSING." Some other food is ladled onto the tray, after which the camera tilts up to his face; now he wears a steel headband that angles down to touch the bridge of his nose. He looks down at his lunch with visible disgust.)

* Cyborg: Ew.

(Pull back; he has been at a serving counter set into the wall, and he turns to cross the cafeteria. We now see that the pants are full-length above blue boots. Overhead view, panning slowly across: the space is hexagonal in shape, with banners hanging from one wall, and several blue-cloaked figures move among the students. Back to Cyborg, who looks warily back and forth and blows out a quiet breath while seeking out an empty spot.)

* Cyborg: (to himself) Okay. Just play it cool, and you'll blend right in.

(He stops short, both eyes suddenly widening. Cut to his perspective, panning across the tables-everyone in the place has fallen silent and is staring right at him. In the foreground is a young black girl whose hair is done up in two large puffs; she wears a sleeveless, black-and-yellow striped turtleneck halter top, yellow wrist guards and belt, and black pants, and large insect wings sprout from her back. This is Bumblebee, whom we shall see again later in the season.)

(Back to Cyborg, who plasters a big friendly smile onto his face.)

* Cyborg: Heh. (inhaling food aroma) Ahh, sloppy joes. Just like the mad scientist who created me used to make!

(The other HIVE students give him another funny look and then turn back to eating and conversation. Cyborg lets off a visible sigh at not having bowled himself out on day one. Finding an empty table, he sits down to eat; close-up of him, lifting the sandwich to his mouth. Mammoth steps up behind him, framed from waist to chest, and folds his arms.)

Mammoth: You're in my seat.

(Tilt up and pull back slightly to frame his upper half. Gizmo moves into view, hovering.)

Gizmo: Hey, newbie. This is our table. What do you think you're doing here? (Jinx joins them.)

Jinx: He looks familiar. (Pull back across the room.) Did you go to Darkway Prep?

Mammoth: What's your name, punk?

Gizmo: Probably something lame. (Close-up.) Oh, let me guess. Snot Man? No, wait. Captain Nose Picker. (Pull back.)

Jinx: (as Gizmo flies o.c.) Do you even have any powers? (Mammoth takes his sandwich.)

Mammoth: I'm hungry.

(Much to Cyborg's irritation, he proceeds to wolf it down in one bite.)

Mammoth: Get lost! (Gizmo returns, holding a disc.)

Gizmo: Yeah, scum. Take a hike.

(He drops the thing on the floor; it slides under Cyborg's disc and beeps. Close-up of the big man, his face suddenly registering surprise-and a moment later, he is launched toward the ceiling by a spring-loaded boxing glove that has popped out of Gizmo's device. He crashes down on a table, sliding along its edge until he falls off the end. Everyone else laughs themselves silly over the prank, our least favorite trio last of all.)

(Cyborg gets to his feet, his face showing all the emotion of a plate of cold creamed corn. A soft snarl and throbbing forehead vein bring that stoicism to a very quick end as he bangs his rings together. Close-up of one bicep, which rapidly turns to stone, then of the head and chest as they are similarly transformed. The rings and steel accessories remain in place. One of those granite fists is lifted high with a growing roar; pull back to show that he still wears the black pants and blue boots. He has used his holographic generator again and assumed the alter ego Stone. The fist comes down on the end of a table, shaking it like a tidal wave, and the camera pans along its length as all the chars topple. Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth stare as their favorite lunch spot gets trashed.)

(A shock wave races along the floor, past the table's end, and blows out a piece of the column in one corner. Back to the dumbfounded trio. When Stone speaks, his voice has a new and menacing edge to it.)

Stone: (from o.c.) My name is Stone. (Cut to him, folding his arms.) And it looks like you need to find a new table. (Gizmo laughs nervously.)

Mammoth: Not bad.

Jinx: Let's just see how he does in combat practice.

(Dissolve to the domed ceiling of a large chamber. It is topped with a large, honeycomb-decorated hemisphere. Tilt down to floor level; a few columns stand here and there, and a balcony runs around the perimeter. Several panels have been removed behind it to create a dark recess. Soft o.c. murmuring is heard as Stone, Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth move to the center of the floor. In the elevated bleachers, several students are gathering in front of the recess. Pull back to ground level, putting Stone in view, as a buzzer goes off.)

(A loud rumbling startles him out of whatever thoughts he was turning over, and the floor section below his feet starts to grind upward. All four are standing on it and facing the hexagonal arena. The end of a tunnel is set at one of the far corners; near it, clouds of dust fly up and a cluster of three floor panels rises up. The rear two stand taller than the front one and are fitted with posts.)

Jinx: Gamma Maneuver! (She leaps down, followed by Gizmo on his metal wings.)

Stone: Hold on! I don't know that-

Mammoth: (shoving him aside) Then get out of the way!

(He leaps down; the newest student looks confusedly after him and then joins the charge. Suddenly he stops short and finds four black-and-white HIVE robots rising from beneath the floor.)

Stone: Time to kick butt.

(He rushes at the attackers. Letterbox, top third of the screen: his silhouette whisks right past those of the robots. Fullscreen, normal view: laser cannons extend from the walls and open fire on both sides. Jinx does a few agile leaps and flips to avoid the shots as Gizmo's missiles streak through the air over her head; grinning, he flies after them and works his controls. One after another, the cannons are knocked out.)

(Gizmo flies on; profile close-up of him. He lets off a panicked cry and starts weaving back and forth as large metal spikes shoot up from the floor. Pull back; he gets clear of a veritable forest of these obstructions, and Mammoth plows through them a moment later. He and Gizmo stop for a look back; cut to Stone, who has been seized by three of the robots. The fourth closes in.)

Gizmo: (from o.c.) Ha! (Close-up.) The noob is toast! (Back to him and Mammoth; he laughs.)

Mammoth: Hey, Rocko, had enough?

(He joins in the laughter, but both cut it off when Jinx slides over to them.)

Jinx: Quit fooling around! (pointing up o.c.) The headmaster's watching!

(Cut to the bleachers and zoom in on the recess behind them. A tall figure, obscured from the waist up, stands in the shadows. He wears a long white robe trimmed with gold, and on the chest is a triangular black field marked with a stylized drawing of an animal head. Dissolve to a close-up of the face and zoom in a bit more; now we are close enough to see it reasonably well-gray-haired, prominent chin, very stern. This is Brother Blood, the new headmaster of the HIVE Academy.)

(Back to the floor. The three upperclassmen run toward the two posts on that cluster of raised panels, but two columns in the way pop out pairs of long steel tentacles that lash toward them. Jinx is ensnared first, then Mammoth and finally Gizmo, and all three struggle vainly against the bonds that hold them aloft. Stone's eyes widen at the sight, and he finally throws off all the robots that have caught him. Cracking his knuckles smugly, he rushes across the arena.)

(As he approaches, a third column shoots forth its tentacles; he stomps one and then the other into junk, then leaps high over his unfortunate classmates' heads. Behind them, column-mounted lasers emerge, causing the trio to gasp wide-eyed. After he glares at the weapons, the camera cuts to a close-up of one floor panel; he digs his fingers under the edge and starts to yank it loose. Pull back; he now has one sparking panel in each hand, and he hurls them like a pair of oversized Frisbees. They slice neatly through all the tentacles, dumping the three prisoners to the floor, and take out the lasers to boot.)

(Close-up of Gizmo and Jinx, still straining to break loose, as Stone steps up. He gives them a big self-satisfied smile and has all three up on no time. As soon as Gizmo is airborne, he flies o.c. and the others follow.)

Gizmo: (from o.c.) We gotta cross the finish line!

(They climb up to the posts, at which point the buzzer sounds off-they have completed the course. A flash, and Cyborg is his human self again.)

* Cyborg: Yes! Now that's what I'm- (Gizmo flies up next to him.)

Gizmo: Zip it, gravel-brain!

Voice: You! (Gizmo backs o.c.) Stone!

(Cut to behind Cyborg. Blood descends before him on a platform-the voice just heard was his.)

Blood: Sneaking into my school. Destroying my drones. (getting in his face) Making my top students look like amateur pickpockets! You must think you're very clever. (Extreme close-up of his eyes.) But you're not clever.

(Close-up of Cyborg, backed up to the wall and fearing the absolute worst fate he can imagine-then cut to just between him and Blood, the camera pointing at the thunderstruck trio. Finally, Blood breaks the silence.)

Blood: (smiling) You're brilliant! Well done, Mr. Stone, well done. (Back to Cyborg on the end of this.)

* Cyborg: Phew.

Blood: I see a bright future for you.

* Cyborg: (chuckling) Thanks. (He remembers himself.) Uh...great school you have here, Mr., uh...

Blood: Blood. Brother Blood. (Close-up of their handshake; he continues o.c.) At your service.

(Back to him. The smile evaporates in a hurry, and he turns to look over his shoulder at Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth. The camera pans to them.)

Blood: And as for you three... (Extreme close-up of his eyes; slow pan.) ...FAILURE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!

(His eyes glow bright red on the end of this. Sight gag: cut to the three in "Super Deformed" style, truly scared silly.)

Blood: (from o.c.) YOU WERE ALREADY SENT BACK AFTER GRADUATING ONCE!

(Gizmo drops a controller during this line. The gag ends, and the camera cuts to behind them; now his red-eyed face is shadowed and many feet high, and flames roar behind it.)

Blood: FAIL ME AGAIN, AND I'LL HAVE YOU SENT TO YOUR DOOM! (Extreme close-up of his mouth.) Do I make myself clear?

(Behind him. Now back to normal size, he faces the three, whose eyes also begin to glow red.)

Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth: (as if hypnotized) Yes, Brother.

(All eyes resume their usual appearance, as do his when he turns around.)

Blood: Outstanding. (rising to face students) In a few days, I will unveil your class project-the culmination of all your hard work over the last few weeks. (as eyes glow) And when it is unleashed- (The spectators, all red-eyed; he continues o.c.) -our foes will tremble in our wake! (Back to him.) Tremble!

(The crowd cheers wildly. Cut to him and zoom in slowly as the noise subsides into a chant of "Brother Blood!", then cut to Cyborg. He looks up uneasily toward the balcony.)

(Dissolve to the exterior of the Tower. It is daytime. In the operations center, Robin paces next to Raven and Starfire.)

Starfire: Cyborg's communication relay has been deactivated.

Robin: Could be interference. Let's just give him a minute.

Beast Boy: (from o.c.) Besides, who needs him?

(Cut to him. Robot Cyborg stands nearby-one leg swung out to one side, arms positioned as if doing the dance in the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" video, yellow feather boa around the neck, floppy white hat.)

Beast Boy: This Cyborg is way more fun. (He laughs.)

Robot Cyborg: Boo-yah!

(Big grin from Beast Boy; angry scowl from Raven; Robin is so mad that his face and hair have gone bright red, and a vein throbs on his forehead.)

Raven: Any chance we could replace Beast Boy with a robot too?

(A panel slides into view and shows him making a silly face. Robin regains his normal color.)

Robin: Cut it out. (He shoves the panel away.) I don't think Cyborg would appreciate-

* Cyborg: (on speaker) Appreciate what?

(Pull back. Still undercover, his face is now on the window/screen.)

* Cyborg: The fact that he's already the top butt-kicker in his class? (Cut to Beast Boy.)

Beast Boy: (panicking) Cyborg!

(He whips everything off the robot and hides the lot behind his back, whistling innocently. Pan to Starfire.)

Starfire: Your infiltration is successful, yes?

(Cut to a hall in the HIVE Academy. Someone is walking away from the camera; pan slightly to put Cyborg in view just around the corner. Seen from the shoulders up, he peeks out warily. His next three lines are spoken in hushed tones.)

* Cyborg: You bet. (raising undisguised comm forearm) Had a few close calls, though. (Close-up of the panel; Robin's face on it.)

Robin: What have you learned?

* Cyborg: (moving down hall) They're working on some kinda class project. Sounds heavy, but no details yet.

Robin: Well, find out and get out. (Pull back, side view; he is heard over the comm.) The longer you're there, the more dangerous it gets.

* Cyborg: Believe me. I don't plan on sticking around.

(Having reached a doorway, he stops in his tracks and whips the forearm behind his back.)

Gizmo: (from within doorway) Well, what do you know. (Cut to him and Jinx; Mammoth joins them.) It's the headmaster's scrum-buffing pet.

(Cut to a close-up of one very unnerved undercover operative. He starts to back away.)

Gizmo: (from o.c.) Get him!

(Fade to black.)

Act Two

(Opening shot:

Jinx: Don’t bother trying to run. (Cyborg stops backing up; he has re-disguised his forearm.) 

Mammoth: You won’t get far. The whole school is in on it. 

Stone: In on what? 

Gizmo: What do you think, pie-for-brains? 

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Gizmo: Your initiation. 

Stone: That’s it? 

Mammoth: You have to eat the unicycle. 

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Stone: Huh? 

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Blood: We have ourselves a natural. (softly) Take him to maximum. 

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Gizmo: Lunch is super today and the mashed potatoes are dynamite. 

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Gizmo: Hey! What are you slug-faces laughing at? 

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Blood: (finishes up and turns to the class) So, that’s why any good doomsday threat needs what? 

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Blood: (from o.c.) Mr. Stone. 

Stone: (caught off guard) Uh…effective misdirection? (The board again.) 

Blood: Correct! Moving on. 

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Jinx: Congratulations. (Cut to the cowering Cyborg; she continues o.c.) You’re one of us. 

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Gizmo: But that doesn’t mean we have to like you! 

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Beast Boy: (from inside) So the plumber says… 

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Beast Boy: …“Just because I’m a talking aardvark doesn’t mean I can drive!” 

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Cybot: Ha! Ha! (Cut to Robin and Starfire; it continues o.c.) Ha! (She giggles.) 

Cyborg: No word in four days. That’s it. (Close-up; he turns to a computer console.) I’m calling him. 

Starfire: (from o.c., hand to shoulder) Robin, please. (Pull back to frame her.) We may endanger his mission. (Pan to Raven.) 

Raven: Or we may save his life. 

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Raven: Something’s not right here. 

Beast Boy: (from o.c.) Tell me about it. (Cut to him, working the remote.) I can’t figure out how to make this thing burp. 

(Cut to Cybot: his eyes twitch after what Beast Boy just said, and his head turns right and left to see if anyone's looking. Cut back to Beast Boy working on the remote by pushing the buttons, then Cybot belches loudly right in his ear after that remark. Sight gag: Beast Boy's pupils shrink, he laughs, and then Robin, Starfire, and Raven get in his face with sharp teeth and the background turns red. Beast Boy got startled by this.)

(Sight gag ends with the background normal)

Beast Boy: What? I’m trying to make him more realistic. 

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Robin: Stone! Do you copy? Stone, come in! 

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Stone: This isn’t a good time. 

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Stone: We’ve got a Theory of Mayhem test tomorrow, and I’m totally gonna bomb. (The panel; Robin’s face is on it.) 

Cyborg: You're joking, right? 

Stone: Yeah, um…look, sorry I haven’t checked in. I’ve been learning their combat technique, weapons, armor, and we had a dance-- 

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Robin: A DANCE?!? (retreating; Raven and Starfire lean in) Stone, you’re there to find out what the HIVE is planning, not learn to tango! 

Stone: I know. This hasn’t exactly been a tea party, okay? (Pull back across the room—it is his dorm.) I just need a little more time. (Robin’s end; zoom in.) 

Robin: Or, maybe it’s time we went on the offensive. 

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Stone: I’m in. (The panel; Robin is on it.) 

Robin: (softly) Good. Just make it quick. 

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Stone: (from o.c.) Okay. I’ve found the mainframe. 

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Stone: (from o.c.) Whoa! 

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Stone: Think I just found the class project. (The screen again; he continues o.c.) They’re building something called... 

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Blood: ...An ion amplifier. 

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Robin: (over the comm, softly) Stone! Who’s--? (The signal is cut off.) 

Blood: (as Stone backs up and disguises forearm) Well, this is a surprise, Mr. Stone. (moves into the light) Or should I say…Cyborg? 

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Stone: Hey I’m not that guy.

Blood: Of course you're not your just trapped inside his body.

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Blood: Relax. I don’t want to fight. (holding up ion amplifier) It’s a remarkable weapon, really. 

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Blood: (from o.c.) Compact…elegant… (now in view) …devastating in its power. But it’s nothing compared to you. 

Stone: What do you want from me? 

Blood: Oh, it’s not what I want that matters. (coming around desk) It’s what you want, and what I can give you. 

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Stone: My arm. It’s my own. 

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Stone: No! 

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Blood: Serve me, and I can make you what you once were. 

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Blood: (from o.c., putting his hand on Stone's shoulder) I can give you your own body and a new life. 

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Stone: (softly) I’ll do anything you ask. (Cut to the eyes again.) 

Blood: Good. (Pull back to frame both.) Then I think it’s time for the other students to see our little class project. 

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Cyborg: Clear. 

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Robin: (softly) Beast Boy! Hurry up! 

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Beast Boy: Next time you build a robot Cyborg, better leave instructions. 

Cybot: (raises his fist) Ha! 

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Robot Cyborg: Ha! 

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Robin, Raven, Cyborg and Starfire: Phew. 

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Robin: (softly) I’m picking up Stone’s signal… (They are now on the arrows.) …directly below us. 

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Beast Boy: Not good. (Blood floats up at his recessed vantage point.)

Blood: The Teen Titans. So nice to make your acquaintance. I’d introduce you to my students… 

………………………………………………………………………………………............

Blood: (from o.c.) …but I’m fairly certain you’ve already met. 

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Stone: Attack Pattern Alpha! 

Act Three

(Opening shot: an empty stretch of the arena. Stone hurtles across the space, followed by his three new teammates, and Gizmo brings up a missile launcher on his back and fires off a salvo. The camera follows them to the ground, where they detonate with surprising force. Beast Boy, now a gorilla, hauls Cybot out of the way as the rest of the Titans scatter. Tilt up to Blood.)

Blood: No mercy! NO MERCY!

(Starfire goes into an aerial charge, loosing a string of starbolts as she goes. Jinx swerves back and forth across the floor, while Mammoth just barrels straight ahead and does not stop even when one shot hits the floor just in front of him. One beefy shoulder rams a column and sets it toppling; Starfire avoids the collapse just in time. Next, Jinx does a lightning-fast somersault and throws a few spells up at Raven, whose fast flying barely keeps her ahead of the barrage. Her face shows the level of her annoyance as she levitates a few columns and sends then at her opposite number like enormous javelins.)

(Smirking, Jinx stands her ground, hops onto one of the projectiles, and sprints straight along its length. A couple of long jumps carry her from one column to another, then away from the group; cut to a high section of wall as they collide and stick in it, then tilt down to Robin, racing out from a lower pedestal. When he skids to a stop, Gizmo steps out on his metal spider legs. A birdarang throw severs two of them, dumping the mechanically-minded maniac to the floor.)

(Now Stone plunges down after Robin, who leaps away and tries a string of kicks only to see them blocked by one granite forearm. As they continue to spar, the two boys end up face to face.)

Robin: (softly) Cyborg! Take it easy!

(His eyes pop when Stone clamps a free hand onto the back of his head and flings him across the arena. Cut to just behind Robot Cyborg as Robin tumbles past, then tilt down to Beast Boy; he is hammering furiously at the remote.)

Beast Boy: Come on, come on, how do you make this thing--? Oh!

(His perspective of the device. Set between the left- and right-hand controls is a small screen that shows three lines of text: "Booyah," "Attack," "Options." The second of these is in red.)

Beast Boy: Attack mode!

(Letterbox, top third of the screen: he and the double stand among the columns.)

Robot Cyborg: Teen Titans! Go!

(It starts into a charge, but turns the wrong way and crashes into the wall. Fullscreen: the dust clears to reveal that it has gone right through the paneling. Beast Boy leans over for a look, a big drop of sweat appearing on the back of his head as he realizes his blunder. Jinx backflips away from a rain of starbolts; behind the shooter, Gizmo flies up.)

Gizmo: (taunting) You can't hit me, you can't hit me... (She fires; he fades away.) ...you can't ht me...

(Cut to one very bewildered Titan. Many duplicates of the little jerk start flying around her-he has used his holographic projector as in the prologue.)

Gizmos: You can't hit me... (Pull back.) ...you can't hit me, you can't hit me...

(On the end of this, she puts her hands together and generates an intense burst of energy that fills the screen. When it clears, all the doubles are gone and the original floats down, dazed from the temporary overload.)

Gizmo: Crud!

(Starfire is about to shoot him down, but Mammoth gets her with a flying tackle and both crash into a pedestal, destroying it. Once the dust has drifted away, we see him standing up and running back to the fight; she, however, is flat on her back and embedded in the floor. Cut to Robin, backing away from the camera as he brings out two short staffs and twirls one in each hand.)

Robin: (softly) Enough, Cyborg! It's time to drop the act! (Close-up of Stone.)

Stone: This isn't an act.

(He charges at the camera with a roar, moving close enough to black out the screen with the inside of his mouth. Snap immediately to the dueling teens; Stone lands a blow that sends the staffs and Robin flying in three different directions. The leader slides across the floor on his back and ends up next to Starfire, who has at least peeled herself up to that level. Though still groggy from her run-in with Mammoth, she quickly comes to as Stone's shadow extends toward her. Cut to a close-up of the weary, groaning Robin and tilt up as the big man approaches. Those two massive arms rise for a finishing stroke, but before they can deliver it, Robot Cyborg dashes across and carries him all the way to the wall. Beast Boy has figured out the controls at last.)

(As the dust clears from the impact, showing both fighters gone, the camera turns up to balcony level. Robot Cyborg is flung out through the masonry; Stone perches himself at the broken edge, ready to jump, and the android lands atop a column. Pull back to frame both briefly, then cut to Robin and Starfire. Both are back on their feet, just in time to see Beast Boy get thrown against a nearby column. Pan away slightly as Raven backs into view, stopping one of Jinx's hexes, then cut to the young caster and her muscular classmate. Their half-pint partner quickly flies down alongside and pops a launcher up from his back; it fires something, which in close-up is seen to be a metal globe with three smaller balls attached to its underside. These extend downward and project a force field, and the four Titans soon find themselves imprisoned within it.)

(Beast Boy becomes a gorilla and tries to ram his way out, Raven hits it with her powers, and Starfire throws a couple of shots. No luck.)

Robin: Force field!

(Cut to a close-up of Stone's fiercely determined face, then to Cybot's. Pull back as the former charges and raises his fist for a punch; it lands squarely across the mechanical figure's jaw and is then replayed from two other angles. In the last shot, the robot is propelled up against a column and left a bit dazed. Stone steps up to inspect his efforts, and then Cybot raises its head, face alight with new fury. Flash to a close-up of a bionic right uppercut lifting Stone off his feet.)

Cybot: (from o.c.) Boo-yah!

(Pull back. The traitorous Titan is driven all the way back across the arena and knocks down a column when he plows into it. As the four trapped heroes watch incredulously, Beast Boy back in human form, the dust clears and Stone emerges for a new rush.)

Stone: Boo-yah THIS!

(He runs as fast as his legs will carry him, but Cybot stands pat and lifts its cannon. Close-up of muzzle and fist colliding, then pull back. Stone's punch has shattered the entire arm, leaving only a crackling stump at the shoulder. The duplicate tumbles onto its back; cut to Stone, who immediately administers a merciless pummeling-but as he rains down punches, the holographic generator ring on his right hand shatters. Extreme close-up of the gray face, which flickers briefly before reverting to Cyborg's original mug.)

(Cut to a slow pan across the other four Titans, all absolutely dumbfounded by this entire spectacle, then pull back to just behind one of the duplicate's arms. It twitches a bit; close-up of the sparking face-every last bit of outer covering smashed away by those punches, the whole thing fit only for the junkyard. Cut to Cyborg as he stands up with a low growl.)

[Animation goof: In the previous shot, the robot's eye implant is on the right side, not the left.]

Gizmo: (from o.c.) I knew it! (Cut to him and the others; veins throb around him.) The stinking gack-bag is one of them!

Blood: (from o.c.) No. (He floats down on a platform.) He's one of us now.

(His eyes go red, as does Cyborg's natural one.)

Cyborg: And I'm ready to prove it.

Blood: (stepping to him) I had a feeling you'd say that. (He holds up the ion amplifier.) This will amplify your power by magnitudes unimagined.

(Profile view of Cyborg; he holds out his right arm, and the camera pans a bit as Blood clamps the amplifier onto the wrist like a giant bracelet. Cyborg brings out his cannon; close-up of Blood.)

Blood: Destroy them for me, (Pull back to frame Cyborg.) and you'll have your reward.

(The star pupil crosses the floor and raises his juiced-up cannon to the force field.)

Robin: Cyborg! No!

Starfire: Please!

Beast Boy: Come on, buddy! (Extreme close-up of the muzzle; he continues o.c.) We're your friends! (Pan slowly.)

Cyborg: Sorry, but I have new friends.

(Cut to Blood and the trio, all watching eagerly, then back to him. The cannon does not waver until he speaks.)

Cyborg: Psych!

(He whirls to face the other way and lets off a mighty blast. Blood is caught off guard for a moment, but gets his powers working and puts up a shield to block the shot; it ricochets straight up to blow out the domed ceiling of the arena. Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth scatter from the falling debris; in the hall, other students gape as the lights flicker and dust falls from the ceiling. A winged girl clutches at a cloaked boy, who wraps his garment around her as well, and both vanish from sight before chunks of masonry tumble to the floor.)

(In the arena, Cyborg holds Blood at gunpoint as the place continues to crumble. More and more dust is thrown up by the collapse, and the headmaster backs up toward Gizmo and Mammoth.)

Blood: A foolish choice, my friend. Very foolish. (Cyborg lowers his cannon; Jinx stands up.)

Jinx: (reproachfully) You could've been one of us.

Cyborg: I could've been a lot of things.

(She walks slowly toward Blood's floating platform, on which he, Gizmo, and Mammoth are now standing, and gives Cyborg one last look over her shoulder before leaping on board. The four villains are carried away amid a chaos of collapsing ironwork. Cyborg gazes after them for a moment, then turns his attention to the four Titans and blows out the force field generator with one shot. Their smiles of relief are matched by his own.)

Robin: Raven. Get us out of here. (Overhead view of all five.)

Raven: Thought you'd never ask.

(She creates a large black bubble that encompasses them all and forms into her "soul self." It flies up close to the camera to take them home, and behind it the view changes to the exterior of the Tower during the day. Zoom in slowly, then dissolve to the Titans in the operations center. They are near the kitchen counter; the detached ion amplifier sits on it.)

Cyborg: Sorry I had to play rough with you guys, (holding up his amplifier) but when I found out what this thing could do, I had to make Brother Blood trust me. (Cut to the two girls on the end of this.)

Raven: But if all those HIVE kids were brainwashed, why not you?

(Close-up of the left side of his head; he points at the circuitry, and the camera pans across.)

Cyborg: Because half my brain is electronic. He may have been able to fool the man... (Cut to Robin; he continues o.c.) ...but he couldn't fool the machine.

Robin: Which means next time we face him...

(Back to Cyborg. Robin reaches into view and puts a hand on his shoulder, and he smiles.)

Robin: (from o.c.) ...we have our own secret weapon.

(Dissolve to a letterbox view of Cyborg's room, in the top half of the screen. In his disguised human form, he stands before the mirror. Fullscreen: he turns away and looks down at his hands, only one of which now sports a ring. Close-up of them.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) Goodbye, Stone.

(Extreme close-up of his left middle finger as he reaches for the ring; after he has removed it, pull back to frame his face. His normal appearance is restored from the top down, and he regards the device for a long, silent moment. On the next line, shift to frame the open doorway as Starfire enters the room.)

Starfire: For your thoughts I will pay six grubfars.

Cyborg: If that's your way of asking me if I'm okay, don't worry. I'm fine. I never got to finish high school... (Close-up of his hands; he continues o.c.) ...because of this.

(Letterbox view of the room.)

Cyborg: And when I was at the HIVE, for a while there, I actually felt normal.

(Fullscreen: his hands again. Starfire reaches into view to touch one metal palm.)

Starfire: (from o.c.) I did not know you before... (Close-up of her hands, tilting up to her.) ...so, to me, you are normal.

(Close-up of him, smiling warmly at this bit of acceptance from a good friend. The next two words jolt him out of it in a hurry.)

Beast Boy: (from o.c.) Oh, Cyborg...

(Cut to Starfire, also surprised, and zoom in on the doorway as she steps aside. The other three Titans lean around the frame, and Robin steps in. All three are grinning like idiots.)

Robin: You left the Titans.

Raven: That means you have to be initiated all over again.

(As she says this, she holds up a rubber chicken, Robin waves a shocking pink wig: it could be the same one Blackfire used to disguise herself in "Sisters", and Beast Boy pulls out a tiny pink dress. Cyborg's jaw instantly goes slack as a big sweat drop slides down his temple, and in a moment these three are inside, cheerfully taunting and dragging him out past Starfire.)

Cyborg: Oh, no. I'm not wearing ...You want me to do what?...I'm not putting that on my head! Uh-uh! (now o.c., fading out; Starfire smiles and follows) Ain't gonna happen! I'm not doing it! No! I said, no tights!

(Fade to black.)