Prologue
(Opening shot: the rooftops of Jump City at night, under a driving rain. Cut to ground level, the camera moving swiftly down the street to the sound of a motorcycle engine. A laser blast flashes into view and blows out a streetlight; pull back as the shooter streaks down the block on his chopper, which is red and black. Seen from behind, he has gray skin, long black hair under a steel helmet, and jagged stripe tattoos of the same color on muscular arms that extend from his sleeveless black T-shirt. This is Johnny Rancid.)
Rancid: Yeah!
(He laughs and shoots out more lights as exhaust fumes drift over the pavement.)
Rancid: Boom!
(Close-up. Rather an unsavory-looking motorcycle thug.)
Rancid: (scraping blaster's barrel on street) Yeah! Whoo-hoo!
(More laughter as he approaches the camera; he then pulls back, brings up a weapon in each hand, and fires at will.)
Rancid: Yeah!
(A young man and woman approach their car, parked at the curb, only to see it blown away by Rancid's barrage. The girl screams and both run for cover as the phone booth near them gets it, and he zooms past the area.)
Rancid: That's right! Run and hide! The streets belong to Johnny Rancid!
(A second engine revs o.c.; he looks ahead, and the camera shifts to point up between the buildings from ground level. That sound came from Robin's R-Cycle, plunging to the street with him on it. Rancid's eyes pop at the sight, and he guns the engine to pull ahead and avoid having all that weight come down on his head. Robin hits the street at a distance; both riders put their wheels into a tearing skid and stop facing each other. Close-up of Robin's wheel, then tilt up to frame him.)
Robin: End of the road, Johnny.
Rancid: Robin, a little birdie name for a little birdie boy. You can't stop me. (He revs up and pops a wheelie.) You can't even catch me!
(Robin looks as if he would like to make Rancid eat that bike; laughing, the street tough peels out past him, and he flips onto his own rear wheel and starts the chase. Lightning tears the stormy sky as Rancid hunches over his handlebars and starts shooting at Robin. The Boy Wonder swerves to avoid the blasts, fishes out a couple of discs, and hurls them ahead. Two well-placed shots blow them to dust.)
Rancid: Awww. Did big bad Johnny break the birdie's favorite toys?
(He speeds ahead; Robin feeds gas and tries to catch up. Off they go around a corner, with Robin pulling almost even with Rancid. The armed hooligan levels a blaster and fires off a new volley; one shot ricochets off the R-Cycle's windshield, while Robin steers expertly to dodge the others. He comes up on the other side and Rancid draws a new bead, but Robin strikes the gun from his hand and rams his chassis against the red-and-black one.)
[Animation goof: One of the forearm tattoos briefly turns red in this shot.]
(Pull back. Rancid has been forced almost to the sidewalk. He nearly collides with a stack of crates, then kicks one loose from the next group he passes. It breaks open, releasing a great many oranges to go tumbling toward Robin; a few smash on his helmet and windshield, and he looks up through the pulp to find Rancid at close-quarters. The thug steers against the R-Cycle, causing it to overbalance. Both it and Robin slide across the pavement as Rancid stops for a moment.)
Rancid: Looks like you still need training wheels!
(He is off again, leaving the Titan to pound the pavement with a frustrated groan. A flash of lightning fills the screen and clears to show a patch of dark sky. Pull back to show it over the bridge that spans Jump City Bay. Another strike, and we are in the street again; Rancid drives into view from around a corner, the camera panning to follow his turn onto a parallel road as Robin gets after him once more. They are heading for the bridge.)
Rancid: You can't fight, you can't ride, and you can't win!
(Now on the bridge, he pops a wheelie and runs his bike straight up the rear end of a nearby car. The elevation boost allows him to slide onto one of the suspension cables. Robin widens his eyes at this feat of handling, then proceeds to match it. Up the incline they go, headlights blazing in the torrential storm, as the camera pulls back and dissolves to a long shot of the bridge. A lightning strike puts us back on the cable.)
Rancid: Face it, Bird-Boy. You're just a stupid little kid!
(He races ahead. This insult hits Robin exactly the wrong way, judging from his gritted teeth. Rancid pops a wheelie as he reaches the column to which the cable is attached and launches himself high over its top. Just as before, Robin stares wide-eyed and matches the move. Cut briefly to a midair shot of the two riders, Robin starting to descend from his impossible jump, then to a head-on view of Rancid. Pull back as he brings his wheels down neatly on the high end of a different cable and rides down. In midair, the R-Cycle is dropping fast, but when Robin's face comes into view, his eyes are bugging out with fear. The camera shifts behind him to reveal that he is about to have a head-on collision with one of the columns.)
(Cut to a long shot of the bridge. An explosion at the pinnacle marks the crash and is accompanied by Rancid's derisive laughter from o.c. Fade to black.)
OPENING THEME
(The words are in Japanese, but the primary melody is not sung by Puffy AmiYumi. Rather, the voice is male, high, and having a hard time staying on pitch Rocky Toy-C. At every Teen Titans shout, a short, fat, bucktoothed fellow rides across the screen on a little chopper that matches the design of the R-Cycle. His helmet copies Robin's as well, and he is dressed like the Boy Wonder. However, his bike, helmet, and tunic are all marked with an L rather than an R; the last two items have their L's in a square, rather than the circle on Robin's gear. The original harmony vocals kick in for the second half of the second verse. The final Teen Titans, at the end of the sequence, is whispered and accompanied by the little guy's head popping into the frame. This individual will later be identified as Nosyarg Kcid, then as Larry.)
Act One
(Opening shot: the exterior of Titans Tower. It is now the following morning. In the operations center, Raven raises one glowing hand and holds it palm first toward the camera; cut to Robin on the couch. She touches his right arm, which is in a cast, and applies her healing energy.)
Raven: (from o.c.) I've reduced the injury to a minor fracture, but you're still gonna need that cast for a few weeks.
(She removes her hand; he groans disgustedly and flails the broken limb forward.)
Robin: I don't believe this! How could I make such a stupid mistake? (Starfire comes in.)
Starfire: Please. No more Robin yelling at Robin. (Cyborg joins her.)
Cyborg: Yeah, man, stop kicking yourself. Accidents happen.
(Profile close-up of the patient's lowered, furious face.)
Robin: Not to me, they don't. (Pull back; Beast Boy is now in the room. A light bulb appears over his head.)
Beast Boy: Dude, I know just how to cheer you up!
(He vaults over the back of the couch and pulls out a marker.)
Beast Boy: We all have to sign your...
(Close-up of Robin on the end of this; he gives the camera a thoroughly fed-up glance.)
Beast Boy: Or not? (He slithers off the couch.)
Robin: (standing up) Look, guys. Thanks for the concern, but� (He starts away.)
Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire: NO!! (They pile on and bear him back to the couch.)
Starfire: You are in no condition to continue pursuing the Johnny Rancid!
Robin: I know. I was just reaching for the remote.
Beast Boy: You mean...
Cyborg: ...You're not gonna be all crazy determined...
Starfire: ...and insist that you are fine when you clearly are not... (They let him up; he crosses to the windows.)
Raven: ...and yell at us for trying to make you stay home?
Robin: (holding up remote) You guys can handle Rancid without me. With this on my arm, I'd probably just mess up again. Go. Take him down. (turning to windows) I'll be just fine by my�
(His body seizes up and a choked little cry issues from his throat. Close-up of the remote, clattering to the floor by his feet, then cut to the other four Titans. Starfire gasps.)
Beast Boy: Dude!
Cyborg: Robin!
Raven: What's wrong?
(He is wracked by convulsions that cause his head to swell far out of proportion. Cries of pain are accompanied by a large lump growing in the center of his forehead; it soon ejects itself from his skin and he pitches to the floor. The flesh-colored blob hits the carpet, bounces into the air, and forms itself into Nosyarg Kcid, the little fellow who horned in on the opening sequence. His tunic sports a lowercase R.)
Nosyarg: Yaaaay! (He falls.) I made it! Robin! Hi!
(Beast Boy and Cyborg stare openmouthed, Starfire has her hands over her eyes, and Raven is her usual unflappable self.)
Raven: Didn't see that coming. (Starfire uncovers her eyes; Robin stands up.)
Robin: Who are you?
Nosyarg: I'm, uh...I'm you!
(This seems to fit into Robin's mind like a fish in the ice cube tray. Dissolve to a computer graphic of two DNA strands side by side; one has Robin's face and fingerprint next to it, the other shows Nosyarg's, and they slide together to overlap. Behind them, the morning sky can be seen�this display is on the window/screen�and the images perfectly cover each other. The word �MATCH� flashes on both sides.)
Cyborg: (from o.c.) DNA's identical. (Pull back; the Titans watch the screen.) Little dude was right. He really is you.
Nosyarg: (bouncing across) We're DNA buddies! Yaaaay!
(Whooping and laughing, he runs back and forth.)
Robin: You've got to be kidding!
Nosyarg: (messing up kitchen) Doodle-oot-doo-doo-doo...Wow, look in here...Cool! (playing with door) Open, close. Open, close. Open, close. Open, close. Oh, this is fun. (He laughs.)
Beast Boy: (on end of previous) Hey! You're making a mess!
(With an ecstatic yell, Nosyarg reaches the couch in a single bound and takes a large bite out of the back cushions. The material does not at all agree with him; he spits the mouthful out to one side, laughs, and zips away. Raven steps over to inspect the damage, only to be interrupted when Nosyarg sails past on one of her books.)
Raven: The Book of Azar is not a toy!
[Note: In the comics, Azar was the leader of the temple in which Raven was brought up during her childhood in Azarath.]
(Veins throb all around her as she says this. Cut to Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire; the last giggles at the entire spectacle, but the boys are flat-out mystified.)
Robin: Well, if someone was trying to clone me, they didn't do a very good job. (Nosyarg floats to him.)
Nosyarg: (showering Robin with spit) No, not a clone. I'm you�another you, from another universe.
(His index finger lights up yellow, and he reaches it down o.c. and brings up a horizontal track with a little bicycle resting on it.)
Nosyarg: Look!
(He gets behind the handlebars and starts pedaling. Behind him, a panel slides past to hide the operations center. On the next line, he passes the following: a line segment marked 1D, then a square marked 2D, a cube marked 3D, a Picasso-esque drawing of Robin, and a planet, sun, and moon that show the little twerp's face�the latter are labeled 4 9/8.)
Nosyarg: All the way from Dimension Four and Nine-Eighths...
(As he continues speaking and pedaling, he passes a picture of Soto's head labeled 5, then pictures of himself and the Boy Wonder, then close-ups of the two leaning against a DNA strand, and finally stops at a set of bleachers filled with copies of himself. Five of them have removed their tunics and painted letters on their chests to spell out Robin's name, and others hold up a banner.)
Nosyarg: ...Robin's double, DNA buddy, and number-one fan...
(Nosyarg stands up into view, his face blocking the pictures, and backs up against a black field. A spotlight flicks on above him.)
Nosyarg: ...Nosyarg Kcid!
(The second name is pronounced as the word �kid,� As he announces himself, the two words fly past in front of him, right to left, with each letter appearing backwards. They then pass behind him, left to right, each letter turned around correctly and the overall order reversed; now they spell out �Dick Grayson,� the given name of Batman's original sidekick.)
(Back to the operations center. Robin is desperately trying to sort all this out, and Cyborg is doing little better for himself.)
Starfire: (moving to Nosyarg, bear-hugging him) Welcome to our universe, small amusing doppelganger!
(He moans happily and literally melts in her hands. Cut to floor level; he is now a babbling puddle of goo, with hearts floating up and his face still in one piece. Beast Boy steps up.)
Beast Boy: Yeah, nice to meet you, Nosey...Nuzzy...uh... (laughs a bit) ...uh, maybe we should just call you Larry.
(He reconstitutes himself in a heartbeat and floats in midair.)
Nosyarg (Larry): My name is Larry now! Yaaaay!
(He touches his finger to the lowercase R on his tunic and changes it to a capital L, the patch becoming a square. Gabbling ecstatically and leaving a couple of bobby pins hanging in midair, he starts to zip all over the operations center and repeat his name time after time. The following sight gags occur during this sequence: using a megaphone emblazoned with his name, rowing a canoe over the Titans' heads, appearing on the window/screen, appearing as the original comic-book Robin while calling himself Mr. Larry, running along a ledge behind Beast Boy.)
Larry: (zipping up, shaking his hand furiously) Hey, Larry. Hi. How you doing, Larry? Larry!
(He turns away; pan to Starfire on his other side. Now he dresses as a Frenchman, complete with L-marked beret and takes her hand. Saying his name in the appropriate accent, he kisses the back of it and zips off; she blushes and giggles as hearts float in his wake. Cut to Raven.)
Larry: (pops up from Raven's shoulder and cloak) Larry! Hey, Larry! Hi, how you doing, Larry?
(Quick pan to Cyborg. Still repeating his own name, the runt pokes his head out of one shoulder panel, then the top of his head, then looks out of the chest panel. When the bionic hero eases this last hatch shut, Larry freewheels happily past him in midair.)
Cyborg: (puzzled) Yeah. Um...how do you do all that stuff you did?
(Close-up of Larry's upraised, glowing finger; pull back as he brings it down and stares gleefully into its light.)
Larry: Magic finger. Bends the rules of reality.
(He extinguishes it and briefly flicks out one item after another as if his fist were a Swiss Army Knife: a small saw, then a screwdriver, then a crayon. This last tool is what he wants; he quickly pulls out some paper and draws for a moment. When he finishes, he holds it to the camera with a laugh. He has put together a comic book, Adventure Comics, with Robin on the cover. �Featuring Robin!�The Boy Wonder� is next to the picture. The issue opens to the first page, putting the top left panels in frame. A stretch of the cosmos is pictured; Larry stands in front of them.)
Larry: See, Robin's universe is here... (He crosses to the end of the row.) ...and Larry's is here.
(Next row, first panel: he holds a card marked �RULES� next to smaller panels that frame everyone but Robin. Narration switches to voice over.)
Larry: (voice over) And I bend the rules so I can watch my hero Robin beat the bad guys all the time.
(During this line, we move to the following panels. One, Larry bends the card and the four onlookers react with surprise; Beast Boy has become a guinea pig. Two, a view slides up to show Robin pummeling Mad Mod, Fixit, Dr. Light, and Cinderblock. Tilt down to show Larry watching and eating popcorn; he turns around and holds up his finger happily. Three, pan to panels that show the bridge across the bay, a helmeted Robin, and an X-ray of his shattered arm.)
Larry: (voice over) But when he got hurt� (Tilt down; he appears on a pedestal.) �I knew Larry could help.
(On the end of this, comic Larry jumps to the panel's right edge, which is a door. He opens it and steps over the border into blackness, the camera panning that way; only his eyes can be seen.)
Larry: (voice over) So I decided to pop over.
(Lights flick on�a flash in his hand, a lamp set in a miner's helmet he now wears�and he looks around confusedly.)
Larry: (voice over) But I goofed...
(Dissolve to an X-ray of Robin's head and pull back. Larry's lights are shining in the Boy Wonder's brain pan. From here, tilt down to a row of three panels that show the convulsing Titan and the growing protuberance on his forehead.)
Larry: (voice over) ...and popped over inside your noggin.
(Real-life Larry stands up in view to finish the narration.)
Larry: Oops. (Robin and Cyborg are skeptical as all get out.)
Robin: Yeah. Oops. (Pan to the other three Titans.)
Beast Boy: Alternate dimensions? Bending realities? (Loud groan.) All this science is hurting my brain!
(Larry zips over, flips open the top of the green cranium, and slaps a Band-Aid on the mass of gray matter. He quickly claps the skull back together.)
Beast Boy: Huh? (face slack) Uh... (smiling euphorically) ...ohhh.
Larry: See? Larry's here to help. (He flies to Robin and arrives upside down.) Now watch me fix up that arm.
(He zaps his magic finger at the hand emerging from Robin's cast, and both are flabbergasted when it turns into a hockey stick.)
Larry: Oops.
(A vein pops out on Robin's forehead, but an alarm and red flashing light stop both in their tracks. Cut to a close-up of a computer screen, which shows a map of Jump City, a picture of Rancid, and a dot to mark his location. Pull back to show this as part of a console that Cyborg is using.)
Cyborg: Johnny Rancid! Downtown!
(Robin looks bemusedly at the piece of sports equipment that used to be his hand.)
Robin: (wearily) Just go.
(Fade to black.)