Hey, why not? I may as well post my fanfic, too. x_o It kinda didn't get anywhere, but at least here, somebody will maybe read it.
Besides, I don't feel like searching forever for it on s4.blahblahblah/rands again. X_X So it's here, at least for reference, and if anyone wants to read it, that'd rock. You'd be among the first, it never really took off... ^_^;

The following fanfic has nothing to do with our Teen Titans; none of them will even be implied or mentioned in any way. This has to do with a group of kids only slightly older than Batman from "Batman Beyond", in a city now known as Jumpopolis.

Here they are, the Neo-Gen Teen Titans:

Quake: Lar(a) Logan, their leader. Trained by the best of the best to be the replacement for an aging Superman, Quake's royal heritage as a leader really shines through, as does her training with Static, Superman, and Nightwing. Her parents' recklessness is nowhere to be found in this girl. Fights with martial arts and her 'earthbending' powers. Cool and impassioned, respected and friendly, Quake strives hard to be the perfect leader. Perhaps a little too hard...


Starling: Bruce Grayson, second-in-command. Gruff and silent, this loner reluctantly joined the team but soon settled in with his new friends. He has yet to learn to loosen up, having been stricken by the loss of his mother at the age of, surprise, 8. Raised by Batman, he left his studies in Gotham permanently when he was outraged by the passing of the mantle of the bat to a 'complete stranger'. Xevia is one of the few people able to break past his exterior to the heart inside.


Xevia: pronounced "Ecks-ZEE-via", usually called Xe-V, pronounced "ZEE-vee", like "Stevie". Cute and smart, she is not always the most mature of the group. However, she is a staple without which the group couldn't hold together. She has a special friendship with Starling. Her outfit looks like her father's, Red X's, though pink where his black was, and purple where his gray was. She does not wear a mask but lets her long red hair flow down. Her powers include limited teleportation and red energy powers, from an accident where her DNA was infused with Zynothium. She keeps her lack of total control of her powers and her criminal training close to her vest.


Boulder: Terry Logan, a shape-shifting muscle builder. Outgoing and controlling, Boulder sometimes can have sibling rivalry issues, but is far outstripped by his sister. He has actual diamond-hard rocks growing from him, and these show up in the mythological animals he likes to turn into. Like his father, he is an ardent vegetarian, for obvious reasons.


Luna: the ditz of the group. Kind of slow-witted at times, she is nevertheless kind and offers the occasional joke. Her extensive magical training means she knows many spells- now if she just figure out which is which! She is notorious for having her powers mess up at just the wrong time, but she's still a beloved member of the group.

BIO UNKNOWN.

Now, please remember, I am no artiste, and these picture edits are only an approximation of what they look like. Use your imagination. I am about to, for the first and last time in my life, double post, and therein is included the first epsiode of season one. (NB: XE-V AND BOULDER ARE NOT A COUPLE!!)



Episode 1: "Double Take"
“ENOUGH WITH THE WAFFLES!!” Xevia screeched, throwing her hands up in disgust. “If you mention the word ‘waffle’ one more time, I swear I’ll blast you.” Boulder was looking away stubbornly. “Pancake,” he said, out of the corner of his mouth. Luckily for him, Luna managed to intercept the plastic fork Xe-V threw in his direction. “Ow,” she said, rubbing her head. “That hurt. Why do you guys always have to fight over who makes breakfast?” Boulder scowled. “Its not WHO makes breakfast, it’s WHAT they make. Xe-V just has to insist on making meat every single morning. It’s not like I--” Xe-V interrupted, “Every single morning?! We’ve had waffles every day for the past week! The only time I ever get a real breakfast is when Starling makes it, and it’s always burned to a crisp. All I’m saying is that if you had a little common courtesy, you’d agree to make a REAL breakfast once in a while. We make waffles for you sometimes, so--”
“That’s different! You can’t turn into waffles! But I can turn into the poor meat you insist on eating, and now you’re trying to make ME make it?” Now it was Xe-V’s turn to turn away stubbornly. “I might turn into a waffle if you keep forcing them on me,” she said. “Now guys, settle down, okay, it’s just breakfast,” Luna said, ever the peacemaker. “Not for these two,” said Quake, grinning while just stepping into the room. “For them it’s a matter of life and death.” The three looked up at Quake and smiled, as the early morning light filtered in from Jumpopolis. “Literally,” Boulder mumbled, but before Xe-V could make a reply Starling came sweeping in. “Looks like your breakfast problem is solved,” he said, heading toward the computer, “there won’t be any. There’s been a break-in at the museum and we’re going there now.” Luna groaned. “But I’m hungry!” As Starling passed her on the way out the door, Quake said, “Good morning to you, too. Okay, Titans, let’s go.”
“Can we make a stop on our way back?” Xe-V asked teasingly. “I wanna pick up some bacon.”

The Jumpopolis Museum was a dark and gloomy affair before opening time. Thin blades of dim light cut across the floors, spookily illuminating statues and artifacts from societies long since dead. “Okay,” said Luna, floating nervously. “No break-ins here. Time to go.” Boulder grabbed her before she could make an exit. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Right this way,” said Starling, leading the way. “No, wait!” said Quake, listening carefully. “I hear something over there.” She pointed in opposite direction, towards the way they had came. “My coordinates wouldn’t lie, Quake,” scowled Starling. “Let’s go Quake’s way.” Luna said. “Closer to the exit.” As the Titans turned the corner, they immediately saw the source of the break-in. Two thin guys were standing in the middle of the Egyptian exhibit, loading various things into a large bag. They both looked exactly the same and completely different; for while their faces were identical, one was wearing a black uniform with a white dot on the chest, and the other a white suit with a black dot. “C’mon, c’mon, move it, slowpoke,” said the one holding the bag. “They’re due to arrive any minute now.” Suddenly the second twin stopped stuffing a golden feline in the bag as he spotted the Titans. “Look!” he said. “The cat’s out of the bag now, you two,” Quake said. Titans, go!”
Boulder turned into a large sphinx and lunged at the black-clothed twin, but was deflected by a powerful ray of white light from the kid, as were Luna’s magic beams. The second kid jumped into the air and released a pulsating beam of black energy at Xe-V, but Starling blocked it with an energy shield. Quake moved the marble floor underneath her and Xe-V, propelling them into the air. Xe-V’s energy bolts were deflected back at her, but Quake managed to touch down and attack. The white one’s guarding energy shield deflected every one of her blows, until she caught him off guard and knocked him clear across the room. At this, the other twin spontaneously looked away from his struggle with Boulder, who was now a Manticore, to point and laugh cruelly at his twin. Needless to say, he was knocked down as well. “Xe-V! Boulder! Hit’em with the basilisk bash!” Quake shouted from across the room. Boulder promptly turned into giant snake and Xe-V started sliding from his tail to his head as he rushed toward the cornered twins. Suddenly, Boulder darted to the right as Xe-V slid to the left, and they both crashed into the surrounding sarcophagi. The twins took this chance to blow a hole in the wall and make their escape. The Titans coughed as the debris settled on the gilden artifacts, and the two were standing on top of the pile of rubble. “Next time,” one twin said, “remember not to bother trying to stop the amazing--” Starling interrupted. “Yin and Yang,” he said, pointing at the black- and white- clothed twins respectively. The twins were outraged. “How did you know that?!” yelled Yin, Yang, and Luna simultaneously. “Um, common… sense?” said Quake. “This is all YOUR fault, dumbo. I told you we shoulda switched costumes, but NOOO….” said Yin to Yang, but before he could respond, a small electric disk singed his hair. The two immediately threw a smoke bomb and escaped into the streets, taking their bag half-empty and half-full of artifacts with them.

“That kid was wrong,” Xe-V pouted as the Titans settled back in the Tower living room. “That was all your fault, Boulder. If you had zigged when you were supposed to, we would’ve won.” Boulder yelled in outrage, “MY fault?! I was supposed to be zagging! You were the one off your game!” Xe-V was still pouting. “Well, maybe I wouldn’t have been off my game if SOME-one had cooked a decent breakfast, hmm?”
“Oh, back to the waffles again, are we? SO immature.”
“I TOLD YOU NOT SAY ‘WAF-”
“Guys, could you calm down?” said Starling, stepping between them. “We have more important things to think about, like where Yin and Yang went and how to get those artifacts back.”
“Why not just follow the homing device, Starling? You know, the one you were supposed to hit them with but missed?” Xe-V said teasingly. Starling gave her a cold sidelong glance, but she just giggled. “Okay,” said Quake, “who’s up for pizza for lunch, besides Starling, who’s going to go hide in his room?” The Titans cheered and headed out the door, and even Starling reluctantly followed, taking his scanning technology with him.

As Boulder was decreeing a no-meat policy for toppings on the bright streets above, a darkened warehouse offered striking contrast. Yin and Yang wandered toward the only lit area, a humongous monitor screen showing locations all over the world on its many panels. Yang threw the bag in front of a shadowy figure sitting a dark stone chair. “I robbed the museum like you said, but Yin got in the way and the Titans stopped us before we got too much.” His brother started to protest, but the shadows spoke a single whispered word that hushed them immediately. “Silence,” hissed the cruel voice. “You failed to accomplish what I sent you out to do. Did you mention who sent you?” The twins shook their heads. “Not a word. Why would we?” Yin said. The shadows growled, “Didn’t I tell you to be silent, fools? I will ask the questions. Questions like, ‘how long would you two like to live’ and ‘or would you rather have a second chance to do the job RIGHT this time? Now, get back there and try again” Yin and Yang stood frozen for a moment, then backed away into the shadows.

But not for long. The Titans received a distress signal from the museum again, late that night. Back in the Egyptian exhibit, the Titans were surrounded by darkness even gloomier than the dim light of the morning, and they saw two shadowy figures up ahead as they peered around a statue of Isis. “They can’t be that stupid, can they?” whispered Boulder. Xe-V whispered annoyedly in reply, “In case you haven’t noticed, certain people seem to enjoy stupidity. Certain tofu-eating people.” Bickering, the two didn’t notice Quake whisper, “Titans, Go!” and they didn’t notice the other Titans rush forward to attack the two figures. But they certainly did notice the huge flash of blinding light that illuminated the entire exhibit. When their eyes got used to the light it was all too clear what had happened. Quake, Luna, and Starling were trapped inside a pulsating ball of black and white energy, which stood next to two Egyptian statues. “Trapped,” said Yin, stepping out from behind a hanging drapery. “They sure are,” agreed Yang. “But wait, there’s two missing.”
“I’m right here,” said Boulder. He turned into a long Chinese dragon and rushed at them as the trapped Titans cheered and beat against the barrier. Xe-V, too, ran forward to fight, and crimson Xs shot from her hands. Yin and Yang worked in perfect unison, blocking the dragon fire and the energy shots from Xe-V and sending them back at the opposite Titan. Using their powers to control it, Yin and Yang sent the tall purple drapery spiraling at the two remaining Titans, tripping them as they reeled from their counterattack. Xe-V and Boulder both smashed into an exhibit on the Nile River. “We would’ve won by now,” said Xe-V, “if you hadn’t gotten in my way.”
“Yeah, well maybe if you hadn’t gotten in my way, I- wait,” said Boulder. “We’re never going to stop these guys if we keep getting in each other’s ways. We’ve got to start working together for once.” Xe-V considered for a second and then grinned widely at him. “Or maybe we could- follow my lead, ‘kay?”
The Titans got up from the Nile exhibit, and faced the twins, who had begun packing more artifacts into a second bag, assuming the Titans defeated. “Hey Yang,” called Xe-V, “why don’t you come finish the job?” The twins turned, and Yang started to form an energy ball, but Yin stopped him. “Hey, what about me?” He said angrily. “Oh, I’m sure Yang can handle us alone. You’re really not needed,” said Xe-V with a diabolical smirk. A smarter villain, or perhaps one without a sibling rivalry, would have immediately noticed something wrong with that statement; not so with the twins. “That wimp?” cried Yin. “He couldn’t defeat a sandwich without my help.” Yang dropped the bag and said, “What are you talking about, she’s right! That thing with the curtain was all me!”
“Oh, please, you’re just deluding yourself, you big baby.”
“I am not! And I’m not a baby, I’m only 4 and a half minutes younger!”
“Wah, wah, wah, baby cry,” mocked Yin.
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Totally consumed by their argument, the twitty twins forgot to sustain the force field containing the other three Titans, and it was only a matter of seconds before two freeze-disks from Starling brought them down. And even then they didn’t seem to notice. “Okay,” said Quake, “why are you two so intent on robbing this particular exhibit?”
“Shut up! YOU’RE the ugly one!”
“I am not, you a-”
“Hey!” shouted Quake, and twins were silent. “Now, answer my question and I’ll send you to jail.” Yin looked puzzled. “Don’t you mean ‘OR you’ll send us to jail?’” Starling stepped closer to the kid. “No. And if you’re interested in getting there in one piece, you’ll tell us why right now.” Not too many people could withstand a glare like that from Starling, and Yin was no exception. “A guy named Blackbird sent us. We don’t what he looks like, he just stayed in the shadows. He changes his location every few days, so we don’t know where he is right now. And that’s all I know, I swear. Please don’t hurt me.” There was a pause. “Hurt him!” he said. His brother, Yang, started to cry out in indignation, but a sweeping darkness blanketed the room, and when the dim emergency lights of the museum flickered back on, the twins were gone. Luna waved her head around looking for them. “Wha- wha- where- Okay, I am so not confused. Wait, I mean I am confused. I mean- Agh, what just happened?” Quake looked out the window into the morning sun. “I think- I think that was Blackbird.” The eerie silence that followed was broken by Starling. “Think we should head back to tower to see if we can track them?” Quake, awakened from her reverie, broke away from the window. “No,” she said, “something tells me we won’t be able to. But let’s head back anyway. It’s time for breakfast.” The Titans started to leave, and Boulder looked at Xevia and grinned. “You hungry?” he said. Smirking right back, she said, “break out the maple syrup, pal.”


Yin and Yang half-ran, half-stumbled out of an abandoned warehouse. They had finally agreed on one thing: they certainly wouldn’t be working with him again. Their “reward” for their service had been to barely escape with their lives. Inside the shadows, four red eyes gazed upon the 4,607 monitors,all showing Quake repeating, “I think- I think that was Blackbird.” Phase one was complete.

Sweet! Post the rest of it!
This is pretty cool. The kids of the Titans, eh? Heheh... ossum. ^_^

Cool! Somebody read it! WOOT! ^_^
Also, all of Ch. 1 is there, and all of Ch. 2 is here! ^_^

Episode 2: “Pressure”
The serene waters of Jumpopolis bay shone in the moonlight as Quake looked out to sea. Sitting alone on the top of Titans tower wasn’t the way most people spend a quiet summer night, and it wasn’t Quake’s preference either. But once in a while, she thought, one needs…
The door burst open and Quake quickly spun around and stood up to see Starling standing in the light of the doorway. “What is it?” she said, embarrassed that she had been caught like that. “We’ve got a problem,” Starling said. “Come with me.” She followed him down to the Tower living room and over to the computer. The holographic screen showed a topographic map of the city and the surrounding area. “As you know,” Starling said, “thirty years ago an earthquake in the nearby mountains released the water from a spring up there, and it almost flooded Jumpopolis, but was dammed up just in time. The water that flows from Lake Jump in the mountains now comes over the dam and into Jump River, which flows out into Jump Bay.” Quake shrugged. “So? That’s common knowledge.” Starling looked sideways at her. “That’s also what’s known as a ‘writer’s assistance’. But anyway, the fault line created by the earthquake still lies directly under the dam. There’s not much anyone could do about that, even you. But if anyone were to aggravate that fault, it’s conceivable that the dam would break and flood Jumpopolis.”
“And I presume someone is aggravating it, right?” Quake said. “Why else would you be calling me in here?” Starling sighed, and turned to face her. “The person that’s aggravating it,” he said, “is you.” Quake stepped back in utter shock. “Your continued use of your powers wouldn’t affect normal terrain that much,” continued Starling, “but here, severe damage has been caused to the fault line. I would suggest--” But Quake interrupted. “Are you sure it’s ME that’s doing it? Are you really sure? If Jumpopolis gets flooded because of me--” She put her hand on her head, unable to continue. Starling gave a small smile and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right, okay? I’ve done the calculations. Fixing the fault as whole is impossible, but we can at least fix the damage you- the damage done. I was going to ask you to work on it tonight, but on second thought… why don’t you get some rest? You seem a bit tired.” Quake closed her eyes, centering herself. When she opened them, she said a bit irritably, “I’m fine- okay? We can handle it tomorrow. Don’t worry about me, I’m totally in control.”

The next morning Quake had a headache. She entered the main room and sat down on a stool by the counter. “Hi,” said Luna. She was trying to make breakfast using her wand, but everything but breakfast seemed to be coming out. “Hey, Luna,” said Quake quietly, watching Luna change a duck into waffles into a toaster. “Oops,” said Luna. “I think I missed it. Okay, okay, I got it this time…” Quake swiveled around to look at her other friends. Boulder and Xevia were playing video games on the couch as Starling looked on. Then Starling noticed her, and said, “You feel up to going now?” Quake started to respond, but just then the alarm went off in Titans Tower. The Teen Titans were on the move.

“HAHAHAHAHA!” yelled a maniacal voice from the middle of main street. “It about time someone took this bureaucracy DOWN!” Standing in front of City Hall and laughing maniacally, Mad Stan soldered a small connection in his controller and pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. Mad Stan repeatedly pressed the button in confusion, but behind him, Quake was holding a severed wire. “You’re the only one going down, Mad Stan. Titans, go!” Starling sped forward and threw a freeze disk at the mad bomber, but he was too quick. He threw a small explosive at the freeze disk and jumped out of the way as it exploded. Xe-V was hit by the explosion and thrown aside, but Luna rushed forward and sent a beam of light at Mad Stan from her wand. He dodged it and tazered her, as well as Starling who had run to attack him. Quake lifted a huge segment of pavement up and hurled it at him, but a carefully timed explosive deflected it. “Careful, Quake!” called Starling."Don't aggravate the dam’s fault line!” Quake, irritated, ignored him. “Time to take this guy dow- ow!” said Boulder. He looked down and saw a small dog biting ferociously at his ankle. “What the-” He turned into a huge three-headed dog and growled in the tiny dog’s face. The dog whimpered and backed away, but he’d done his job. Caught off guard, the giant rock dog was sent careening across the street by one of Mad Stan’s minibombs. “You bureaucratic puppets are hopeless! Anarchy shall rule! Hahahahaha!”
“I don’t think so,” said Quake. “Titans, regroup! Luna, Boulder, take the top, Starling, Xe-V, the sides. Titans, go!” Luna picked Boulder up, flew him up high, and launched him towards the ground. Starling threw an electric disk that latched onto Mad Stan, short-circuiting, and Xe-V hit him with a bolt of light just as Boulder, now a gigantic stone armadillo ball, slammed into him. A cloud of debris rose from the street where Boulder had hit him, and the Titans struggled to see through it. When the dust cleared, the Titans could just glimpse Mad Stan ducking into a dark alley. “I’ll be back, puppets! You haven’t seen the last of Mad Stan!” his voice called from the alley. The Titans rushed over, but even by the light of Luna’s wand they could see nothing but scraps of garbage. Mad Stan had escaped.
“Okay, team, let’s split up,” said Quake. “Starling and Luna, take downtown. Xe-V and Boulder, take uptown. I’ll take the rooftops, so I can easily come to help if anyone finds him.” Boulder scratched his head. “But, what was that Star said about the dam?” Starling was annoyed. “Don’t call me ‘Star’, Boulder. And Quake, I think we should really take care of that thing now. Mad Stan is unlikely to strike that soon. And while it’s not an immediate danger, it’s something that needs to be taken care of,” said Starling. “Wow,” said, Xe-V, “Starling actually advising us to forget about an escaped bad guy. What’s going on?” But Quake was getting annoyed now, too. “Listen, Starling, everything is under control. If something was going to happen, I’d be able to sense it. But fine. Just tell me what I need to do, I’ll do it, and meanwhile everyone else can split up like I said.”
“But what if we meet up with Mad Stan and you’re busy with… whatever?” said Luna. “He was kicking our butts before you joined in.” Boulder and Xe-V agreed, but Starling didn’t. “If we see him, we’ll back each other up, and we’ll be fine. If not, Quake can always come and help. Here are the schematics of the fault line, Quake. There are three primary fracture points you should seal, and they can all be accessed through the construction tunnels below the dam.” He handed her a sheet of data. “Okay, team.” Said Quake. “You have your assignments. If anyone so much as sees Stan’s shadow, call me on the com and I’ll be there. Titans, go!” The Titans split up, and Quake soared towards Jumpopolis Dam.

“Okay, that was easy,” said Quake to herself as she climbed over a slippery rock wall. She had finished repairing the first two fissures in the space of a few minutes. The dark and winding pathways of the cave underneath the dam echoed with dripping water, mysterious sounds, and dead ends, but Quake had had extensive experience in places such as that before, and hadn’t any problems locating and sealing the first two weak points of the fault. Now it was time for her to repair the final fissure in the fault, centered directly under the center of the dam’s waterfall. As she rounded the corner into the cavern, she realized this last one would not be as easy.
The previous two fractures in the fault line had been tiny cracks in the surface of the cave, which were seemingly harmless but led to a breaking point deep beneath. This, however, was a gaping hole in the center of the cavern, and she knew it was going to be tough to seal. “This is going to be tough to seal,” said Quake, heading toward the hole and gathering strength to push the tons of earth beneath her together. Just then, her com rang. “Quake!” Luna’s voice called from the communicator. “We’re being attacked! It’s some kind of robot or something, it’s--” A burst of light, sound and static was the last of the transmission. “Luna? LUNA?” called Quake in vain. But there was only static. She turned to rush out of the cavern, but tripped and fell on her face. She picked up the thing she had tripped on and looked at in confusion. “A wire? What’s a wire doing in--” She stopped in shock as she glimpsed the device at the edge of the hole. “Oh, no.”
A gigantic explosion ripped through the cavern. Quake was thrown bodily against the stone walls, and the tunnels echoed with the reverberated sound of the explosion. Quake held her bruised head up and looked at the fissure. It had grown bigger than ever, and a deep, throaty sound of churning and struggling rock rose from its depths. An earthquake had begun. “Oh, no,” she repeated.
“I really must thank you,” said a voice from the shadows. Mad Stan stepped out from the dark corners of the cavern, unscathed by the explosion, as Quake stood up wearily. “Without your friend’s mention of this fault, I wouldn’t even know about it,” said the mad bomber, with a strange look in his eyes. “In fact, without you, there wouldn’t even have been a big enough crack for me to blow up, would there?” Quake stepped in back, still disoriented from the explosion. “Shut up,” she said quietly. But he just stepped closer, bearing in on her with cruel eyes. “So what’s it going to be, Quake? Are you going to try to close an entire mile worth of fault line by yourself? Or are you going to try to save yourself, and your worthless little friends? Because the robots I sent will annihilate them long before the dam bursts.” The grumbling of the earth below grew ever louder. “You- you sent the robots?” asked Quake in shock. But Mad Stan continued as though she hadn’t said anything. “This is all your fault. You abandoned your friends, fool, and you didn’t arrive fast enough to stop me from setting off an earthquake using the fissure your powers caused.” Quake curled down on the floor, her eyes glowing bright yellow. “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” she murmured continuously. Mad Stan leaned over and whispered in her ear. “And now everything you know and love is going to be destroyed, and it’s all your fault. You have failed.” The rumbling grew tenfold louder, and the air in the cavern crackled with yellow energy. Quake’s hair began to rise on end, and Mad Stan began to laugh. But it was not his usual insane laugh. It was deep, cruel, and spoke of evils more horrific than can be imagined. The laugh broke Quake from her trance.
“You’re not Mad Stan,” said Quake quietly. She stumbled to her feet as the rumbling grew much quieter. “You’re not Mad Stan. Who are you?” Mad Stan’s face contorted into a harsh frown. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” said a voice a thousand times more cruel than the man from which it emanated. His eyes blazed red, and two streaks of red energy sprang from his forehead, like a second pair of eyes. “You’re almost right, little girl. This is his body; and just a few minutes ago, this was his mind, too. But I think you have bigger things to worry about, don’t you? You’ve only got a couple of minutes before the water reaches the city.” Quake looked at him with narrowed eyes. “What are you talking about?” she said. “The quake won’t even begin to rupture the dam for at least another half-hour.” The cruel voice chuckled cruelly. “That’s because I haven’t done THIS yet!” he said, and with a burst of dark energy he struck the fissure, and the cavern began to shake so violently it seemed to falling apart at the seams. “This isn’t over, Quake,” said the voice, and Mad Stan’s body collapsed on the ground as the strange force left it.

Quake arrived aboveground from the tunnels carrying Mad Stan’s unconscious body less than a minute later. Badly bruised and beaten from the explosion, not to mention the numerous falling rocks that had hit her on the way up, Quake looked at the dam and saw the full extent of the earthquake. A crack had risen all the way up the middle of it, and water had already begun to seep through. The shaking earth and the tons of water pressure were widening the crack, and it seemed unstoppable. But if there was one thing she’d learned from her mentors, it was that nothing was impossible. Her eyes followed the swelling Jump River down to the city. There were millions of people down there, and her friends were some of them. Well, she thought, if this is my fault, then I’d better fix it myself.
Leaving Mad Stan on a relatively safe ledge, she flew on a rock and centered herself in front of the crack. Using all her strength, she pushed and pushed at the two sides. With an immense effort, she finally managed to push them together. The quake grew stronger and stronger, and more fissures cracked the dam, but she managed to keep it together. At length the quake ended, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
In that moment of weakness, the dam burst. The earthquake might have ended, but the lake on the other side was still exerting thousands of tons of pressure on the dam. Those thousands of tons of water exploded toward Quake along with tons of granite and steel. Flying away from the eruption, she just barely missed being crushed by the water. Focusing all of her strength, she lifted up the ground underneath the river and with a superhuman effort raised a barrier of stone hundreds of feet high. The water and stone smashed into the wall, cracking it—but it did not break.

Quake stood on the wall she had built as the moon rose in the summer sky. She had effectively rebuilt the dam, creating a space for the waterfall to fall through. The damage caused by surge would be minimal, the fault would be repaired; the city has just escaped disaster, but the millions below would be oblivious to it. “Hey, Quake!” called a voice from her communicator. It was Xe-V. “Is everyone all right?” asked Quake. Xe-V responded angrily, “No thanks to you! Where were you? You should’ve seen the size of those robots!” Another voice broke in. “Did you repair the fissures?” It was Starling.
Quake looked out at the choppy waters of the newly expanded Lake Jump before answering. “Yeah, just about. See you back at the Tower, okay?” She released the connection. Gazing out at the waters, she thought, once in a while, one needs… a little peace and quiet. But, flying back to the Tower with Mad Stan in tow, she accepted that she wouldn’t be getting it.