Categories > Cartoons > Teen Titans > A Dish Best Served Cold
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0 reviewsSlade and Blood are making their move, just as Zero and Jinx begin to date. But this threat is far closer to home than before.
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Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans... that's just the cold, hard truth.
A Dish Best Served Cold-Chapter Twelve
"So... what do you call this again?" Sub-Zero asked as he took another slurp of the sweet, white substance on a small bread cone.
"It's ice cream." Jinx answered for the third time, licking a cone of her own.
Sub-Zero and Jinx had decided to pick up where they left off after the massive battle with the H.I.V.E.
For the last hour and a half, they had been roaming around Jump City, Jinx showing the young knight around to the different stores and things.
After she had spent a good thirty minutes at the mall trying on different clothes. Surprisingly, Zero didn't complain. In the past, when she had gone with Gizmo and Mammoth, they had complained the whole time. Zero, however, just stood there patiently, holding a stack of clothes in his hand for her, smiling the whole time without saying anything. And every time she came out in something new, he just commented on how lovely she was in it.
Now, however, they were at a small Ice cream parlor down town, where Jinx had introduced Zero to the wonders of modern frozen confections. Zero was fascinated.
"Y'know, that actually makes a lot of sense.... It's cold as ice, and sweet and creamy like...well, cream. Hence, ice cream." He reasoned to himself.
"Yeah, well, that's the idea." Jinx giggled. She was amazed at how naïve he was about some things, and although the fact he'd just voiced was obvious to most people, this was the first time he'd ever even seen ice cream.
All of the sudden, he opened his mouth wide and ate all that was left of his cone in one huge bite. He swallowed and let out a satisfied "Ahh."
"Wow, that really hits the spot." He sighed. "It kind of cools you off in this hot weather."
Jinx blinked. It wasn't even that hot by normal standards, but she had forgotten how sensitive he was to heat, being from a frozen land and all.
"Zero, I'm sorry.... I shouldn't have dragged you out walking around like this in our weather." She apologized, feeling very selfish about forgetting his low heat tolerance.
He shook his hand and grinned apologetically.
"Oh no, not at all... I'm alright, really. I was just starting to sweat a little, that's all." He reassured her, not wanting her to worry about him.
She looked worried still, but for a different reason.
"Zero... you probably shouldn't eat it all in one bite like that... you'll get a brain freeze!" she warned.
He stared and blinked quizzically. "A.... brain freeze?" he asked uncertainly. "What's a br-" he was cut off as his eyes went wide and he clapped a hand to his head and groaned loudly in pain.
She giggled sheepishly. "Um... that's a brain freeze."
He groaned again and gripped the table. "Holy crap! How long will it last?" He managed to grunt painfully.
"Oh, it shouldn't be too much longer... but that's why you shouldn't eat ice cream so fast." She said. Then, she realized he had never really had a brain freeze before, and wasn't used to the pain. She scooted over to him, and a pale hand to his forehead. "Just relax..." she cooed softly. "I promise it'll be over soon."
He nodded and waited... and before long, the pain began to dull, and then, disappear entirely. He whistled in relief. "Wow... THAT was extreme... no wonder they say never to have too much of a good thing, huh?" he said lightly.
She looked at him incredulously. "You can make a joke out of almost anything, can't you?" She chuckled.
He nodded. "I find it helps to deal with hard situations... if you never take anything TOO seriously, you'll be surprised at how much smoother life seems to go." He said, in a surprisingly philosophical voice.
They were interrupted by a sudden buzzing noise coming from a pouch on Zero's belt. He reached in curiously and realized it was his Titan's communicator. He pulled it out and answered.
"Zero! Zero, can you hear me??" Robin asked loudly into the communicator.
"Mm-hm... I can hear you. What's happening?" he asked.
"Zero, listen, there's no time to explain... but you guys need to get back here quickly!" he said. Before Zero could respond, Robin hung up, leaving him to stare at the deactivated communicator.
He looked at Jinx and sighed sadly. "Well... I guess we should head back."
About an hour later, at Titan's Tower...
Sub-Zero and Jinx walked into the main room and found the other Titans gathered around waiting for them.
"Sub-Zero, I'm glad you made it back so fast!" Robin said as they walked in.
"Robin, what's the deal? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" Zero said, startled by his demeanor.
"We've just been sent a message." Raven said softly.
Jinx looked at her and blinked. "Wait... a message? From who?" She asked nervously.
Robin stepped up. "Slade." He said vehemently.
Sub-Zero and Jinx followed the others back to the control room, where a large window, blinking the readout: 'MESSAGE RECEIVED'. Cyborg pressed a few buttons, and another window came up saying, 'PREPARING PLAYBACK ... ... ... ...'
A moment later, Slade's masked visage suddenly flickered into life before them.
"Hello Titans... I'm glad if you're watching this, because this little message will soon mark the coming of a new age... the age of Slade." He hissed in a wicked, satisfied voice.
"You're probably wondering where on Earth I'm going with this..." he commented as if he were talking about the weather. "The fact is, Brother Blood and I... you have met dear old Blood haven't you?... are going North for a while... a little vacation, if you will." Slade held up a map in one hand, which looked old and yellowed as if it hadn't been used in a long time, and it looked to be written on some sort of scroll. "I.... Am going.... Here." He said, pointing at a small, red mark upon the old map. "If you care to play a little game of 'cat and mouse', feel free to pursue me... but there is really no point... I will return soon enough, I assure you... returning to KILL YOU." And then, the screen filled with static.
For a moment, everyone was silent. Then B.Boy spoke up.
"We managed to magnify the map... but there was another problem."
Cy magnified the map, and enlarged the picture of the red mark... revealing it as an island marked with an 'X'... a very unusual island.
"Huh? But wait, that's not a real island!" Jinx protested. "It's not even supposed to be on the map! ... Is it?" she finished uncertainly.
"Well, you're right. It ain't on the map... but if Slade's so eager to get there, it sure must be real." Cyborg explained.
"Oh God... oh dear God, no......." came a horrified whisper from behind everyone. Everyone turned around in surprise, and saw Zero standing there shaking violently. His crimson eyes stared wide off into space, and his fists were unconsciously clenching and unclenching.
"H-huh? Zero.... Zero what's wrong?" Jinx asked urgently, running over to him. She looked at him fearfully with her pink, catlike eyes, but he didn't respond.
"It.... can't...be." He moaned.... His eyelids fluttered, and then he fainted on the spot, thudding loudly on the metal floor.
"SUB-ZERO!!" Jinx shrieked, terrified.
The others ran up to him.
"Dude... what's wrong with him? What freaked him out so bad?" B.B. wondered.
"I do not know... but we must try to awaken him." Starfire said resolutely.
Cy gathered the unconscious knight up in one huge metal arm, and carried him off to the infirmary, with Jinx walking behind them sniffling the whole way.
Meanwhile... a dream was unfurling slowly within Zero's head.
He was walking slowly and proudly up a long, pathway inside the Royal Castle. He went confidently between crowds of cheering and clapping people...clutched firmly in his hand was a small, blue medallion with an emblem of a dragon engraved upon it. It was glowing magically, shining like a beacon in the dim light of the ice castle.
Smiling and waving, he walked steadily forward until he reached the King himself. The giant of a monarch smiled proudly down upon Sub-Zero, as the young knight knelt down respectfully in front of his highness.
"Sub-Zero... you have now passed your final test. You have returned to us safe and sound, therefore... a celebration is in Order!" The king bellowed, his long, white beard almost waving with the force of his words. The entire crowd went wild.
The King brought his hands together with a resounding 'CLAP!' And everyone settled down.
"Sub-Zero.... By the royal authority vested within me... I now pronounce you .... A kni-" his sentence was cut off as the entire castle suddenly began to come down around them.
People screamed in terror, as one of the castle walls suddenly caved in, revealing a blazing fire outside. Up through the terrible flames came a huge figure... a silvery figure with a black and orange head.... Slade.
The figure grabbed Sub-Zero up in his hand and laughed demonically into his face.
"Did you REALLY think you could escape from ME??" he demanded.
And then, Zero woke up with a start.
"ARRRRRRRGHHH!" he screamed.
Immediately, he felt a pair of arms around him, and he heard a soft, familiar voice whisper: "Shhhhh... It's all right Zero. You were dreaming... nothings going to hurt you now."
It was Jinx. She had been sitting next to his small cot in the infirmary since he had fainted.
After coming to his senses and recovering from his disorientation, he suddenly leapt up to his feet, startling poor Jinx badly.
"Zero... wh-what are you doing?" she demanded, "You should be resting!"
"I have to leave." He said urgently.
She looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say...?"
"I have to leave."
"B-but why?"
He looked down at her with an agonized expression.
"Jinx...it's Slade...he's going there."
"Going WHERE??" She persisted.
He shook his head as a look of genuine fear spread across his face.
"Home..." he whispered. "Home."
A Dish Best Served Cold-Chapter Twelve
"So... what do you call this again?" Sub-Zero asked as he took another slurp of the sweet, white substance on a small bread cone.
"It's ice cream." Jinx answered for the third time, licking a cone of her own.
Sub-Zero and Jinx had decided to pick up where they left off after the massive battle with the H.I.V.E.
For the last hour and a half, they had been roaming around Jump City, Jinx showing the young knight around to the different stores and things.
After she had spent a good thirty minutes at the mall trying on different clothes. Surprisingly, Zero didn't complain. In the past, when she had gone with Gizmo and Mammoth, they had complained the whole time. Zero, however, just stood there patiently, holding a stack of clothes in his hand for her, smiling the whole time without saying anything. And every time she came out in something new, he just commented on how lovely she was in it.
Now, however, they were at a small Ice cream parlor down town, where Jinx had introduced Zero to the wonders of modern frozen confections. Zero was fascinated.
"Y'know, that actually makes a lot of sense.... It's cold as ice, and sweet and creamy like...well, cream. Hence, ice cream." He reasoned to himself.
"Yeah, well, that's the idea." Jinx giggled. She was amazed at how naïve he was about some things, and although the fact he'd just voiced was obvious to most people, this was the first time he'd ever even seen ice cream.
All of the sudden, he opened his mouth wide and ate all that was left of his cone in one huge bite. He swallowed and let out a satisfied "Ahh."
"Wow, that really hits the spot." He sighed. "It kind of cools you off in this hot weather."
Jinx blinked. It wasn't even that hot by normal standards, but she had forgotten how sensitive he was to heat, being from a frozen land and all.
"Zero, I'm sorry.... I shouldn't have dragged you out walking around like this in our weather." She apologized, feeling very selfish about forgetting his low heat tolerance.
He shook his hand and grinned apologetically.
"Oh no, not at all... I'm alright, really. I was just starting to sweat a little, that's all." He reassured her, not wanting her to worry about him.
She looked worried still, but for a different reason.
"Zero... you probably shouldn't eat it all in one bite like that... you'll get a brain freeze!" she warned.
He stared and blinked quizzically. "A.... brain freeze?" he asked uncertainly. "What's a br-" he was cut off as his eyes went wide and he clapped a hand to his head and groaned loudly in pain.
She giggled sheepishly. "Um... that's a brain freeze."
He groaned again and gripped the table. "Holy crap! How long will it last?" He managed to grunt painfully.
"Oh, it shouldn't be too much longer... but that's why you shouldn't eat ice cream so fast." She said. Then, she realized he had never really had a brain freeze before, and wasn't used to the pain. She scooted over to him, and a pale hand to his forehead. "Just relax..." she cooed softly. "I promise it'll be over soon."
He nodded and waited... and before long, the pain began to dull, and then, disappear entirely. He whistled in relief. "Wow... THAT was extreme... no wonder they say never to have too much of a good thing, huh?" he said lightly.
She looked at him incredulously. "You can make a joke out of almost anything, can't you?" She chuckled.
He nodded. "I find it helps to deal with hard situations... if you never take anything TOO seriously, you'll be surprised at how much smoother life seems to go." He said, in a surprisingly philosophical voice.
They were interrupted by a sudden buzzing noise coming from a pouch on Zero's belt. He reached in curiously and realized it was his Titan's communicator. He pulled it out and answered.
"Zero! Zero, can you hear me??" Robin asked loudly into the communicator.
"Mm-hm... I can hear you. What's happening?" he asked.
"Zero, listen, there's no time to explain... but you guys need to get back here quickly!" he said. Before Zero could respond, Robin hung up, leaving him to stare at the deactivated communicator.
He looked at Jinx and sighed sadly. "Well... I guess we should head back."
About an hour later, at Titan's Tower...
Sub-Zero and Jinx walked into the main room and found the other Titans gathered around waiting for them.
"Sub-Zero, I'm glad you made it back so fast!" Robin said as they walked in.
"Robin, what's the deal? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" Zero said, startled by his demeanor.
"We've just been sent a message." Raven said softly.
Jinx looked at her and blinked. "Wait... a message? From who?" She asked nervously.
Robin stepped up. "Slade." He said vehemently.
Sub-Zero and Jinx followed the others back to the control room, where a large window, blinking the readout: 'MESSAGE RECEIVED'. Cyborg pressed a few buttons, and another window came up saying, 'PREPARING PLAYBACK ... ... ... ...'
A moment later, Slade's masked visage suddenly flickered into life before them.
"Hello Titans... I'm glad if you're watching this, because this little message will soon mark the coming of a new age... the age of Slade." He hissed in a wicked, satisfied voice.
"You're probably wondering where on Earth I'm going with this..." he commented as if he were talking about the weather. "The fact is, Brother Blood and I... you have met dear old Blood haven't you?... are going North for a while... a little vacation, if you will." Slade held up a map in one hand, which looked old and yellowed as if it hadn't been used in a long time, and it looked to be written on some sort of scroll. "I.... Am going.... Here." He said, pointing at a small, red mark upon the old map. "If you care to play a little game of 'cat and mouse', feel free to pursue me... but there is really no point... I will return soon enough, I assure you... returning to KILL YOU." And then, the screen filled with static.
For a moment, everyone was silent. Then B.Boy spoke up.
"We managed to magnify the map... but there was another problem."
Cy magnified the map, and enlarged the picture of the red mark... revealing it as an island marked with an 'X'... a very unusual island.
"Huh? But wait, that's not a real island!" Jinx protested. "It's not even supposed to be on the map! ... Is it?" she finished uncertainly.
"Well, you're right. It ain't on the map... but if Slade's so eager to get there, it sure must be real." Cyborg explained.
"Oh God... oh dear God, no......." came a horrified whisper from behind everyone. Everyone turned around in surprise, and saw Zero standing there shaking violently. His crimson eyes stared wide off into space, and his fists were unconsciously clenching and unclenching.
"H-huh? Zero.... Zero what's wrong?" Jinx asked urgently, running over to him. She looked at him fearfully with her pink, catlike eyes, but he didn't respond.
"It.... can't...be." He moaned.... His eyelids fluttered, and then he fainted on the spot, thudding loudly on the metal floor.
"SUB-ZERO!!" Jinx shrieked, terrified.
The others ran up to him.
"Dude... what's wrong with him? What freaked him out so bad?" B.B. wondered.
"I do not know... but we must try to awaken him." Starfire said resolutely.
Cy gathered the unconscious knight up in one huge metal arm, and carried him off to the infirmary, with Jinx walking behind them sniffling the whole way.
Meanwhile... a dream was unfurling slowly within Zero's head.
He was walking slowly and proudly up a long, pathway inside the Royal Castle. He went confidently between crowds of cheering and clapping people...clutched firmly in his hand was a small, blue medallion with an emblem of a dragon engraved upon it. It was glowing magically, shining like a beacon in the dim light of the ice castle.
Smiling and waving, he walked steadily forward until he reached the King himself. The giant of a monarch smiled proudly down upon Sub-Zero, as the young knight knelt down respectfully in front of his highness.
"Sub-Zero... you have now passed your final test. You have returned to us safe and sound, therefore... a celebration is in Order!" The king bellowed, his long, white beard almost waving with the force of his words. The entire crowd went wild.
The King brought his hands together with a resounding 'CLAP!' And everyone settled down.
"Sub-Zero.... By the royal authority vested within me... I now pronounce you .... A kni-" his sentence was cut off as the entire castle suddenly began to come down around them.
People screamed in terror, as one of the castle walls suddenly caved in, revealing a blazing fire outside. Up through the terrible flames came a huge figure... a silvery figure with a black and orange head.... Slade.
The figure grabbed Sub-Zero up in his hand and laughed demonically into his face.
"Did you REALLY think you could escape from ME??" he demanded.
And then, Zero woke up with a start.
"ARRRRRRRGHHH!" he screamed.
Immediately, he felt a pair of arms around him, and he heard a soft, familiar voice whisper: "Shhhhh... It's all right Zero. You were dreaming... nothings going to hurt you now."
It was Jinx. She had been sitting next to his small cot in the infirmary since he had fainted.
After coming to his senses and recovering from his disorientation, he suddenly leapt up to his feet, startling poor Jinx badly.
"Zero... wh-what are you doing?" she demanded, "You should be resting!"
"I have to leave." He said urgently.
She looked at him in disbelief. "What did you say...?"
"I have to leave."
"B-but why?"
He looked down at her with an agonized expression.
"Jinx...it's Slade...he's going there."
"Going WHERE??" She persisted.
He shook his head as a look of genuine fear spread across his face.
"Home..." he whispered. "Home."
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