Trident

Dissolve to a cavern with a large body of water inside. Something approaches the surface from beneath and comes up to reveal itself as the T-Sub, which floats slowly to the shore. Robin and Starfire are the first ones off; they look around in amazement, and Robin lets off a low whistle.

"Beautiful." Said Starfire looking around.

"It's not beautiful!" Cyborg shoots back at Starfire, Cut to him, also on shore. "It's totaled! Aw, man, I never even got to use the seismic blasters!" Said Cyborg feeling hopeless, Raven has debarked now.

"Where are we?" Raven questioned looking around.

"My place." Answered Aqualad.

Cut to another part of the cavern; he rises to the water's surface on the back of a beaching whale. Jumping high and far, he lands on the shore as the marine mammal submerges again.

"I told the whales to bring you here." Aqualad speaks up crossing to Raven.

"Okay...uh...thanks." Raven thanking him and blushing at him.

Starfire pops up.

"Oh, yes, truly, truly, thank you so much for saving us." She said also blushing.

"He saved you?" Said Beastboy leaving the water in his human form. "Hel-lo? I was there too, you know." Said Beastboy making a point.

"You stopped Trident from kebabbing us with that souped-up shrimp fork?" Cyborg questioned widening.

"Way to go!" Robin congratulates him.

Sweat drop on the green temple.

"Well, I was gonna, but..." Said Beastboy as Aqualad crosses to them.

"I'm Aqualad. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. We Atlanteans try to keep a low profile." Said Aqualad.

Sarcastically, shaking hands.

"Good job. Don't think anybody even noticed you." Beastboy said laughing a bit.

The girls certainly have. Behind his back, Raven and Starfire are positively smitten; their eyes have become hearts, and more of these float up from them. Raven is first to recover.

"You're from Atlantis?" Asked Raven as he nods.

"And so is Trident." Said Aqualad.

Dissolve to a holographic freeze-frame of Trident blasting the landscape. On the next line, two other scenes come up to replace it; they show him lifting a piece of a marble column he has broken, then firing at fleeing people.

"He's the worst criminal in Atlantis, with an ego to match." Said Aqualad feeling his angry rising.

"A full-figure shot of said criminal now appears, and Aqualad steps into view before it.

"Trident claims he's perfect in every way-" Said Aqualad Pulling back; the Titans are gathered at the projector. "-So he thinks he can do whatever he wants." Aqualad continues as Robin look over at him.

"Any idea what he wants with all that toxic waste?" Asked Robin as Aqualad rub his head.

"Whatever it is, it'll be bad for both our worlds. He's already gained some kind of new power. It's like he can be everywhere at once." He said as the team widen they eyes.

"Noticed that." Replied Raven rolling her eyes.

"As long as we're after the same guy, maybe we can help each other." Aqualad suggested.

"Whoa, hey, no, we're good. Got the whole Trident thing under control. 'Sides, I'm sure there's a school of minnows somewhere that need your-" Said Beastboy pushing Robin and Raven.

Robin reaches into view and yanks him away. Cut to ground level, the camera pointing straight up at the ceiling, as all five Titans lean in for a huddle.

"We're at the bottom of the ocean." Said Raven.

"Our sub's Swiss cheese." Said Cyborg.

"And we cannot breathe water." Starfire spoke up.

Pull back; their host is standing at a short distance. Robin pokes his head up.

"We'll take any help you can give us." Said Robin as Aqualad nods.

"Hey, Tramm!" Said Aqualad.

At the other end of the cavern, a half-clamshell on the floor flips up to reveal a manhole underneath. What climbs out is a reptilian humanoid, perhaps three feet tall, in short overalls and wearing a backpack. The eyes are very large, protruding from the sides of the head. This is Tramm; he runs to the group, saying something in his own language. Aqualad kneels to him.

"Want to give these people a hand with their sub?" Said Aqualad still on his kneels.

Tramm babbles excitedly, cracks his knuckles, and claps his hands before running to it.

"Tramm's good with tools." Aqualad comments.

One high jump carries him onto the hull and deposits him near a breach. Muttering to himself a bit, he reaches in and brings up the severed ends of two groups of cables. These are stretched out and laid over the broken edges; now he dips into his pack and yanks out a jackhammer-like device, which he plies with gusto. Cyborg runs up.

"Yo, careful! That's my sub you're messing with!" Yelled Cyborg crossing in front of the others.

"And while he's helping you, I'll track down Trident." Said Aqualad.

He has nearly reached the water's edge when Beast Boy runs up. They begin to push each other out of the way, becoming gradually more foreceful.

"You mean I'll track down Trident." Beastboy Corrects him.

"That's okay, I can handle it." Aqualad nods.

"Thanks, but I think I should do this." Said Beastboy taking his face off him.

"Seriously, I'll take care of it!" Aqualad spoke back.

"Would you just get out of my-" Said Beastboy as they grab each other.

"Beast Boy." Aqualad yells. "Let me go!" Yelled Aqualad.

The fracas continues for a few more seconds before Robin comes over.

"Guys!" Yelled Robin pushing them apart. "Why don't you both go track him down together?" Robin suggested.

"I usually work alone." Aqualad spoke up.

"Yeah. Me too." Beastboy comments.

"You do not! You're part of a team!" Aqualad spoke back at him.

"And you hang out with Tramm the fish-boy! What's your point?" Beastboy asks.

They glare at each other, Robin backs them up again.

"Hey! Arguing isn't going to stop Trident. Now get out and search-both of you." Robin yelled at them.

The two give each other one more dirty look before diving into the water. Robin just stands there and shakes his head disgustedly.

Beast Boy transforms in a squid, and Aqualad swimming near the ocean floor. They stop for a look around.

"I searched that region yesterday." Aqualad pointing and moving in opposite direction. "We'll start over-"

"Look. I'm sure you're some kind of local hero, but I'm a real hero from the big city. So just let me call the shots-" Beastboy speaks back at him transforming into a dolphin. "-and try to keep up."

Clicking sounds emerge from him-the dolphin equivalent of sonar tracking-as he swims around Aqualad a bit. Finally he concentrates on one heading.

"I'm picking something up on my sonar! Come on!" Beastboy swims off.

He moves out quickly, but his partner only eases forward a bit. What he has located is a group of real dolphins, they dart playfully around him.

"Congratulations. You found other dolphins." Aqualad smirking.

"I knew that." Beastboy Sighed.

Aqualad moves in and hits them with a burst of telepathy, after which they swim off together.

"They told me where to find Trident. Try to keep up." Aqualad laughs a bit and swims off.

He follows, cut to the Atlantean, making good time, as the Titan catches up and pulls ahead. He puts in second gear, and the informal race ranges over the ocean floor, weaving around the occasional rock formation Finding himself neck and neck with Beast Boy, who changes from a dolphin to a barracuda, Aqualad keeps accelerating to try and maintain the lead. In a twinkling, the barracuda has turned into a swordfish and moved ahead once more despite Aqualad's best efforts. Close-up of the new runner-up, who has suddenly halted.

"Beast Boy! Stop!" Aqualad alarmed.

"What's the matter?" Beastboy asked looking at the Atlantean.

Cut to Beast Boy, still going full tilt. Placed just behind him, the camera moves to keep him in focus as he races toward Trident, who is squarely in his path.

"Am I too fast for y-" Beastboy stops.

A collision with the undersea villain's chest cuts off his taunt; he drops, dazed, to the floor as Aqualad catches up.

"Heh...how's it going?" Said Beastboy looking up at Trident.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, inferior fool!" Trident insults him.

On the end of this line he brings out his weapon and fires it up. Beast Boy ducks away just in time to avoid the attack; Trident strafes the ground near his feet, but Aqualad's swimming tackle cuts him off. Both fall out of sight behind a ridge.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Beastboy transforms into a bull shark. "This time he's mine!"

He approaches the ridge, but stops short when Trident jumps up onto it from behind. The three prongs blaze like a machine gun, but a lucky snap of the jaws breaks the shaft and silences them. Not giving up so easily, Trident reaches out with one big hand and seizes Beast Boy, who becomes a squid and wraps his tentacles around the enemy. They tumble behind the ridge.

Aqualad and Trident back around it and into view, they are grappling for a hold on the fork, which is now whole again. The black-haired hero finally wrenches it away, throwing his opponent several yards, and breaks it over his knee.

Cut to the first ridge. Here come Beast Boy and Trident again; the latter gets himself free of those tentacles and throws the big green squid.

"INCOMING!!" Beastboy yells.

Aqualad catches him with his face and has a very hard time peeling those tentacles away. When he can see again, he gives Beastboy a very nasty look.

"I said, Incoming." They Both look in toward the second fight; cut to Trident, swimming that way toward a dark grotto.

"He's getting away!" Aqualad yells as he and Beast Boy moves in. Cut to behind them and pan across the interior. No one here.

"Hmmm..." Beastboy swims around the dark grotto.

"Where were you back there?" Aqualad asked furiously.

"Where was I? Fighting Trident by myself!" Beastboy stops and gaze at him.

"You barely laid a tentacle on him! At least I managed to break his weapon!" Aqualad shots back at him.

"Dude, that's just wrong. I so broke that fork thing!" Yelled Beastboy.

Aqualad grits his teeth to deliver a crushing response or a right hook, but before he can make up his mind, Trident swims past and goes deeper into the grotto. Beast Boy looks in a different direction and sees a pair of eyes shining in the black distance.

"There he goes!" They both said pointing in opposite directions.

"I saw him! He's that way! I'm right, you're wrong! End of story!" Said Beastboy swimming where he indicated. "If you don't believe me, see you later!"

"I'm telling you, he's this way! If you want to go that way, be my guest-but I'm going to catch Trident!" Aqualad shots back.

He points off at the appropriate moments, then swims in his direction after finishing the line. Dissolve to another part of this grotto. As he advances, columns of flame and steam shoot up from the ground-undersea geysers spouting off. After he has passed Trident emerges from within the boiling fumes and sets off in pursuit. Cut to Aqualad, who suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of a tackle just like the one he laid on the evildoer. More steam blows across the screen; when the view clears, we see Beast Boy sulking along the path he has chosen.

"Pretty-boy know-it-all showoff. Thinks he's so-" Beastboy Mocking Aqualad.

"Worthless scum!" Trident Roars cut to him, standing up with weapon again in hand. "You cannot defeat perfection!"

"How many of those fork thingies do you have?" Beastboy asks.

The wielder just snarls and unloads a few blasts that cause Beastboy to almost tie himself in knots as he dodges. Trident fires again and again to send the green kraken running for cover. As the aggressor closes in, Beastboy turns into a turtle and yanks his head and legs into the shell. Now the trident is thrust at him, but its points merely clang off the hard carapace; a follow-up blast does no damage but sends him hurtling through the dark depths. Trident drifts after him.

"I will win! I always win! I am superior!" Trident laughs looking at the green boy.

Out of the blackness shoots a claw that locks onto the wooden shaft. Beastboy, now a giant crab, is hauled up.

"And I thought Aqualad had a big ego." Beastboy said softly.

He lashes out with his other claw. Wipe to the geyser patch, where Aqualad drops into view to land flat on his back. Rubbing his head, he looks up and finds Trident hurling himself downward, namesake at the ready. Aqualad gets out of the way just in time and immediately has to dodge a bolt. Trident loses track of him, but only for a moment until the blue-and-black-skinned fighter darts back in and kicks him in the head. The trident and its user go flying in different directions, the former lands, points down, and sticks among the fire spurts.

Both swimmers charge toward it, but Trident gets his hand out to reach first. Close-up of the shaft; he closes his fingers around it. Pull back as he yanks it out of the muck and takes a couple of swings that barely miss the blue-scaled chest. Next he pulls it back over his shoulder for a couple of home-run swings that come a hair short of giving Aqualad a high-speed appendectomy. More lunges push him back toward the edge of one geyser, and he loses his balance and stumbles near the lip.

Trident raises the fork to impale the half-prone figure, who seizes the head to stop it just inches from his face. The two struggle, Trident gradually pushing the points toward their target-and then Aqualad does a quick sidestep and releases his grip. With his force not meeting any more resistance, Trident is flung forward into the geyser, which blows its top right on cue. The steam clears to leave Aqualad standing alone. He makes a beeline for a patch of light shining down from an opening above.

A cavern similar to the one Aqualad calls home, but darker-this was the source of the light seen at the end of a rocky shore at the water's edge. He jumps out and comes across Beastboy, who is back in human form. Both gasp, surprised.

"I just saw Trident!...No, you didn't!...Yes, I did!" They both yelled at each other. "Cut it out!"

"I don't care what you saw! I fought Trident!" Beastboy sighed.

"That's impossible!" Aqualad shots back at him.

"Okay, dude." Said Beastboy as his vein throbbing on forehead.

His arms flailing, he tries to hit Aqualad, but a long arm and a hand planted on his head stop him from getting close enough to do so.

"What is your problem?" Beastboy roars.

"What is your problem? We're supposed to be on the same side, but you treat me like an enemy!" Aqualad shots back at him.

"I don't need you on my side! This was my mission until you showed up!" Beastboy shouts.

He lets up and pushes Aqualad's hand away.

"You think you're so cool, but I've got a news flash for you. You're not better than me!" Yelled Beastboy.

"I don't think I'm better than you!" Aqualad said softly.

"You don't?" Beastboy was stunned.

"Maybe you're better than me. Who cares? I just want to catch Trident. And to do that, we need to stop fighting and start working together." Aqualad suggests.

He walks in a huff, but Beast Boy's brain has just slipped into gear.

"Working together..." Beastboy stops and goes after him.

"What if there's more than one Trident?" Beastboy speaks up swimming forward.

"Don't be ridiculous. How could there be-" Aqualad cuts off.

"I know, but what if there is?" Said Beastboy making a point. "If he found a way to copy himself? He could be in two places at once. There wouldn't be just one Trident. There'd be..."

A large glob of yellow slime falls onto his face to cut him off. Wiping himself clean, he looks toward the ceiling, as does Aqualad, and the camera tilts up quickly to show a forest of large, gooey, translucent globules suspended there. Each has the outline of a figure inside.

"...thousands." Aqualad began.

The figures are revealed to be clones of Trident, seemingly asleep. One opens its eyes and growls softly. Back to the two heroes.

"Uh-oh." Beastboy dropped his mouth.

"One Trident is bad..." Aqualad stops.

"...but this is..." Beastboy continues but he stops.

On the next line, cut to the area of the cavern in front of them. The entire ceiling is covered with these sacs, and a horde of Tridents stands ready to fight. The "impossible" attacks and maneuvering seen up to this point need no further explanation.

"...an army!" Trident finishes.

The hazardous waste drums from the sunken freighter stand in groups, with pipes running from them up to the forest of developing clones to nourish them. The multitudes on the ground roar and run at Beast Boy and Aqualad, who brace for a full-scale throwdown and charge. Some are armed, others empty-handed. Aqualad knocks out a couple of them, dodging blasts from the trident held by another before levering it upward. One of the sacs is blown open; the Trident inside drops into the fray.

Beast Boy, now a polar bear, rushes in and raises an enormous paw. One clone tumbles to the ground, then another, and then a third raises his weapon and fires. Beast Boy is flung backward to crash into a console. Several drums of waste are connected to it, and on the screen is a red-letter message: "Hatching Sequence Beginning." Sparks fly after he hits, back in human form, he stands up and rubs his head, and a big drop of sweat rolls down his temple.

"Oops." Beastboy chuckling sheepishly. "Great." Aqualad fetches up next to him.

~

A/N

Can I just call the clone's Trident 1,2 and more, I hope u guys are cool with that?

~

"My brilliant plan is already a success." The first clone at the right spoke up. "If one of me was perfect..." The second clone continues. "...why not make more?" The third clone continues. "You can never have too much of a good thing." The fourth clone smirks. "Once my army conquers Atlantis..." The fifth clone continues. "...I will declare war on the surface world!" The sixth clone cut to the two good guys, then back as he continues. "Everyone on the planet will bow down before me..." The sixth continues as the original Trident appears.

"...and praise my perfection!" Trident laughs.

"Any bright ideas?" Aqualad asks Beastboy.

"Just one. Try to keep up." He says looking over at Trident. "So, if you're all perfect, which one of you is the best?"

"I am!...Huh?" Looking at Beastboy.

"Come on. You can't all be the best. One of you must be better than the others." Aqualad mocks the clones.

"I am the original! I am the best!" The seventh clone spoke up.

"You are not the original!" The eighth clone looking over the seventh.

"I am!" Trident yells.

"Nonsense, you inferior fools! I am perfection! I am Trident!" The ninth clone yells back.

A brawl breaks out. Cut to Beast Boy and Aqualad, who watch with great satisfaction the chaos they have provoked and wince at the sound of the ruckus. When it dies down, dazed or unconscious Tridents are sprawled everywhere on the cavern floor. Behind the pair, the word "Beginning" on the console panel has changed to a countdown clock that is nearly at zero.

"Great idea." Aqualad's smirks.

"Kinda got it from you. Now we just have to stop those clones from hatching." Beastboy swims forward.

They turn to the panel, which flashes as the final three seconds tick away. At zero, the clock is replaced by the word "Begin."

"Too late!" They both say.

Screeches and yowls from above draw their attention; the newly matured Trident clones strain at the membranes holding them and break through. Beast Boy turns into a hippopotamus and barrels into these ranks, knocking them every which way like bowling pins. He heads toward the water's edge, with Aqualad close behind, and both dive in; he becomes a swordfish upon submerging. Several members of the fresh crop go in after the pair, who are doing the underwater equivalent of burning rubber.

"We can't let them escape! We have to find some way of sealing the exit!" He thought for a moment.

"Right now, I'm just worried about getting to the exit." Bras speaks up.

The opposition, now out in full force, is making it a horse race. Beast Boy and Aqualad charge at the patch of light that marked the cavern's entrance earlier and get clear of the place-and then, as the Tridents pull closer, a very familiar silhouette pulls into view. They stop short.

"Huh?" Trident says.

It is the T-Sub, back in proper working order thanks to Tramm's efforts. Two huge beams, issuing from emitters on the bow, slice the water and strike the upper edge of the cavern entrance. There is a mighty flash, which clears to show broken rock pouring down from the blast zone to wall up the pathway.

"Yes!" Robin yells in the T-sub.

"Cool!" Raven says.

"Victory!" Starfire yells in joy as she was flashing V -for-Victory.

"Boo-yah! Seismic blasters worked like a charm!" Cyborg yelps giving thumbs-up. "Nice repair job, Tramm."

The fish-boy of the hour is in Beast Boy's cockpit; he waves his fists and blabbers happily in gratitude. Beast Boy, now a squid, and Aqualad look toward the T-Sub's handiwork.

"Good thing Trident likes himself so much, 'cause I'm thinking he won't see anybody else for a looong time." Beastboy laughs.

Dissolve to the exterior of the Tower, then to Aqualad, Tramm, and the three male Titans standing among the rocks near the island's shore. It is now the next day, and Beast Boy is back in human form. During the following line, Raven and Starfire pop up; they are again thoroughly lovestruck as when they first clapped eyes on the Atlantean in.

"Consider yourself an honorary Teen Titan." Robin smiles to Aqualad.

Close-up of the honoree on the end of this; Robin hands him a communicator that plays the opening phrase of the show's theme as its "ringtone." The device is disc-shaped, yellow around the edge, and black in the center with a large white T. He smiles calmly at the gift as Raven and Starfire practically hang over his shoulder to look at it. On the next two lines, they shift position a couple of times to keep Aqualad in plain sight.

"We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks." Robin looking at the Atlantean.

"Right back at you. It's good to know there's people up here I can trust." Aqualad smirks.

"And it's good to know there's folks down there who can fix a hyperjet." Cyborg smiles along.

Tramm replies with a hearty bit of gibberish that ends in an easily recognizable "boo-yah" as he taps his fists against Cyborg's. Now Aqualad makes eye contact with the girls.

"Bye, Raven...Starfire." Aqualad waves.

"It was...nice to meet you." Raven smiles.

"Oh, very, very, very nice!" Starfire smiles as well.

She leans into him hard enough to push him he ends up next to Beast Boy.

"What can I say, dude? You're the best." Beastboy smiles back at him.

"Nah. You're the best." Aqualad embraces him.

"Yeah, you're right." Beastboy says stretching. "And if you ever want me to prove it, I'm always up for a race."

Pull back to frame the others at a distance in the background. The two rivals, turned reluctant partners, turned fast friends run toward the camera in an impromptu sprint. Freeze frame-they are shoulder to shoulder and smiling broadly.