5064/And the cat came back...

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And the cat came back...
Date of Scene: 07 February 2021
Location: City Docks
Synopsis: Raven, Beast Boy, Troia, Flash and Kian ambush Manxsome and beat him over the head with the power of Friendship and a lesson is learned by all.

But especially Terry.

Cast of Characters: Terry O'Neil, Gar Logan, Rachel Roth, Donna Troy, Wally West, Vivian Vision, Kian




Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Twenty minutes ago, Nadia's scanner had reported a *ping* for an intra-dimensional portal that corresponded to known frequencies associated with the 'Rabbit Holes' that Vorpal employs.  Terry, on Monitor Duty (because, really, what else is he gonna do?) immediately reached out to the Titans currently on duty.
    Five minutes ago, a briefing had been held where Donna laid out the framework of the strategy for what was to follow, once no further pings were detected.  The target was still in the area.
    Nine minutes ago, the Titans were teleported to the area and into the side of a building a little distance from the ping.  This is so that they could find cover, set up an ambush, deploy the necessary scout/diversion combo… and take a moment to recover from the teleportation itself.  Because… well. It's not pretty, going through that particular world of darkness.



Date: 2/6/21
Time: 5:05pm
Location: City Docks (Bludhaven, the city where umlauts sleep)

    Maxsome paces across the rooftop of the warehouse, seething.  He looks like Vorpal, and yet he is also different in many ways—a larger amount of red in his fur, wilder and longer mane.  And an affectation for punk clothing, leather and spikes.
    "Little shit.  Thinks he can do without me… I'll show him," he mutters, puffing the last remains of a cigarette.  The docks seem like a good place to start putting a gang together—criminals seem to use this place to stash and distribute goods, and he figures he can… convince several of the non-powered ones to accept his leadership.  You needed people do to your dirty job, right?  The trick was, of course, where to start?  "Where, indeed…."

Gar Logan has posed:
    "Ugh, that feeling like I'm gonna throw up after that never goes away.  It's like how Raven feels whenever she sees me.  I can just tell," Gar mutters following the teleport that is all kinds of uncomfortable.
    There's a plan in place, one that uses Terry as bait, but before it's put in place there is a very important part to determine first: whether or not Terry's doppelganger, otherwise known (or not, depending) as Manxsome, is alone.  If he's not, things are going to get much more complicated.
    For the moment, Gar's walking it off and telling himself, "Don't use Raven's hoodie to wipe your mouth.  That would be a bad idea."  He wears something that shouldn't immediately give away the ruse, namely casual clothes.  Just gotta think and act like someone he never wants to become.  Shouldn't be too tough for an actor… right?

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Sometimes, being pulled through a shatteringly neutral emptiness with no plausible sense of up or down, populated mostly by floating stones and disapproving glares, is entirely pleasant.  Donna, for example, doesn't have much of a problem with it anymore.  It only took…
    It took a while.  We should all respect it and say that it took a while to get used to.  In this instance, of course, everything goes off as it should; A mass of whirling shadow encompasses those who are going to be teleported, and then they are quite simply no longer there.  Moments later, they emerge from another mass of shadow that seems to conjure itself from nothing, having no connection, real or otherwise, with the darkness present when they arrive.
    It's worth noting that Gar's reflexes are quite on point, as he is deposited upside down and six feet higher in the air than the others, as per a Titans protocol that some swear does, really, exist—and definitely not as per Raven's whim.
    Raven has not said a word—not during the briefing, nor during the formation of the plan.  It can be assumed that she, along with Donna, had chunks of this plan developed, and Donna was left the responsibility and duty not only to glue those together, but similarly express them to the others.
    Raven, for her part, merely floats among the mass of the others, as if they had just emerged not from a formless mass, but from Raven herself.

Donna Troy has posed:
    It took a while, because honestly if you're not actually Raven herself, travel by this method is something that takes getting used to.  The truth is that when Raven first manifested this particular method of transportation for the Titans, the rest of the team was not keen.  It was only the sheer usefulness of it that held the rest of the Titans back from suggestion that Raven keep that particular power to herself.  You do get used to it in time though.
    Now there is some who might say that the T-Jet exists as an excuse to not ask Raven to provide transportation, and no doubt there is some truth in that.  There are however times when you really want to get where you're going now, and a quick trip to the Shadow Realm is worth it, if a little nerve-wracking for those who've only experienced it a few dozen times before.  If you're one of the OG Titans, you're pretty much resigned to it now, and have probably learned to close your eyes, count to ten, and pretend it never happened.
    When the team is out the other side and recovered enough to listen, Donna tries to focus minds on the task in hand.  "Okay… stay in cover for the moment.  Wally, if you could just do a really fast perimeter check for us to make sure there are no surprises coming, that would be great.  Keep your distance from the target.  Gar, want to make like a mosquito or something, and check out the building for your opposite number that way?"

Wally West has posed:
    Wally arrives through the portal largely without event.  Wally has been through this rigmarole enough times that he has a favorite rock in the void that they pass through (it's the one that he swears looks like the face of a dog he had as a kid).  This dock is largely unremarkable, but he is sure he has run past it countless times.
    Wally had gone up against teleporters before.  It was always super tense.  One wrong move and weeks of investigation down the drain.  Naturally of course they brought the guy dressed in all red to a stealth mission.  He had been quite pleased when he found out that the ideal material for his suit was red without dye, but that sucked now when he was trying to be sneaky—a little burst at ultra high speed and no amount of paint would keep it from turning a vivid red.  He hadn't met this doppelganger yet, so there was a chance that Wally wouldn't have to stay subsonic.
    Wally does his first survey with some binocs from a couple nice appropriately distant rooftops (a bit of a journey considering how close they ported in).  He might be able to run around the building without being spotted, but he would rather not risk it.  His breath catches in his throat.  There is a red furry fellow on the roof!  At least he can sneak into the warehouse proper, but he wouldn't be able to see the target.
    He returns in a *everyone else groans* flash.  "Mostly clear, but there is somebody with red fur on the roof of the warehouse.  We will be doing this all outside this time."

Vivian Vision has posed:
    While Vivian Vision doesn't have a great deal of combat experience her ability to create extremely realistic looking holograms often comes in handy for stealth and reconnaissance missions.  For now she wraps all nearby team members up in a stealth field to blend them in with their surroundings.
    Meanwhile the teenage synthezoid reaches out virtually, looking for camera networks in the area which she can access, and using that to create a real time map of the local area she can provide T-Comm based updates to people with.
    "So long as people remain within two hundred feet of me I can hide everyone from most forms of visual detection.  Although it won't do anything to protect against magical searching.  So in theory we will be able to approach fairly directly."

Kian has posed:
    Kían is far more scared of Rae herself than of the teleport, so he was already a bit wobbly before going through the teleport.  If anything, the teleport was a distraction and the relief upon arriving at the other side comes more from being able to put a few fellow Titans between himself and Raven than from exiting an otherspace that should not be.
    He is about to kick into the air as much on reflex as anything else when Donna warns them to remain under cover for now.  Still, his wings flick.  He wants this over with and he wants his friend to be whole again.
    At Wally's report, he studies the other buildings—there are ways to get into the air without too much risk of being seen from that direction, even in the light of the late afternoon.  And once above, there's nothing to provide a sense of scale—just another seabird, maybe, if the other Terry even bothers looking up in the first place.
    He gives the real Terry's shoulder a supportive squeeze, and a sense that he's ready.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    The Terry of this dimension is here for one purpose, and one purpose alone: 'Potential bait.'  And this is how you know this plan was hatched with Raven's collaboration!  To this effect, Terry had received a thorough glow-up from Gar, in that he looks like someone has taken a blackjack to Terry and gone to town.  Very convincing bruises and hematomas are conveyed by the miracle of theatrical make-up, and a few traces of rather realistic fake 'dried blood' beside.  He returns Kian's shoulder squeeze and nods, keeping quiet and ready to follow directions.  "If there's no sign of the other one, we can proceed with the baiting?"  He glances over at Donna and Raven, to make sure he got it right.  Gar would still need to go and assess whether or not he could fool Manxsome.  "Maybe one of you can check the interior of that warehouse real quick.  It'd be ideal if we could lure him inside.  Until he gets a lot more practice, he's not going to be able to use his Rabbit Holes to jump long distances when he's in the middle of an urgent situation… only line-of-sight."  That's how it was for him, so he has to assume that this dude is still getting used to those powers.  "If you get him inside and he doesn't have a view of the outside…."

    For his part, Manxsome perches on the edge of the roof and narrows his eyes in the fading light of day.  He chose Bludhaven because it seemed like a place his counterpart would actively avoid.  It seemed like a good idea.

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan did indeed manage to flip himself and land on his feet, evidence he's figured out that part of Raven's teleportation before.  The more evil thing to do would be to not cause him to show there upside down and a few feet up, so he compensates and….
    "Okay, I think I'm getting it back already.  Whoo.  Just give me a minute, and I'll check the building.  If the other guy isn't here, I'll give everyone a signal, like me coming back and saying, 'The other guy isn't here,' okay?  Great.  Huddle, aaaaand… break!"  He puts his hand in, maybe the only one to actually do it, then trots off and almost veers into the nearest wall.  Bearings must not be quite all there yet.  "I'm okay!"
    Then he turns into something very small and goes off in search of something that would show his evil self is waiting to ambush them, while the others take stock of the situation and determine the best course of action once he's back.
    Sure enough, when he returns it's to say, "The other guy isn't here.  We're a go.  Let's get Terry in place, and I'll get you-know-who's attention.  And just let me know if you need me to tune you up a little, Terry."  He's grinning, too much.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven had more input than 'Use Terry as bait.'  It was, however, the first portion of the plan she laid down as both her contribution and also the most effective thing she could think of.  She also suggested that they could, of course, make the injuries that Terry was supposed to be feigning look excessively more real by, you know, hitting him with a blackjack.
    By far, however, was going to be just the most useful thing: Kian's fear.  Not… directly, inasmuch as she finds him being afraid of her to be a useful thing in a fight; But, more that she knows exactly what to do with it.  Where to send it.  To whom, with love.
    Raven lingers at the center of the group, but more than naturally gravitates in Donna's direction.  There is a somewhat forcible stability that she spreads about the group—a leveling out of the emotions where they're present.  It creates a mild feedback loop—where bits of shadow seem to seep from each Titan, and towards Raven—and then back.
    "Right now, the important thing is that none of us are seen.  He will flee."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Focus, Gar!  You can beat him up later," Donna says with a grin.  "Okay, the warehouse behind us is our target.  Belongs to a shipping company that has no ships since a accident with a drunk captain last year.  Supposed to be empty.  We'll compensate them for any damage, but let's try to keep the damage to a minimum."
    "Terry's going to be lying inside, handcuffed to wall with handcuffs that are rigged so he can break out with a good tug.  Wally, one more bit of scouting—check this building is completely empty before Terry heads in."
    Donna steps up to the warehouse door, listens at it a few moments, then takes the padlock keeping the door shut in hand and gives it a good squeeze to bend the metal into a shape that no longer functions as a lock.  "Right, once you've got the all clear from Wally, Terry gets into the warehouse and Gar goes say hi to our target."
    She gives a quick nod to Raven.  "The rest of us stay out of the warehouse until Gar and DoppelTerry have gone inside.  When we go in, Wally runs round the back, I'll approach from the front, Viv is going to hide any rabbit holes and Rae is going to apply a little pressure.  As soon as we're in place, Gar is going to pretend to attack me, but go for DoppelTerry instead.  The key thing is grabbing him.  If any part of the plan doesn't work, if he's too suspicious of Gar, for example—same principle holds.  Grab him."

Wally West has posed:
    Wally feels Raven's magic tugging at his mind—calming him.  Normally being the subject of a spell would panic him (magic is one of the few things he isn't well equipped to handle), but it is Rae, so it's okay.
    "Got it Donna.  I will be ready to jump in if anybody needs me."  He looks to Gar.  "Don't worry.  You're an actor.  You got this."
    Checking inside is something that he really should have done earlier.  He had been concerned with running around a corner into their alternate universe 'friend', but that was no longer a major concern.  With knowledge of where the DoppelVorp is, Wally can safely phase his face through a wall on the other side.  This is less helpful than he initially thought that it would be because the warehouse has wares in it.  It is mostly full with shipping containers.  Thankfully, there does not appear to be anyone here.  He isn't exactly sure why there is a warehouse full of containers without even a guard, but a quick glance into a few of them indicates that they are in fact empty and mostly unlocked.
    "Clear inside… I think.  I looked, but it is kind of messy in there.  Loads of empty containers."
    He positions himself on the stairs to the roof—ready to spring into action at a moments notice.

Vivian Vision has posed:
    "I shall wrap the target with a holographic sphere that makes it appear as if their powers are not working," Vivian assures, shifting slightly out of phase with reality to make herself harder to harm if the fighting begins unexpectedly.  "If you like I can also totally remove all Titans from their field of vision?"
    Some people have moral qualms about attacking a target who can't even see them.  So it never hurts to ask!
    She takes to the air, confident her holographic field and phasing will keep her from being spotted, so that the sphere she can project over covers the largest area possible.  "I will however refrain from using energy blasts.  As my understanding is we do not wish to cause any lasting harm?"

Kian has posed:
    Kían doesn't like the idea of having to operate indoors overmuch—but he can see the sense of it.  Keep the other Terry confined, don't give him line of sight to any great distance.  The birdman isn't a tactician, but apparently things are starting to rub off.
    He looks over at Viv.  "Not lasting, no.  None at all if possible," he says.  At least that's his way of doing things.

Gar Logan has posed:
    Things happen.  Raven siphons off what she does, especially from Kian, who must be very tasty to someone like her, with something like that.  Plans are further finalized, cover maintained thanks to Vivian's efforts, the warehouse scouted out with a place in mind worked out to set Terry up in, and soon it's up to Gar to play his part.
    Before the healing, this would not have been possible for him.  Since the recovery, particularly on the mental side, he's been acting more decisively about some things.  They haven't always been the smartest things, but he is no longer the greenest Titan around.  Check that.  He is the greenest Titan around, but he is no longer the least experienced one.  Before he goes, he tells Vivian, "We're not doing this to worry about breaking some unwritten code.  We're doing this to get Terry's other half back, and to send this copy back where he came from."
    He steels himself and goes hawk mode, taking to the skies from a position behind Manxsome, making it easier for him to come in like it's a coincidence.  Thinking of the hawk reminds him of the attack on himself.  It would be easy to try to duplicate it with the doppelganger, but that's not part of the plan.  Instead, he circles lower and calls out, "There you are!  I've been looking all over for you!  We have to talk!"
    Manxsome immediately turns in place atop the roof, a look of suspicion evident that Beast Boy would have to be blind not to see.  "What are you doing here?  Did you finally come to your senses and decide you needed my help after all if we're gonna take over this dump?"
    In that moment, Gar understands.  The imposters had a falling out of some kind.  It probably wouldn't be that hard to figure out, if one Terry is like another.  Would that mean there are some parts of Gar that are consistent, no matter how many different versions there are out there?
    The hawk turns back into a man and lands a few feet away, waving a hand at the cigarette smoke.  Gross.  "Something like that.  Did you hear?  One of ours damaged the Tower and they're all scrambling like chickens with their heads cut off.  It's the opening we've been waiting for."
    Manxsome's skepticism remains, though a flick of the tail indicates a hint of curiosity.  "The last thing you told me was if you wanted something done right, you'd do it yourself.  That you were tired of me not listening, and going off on my own.  In case you forgot, that's how I got all of this Terry's powers.  I don't need you any more, greenie."
    Gar frowns, crossing his arms.  "You say that now, but remember I'm the one who found my other self here and started all of this.  I killed mine.  What would you say if I told you you could kill yours?"
    Manxsome perks up at this.  "I'd say you're pulling my tail.  Where is he?  We have unfinished business, he and I, and I want to show him what he's never going to have again."  Now, the tail lashes with heightened interest.
    "Closer than you know," Gar teases, putting on the most evil smile he can imagine, curling a finger toward the bad kitty.  "How about I show, rather than tell?  Follow me."  He morphs into a tiger, another intentional choice, leaping down to the ground near a door into the warehouse that was left intentionally unlocked.  After changing back again, he opens said door and gestures inside with a flourish.  "Straight ahead.  After you."
    Once Manxsome is inside, it's time for the rest to take their positions.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna nods her head to Vivian, confirming, "No lasting damage.  No damage at all, ideally.  Though I understand if Terry wants to punch him for the inconvenience.  Or Rae decides that being allowed to hurt a Terry a bit is too good an opportunity to miss.  All in one piece, definitely."
    When Gar and DoppelTerry reach the door, she whispers, "That's our cue.  Wally, round the back.  Remember, stay closer than 200 feet from Viv so her cover stays up.  The rest of us close the trap as soon as they are inside.  Last through the door closes it behind them."
    Unslinging her lasso, Donna starts to move slowly and very quietly forwards, reaching to cut off any sudden attempts to run in the wrong direction that DoppelTerry might make.  He is, after all, a Terry.  They tend to do the unexpected and irrational.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    "Troia.  We both know that I would not hesitate to harm this Vorpal exactly as much as I want to, and that it would not be 'a little'," Raven chides, floating some few inches off of the ground.  Her expression does not shift in the slightest: she is quite serious.  Or, at least, she's seriously good at lying.  Both are equally likely.
    Holding her position, Raven keeps to herself after that, until Donna is practically leading the charge, in this context.  Frankly, this is probably just about the first time in recent memory that Raven didn't see Donna leap into a fight that may or may not have even been present at the time.  Stealth is of the utmost, of course—and for that, Raven is somewhat prepared, by refusing to touch the ground.
    This is when, suddenly, Kian is going to quite honestly and directly find himself fully courageous.  It is neither a slow, nor a gradual process, as Raven does not eat the fear—but she does rip it right out of him, essentially erasing the concept of fear from his psyche.
    The end result, of course, is that Raven's hand finally leaves its hoodie pocket, and congealed around it is a physical conglomerate of all of that fear, repurposed in the moment and forming into a sphere that could be called something akin to a grenade.
    Of Fear.

Wally West has posed:
    "I will gladly take the cloak."  Even if people could see Wally coming, they wouldn't really have time to do anything about it.  It would be odd to get squeamish about that now.
    "Roger, Donna."  Wally hops down to the back door, ready to phase through it.  He is taking a direct feed from Viv, and he is able to watch Manxy walk into their trap.  He readies for the sensor to indicate a rabbit hole forming.  He knows that he is the one responsible for knocking Manxsome away from the portals, and Wally is in fact fast enough to stay between the red cat and any path he might take.
    Wally gets down into a runner's stance and waits for the signal.

Vivian Vision has posed:
    "So long as everyone is inside a single building I should have no problem covering you all.  Although I am unable to move the images at super speed so please keep this in mind," Vivian assures, checking the registered plans for the building online.  Although in Bludhaven who can say if those plans will be anything like the actual building!  "Your T-Comm will indicate if you stray out of range."
    She drifts over to a central point above the building and gets ready to phase down through the ceiling when needed.  Using her enhanced senses to peek through skylight windows and craft suitable holographic illusions.
    A portion of her mind begins working on a detailed series of illusions that'll make it seem like Terry is back at the peak of his powers and is easily dispelling every portal Manxsome tries to make.  Dodging every attack and generally outclassing him in every possible way.
    She also tweaks the holo-Vorpal so he'll seem roughly ten percent more dapper than usual.  Slimmer around the waist and his muscles bulked up rather like he's been through an 80s training montage.  Some photo manipulation to act as psychological warfare.  Here's hoping Manxsome is vain enough for it to work!
    "Holographs are ready for deployment on your orders."

Kian has posed:
    If warehouses have a saving grace, it's that they are generally large structures with few if any walls, and often even have sensibly high ceilings.  If he must be indoors, this is acceptable.
    And then…
    And then he flits up into the girders and catwalks—and even seems to dim slightly.  It's occurred to him that if he absorbs some of the ambient light around him, he'll be less likely to be spotted.
    He flits forward towards the action, quickly and quietly.  This is not a surprise, everyone knows that he loves to fly and that he's very, very good at it.  What's probably surprising is that he's moving without hesitation.
    Kían experiences the absence of fear not as courage, but as confidence.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    And there he is—Terry, bound and seemingly beat-up, apparently handcuffed to the wall.
    "Well, I'll be fucking damned…"  Manxsome laughs, and slowly begins to approach Terry.  "…you actually did it."  The Cheshire smirks and crosses his arms, his steps slow down as he takes in the sight.  "We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?"
    Terry opens his eyes slowly, but remains quiet.
    "Is that any way to greet yourself?" the Cheshire mocks, slowly opening his hands to display his claws.
    "I have… something to say…."
    "Really now?"  Manxsome raises an eyebrow.
    "Your kiss left something to be desired."
    Manxsome tilts his head up, "What?"
    "Everything!"
    The Cheshire cat draws back his hand and suddenly the glowing blade appears in it.  "You think I'm going to take your bullshit sitting down?"
    "Why?" Terry asks, suddenly drawing his legs back, "your hemorrhoids acting up again?"
    Before Manxsome is ready to deliver the blow, Terry's feet slam against his kneecaps, causing the feline to yowl and lose his concentration (and the blade, for now).  The redhead tugs away from the handcuffs and they break away, and tries to put distance between himself and his other self.
    "Now!"

Donna Troy has posed:
    "That's it… we're up!"
    Donna doesn't wait a moment after giving the word, charging straight for the warehouse door, her lasso held ready in one hand, her shield raised in the other.  She enters noisily, kicking the door wide—but careful not to kick it too hard, because she intends for it to stay on its hinges.  She's just making sure her entrance is heard.
    "This is where your fun ends," she declares to Gar and DoppelTerry, wearing a slightly manic, bloodlusted sort of a grin.  "Down on the floor, hands on your heads, both of you.  Let's just take the 'the hard way is only hard on you' speech taken as read, huh?
    "But please, resist.  I'm getting annoyed at you doppelgangers and I'd be very happy to have the excuse to beat you both senseless."  She's almost licking her lips at the thought.  It's all part of the plan, of course.  She knows that this isn't really doppelGar, she's just selling it hard so that Gar will be free to act.
    Hopefully.  The truth is she's probably not joking about wanting the excuse to beat a few doppelgangers senseless.  She can't actually have forgotten that this Gar is the real thing….

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Waiting in the wings, as it were, Raven bolts into action as soon as Donna calls.  It's not a matter of, for this particular Titan, the cue to be given—Donna has to lead the charge.  That's coordination.  As soon as Troia has charged forward, Raven matches pace, pulling up behind her and clutching the pearlescent convalescence of shadow that she had formed from the fear in Kian's psyche.  He'll get it back eventually, but right now, she's just given him some pseudocourage.
    He'll… probably be fine.
    Landing aside Donna, she does her best to look threatening which—considering the nature of the everything about her is a moderately effortless endeavor.  Her eyes are alight with powers best left unnamed, and she stares at the doppelganger with a level of impassive disgust that cannot be properly put into words—akin to a pile of dung that's someone else's responsibility, but you're the one that happened upon it.
    "There is a version of events here that ends with you alive.  In order for us to see our way to that, it would be best if you surrendered, and peacefully submitted to the removal of what you have taken."
    Her tone darkens, and her eyes narrow.  "It will be harder for us to do what needs to be done if you are writhing in pain and screaming until your lungs have collapsed, but we are fully prepared to shoulder that hardship."

Gar Logan has posed:
    She'd better not have forgotten.  Neither had Raven, for that matter.
    Prior to that, Gar moves in with Manxsome, knowing Terry isn't really stuck in place.  However, no matter the best laid plans of mice and men, yadda yadda and so on and so forth.  Creatures of chaos are nothing if not completely unpredictable.
    Just about the time Terry is going for the legs, Donna springs the ambush.  "What?  No!  You followed me!  I don't know how, but somehow you did!  Get up, cat!  Time to get them!"
    Now, Gar turns into a gorilla.  It is, again, a calculated move.  Take a stronger, more threatening form to go into battle with the Titans, and make sure Manxsome knows it's on.  "I've been waiting to do this ever since I first saw you."  Surely he's got Donna in his sights, but the words herald the sudden sneak attack on Manxsome himself, a roar coming before a large hand grabs the cat by the shoulder, the other following with a strike to the face before he wraps his arms around the feline.
    "Got you.  Be smart for once and give up."

Wally West has posed:
    "If I know where the holograms are going to be, I can be there.  You are a life saver."
    Wally rolls his eyes as Terry talks to his doppelganger like Manxsome broke up with him, but he is still paying enough attention to notice that this sounds like something exciting is about to happen.  He tenses up, taking it as a ready.
    "Now!"
    Wally launches in full corner cutting mode (Wally is actually a dirty cheat when it comes to racing and will sometimes phase through barriers to shorten his journey if he feels like he has to) directly at the doppel.  Poor cat could not have possibly known what hit him.  Manx would have had slightly less than a millisecond to notice, as Wally throws a fist at the back of the cat's head, before continuing his path up the wall and away again.
    Donna starts talking to them and—oops.  Maybe he should have waited. He had not thought about talking it out.

Kian has posed:
    Kían drops to the floor not too far behind the doppelTerry.  "They are talkin' sense.  I know you do not do sense very well, but right now woul' be a very good time to try it for a change."  It probably means nothing to the doppel, who isn't likely to have any idea who the birdman is, but Kían's teammates may be surprised by his tone of voice.  He doesn't sound threatening—he never does—but he does sound serious.
    And then, for the lack of a better phrase, high speed violence happens, and Kían uncharacteristically takes it in stride.  "For ex-ample, there iss that."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    "You—you fucking traitor!"
    What caused Gar's doppelganger to turn Benedict Arnold Palmer*?  Did they offer him a place among them?  The place that his murdered double had left vacant?  They were all as sick as he was, but they merely pretended they weren't.  Manxsome begins to summon the blade again, to plunge it into this Gar.
    *WHAP*
    The sword disappears once again as high speed violence happens, and he might even pass out for a couple of seconds.  But, somehow, the cat comes back to his senses a few seconds later, even though his head feels like an egg someone tried to make an omelet out of it.
    But even a creature such as Manxsome knows when he's beaten.  Finding himself overwhelmed, he slowly lifts his hands in a gesture of surrender.
    But there is one last trick up his sleeve.  He attempts to open a Rabbit Hole to escape—
    And his expression of brief glee vanishes as the Rabbit hole vanishes as well, thanks to Vivian's illusions.
    He stops struggling.  He has been beaten.

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan keeps Manxsome in his grip, and he feels the passing and impact of Wally taking a shot of his own, but after the traitor claim is made and the feline believes the rabbit holes have failed him, the gorilla shoves the cat down to the floor and returns to normal.
    "See, here's the thing.  I'm not the Gar you know.  I just put on an Oscar-worthy performance to fool you, but the truth is it was easy after you gave me the clues I needed.  My evil twin thought he killed me, and I'll give him credit.  It should have been enough to finish me off, but it didn't.  I got better."
    The fourth and final form is shown, as he takes on the appearance of a bear.  "Now you're going to sit there all nice and quiet, and we're going to make my Terry whole again.  Otherwise, you might find out what it's like to be a jar of honey."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Manxsome knows the game is up, and is well and truly beaten.  When Donna steps forwards to make sure there will be no wriggling out, he's firmly under Gar's paw, and slipping the loop of rope over his shoulder to pull his arms in tight doesn't require any of the throwing accuracy she has trained so hard for.  She gives Gar a wink as she's doing it and says, "It was a great performance.  You really 'bear'ed your soul.  You know what, I'll leave the puns to you in future.
    "I guess you know a bit about us by now," she says conversationally to Manxsome.  "But apparently not enough to know just how different things are on our world than yours.  You managed to make yourself an enemy of the Titans, and that's a really dumb thing to do here.  On the other hand we're a lot nicer on our world, so you're going to get a chance to live.  Isn't that nice?  And yeah, you're probably thinking 'that's weak, and it gives me a chance'.  Drop that thought like it'll burn you, 'cos it will.
    "You are going to hand the powers back to our Terry.  Whether you do it willingly or we force you is up to you, but it's going to happen.  And then we're sending you back to your world, and you can make yourself useful by helping to rebuild it."  Donna circles behind him, checking the lasso is firm as she goes.  "I know your world needs it, other Terry.  I know because I've been there.  After we kicked ZZGU's ass and I hauled his bloated fat body into space on the end of my lasso, you know who got tied up with it next?"
    She leans forwards to hiss in Terry's ear.  "Zor-El.  The terrible tyrant.  The fear of your world."  She leans back again, and raps Manxsome on the back of his head, hard enough to make a noise but not really hard.  "And now you're the one who's tied.  You're moving up in the world!  You never had a chance.  But you do have a chance to make this easy on yourself."  She nods to Terry—the real Terry—and hands him the end of the lasso, then rests her hands on Manxsome's shoulders.
    "Give him back the powers you stole from him.  You can say no if you like, but it's going to happen either way."

Kian has posed:
    Kían flits overhead and touches down behind Terry, spreading his wings.
    It is a traditional display of opposition between two opposing qihár teams, and it is rooted in ancient aggression displays.  Probably it doesn't look aggressive, but it might look faintly menacing, and certainly Kían looks serious.  "You haf no choice.  You are broken, an' mus' be healed.  If you will not make the right choice, I can go into your min' an' help you make it."
    He might not be bluffing.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
    Manxsome stares at Garfield with an awed, but still pretty hateful, expression.  "Holy… fuck.  You people come back from the dead over here?"
    Maybe it's the notion that he is defeated and has no way to orchestrate a comeback, but Manxsome doesn't say a word after that.  Rather, he stares at Terry in defiance.  The gesture is very clear—he knows he's defeated, but he'll be dragged, kicking and screaming, the rest of the way.
    "Have it your way," Terry says, and wraps the glowing lasso around the Manxsome Foe.  It's interesting—the moment that the Lasso touches Manxsome, there is an immediate change in his body language, as if he were incredibly relaxed.  If it weren't for Donna's hand holding him fast, he might even appear… wobbly.  The Amazon, for her part, reaches over and holds Manxsome's eyelids open, because maybe A Clockwork Orange is one of Rae's favorite movies (Terry Hypothesis #212).
    Terry doesn't pay much attention to it, as he sets himself eye to eye with his Doppelganger and asks in a very clear voice:
    "What are the words I use to transform?"
    Manxsome is staring straight ahead with a gaze that is a little unfocused, but his mouth says the words without hesitation.
    "We're All Mad Here."
    Just as before, back in April's apartment, there is an explosion of light between the two figures and a multicolored arc forms between them.  This time, it's Terry who shouts out in pain, and the next time he returns to his human form he is going to find a V-shaped scar on his chest, right below the sternum, which will remain there henceforth.
    But that isn't important this moment.  The important thing is that after the light has flashed, a human Terry is being held captive, and Vorpal is the one holding the Lasso of Truth.
    "Holy shit… it worked!" Vorpal says, laughing all of a sudden, his hand still holding the lasso.
    And then he blinks a couple of times, and that same body language that appeared in his double now manifests itself in him.  Standing as he is, it comes across as that of an inebriated indiviual.
    "Whoa… I'm holding… 's the lasso of… lasso of Tru… toot…."  He laughs.  "It's the Lassho of Toosh!"
    And then he falls over on his side and dissolves into quiet giggles.  Clearly, being in contact with the Lasso of Truth is having some effect on him.  Donna might want to pry the rope out of his hands.

Gar Logan has posed:
    Gar Logan returns to normal, and he's giving Manxsome the lion's share of his attention.  Donna's helped get him subdued, Terry's taking over through use of the lasso… and even Kian is showing a side that is kind of unusual for him, leading to the green Titan splitting a little attention between bird and Raven.  Very suspect.
    But then the fireworks are about to happen.  Manxsome can't resist the words, and when it all happens Gar shields his eyes but still peers through a couple fingers.  "Damn, it… worked!" he exclaims, adding hastily, "I'm so glad you didn't try to make out with him again, and… you're not really understanding anything I'm saying right now, are you?"
    Instinct has him closer to the now-returned Vorpal, looking him over to ensure all is as it should be, and he frowns while looking down at the giggling cat.  "I think he's back to normal," he deadpans, hands at his hips before he glares at the Terry from the other world that's now left behind.  "Next… my 'twin,'" he says, a hint of a threat in his tone.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Yes Terry," Donna says in a gentle but definitely somewhat weary voice.  "You are holding the Lasso of Truth.  And you didn't even faint.  Well done."  She takes a hold of the lasso and flicks the end out of Terry's hand, ending the perilous connection between Chaos Cat and artefact of Ultimate Order.
    She gives another tug to the lasso, this time concentrating on making it felt at the other end, just enough of a jerk to let DoppelTerry know he isn't forgotten in the excitement.  "Oh… yeah, now I come to think of it, that was a different lasso I had ZZGU and Zor-El tied up in.  This is the lasso of Hestia, and those bound by it are forced to answer any question the holder puts to them truthfully.  I did tell you that you were going to return what you had stolen.  You got to be a good boy without even trying!  As a reward, you'll get a nice warm cell, an extra shot of the mind control cure, and a trip back to your own dimension paid for by the nice people at SHIELD."
    "Normal?" Donna says to Gar, slightly incredulously.  "I don't think the word applies to him.  'Usual' perhaps.  Want to carry him back to the tower and pour him into the sofa to recover?"
    She sighs and shakes her head.  "Of course it worked.  Because we did the obvious, sensible, rational things.  Rather than repeating things that had gone badly the last time we tried, or rushing around like spring… like headless chickens.  Because instead of frantically trying to solve problems alone, we did it as a team.  Because we are the Titans, Together."
    Donna stares down at the puddle of stoned Cat for a few moments, then gives up.  She glances at Wally, then at Kian, then turns to Rae, looks her in the eyes, shakes her head and sighs a little.  "Let's go home."

Kian has posed:
    "Normal iss such a relatif term," Kían remarks, also watching Terry giggling in a heap on the floor.  "But for Terry tavárik'h this iss prob'ly fairly normal."
    When Donna says it's time to go home, he looks at Gar.  "Are we goin' to haf to carry him?"