Hello everyone and welcome to my spooky after-midnight Oneshot. This is a little more intense than I'm used to writing, but that's what happens after midnight.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans! I do however own my other after-midnight inventions including 10 THOUSAND drug dealing, crime lord squirrels(evil can be cute too!), mystical, cow-terrorising doorknobs(this one even weirded me out), and elemental hair(don't ask).
P.S. For the sake of this story, pretend Tokyo never happened.
The 10 Little Titans
"Greetings friends!" Starfire greeted the arriving titans at the door, while Raven put the final touches on the decorations in the Common Room.
"Raven, when I asked you to repeat your freaky haunted house for Halloween, I didn't mean for you to make it this freaky."
Raven shrugged. Indeed she had made the room, and the rest of the tower, look rather freaky. The walls were dark and seemed to house secrets, every corner was eerie and strange figures seemed to dart around the room.
"Alright ya'll, the Halloween feast is ready!" Cyborg stood proudly over the snack table, looking down at everything he had worked so hard to make…or buy.
Cyborg looked up when Robin walked into the room, "Is everyone here yet?"
"We are now Sparky." Starfire walked in with Bumble Bee, the rest of Titans East behind them.
"Hey Bee! Where are the little Spanish Dudes?"
"Oh Mas is sick so Menos wanted to stay with him."
They were all interrupted by a loud panting as Terra ran into the room. "Guys! Guess who showed up?" A moment later Jinx appeared in the door way.
"Hey, come on in." Robin greeted the new heroin warmly. Starfire flew over and took her hand, "Yes, you must join us in the celebration of all things scary!"
And so the party went off without a hitch. Cyborg and Bee talked while Beast Boy either tried to interrupt them or chatted with Terra. Raven and Jinx got into a lengthy discussion about poetry which Jinx was just discovering, and Aqualad hungrily raided the snack table. Robin and Speedy, unbeknownst to the alien princess, were competing for her attention.
It started as a three way conversation, and escalated to a rather intense game of ping pong. Now, ping pong has no purpose at a Halloween party. But both boys were looking to compete and when Speedy had suggested the game, Robin had provided the equipment. Now Starfire watched the two boys duel with the small white orb, though she was still confused as to who Ping and Pong were.
The contest did not go unnoticed by the others. Soon they were all gathered around, cheering for one teen or the other.
Starfire cheered them both on, perhaps sensing that cheering for Robin would not be the wisest course of action.
The game continued to intensify as more balls were added. Soon four balls were whipping back and forth at dizzying speeds. The game may very well have continued on late into the night if it weren't for the view screen suddenly coming to light and filling the room with a bright glow that rather took away from the dark theme.
Everyone looked up simultaneously. Unfortunately this caused one of the ping pong balls that was heading for Speedy's head to hit it's target. "Ouch, hey!"
But Robin had completely lost interest in his spiky haired rival. Instead he studied the message on the screen. There was no picture, no audio, nothing that indicated the originator of the message. And the message itself was a…poem?
Jinx quickly recognised this as well and, thinking the poem to be the work of Raven, read it aloud.
"Ten Little Titans.
Ten little titans, standing in a line.
One got poisoned, and now there are nine.
Nine little titans, staying up late.
One shot himself, and now there are eight.
Eight little titans, wishing for heaven.
One flew too high, and now there are seven.
Seven little titans, trying things to fix.
One broke down, and now there are six.
Six little titans, looking for a hive.
One got stung, and now there are five.
Five little titans, locking every door.
One got eaten, and now there are four.
Four little titans, looking for a key.
One was hung up, and now there are three.
Three little titans, don't know what to do.
One got a burial, and now there are two.
Two little titans, not having any fun.
One had some bad luck, and now there is one.
One little titan, knew he was done.
He took his life, and then there were none."
Everyone stared at the poem in horror for a few minutes until Jinx finally broke the spell, "Wow Raven, that was creepy. Good, but creepy."
"Yes Raven, your writing is most, fear inspiring." Starfire shivered slightly and stepped closer to Robin.
"I didn't write it."
"SAY WHAT? Girl, no one else here could write something that depressing!"
Raven glared at Cyborg. Beast Boy chimed in, "Yeah Raven, we know it was you. You're in charge of the decorations. This is a, um, nice touch!" But even he looked seriously weirded out.
Robin looked Raven in the eye, "Did you write it?"
"I already told you, it wasn't me. I don't know who wrote it or how it ended up here."
Robin nodded, "That's good enough for me then. It must just be a Halloween prank."
"A stupid Halloween prank." Terra looked miffed, as did the rest of them. Of course, they were all just trying to hide the insecurities and fears that the poem had inspired.
After a moment of silence Starfire cleared her throat, "How about a game of scrabble? Raven was explaining it to me and conceivably it could be fun."
All of the boys looked at each other with a she's-got-to-be-kidding look on their face. Terra on the other hand, was thrilled. "Hey, that's a great idea! Come on guys, let's play!" Her enthusiasm wore off on the others and soon they were all seated around the board with letter tiles.
Terra went first. T-R-U-S-T
Raven was next. T-R-A-I-T-O-R
Beast Boy added his. T-O-F-U
Cyborg seemed to have his answer ready. Y-U-C-K
Speedy seemed proud of his. C-O-O-L
Until Bumble Bee went. L-O-O-S-E-R
Jinx, after scrutinising her tiles carefully used Bee's O. H-O-T
Aqualad quickly used Bee's R. A-I-R
Robin put down his tiles using Aqualad's A. A-D-O-R-E
Starfire blushed and looked at her tiles before making use of Robin's R. R-O-B-I-N
And so the game continued, everyone putting down whatever their tiles allowed.
It was almost midnight when Aqualad stood up, "Will you look at the time? I'm starved." He turned and began walking to the table when a funny feeling swept through him. He suddenly felt cold and sweaty and he stopped dead.
Bumble Bee looked at him strangely, "Everything alright?"
He turned around slightly, his face as pale as Raven's and looked at her, "I, don't know." Suddenly he felt light headed and collapsed to his knees. Instantly the titans were around him, trying to figure out what was wrong and what they could do about it.
Aqualad watched them through half closed eyes. He could feel his heart slowing down, his body getting sluggish. He wanted to tell them, but couldn't. Pain in his stomach grew until he was ready to just give up on everything. He could see panic in his friend's eyes as he started to close his own, but he didn't care. He just needed the pain to stop.
Robin looked up from his position at Aqualad's head. "He's dead."
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Everyone huddled in groups outside the infirmary door. Cyborg and Robin were inside, trying to figure out the cause of death. Crying had long since stopped, and now they simply waited in mournful silence.
They all jumped when the door slid open and Cyborg stepped out looking grave, if you'll pardon the expression. "We've confirmed the cause of death. Aqualad was poisoned."
Everyone gasped simultaneously. Bee got mad. "Ok, I want to know what's going on here! Sparky, you made that food. And Aqualad ate more of it than any of us. What did you put in it?"
Cyborg raised his hands in defence, "It wasn't my food, I swear."
Robin walked out from behind Cyborg and ended any further comments, "We need to get out of here, get Aqualad some place else."
Everyone agreed, no longer in the mood for a party. They were nearing the doors, Aqualad's body being carried by Speedy and Cyborg, when an alarm went off. Suddenly the doors sealed themselves. All around the tower, every possible exit sealed itself. Titans tower turned into an impenetrable fortress.
"What?" Robin rushed to the nearest computer console and began typing furiously. After a moment he stepped back with a frown. "I'm locked out. And the tower's gone into full lock down. Nothing's getting in or out."
After much discussion it was finally agreed that rooms would be given to the visitors and everyone would try and get some sleep. As Speedy had said, "It's already 1 am and getting later. We'll need our energy tomorrow to try and break out of this super fort."
TTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTG
Just as Bee was about to climb into her bed something occurred to her that made her wonder where her mind had been. In the poem they had read, the first titan died of poisoning. And Aqualad had died because he was poisoned. Could it be that someone, the writer of the poem perhaps, had this thing planned out?
She quickly left the room and then paused, wondering who she should take her news to. She'd feel comfortable talking to Cyborg, but Robin would want to know right away. Or should she share her idea with her team first? Or, what was left of it. Somehow it was that thought that drove her to Speedy's room. She knocked on the door. In reply she heard the quiet swish of an arrow.
"Speedy, open up, I need to talk to you."
Still nothing.
Now irritated, she slid the door open, "If you're doing your hair and ignoring me I swear I will-"
She paused as she caught sight of Speedy leaning against the far wall. Well, perhaps pinned would be a better word. Pinned to the far wall by his own arrow which could be seen protruding from his chest.
Bumble Bee opened her mouth to scream and was startled when a loud ear-splitting noise came out.
TTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTGTTG
Cyborg was jolted out of his charging and sleep by a loud scream. "Bee." He jumped up, disconnected himself and ran towards her room. Finding it empty though, he went towards Speedy's room, figuring she may have been discussing Aqualad's death with her team mate.
He burst into Speedy's room and found Bee in front of him, eyes wide, face pale. He put his hands on her shoulders, "What is it?"
Just then the rest of the titans appeared in the door way, each eagerly awaiting her answer. To satisfy them, she raised one slender arm and pointed a finger in Speedy's direction.
All eyes turned to the impaled teen and within seconds Starfire was in tears, with Robin trying to comfort her.
That was too much for Bee. She too broke down in tears. "First Aqualad and now Speedy. Why?" Cyborg pulled her into a hug and turned her so she could not see her former team mate.
Raven looked Speedy over. It was obvious that he had not taken his own life. He would not have been able to plunge the arrow into his chest at such an angle. The poisoning could have been an accident. But this wasn't. So that begged the question, who did it?
Robin seemed to have reached the same conclusion, because when their eyes met, he gave her a small, understanding nod. He kept one arm around Starfire however, the other stroking her hair, as he allowed her to cry into his chest.
Beast Boy left the room suddenly, and the sound of hurling could be heard coming from down the hall. The other titans were just horrified.
Cyborg pulled away from Bee slightly, "Let's get him to the infirmary." And so Beast Boy came back and made a horse out of himself. Cyborg placed Speedy on his back and they took him to the infirmary. There they removed the arrow and laid him down on one of the five beds, next to Aqualad.
As soon as they had left the death filled room Bee spoke up, "We have to get out of here, now. It's the poem, someone is trying to kill us all. In the poem the first titan dies of poisoning and the second dies when he shoots himself. Aqulad died of poisoning and Speedy got shot with his own arrow."
"I agree. Split up. Let's find a way out of here. Cyborg, you and Bee work on the computer and security system. Raven, you do your thing. Jinx and Beast Boy, see if you can get out on the roof. Terra, you try the basement. Starfire and I will see if we can find any other way out."
Everyone nodded and went their respective ways. Robin and Starfire started with the common room. But although they tore the room apart, they could not break through to the outside world. They decided to go onto the gym next, as it had one wall that was on the outside of the tower.
When they reached the dark training room Starfire shivered, "I wish there was someplace nicer we could be."
"Don't worry Star." He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to make her look at him, "I won't let anything happen to you."
She nodded and smiled slightly, trusting him completely. She flew up a little ways and began pounding on the wall. Realising there wasn't a whole lot he could do while she worked on the wall he said, "I'll be right back Star, I'm just going to go into the gym's control room." He could look at the computers and also keep an eye on Star that way.
Starfire, having no luck lower down, flew up to the top of the wall, trying to break through there.
Robin had just arrived in the control room and looked out the window when he saw Starfire falling, plummeting towards the gym floor. "STARFIRE!" Her limp form did not respond and he watched in mounting horror as her body slammed into the floor.
"STARFIRE!" He raced back out into the gym and was at her side in an instant. Her eyes were closed and her lips were blue. He felt her pulse, nothing. Rolling her onto her back he quickly discovered she wasn't breathing either. Without even stopping to think about it he started CPR on her, alternately trying to get her heart to beat and trying to force air into her lungs. It didn't work.
Robin could feel tears welling up behind his mask as he continued trying desperately to save the girl he loved, even though in the back of his mind he already knew it was too late. If she hadn't started coming back by now, she never would. But still he refused to believe that Star was dead and kept trying.
He wasn't sure how much time went by before he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She's dead Robin. You can't save her."
"Raven, I. She can't be." Robin stared at the girl in his arms, feeling more helpless and lost than he ever had in his life. He moved a strand of her ruby hair away from her face and was suddenly glad that her eyes were closed. He didn't think he would be able to bear seeing Starfire's sparkly eyes, so full of life, empty and dead.
"She is. Take her to the infirmary Robin." Raven knew she should be acting a little more sympathetic. She knew how much Starfire meant to Robin, how much this was killing him. But she was hurting a lot too, Starfire had been her best friend. She was dealing with it the best she could.
Robin nodded numbly and picked Starfire's lifeless body up bridal style. Raven must have contacted the others because by the time Robin reached the infirmary everyone else was waiting.
Bee was crying again, as well as Beast Boy. Jinx and Terra both looked horrified and Raven and Cyborg were obviously fighting back an onslaught of tears. Robin didn't bother to hide his, which flew freely out from under his mask and down his face. He placed Star on the third bed and Cyborg put a hand on his arm.
"I'm going to find out what happened Robin." He tried to keep his own tone even and gentle, yet firm. Not easy when each eye is damming up it's own Colorado river of tears. "Go wait with the others, I'll be there soon."
Robin didn't want to leave Starfire's side, but when Cyborg pushed him towards the door he finally left. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, burying his head in his hands. No one said anything. They had all either known or suspected that he had a thing for Starfire but now they knew just how deep the feelings had gone.
It was half an hour later that Robin was pacing and starting to feel rather restless to be doing something productive when Cyborg finally came out. "Well, what took so long?"
"All the signs pointed to her suffocating, as if she'd been trying to breathe in a thin atmosphere. But since this we're talking about Starfire, the girl who flies in space without a suit or mask, I double checked everything. As far as I can tell, her body stopped getting oxygen. If she were human I would say she was simply up too high, but I don't know what really happened."
For a second Robin looked as if he were going to punch someone out and Cyborg stepped back, knowing he would be the easiest target. Then Robin's face suddenly took on its leader expression again, "We need to look at that poem."
And so they all filed down to the common room to read it again. Everyone agreed that Starfire matched the description of the third titan to die. "We need to figure out who's next." Robin stared thoughtfully at the poem, and then looked around at his friends. "Cyborg."
"Yes?"
"No, I mean Cyborg, you're next. It says the next titan broke down. You're the only one here that could be talking about."
Cyborg looked a little frightened for a minute but then he frowned in a determined sort of way. "There are seven of us left. Let's split up into teams and see if we can get the computers or security system fixed."
Robin nodded, that was a good idea. "Cyborg, you Bee and Terra. Beast Boy and Raven. Jinx you're with me." And so they split up once again, Cyborg and his group heading down to basement to work on the main power grid. Raven with Beast Boy looking over her shoulder, set to work on the computers in the common room. Robin and Jinx set about trying to work the controls that opened the individual doors to the outside. If Robin could not open them, Jinx tried to Hex them open.
No one had any success. Cyborg hit the main frame in frustration. Bee looked at him sadly. "How about I get us all some hot cocoa?"
Cyborg's head shot up immediately, "NO! I mean I don't want you to go alone."
Bee put her hands on her hips, "No one's touchin' me Sparky."
"Still…just stay here?"
Bee frowned, "How about if I take Terra with me?"
"No! I mean, then Cyborg would be alone. And, we can't leave him alone." The three exchanged glances.
"Ok, tell you what. Let me try one more thing, and then we'll all go and get some cocoa."
The girls smiled and both leaned back against the wall to wait. Cyborg stuck the top half of his body back into the wiring and circuitry and began fiddling with something.
Suddenly there were loud sparks that emitted from the main frame and Cyborg stopped moving. "Sparky? CYBORG!" Bee rushed forward, Terra on her heels, and together they pulled him from the circuitry.
Instead of glowing a healthy blue, his robotic half was dead black. Bee felt his pulse, "He's still alive! We have to get the others!"
Terra dashed off to try and find some help. Bee meanwhile, with much effort, managed to lift Cyborg and slowly started the long ascent up the stairs and to the next floor. Why the Titan's elevator didn't go down to the basement she would never know.
She had just reached the top of the stairs when Terra ran around the corner with Raven and a green cheetah. Raven took Cyborg with her powers and brought him to the infirmary, a place she was really starting to hate.
Terra had called Robin and Jinx on her communicator and they met them. "What happened?" Robin made the demand angrily.
"Hey, it's not our fault. We were watching him the whole time. He was in the middle of working and he just…shut down."
Robin tried to get his cybernetic friend up and running again to no avail. "Ugh! The only one who can fix Cyborg is himself. Or gizmo. But we can't get to him. It's only a matter of time before the rest of him shuts down completely. His mind is already dead."
Terra turned a suspicious eye to Jinx, "Unless he is here. How do we know that Jinx didn't let her little friends in here? Perhaps they're taking revenge for all of the times we've kicked their sorry butts."
"Hey! Those guys are not my friends anymore! And if you think I'm responsible for all of this-"
"Enough. Calm down, both of you. Terra's right, we need to find out which one of us is doing this."
A chorus of not-me's resounded. Robin felt like slapping his face. "As much as I hate to say it, Terra has a point. We need to search the tower for any members of the hive five. Or anyone else for that matter." The last part was added as a sort of afterthought.
Jinx looked ticked off. Beast Boy ran up to Robin, "We're not going to split up again are we?"
"We'll go in pairs of two Beast Boy."
"But if one of us is the killer, then the other half of the pair will end up dead!"
"At least we'd know who the killer is." Upon receiving reproaching glares from everyone, Raven shrugged, "Sorry."
"Fine, we'll all go on our own then. Raven, basement. Terra, next floor up. Bee, you're next. Then Beast Boy, then Jinx and finally me. Search everywhere and everything."
Everyone nodded and split up to go to their respective floors.
After a complete search of her assigned floor, Raven returned to the Common Room. Robin showed up next, followed closely by Jinx, Terra and finally Beast Boy. Robin looked up at the poem and suddenly found the blood draining from his face, "Where's Bumble Bee?"
As one they turned and ran for the third floor of the tower. They scowered it until Jinx's terrified scream brought them all to the washroom. There, on the floor, lay Bee. Although she was barely recognisable. Her body and face were swollen almost beyond recognition. Her eyes had been forced closed by all of the welts on her face, and it was clear that she was not alive. Her mouth and nose too had been forced shut. She had suffocated.
The all stared at her for a moment. "I'm glad Cyborg isn't here to see this." As soon as she said it, Raven regretted it. It hadn't come out like she'd meant for it to. But no one glared. In fact, they seemed to agree.
"We'll leave her here for now. We've got the living to worry about." They returned to the Common Room where Robin began to study the poem. "We need to figure out who's going to die in what order."
As the colour drained out of everyone's face he corrected himself, "I mean, who's going to be targeted, and in what order."
After a few minutes of studying the poem though, they were no closer to any answers. "Those could apply to any of us!" Jinx looked at the screen with anger, waiting for a clue to jump out and bite her.
No one noticed Beast Boy slipping away towards the door. He really needed the bathroom, but somehow found himself not wanting to announce this to the others. He'd only be a moment.
"I'm going to lock down this room, no one is getting in or out."
"What?" Beast Boy had just stepped through the door when he heard Robin. "But-" he was cut off by the door slamming in his face. "Guys! GUYS!" He pounded on the door, trying to regain entry into the room.
Robin, realising that he had just locked Beast Boy out, quickly tried to open the doors. It didn't work. "It's not working!"
Jinx hexed the door and Raven hit it with her own powers. It didn't make any difference.
Suddenly something banged heavily against the door. Sounds of a struggle and claws on metal followed. Robin pounded on the door, "Beast Boy, are you ok?" For a moment there was no response, and then Beast Boy's agonised scream filled the tower.
Raven's eyes widened. "No." Gritting her teeth she poured her energy into the door. Finally, it gave in to her and she flung it open. Suddenly, she wished she hadn't.
What was left of Beast Boy was a tangled mess. He looked like he had been chewed and spit out. And judging from the mass of claw marks that marred the hallway, perhaps he had.
Terra immediately turned away, burying her head in her hands as huge sobs wracked her body. Jinx stood there with her mouth hanging open. Robin felt week in the knees and leaned heavily against the wall. Raven however stepped forward and laid one hand on what used to be Beast Boy's face. "I'm sorry."
Robin looked up, "This can't be real. Raven, if must be your fear again. You're doing this. Something scared you, maybe that poem."
"No Robin. I was scared then, and I'm terrified now. I'm not trying to deny it. My powers have been working up till now…" she shook her head, "it isn't me."
Robin stood bolt upright, "But on the off chance that it is you, that means that the others are still alive, and only appeared to be dead to us. Let's get Beast Boy to the infirmary and check."
And so, with Raven levitating Beast Boy's corpse behind her, they made their way back to the infirmary. Robin placed his hand on the pad that activated the door and waited for it to slide open. Nothing happened.
He punched in a code…nothing. He slammed his fists against the door, once again without result.
Raven could feel her emotions bubbling over. She laid Beast Boy gently down and then walked around the corner. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath Metrio-"
Meanwhile the other three were trying in vainly to break down the door. It was Jinx who finally did it, hexing the walls around the door so they gave way and the door fell open. "Great job! Ok Raven, bring Beast Boy in here. Raven?"
Robin could see the changeling's remains on the ground, but not Raven. Although he desperately wanted to go to Starfire's side, see if perhaps by some strange twist of fate she was alive, he knew he had to make sure Raven was ok first. "Raven, where are you?"
The three teens walked back down the hall they'd come up and around the corner. Jinx fainted, Terra screamed and Robin did fall to his knees.
In front of him Raven hung from a noose, her lifeless eyes wide with horror. She had seen whatever had done this to her, and now she had taken her secret to the grave.
"No."
Terra seemed to loose it then. She slapped Jinx to life, grabbed both her and Robin, and bolted. She ran and ran until they entered the common room once again. Then she stopped. "We're all going to die. One of you has killed everyone, and soon it's going to be my turn."
"It wasn't me!" But a little of Jinx's defiance had drained out of her.
"Well, I know it wasn't me either, but I can't expect you to believe that."
"Robin, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know! I just don't know." Robin felt totally lost. He didn't understand what was happening, much less how to fight it. This wasn't something he could punch or throw an exploding disk at.
Terra walked over towards the far wall, "I think we should-" She cut off as the wall itself began to rumble. Suddenly she gasped, and the wall clapsed upon her.
Robin and Jinx were at the rubble instantly, pulling away chunks of the large wall from where they were sure Terra had been. But neither of them were especially strong and they could not move most of the pieces. Finally Jinx stood back, "There isn't any point. The only one who could have moved this stuff is Terra, and if she could have she would have done it by now." Jinx glanced up at the poem which seemed to be leering down at her. "She got a burial. And I'm next."
"Don't say that. We're going to get out of this."
"No we're not Robin. Look, I am the master of bad luck remember? I know when something is hopeless. Everything has gone just the way the poem had said it would. And the last titan alive is a he, which means that I'm the next to die. I'm going to have some bad luck and then you'll be left alone."
"Stop it!" Robin couldn't believe how easily she seemed to have accepted her fate, as if it was written in stone. "Look, sit down. Sit still, don't move. I'm going to sit across from you. I don't see how anything can happen that way."
And so they did. Robin all the while was trying to piece things together. There was something nagging at him about the poem and what had happened so far. And some of the things that had been said. There was a connection, he could feel it. The answer was there. But try as he may he simply couldn't make the pieces fit.
Jinx didn't know how much time had passed, but when she looked at the clock she realised it was almost morning. She got up and began to pace in front of the couch, although Robin argued against it at first.
The silent pacing continued for many a minute before a loud cracking noise was heard and Jinx suddenly found herself a whole lot shorter than she remembered being. Looking down she realised what had happened. The floor beneath one of her feet had given way, and her right leg had fallen in.
Immediately she tried to pull it out, but the sharp metal of the floor had bent downwards and now refused to let her up without a fight. Of course, Robin had been at her side the moment the floor had cracked, alternating between freaking out and trying to figure out what had happened.
Jinx braced herself and tried to pull her leg from the floor, and only succeeding in gouging it. She gasped in pain and Robin wrapped his gloved hands around her leg. "Take a deep breath."
She did. He pulled. She screamed. It wasn't the metal tearing into her leg that had hurt her so bad, she could have handled that. But somehow her leg had brushed against a live, exposed electrical wire. And it had transferred it's energy through her.
She knew she was going to die. No one could feel like she did and live. Looking up into Robin's face she mouthed, "Just a little bad luck."
Then, for the second time that day, Robin held a dead woman in his arms.
Robin carefully laid the pink haired sorceress down. He had doubted her, thinking she was behind this. Now he regretted it. She was as innocent as him.
With a final look at her, he began his trek back to the infirmary. On the way he stopped to pay homage to Bumble Bee, a fellow leader. Once he was near the infirmary he spotted Raven, still hanging.
Without hesitation he pulled out a Bird-a-rang and cut her loose. He caught her before she could slump to the floor and laid her down carefully, respectfully. "Maybe now you'll finally find the peace and tranquility you've sought for so long."
He kissed her lovingly on the forehead. He would miss her. They shared a bond, and she knew him like no one else did. She was like his sister. And he had always felt responsible for her in a way. But now, there was nothing more he could do for her.
Chocking back tears he moved around the corner to where the tangled mess of the former Beast Boy lay.
Robin was suddenly over come with the need to make a lame joke, "I guess this means you won't be eating any more tofu dogs." And suddenly, he understood why Beast Boy joked and goofed off so often. He wasn't being stupid, it was his defence mechanism. He had been through as much as any of them. They only way he could stop himself from becoming dark like Raven or obsessive like himself was to laugh at everything.
"I swear Beast Boy, if you come back to me I will laugh at every joke you make." Robin was sure that somehow, just to spite him, Beast Boy would appear; alive and well and as full of corny jokes as ever. And Robin would be doomed to laugh at them forever. Nothing would have made him happier.
He turned away and walked into the infirmary, which he noted was now open. He stood between Aqualad and Speedy. "Aqualad, you were a good guy. Atlantis is going to miss you, and so am I. Speedy, you were, difficult, but you were cool. I wish it could be me on that bed instead of you." Had there been a lie detector in the room it would have purred with contentment at hearing the truth.
Robin walked over to look at Cyborg. The computer indicated that he was completely dead now. "I know we got on each other's nerves sometimes buddy, but you didn't deserve this. I want you to know, if you can hear me from way up there in Heaven, you were like a brother to me. I never really felt like your rival, in reality I was jealous of you. You started out as an ordinary human, like me. But then you were given everything. You could do amazing things. And you were tall. You have no idea how much it bugged me that you were so tall!" Robin stopped, realising he was rambling.
And so he turned to the final Titan, his best friend. And suddenly his mouth seemed to fill with saliva and his eyes with tears. He wanted to say something extra special for her, but nothing would come out.
He ran a hand over her silky cheek and did the only thing he could. He took of his mask. He had wanted to show her for so long, and as usual, he was just a little too late. Tears flowed freely now from his aqua eyes and landed on Starfire's lips. Robin immediately wiped his eyes. Then, wishing he had done this a long time ago, he bent over and kissed Starfire's cold lips softly.
He pulled away from her and turned around quickly. He had to find a way out. He wasn't going to take his own life. As long as he was alive, the memory of his friends could live on. He had said good-bye to all of them. And then, suddenly, it was as if he had been stumbling in a dark room and someone had handed him a flashlight. Everything was clear. Well, perhaps not everything. But the pieces were coming together.
The infirmary doors were locked just when they had wanted to go in, thus causing them to "look for a key." But now they were open. If the titans were all dead, then there was someone else doing this. Or perhaps, one of them wasn't dead at all. There was only one titan who had not seen dead. One body that he hadn't had to face.
He returned to the common room at a fast run and inspected the pile of rubble that Terra was supposedly buried under. If she was dead, it wouldn't matter what he did. And if she was alive, she wouldn't be there anymore so it still wouldn't matter. Pulling two disks from his belt he threw them at the pile, shielding his face as they exploded.
When the dust had finally settled enough for him to see he lowered his arm and looked at the space where the pile used to be. There was a hole in the wall just big enough for someone to climb through. And someone obviously had.
Terra had been the one that suggested they search for the hive five, thus leading them to be "searching for a hive." She had also had access to most of the titans when they died. But not all. She had been nowhere near Starfire at the time she suffocated. And that's when Robin knew, Terra must have had outside help. She was working with someone, or for someone. But who?
Robin leaned against the back of the couch and was suddenly struck by the irony of Bumble Bee dying by what appeared to be a thousand bee stings. Or Starfire dying by suffocation. Or Beast Boy getting chewed up by some kind of creature…he pressed his hands to the side of his head, trying to shake the thoughts away. Suddenly it all seemed like too much. They were gone, all of them!
He stumbled forward and was startled by a metallic sound that came from under his boots. Looking down he found a large knife by his feet. It would be so easy just to end it all, so easy.
Robin bent down, picked up the knife, and stood back up. He stared at it hard, turning it over and over in his gloved hand. And then…he dropped it. "It's over Terra. I know you're behind this. And you've failed. I won't take my own life, so your sick poem will never be complete."
He waited and although he was expecting a reply he still jumped when he heard Terra's voice from behind him. "You know, for someone Slade wants so badly, you are pretty stupid."
"You're working for Slade." More pieces of the puzzle fell together. But still, although this bore some traces of Slade, it also seemed a little out of his style. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill them?"
Terra snorted and for the first time Robin realised she was no longer wearing her own uniform, but a new one with silver and what looked like mummy bandages. Weird. "I wish. Slade wouldn't let me really kill them. I just had to make you believe that I did."
Robin's masked eyes widened as he tried to digest that, "But, how?"
Terra rolled her own eyes, "Ever hear of Cyrolamen? Never mind, you haven't have you? It's a rare and illegal drug that slows the body down to the point that it appears completely dead. It can also be manipulated to provide whatever the body needs during a period of time so that it does not require anything from outside. So you see, that allowed me to do anything I wanted with their bodies."
Robin thought this over. Some of them could still be alive then. "Beast Boy?"
"Well even I can't keep a person alive while making them look like that. So I had to use a random body. You'll find Beast Boy and the other one that I had to substitute eventually."
"Why did you do this Terra?" Robin asked the question through gritted teeth, barley restraining himself from tearing her apart.
"I've been studying you for weeks now, learning everything I could. But there were a few things Slade wanted to find out, things I couldn't. So we organised this. Congratulations, I think he liked what he found out."
Releasing a scream of rage Robin leapt forward with a spinning kick that send Terra flying across the room. She hit the wall with a thud and slumped to the floor. Robin walked up to her, prepared to punch the living day lights out of her when a piece of the rubble from the wall slammed into his side.
As Robin was picking himself off the floor he heard a sound from behind him that sent chills down his spine. "Now Robin, It's me you should be angry at."
Robin spun around and dived at Slade, only to have him sidestep. Robin crouched into a roll and sprang back up, immediately turning around and throwing a punch at Slade's face. And another, and another. The villain kept dodging until Robin feigned a right and then hit his enemy with a sharp uppercut from his left.
Slade staggered back.
"Are you happy? Did putting me and everyone else through hell tell you what you wanted to know?"
Slade's voice was triumphant yet menacing, "Yes Robin. Now I know everything about you. I know how you feel about each of your teammates. I know how you react under the worst type of pressure. I know how you react to death." Slade leaned forward "I know you."
"No!" Robin tried again to hit the man but Slade easily dodged the enraged teenager and kicked him hard in the side.
When Robin looked up Slade was standing beside Terra. "Come apprentice. Robin, you can expect to hear from me soon. Very soon."
And with that they were gone. Robin wanted to chase after them, but he couldn't. Sprinting over to the far side of the room he knelt by Jinx's body and quickly felt for a pulse. At first there was nothing, but a moment later a week pulse began to show itself.
He shook her gently, "Jinx, Jinx wake up." No response. Her breathing was just starting to manifest itself again and Robin figured it would be a while before she was awake.
He sat back on his heels, trying to think of which of the titans would have had to of been replaced. Speedy and Beast Boy for sure. Perhaps Raven and Bee. But perhaps not. If what Terra had said was true then the worst thing that would have happened to Raven would be a nasty red mark on her neck. And as for Bee, if she hadn't been replaced she was going to have to suffer with a lot of nasty stings or, whatever they were.
Robin started his search in the basement, looking for Beast Boy or one of the others. He stopped on the third floor when he came to Bee. He quickly determined that she was in fact still herself. The swelling had gone down immensely, though not completely. Her breathing and pulse were normal although she too refused to wake up.
So Robin left her as well and kept going. It was in the shower that he found Speedy. His hands had been tied to the shower head and he hung limply from them. Robin quickly cut him loose and laid him on the tiled floor. He seemed to be fine except that he wouldn't wake up. Robin tried throwing some cold water on him but it had no effect.
And so he too was left behind as Robin continued to comb the tower. He found Beast Boy in his own bed, sleeping peacefully. Robin was rather startled by this discovery as it didn't seem to match with the rest of Terra's style. Perhaps everything she had done while being here at the tower had not been a complete lie after all.
Robin left Beast Boy to sleep and made his way to the infirmary. Along the way he stopped at Raven. Aside from the angry red line on her throat that was a sharp contrast to her pale grey skin she seemed ok. Her eye lids even fluttered when he tried to wake her. "Beast Boy?" Robin could barley make out Raven's words before she seemed to slump back into unconsciousness.
He picked her up and carried her into the infirmary, noticing along the way that the corpse they had believed belonged to Beast Boy was now gone. As was 'speedy.' He lay Raven down in the bed that had been occupied by the fake Speedy and then turned to Cyborg. The human side of the robotic teen was fully functioning and when Robin tried to switch his machine side back on, it worked.
Robin quickly left him to come to life on his own and, passing by Aqualad, ran to Starfire's side. He took her hand in his own, noticing that her lips had returned to a rosy colour and her skin had it's healthy orange glow back. "Star, Starfire. Wake up. Please?"
Starfire groaned and her eyelids flickered for a second. Robin frowned when they didn't open. He needed to see those eyes open, to know for sure he hadn't lost her. He took off his glove and gently caressed her face with his bare hand. "Starfire I need you to wake up."
It took a few minutes but finally Starfire's eyelids parted to reveal the sparkling yet confused green orbs underneath. "Robin?"
He didn't answer her. He had seen her eyes and he knew she was alive. That was enough for him. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her up and into an embrace. "Robin, our friends. Are they…?"
"No Star, they'll be alright." He felt her relax against him and she hugged him back.
"Robin, how did I get here?" She wanted to ask why he was acting like he was never going to see her again, but refrained.
Robin pulled back to look at her, "I, we, thought you were dead." He winced at the shocked and frightened look on her face and quickly put a finger to her mouth before she could say anything. "I'll explain everything once the others are awake."
She nodded and arranged herself on the bed better so she was sitting on the edge and facing Robin. And that was when the memory of all that had happened came back to her. She couldn't stop hot tears from running down her face so she tried to turn away from Robin so he wouldn't see them.
Robin wanted to comfort Star but didn't know exactly what to say. So instead he put his hand under her chin and turned her to look at him. And then he kissed her. Soft and sweet. When he pulled away he smiled at her expression which managed to look both shocked and dreamy at the same time. "When I thought you were dead, it just about killed me to know that I had never told you how I felt. Now, I want you to know. Just in case anything else ever-"
It was Starfire's turn to place a gentle finger on his lips. "Shhh." She leaned forward and whispered to him, "I love you as well Robin." And then she kissed him.
"Well it's about time!"
Both teens jumped and pulled apart guiltily, turning to see eight titans watching them with identical grins on their faces.
Robin and Starfire both blushed profusely. That is until they noticed Cyborg and Bee holding hands. And Raven and Beast Boy were standing unusually close which was a big thing for them. Robin nodded towards Cyborg and Bee, "It looks like we're not the only ones."
Cyborg grinned. Aqualad however had a puzzled look on his face, "What happened?"
Robin sighed. "I'll explain everything. But you might want to sit down."
And that folks, is the end of my spooky Halloween Oneshot!
But there are still a lot of questions unanswered aren't there? Why didn't Slade just kill them all? What was he really trying to find out? Did he want Robin to kill himself? He said that Robin is going to be hearing from him soon, what does that mean?
The answer: I HAVE NO IDEA! That's why it's a Oneshot! But if you've got a good idea for how this could go, review and tell me. If I get enough reviews (And I mean a lot!) or a really good idea, I MIGHT add more to this story.
So what that all means is REVIEW!! I LOVE REVIEWS! Reviews keep me happy and a happy author is one that does more writing. And if you don't review, I will send my 10 THOUSAND evil squirrels after you! MWAHAHAHAHA!