(Author's Note: I do not own Teen Titans, superheroes, or busses. However, I do claim credit for my plot and OCS! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!)

.:Chapter One:.

An Apprentice, A Prisoner

The sound of crumbling earth filled the air. A huge beast, resembling a giant piece of stone, roared to the heavens as it raised its arms and chanted its victory. Around it, the remains of buildings and automobiles lay in ruins. People were fleeing in terror from the frightening creature, their screams filling the air. Standing at the top of one building was a dark figure - a man with a mask half bronze, half black. His one visible eye stared with little expression, though there was a confidence about him that suggested he was enjoying the spectacle. Suddenly a burst of green flew through the air, striking the beast on the neck. It roared in fury, turning to meet those foolish enough to take on its massive power. Three objects, surrounded by a dark aura, seemed to fling themselves at the stone-beast. It flung its arm out to batter the busses away, its empty black eyes searching. And then it saw her - floating in midair with her arms raised out, her hands surrounded by that same black aura that the busses had possessed. The beast growled as it approached her, but another girl, red-haired with glowing green eyes, flew from the beast's left and struck him with another green burst. The masked man's eye narrowed and he hunched his shoulders forward, almost like a predator in sight of his prey.

"The time is coming." He said softly, one finger pressed against a small device at his ear. There was a soft buzz, and then a quiet sound, like a voice, but drained of all inflection and passion.

"Yes, master," it said. The man straightened, holding up a small dark orb. It rose into the air and a small lens appeared in its side, like an unblinking eye. It hovered towards the stone-beast just as a shot of pure blue blazed forth from the mechanical arm of a tall, stout man. Beside him, a masked boy stood, his face upturned to look at his foe. At his right was the mechanical man. At his left was a green lion, crouching, ready to attack.

"Teen Titans, go!" The boy called, rushing forward. The team, consisting of two girls and three boys, seemed to move forward in a wave. Their actions were quick, fluid, well-practiced. Yes, these were the Teen Titans. The black orb flew towards them slowly but surely. The masked man pressed his finger to the device at his ear.

"Can you operate from where you are?" He asked in a low, menacing voice.

"I can try," came the monotonous, quiet voice from before. As they were speaking, the black orb stopped just behind the monster. It glowed softly, a sparkling, mirror-like aura surrounding it. The mechanical-man let out a loud yell as he leaped into the air and poised himself to strike the stone-beast. Suddenly the glimmering aura shot forth and surrounded both the man and the beast. His hand made contact with a horrible screeching noise, and he fell back, his glowing blue mechanical arm broken as if it had been a twig struck against an impenetrable wall. The aura faded, leaving five stunned teenagers, a furious stone-beast, and the masked man, watching with a satisfied look in his half-visible eye.

"Good work," he said, his tone filled with velvet. There was a moment of silence. In that moment, the screams of children and innocent people filled the air, along with the mechanical man's cries as surges of pain went up his shoulder, into his real body. The masked man frowned as suddenly the mechanical man quieted, staring at his arm with a confused expression. The glistening aura had returned, softer now. The green lion had transformed into a rhinoceros and charged forward. The aura surrounded him and the stone-beast. This time, when the rhino made contact there was a huge splitting crack! as the stone-beast fell apart, its roars dying out as it crumbled into dust. The masked man cried out in fury, his eye wide.

"You insolent...!"

"Slade." The man turned to see the black-haired, masked boy was looking at him evenly, his expression hard to read.

"Robin." The masked man said in a calm, deep voice.

"So you were behind this. I should have guessed that thing was one of your minions."

"I have many minions," Slade said gently, his one eye narrowing, "Some of which would rival even my most well known apprentice." He saw the anger his words stirred up in the green boy that had landed at Robin's side. Slade chuckled softly as the black orb settled on his palm.

"And you'd best keep a lookout," he said as he suddenly was whisked away by the breeze, leaving nothing but a faint shimmer like snow-dusted glass, "Or else who knows how much more you will suffer?"

.~/^/~.

"I tell ya, man," Beast Boy said, fiddling with his slice of pizza, "That Slade is crazy."

"What else is new?" Cyborg muttered, glaring down at his arm as if his mere stare would cause the pieces to fall back together again. Robin said nothing as he stared down at his plate.

"Are you not hungry, Robin?" Starfire asked. He started and looked up into her beautiful, worried face. Her eyes, like glowing emeralds, percieved his emotions and he could feel her understanding like a peaceful breeze against his soul. She took his hand in hers and her warmth helped to comfort him, despite his misgivings about their earlier confrontation.

"I'm just worried about what Slade said," Robin sighed. "If he really was talking about Terra," here he eyed Beast Boy waring, though the green boy gave no sign of distress, "Then we might have reason to think he's training a new unsuspecting person."

"Slade knows how to get into people's heads and force them to do his will," Raven murmured, taking a bite of pizza with a contemplative look on her face. She eyed him for a moment and then sighed, setting the food down as she stared emotionlessly out at the glimmering waters before them.

"Do you really think he could be training someone else?" Beast Boy asked quietly. Robin met his gaze and knew that the possibility was hard for all of them to think of. Terra's cruel fate had struck them all deeply, although Beast Boy had never been quite the same after that. He was smiling and as rambunctious as ever. On the outside. But Robin didn't need Raven to look inside of Beast Boy as she had once looked inside of him to know the pain he felt whenever he passed her school, heard her mentioned. Robin could see it, as plain as day, on his friend's face. Now, the possibility of suffering a similar event seemed to plague him. He knew as well as anyone that Slade's threats were rarely ever empty.

"It's very possible," Robin sighed.

"What should we do?" Starfire asked, looking from one to the other. Cyborg sighed as he tightened some bolts on his arm with a scewdriver.

"Something," he said sternly. "Slade did something - or at least, someone did. Did you see how my hand broke when I punched that thing, but Beast Boy shattered it to pieces? I don't think that's a coincidence." The teenagers looked around at each other in silent agreement.

"Then we should be on the lookout," Robin said.

"For what?" Starfire inquired. There was an uncomfortable pause, filled with the sound of city life; the hum of cars in the busy streets, the soft noise of a thousand voices filling the air, the barking of dogs, the fluttering of paper in the wind. Robin turned his face away from them, staring off into the horizon.

"Anything," he sighed at last, leaving them all aware of how little they knew. Raven watched the others before turning back to her food. She stared down at it until finally she noticed it. A feeling. The tingling feeling that reminded her of Terra's presence, after she'd been completely taken in with Slade. Her eyes turned hastily to the streets, but she saw nothing.

"What is it, Raven?" Robin asked.

"I hardly know," she said, her eyes narrowing, "But I agree that something's going on. And I don't like it, whatever it is."

.-~.*.~-.

The cold feeling of stone scraping painfully against my face was nothing new. The bruises were almost a comfort, showing me how much my pain was felt by the only friend I had. Me. The pain in my side that seared through my body like wildfire was a familiar, dreaded feeling. I coughed weakly, staring down at the splatters of blood knowing that nothing I could say or do would make up for what I'd done this time. I may as well be dead, he'd told me. But this, too, was familiar.

"Can't you do anything right? We had them! If you would have done as you were told it would have been the end of the Teen Titans!" He cried.

"I'm s-sorry, master..." I said pitifully, knowing that my words would only enrage him more. Silence angered him. Words angered him. Nothing I could do would ever convince my master that I was worthy to be his apprentice. And I was no longer innocent or naive enough to think that that was what I was in his eyes. I was no apprentice. I was a prisoner.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He shrieked, sending a boot into my side. I screamed in agony as the pain filled me, burning, pulsing agony. I clutched my side, staring through my tears at the black orb that hovered at his shoulder, looking like a dark spider with its wicked legs poised and its red eye staring at me. My tormentor. A robot without feelings. My eyes flit back to my master. That made two of them.

"You'll be sorry when I'm done with you, girl." Master threatened, throwing his foot into my side once more before he left the room, his angry strides echoing down the chambers of his home and lair. Looking up through wild, untidy bangs of hair dark enough to be of indiscernible color in the darkness of my cell, I stared up at my only ounce of freedom - a small barred window far, far above my head. Tears filled my eyes. How many years had I been locked here, starved, beaten, bruised? How many memories haunted my mind, warning me of what suffering lay in wait if I ever attempted escape. I closed my eyes as the fire pulsed through me. It was radiating, painful, and I could feel its source. I could feel it. Did that mean...? I'd scarcely let myself hope over the years of studying the "bond" my master had placed on me. But now, it was almost as if I could taste freedom on my tongue. I placed my hand on my side, breathing through my mouth as blood dripped down from my broken nose. I frowned in concentration, feeling every ache, sting, and throb. And then, suddenly, the great fire that pulsed through me was gone. I sighed in relief, resting my head against the stone. It took most of my energy to keep the bond from existing. But it would be worth it. It would be worth it if I could see the sun, the sky, the fields. It would be worth it if I didn't have to fear anymore. It would be worth it if I finally could see them again.

Taking my chains up in my hand, I gazed at them with all the strength I had left. They shimmered like glass for a moment and then fell to the floor with a soft clang. I stared at them and then at the window. My heart seemed to soar as I thought of it - sunlight on my face for the first time in so long. I turned and looked at the wall I'd slept against so many nights. Scars ran through the rock, showing hundreds, thousands of days. An endless time that had passed in agony, knowing that I had fallen beyond redemption, that I would never taste the air and breeze on my tongue again unless I gave in to the evil desires of my master. And I wouldn't do that. A face appeared in my mind, kind and loving as it bent towards me and whispered in my ear... "You are meant to help people. You will be a hero, and you will be loved." I closed my eyes and sighed, ever so softly. Then I turned my gaze to the window. I knew well enough that I would never be a hero. I would never find love, except the love that left nothing but hurt and terrible loneliness in its wake. But there was one thing I craved that I would never... never give up on. It was the one dream that had given my life any meaning, the one thing I held onto as I suffered in silence. And as I climbed towards that window, it was all I could think about. My unreachable dream. I would finally touch it, taste it as if it were the sweetest fruit, feel it as if it were the hands of a lover. I would climb, and I would go on... To hope. To life.

To freedom.


Author's Note:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Carved Glass. Please review! I would love to hear from each and every one of my readers :)

-LionRoaR