Not many words can describe Jump City on a Saturday. Children sit at home watching Saturday morning cartoons while the parents drink their coffee and read their paper. Businesses slowly open for the Saturday rush and Titan Tower is still noisy.
Beast Boy and Cyborg performed their morning argument as always over tofu waffles and bacon, thus acting as an alarm clock to wake Starfire and to tell Robin and Raven to go ahead and come out. Though it seemed like just another Saturday to the Titans it would soon take a turn.
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Daremo changed gears and opened the throttle on the Ninja he was currently riding. All signs had pointed to Jump City. That would be where the Knoctern Lights would strike next, and Daremo would be ready. They couldn't keep running forever. They wanted the demon and now they have him… on their tails.
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Robin just finished the training course that him and Cyborg had just finished upgrading. Robin wanted the team to be prepaired for ANYTHING, and this was just one step closer.
"Cyborg, increase the amount of laser shots and randomize them in part 3. And while your at it, throw in a few more mines in part 6," Robin said as he toweled off, making sure his mask stayed on. Robins face was a teenage girls dream. They can only imagine whats underneath it, for only three people alive know what his real face looks like, but they, having their own superhero status, know what it is like to want secrets kept. Robin threw the towel into the bin by the door and walked out. OF course, Robin, being a teenage boy also thinks about girls. Or just one for his case. A flame haired beauty by the name of Koriand'r or better known as Starfire. She was his exact opposite, yet he would go to hell and back for her.
Starfire, on the other hand, was clueless to how Robin felt, and to how she felt. As it was now she was sitting watching beast boy play his game, but without actually seeing him. What she truly saw was what robins face looked liked without the mask in her dreams.
In the corner of the room sat Raven reading an ancient copy of Dante's Inferno. She knew of course that something was going to happen soon. Every time she sits down with a book something happens and she ends up not reading it. Sure Enough as soon as she began to read, the alarm went off.
Robin burst into the room with Cyborg close behind.
"Titans, Trouble! There's a robbery in progress at the bank. Let's Go!"
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Daremo Put the kickstand down and got off the bike. It was the first bank he could find in Jump City, and he really needed some cash. He walked in and pulled his sunglasses off. He looked around as he put them in his breast pock of the black duster he was wearing. Underneath the duster was black jeans a gun holster and a black long-sleeved shirt. He was told as a child that black was the color that the mourning ones wore to symbolize their grief over a lost one. It was tradition, and he will be damned if he broke tradition. He shifted the contact in his left eye as he moved forward. He hated those damn contacts but it was contacts or always wear shades to prevent someone from seeing his eyes. He sighed as he finally got it back into place. His mind began to wander back to Lily, his dead fiancé. He could still so clearly see her smile, smell her shampoo and hear her voice as she laughed. He was brought away from those precious memories as he heard a commotion up front.
"Every get down this is a robbery!"
"Kuso!" daremo cursed.
The Titans rushed to the Jump City Bank. Robin was the first there but the site that greeted his eyes was horrific. There were two bodies on the ground, bloody and still. And a third was being held up by a strange white-haired man wearing all black Robin ran forward and heard what was being said.
"You work for the Knocterns. I Recognize the tattoo. Now tell me why the robbery and where is Loki!" Said the white haired man. The robber stammered out, "I was told by a man Named Puck to rob the bank. I don't know who Loki is, please. Mercy!"
Robin chose this moment to intervine as the rest of the titans came closer. "Put him down!"
The white haired man looked at robin. "We are oft to blame in this, 'Tis too much proved that with devotion's visage And pious action we do sugar o'er The devil himself."
The robber stammered out, "What does that mean?"
"Spare the rod-" The white haired man hit the robber, knocking him unconscious, "spoil the child." Robin suddenly said, "Who are you? Why did you do that?"
The white haired man stood up from his task of tieing the hands of the robber. "I am Daremo Oni, and to make it easier to tie him up. Surely you should know this." Robin's face grew red as Cyborg stepped forward. "I recognize you man. Your that gangsta from Knoctern Lights. They said you died a month ago."
"As you can see I am alive and well."
"I also know who else they killed. They killed Li-" Daremo rushed forward and hit Cyborg in the chest causing him to fall down silently mouthing 'ow'. "Never say her name! you are not that worthy!" he hissed. With that Daremo turned away from the stunned group of titans. As he walked away he called over his shoulder, " I'll Be in town for a bit. I shall handle things for a bit. Y'all kids can take a vacation. Or in Shorty's case, learn something." Daremo got on his bike and drove off leave a pissed off Boy wonder and a stunned group of teen heroes.
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Back at Titan Tower Robin paced. Cyborg had just found all information on this Daremo guy and everyone was waiting for cyborg to come into the living room. Robin sighed and sat down as the door opened and cyborg walked in.
"Ok I got all I could. Daremo Oni, which is not his real name, was a top notch assassin for the gang Knoctern Lights. This was no ordinary gang. They span the Entire USA and are run by a guy who goes by Loki. A year ago he stopped killing for them and was married to a Lilliane O'Shaugnessy. But a month ago there was an attack on their property. Cops say it was just a gang fight kinda thing. But the amount of bodies was too unreal for that. The body count was 68 dead. Among those found dead was the body of Lilliane but the strange thing was, she was arranged. Her eyes were closed and her arms folded. In her one hand was a necklace with a ring. The rest of the bodies could not be Identified due to the fact that they were literally torn apart. Every piece of them. Heads were found crushed. But they all had the Knoctern lights tattoo, a head of a lamp post against a sunset."
Robin piped up with "so do you have anything else?"
"Yeah. His name came up on a translation web site. It means nobody's demon, in Japanese. And one more thing. I searched the police private sites and found that in the past month the arrests of Knoctern's members have gone up 300, and the bodies found dead jumped to over 1000. This is a vendetta. We have to stop him."
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Beast boy perked up as robin and cyborg began to talk about ways to bring daremo down. Beast boy got up and left. He got in the elevator and hit the button for the roof.
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Raven looked up from her book as Beast boy stood up and left. She only glanced at him before going back to her book, but the it hit her. An intense sense of sadness and anger, along with determination. Raven let out a sob as tears fell. She couldn't help it the sadness was so overwhelming and before she passed out she heard two different names. Lily… Terra…
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Beast boy got to the roof and sniffed. He remembered the scent from Daremo. Beast Boy caught it on a stray breeze and lept off the roof, transforming into a small osprey, following the scent.
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Robin turned from cyborg when he heard Starfire Cry out, "Robin help! Raven has done the passing of out!"
Raven woke some time later with a groan. Robin was instantly at her side along with Cyborg. "Raven, What happened?" asked robin. Raven wiped her eyes and said, "I was hit with a powerful sense of emotion, so powerful it knocked me out. I have bad news." Robin turned away from the computer he was at and looked at her. "What bad news?"
"Beast boy left to go to Daremo."
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Daremo was smoking a cigarette by the bay, watching as the sun set over the ocean. He often remembered the time he and Lily had gone to the beach. Daremo smiled as he remembered how shy Lily was, showing him her new bathing suit. But this reverie was interrupted by someone walking up. He turned around and saw the green-skinned one from the titans.
Beast boy walked up to Daremo's side and looked at the sunset. "Terra loved sunsets." Daremo sighed, letting out a cloud of nicotine and tar. "So did Lily." Beast boy looked at Daremo and said, "Robin wants to stop you for what you have been doing lately."
"You mean killing the Knoctern Lights?"
"yeah. But I have an offer for you."
"What is it?"
Beast Boy's eyes hardened. "Help me kill slade, and I will help you with killing the Knoctern Lights."
Daremo's eyes widened. "Did you just say Slade?"
"Yeah."
"Slade was second in command of the Knoctern Lights until he just left. It seems we have the same mission."
"Can I show you Terra first?"
"Yes. If you want to."
Ten minutes later they were standing before Terra.
"That is her? Y'all must have really loved her to make a statue for her."
"That is not just a statue. That IS Terra. She had the power to control the earth, as in dirt. She turned into this when she tried to save my life."
Daremo took the last puff on his cigarette. "What would you do if I said I could fix that?"
"Anything you say."
"Call the rest of your team, now."
Half an hour later the rest of the Titans were there. Robin burst out with a tirade immediately. "what are you thinking Beast Boy!"
Beast Boy looked at Robin with tearful eyes. Starfire floated forward. "Why are you crying, Beast boy?"
"Because I just heard the best news of my life."
"What's that, Beast Boy?"
"Ask him." Beast Boy pointed to the statue behind the group, where Daremo was standing. Robin ran and kicked at him… only to have his foot grabbed in mid-flight. The next thing he knew was that he was flying towards the group. He connected with cyborgs chest and fell. Raven stepped forward and asked, "What is this news that has Beast Boy acting like this?"
"I told him I could revive this Terra."
Robin stood up, rubbing his chin. "Why would you lie to Beast Boy like that?"
"You think that I was lieing?"
"Yes."
"How about a little wager?"
"Name it!"
"If I am lieing, I will turn my self in to you, allowing y'all the credit for my capture."
"and if you do?"
"You help me with what I need to do here, on my terms."
Robin looked at Beast Boy and said, "Deal."
Daremo gave a small watery smile and looked at Starfire pointed. "Would you make the same deal so easily if it was her there instead of this Terra?"
Robin seized up and looked and Starfire. Robin asked in a quiet voice, "How did you know?"
"Little things such as how you look at each other. Stand Back"
Daremo faced the statue and his hands became a blur as he marked strange sigils into the air. Then he suddenly stopped and hit the statue. He then walked away as beast boy walked forward. As they met in the middle, Daremo clapped his shoulder and said something to him. Robin was red in the face by this time. "You lied Daremo. Get back here!"
Daremo stopped and turned slightly. "Look behind you." Robin turned as he heard someone sobbing and a female voice talking. Robin gasped when he saw what was there. Terra was alive and well, holding Beast Boys sobbing form…
