KRAKABOOOM! As Jetstream flew through the dark, cloudy sky, thunder rattled his teeth and shook the air around him. His rain soaked clothes clung to his freezing body, despite the harsh winds that whipped around him. A crack of lighting flashed in front of him, sending electrical tingles down his spine. A deafening clap of thunder instantly followed that left Jetstream's ears ringing. He had to find land. Soon. He began a slow descent to the ground, hoping he could get below the storm. He knew he was still flying over ocean, but maybe the air closer to the water was calmer. The black clouds seemed endless, and Jetstream was finding it harder and harder to maintain flight. The winds that usually obeyed his every command were acting wild and unruly in the storm. He willed them to take him lower, but soon found he had completely lost control. His cry of anguish was lost in the shrieking winds as Jetstream was whipped mercilessly back up into the void like clouds.
The next day…
Titans Tower stood gleaming in the early morning sunlight. A soft rainbow arced across the horizon, like an apology for the previous night's terrible storm. Debris, natural and manmade, littered the island, a reminder of nature's terrible power. Despite a few broken windows, Titans Tower stood unharmed. On the inside of the tower, four of the five Titans were gathered in the main room. Robin sat at the monitor bordering the windows, examining the city's vital gas and electrical lines for damage. Raven sat cross legged on the couch, nose buried in a book. While Starfire and Cyborg worked in the kitchen to make waffles for the team's breakfast.
"Man, that was some storm last night. Dang thunder woke me up twice." Said Cyborg as he mixed the waffle batter.
"Indeed." Agreed Starfire. "Though I found the sound of the rain to be quite, relaxing." She gathered the plates from the cabinet and floated over to the table. Robin got up from the monitor and walked over to help her set it.
"Well, the city is relatively unharmed, just a few fires and some minor damage. We can head out later and help with cleanup."
"Sounds like a plan." Commented Cyborg. They had just finished laying out the plates when the elevator beeped and opened up. A green falcon flew in and perched on the couch next to Raven. As soon as it landed the falcon began to grow and change form. Soon Beast Boy was crouched on the top of the couch with a worried look on his face.
"Guys! We have a problem!" He announced as he hopped off the couch.
"Let me guess." Replied Raven without looking up from her book. "The pizza place got hit by the storm?"
"No!" Retorted Beast Boy, obviously annoyed. "I was flying around the island, looking at the damage, and I saw a dude knocked out on our beach." That got everyone's attention, even Raven lifted her head from her book.
"Are you sure it wasn't just some driftwood?" She asked. Beast Boy turned and pulled his eyelids up at her.
"I had the eyes of a falcon, Ray. I know what I saw."
"Then there's no time to lose." Commanded Robin. "Beast Boy, lead the way." With Beast Boy in the lead the Titans hurried into the elevator and headed to ground level. Soon the five Titans were outside the tower, following Beast Boy down towards the water. The path was barely visible after the battering from the night before. Debris was littered all over the place, and entire chunks of the worn path were missing.
"I didn't think it was this bad out here." Commented Robin. "We're going to have to clean this place up before we can worry about the city."
"Yeah." Agreed Cyborg as he blasted a tree limb off the path. "Storm really did a number on the island." As they kept moving the water and shoreline came into view.
"That's not the only thing it did a number on, look." Raven pointed down to the shore at a figure laying prone on the sand. His lower body was trapped under a large metal beam, and he was lying still, very still. Cyborg and Robin quickly ran over to the body, jumping over fallen trees and metal beams alike, while Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire flew down towards him.
"Star, help me with this beam." Said Cyborg as he grabbed the end of it. The two Titans easily lifted the creaking meta; off of the unconscious boy and threw it to the side. Robin knelt down and turned the boy over on his back. He felt his neck for a pulse.
"Is he uuhh, you know?" Starfire asked tentatively.
"He's alive." Replied Robin as he lifted the boy into his arms. "But just barely, he needs medical attention, stat." Robin walked over to Raven and held out the boy. "Take him to the medical floor, we'll be there as soon as possible." Raven nodded her head and took hold of the castaway using her powers. A black aura surrounded the boy and he began to float. She quickly faded into a black portal, boy in tow.
"Well BB, you were right." Chimed Cyborg. Beast boy transformed out of his bird form and smirked.
"Told ya dude, eyes of a falcon."
Meanwhile, back in the tower, Raven was getting the boy set up on a medical bed. She pulled out a white medical cot and set him down on it. It was after she laid him down that she really got a good look at him. He had dark black hair that whipped back over his head and flowed out below his ears. His face was cut and battered, but it was nothing few bandages wouldn't fix. He also had on a pair of black lensed, gold rimmed, aviator glasses that were tinted so thickly Raven couldn't see the boy's eyes at all. For some reason when she focused on the glasses, a chill ran down her back. Raven decided to ignore it. His clothes were still soaking wet and felt cold to the touch. He was wearing a brown aviator jacket, with a black undershirt beneath it. He also had on jeans that were dirty and faded, but made of durable material. His shoes were also soaked and dripping off the edge of the table. Raven used her powers to sit the boy up and removed his soaking jacket, work boots, and socks. His body temperature was dangerously low and the drenched clothes weren't helping. As his undershirt floated up and off his body Raven saw that the boy had a large tattoo on his back. It depicted two wings, like an angels wings, in a folded position. Raven stopped and stared at the wings for a moment. They looked so real that she thought they might unfold from the boy's shoulders and start flapping. They were, however, just tattoos. As she laid the boy back down Raven noticed that his glasses had somehow stayed on his face. Curiosity began to gnaw at her and she had a sudden strong desire to see the boy's eyes. As she reached out to grab the glasses she got a sick feeling in her stomach, like something very bad was about to happen. She faltered for a moment, hand outstretched. She had learned to listen to her gut feelings, she normally had a sense for when something was going to go wrong. After a moment Raven decided she was being ridiculous, they were just a pair of glasses. Right? She began to inch her hand closer to his face. Her fingertips were just about to touch the rim of the glasses when a cold hand snapped onto her wrist. As the boy bolted upright Raven tried to move away, startled by his sudden movement. But the boy refused to let her wrist go. He turned and looked Raven right in the eyes. She could see her own nervous expression reflected in the boy's aviators.
"Don't. Ever. Touch. My. Glasses." The boy punctuated each word for emphasis. His voice was harsh and cold as his hand. Raven was about to use her powers to get the strange boy away from her when his grip suddenly relaxed. He released Raven's wrist and fell back onto the bed, unconscious. Raven hovered in the air for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. It was then that the door slid open and the other four Titans walked into the room. Raven floated back as Robin and Cyborg immediately began to work on the boy, connecting him to machines and gadgets that would help bring him back to health. Starfire noticed Ravens unease and flew over next to her.
"Raven, are you, all right?" She asked as she placed a hand on Raven's shoulder.
"Yes." She replied, regaining her composure. "Yes I'm fine." Beast Boy slid over to Raven and nudged her in the side.
"Aw Raven was just upset cuz we interrupted her checking out beach boy, you know, shirtless and all." Chided Beast Boy. Raven was about to slap the stupid green grin off his face when Robin moved towards the boy's head.
"Hey Cyborg, take those glasses off so I can check his eyes for a concussion." Robin held up a small flashlight as Cyborg began to reach for the glasses.
"Don't touch his glasses!" The panic in Raven's voice startled the other Teens. Robin and Cyborg stopped what they were doing and looked over at Raven with questioning eyes. Something scared Raven? How? Raven wasn't scared of anything.
"Well why not?" Questioned Cyborg, as he looked down at the boy.
"Just, trust me on this one." Replied Raven, she hated being the center of attention. She quickly turned and teleported out of the room.
"What was that all about?" Asked Beast Boy.
"Dunno." Answered Robin as he put one last IV into the boy's arm and walked to the door. "But this guy needs rest, and plenty of it. Come on guys, let's go eat breakfast." Robin stood in the doorway as the other three Titans walked out of the room, eager to get back to their previously interrupted morning meal. He took one last look at the boy before following his friends. The light from the ceiling glinted off his glasses, a shudder ran down Robin's spine as he walked out of the room.