Prologue.
The chambers were dark, only the lamps on the desk serving to brighten the judge's office, and the dark wooden panels and bookcases on the walls served to absorb the majority of its light.
"You four understand the nature of this request?" the figure behind the desk asked, his voice was as muted as the room, a professional voice, a lawyers voice, or a gamblers.
"We do. Its our honest belief that she has shown remorse and of her own free will, helped save the country, probably the world from a devastating attack." This figure had a youthful voice, but a calm, almost arrogant self assurance, he spoke from the shadows on the other side of the desk, seeming wrapped in the room's darkness.
The young figure gestured behind himself, at his three silent friends and leaned forward into the light, his masked face carried the match of his voices confidence as he spoke again "our team has been trusted in police and even civil defence matters, we're just asking to be allowed in on one more, and frankly we're the only ones capable of performing it."
The older man leaned against his desk as well, almost conspiratorially close now, and again spoke in his polished non committal tones "be that as it may, we simply cannot release a prisoner to a group of minors! I trust you robin, I do…
But my hands are tied… you see my position?"
He leaned back again, a slight smile carefully hidden in the dark as his trump card landed on the discussion.
A fifth figure leaned over to him. Startling the man out of his icy calm, he had not seen her enter the room, or heard her move, even heard her breath before this point
"Then there is no problem, the prisoner can be released into my personal custody, as I am a legal adult… that was your sole objection to us yes?"
The voice was completely neutral not the judges professional detachment, it harboured absolutely no interest in its surroundings, and wasn't even going to fake it.
The judge started again as a set of ID cards slapped softly onto his desk, again seemingly just falling out of the air.
"You'll find those in order I trust?" the new speaker spoke again, a smirk now tainting its words.
Before he could gather a counter argument, the titans all rose, and moved to the door, bar robin and raven, robin took the judges unresisting hand and shook it warmly smiling as he said "thanks judge O'Donnell, we happen to have the paperwork filled in, just in case this played out, we will drop by the prison tomorrow to escort the prisoner to her new home in our secure facility, you will be kept abreast of her actions of course, and a parole officer has already been assigned to liaise with us on this" the judge still off slightly from ravens sudden appearance could do nothing but murmur in the affirmative and show the team out of his office chambers, politely waving the group off from his door.
'Three guys… and two girls… he counted again as they walked in a close knot down the corridor… could have sworn the redhead was the only girl on the way in…'
"That lot give me the creeps" he muttered to himself walking back to his desk, out loud trying to get the thought off his mind.
He jumped again as the cloaked figure walked past him smiling slightly,
"Forgot my ID" Raven intoned as she passed out the door for the second time, having never once walked in it, "goodnight your honour"
He sat on his desk, now completely spooked by the slim girl, 'I counted them leaving!!! Twice! How? … I hate dealing with metahumans… leave 'em to each other then, and good luck to the lot…'
Robin, Starfire and Beastboy all stood under the stone porch of the court offices, waiting for Cyborg to arrive in the car he had insisted on parking somewhere dry, as Raven rejoined them a broad, and all things considered, very creepy smile gracing her face.
"where did you run off to?" robin enquired quietly, "just making sure I made enough of an impression is all" raven replied, she then laughed softly "he'll do whatever it takes never to be alone in an office with us again… even release Jinx to my parole"
"What?"
"You're smiling, and you just laughed…who are you and where did you buy the raven costume!" Beastboy demanded pointing animatedly at ravens face.
"Idiot."
"Oh, it is you…. Thank god!!"
"listen, I need to pick up some tea and supplies, I'll see you all at home in about an hour ok?" the last remark raven directed at robin, who nodded his assent, as long as you have your communicator no problem… see you at home Rae." As the silver car pulled up, a darker shadow than those around it moved off downtown.
Cyborg's head stuck out his window, as he shouted to the group "which one of you called shotgun?! Get in, my babies getting wet!!!"
Instantly BB and robin squared off like Clint eastwood impersonators each waiting for the slightest twitch revealing his opponents first move… the dramatic scene was broken by a tiny clink noise as Starfire one hand over her mouth to hold in the giggles settled into the coveted front seat "victory is mine, wonderful! Friends, please seat yourselves in the seats of losers so I may share the story of my victory on the way back!!
The two young heroes utterly defeated, slunk to the cars backdoors and got in, both with a face that could sour milk as the car started to pull away, the only noise to rival the soft rain was carefree laughter and overexcited words as the princess wove her own story somehow stretching the tale back to the island the five heroes shared.