The sequel to In the End is here.
The evening was dense and muggy as Raven sat out on the shore of the bay, idly watching the heat waves shimmer off the water. Above her head, the first pale stars were beginning to emerge from the warm fog that had descended over the island. She contemplated the damp air that weighed so heavily on her body tonight, like an invisible set of weights. It was making her sleepy, and the sound of the waves on the rocks before her didn't help.
All of a sudden, a familiar blaring noise jerked her out of that half-daze. The alarm was going off, for the first time in a long while. Lately, it seemed the forces of crime had been on hiatus. But apparently, today they were back on duty. They had great timing, as always. Cyborg and Starfire had left that afternoon to aid the Titans East, who were crumbling at the seams, and had been since a few months after Cyborg left them on their own, according to Bumblebee. She levitated herself quickly into the tower common room, coming to a stp behind her two remaining friends. All three of them looked at the huge wall screen.
"What's going on?" Raven inqured quietly.
"That's what we're trying to find out," the boy wonder answered, casting a glance over his shoulder at her.
"Check this out," Beast Boy added. He pressed a button on the keyboard, pulling up a series of images. "This is the downtown square about ten minutes ago." She gazed at screenshots of a security camera showing a thick, black smog-like substance hovering in the air.
"So...why aren't we down there?" The boys turned to her again.
"Because...of this." BB pressed another key. "These are of the same area, five minutes later." The only thing remaining of the mass of blackness were a few wisps of thin, smoky trails, fast fading away into the dusky sky.
"In other words, it was there and gone," Robin said. "There wasn't time for us to get down there in the first place. The call came in after it had already disappeared."
"That's efficient," the demoness remarked. Beast Boy was doing something intently at the monitor.
"Hey guys, look at this. Some more of those photos just got through." The dark girl leaned in to see them over Robin's shoulder, laying a hand on his back to maintain balance. Several grainy images had appeared before them, clearing themselves up as they watched. There, in the middle of the square, was the figure of a man, made of the same black substance. He had assumed a peculiar pose, almost polite in the way he touched his fedora. Bits of silvery glass shone from his ensemble; a luminous pocketwatch, the ring on the middle finger of his right hand, the buttons lining his neat, businesslike suit, his cufflinks. "Who is this dude?" Beast Boy asked, voicing all of their thoughts.
"I don't know," Robin replied, "but maybe next time we'll get to meet him." He paused, then added sardonically, "If we're lucky."
"Yeah," the shapeshifter agreed. "Lucky." Still staring at the man in front of her, Raven contemplated how he looked as if he were waiting. But for what? She had the feeling that she didn't want to know.
From the outside, the eastern T Tower looked normal, standing guard like a steel sentry over its city. The illusion only lasted up to the sliding metal doors in the front. After that, everything seemed to degrade into a pile of rusty, once-useful junk that made up the entire living space. Here and there, plaster and paint were eroding, leaving spots of wires bare. Cyborg would bet that if any one of the appliances was put to use, a shower of sparks would fill the huge, dilapidated room. Bumblebee leaned on the worn, patched couch, arms folded. He glanced at the furniture quizzically. It had all been new when they had moved in. Now it looked as if it had seen a multitude of fierce, free-for alls.
"Hey, what's up with this?" he asked, motioning around the room. "What happened?" Starfire was gazing around at the ruin with large, concerned eyes.
"Yes, friends," she added. "Are you having the conflict?" Bee sighed.
"That's putting it lightly." The visiting Titans joined her by the couch. "I don't know what it is. Ever since you all left, it's been like World War Three in here. All of a sudden, Mas Y Menos don't like Speedy, Speedy doesn't like Mas Y Menos, Aqualad's caught in the middle, and none of them listen to me." Another sigh. "I've lost my authority, and...I'm terrible at getting it back. So now the tower is falling apart." There was a moment of ashamed silence on her part before Star enveloped her in a crushing hug.
"Do not worry, friend! We will put this right, will we not, Cyborg?" The humanoid smiled.
"Sure we will."
Raven watched the sun climb over the horixon, sending streaks of scarlet and gold rocketing into the sky like fireworks. The colors blended into each other as the daystar crept higher among clouds that seemed to be painted onto a backdrop of brilliance. She liked these times of day when nothing existed except the sky, the sun, and the earth laid out below. Then the magic would be gone, and life would begin again, as it always did. The fiery orb was beginning to light the creases between the tiny waves of the bay, its surface shimmering like stardust. The edge of the roof began to glow, and she knew that the moment was almost past. Turning to go back into the tower, she glanced one more time over her shoulder. A shaft of light hit her face with a flush of warmth; the white of her cloak erupted into ethereal illumination under Apollo's power. Lifting her face to the arch of the sky, she challenged the dawn, daring it to give her another new day.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the three Titans sat out on the rocks in front of the bay, like Raven had the day before. Robin picked up a flat brown stone and skipped it out across the water, once, twice, three times. She looked over at him, dressed in civilian clothes, the ever-present mask shielding his eyes. Someday, she resolved, she would see what lay under that. When he was ready. He caught her eye and smiled his trademark smile. "What happened to the spandex, wonder boy?" she inquired dryly.
"You miss it, sweetheart?" She lifted a delicate eyebrow. "Just like I know you miss the hair gel." That coaxed a slight laugh.
"Don't even go there." He smirked, coming to sit by her on the wide flat rock face. "I like your hair." She sifted lightly though it, watching the smooth ebony strands fall between her fingers. His head turned in time for him to catch her hand against his lips. She blinked at him, then smiled and let her palm move over the side of his face. He took it away, feeling her fingers slide into his. The empath looked out over the bay, the glare from the waves blinding.
"Guys?" Beast Boy came down from their left, where he had been walking the beach. He was slightly concerned.
"What's up?" Robin asked.
"Look." BB pointed. Up above the skyline of Jump City, a massive dark fog had begun to form. "The dude's back." They exchanged a brief glance and began bolting back towards the tower. Within five minutes, a red motorcycle ripped up the asphalt on the bridge to the city, flanked above by two airborne figures.
The main street was clogged with the dark smog, seeping into every available airspace. The light on the R-cycle slashed through the murky gloom, guiding the trio safely to the square. A dark portal swirled in the center, ten inches above the pavement. They waited. As the smoke cleared, the same gentleman as before stepped into the fresh air. He touched the brim of his hat upon seeing them. "My apologies." He had a quiet, unassuming kind of tone. "The fog is a slight inconvenience."
"Who are you?" The boy wonder was still wearing normal clothes, his eyebrow raised at the stranger.
"You would do well not to know me." Now that they could see him in person, he proved to be rather elderly, although spry in his build. "However, I know you, and you will insist on knowing me regardless of what I say." Beast Boy blinked.
"Uh...say what?" A small smile tilted their visitor's mouth.
"Oh yes, I know you. How could I not, my destination being as it is?" He gestured around at the metropolis. "You are its guardians. That being the case, it is too much for me to assume that you would leave me to my business unsuspected."
"Unsuspected of what?" The smile reappeared, aimed at Raven this time.
"Of my crimes, my dear. For you see, I am indeed a criminal of the worst kind."
I know, I know. How could I be so cruel as to stop there? Well that means you have to review, doesn't it? Heh. Anyway, sorry about the time it took to get this up. I had issues coming up with a good idea. Again, please review. Thanks.
Padfoot