Teen Titans - In The Dark

Prologue

"Titans go!"

Rather than his usual battle cry, Raven thought it would be more appropriate for Robin to instead call out 'No rest for the wicked!' to send the team off, for another few weeks at least.

It was a horribly true fact of life for the Titans, now so more than ever. It had been a scant few days since their defeat of Brother Blood and the fall of the HIVE and already they were being called into action on account of some new maniac's plans.

There'd been a report from the chief of Jump City's police detailing several disappearances whilst the Titans had been away in Steel City. Investigations and the help of a witness to one of the abductions had traced the abductees' whereabouts to a warehouse, down on the docks. Robin had done some digging through the financial records used in acquiring the space and had come up with the name of a doctor: Linda Friitawa. A check in with Batman had not only confirmed that she was originally from Gotham, but also the disturbing fact that she had lost her medical license due to illegal experimentation on humans. Now it seemed she was intent on starting up her experiments again in Jump.

Even though the Titans weren't expecting much in the way of a brawl (science types never usually put up much of a fight before their endgame) Raven could tell it was too much too soon. Cyborg in particular had a dark circle developing under his organic eye that spoke of a lack of rest, and he had been retreating alone to his room to work on upgrades far too often since his encounter with Brother Blood. Usually in the aftermath of their showdowns with whatever villain had an issue with the Titans, there'd be a period of relaxation, allowing the team to reorient themselves both mentally and physically. Not so with this case. There had barely been time to settle in back home before news of the investigations had cropped up. Added to that was the prospect that Friitawa was experimenting on the people she'd abducted; it was leaving a bad taste in already sour mouths. The tension in the air would break soon, she knew, and it wasn't certain that it would be to the Titans' good fortune.

For now though, Raven had to put her desire to simply curl up with a thick book and rest to the back of her mind and focus on the task at hand. The warehouse was sizable; several doors led to extensions off from the main storage bay and there was a narrow staircase that led to a lower underground level. Robin had decided that the best way to search would be to split up into three teams. He and Starfire would search the main bay and west rooms, Cyborg and Beast Boy would take the east doors and the upper walkways whilst Raven herself had been tasked with the lower floor. If any of the teams found either Friitawa or her experiments then they would radio in and the others would use the locators in each of their comm. units to meet up quickly.

Raven glided silently down the metal staircase, careful not to touch the steps and alert anyone who may be below to her journey downwards. The staircase had been practically hidden in the gloom, almost secretly, and one of the roles of the two parties staying above ground was to give the impression that knowledge of the lower level was still hidden – hence Robin's battle cry and Raven's soundless descent. It was almost certain that if Friitawa was here she'd be below ground, meaning it was likely Raven would have to be the one to make the capture given how useful her powers were for containment. She'd been impressed with Robin's quick thinking and his use of a diversion.

The basement was dark; no easy evidence of a room in use given away by a sliver of light emanating from beneath a doorway. Raven opened her senses, letting her shadows meld with the natural darkness in order to detect anything out of the ordinary. She felt rather than heard movement in the distance, and followed the pull of her shadows, riding along them for a dozen twists and turns until an open doorway came into sight, a dim glow spilling from the gap.

Drawing the darkness into herself, Raven created an opening in the ground and slid through her portal, ghosting along the floor as a splatter of darkness. Moving deeper into the room, she caught snatches of consciousness from someone who was no doubt Linda Friitawa on her journey across the two spaces. Something else brushed at her mind briefly, but she knocked it aside – it was more than likely one of Friitawa's 'volunteers'. She pulled herself back out of the darkness once she reached the far side of the room.

Hunched over a bank of computer consoles was a woman with wiry white hair spilled loosely down the back of her filthy lab coat. She was frantically typing and didn't seem to have noticed Raven's entrance. The glow from the computers added an unhealthy pallor to the woman's already sunken features and fatigued expression. Even at this distance, Raven could sense the sheer determination and mania that Friitawa held towards whatever she was working on. It wormed and pricked at her skin, putting the empath on high alert. She could taste the tension again.

Keeping one eye trained on her target, Raven found herself creeping forward to better see the rest of the room. Aside from the bank of consoles dominating the left facing wall where Friitawa sat, there wasn't much else to see. A hospital gurney lay overturned a few feet away and there were several stains on the floor close to it that oddly resembled scuff marks, but other than that the only point of interest was something hidden by an outcropping of wall to the left of the computers.

From where she was stood, Raven couldn't see around the corner to what lay in the alcove, but she noticed a number of wires leading from the bank where Friitawa sat to whatever was hidden there. There was no doubt in her mind that the hidden device was connected in some way to the abduction of several of Jump's citizens. She quickly slid her hand around to the back of her jewelled belt, reaching for her communicator to call the others in.

"You won't be needing to do that just yet Raven. We have some things to discuss, you and I."

The sudden casual speech from the woman sat at the computers made Raven jump slightly. She berated herself mentally for taking her attention off of Friitawa as her comm. unit clattered to the floor.

Friitawa turned to her and smiled, a twisted expression that was far from comforting. Raven noted the natural red colouration of her irises behind the glasses she wore and the white hair that she'd initially written off as a bad dye job suddenly made a lot more sense, as did her pale skin.

"You're good," Raven said conversationally, now keeping both eyes on the ex-doctor as she stood from her chair and proceeded to stretch, "not many people can tell when I move into a room via my shadows."

"Not so much," the woman said, tapping a finger on the monitor of one of the consoles. "I've had an eye on the security camera feed for quite some time now. I knew when the Titans entered this warehouse; I know all about your friends upstairs-who you can call for in a moment by the way- and I was able to see exactly when you pulled your little vanishing trick to sneak in here without arousing suspicion."

Throughout the speech Raven had felt herself growing more on edge, though she did her best not to let it seep into her stone expression. This woman almost made it sound as if she had been waiting for the Titans to find her and for them to split up in the attempt.

That mockery of a smile was trained on her again and in that instant, Raven knew there was something very, very wrong.

"You're already trying to puzzle out why I've been waiting for the Titans. Don't bother; I intend to tell all, Raven. It's just a pity you won't be telling anyone else."

"So you aim to kill me then? I've heard better death threats from people more powerful than you, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm less than impressed with yours."

In all of Raven's experience fighting the criminals who inhabited Jump City, she'd come to expect certain reactions to certain statements during confrontations. This one should have elicited rage from Friitawa, maybe even an attack if she felt lucky enough. So the high, amused laughter that her insult provoked was enough to send Raven's paranoia into high gear

"Kill you?" the doctor chuckled, looking genuinely amused at the thought, "quite the opposite! In fact, I want to know everything about you, and for that, well…"

She paused, and the look in her eyes as she held out her hand made Raven feel slightly sick.

"Here," Friitawa beckoned. Keeping her hand held out, she backed away and went to stand next to the wall that jutted out beside the computer terminals. Her eyes flickered between where Raven stood and whatever it was behind the makeshift screen.

"It's easier if I just show you."

Against her better judgement, Raven took a hesitant step forwards, her gaze still trained on the doctor for any sudden moves and she slowly crossed the room until she was practically stood side to side with her enemy.

Her eyes slid to the left, widening involuntarily and she felt her throat tighten at the sight before her.

"That-that is…"

Blood was roaring through her ears and Raven felt dizzy from the shock of what she was seeing. A hand landed on her shoulder and she flinched slightly, not having sensed any movement from the doctor, who she was now certain, was certifiably insane.

"And now Raven," Friitawa said, a smile that was an unnatural mix of both friendship and malice alighting her face as she turned towards the stunned teen, "now, you can go ahead and call your friends."

Far above where the two talked, four comm. units chirped to life simultaneously and four pairs of hands each activated them to receive a signal.

There was no visual, only static, and Robin was already moving before he heard the voice from the other end:

"Everyone get down here, now!"

It made them all uneasy. Not just the short, barked order with a lack of video accompaniment, but also the prominent undertone of terror in their teammate's voice. Despite each of them knowing that yes, Raven could feel fear when the situation called for it, they all had a healthy respect for how much pressure it took for her usual stoic mask and monotone combination to shatter. The sheer panic that had burst over the radio waves alerted each Titan that the situation below ground was highly unusual and potentially dangerous.

They wasted no time in heading for the mostly obscured staircase to the underground once they reached the main bay. Both Cyborg and Starfire were able to provide a source of light as they ran and the combined glow of the powerful flashlight and the alien starbolts cut a rapid, if not slightly eerie path through the darkness towards where their teammate was. Pulling up the screen on his comm. unit that located the other unit's signals, Robin quickened his sprint until he was at the head of the pack, guiding the others through the maze of corridors underground with a growing sense of urgency as he continued to dial Raven's own unit and gained no response.

Once they reached the end of the hallways there was no hesitation, a swift kick knocked the door open without a second thought to caution as they attempted to locate their teammate in the gloom.

Eyes narrowing, Robin stepped forwards, eyes flicking left and right as he took in the sight of the room. Aside from the gurney and medical supplies littering the floor, he also took note of the large wall of computer consoles on one side of the room. Most, if not all the screens were cracked and black, while parts of the main bank were beginning to spark.

'Those were broken recently, meaning there was a struggle. But if that's the case…'

"Raven!" he called, unable to see his teammate and hoping she was in a state to answer.

A weak cough sounded near the consoles, and his eyes alighted on an outcropping of wall that had concealed more of the room from him. Sprinting over and hearing the rest of the Titans close behind him, his eyes quickly found the hunched over form of his teammate. She was leaning up against the other side of the wall that had hidden her from view. He saw that she was shaking, covered in water and surrounded by broken glass. Next to where she sat was a huge tank that seemed to be the source of the liquid. A sequence of wires connected it to the now ruined computer bank.

"Raven, are you okay? Where's the doctor?" he asked, hunching down next to the girl's slight form.

"I-I don't know. She fought- we struggled…but I can't remember what happened."

As she spoke, Raven's tremors began to increase in severity and Robin became aware of how cold it was down below the main bay of the warehouse. Even with her cloak drawn about her shoulders as it was, Raven still looked small and uncomfortable in her soaking wet attire.

"Cyborg," Robin said, turning to face the others where they hovered a few feet away, "do you have anything that can warm Raven up? She's freezing and the water's not helping any."

Cyborg stepped forwards, flipping open a panel on his arm as he spoke, "Always keep a few portable heat packs with me in case a mission goes south and we have to keep away the cold."

Extracting a few small packs from the space below the panel, he handed them over to Raven. "Just make sure you wrap 'em in something and you'll be toasty in no time."

As the packs were handed over, he switched his attention to the other two members of the team, currently lacking in orders.

"Beast Boy, Starfire, see if you can find any other exits in this room other than the one we used. We didn't pass Friitawa on the way here, so she's either somewhere in the building or she's made her escape already."

The alien and the changeling nodded, both setting to work and Robin watched as a bloodhound framed by a green glow began sniffing around the edges of the room, trying to catch a scent.

Turning back, he saw that Raven had shed her cloak, which was now bundled into her arms and no doubt contained a few of Cyborg's heat packs. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he tried once more to prod Raven's memory, hoping that some clue to either Friitawa's whereabouts or her plans could be remembered by the empath.

"Can you remember anything that happened beyond the struggle? Where she might have run to?"

"I'm not sure. I think she stuck me with some kind of needle…I couldn't use my powers and my memory's a blank. I think there might have been a wall…?"

"What about before that? Did you see anything that might indicate her plans? What was in the tank?"

As he continued his questions, Raven's eyes squeezed shut as she tried to concentrate, but as he asked about the tank, her whole body tensed beside him. He paused for a moment, observing her reactions as she turned to face the broken device beside them. An emotion flashed across her face so suddenly he almost thought he'd imagined it, but there had been definite fear in her eyes when she looked at the structure.

"I can't remember what was in the tank. But whatever was inside..." she whipped her head back around, pinning Robin with a look he recognized as apprehension, "I know it was something bad. Very bad."

She held his gaze for a moment, long enough that the seriousness of the situation was further impressed upon the Boy Wonder, before she lowered her head again.

"Try and see if there's anything else you can remember about what happened tonight," Robin said, taking Raven's hand and straightening up he pulled her into a standing position, "If there's anything that comes to mind, write it down and you can tell me in the morning."

Raven nodded and Robin guided her over to where Beast Boy and Starfire were continuing their investigation.

"Can you two take her back to the tower? We don't know how stable Raven's powers are since we don't know anything about what the doctor may have injected her with and I don't want to take the risk that something might happen if she goes alone." Seeing that she was about to protest, Robin stuck a single finger over Raven's lips.

"No arguing, team leader's orders. I get the feeling Friitawa's long gone, but Cyborg and I will stay behind here to make sure we don't miss anything."

"Yeah, don't worry Raven," Beast Boy slid over to Raven's side, slinging his arm about her shoulders with a grin, "Cy and Robin have totally got it covered on this end, so we can chill back at the Tower and you can try to remember what happened and get some rest. We can even order take-out!"

"Yes, that sounds most enjoyable Raven," Starfire added, her tone mild as she gently persuaded the dark bird, "Come, perhaps we can even play the 'I-Spy' on the way home?" Robin backed off a few paces, watching with satisfaction as Starfire took to Raven's other side as she and Beast Boy lead the empath away from the lab. The set of Raven's shoulders was still tense, but he saw the minute signs that she was slowly relaxing under the care of her friends.

Heading back to where Cyborg was examining the broken tank, he peeked around the metal Titan's side to see that he had opened up a few of the control systems and was probing inside experimentally.

"Got any clue what might have been in here?"

Cyborg didn't turn, just shook his head in the negative and Robin was reminded not for the first time how tired the metal man looked. He cursed the lack of rest they'd all had between now and the Steel City crisis, but knew there was nothing he could do for the moment except encourage each of his team to soldier through their weariness.

"Well, then maybe this can give you a clue," he extended his hand and this time was afforded Cyborg's attention.

His glove was still wet from the fluids inside the tank that had been on Raven's clothes when he'd touched her. He pinched and pulled his fingers apart slowly to better show Cyborg. The fluid was somewhat more viscous than the water they'd initially assumed it to be, clinging slightly to his finger and thumb as he pulled them apart.

"Analyse it, could be a hint to whatever was in there. I'm gonna check the computers in the meantime, see if anything survived."

He waited for Cyborg to collect a small sample of the substance on his hand, before making his way to the near-useless bank of computers to his right. Once he had the chance to survey the damage up close, Robin frowned. He'd guess that someone had been thrown into the computers during whatever struggle had occurred, and due to her disorientation, he'd be willing to bet that it was Raven. He tapped a few keys experimentally, but the few screens that were working were barely readable and it was hard to see if any change had occurred. Not quite ready to write off what may be their best source of information just yet, he began to search for any slots or drives where a CD or a USB pen could be inserted. There was a chance, however small, that her hasty retreat had caused the doctor to leave something behind.

Most of the slots and drives turned up empty and he guessed that the doctor had grabbed everything she could before leaving, but three of the numerous drives still contained disks that must have eluded her eyes in the poor light. Thankful for small miracles, Robin set to work teasing each disk out of the system. If he was lucky, these disks might be just enough to derail whatever it was that the doctor was planning before all hell was raised.

A.N. Hello and welcome to 'In The Dark', my first attempt at a Teen Titans fanfiction. I've actually been slowly working on this story for a number of years, stopping and starting it for months at a time. It's planned out, but a work in progress. I finally feel brave enough to post this prologue, mostly because I just want to finally get this idea out here for reading. Those slightly more familiar with DC canon might recognize Linda Friitawa from the Batman comics and if you do, assume this appearance comes before she becomes 'Fright'. For those not familiar, all you'll really need to know about her will be covered in the story. Additionally, this story itself takes place between seasons 3 and 4 of the Teen Titans cartoon, though things revealed in Season 4 will be talked about too.

Updates on this story will be slow, I'll be open about that now, as I want to be really picky about my chapter editing process. I want this story to flow as well as possible and to do that, I need time to write it to how it needs to be for it to (hopefully) be engaging, and for the characters to stay true to themselves. I hope people can be patent and stick around with me, if they find this prologue enjoyable. Reviews and constructive criticism are highly appreciated.

That's all from me for now, hope you like it~