Previously posted this story. I edited it, made a few minor changes. Still the same basic elements, just a few tweaks and grammar fixes.
Illusions
The night was quiet; the streets empty except for the group of teen heroes responding to a silent alert at a 24 hour gas station. They arrived moments later at the building. All the lights were off making the station appear abandoned. They entered quietly not wanting to scare the criminal into doing something dangerous.
"It's empty." BeastBoy announced after a moment of scanning the room.
"Well, let's check search around anyway." Robin said. "Raven, Go check behind the counter and in the storage. Beastboy and Cyborg go around the back and search there. Star, search the nearby streets for anything out of the ordinary." They separated and quickly covered the small area of the store finding nothing.
BeastBoy wandered outside, "Maybe someone tripped the alarm on accident." He stopped and sniffed the air, his dog nose detecting something. Morphing back to a human he walked to the back of the dumpster. Moving boxes and trash bags he found a woman cowering in a ball.
"I found the counter lady." He shouted back. He smiled at the woman and held out a hand. "Hey, we're here to help you. Did you set off the alarm?" The woman let out a short, crisp noise. "Lady, c'mon it's safe now." She made the same noise again, louder and longer than before. Beastboy frowned, confused at the reaction. "What's wrong—."
Cyborg came up behind him and flashed the light on her. They both drew back shocked. The woman looked straight ahead, her eyes crazed and a strange twisted grin spread across her face. Her hands fluttered nervously around her throat. The rest of the team arrived behind them.
"Whoa."
Robin carefully approached her. He flashed his light in the woman's eyes but she didn't respond. He reached out for her hands but besides a short shriek she didn't react to his touch at all. "We've got to get her some help."
Moments later she was in the back of an ambulance, her hands still anxiously moving around her throat. The Chief of Police stared after it, shaking his head and drawing heavily on his cigarette. The vehicle disappeared around a corner, its sirens interrupting the night. "Damn shame."
"Please, keep us updated on her well being." Starfire asked quietly. Her innocent green eyes were brimmed with tears as if it were her own family that had been taken away. Robin stared at her, amazed that she had so many emotions and felt them so strongly.
The Chief gave them a brisk nod before walking off, barking orders between puffs of his cigarette. With nothing else to do the Titans went home.
Two weeks Later
The alarm blared throughout the Titans Tower. The teens immediately dropped everything and rushed to the scene.
"Cyborg?"
Their earpieces went off simultaneously. "We're responding to a distress call in a library." Cyborg informed them.
"A library?" commented Beastboy. "Who robs a freaking library?"
They arrived shortly to a scene of panicked people. The people pooled out of the double doors and stood around frightened but seemingly unsure about why they were panicking. The Titans pushed their way through the crowd and rushed inside, the library dark and ominous. The team split up on instinct throughout the selves but Robin stayed by the door listening. He picked up a faint sound. Almost as if someone was laughing. He walked to the checkout counter and hopped over it. In the corner was a man giggling hysterically, his glasses cracked and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Sir?"
"Um…Robin." Raven's voice came in through his ear piece. "You should look at this."
"Not now. I found someone." He replied.
"Yea, so have I. And she doesn't look too well."
"What do you mean?" Robin asked. He flashed his light in the man's eyes and got no reaction. Robin checked the man's pulse that was beating rapidly under his skin. The whole time the man just continued to laugh, unaware of Robins presence.
"She's crying and doesn't even acknowledge me and Beastboy are here. She's…gone mad I think." Raven said slowly.
A memory of the gas station clerk that they had found two weeks ago came sharply to Robin's mind. An uneasy feeling settled over him. "Get her to some medical help and take the man I found too. Question anyone who might have answers. Cyborg you go over the security tapes. We need to find out what's going on."
Hours ticked by before the Titans left, frustrated at having accomplished nothing. All they were able to gather were security tapes that were mysteriously stripped and nonsense stories from witnesses who only "thought" they say this.
"This is freaky." Beastboy said darting straight to the videogame he had paused before they left.
Robin stepped through the Titan doors and scowled. "It just isn't making sense." He said walking towards the hallway. "I suggest you guys get some rest instead of play games."
Cyborg shrugged and plopped down next to Beastboy. "Ah, we will."
Starfire smiled and gently laid a hand on Robins shoulder as she glided by him towards her own bedroom. Raven grabbed his arm. Robin easily slid out her grasp.
"Whatever's going on is going to get worst." Raven said, her voice expressionless. "But don't get hung up on it just yet Robin. I know you will."
Robin didn't reply. Instead he walked away, leaving the sorceress staring after him in the hall way.
Three Days Later
Robin sat watching Cyborg and Beastboy play the newest version of a race car game. Just as Beastboy sent his zippy red car careening into Cyborgs over sized monster truck the screen cut off, flashing to an attractive woman in a white lab coat with her hair neatly tucked into a bun.
"Hey!" Beastboy yelled throwing his controller on the couch. "I was just about to win!"
"Titans, sorry for the intrusion, but this is of the utmost importance."
The rest of the teen hero's gathered around the screen ignoring Beastboy mumbling how rude civilian organizations were these days.
"What it so important?" Robin asked.
"In the past month there has been an alarming situation arising. I'm afraid it seems the situation is getting out of our control…" She paused and seemed to think something through for a moment before continuing. "Three of the eight victims you've dealt with personally."
"…you mean the ones that went mad? It there are eight then why do we only know about three?" Robin snapped.
"Our most sincere apologies, Titans. The police figured since most victims were minor calls; found on the street, in their homes, etc, there was no need to worry you guys. There were no robberies, vandalism, nothing of that sort. The police thought to leave you to the bigger crimes and assumed these cases wouldn't be too much to handle."
Raven scoffed. "And we're assuming it wasn't as simple as they believed?"
"Correct. The trail is always a dead end if there even is one and there are no solid clues leading to explanations. And the occurrence of this crime is rising. Our concern grew significantly when a victim was declared dead."
"Dead?" Robin repeated.
"Grace Ostens, twenty four, time of death three o'clock am. She committed suicide actually. Two more victims have been reported at attempting suicide also but luckily they failed. This case is getting out of hand. News is leaking out into the media and Jump City is becoming anxious. We're asking for your help."
Robin paced the floor his anger showing clearly on his face. "You guys purposely withheld this information from us? It wasn't a matter of priority; the cops just wanted something to do!"
"Robin please, the Chief is taking it pretty hard on himself already and the department realized that the course of action picked wasn't the best but—" She paused and turned around for a moment, seemingly reading something. She read it quickly with a grim expression.
"Tell us." Robin snapped, his voice commanding.
She bit her lip. "I really shouldn't tell this one actually but considering our conversation just now… it seems you get a hands on jump back into the case. Down at the City Park."
Glaring at the woman Robin left with the other Titans following close behind. They arrived at the park, Robin skidding to a stop on his motorcycle right before hitting the caution tape. He pulled his helment of and ducked under the tape but was cut off by the Chief.
"Robin."
He narrowed his masked eyes but remained silent.
"Please, I know we should have told you. This is your city to protect as well after all but I had my reasons." He looked at the group. "But…" he twitched his cigarette nervously between his fingers.
"I have to ask that this specific guy you leave to us."
"What? Seriously? What is up with you people and being stingy with your info!" Cyborg bellowed.
Robin was already scanning the area. He noticed shreds of clothing and a path that looked like something, or someone, had been dragged through it leading to the public restrooms. The thought came before he fully even realized what it was.
"He's dead." Robin stated.
The chief cleared his throat. "This one was more brutal than the others. We can't be sure it's even connected but several people claim to have seen him go mad right before. A man had to drag him to the bathroom and lock him in there so he wouldn't hurt anyone it seems. A good Samaritan I suppose.
Although you guys have helped us in many cases and proven yourselves to be very mature you're still just…kids. Teenagers. But this- I'm fairly sure you've never experienced something quite so…dark."
"He's just dead." Raven said emotionlessly.
"I want to see." Robin said. "If we're going to help we need all the information."
The Chief took a long drawl of his cigarette letting the smoke drift effortlessly back into the air. "This isn't kiddy robberies or world domination. You guys are used to dealing with third party things. Stuff most civilians don't even realize is going on and as it turns out, you haven't had the chance to see how it affects people because of this. You don't get to see the personal agony because people don't even know it's happening. These are real lives being influenced to end. Even the ones who haven't committed suicide have no chance of being anything but asylum patients, tortured by whatever went wrong until age claims them. If you pick this case up, you have to deal with the emotions, including the case and the repercussions it has on everything outside of it."
"I can handle it." Robin said, a brief flashback of his parents coming to play. "But I'll understand if my team wants to stay behind."
"No way!" Cyborg said immediately. "You're not leaving me behind."
"Us either!" Declared Beastboy and Raven.
Robin looked at Starfire who smiled back at him. Part of him wanted her to stay. Wished she'd softly ask to be omitted and go home. He had the urge to hide her from whatever they were about to face, afraid it might change her. Twist her optimistic outlook on life into the harsh reality that it was. But he knew she wouldn't stay behind either, and to ask her would be pointless and unfair to the rest of his team.
"You guys don't know what you're getting into. This kinda case can only get darker." The Chief warned but he stepped aside.
They went to the restroom, following the trail and taking note of the apparent struggle. Things seemed to go in slow motion as Robin opened the door, pushing on the heavy metal that was beginning to rust from lack of maintenance. A strange odor rushed to greet them.
Starfire let out a barely audible cry before turning around. Beastboy made a choking noise covering his nose and going to console Starfire who had retreated to a nearby tree. Cyborg and Raven stood there gaping. Robin seemed to take in all the details at once before it came together quickly, knocking the breath out of him. His head began to spin, rapidly collecting all the information and crowding it into his mind but his face remained stoic. He appeared empty, a very strange reaction to the carnage before them.