CHAPTER 2

Snap! Snap, snap!

"She's out cold…"

"Should we move her?"

"Where would we move her, Beast Boy?"

"I don't know, Raven… Aren't you supposed to move unconscious people?"

"Beast Boy… you're an idiot."

Snap! Snap!

I blinked away my blurry vision to see a small green hand snapping in my face. Just beyond the hand was a wild-looking boy… a green boy.

"She's awake!" he shouted in a shrill voice.

Encircling me was a strange sight. Beside the green boy was a dark-looking girl with a dark blue cloak, purple hair, and shadowed eyes. Another girl stood nearby, looking at my curiously with bright green eyes that stood out against her very tan skin and purple clothes. I gasped when I saw the huge, cyberneticly augmented man with dark skin, one eye an artificial red light. Lastly was a boy with jet-black, spiky hair, a black eye mask, and a small black cape.

I sat up, grabbing my arm when I felt a sharp pain, and tried to speak, but a cough came out instead. I tried motioning with my arms that there could be more danger.

The dark girl with the cloak stepped forward, and her voice was like acid, "Who are you? Did Slade send you?"

I looked down at my tattered black and orange uniform that HE had given me, and realized the misunderstanding right away. They thought I worked for HIM. I opened my mouth to explain, but I couldn't find my voice. I stood up and grabbed my throat.

"Well, obviously, he didn't send her if his own clones were attacking her, Raven. Although, it's strange that she's in those clothes," said the black-haired boy, eyeing me skeptically.

I didn't appreciate his talking as if I weren't there, and I put a finger up to object, yet my voice still wouldn't work.

Focusing their attention back on me, the tan girl said, "Friends, I believe her speech does not work."

I opened my eyes wide, pointing rapidly to her and nodding my head. They all gave some form of 'oh.'

"Have you always been this way?" asked the cybernetic man.

I shook my head and motioned to the ground where I woke up, then to the pile of broken robots.

"They hurt you and broke your voice?" the tan girl suggested.

I smiled at her choice of words, but nodded.

"That still doesn't explain it… who are you? Why are you here?" the dark girl snapped, glaring.

I was confused by her anger with me, so I looked around for something to write with. I picked up a stick from the ground, and smoothed out a patch of dirt with my shoe. I wrote: "I'm Dezerae – was Slade's prisoner, but escaped." I paused and let them read it, then added, "No trouble, please."

The tall man stepped up and smiled. "If you're friendly to us, we're friendly to you."

I nodded, mouthing, "Thank you."

"Friend Dezerae," began the green-eyed girl "do you have any other injuries?"

I remembered the pain in my arm from before, looked down at my half-torn sleeve. I pulled it up to see a bloody compound fracture. I gasped from the sudden pain – and merely the sight of it – and the cyber man came over to inspect the break.

I began feeling light headed and queasy when he said, "Robin, this is bad. We gotta get her back to the Tower… fast."

The black haired boy nodded. "Beast Boy?"

The green boy winked at me. "Gotcha covered!" He morphed into a sleek green jaguar.

The world (along with the jaguar) began swimming, and I felt ringing in my ears. One more look at my bloody arm would have been just enough for me to pass out.

And I did… again.


Eeek! Don't hurt me!

-Scarlet