Wow. I had three reviews in a single day—that doesn't happen very often to me. Gave me a real ego boost (haha). So, here's Chapter Two. I'm sorry it's so late; I've had schoolwork and housework, I've been sick and lazy, and I haven't really gotten around to writing on this. Honestly, I have little to no ideas of where this is going, but I'm hoping that as I write it'll come to me. And maybe you could help me along.
A/N: To everyone who reviewed, THANK YOU. I really didn't expect this kind of response. Also, if anyone has any ideas or questions—please let me know by either commenting or sending me a message. Thanks again! I'm also sorry that this is shorter than the previous chapter, because I ran out of ideas near the end and I barely wrapped it up. I have more for the next chapter to deal with though.
Warning: This 'chapter' contains much exposition so don't be surprised. Seriously, I hate writing it just as much as you hate reading it. Gimme a break.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. Wah!
The trio wandered into a quiet little corner away from the noise and festivities (and the hair-dye). There, they found a small grey and yellow booth along the wall, something that Rich didn't remember being there when they first built the tower. Obviously, it must have been new. In the back of his mind, he began to wonder what else had been changed.
How much of its original structure was still there? Were the rooms the same? Was his room even there anymore? Perhaps, it was shoved off into a darkened little hall, the nameplate rusted and worn. Maybe he was speculating too much.
Cyborg slid to the far edge of the black seats with a tired look on his face, like something had drained him of his good mood. Maybe he'd never been in a good mood and was only faking it. Maybe Rich was just being paranoid. Why were there so many maybes? (A/N: Sorry…) Still, the atmosphere had deadened a bit since the two had arrived, at least where they were at. The rest of the party went on just the same; it was comparable to looking through a glass window, watching all the joy and mirth from the outside unable to reach out and touch it.
Kori carefully sat down, leaving just enough room for Rich, but he preferred to stand. Then with a sigh, their friend began:
"You know, I don't really know where to start."
"The beginning is always good." Rich chuckled.
"Don't be a smart-ass." The other snapped.
"Cy—"
"It's Vic, these days."
"Vic?"
'Vic' rolled his eyes; was it so surprising that he had a real name? "I can only go so far in this town as Cyborg. Sometimes I need Victor Stone," he explained, "It makes undercover work easier. Plus the press won't leave any of us alone. It gets to be a real pain in the ass. Now, where were we?"
"Wherever you want to start."
"Right…the first thing to say is that none of this is your fault. We all made our own choices, and we've had to live with them.
"I guess you saw Beastboy by now. The toxin in his system, the one that made him that way, mutated a couple years ago and not for the better," He added, shoving his glass off to the side, "he nearly went blind. We had to alter his genetic makeup to match to the toxin—not the easiest of tasks. He's still in recovery."
"What about Raven?"
"Raven was the first one to leave. She'd been hinting at it for a while, but I guess I just never noticed it. Now that I think about it, it might as well have been stamped in big blue letters. She was meditating more and more, sometimes for days, and visiting her mother for weeks at a time.
"You see her people had found a new world—a new Azarath, and she was helping them put everything in order. After each visit, she always came back, but then she would be gone again just like that," he said, snapping his fingers to make the point, "After a bit, she stopped coming home altogether, and we didn't see her for seven months.
"The rebuild took about a year and half. Thankfully, we still had some contact with her; you wouldn't believe the cost of interdimensional communication."
"So, where is she now?" Kori whispered, leaning towards her friend.
Vic shrugged, "We don't know. Her communicator is offline. There hasn't been any contact since a month after her last transmission. There's no word of her anywhere, from any of our sources."
"Great. So, now we're right back where we started," Rich growled.
"Look, you asked—I'm just telling you what I know. Don't jump on my back 'cause I can't look into the crystal ball and give you all the answers!"
"Haven't you even looked for her!"
"Of course we've looked for her! We all have! But we had a city to look after and only so many titans to each tower. Our numbers were thinning, Dick. We didn't have the time or the resources. She's gone!"
After that, things got very quiet, but the party went on just the same. Out of the corner of his eye, Rich thought he saw Roy aimed for a basin of some weird, swirly liquid. Beast Boy was trying his hardest not to laugh as he held up an old camera, prepared to take the perfect shot.
"Who else is gone?" Rich whispered as he watched and wondered.
"The only titans left are in this room, except Timmy, Teether, and Melvin. They're just civilians here for the 'reunion'." Vic replied.
The though struck them like a wrecking ball. Only eleven people—the Titans East, Red X (again, what the hell), four of the original five, and Terra. She was one of the people lowering Roy into the basin.
"How is Red X a titan?" Kori asked.
"Huh? Oh. He isn't. He's, uh, one of our contacts. He slips us information and we occasionally give him a head start when we catch him." Vic explained.
"How much of a head start?" she asked, curious.
"Depends on the information." He replied with a mischievous smile.
Rich sighed, "So that's what this has come to—using villains as contacts and sources?"
"You got a better idea boy blunder?" his friend retorted. Rich winced; he thought he'd gotten rid of the stupid nicknames by now. Obviously, he was wrong.
"Think of it this way: who knows this city better than the villains who want to take it? Crime fighting has changed. The police take most of the work while we sniff out the more dangerous guys, known at the Underground. Villains have migrated to darker corners of society, sometimes even the sewers. There's a whole world beneath our feet. We've had to look for better options, even if we don't really like them. 'Sides, Red X was never a villain. He's just a pain."
"So I'm guessing everybody else just settled down?"
"Yeah. Sucks, huh? I really miss the old days. It seems like everyone's retired, well nearly everyone, or with another league or something.
"Jinx and Kid Flash left after Raven. They share an apartment in Gotham city. She teaches high school now, but I'm not sure what subject. Argent's in England, I think. She worked with Mad Mod for a time—for MI5. He died last year; a heart attack in his sleep. Red Star's back home in Russia. I think he got married to a local girl. Don't know her name, but they had a son.
"Control Freak runs a rental store downtown—movies, video games, that sort of thing. Kitten started a modeling agency in LA. Her dad fronts the whole thing, so he doesn't have much time to cause havoc anymore. Thunder and Lightning became part of the Justice League. Heaven only knows where they are, but I think they're doing okay.
"Mumbo's doing lounge acts in Vegas. He says it doesn't pay much, but at least he's not behind bars. We check in on him every so often, just in case. Terra came back six years ago. In case you were wondering, she and the grass stain are very happy together and we're glad she's back. Everybody else is either a civilian, in jail, or they just don't talk to us." Vic told each story with ease, without lingering on each person for very long. He went on about the newer villains, recent victories, who had been defeated long ago; he even told them about how Dr. Light finally just lost it and had been carried off to Arkham. Kori found it strange, that he was in an asylum instead of Raven as she had seen before (although after Raven, he'd never been a stable person).
In return, Rich began to explain what the pair had been up to for the past decade. The two had started out in Paris tracking down Monsieur Mallah with the help of the Doom Patrol. He and the other members of the Brotherhood of Evil had managed to escape the ice chamber, but Brain's brain was damaged in the process. The tube of metal was nothing more than a paperweight.
General Immortus was found with Brother Blood, who they found out belonged to the Church of Blood, a flimsy cover for the followers of Trigon the Terrible. Most of his students and followers were stamped out in the African jungle. General Immortus escaped into Spain, but Blood was caught and killed by an 'old friend' (his or her name was never discovered). Madame Rouge was discovered in Prague; the Doom Patrol took care of her personally.
"Basically, we were more like bounty hunters instead of heroes. Most of the work was for the J.L., but we did some missions for European countries, etc. We even spent a couple years looking for Mandi—Blackfire I should say. She's doing time in an intergalactic prison just west of Venus. Her sentence might be interminable." Rich explained. Kori was quick to interject something about a black hole, but didn't say much else.
"So, was Moscow just another job?" Vic asked, leaning against the back of his seat.
Rich shook his head, "Moscow was supposed to be a vacation. However, we got tangled up in international affairs. I'm not allowed to say much else. Let's just say things got complicated."
"I'm familiar with complicated. So, are you two here to stay or are you just passing through?"
"We don't know yet," Kori replied, "As much I love travelling, I'm not ready to leave again. In any case, our work is done. The Justice League will be merging with other teams and we won't have anything to do. And retirement isn't exactly an option for Rich."
"Me either. They'll have to carry me out!" Vic laughed heartily.
Eventually, the trio moved their way through the party. They spent the rest of the evening catching up and swapping stories while admiring Roy's new 'do. Everyone avoided the subject of Raven. They didn't mention her willingly, but it was easy to grasp they felt much the same was Vic did. She was gone and nothing could be done.
The party didn't break up until it was nearly daybreak. They dispersed into their separate rooms shortly before five a.m. Rich decided to bunk with Kori in her old room. It hadn't been touched since they left; he never realized how pink it really was.
"I think it went pretty well." He said after lying in the dark for a little while.
Kori nodded, "Yes. Well, but not what I had hoped for…do you think she is alright?"
He didn't have to guess. "Raven's smart. I think she can take care of herself," he assured her, "I think if she wants to come back, she will. She's kind of stubborn, though."
"Yes, but you can win with a little effort."
"Starfire, I swear, if you don't give me back my leotard—!" Raven called angrily from the safety of her bathroom. Starfire giggled as she hid the black spandex behind her back.
"Raven, you are not a youngling any longer. Is it not wise to wear something more traditional for your age?" She asked, referring to the long, blue dress in her friend's wardrobe. Arella had sent it for Raven's eighteenth birthday. It was floor length, with a long slit running up each side. According to Azarathian tradition, this was more appropriate for a woman of her age.
"Starfire, we're on Earth, not Azarath! And I like my leotard!"
The argument ended with Raven in the dress and Starfire wearing a triumphant smile for the rest of the day.
Kori got up just barely before noon. Beastboy—Garfield—was making breakfast. Tofu eggs and bacon. As different as he looked, it was nice to see that he hadn't completely changed. Terra handed her a plate of waffles as she came in and they joined Karen on the couch.
"So, how are things with you and the boy wonder?"
Kori smiled, "Much the same as they ever were. I think getting out of Jump City was good for him."
"He always was a little tightly wound. By the way, your English has seriously improved." Terra interjected, munching down on a bite of waffle.
The alien princess smiled, "Thank you."
"What about you?"
"I missed my friends. I missed the tower, but in the end, I suppose if you want happiness, you have to go looking for it."
Terra nodded, "Yeah. I managed to get through high school and a couple years of college, but after awhile I naturally gravitated back to Jump City. It was worth having a normal life, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to keep away completely."
"Yes…"
The rest of the morning was fairly quiet, aside from Roy chasing Garfield all throughout the tower. Apparently, the photos from the party came out very well.
"Dude, you are completely overacting!"
"Overreacting? You'd dyed my hair plaid—how is that even possible—and by now those photos are all over Facebook where everyone can see them."
…"Actually they weren't, but that is a great idea." Garfield snickered.
Terra chuckled, "Are you still glad to be home?"
"Well," Kori began, "I suppose you miss everything—even his..."
"Stupidity? Silliness? Oddities?"
Kori smiled, "All the same isn't it?"
"At least when it comes to Garfield."
"Main power online."
"Oxygen tanks at maximum."
"Defensive systems active."
"Twin turbo hydrojet engine purring like a kitten." Cyborg said, petting the ship like it was his dog.
Beastboy leaned back in his chair, "And your secret weapon is ready to rock."
"Only time you qualify as a secret weapon is after eating a tofu bean burrito." Cyborg muttered. The conversation was juvenile at best, but Beastboy was essential to the mission. He was the only one able to breathe underwater, become any fish in the sea, etc. Although, Cyborg could have made some sort of apparatus to do that for them, but hey, why make one when you have the grass stain? Besides, maybe they'd get lucky and he'd piss off a shark and get eaten.
As they glided through the ocean, Starfire was mesmerized by nearly everything that floated by her window. They had no such creatures on her planet, to be sure. Beastboy took the opportunity to try and brag.
"If you think they're cool, wait 'til you see me out there kicking butt. First I'm going shark." he started gnashing his teeth, like something out of a bad Jaws sequel. In the middle of munching, he noticed that something didn't seem right with the audio on his end.
He tapped his headset, "Hey! What just...is this thing on? Hey, cut it out!"
After a little chuckle, Cyborg switched his mic back on."Goodness me. I seem to have accidentally switched off Beast Boy's microphone." he said ever so innocently.
Raven rolled her eyes, "Could you go ahead and accidentally leave it off?"
Karen suggested that the three of them should leave the tower to get out of the firing line. There was a flea market downtown that she particularly wanted to go to-it wasn't what Kori was used to, but they had some cool stuff and it would leave the boys to blow off steam on their own.
"Sounds wonderful! I'll tell Rich!" Kori replied.
"He and Vic left an hour before you got up," Garfield said, as he was uploading, "I think they're heading to the amusement park or something. Don't worry, I'll tell him when you get back. By the way, what part of Roy should I tag: his hair or his face?" He turned the laptop towards Karen; the paeticular photo he was putting up was when they finally got Roy to a mirror.
She was genuinely surprised. "He didn't even leave a note..."
The formerly green dude shrugged, "I wouldn't be worried. They'll call if something comes up. Hey, while you guys are out, do you mind picking up some hair dye for the angry ginger?"
"We'll swing by the mall," Terra replied, "and please don't break anything while we're gone."
"You don't trust me do you?"
"Do we have to go over the New Year's incident again?"
"That was not my fault! Roy spiked the punch!"
The geomancer simply shook her head and with Karen and Kori in tow, the trio set off for the flea market. Meanwhile the boys might have been getting into something a little over their heads. Big surprise for 'Robin', right?
Next time in 'Things Really Do Change'...
Rich glanced up at the deserted warehouse with reserve. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked, "I mean it looks like it's gonna cave it at any moment."
Vic nodded, "Been coming here for at least three years now."
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea."
"Hey, you wanted answers," the other replied, "So, are you coming in or not?"
..."Fine."
Dun. Dun. Dun.
Well that's it for now. It's a bit shorter than the previous chapter, but I'm happy to wrap this second piece at all. Aren't you glad we got through the exposition? There's probably a bit more to come, to give you fair warning, but it'll be less condensed.
R2Rs (responses to reviews):
TheDreamChaser: Yeah, I was initially confused about what I was going to do with Raven myself and I finally locked onto an idea that I like.
klrob: Well, it's the thought that counts. I hope you like this.
xMissFortune: Yay! I might be better than I thought *kicks ego in*. And thanks, I'm always worried that I portray people OOC and I don't like doing that. I mostly put Red X in because I'd always liked him as a character in the series and it would be a shame not to at least mention him in here. And I hope I live up to expectations…*sweatdrop* PRESSURE! Just kidding.
kiobithax-angel: Woot! *spins around in fake spinny chair*
So, R&R, please! Please...how about I make a LOL cat face? No? Oh well...bye.
