author note: this chapter is heavily inspired by the new teen titans #16 written and drawn by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, in fact you can call this a remake, p.s this is the first part of a two part story, that said i sincerely hope you enjoy it. be warned some graphic content ahead .
Chapter 2: beyond presumptions of good and evil
'Moving on….. I find this earthly expression very strange….. back home it was required by royal decree that people who bear grudges, misunderstandings or even the most deepest of hatred to confront one another in any form they'd see fitting… the only reason I understand this concept so well is because He explained it to me on a basic level…. the deeper understanding came from me incorporating this explanation into my own life experiences…'
A few months have passed since Robin's mysterious death, and the Titans to their credit they managed pretty well in his absence with Starfire leading them on the battlefield in the war against villainy in Jump city, however now that she has adopted the role of leader she inherited another role, that of a matriarch in the Titans household and with that came a new battlefront with it's own obstacles to overcome, the financial front. Luck would have it that she had an ally on her side, Donna Troy, who in turn pulled in a few favors to make Starfire her leading model for her photography portfolio and credentials.
Titan's tower, early morning, Starfire's bedroom
Starfire was soundly asleep in her room after a few nights in a row of crime fighting which lately consisted of crimes involving human people without extraordinary powers, such as bank robbers or the latest misguided free radicals, in concept it should seem simple enough but Starfire always detested having unfair advantage over her enemies…. the same thing can be said about constantly restraining her powers due to the fact that she has to constantly adjusts to the idea that she no longer lives in an extreme wartime era like on her home planet Tamaran.
Around the time when Starfire stopped thinking of her old but still dear home, her own alarm clock/radio woke her up by playing the first few notes of the hit song Girls On Film by the band Duran Duran but before the song could continue she turned the alarm off gently but still with irritation marred on her face.
'Since when did I became Richard?…. I usually love to wake up early…. speaking off…. mental note… remind Garfield I prefer to keep my private life and work as separate as possible….'
With that Starfire got up and headed towards her shower in the hopes that she'd at least could recharge herself physically.
Around 15 minutes of showering Starfire was ready to begin her day with a moderate yet balanced breakfast of both meat and vegetables mixed together with a random topping to remind her of her home world such as mustard which reminded her the most of home, her reasoning being that she never felt homesick if she had some element to remind herself of the place she's missing, however what she'll never miss was her schedule.
Breakfast went enjoyably quiet since the boys in the group Beast boy and cyborg where preoccupied with their own life, Cyborg as a volunteer physiotherapist at a local elementary school for the disabled or as he would simplify it as a gym teacher for kids with special needs and Beast boy visiting his adoptive parents while reconnecting with his old friends from The Doom Patrol, a group, by Beast boy's account, that consists an odd collections of characters who formed to protect people from certain doom, a group that honestly she would fit among much easier even than the titans since by her account she was an odd character even among her own people, speaking of odd one…..
'i wonder where Raven could be?….'
Before she could finish her thought or meal she picked up faint noises emanating from the Titan's gym, and since starfire needed a good stretching session to start her workout she decided now would be as good as time as any to head in that direction but not before saving her meal in the fridge for another time.
'No point in wasting delicious food'
Titan's gym, a few moments after….
The source of the noise Starfire picked up was none other then the docile and quiet Raven having a basic workout session while listening to music via earphones to what only can be recognized as Olivia Newton John's hit single Physical, Starfire pleasantly surprised and impressed decided, instead of scaring her friend half to death with an interruption, she would join in the fun and with Raven seemingly paying no mind she did just that by mimicking her catching up to her rhythm, after a few moments of concentration and silence Raven broke it by asking in a certain monotone.
"Mind telling me what so amusing about me doing exorcises and sports?"
"would it kill you to admit that you're doing something for fun other than reading books…. or verbal jousting with Beast boy?" Starfire replied with a straight forward answer which helped gain Raven's respect, Raven returning the gesture replied with.
"no…. but it could kill everyone else near me" Starfire nodded as she stopped and turned towards the pool while saying, "if you need anything let me know…"
Raven gave a small nod of acknowledgement before continuing on with her aerobics exercises until it reached the verse of the song that mentioned animals. She stopped her workout there and then letting her body rest for a few moments before exiting the gym in deep thought, not about the meaning of the song like the meaning of one her favorite books, no that was blatantly simple… blunt even, no her deep thoughts were somewhere along the lines of…..
'i need to wake up Beast boy before he gets too comfortable in bed…. and as a result we won't get a wink of sleep…. but how to wake him up in a non violent way….let's see throwing him in to the pool via teleportation will probably give him a heart attack or at the very least he'll still sleep in the pool while floating…. throwing an ice water on his face will most likely get him mad…. not to mention probably pneumonia…. not forgetting that it would probably ruin good sheets, and I'll be damned if I ever become someone's house keeping…. let's see what else?…. dressing up as a french maid while waking him up with a kiss…. too intimate at this point for me…. Raven began Blushing profusely…. not to mention he would most likely pitch a tent as well, so seduction like that would never work…. wait a minute… seduction of the stomach…. wait a minute I forgot…. Beast boy is away at the moment…. so why am I thinking of him…. good God Rachael you've officially lost it…. I need to meditate…. afterwards definitely spend the day away from the tower as much as possible, I really need some fresh air.'
Outside Titan's tower, the Titan's Olympic swimming pool.
Starfire per her strict regiment routine was practicing in the pool by doing at least up to this point about 10 laps and counting with the mind set and focus of a pro athlete, the sole thing that wasn't strict in this situation was the fact that Starfire swam without a swimming suit restricting her, with that said and done she continued swimming like that for several more minutes until she sensed someone arriving that certain someone was Donna Troy.
"hey Kory, got a minute?…. or should I wait for a few minutes for you to get decent?, Donna asked with mirth lacing her voice. Starfire now stopping for a bit to regulate her breathing replied with. "oh Donna you know I am always decent…. I am just not…. how would you describe it…. prudish?… or perhaps uptight?…. Donna unable to contain her amusement continued. "fair point…. anyway, a model by the name of angel had just bailed out of a major photo-shoot and I need to find a replacement in a hurry…. feel like stepping in to save the day?.
Kory considered it for a minute before replying with. "sure on one condition… that you'd join me in the pool later on…. it is lonesome to swim as they say it… solo.
Donna unable to deny Kory's plights simply stretched out her hand which Kory accepted in return as Donna helped her out of the pool, while doing this Kory felt the urge to ask, "did angel disappear on you?…. or she disappeared never to be heard from again?….", Donna surprised a bit by the question replied with…. "OK ms. Junior detective…. let's see if we can detect your clothes first, before trying to find a missing person…. and more importantly you should take a shower first…. I don't really need the strong scent of chlorine on the set." kory nodded in an understanding that quietly and humorously said 'yes mother' before leaving her towards the locker rooms, only for Donna to closely follow her with a gaze that stated 'quickly now please', waiting a little for her friend to disappear she let out a sigh she wasn't aware she was holding to begin with.
'gee I don't know what's more scarier…. the fact that she's drop dead gorgeous…. with an amazing figure to boot… or the fact that her mind can rival with Dick in levels of sharpness…. note to self…. take some time off from work to stay in better shape'…
A few moments later, Donna's car, towards downtown jump
Kory Andres a.k.a Starfire was being driven to the shoot courtesy of Donna Troy in a convertible Fiat 124 sport spider with the roof currently down, in any other situation she would have enjoyed the breeze in her face, however at this point in time she felt more fidgety than anything else, since what she hated most about being a model wasn't the inevitable attention she'll draw but those a cursed designer clothes which were form fitting to the point it felt like a second coat of skin restricting her breathing, speaking of…..
"Donna can you remind me why I have to wear those designer clothes… before the shoot even commences…?". Donna, understanding her friend's frustration answers her question. "I know it's a pain….. but I need to do the shoot quickly today because… something came up", Kory now feeling a little concerned asks, " what is the matter Donna?… is there some sort of emergency?…", Donna shrugs and sighs, "not really…. someone broke into my apartment a few days ago…. the only thing being stolen where a few files regarding models, their schedules and some SD cards containing recent photo-shoots I did…. with angel…. oh god, no such things as coincidences."
Kory nodded in understanding while trying to relax and reassure her friend, Donna in return thanked her friend and a few more minutes went quietly since traffic felt less busy than usual, in the meantime another motorist caught up to them, he was a young man in his early 20's, driving an old beat up Fiat 126, carrying in the back seat working gloves, camera and lighting equipment. he mostly kept his head on the road until he noticed the beautiful women next to him, he tried to wave a friendly good morning and maybe a friendly smile, but he lost concentration for a few seconds, almost swerving in the process, fortunately for him though he got the car and himself under control before saying to himself 'focus frank…. focus'
Donna and Kory eventually got in time for the photo-shoot right on time, however Donna still felt uneasy since she knew the longer she waited the harder it would be to find her alive and well, hell it would be lucky to find her alive. It drove her crazy so much she forgot to step out of her car, Kory on the other hand was already out of the vehicle talking on the phone with victor also known as Cyborg.
"hey Vic…. can you spare a few minutes please?…. it's urgent" Kory said hoping for a bit of luck, which Cyborg responded with… "sure star…. for you anything so shoot…" Kory then began to recall what Donna told her in much detail as she could while Cyborg was listening intently and taking mental notes…. " Angel Dove… got it, let me patch to the computers at home and I'll get back to you in a little while…." Kory now pleased with how her day is proceeding remembered something. "Oh by the way Vic…. I hope I didn't interrupt your class in any way…"
Vic was smiling to himself for this, thankful for the kind of friends he has while replying, "no worries about that little lady…. I dismiss my classes 5 minutes early so they could change and get to their next lesson on time… send my regards to Donna for me….", "oh don't worry I will…" Kory said before hanging up, meanwhile a calmer Donna Troy caught up to her hugging her which pleasantly surprised Kory.
"thanks for being my friend…. now as much as it is a nice moment, we got work a head of us…."
With in the photo-shoot studio, half an hour later
After a few delays caused by a heated argument between a fashion magazine tycoon who's known by the name Sergio and an eccentric fashion designer, Neil 'Mad Mod' Richards, Kory was More than ready to begin the shoot but the argument began a new and having no patience to get caught in a petty argument she decided to look around the set.
'space….. leave it to my friend Donna to make me feel like I'm at home once again…'
Kory now smiling she decided to explore with her eyes further… what she found next was yet another pleasant surprise… she took notice of one worker in particular trying to set and fix the lights for the shoot…. ' I remember him…. he is the friendly driver on his way to work this morning…' Kory sensed she was staring perhaps a bit too long…. not to mention he was now staring back since she caught his attention, so in return she gave a small smile to him and through a sweaty face he did just the same, a few moments passed before Donna gave the signal that shooting is about to commence.
"OK Kory you know the drill…. let's start shooting…"
A few hours after the shoot.
Donna on a roll with thanks to her friend Kory has managed to catch quite a few photo ops and was now preparing to finish the day with minimal interruption from her guests on the set, eventually she noticed she filled the last of her SD cards and with accordance with Sergio has wrapped up the photo-shoot.
"OK that's a wrap people….. thanks…. hopefully I'll get to see you all on the next shoot…." with that the lights dimmed and eventually shut off until there were a few left to let the workers see what they were doing, while Kory approached Donna to see if there is anything else she might need help with, Donna in return responded.
Kory why don't you wait a little longer for me…. I have some final details to settle with Sergio about my fee…. and with mister Richards about the designs for the next shoot…" Kory a little dismayed but never discouraged saw the nice man from earlier still working on the light fixtures, nothing to arouse curiosity however she did noticed he was always favoring his right side over the left as though if he had no choice in the matter, so without further delay she approached him.
"Excuse me sir, may I offer my assistance?", she asked politely, the man didn't do much accept replying while keeping himself concentrated. "I'm sorry but if you're not a professional with handling or setting up lights… I'm afraid there is not much you can do to actually help. kory being her usual self tried to keep the conversation going, "well it was nice meeting you again, Mr…..?", the young man by now made sure that all the lighting equipment is safe and secured before giving her his full attention.
"it's Frank actually, Frank Crandel….. I've been called mister only in high school…. by the way what did you mean by meeting me again?" Frank asked with amused curiosity, which Kory replied with grace and mirth. " I've seen you driving on the way to work…. Kory started laughing politely…. although you are most graceful in a straight line….", Frank rolling his eyes a bit, finally started a suppressed laughter replying back.
" I admit…. not my finest moment…. although honestly I was hoping you'd forget this little mishap… it is in my best interest to leave a good impression at the end of the day." Kory now couldn't contain an infectious smile on her face before saying.
"indeed you have succeeded….. much more than me,now before I forget my manners completely…. it's a pleasure to meet you Frank Crandel, my name is miss Kory Andres…"
Finally, Donna troy was done with the negotiations about her upcoming paycheck so she looked around to see where her friend was, however since she didn't go far she was able to spot her very easily, and with a man other than Dick non the less, a situation she found worth checking in to.
' I wonder how he would react to Kory seeing another man….. probably would drive him up the walls…. if I know him as much as I claim….'
Donna approached the two but before she could sneak in a word Kory made instant eye contact and rushed her friend for a quick introduction, "Donna I am most pleased that you came….. may I introduce you to my new friend…. Frank Crandel?, Donna this time was quick to respond. "I know him by reputation on set…. but I'm delighted to finally meet him in person….", Frank ever the gentleman and cool guy around, albeit that's what he'd like to think of himself most of the time, responded with a firm handshake followed by "likewise…. anyway where was I?…. oh yes, Kory….. I was wondering if you'd help me with something….. Kory and Donna for that matter were both curious so they both raised their eyebrows at Frank, signalling him to continue, now Frank felt a little nervous so he continued.
"It's not something too outrageous I can assure you….. it's just…. well, I'm new to this city, what's more to add I don't have a lot of friends either…. so if it's okay with you Kory, would you like to hang out with me sometimes…. and show me around the city….?" , Kory sensing no imminent danger from him smiled at him gently, while Donna on the other hand gave him a doubtful look saying 'look, I'll trust you for now, but if you break her heart…. I'll break both of your legs….'
Frank sensing the tention in the air as though he just stepped in a steaming sauna tried nervously tugging at his collar to let air in without much success, Kory sensing his discomfort stepped in the conversation.
"thanks I would love to Frank….. however not at this very moment…. I'm busy with work beyond modeling…. so if it is alright with you….. maybe 2 weeks from now….?"
Frank visibly relaxing made a gesture of thinking and pondering before replying. "if it works with you…. I guess it will work for me as well", feeling there can be no better outcome than this Frank finished packing the lighting equipment on the set and without delay started carrying them to his car, Kory feeling a little confused by his answer tried to clarify.
"so may I assume it's a date than?…." frank in is turn shot back teasingly with the following, "I don't know…. depends if we get along…. I wouldn't mind turning it into a date…. you know…. eventually".
'Eventually frank?… really?….. laying it there thick aren't ya….. even Ed wood would say it's too much….'. to his surprise only Donna thought the same as he when she gave that line an eye roll while Kory tried her best not to crack up as she waved him goodbye on her way towards the parking lot while Frank stayed just a bit longer to recollect his thoughts.
"well…. that was something…." he said quietly to himself, and then muttering to himself….. "I'm glad it didn't get any worse….." after thinking about if he had something else important to do that day, and coming to the conclusion that were none, he too went towards his car towards home-bound.
Donna's car, on her way to the apartment.
With Donna behind the wheel, both female Titans were now able to be concerned about what happened with the break in earlier today, and if there was any clear indication towards Donna's stress, it was the way she blocked any distraction happening on the road while also handling her car like a getaway driver, Kory sensing her friend's mood shift wanted to offer to take to the sky and fly towards the apartment building to make sure that the crime scene was not disturbed or contaminated any further, however she knew better than to try and distract Donna, besides it won't do her any good because she couldn't speak unless risking biting her tongue off due to the jerky maneuvering of the vehicle.
Trying to distract herself from her worries Kory tried to focus on anything else by the current situation, but to no avail the universe it seems had the worst timing with it's humor, cause just there and then a silver Pontiac Firebird came into view and did an over take of Donna's car without any sort of signaling or indication it was going to cut in, to the relief of Donna and Kory, the one driving never lost her cool, however Kory's heart almost skipped a bit as she tried to remember the drivers of the Pontiac, but with little success since just 2 names popped in her head, the one's that were printed on the shirts Don and Rob, other than that the only other thing which she could identify was the song blasting out of the car's stereo, Kick Start My Heart by the band Motley Crew.
'please universe…. I will not attempt to understand the mysterious ways in which you operate…. but I implore you….. must you keep perpetuate the meaning of irony to the point of redundancy…?'
At this point and time Kory began recognizing the parts of Jump city which were in vicinity of Donna's apartment which she was grateful that the manic driving of her friend have slowed down, and there were no more manic drivers on the road.
Inside Donna's apartment complex, early afternoon.
Donna and Kory, now in the mind set of Wonder Girl and Starfire, were closing in on Donna Troy's apartment, hoping that the break in scene was undisturbed but with no such luck, it appears that some of her neighbors has contacted the police and in return had sealed off the scene with yellow police lines and a patrol man right outside the doors. Starfire, to her credit, was always the quick thinker or at the very least had the quickest reactions, so she approached the police officer with an innocent demeanor.
"good afternoon officer….. Starfire quickly scanned the badge on his uniform for the name…. Peterusky….. my friend over here is Donna Troy and she is the woman who lives in this apartment…. however before she could continue the officer decided to cut in…. "and let me guess, she wants to go in…. to look around and check if anything else is missing…. am I getting the gist of it….?", starfire unphased by what happened just nodded in affirmation while the officer took a deep breath before replying.
"look I won't lie to you…. the pay is lousy…. it offers little to no benefits…. and little to virtually no vacation days…. but I am a family man, trying to provide for my little ones…. so unfortunately I have to set an example… so no I can't let you walk into an active crime scene and risk contaminating it."
At this point Donna intervene directly, "look officer I appreciate your honesty and effort…. however I really to need to go inside for a few minutes to pack a suitcase for an overnight stay at a hotel or a friend…. please sir, I promise to leave the scene just as it was." the officer in question saw the sincerity in her face and with a heavy sigh he caved in while lifting the police tape.
"5 minutes…. not a minute more…. and that means only you in case I wasn't clear". he directed the last part clearly at Donna, Donna nodded her head silently and went inside. Once inside she quickly scanned the state of the apartment, thankfully it wasn't too messy and there was no evidence of intimate items being stolen, she did however find one item that did not belong to her so she quickly took out a small digital camera she owned and took a picture of it for later analysis.
A few minutes have passed and donna came out of the apartment with a small suitcase indicating to Kory or rather Starfire she was ready to leave, but before she went with her friend, out of sheer politeness she thanked officer Peterusky for his cooperation.
Titan's tower, ops room, an hour later
Cyborg having returned to the tower from his civilian routine as Vic Stone, gym teacher extraordinaire had immediately began trying to track down the woman called Angel Dove, the only problem was that all he had to go with was a name he got from Donna, and a picture he got out of an engine search. A photo that could be reliable or not, although to be honest he didn't worry so much because unlike an average Joe he had exclusive access to satellite footage and street cams to rely on, so for the next few minutes he was busy searching for any scraps of data.
'well so far a learned a few things….. Donna is one lucky woman…. the missing woman I'm searching for is drop dead gorgeous… her real name suits her better…. I better make sure Sarah would never hear about my admission…. and the girl is up to her neck in shit due to her background'
Just as he was finishing his thoughts or rather mental notes, he heard the elevator dings to the current floor. Cyborg stopped, now trying to determine who was arriving this very moment, normally it wouldn't have bothered him who comes and goes out of the tower since he wasn't the kind of guy to make a big deal about keeping is secrets, besides secrets come out eventually as in their nature, however the last time someone surprised him while Cyborg was browsing online was Beast Boy, who either pesters and teases him about what he searches online or even more frightening constantly begs him to delete his latest history browser, and the last time he agreed to do a favor for Beast boy, his human side couldn't sleep a wink from the mental images Beast boy has unleashed on him.
Cyborg enhanced his hearing one last time and thankfully realized the steps belonged to his two friends Wonder Girl and Starfire, immediately releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, thinking to himself 'thank goodness', however that would be the only relaxing moment this time cause Wonder Girl from her posture was worried.
"tell me you got something Vic", Cyborg spared no second with his reply, "still searching…. but from what I did find…. her real name is Lawanda Brown…. a native New Yorker… no actual rap sheet…. but her ex boyfriend…. a guy who goes by the name of Silver, had turned states against some local low level mobsters…."
"so most likely she's been kidnapped to get to him…. Wonder Girl finished for Cyborg while adding some new info…. "by the way…. I found a glove that didn't belong to me…. I'm uploading a pic of it into the main computer…. can you search who made it, who bought it and when…", Cyborg only gave a nod with a cocky smile while Wonder Girl uploaded the photo.
Starfire feeling like she has nothing to add to the team at this moment by simply standing and watching from the side lines simply stated to her friends, "well if I cannot offer any assistance around the tower, perhaps it is best for me to head out on patrol and search for Angel from, how do you say it again?….. street level…."
The two remaining friends in the tower were busy with the monitor but still listening intently to their friend and leader Starfire, and after listening to her suggestion and finding no reason to decline the offer, they simple nodded in return giving a good indication that the idea was solid to act upon. Without a second to lose Starfire took off flying out of the tower, at first in no particular direction trying to form more of an idea as to where to look for useful clues.
'let me see…. if I was tracking a missing woman…. how would I go about it….. Richard would have gone straight to the source…. the city streets….. but I am not like him….. I do not use brutality to interogate….. only if the heat of battle calls for it…. besides the streets are too stress inducing….. I need to find a place where people are more inclined to relax…. and maybe divulge information…. with greater ease….. sounds like I'll have to fly to the local park…. mental note to one self…. I must not be afraid to assert myself…. if I am to be a worthy successor to Robin….'
In that instant Starfire immediately changed trajectory towards the local park.
Jump city park, late afternoon, early evening.
As true to her intentions Raven in her alias Rachael Roth, has spend most of the day outside, going around from shop to shop trying to find novels and thrillers to read that haven't came out yet or ones she haven't gotten to read and made it her mission to track down. Later on she even visited a local DVD and Blu Ray store to see if she could rent a few movies for movie night her thought process being….
'if my life is destined to be boring or uneventful….. at least I can make sure it won't center on a career… if you could call being a superhero a career….. or monotones if I'd have any say about it….. yet again knowing my friends they got that covered as well'
Reaching the park Rachael went and found a local kiosk, buying for herself a tasty treat and a lukewarm ice tea and went to find a nice quiet space to meditate to close the day before going home. She found such a place near the park's pond right on a green patch overlooking a row of benches filled with old people feeding either pigeons or stray alley cats, which ever came first.
It took a moment for Rachael to find center but once she did she immediately sat in a lotus position chanting her mantra and deeply breathing between each chant. Every once in a while she would stop to open her eyes for a bit, basking in the calming view of the park and it's occupants.
'I've been called a lot of things over the years…. an abomination….. a spawn of hell….. a monster….. a creep….. but my favorite out of all of them is eccentric….. which in all honesty I really do enjoy being called that….'
A few more minutes has passed as Rachael continued her meditation while noticing the elderly people in the park started to gather their belongings and shuffling back home as the sun started to set in, everything felt just about right when she heard a meowing close by to where she was currently standing, curious she averted her gaze towards the source of the noise, what she found in some respect was very humorous, it was a small gray kitten with patterns circling around the feet of a young man in his mid to late twenties begging to either being pet of fed, probably both. The man ever so grateful that someone took notice started a conversation.
"excuse me…. could someone help me please…. this cat doesn't let go of me and I'm trying to get home….. anybody?"
"you could just shoo her with your foot gently…. or pick her up and set her out of your way…. you know…" Rachael responded honestly finding the stray cat's affection heart warming, the man however tried hard not to lose his cool while replying. "gee…. why didn't I think of that…. well first of all, I personally don't believe it's right to use any violence on anyone who doesn't deserve it…. besides this kitten is already cute as it is….. so picking it up would make me want to adopt it…. which I can't do since I have 2 pets to feet at home, and that's quite enough as it is…. so please? A little help would be welcomed."
Rachael without even saying another word drew closer to the man and once she was in reach she started petting the kitten, to the man's surprise the kitten stopped meowing and visibly started to relax and purr giving the strange woman a confused look she simply stated. "it's my special gift to the world, I can take a living creature's sense of hunger or pain and make it my own." after the man was given an explanation the only thing that went in his head before accepting it was 'heh….. I live in a big city…. I've seen stranger shit than this one….' after a few moments the kitten disappeared into the nearest bushes when the man waved goodbye to the both of them and went home…. Rachael on the other hand looked visibly drained so she stayed behind to rest a bit, however someone very familiar approached her.
"can I help you in any way…. Beast boy….?"
Beast boy having been noticed came running along the lake path in the form of an older green alley cat carrying a sandwich wrapped in nylon dangling from his mouth, Rachael now in the mind set of Raven just quirked an eyebrow at the display as Beast boy laid down the sandwich while transforming back into a human- somewhat to try and explain.
"well I witnessed that entire scene from before….. so I brought a light snack, non vegan, if you're asking… and it's not just me, we got a new mission and we need all hands on deck."
Raven silently took the sandwich while thanking him and making a small gesture to elaborate further which being the most verbal of the bunch, immediately got back on track. "while Donna has convinced Kory to take another model's place in a photo-shoot, she discovered that the model who bailed on her has vanished off the face of the earth, he added dramatically…. anyway, cyborg has managed to dig up some info about her, and well….. she kept bad company in the past, so her disappearing is most likely a kidnapping…. so Donna and Kory asked me to help search…. and I'm asking you to help."
Raven now understanding most of it simply asked. "if this is a kidnapping or rather an abduction, shouldn't the police get involved?…. not to mention they could probably give us a basic clue for us to work with…. like a last known address." she added the last bit in a dry and dead pan tone which caused Beast boy to sigh before replying.
"not to say I don't see your logic in that…. but did you forget that last time we dealt with the police it didn't end on a sweet note…. besides if we get lucky not to fall on a corrupt cop, do you think they'd have the time of day to allocate most of their resources on a missing person case?"
Raven for the first time while talking to Beast boy had no words to say in her mind however 'damn him…. I don't know what pisses me off more…. the fact that he's right….. or the fact that I have no way to counter him'. however instead of showing her anger and frustration, she took a moment of silence to think before answering.
"let's look at the facts. She's a model right….. which means she's most likely self promoting on social media platforms…. right?" she get's a small nod from Beast boy which is followed by a knowing grin. "great idea…. we could ask Cyborg to analyze pics of her home and get her address that way….. wait a minute….. what if she's not on social media….." Beast boy now took a few moments to think before weirdly enough Raven just dead panned. "we'll ask her Address from her employers" Beast boy replied comically, "I was thinking of hacking a satellite but your plan will work too".
On the way back to Titan's tower, around 7 pm.
Beast boy and Raven were both flying in their favorite mode of transport, Raven using her powers to levitate and fly and Beast boy transformed into a crow to keep her from feeling lonely, the gesture didn't register right with Raven because she couldn't register as to whether to take it as a compliment or an unintentional insult. Since deep down the loud mouth of her adoptive friends and family genuinely meant well she chose the former over the latter and kept on going, however mid flight she noticed that Beast boy was unusually quiet and for lack of better words more focused than usual, she was about to ask why he wasn't acting out or showing off but since they were getting close to Titan's roof she decided to postpone the conversation to a little bit later. Once they both landed Raven headed straight inside only to discover Beast boy standing still a few feet away from her unresponsive, well until he threw a question at her.
"are we to blame….. for Robin's death And Dick's disappearance….? Raven having an idea where the conversation simply asked to make sure. "in what sense do you mean it Gar?" Beast boy not caring that Raven used his real name just continued.
"it's no secret that we stick our noses where it Don't belong….. hell some of us thrive on it… we should have done the same for Dick…. he tried to bare the weight of the world on his shoulders for us, and what do we do?….. instead of keeping him in balance…. we just kept on the pressure coming until he snapped" disappointment washing over him like a title wave. Raven had no words to console him so she opted to tell him the truth, no matter how harsh, cold or even downright ugly.
"that's right we did do nothing to help or to ease him, even worse we took him for granted….. we're responsible for the consequences of our actions and inaction's alike….. Beast boy was now visibly reeling from invisible punches being thrown at his face….. but never forget, Raven continued, Both Richard and Robin were responsible for their actions….. and both chose the hardest choice of it all, Richard admitting to his failure and returning to the point where it all started for him as a crime fighter…. while Robin was laid to rest on the battle field."
Beast boy now visibly confused quirked an eyebrow effectively asking 'did I miss something?, how did you know?, he never said anything to us' Raven now looking at him with a small glimmer of guilt in her eyes.
"i may or may not silently read his mind before he took off into the night like The Lone Ranger. Beast boy couldn't stop snickering now while thinking 'you sneaky little girl you'
Raven only slightly scoffed at the expression while lazily rolling her eyes before pulling on his ear and ushering him inside while he comically scrunches in irritation over this act, surprisingly enough showing little to no resistance or defiance.
Titan's tower, ops room
Cyborg for the last few hours was stuck or rather has stuck himself for monitor duty for the last couple of hours virtually trying to find a needle in a hay stack, he combed over traffic footage, satellites feeds, police records and file incidences, even a few social media accounts with no real luck. However quitting for him is never an option both as a principal and a character attribute, having a quick rest however was not out of the question.
'now how shall I go about it….. a light snack first…. a quick tune up to my arms and legs in case they pop out….. maybe see what's on TV?…. maybe both at the same time?' before he could finish his thoughts he get's an alert that someone is in the kitchen so in a sense someone made the choice for him, with that in mind he makes his way to the kitchen.
When arriving to said destination he noticed that Raven and Beast boy have returned, however he did not make himself present because a rare scene occurred between them, a cute meet if you will. Both were in the kitchen making light dinners for each other, well Beast boy helping Raven reach the top shelf were her most rare teas are stored while she on the other hand reheated a pizza along with a calzone making sure there are no traces of meat on said pizza, however before anything could or might happen they both noticed they had audience, at this both teens cocked their eyebrows, leaving Cyborg to defend himself.
"i didn't mean to intrude….. it's just that I didn't expect such intimacy from the resident married couple….. I mean everyone around the tower is used to throw that term around jokingly….. so I'm glad you're taking it seriously…."
Both teens felt uncomfortably warm, Beast boy trying to avert his gaze to anywhere boy but his two friends trying to recollect some semblance of a coherent thought while Raven took the opportunity to focus on the pizza currently reheating to try and rein in her emotions from making a war zone out of the surrounding area when Beast boy finally got his tongue to start working.
"any updates on the missing model…."?. Cyborg nodded in a no motion while adding "I tried finding her on social media too….. found nothing useful except selfies of her mugging the camera on every opportunity…. but maybe I can check if I can pin point the general direction of her home…. adding jokingly…. have fun you two….. don't do something I wouldn't do…. with that Cyborg left them Speechless…. yet again.
The tension in the air between the two was thicker than pea soup and effectively could be cut down with a knife, however said uncomfortable feeling didn't last long cause the microwave dinged signaling the pizza is warm and ready, so both at the same time make a turn towards dinner,nearly bumping into each other adding to the awkwardness from before, Beast boy takes a step back to leave Raven enough room to move about, Raven in turn silently takes the slices of pizza out and centers them on the kitchen table while both of them sit down to eat.
Raven and Beast boy were eating quietly at this point, perhaps too quietly, which made Beast boy a little anxious, he almost broke the silence with a conversation until Raven simply beat him to it.
"so….. that was something….." Beast boy could only nod in agreement while eating, replying afterwards, "yeah….. that's one way of putting it….. I guess…. one thing I know for sure….. I definitely don't want Cyborg blurting it out again….", Raven only giving him an expression that said 'no argument there'. the meal continued quietly until Raven spoke out again.
"do we really look like a couple….?" Raven asked while confusion clearly showing on her face, while Beast boy now more assure of himself than ever, just said.
"sure we are…. around here we're a couple of comedians… you're the straight woman and I'm the crazy goof…." earning in the process a genuine laugh from Raven. "that's actually funny….. but I asked in a romantic sense…". Beast boy went quiet and serious for a few moments, taking the time to think before answering.
"honestly…. this will sound weird….. you're far from being an ugly girl…. actually to the truth is to the contrary….. but you're not my type….. hell I'm not really sure I have a type…. I just know that most of the girls I had a crush on were blondes and redheads." Beast boy expected an angry Raven to berate him for being blunt and somewhat insensitive, he felt like doing it to himself, however Raven simply came closer and gave him a heartfelt hug while whispering in his ear 'thanks for being yourself', releasing him a moment later leaving him in a state of mild shock, lasting a few moments until Cyborg came rushing into the room.
"alert Wonder Girl and Starfire, I found a couple of fresh leads….. two cars, one black 1982 Plymouth Gran Fury and one silver Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III….. by the way man…. are you gonna finish that pizza man?….. forgot to eat today." Beast boy scarfs the slice he already had in his hand, nodding to Cyborg that he can have the rest while he heads to notify the other titans in the tower.
Later that night the team reconvened in Titan's ops room to decide who is best suited for a late rescue mission, ideally it should stand to reason all the titans should go, unfortunately someone had to stay behind to guard the tower and better yet take emergency calls if they should happen, so the following was decided, Starfire, Raven and Beast boy were chosen to search for Angel Dove, while Wonder Girl and Cyborg remained on stand by.
Out on the streets of Jump city with Starfire, Raven and Beast boy
Starfire and Raven took to the city's sky line hoping against hope that they would find the car Angel Dove was last seen in, but with such a wide perimeter to search on, plus the fact that it was getting close to the middle of the night, so most of the expectations came crashing down on Beast boy, but hey no pressure….. for in his case he turned into the most dependable tracking animal he could think of…. a bloodhound, and after going seemingly on a wild goose chase for a few blocks, he signaled his friends to reconvene on him, once all of them caught up to one another Beast boy transformed back to human form saying.
"i got good news….. and I got bad news…." the expressions on Raven and Starfire didn't reassure him in the slightest urging him to continue.
"well I was able to pick up petrol scent towards north and north west, recently fresh too….. the bad news is it's mixed with cheap colon and perfume…. which could belong to anyone in the area alone…. not to mention an entire city….", Raven ever the logical one asked him calmly.
"anything else that could help us….?" Beast boy takes a quick second to think before tossing out. "yeah actually…. I get a weird scent of what might be hand sanitizer or maybe…. Disinfectants." Raven takes a moment to think and then turns to Starfire to see if she's on the same page as her, once Starfire confirms Raven's unasked question turns back to Beast boy.
"keep on that scent….. I have a better idea on where we could find Angel…"
Beast boy now finally understanding where all of this is going nodded briefly before turning back into a bloodhound to continue sniffing for more clues.
'please for the love of god don't let me find a dead animal…. or even worse….. don't let the sewer system flood the streets tonight'
Outside of an abandoned private clinic 22:30
Two cars pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned building just a few blocks away from the city's shore lines, more importantly those cars were the 1982 Plymouth Gran Fury and the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III the Titans been searching for. Out of the Plymouth came out four individuals, three of them were gangsters carrying the forth person which was the missing woman in question. Being dragged across the street by one of her abductors the woman tried to scream, yell,and fuss about without end didn't manage to get results since her 'bodyguard' was 100 pounds and counting more heavier than her, non the less her antics have gained the attention and ire of the other gentlemen around, the other two gangsters that had 'helped' her out of the car, and an eastern European looking man dressed in doctor's garbs that came out of a 50's sci-fi B-movie. One of the gangsters, an average guy with an average build and stature was loosing his patience quickly and without hesitation or warning produced a stubby shotgun he was concealing underneath his leather and wool jacket and struck the woman with the grip of his weapon on the back of her neck rendering her unconscious, the fat mobster who now was holding the woman started snickering at his friends antic while said friend kept quiet while signaling the last of the bunch to help escort the guest back inside, in the meantime the fat man was ignored and left alone but before he could complain about it the European pulled a Walther P38 from his person and shot him right between the eyes, the other two looked visibly upset, ready to draw their guns and ventilate the fucker, however with a single hand gesture he stopped them while commenting with a thick accent.
"it's one thing to waste my considerable talents and skills on a filthy Kaffir woman…. I do not need an unruly animal which cannot be controlled….. therefore I will not tolerate an imbecile, who in turn cannot restrain such animal….. now turning to the man who stunned her… for your sake, that my canvas is not damaged as to be rendered….. how mien American freunde say… useless… now let's not waste a second more than what we already wasted."
The others begrudgingly agreed with his fucked up point of view and carried the guest inside to the abandoned clinic not before of course mumbling and cursing their otherwise icy colleague, while he didn't lift a single finger out of place while contemplating what to do with the impromptu cadaver on his hands.
'for now I'll put him in the Plymouth…. as for later…. the best course of action is to make processed meat out of him…. and feeding him either to the dogs… or the simpletons that came with him…. either way it doesn't really matter, only my job does.'
Inside the abandoned clinic, after a few minutes.
The two goons from before came in with the woman in toe, following the direction of their 'associate' into a blindingly white and well preserved room, containing right in the middle a rigged operating table with operating lights, like the ones that can be found at a dentists office, a separate compartment joined to the table containing rubbing alcohol for sterilizing the operating equipment which included an assortment of surgical knifes, clamps, mallets, mirrors and forceps, lastly but not least the table came with neck, head and limbs leather restraints….
The goons getting visibly sick from imagining what could happen in the next few seconds opted to lay the 'maiden of honor' on the table and wait it out for the expert to arrive, a few minutes have passed in the meantime when the expert entered the room, he gave one quick glance at the surroundings and gave the other two his assessment and orders as though they were orderlies.
"I've seen you've made my patient comfortable…. many thanks to you mein fine fellows…. now before we proceed with the procedure…. I must ask you to strip her off completely…. chop chop."
The other 'fellows' as they were called had no qualms adhering to the instructions of what now appears was the head surgeon, stripping the woman's clothes exposing her bare breasts and crotch to the gentlemen currently present, the goon with the shotgun now was having a thought while still holding the woman's lingerie so he approached calmly to the one about to operate.
"Herr Bunt…. if you don't mind me asking…. what would happen if just by sheer circumstance Ms. Dove over there should end up being…. sexually violated?" Herr bunt did not move a muscle, didn't flinch and for that matter hasn't even been disturbed by the suggestion, instead he simply asked.
"I believe there is a rational logic in play behind such…. vulgarities?" the goon just answered him in a matter of fact manner "not only do you witness such a good specimen of human biology…. but we'll also need to make sure we could distance ourselves from the police's attention if…. something goes horribly wrong" Herr Bunt was pleasantly surprised by how eloquent the gangster explained himself so he made sure to make his point short.
"you Americans will never cease to amaze me at how barbaric you could be…. so let me make myself clear I do not care for Kaffirs, to me they're nothing but subspecies filth…. so after my work is done, you may have your way with her…. how do your people say it?…. oh yes…. you sick fucks."
Before anyone had the opportunity to comment on that indirect insult Angel Dove begin to stir from her concussion which immediately alerted Herr Bunt and his associates, without a moments notice the resident 'surgeon' started ordering around again.
"quickly…. before she wakes up and regain conciseness…. fasten the restraints around her ankles, heels, neck and forehead….". the gangsters worked quickly and efficiently finishing just in time to see Angel start slowly gaining a sense of perception and when she started recollecting what had happened and where she is, panic started kicking in.
Eyes dilating, muscles constricting and mind registering that it was in her best interest to scream, Angel tried to do those all at once thrashing from her current position to no avail while the other three waited with a sick smile of amusement on their faces. A few moments have passed like that until Angel's adrenaline levels have considerably dropped until she was in a right state of mind to talk, mind you the sense of panic never died down.
"what the fuck is this?… what have you done to me you sick bastards… someone better explain to me what the hell I'm doing here….. naked of all things….. before I get loose and murder every last one of you…. you damn fuckers….. AAAHHHH…."
After that scream, the gangster who chose to remain silent up until now came closer to Angel in order to explain her situation while simultaneously caressing roughly her entire body.
"oh the bitch wants answers….. how lovely…. well there cutey….. I would like them too, you see I was your ex's best friend…. and well I heard he's been talking behind my back…. spewing bullshit about me, my friends and my family…. so I pay him a visit…. to try and 'reason' with him…. 'persuade' him to shut his mouth before his crap would reach the police…. funny thing though…. when I came over…. I found him already with his mouth shut permanently…. now since he won't talk to me…. maybe you'd like to talk…. since you were so tight…. at this point he jammed his finger down her pussy making her convulse in pain….. oh and I suggest you do it fast…. or otherwise the German fuck in the doc's scrubs…. pointing to Herr Bunt…. well, he'll remove your entire bottom jaw while you'll get a front row seat to watch it all happen… very slowly…. not to mention painfully… Savvy?"
Angel's panic at this point intensifies while trying to the best of her abilities to come up with the right words to stop the bastards from turning her into a biology experiment gone wrong but to no avail… until she asks the following question….
"what part of all of this requires me being fucking naked"?
Not wanting to waste another minute Herr Bunt simply replied, "unfortunately for you mein little Kaffir…. blood splatter is simply unavoidable ….". at that the crazy fuck took a thin curved knife designed to peel skin and started chipping away at Angel's face, all she could do in the process was struggle and cry as she felt every action as though she was eaten alive by insects.
Back with the Teen Titans.
Beast boy as a bloodhound kept sniffing for clues, occasionally raising one ear than the other one to try and hone in on any distinct sounds that could indicate his was on the right track, luckily enough after a few moments he was close enough to catch what sounded like a muffled scream, not sure if it was a human scream or the kind of scream you'd here on a TV set, he continued staying on the path while even picking up the pace when he was sure his ears were not deceiving him, thankfully he got a second opinion when the resident medic of the Titans Raven began feeling and experiencing pain on the magnitude of torture which caused her to waver from her flight, however by this point Starfire made sure to act as a rock for her, continuing on his path Beast boy thought about turning to a human when he saw the targeted cars however before a fought could clearly pass through he involuntarily turned back once he got close to the drive way due to the sensitivity of his senses, unable to hold it in he began to cough when he spoke
"good got all…. mighty….. what the hell is that stench…." he searched for a bit until he located the source of the smell, fixing his gaze at the Plymouth's trunk, Raven now landing near him understood where he was coming from since she too had issues from time to time with, like right now cause the pain she felt earlier intensified, she started patting him calmly on his back. "take a deep breath, avert your eyes…. and lean in to me if you absolutely have to….. Beast boy did the first two parts while stating….. "no time…. we need to save her right now before she's next to be turned into a corpse…." he said while still coughing just a little less violently and loudly, Starfire who just arrived pitched in favor of Beast boy. "agreed, but let us keep the body count as low as possible…. on both sides."
Back at the operating table.
Herr Bunt has stopped for a little while the operation, instructing the orderlies to go into the back room and retrieve a fairly old radio set from there. A few moments go by and the radio is already plugged in, Herr Bunt goes through a number of stations and songs before settling down on Garry Rafferty Baker Street before resuming his surgery.
Beast boy was the first to enter through the abandoned building, from what he could see it was a relatively old building kept well maintained, the second detail was that the complex had very narrow corridors and very narrow staircases to boot so transforming into animals at this point was ill advised, so he opted to run on foot until he could locate the exact door, running those flight of steps he could only think of one thing.
'good thing I do cardio on a regular basis'
Even though he wasn't a hound or any other kind of tracking animal he still could hear the screams from who most likely is to be Angel, so he took off running up the stairs through the first, second, third all the way to the sixth floor where he came across a narrow corridor which led to a singular entrance, an apartment converted into a private clinic. Since he was in a rush he thought about charging in but the run up the stairs, however he decided to catch his breath and catch the sick bastards by surprise and calmly stepped to the entrance and started repeatedly knocking and ringing the door bell.
On the other side of the door.
The gangster who carried the shotgun, now having nothing to do while watching the 'performance piece' tried doing so in peace and quiet, key word here trying, since he couldn't ignore the insistent knocking and ringing reaching his ears, apparently it got that bad even the good 'doctor' could stomach it no more before snapping.
"would someone get the fucking door already….. I'm trying to perform a very delicate procedure….. do it, or someone else in this room would get jabbed with my knifes repeatedly in his…. or hers throat". he added the last part screaming at the top of his lungs for the extra effect, the one trying to enjoy himself went to answer the door mumbling and muttering to himself.
'Jesus fucking Christ….. the nerve of some people…. who taught them to act like animals for crying out loud…. wait a fucking moment were not expecting anybody… are we?'
Anger turned into confusion by the time he reached and opened the door, which intensified since he was now seeing a literal green Ram charging at him like a battering ram, sending him a few feet across the room winded and barely conscious, the last thing to go through his mind before passing out was,
'oh fuck….'
Before the other criminals in the room could even register what had happened or reach for their guns for that matter Beast boy continued charging as a Ram only to leap towards the surgeon, transforming mid air into an alley cat, landing on his face and viciously claw at his face until the pain paralyzed him, without missing a beat beast boy leaped into the air once again only to change himself into a Pit-bull using the massive frame of the dog to crash land on the last of the gangsters knocking him effectively unconscious.
'fine work if I do say so myself….. and I do' Beast boy said proudly to himself, with his own ego swelling with pride he failed to notice one thing, the surgeon he pounced on has now for a few moments tried to stand up while absorbing his pain. Once he found enough strength to stand up he tried reaching for his side arm, once in hand he tried aiming it towards Beast boy's head. At first he wanted to catch the little swine of guard, however he figured that he would enjoy seeing his latest victim's expression of horror before he'll get shot.
"it pains me to do this… you could have been an interesting subject to experiment and…. dissect on….."
This however was his final downfall, for just when he was about to pull the trigger a small green blast was shot at his hand making him lose his grip on his weapon, followed by a swift orange punch to his face knocking him out, Beast boy staring in awe at what happened, Starfire gave him a friendly smile and a short explanation.
"i have been training for a while to channel my star bolts into a projectile through my index finger…. the idea came from Richard…."
Raven in the meanwhile unnoticed by the other two made her way towards Angel to asses her medical condition, both physically and psychologically. On the surface level it would appear that Angel only suffered a few bruises and was missing some of her skin on both cheeks, however the more Raven got close the more she felt the agony, panic and rage emitting from the unwilling patient. So it was decided by Raven that it would be best to tend the inner wounds first, she released Angel from the straps and gave her cloak to use as a blanket, explaining what she was about to do as she began it. After a few moments of healing Raven Stopped to Give Angel a few moments to breath while she searched for her clothes, in the meantime Raven addressed he teammates.
"make sure the abductors are all rounded up and under careful watch…. I'm not done healing her properly, and we can't afford to be complacent at this point."
Seeing no flaws in her arguments yet again…. the rest of the titans present did as Raven suggested…. well took charge actually. Angel reaching for her Bra and panties quickly got dressed under Raven's cloak while Beast boy and Starfire were done rounding up the gangsters, made sure to relieve them of their weapons just to be thorough with securing themselves and the kidnapping victim.
Angel's exposed chins began to relax as Raven's hands traveled along her face covering thoroughly the wound to the best of her ability, however that relaxing and pleasant sensation quickly gave way to an unpleasant pressure when she felt her skin cells stimulating and replacing the dead tissue during the skin's rejuvenation, Raven sensed what Angel felt tenfold but she could not stop just of a slight discomfort. On the contrary she held Angel's head in place while adding pressure to the exposed nerves and facial muscles. After Raven felt she had done the best as she could under the circumstances she released her patient from her grip.
Angel feeling pissed off at the moment gave Raven a death glare that sent a clear message. 'what the fuck is wrong with you, you crazy bitch…. that really fucking hurts' rubbing her face, she saw Raven simply giving her a dead pan look before shooting back with her signature monotone.
"i wouldn't do that if I were you….. while I did heal you to the best of my capabilities, I'd still recommend seeking professional medical care…. unless you'd risk scarring that face of yours…." Angel's only reply was. "considering what those three stooges over there tried to do…. scarring at this point would be inescapable." She scanned the room in Search for Starfire and once she saw her, she addressed her directly.
"hey Goldie….. mind getting my purse out of the Rolls….. while Wednesday Addams and puke face over there make sure I'm still safe over here…it's the silver car by the way miss brains in her tits…."
Starfire got really angry at Angel's comments towards her friends first and then hers. However she chose the high road and suffered the insult in dignity, nodding in approval while she exited the room, Raven however was more direct with her and made no attempt to hide some of the venom towards the victim's ungrateful behavior while practically throwing her clothes in her face.
"first, I did not give you my cloak as a present…. second, get the rest of your clothes on….. unless you're planning to add exhibitionism to your resume"
With that Raven went to join Beast boy before something could go wrong…. it's Murphy's law after all…
Raven now standing close to where Beast boy was, opted to focus intently on the captives trying to discern any sorts of small undetected movements or intent, however something about the rescued woman felt completely off, by that it means that most of the emotions involving an abduction are there, fear, shame, hysteria, anger and rage….. however the emotion that now prevailed above all else was the one she'd least associate with the situation and that was malice. However being cruel to someone who's been cruel to you from the start wasn't illogical. Beast boy sensing Raven's confusion only gave her the most serious of stares indicating that whatever goes on in that mind of hers, she should act on said intuition. Raven in-sync with what Beast boy said in his silence contacted Starfire via mental link.
'Starfire do not panic…. it's me, I'm sending in my thoughts because I have reasons to believe that we can't under any circumstance trust Angel Dove'. Starfire's response simply was. 'thank X'hal I'm not the only one who thought on the very same notions…. for a moment I believed my warrior's training has made me rather paranoid….. other than that I believe everything should be under order?'
Raven gave a small grunt before responding. 'apart from Beast boy suffering from minor pains…. everything is A-OK…. anyway I gotta go before his pains in the neck becomes literally mine….. Raven out…'
Outside the abandoned clinic, next to the silver Rolls Royce.
Starfire has located Angel's purse and as she lifted it she felt it alarmingly heavy so she took the liberty of searching the content of the purse coming across a barreta 9mm handgun with no serial numbers on it, from little that what she learned on criminal behavior from Richard, it didn't surprise her to discover such an item, instead she decided to melt it with a small radiation of energy from her palm, instead she was now steadfast to get to the bottom of the matter, the only thing that did puzzle her was a small thought regarding her friends upstairs so she decided to let that thought escape quietly.
'silly Raven….. I do not understand for the life of me why you can't accept it that you care deeply about your friend Beast boy….. honestly if I didn't find it saddening and pathetic….. I would have found your attempts at denial rather amusing.… kory'andr you should be ashamed at yourself…. for allowing yourself to think like that…'
With that Starfire decided that she stalled the inevitable long enough and quickly made he way back into the clinic.
Back at the clinic Raven was now fully tending to Beast boy's bruises while muttering on how the bitch in the room should pray that she didn't leave her stench on her cloak. Beast boy overhearing her couldn't help but chuckle at that while responding
"that bitch stinks more on the inside….. besides it's not worth getting worked up about it….. it's not like we'll see her anytime soon."
At this point Raven couldn't help but admire Beast boy's….. level headed approach and attitude to the situation, but before she could comment on it Starfire came charging in holding loosely a melted hand gun in front of her, an unamused expression etched on her face indicating 'explain fast or else….' Angel started chuckling for a bit before responding.
"wow… you're sharp considering you're a glorified bimbo…. that said…. I had that piece for protection…. can you blame me?" Starfire had no response to that but she still eyed her with suspicion, adding to the suspicion already permeating in Raven and Beast boy. Angel sighing decided there is no point in pretending anymore simply relaxed her stature and just flat out started telling the truth.
Alright…. you people ain't stupid…. it wasn't just for protecting little old me…. you see…. I tried setting up my ex and this guys so they would pop each other…. as you see that didn't work."
Raven not the least bit surprised or impressed only motioned her to continue, no doubt that her teammates feel the same.
"well what can I say?….. I'm a girl who wants cash and luxury…. so I hooked up with this guy named silver…. a mob guy who had cash to spend…. problem was, I became property of the mob…. and that wasn't gonna go through quietly for me…"
Raven continued. "so you set all those people up so you could take the money and run…. did I get it just about right?".
Angel at this point couldn't contain a wry smile on her face indicating Raven was right on the money with her assessment adding one last detail.
"you forgot one thing Miss Addams…. after I'm done talking…. you're gonna turn those pretty heads of yours around…. and I walk out of here"
Starfire was not impressed by the vague threat/suggestion. "you say if we are going to let it happen… which we do not, so I ask you what are you going to do about it?"
Angel expecting such an outcome searched the room quickly she noticed some of the surgical knifes was still on the platter near the table, so she grabbed the first one she could find and tried sticking it near her throat, but before the instrument could reach the target, she noticed that a black aura around her hand was preventing movement completely, before she could react she heard Starfire speak yet again.
"Do not mistake our kindness with foolishness…. now as I see it you have two choices, the first option is turning yourself to the police, admitting to your crime much like you did with us…. or the second option, you could try to run and hide for the rest of your life…. the choice is yours, so you better choose wisely…"
Miffed at what Angel was hearing right now she just yelled at Starfire. "oh yeah…. well what the fuck you know…. you're not the police that could tell me what to do…. you're not even human to begin with." Starfire took a few moments of silence before she replied back. "you are right about all of it…. however I'm a survivor like you, who brutally maimed and killed to survive…. the only difference so far is I adapted to the choices I made and adopted a new way of life which hopefully could help me to live with the repercussions of my actions…. no matter how justified they were…. now you face your own, how well will you fare I wonder?"
Anger still apparent on Angel's face, did no indication that she took Starfire's speech to heart, instead opting to leave the room angrily. Raven and Beast boy tried to follow right after, however Starfire stopped them indicating that they done all that could be done. Looking at the criminals however she did instruct them to leave an anonymous call to the police before going home themselves.
Titan's tower living room the next day.
After an uneasy night of sleep, Starfire sat in front of the TV trying to listen to the local news only to discover that the criminals from yesterday would be facing indictment for their crime and that unfortunately Angel's body as been discovered after falling to her death from her apartment complex, her cause of death has yet to be determined by the M.E, disappointment clear on her face.
'kory'andr, now more than ever be thankful that you have people you can call friends'.
After a while Kory wandered towards the phone hoping to call Frank, in the hopes he would consider to push their friendly date into probably a few days, maybe a week instead of two.