Souls Intwined
Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. I'd like to apologize for the delay in this chapter. Certain things prevented me from finishing this on time but now I hope that I can get back on track.
Enjoy.
Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installment of the Soul Reaver series and at the start of the Teen Titans animated series.
'' - thoughts
- Telepathy
Out of the darkness
Night signified darkness. An end to the light. And for some, it signified fear. The unknown always lurked in the darkness. Tonight, in this city, darkness fell once again. The never-ending cycle of night and day. But in one secluded alley, away from prying eyes, that darkness would be broken even if only for an instant. A flash of light in that secluded alley pierced the night and dropped a small figure onto a pile of old boxes.
After several minutes of inactivity, the small figure rose to reveal a young boy. Perhaps no more than 15 or 16 years of age, the boy attempted unsuccessfully to stand up right, falling either on his face or on his rear. Failing to stand, he crawled towards a dark corner and attempted to get his bearings first before trying to use his legs again.
'I am....free?' he thought. 'Yes, freedom. But from what? Why can't I remember?' He tried vainly to recall what had happened and what brought him to this place. All that came were images of ivory pillars, a sword, hooded figure and a woman in a snow white gown. Thoughts of the woman elicited feelings contentment, yet he could not understand why. Finally gaining some semblance of clarity, he noticed a certain cold draft. 'Maybe I should look for some clothes first' he mused.
Checking the area, the boxes he had initially fallen on had burst open, revealing old clothes. ' he thought, as he started rummaging through for clothes which would fit.
On another plane of existence, a certain blonde girl sneezed. Must be getting a cold. she thought. With a wave of her hand, a sweater shimmered into existence around her as she continued her walk.
A figure stepped out of the dark alley, dressed in faded blue jeans, a white shirt, and a blue denim jacket. Looking at his reflection in a window, something still felt amiss. After spending a few more minutes in the alley, he returned wearing a dark red scarf. 'Perfect.' he thought. ' Although I have no idea why.' Seeing that he had no real memories which he could make use of for the time being, he started walking in a random direction, hoping to find himself. With his defenses down, he did not notice the small group of people that began following him.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, a masked figure silently patrolled the city. Having gotten used to doing this during his stay in Gotham City, Robin felt quite at ease with each twist of his body, almost taunting death with every jump. Bringing out his communicator, he contacted his new 'Team Mates' for an update on the situation. "Titan's, anything to report?" he asked.
"Nothing on the south end, Robin." replied a cheerful voice. Starfire, the alien who had joined the teen titans proved to be a valuable asset to the team. Her ability to fly allowed her to cover much ground while her ability to project her 'Starbolts' and Tamaranian strength would allow her to stand toe-to-toe with most villains they might encounter.
"Not a creature's stirring, well, except me." joked Beastboy. Another member of the Teen Titans, Beastboy had the ability to shape shift into any animal he could imagine flawlessly. Well, flawlessly assuming nobody noticed the animal was green.
"Everything's clear over here too," reported Cyborg. The largest member of the team, his cybernetic enhancements gave him more than enough fire power to take on other power houses. The sonic cannon alone gave him more firepower than a tank.
"Nothing to report." said a cool monotone voice. Raven, easily the most mysterious and recluse of the Teen Titans. Her psychic powers seemed to be on par with Starfire's own Starbolts. The full extent of her powers was unknown to the other members since she rarely talked about herself, if at all. Her habit of keeping her emotions on a tight lid also seemed weird to the others but they accepted her, nonetheless.
"Looks like this they were quiet tonight." replied Robin. They had heard reports of a gang which looted stores and robbed people every night in the city for the past few nights. They struck at random locations but no one had been seriously hurt but they were staring to become a public nuisance. The police had been vastly outgunned when they tried to to stop the gang so the Titan's took it upon themselves to try to apprehend them. "Let's call it a night. We'll try again tomorrow." Robin was about to put away his communicator when he heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. "Hold on. I think I may have found something. Meet me at George and Elm Street." With that, Robin headed towards the direction of the shouting.
"C'mon we gotta move fast!" yelled the leader of the group. They had broken into a jewelry shop and were rushing to grab as much as they could before the police could arrive. They each wore ski masks and gloves to avoid leaving traces of their identity. Their 'endorser' had also given them some high power fire arms as a deterrent to any law which might try to stop them. They had actually fought the police several times and gotten away each time. The leader looked around and smirked. Today would be no different.
A crash from behind made him groan in irritation. There was always someone who threatened to screw up the whole operation. 'Time for some discipline,' he thought. "All right, who did tha..." He turned to the sound of the crash, half expecting to see one of the men fumbling around with the fallen loot and apologizing profusely. He was surprised to see 3 of his men knocked out, a young boy wearing a red scarf standing over them. The boy turned to him, the scarf flapping slightly in the wind.
"I don't know what you want here but I have a feeling this stuff isn't yours. Leave now and you won't get hurt," said the boy. He knew he was vastly outnumbered and they most likely were carrying weapons but he hoped his show of skill would make them at least think twice before going up against him.
Unfortunately for him, the leader of the gang began to turn red with rage. Here was a little kid, threatening him and his gang? He gave a shrill whistle which called the rest of the group behind him. They all dropped whatever they were carrying and started taking out knives, pistols, and grabbing whatever they could as a weapon. The leader, meanwhile, took out what appeared to be a laser rifle. "Get him!" he yelled. The gang rushed forward towards the unlucky boy, intent on causing a little bit more than just a little pain.
'This can't be good,' thought the boy. While he had no idea how he had taken down the first few men, earlier, he had a pretty good idea that taking on the whole gang was another matter entirely. He attempted to take each one out one at a time, taking on those which appeared to have the least fighting experience. Dodging several clumsy punches, he easily countered those and knocked the thugs back. Another one, this time wielding a knife, took a swing at him which he barely avoided. Grabbing the offending arm, he slammed an elbow into the owner's throat, causing him to gasp and drop the knife. Seizing the opportunity, he released the arm and gave the thug a powerful right. This succeeded in knocking back his attacker several feet. Putting a little too much force than necessary, the punch also caused him to over-extend himself, leaving him open to the rest of the gang. He willed his body to move faster in a futile effort to avoid the onslaught of punches and stabs but he knew it wouldn't be enough. "I need to move faster, damnit! I can't die now!"
That was his last thought as the glint of steel flashed towards his heart and all went black.
Robin had just arrived on the scene and had noticed how the guy had knocked out the first gang members. 'Not bad,' he thought, noticing how each of the boy's movement's was precise and controlled to the most damage without inflicting a fatal blow. 'But I'm still better,' he smirked. Many nights in Gotham City had honed his skills far beyond normal people his age and he knew it. His smirk quickly turned into a frown as he saw the fatal mistake the boy had made. "Titan's, I've found the gang! Follow my signal!" After alerting the other Titans, he grabbed his weapon and jumped into the fray, bo-staff extending to its full length. He had succeeded in knocking down several of the thugs at the edge of the mob when he saw one of them throw a knife towards the boy. He knew he couldn't make it in time to stop it and the boy was too distracted with the people in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the knife hurtle towards it's target. What happened next would baffle Robin for the next few days.
The boy, with a speed which seemed to rival Robin's own mentor, turned around and caught the knife inches from striking his heart. Tossing the knife towards another attacker, it struck him right on the head. The man collapsed to the ground, the boy's eyes not showing any emotion at what he had just done. He turned his attention to the other men who now acted more cautious; seeing one of their own fall like that had put them on edge. The boy sneered at them, lowering his stance as his hands curled like claws and leaping at the crowd.
Robin's eyes widened in shock. 'Did he just kill someone?' All his life Robin never had to take a life. If this boy did what he was thinking, he would be have to be taken down with the others as well. Rushing towards the fallen man, he weaved between the crooks knocking each one out as he passed. As he reached the 'dead' man, he noticed that instead of a knife sticking out of the man's head, there was just an ugly bump right on the forehead. Sighing with relief, he was about to turn back to the fight when he noticed one small detail. The design on the handle of the knife had imprinted itself where it struck the man's head; the knife had struck the man with the hilt. 'The amount of control needed to throw the knife with that degree of accuracy is....' Robin's train of thought was interrupted as he was rushed by more gang members.
'Damn it,' thought the leader of the gang. They had gotten along without a hitch for several days now and these two little brats were beating all of his men. He did not like losing. He never lost. Looking at the first one who ruined his day, he raised his gun and took aim.
The boy, meanwhile, had begun using one of the thugs as a living weapon, swinging him from side to side like a staff. As more thugs fell, they became more cautious and kept their distance. Seeing that he had no more targets within range, he lowered his human weapon to the ground, now all black and blue from the punishment 'it' had been receiving.
Robin was having just as much luck. While the thugs greatly outnumbered them, his skill more than made up for the difference in number. Sensing something was amiss, he took a quick glance to the side and saw the leader taking aim for the boy, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Die, you little punk!" screamed the thug, and fired off a shot. The laser struck the boy in the arm, causing him to scream in pain as he dropped his human 'weapon' and fell to his knees. Seeing their leader fire his weapon, the other gang members with guns now took aim at the Teen Titan they faced.
"Oh boy." gulped Robin. He quickly spun his staff in an attempt to block the shots lancing out towards him. To his surprise and relief, a black wall of energy materialized in front of him and blocked the barrage of laser fire. Looking behind him, he saw the rest of the team rushing in to help subdue the rest of the criminal gang. "Glad to see you could make it." quipped Robin.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," joked Cyborg. Transforming his right arm into sonic cannon mode, he began to fire off several shots into the mob, knocking out a good portion of the gun wielders. "Who's calling the shots now?" Cyborg yelled as he charged off after the crooks.
"Shit, its the Titans!" yelled one of the crooks. Seeing as they were now outgunned, they all tried to run away from the walking tank when they found their way blocked by a huge green T-Rex and a very angry red-head. Two things which were not good to have in combination.
"You tried to hurt Robin. You are very bad men. Please surrender now." threatened Starfire. Her eyes glowing with a green hue and her starbolts in her hands, ready to fire. "Yeah, what she said." replied Beastboy. However, being a T-Rex turned his little statement into a huge roar which made the gang members either raise up their hands in surrender or faint right on the spot.
Raven, meanwhile, turned her attention to the knife wielding criminals and trapped them all under a bubble of dark energy. "That should hold you until the police arrive." She turned her attention then to Robin who was busy beating the tar out of a very bruised and battered gang leader. "Robin, enough! He's beaten." Looking around, she finally noticed the source of Robin's outburst. A young boy, probably not much older than themselves, had a huge mark on his left arm. Apparently the victim of a laser pistol. He was on his knees, grabbing his left arm in an attempt to ignore the pain. She grabbed the person Robin was beating up with a wave of her hand and threw him into a garbage bin, sealing it with her power.
Robin looked up at Raven, giving his trademark smirk, a silent thanks for the help. "Check on that guy," he said, pointing towards the injured boy. "It looks like he was hurt pretty bad." With that, he rushed off after the remaining thugs who had escaped a very angry Tamaranian and T-Rex. 'Hopefully she won't hurt them too bad,' he mused as he bounded after Starfire.
Raven flew over to the fallen boy, now finally worried about the injury he had received. "Don't worry, you're going to be all right. We'll take you to a hospital." said Raven as she reached over to try to help the boy up. However, he threw her a crazed glance and slapped her hand away The instant that their hands touched, Raven thought she saw his eyes glow briefly with an unearthly light. Dismissing it as a trick of the shadows, she tried once again to get closer to him. "Listen, you're hurt. If you don't get that treated it might get worse. Please listen to reason."
"Keep away!" he snapped. He couldn't think straight. All he could remember was the knife, his body moving of its own volition, and a sudden burning pain in his arm. Looking to towards the hand he slapped away, he saw a pale girl wearing a dark blue cloak. 'Must keep away,' he thought. He struggled to get to his feet and run. He knew, at the very least, that in his current state he was a danger to everyone around him.
Raven saw him try to get up and moved closer to help him. However, tonight her powers decided they were going to run amok and as she reached over towards him, a bolt of dark energy slammed into the boy, tossing him back several feet. The blood drained from Raven's face as the boy collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Fearing the worst, she rushed over to his side and tried to find a pulse. Finding he was still alive, she reigned her powers in as much as she could, mentally willing herself calm. She quickly put distance between here and the boy, afraid of what might happen should she lose control again.
"All right, that's the last of them," said Cyborg as he threw the last of the gang onto a huge pile of them over in the corner. The crooks had, not surprisingly, put up very little of a fight.
"Goes to show that the Teen Titans are the still the best heroes in Jump City!" cheered Beastboy as he and Cyborg high-fived.
"Yes, friend Beastboy. And to congratulate ourselves, I will make the pudding of gratefulness when we return." All the Teen Titan's looked to Starfire and silently prayed they'd wake up the following morning. As they were contemplating what Starfire would put into the pudding this time, the police finally arrived along with an ambulance to take care of any of the injured.
"Take care of the boy. He was hurt by the gang." said Robin. The police nodded and proceeded to take all the crooks to jail while the boy was rushed to the hospital.
"Do you think he will be all right?" asked Starfire, concern clearly visible in her eyes.
"Physically, I think he'll be fine. His arm might take some time to heal but overall I think he's going to make it" answered Raven, her cowl hiding more of her face than usual. "Let's go. Our job here is done." She then flew off back towards Titan's Tower, leaving the rest of the team behind.
"What's her deal tonight?" wondered Beastboy out loud. "Wonder if she has to 'meditate' again." he half-joked. Everyone nodded in understanding. Her abilities easily made her one of the more powerful members of the team but she claimed she needed to control her emotions to use it effectively. She told them she needed to meditate daily in order to keep that control. The team had only recently been formed and they were still in the 'getting to know each other' phase. As much as the rest of them wanted to, Raven was the only one who didn't really interact with the rest of them much less share anything about herself.
"Let's go guys. It's been a long night and yawn we've been up for hours." Robin said, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon. With that, he fired of his grappling hook and swung off towards home. Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg followed as well, with Starfire carrying Cyborg all the way back.
"Friend Cyborg, are you getting heavier?" she asked.
"Hey!"
Raven arrived at the Tower first, her only thoughts were about her losing control earlier. Heading straight to her room, she immediately went into her mediation posture and chanted the words which allowed her control over her mind and emotions. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" She repeated the chant over and over, once again pushing aside the emotions which would endanger not only her teammates, but quite possibly the rest of the planet. After some time, she heard the rest of the Titans arrive, the laughter of the group filtering through her door. She felt a small feeling somewhat akin to regret but quickly pushed it aside. She needed control if she was to remain useful at all. With that, she blocked the sounds coming from outside her room and continued in her meditation.
The boy was quickly brought to Jump City General Hospital where his injuries were treated. They left him in one of the hospital's empty beds, letting him rest and recover. They knew the dangers the Teen Titans encountered whenever they patrolled the city. Getting caught in one of their fights was not something you would want to happen. As he slept, a dark energy began taking form where Raven had struck him. It hovered briefly above him before it shot towards his right arm, coiling around it. He flinched as the dark energy started to enter his arm; sweat began pouring down his forehead as the intruder began to work its way deep into his body.
In his mind, he was falling down. No, someone had thrown him over a cliff. He vainly tried to reach for anything to stop his fall then the agony came. Landing in a pool of water he tried to swim to the surface but the pain was overwhelming. The water seemed to burn him like acid, eating away at his very flesh. Just when he thought the pain would go on, he was suddenly standing in front of a set of huge pillars. A moment, they were pure white and pristine, the next they suddenly began to crack and corrode.
More and more scenes played themselves out in front of his 'eyes'. Each time the scene would change, he would feel a sense of deja vu. 'Are these my...memories?' he wondered, all the while holding his head as he struggled to make sense of the stream of images before him. The scene shifted once more and he saw that he was standing in front of a huge door. On the door, there was a picture of a winged being and a depiction of a sword at the foot of the door. As he walked towards the door, a familiar yet unknown sensation began to make itself known. An etherial sword slowly materialized in his right hand; its phantom presence pulling him closer to the door. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the sword depicted on the door bore an uncanny resemblance to the phantom blade which seemed to be bonded to his arm. At the base of the image, there seemed to be a 'keyhole' of some kind.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose.' He was about to raise the sword when a girl in pristine white gown appeared, blocking his way. She had a sorrowful look in her eyes. She placed her hand on his chest, as if pleading with him to stop.
Blushing slightly but determined look in his eyes, he took her hand off and tried to push her aside. "I'm not sure why you want to stop me or even who you are, but I have questions about myself and I think this door holds some of those answers. If you plan to stop me..."
She shook her head and gave him a sad smile, her eyes seemingly hopeful for something. Stepping back, she mouthed something which he couldn't understand and faded from view.
"That was....interesting." he said out loud. Focusing more on the task at hand, he raised the sword towards the door and placed it into the keyhole. The door gave a groan as the power of the sword forced it open. In an instant, he was engulfed by a bright light and lost all consciousness.
Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. I'd like to apologize for the delay in this chapter. Certain things prevented me from finishing this on time but now I hope that I can get back on track.
Enjoy.
Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installment of the Soul Reaver series and at the start of the Teen Titans animated series.
'' - thoughts
- Telepathy
Out of the darkness
Night signified darkness. An end to the light. And for some, it signified fear. The unknown always lurked in the darkness. Tonight, in this city, darkness fell once again. The never-ending cycle of night and day. But in one secluded alley, away from prying eyes, that darkness would be broken even if only for an instant. A flash of light in that secluded alley pierced the night and dropped a small figure onto a pile of old boxes.
After several minutes of inactivity, the small figure rose to reveal a young boy. Perhaps no more than 15 or 16 years of age, the boy attempted unsuccessfully to stand up right, falling either on his face or on his rear. Failing to stand, he crawled towards a dark corner and attempted to get his bearings first before trying to use his legs again.
'I am....free?' he thought. 'Yes, freedom. But from what? Why can't I remember?' He tried vainly to recall what had happened and what brought him to this place. All that came were images of ivory pillars, a sword, hooded figure and a woman in a snow white gown. Thoughts of the woman elicited feelings contentment, yet he could not understand why. Finally gaining some semblance of clarity, he noticed a certain cold draft. 'Maybe I should look for some clothes first' he mused.
Checking the area, the boxes he had initially fallen on had burst open, revealing old clothes. ' he thought, as he started rummaging through for clothes which would fit.
On another plane of existence, a certain blonde girl sneezed. Must be getting a cold. she thought. With a wave of her hand, a sweater shimmered into existence around her as she continued her walk.
A figure stepped out of the dark alley, dressed in faded blue jeans, a white shirt, and a blue denim jacket. Looking at his reflection in a window, something still felt amiss. After spending a few more minutes in the alley, he returned wearing a dark red scarf. 'Perfect.' he thought. ' Although I have no idea why.' Seeing that he had no real memories which he could make use of for the time being, he started walking in a random direction, hoping to find himself. With his defenses down, he did not notice the small group of people that began following him.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, a masked figure silently patrolled the city. Having gotten used to doing this during his stay in Gotham City, Robin felt quite at ease with each twist of his body, almost taunting death with every jump. Bringing out his communicator, he contacted his new 'Team Mates' for an update on the situation. "Titan's, anything to report?" he asked.
"Nothing on the south end, Robin." replied a cheerful voice. Starfire, the alien who had joined the teen titans proved to be a valuable asset to the team. Her ability to fly allowed her to cover much ground while her ability to project her 'Starbolts' and Tamaranian strength would allow her to stand toe-to-toe with most villains they might encounter.
"Not a creature's stirring, well, except me." joked Beastboy. Another member of the Teen Titans, Beastboy had the ability to shape shift into any animal he could imagine flawlessly. Well, flawlessly assuming nobody noticed the animal was green.
"Everything's clear over here too," reported Cyborg. The largest member of the team, his cybernetic enhancements gave him more than enough fire power to take on other power houses. The sonic cannon alone gave him more firepower than a tank.
"Nothing to report." said a cool monotone voice. Raven, easily the most mysterious and recluse of the Teen Titans. Her psychic powers seemed to be on par with Starfire's own Starbolts. The full extent of her powers was unknown to the other members since she rarely talked about herself, if at all. Her habit of keeping her emotions on a tight lid also seemed weird to the others but they accepted her, nonetheless.
"Looks like this they were quiet tonight." replied Robin. They had heard reports of a gang which looted stores and robbed people every night in the city for the past few nights. They struck at random locations but no one had been seriously hurt but they were staring to become a public nuisance. The police had been vastly outgunned when they tried to to stop the gang so the Titan's took it upon themselves to try to apprehend them. "Let's call it a night. We'll try again tomorrow." Robin was about to put away his communicator when he heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. "Hold on. I think I may have found something. Meet me at George and Elm Street." With that, Robin headed towards the direction of the shouting.
"C'mon we gotta move fast!" yelled the leader of the group. They had broken into a jewelry shop and were rushing to grab as much as they could before the police could arrive. They each wore ski masks and gloves to avoid leaving traces of their identity. Their 'endorser' had also given them some high power fire arms as a deterrent to any law which might try to stop them. They had actually fought the police several times and gotten away each time. The leader looked around and smirked. Today would be no different.
A crash from behind made him groan in irritation. There was always someone who threatened to screw up the whole operation. 'Time for some discipline,' he thought. "All right, who did tha..." He turned to the sound of the crash, half expecting to see one of the men fumbling around with the fallen loot and apologizing profusely. He was surprised to see 3 of his men knocked out, a young boy wearing a red scarf standing over them. The boy turned to him, the scarf flapping slightly in the wind.
"I don't know what you want here but I have a feeling this stuff isn't yours. Leave now and you won't get hurt," said the boy. He knew he was vastly outnumbered and they most likely were carrying weapons but he hoped his show of skill would make them at least think twice before going up against him.
Unfortunately for him, the leader of the gang began to turn red with rage. Here was a little kid, threatening him and his gang? He gave a shrill whistle which called the rest of the group behind him. They all dropped whatever they were carrying and started taking out knives, pistols, and grabbing whatever they could as a weapon. The leader, meanwhile, took out what appeared to be a laser rifle. "Get him!" he yelled. The gang rushed forward towards the unlucky boy, intent on causing a little bit more than just a little pain.
'This can't be good,' thought the boy. While he had no idea how he had taken down the first few men, earlier, he had a pretty good idea that taking on the whole gang was another matter entirely. He attempted to take each one out one at a time, taking on those which appeared to have the least fighting experience. Dodging several clumsy punches, he easily countered those and knocked the thugs back. Another one, this time wielding a knife, took a swing at him which he barely avoided. Grabbing the offending arm, he slammed an elbow into the owner's throat, causing him to gasp and drop the knife. Seizing the opportunity, he released the arm and gave the thug a powerful right. This succeeded in knocking back his attacker several feet. Putting a little too much force than necessary, the punch also caused him to over-extend himself, leaving him open to the rest of the gang. He willed his body to move faster in a futile effort to avoid the onslaught of punches and stabs but he knew it wouldn't be enough. "I need to move faster, damnit! I can't die now!"
That was his last thought as the glint of steel flashed towards his heart and all went black.
Robin had just arrived on the scene and had noticed how the guy had knocked out the first gang members. 'Not bad,' he thought, noticing how each of the boy's movement's was precise and controlled to the most damage without inflicting a fatal blow. 'But I'm still better,' he smirked. Many nights in Gotham City had honed his skills far beyond normal people his age and he knew it. His smirk quickly turned into a frown as he saw the fatal mistake the boy had made. "Titan's, I've found the gang! Follow my signal!" After alerting the other Titans, he grabbed his weapon and jumped into the fray, bo-staff extending to its full length. He had succeeded in knocking down several of the thugs at the edge of the mob when he saw one of them throw a knife towards the boy. He knew he couldn't make it in time to stop it and the boy was too distracted with the people in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the knife hurtle towards it's target. What happened next would baffle Robin for the next few days.
The boy, with a speed which seemed to rival Robin's own mentor, turned around and caught the knife inches from striking his heart. Tossing the knife towards another attacker, it struck him right on the head. The man collapsed to the ground, the boy's eyes not showing any emotion at what he had just done. He turned his attention to the other men who now acted more cautious; seeing one of their own fall like that had put them on edge. The boy sneered at them, lowering his stance as his hands curled like claws and leaping at the crowd.
Robin's eyes widened in shock. 'Did he just kill someone?' All his life Robin never had to take a life. If this boy did what he was thinking, he would be have to be taken down with the others as well. Rushing towards the fallen man, he weaved between the crooks knocking each one out as he passed. As he reached the 'dead' man, he noticed that instead of a knife sticking out of the man's head, there was just an ugly bump right on the forehead. Sighing with relief, he was about to turn back to the fight when he noticed one small detail. The design on the handle of the knife had imprinted itself where it struck the man's head; the knife had struck the man with the hilt. 'The amount of control needed to throw the knife with that degree of accuracy is....' Robin's train of thought was interrupted as he was rushed by more gang members.
'Damn it,' thought the leader of the gang. They had gotten along without a hitch for several days now and these two little brats were beating all of his men. He did not like losing. He never lost. Looking at the first one who ruined his day, he raised his gun and took aim.
The boy, meanwhile, had begun using one of the thugs as a living weapon, swinging him from side to side like a staff. As more thugs fell, they became more cautious and kept their distance. Seeing that he had no more targets within range, he lowered his human weapon to the ground, now all black and blue from the punishment 'it' had been receiving.
Robin was having just as much luck. While the thugs greatly outnumbered them, his skill more than made up for the difference in number. Sensing something was amiss, he took a quick glance to the side and saw the leader taking aim for the boy, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Die, you little punk!" screamed the thug, and fired off a shot. The laser struck the boy in the arm, causing him to scream in pain as he dropped his human 'weapon' and fell to his knees. Seeing their leader fire his weapon, the other gang members with guns now took aim at the Teen Titan they faced.
"Oh boy." gulped Robin. He quickly spun his staff in an attempt to block the shots lancing out towards him. To his surprise and relief, a black wall of energy materialized in front of him and blocked the barrage of laser fire. Looking behind him, he saw the rest of the team rushing in to help subdue the rest of the criminal gang. "Glad to see you could make it." quipped Robin.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," joked Cyborg. Transforming his right arm into sonic cannon mode, he began to fire off several shots into the mob, knocking out a good portion of the gun wielders. "Who's calling the shots now?" Cyborg yelled as he charged off after the crooks.
"Shit, its the Titans!" yelled one of the crooks. Seeing as they were now outgunned, they all tried to run away from the walking tank when they found their way blocked by a huge green T-Rex and a very angry red-head. Two things which were not good to have in combination.
"You tried to hurt Robin. You are very bad men. Please surrender now." threatened Starfire. Her eyes glowing with a green hue and her starbolts in her hands, ready to fire. "Yeah, what she said." replied Beastboy. However, being a T-Rex turned his little statement into a huge roar which made the gang members either raise up their hands in surrender or faint right on the spot.
Raven, meanwhile, turned her attention to the knife wielding criminals and trapped them all under a bubble of dark energy. "That should hold you until the police arrive." She turned her attention then to Robin who was busy beating the tar out of a very bruised and battered gang leader. "Robin, enough! He's beaten." Looking around, she finally noticed the source of Robin's outburst. A young boy, probably not much older than themselves, had a huge mark on his left arm. Apparently the victim of a laser pistol. He was on his knees, grabbing his left arm in an attempt to ignore the pain. She grabbed the person Robin was beating up with a wave of her hand and threw him into a garbage bin, sealing it with her power.
Robin looked up at Raven, giving his trademark smirk, a silent thanks for the help. "Check on that guy," he said, pointing towards the injured boy. "It looks like he was hurt pretty bad." With that, he rushed off after the remaining thugs who had escaped a very angry Tamaranian and T-Rex. 'Hopefully she won't hurt them too bad,' he mused as he bounded after Starfire.
Raven flew over to the fallen boy, now finally worried about the injury he had received. "Don't worry, you're going to be all right. We'll take you to a hospital." said Raven as she reached over to try to help the boy up. However, he threw her a crazed glance and slapped her hand away The instant that their hands touched, Raven thought she saw his eyes glow briefly with an unearthly light. Dismissing it as a trick of the shadows, she tried once again to get closer to him. "Listen, you're hurt. If you don't get that treated it might get worse. Please listen to reason."
"Keep away!" he snapped. He couldn't think straight. All he could remember was the knife, his body moving of its own volition, and a sudden burning pain in his arm. Looking to towards the hand he slapped away, he saw a pale girl wearing a dark blue cloak. 'Must keep away,' he thought. He struggled to get to his feet and run. He knew, at the very least, that in his current state he was a danger to everyone around him.
Raven saw him try to get up and moved closer to help him. However, tonight her powers decided they were going to run amok and as she reached over towards him, a bolt of dark energy slammed into the boy, tossing him back several feet. The blood drained from Raven's face as the boy collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Fearing the worst, she rushed over to his side and tried to find a pulse. Finding he was still alive, she reigned her powers in as much as she could, mentally willing herself calm. She quickly put distance between here and the boy, afraid of what might happen should she lose control again.
"All right, that's the last of them," said Cyborg as he threw the last of the gang onto a huge pile of them over in the corner. The crooks had, not surprisingly, put up very little of a fight.
"Goes to show that the Teen Titans are the still the best heroes in Jump City!" cheered Beastboy as he and Cyborg high-fived.
"Yes, friend Beastboy. And to congratulate ourselves, I will make the pudding of gratefulness when we return." All the Teen Titan's looked to Starfire and silently prayed they'd wake up the following morning. As they were contemplating what Starfire would put into the pudding this time, the police finally arrived along with an ambulance to take care of any of the injured.
"Take care of the boy. He was hurt by the gang." said Robin. The police nodded and proceeded to take all the crooks to jail while the boy was rushed to the hospital.
"Do you think he will be all right?" asked Starfire, concern clearly visible in her eyes.
"Physically, I think he'll be fine. His arm might take some time to heal but overall I think he's going to make it" answered Raven, her cowl hiding more of her face than usual. "Let's go. Our job here is done." She then flew off back towards Titan's Tower, leaving the rest of the team behind.
"What's her deal tonight?" wondered Beastboy out loud. "Wonder if she has to 'meditate' again." he half-joked. Everyone nodded in understanding. Her abilities easily made her one of the more powerful members of the team but she claimed she needed to control her emotions to use it effectively. She told them she needed to meditate daily in order to keep that control. The team had only recently been formed and they were still in the 'getting to know each other' phase. As much as the rest of them wanted to, Raven was the only one who didn't really interact with the rest of them much less share anything about herself.
"Let's go guys. It's been a long night and yawn we've been up for hours." Robin said, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon. With that, he fired of his grappling hook and swung off towards home. Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg followed as well, with Starfire carrying Cyborg all the way back.
"Friend Cyborg, are you getting heavier?" she asked.
"Hey!"
Raven arrived at the Tower first, her only thoughts were about her losing control earlier. Heading straight to her room, she immediately went into her mediation posture and chanted the words which allowed her control over her mind and emotions. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" She repeated the chant over and over, once again pushing aside the emotions which would endanger not only her teammates, but quite possibly the rest of the planet. After some time, she heard the rest of the Titans arrive, the laughter of the group filtering through her door. She felt a small feeling somewhat akin to regret but quickly pushed it aside. She needed control if she was to remain useful at all. With that, she blocked the sounds coming from outside her room and continued in her meditation.
The boy was quickly brought to Jump City General Hospital where his injuries were treated. They left him in one of the hospital's empty beds, letting him rest and recover. They knew the dangers the Teen Titans encountered whenever they patrolled the city. Getting caught in one of their fights was not something you would want to happen. As he slept, a dark energy began taking form where Raven had struck him. It hovered briefly above him before it shot towards his right arm, coiling around it. He flinched as the dark energy started to enter his arm; sweat began pouring down his forehead as the intruder began to work its way deep into his body.
In his mind, he was falling down. No, someone had thrown him over a cliff. He vainly tried to reach for anything to stop his fall then the agony came. Landing in a pool of water he tried to swim to the surface but the pain was overwhelming. The water seemed to burn him like acid, eating away at his very flesh. Just when he thought the pain would go on, he was suddenly standing in front of a set of huge pillars. A moment, they were pure white and pristine, the next they suddenly began to crack and corrode.
More and more scenes played themselves out in front of his 'eyes'. Each time the scene would change, he would feel a sense of deja vu. 'Are these my...memories?' he wondered, all the while holding his head as he struggled to make sense of the stream of images before him. The scene shifted once more and he saw that he was standing in front of a huge door. On the door, there was a picture of a winged being and a depiction of a sword at the foot of the door. As he walked towards the door, a familiar yet unknown sensation began to make itself known. An etherial sword slowly materialized in his right hand; its phantom presence pulling him closer to the door. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the sword depicted on the door bore an uncanny resemblance to the phantom blade which seemed to be bonded to his arm. At the base of the image, there seemed to be a 'keyhole' of some kind.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose.' He was about to raise the sword when a girl in pristine white gown appeared, blocking his way. She had a sorrowful look in her eyes. She placed her hand on his chest, as if pleading with him to stop.
Blushing slightly but determined look in his eyes, he took her hand off and tried to push her aside. "I'm not sure why you want to stop me or even who you are, but I have questions about myself and I think this door holds some of those answers. If you plan to stop me..."
She shook her head and gave him a sad smile, her eyes seemingly hopeful for something. Stepping back, she mouthed something which he couldn't understand and faded from view.
"That was....interesting." he said out loud. Focusing more on the task at hand, he raised the sword towards the door and placed it into the keyhole. The door gave a groan as the power of the sword forced it open. In an instant, he was engulfed by a bright light and lost all consciousness.