Chapter 3
Kayla felt something nudge her shoulder and forced her eyes to open. When her vision cleared her eyes focused on a familiar face.
"Hey." Donatello was crouched by the side of her bed, his warm, brown eyes looking down at her as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "It's going on ten. The Titans will be hear soon. You wanna get up? Or keep sleeping?"
Kayla was tempted to keep sleeping, but she really wanted to know what was going on with this criminal they were after. "I'm awake." she groaned as she stretched and sat up. Don stood to leave her to wake up on her own. "Hey, Don." Kayla stopped him. He turned and looked back at her. "Can you help me with my homework later on? I really don't understand the whole gravity equation we're learning in math right now."
Don nodded with his gentle smile. "Yeah. If we have time today or tonight I'll help you. If not, we'll work on it some time this weekend"
"Thanks." Kayla stretched again and climbed out of bed. Feeling the chill of late autumn she pulled on her hooded sweatshirt that had her school's name on the chest and changed into some jeans. Brushing her hair quick she looked herself over in the mirror before heading towards the kitchen. A delicious smell wafted over the air as she entered the small, stove-warmed kitchen.
"Hey, ya hungry?" Mikey asked as he held up a plate of pancakes he'd made.
Kayla's brown eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. Mikey smiled his usual goofy smile as he placed it in front of her. Looking around as she ate she asked, "Where is everyone?" realizing she couldn't see her other brothers anywhere.
A green, muscular arm reached over her shoulder to grab the carton of orange juice off the table; and a familiar, Brooklyn-accented voice answered, "Well, I'm right b'hind ya, Donnie's on his computers, an' Leo's topside waitin' for the Titans." Kayla smirked up at her brother as he moved around her to sit in the chair next to her.
"Good to know." she answered as she took a huge bite of her pancakes. Seeing Raph take a huge chug of orange juice right out of the carton, she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I don't like that stuff." she smirked over at him.
Raph just wiped his mouth with his arm and remarked, "Sucks to be you." as he got up to put the carton away.
When Kayla was on her last bite she heard the familiar sound of the crystal-powered elevator door open. She turned around in her chair, still chewing, as the Titans walked in, lead by Leo.
"Man!" Cyborg shouted, turning in a circle to get a good look at everything, "When you said you lived in the sewers I wasn't expecting… this!"
Raven came up behind him. "Yeah. And it actually smells better than Beast Boy." Kayla grinned as Beast Boy gave Raven a dirty look. Kayla quickly rinsed off her plate in the sink and hurried over to greet them.
"Kayla! Hey!" Jordan greeted her as the two almost-friends greeted each other with a side hug.
"Hey!" she answered back.
They all turned to look at their two leaders as Leo asked, "So, where do you think we should start?"
Robin gestured to Cyborg, "Well, Cy brought a flash drive that has the profile and all our files on this criminal."
Donatello came up from his computer desk. "Want me to plug it into our computer system so we can look it over?" Cyborg and Robin nodded as Cy handed the flash drive to the purple-masked turtle. The whole group followed the two brainiacs over to the computer and Kayla moved to stand by her oldest brother.
"Did you talk to Master Splinter about all this?" she whispered to him while they waited for them to set up the flash drive.
Leo bent over slightly since he was quite a bit taller than her. "Yeah. He said we should try to help in anyway we can. But we have to remember that these guys have experience fighting this guy and we have to remember to listen to them." Kayla nodded, agreeing with what their father had told him. Then she looked up to see several pictures and typed pages appear on Don's computer screen.
The largest picture showed someone, probably a man based on his size and body-build, in some kind of gray and black armor. The left half of the mask he was wearing was black with no eye, and the right half was a gold-copper color with an eye.
Don read the name on the file out loud to everyone, "Slade."
Kayla felt herself shiver and buried her hands in her baggy sweatshirt pockets. Jordan leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I know how you feel. The first time I met him his voice and his face gave me nightmares for weeks."
Kayla grinned over at the brown-haired titan. "I can relate." she remarked, thinking of her own nightmares.
Leo crossed his arms as he skimmed the files, his eyes widening as he read. He looked over to Robin, who was also reading it even though he probably read it hundreds of times before. "He did all that?" Leo asked in surprise. Robin nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen. Leo thought for a moment. "Well…do you know him well enough to have an idea on what he might be planning?"
Robin looked at the ground, his arms crossed, and Kayla noticed everyone turn to watch him. Without taking his eyes off the floor Robin finally spoke, "Well, most of the times we fought Slade it was usually a personal fight. He was usually targeting me or another member of our team. But if anything he did didn't involve us it was usually him trying to take over the city, sometimes the whole world. He managed to take over Jump City with his apprentice once a few years back," Robin glanced at his team towards Beast Boy, who Kayla noticed was looking at the ground, "but we managed to stop him before his control spread too far. On that occasion one of our…former teammates killed him in a volcano. However, a, uh, demon brought him back to life so Slade could serve him. After that we hadn't really had any trouble with him for a while. But when we got this message notifying us that he was moving to New York City we decided to follow him and investigate."
Listening to Robin talk Kayla didn't realize that her mouth slowly dropped open until she felt a finger bump her chin, silently telling her to close her mouth. Looking up she saw Raph smirking down at her. Smirking back up at him she stuck out her tongue, but quickly put it back when she saw Leo turn around. The last thing she wanted was for Leo to reprimand her in front of everyone.
"So…since you guys don't live here chances are he's not after you. Which means that, maybe he's trying to take over New York?" Leo looked over at Robin uncertainly. Robin looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Maybe. But that doesn't help us find out exactly what he's planning. Or when he plans to make a move."
Beast Boy spoke up, "Maybe Jordan could scan the city for his thoughts, like when she's trying to find one of us." he looked over at his teammate thoughtfully and everyone else did the same.
"Do you think that would work, Jordan?" Robin asked her seriously.
Jordan looked at the ground thoughtfully for a few moments. After a while she finally spoke, "Well…it's a lot easier when I have some kind of connection or bond with the person, like with a friend or something, and New York is A LOT bigger than Jump City. I'm not saying I can't but…it'd be a long shot." she shrugged, her blue eyes full of doubt.
"Well, we've got nothing better to do while we wait for something to come up. You willing to give it a try?" Robin asked her, his head tilted slightly.
Jordan nodded a little nervously.
Raven stepped forward to stand by her. "We've both noticed that sometimes I can kind of merge my powers with hers through meditation, to make them stronger. Maybe that will help. But it would be nice to have someplace quiet so we can focus."
"You meditate?" Raph asked a little curiously with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. Raven nodded nonchalantly.
"I can take you to the dojo." Leo answered Raven's question, "It's where we go to meditate. I'll show you." Kayla watched from her spot by Raph as Leo lead Jordan and Raven towards the dojo.
"Friend Robin," Starfire spoke up from where she was hovering near Robin's head, "what shall we do while we wait?"
Robin thought for a moment. "I guess…there's really not much we can do, Star." Leo came back into the room at this point, wanting to give the girls some space. "What do you think, Leonardo?" he asked the other leader.
"You're probably right, there's not much we can do without some information to go on. I guess we can just chill while we wait for something to pop up."
"YEAH!" Mikey exclaimed as he jumped into the air. "That means I can play Mega Monkeys 4!"
"DUDE!" Beast Boy lurched forward in amazement, "You got Mega Monkeys 4!? I've been dying to get that game!"
"Ya wanna play?" Mikey offered, pointing his thumb in the direction of the stacked TV's.
"Yeah!" BB answered and the two sped off.
Raph rolled his eyes while Leo shook his head in annoyance and Robin crossed his arms. Don caught Kayla's eye. "You wanna work on that homework now?" he offered. Kayla nodded and the two headed toward her room so they could work in peace at her desk.
Kayla squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her arms quiver with the effort of lifting the seventy-some pound bar. Raph was making her do as many reps as she could on the bench press lifting over seventy pounds. So far she was on her twenty seventh and was starting to feel the strain. Finally, after reaching her thirty second she couldn't summon the strength to place the bar back on the bar holdings. She felt the bar suddenly get lighter and opened her eyes to see Raph lifting it off her and placing it on the bar holdings for her. Breathing hard she sat up and Raphael handed her a towel. She used it to dry the sweat off her face.
After spending a good two hours on her homework she'd decided to spend some time with Raph. They started watching Mike and BB play their videogame but quickly got bored and went to do some workouts, with Raph pushing Kayla to her limits. He started by making her do as many sit-ups as she could, which turned out to be about seventy-something before she felt like she was going to bust a gut. After that they had some lunch, beat on the punching bag, and finally the bench-press.
It was going on almost four in the afternoon. Raven and Jordan had come out of the dojo less than a couple hours before, both looking tired and drained, and Jordan had a huge headache from mentally searching the whole city. Now Jordan was relaxing on the couch watching TV with BB, Mikey, Don, Starfire, and Cy. Meanwhile Raven and Leo were drinking herbal tea in the kitchen and Robin was monitoring some security cameras on the computer, which he'd been doing all afternoon.
Kayla scooted over on the bench, making room for Raph to sit by her. Apart from the sound of the TVs the lair was quiet for a good fifteen minutes, which Kayla was thankful for. Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin get up and head toward the sofa.
"Jordan, you think you're ready to try again?" he asked.
Before Jordan could answer Beast Boy answered for her. "Dude, she's exhausted. Leave her alone."
"I'm fine." Jordan mumbled as she tried to sit up.
"Dude, you fell asleep against me." Beast Boy gently pointed out. Kayla decided to head towards the TV area and see what all was going on.
"I was just resting my eyes. I can do it." she tried to get up but Beast Boy and Raven gently sat her back on the sofa. Kayla saw that Jordan's bright blue eyes had dulled in color and her eyelids drooped slightly.
"Robin, for once I agree with Beast Boy." Raven turned to the leader, "We tried finding Slade and we couldn't. She even warned you it would be a long shot. I'm telling you we won't be able to do it. If you really want, and if we have nothing else to go on, we can give it another try tomorrow; but there is no way she'll be able to do it right now. Just look at her." Raven waved her hand in Jordan's direction, and Kayla realized she'd fallen asleep against Beast Boy's shoulder again, the changeling's arm around her.
Robin gazed down at the young titan. Kayla could see his shoulders droop slightly, some of the tension leaving them. He sighed. "Alright. There's really nothing we can do today, anyway. We might as well head back to the hotel and pick up some dinner on the way."
"You're more than welcome to eat dinner with us." Leo invited as he approached.
Robin smiled, "Thanks for the offer, Leo, but we don't want to intrude anymore than we have to. We'll probably be over around ten tomorrow morning, again."
"If I could mention something," Don spoke up from where he was sitting on a recliner a couple feet away. Leo nodded to him, showing he could speak. "Well, I just thought I'd mention that it's, well, kind of an inconvenience, you know? I mean, you guys come over around ten in the morning, and you can't really get here much earlier since the hotel is on the other side of town, and then you have to leave kind of early to get some dinner before you get back to your hotel room. Plus your hotel rooms are probably a little on the pricy side."
Robin shrugged. "Well, yeah. But there's not really much we can do about that."
"Well, there is…one thing." Don looked over at Leo, as if asking for permission.
Leo looked at the floor thoughtfully. "If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Don," he glanced over at his brother, who nodded, "it's actually a good idea. If you're up for it." he glanced up at Robin.
"Up for what?" Robin asked cautiously.
"Well, we've got plenty of room. If you want you can all stay at our place while you're here. It'll be a little more organized. We could get started as soon as some of us are awake in the morning and work as late as we need. You'll have all the things you'll need here and we'll have all our equipment here."
Robin interrupted, "No, we couldn't. We don't want to impose."
"It wouldn't be imposing." Leo insisted, "And we'll be able to catch Slade much sooner." This last point seemed to catch Robin's attention and he seemed to think it over. Everyone watched him, waiting for his answer, even Jordan had woken up and was listening.
Robin sighed at last. "Alright, if it's really okay with you, then, I'm fine with it."
Kayla felt her jaw drop. The Teen Titans were going to be staying here?! Her first instinct was to cheer with the others but not even a splint second later another thought popped into her mind.
"Um, Leo?" she spoke hesitantly to her brother, but he didn't seem to hear her over the other voices so she went up and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked down at her and she asked quietly, "Can I talk with you?" He nodded. Kayla glanced around at the others, who were starting to calm down and a couple were looking at her. She looked back up at Leo. "Alone?" she suggested. A serious, and slightly concerned, look came on his face and he lead her over toward the workout area of the lair.
"What is it?" he asked when they were out of earshot of the others, her back to them and Leo facing her.
Kayla looked at the floor, "Well, I, um, I just don't think that…having them stay here is, well, a very good idea." she stared down at her feet to avoid looking at him, hugging her arms.
She could hear the confusion in his voice when he said, "What? Why? I thought you liked them."
"I do like them." she insisted.
"Then…what's the problem?" he asked.
"Well, I just, I-I don't want them to hate me."
"They wouldn't hate you." Leo rested his hands on each of her shoulders. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Well, it's bad enough I wake you guys up a few times a week. I don't want to do that to them."
Leo sighed with understanding. After a moment he lifted her chin up with a knuckle and looked into her eyes. "They're not going to hate you because of your nightmares. You have to stop fearing things like this just because you're afraid of what people will think. You're nightmares are something you can't control, but you have to stop letting them control you." Kayla pulled her head away from him and looked to her side so she didn't have to look into his eyes anymore, she could already feel her emotions starting to give out. She didn't want to cry in front of the Teen Titans. She felt Leo pull her into a hug and she pressed her face into the muscles on his shoulder and neck, her arms wrapping around his shell. She could feel the burning of several gazes boring into her back and tried to ignore it. After several moments Leo asked, still hugging her, "So…will you be okay, then? With them staying with us?" he pulled back and looked down at her, "If you want I can explain the whole nightmare thing to them for you."
Kayla took a deep breath to steady her voice. "I'll be fine, I guess; but you don't have to tell them anything. I'll tell them, eventually." she faked a sideways smile at him. Leo smiled gently back at her before he walked past her back to the others, ruffling her hair as he went. With a sigh Kayla decided to go to her room, she didn't like the feeling of being watched. She could hear Robin asking if everything was okay and she didn't want to hear Leo's reply.
When she got to her room she sat on her bed and looked around. She was trying to think of something to do to distract herself when she heard a knock on the door. A few seconds later a voice spoke through the door, "Ey, can I come in?"
"Yeah." Kayla answered, her voice a little scratchy for some reason. Raph opened the door a little and poked his head in before coming all the way in, closing the door behind him. Kayla scooted over a little and he sat next to her on her bed.
There was a silence between them for almost a couple minutes before Raph asked, "So, ya gonna be okay wit all dis?" he asked, his Brooklyn accent unusually gentle.
Kayla sniffed a bit and nodded.
"Ya know Leo's prob'ly gonna make it so they'r all on da upper levels. Maybe they won't hear ya."
"Leo always does." she remarked, looking away.
"Yeah, but dat's Leo. He's pretty much got super hearin'." Raph grinned at her and Kayla couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Hey, ya know what? The Titans're all leavin' an' Mikey's orderin' pizza on da phone. If we hurry we can steal da remote an' watch what we wanna watch for once." he looked down at her and nudged her arm with his.
Kayla grinned and nodded in agreement before leaving to follow her brother.
