Chapter 3: Eagerly I wished the morrow.
One of the first problems that was considered about having a base underground was the fact that the Titans could not exit efficiently and quickly. After a few months of piling into the elevator and listening to the rhythmic elevator melody Cyborg had picked out when installing it, they decided there needed to be a faster way out of the base.
Robin had discovered the arcade's sewer line and followed it to the main tract. After concluding that it was plausible to tunnel the distance from the main tract to the arcade, construction went underway. It was much more efficient than leaving through the elevator, albeit a great deal more disgusting. Though, seeing as how it was not being used for its intended purpose any longer, over time it became more of a tunnel than a sewer. It was also a great way to move around the city undetected, the sewer had many crisscrossing branches that lead to the majority of the buildings throughout. Unfortunately, many of the tunnels had collapsed or been destroyed altogether.
The nearest exit from the tunnel was underneath an old broadcasting station. It was a taller building and the Titans used it for scouting purposes. They made their way up through the building and glanced down to the road where the fire sentinels were. They were all flooding through the road, moving in the same direction. The mass of sentinels continued going straight for a couple blocks then headed out into the wasteland, out of sight.
"Where are they going…?" Starfire questioned, amazed at their sheer numbers.
"I know one way to find out." Robin said, before sprinting and jumping out of a broken window to the rooftop of the adjacent building. The others glanced at each other briefly before following.
Robin was now the only member of the group who didn't have readily available flying capabilities. He had his machines, though, but still preferred to move on foot. As he approached the edge of the city he stopped on the edge of a building and waited for the others to arrive. He continued to watch the convoy of sentinels.
As the others approached, Robin motioned for Star to pick him up so they could continue. They followed the line of sentinels into the wasteland for miles. They all seemed to be mindlessly moving.
"Oh! This store next! Their tiny figurines of domestic animals are so adorable!" Starfire squealed as she began running towards their newest target location, Raven in hand.
"Do we have to?" Raven complained with a sigh, dropping all her weight as Starfire continued to drag her.
"We must!"
They entered the store and Starfire's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. She began dashing in random directions grabbing, hugging and squeezing every animal toy they had in the store. Raven waited at the front and picked up a stuffed animal, looking at it curiously.
"How can anybody stand these things?" She said.
"Ok! I've got a few I'm going to buy!" Starfire said as she returned with a very wide grin. Raven and the cashier's mouth dropped when they saw Starfire's immense load if toys.
After many agonizing minutes of scanning toys, the cashier finally finished. Raven didn't doubt she would be hearing a beeping noise all day.
"That'll be $287.99." He said. Starfire shoved a credit card in his face, eager to receive her toys.
"How did you manage to get some spending money, Star?" Raven inquired.
"I didn't! That's the best part!" Starfire replied.
"… What do you mean."
"Well see, I went to an establishment called a credit union and they gave me a card that purchases items and I don't have to pay for them." She elaborated.
"You know you have to pay that back sometime right?"
"Sorry Ma'am, your card has been denied." The cashier said, handing back the credit card.
After many tears were shed about lost toys and even more tears from Raven's side about restocking the shelves, they finally left the mall and began the trek back to the tower.
"Raven, I certainly appreciate you "palling around with me" today, it was most enjoyable to have a friend come along. We must do it again sometime." Starfire said to Raven after a few moments of silence during their flight.
"Can't wait." Raven replied sarcastically and rolled her eyes. They looked at each other for a second, and then began to laugh.
Raven awoke, surprised by her father's booming voice.
"Rise, daughter, our enemies are vulnerable." Trigon commanded, and Raven obeyed.
She knelt before him and awaited further orders. In the back of her mind she couldn't help but notice that she didn't kill Starfire in her dream. That had never happened before; perhaps it was because her dream was cut short.
"They are on the outskirts of the city, following a few drones. Eradicate them."
Raven nodded, and then took off in their direction. After a few minutes of flying, she was almost to the pack of drones her father had mentioned. She scouted the area, looking around buildings and on rooftops for where the Titans may be. She spotted them and began to move in.
"Look, up there!" Beast Boy pointed, and the rest of the Titan's eyes followed.
She slashed with her arm at the corner of the building, a slash of energy mimicked on the buildings side and cut the corner of it straight off.
"Jump!" yelled Robin. Robin was now the only flightless Titan, as Cyborg had created and installed a very portable and efficient jetpack on his back. Robin landed on the ground and began running in Raven's direction.
The other Titans had flown into the air and were now flying headed Raven. Raven knew all of their tactics and weaknesses and used them to her advantage every fight. Together they were a strong and resilient team, but separated they were no match for her.
She grabbed her cloak and pulled it around herself, vanishing in a fading swirl of dark energy. The flying Titans froze and began scanning the area.
Her first target was Robin. Being the only Titan on the ground, he could not escape as easily. Though he was agile enough to scale buildings, but not fast enough to do so before she could stop him. Raven appeared in an alleyway in between two buildings along the outskirts of the city, the alleyway leaded deeper into the city. She knew Robin was confident and always wanting to be the hero, so she provoked him.
She noticed Robin was now standing still and looking around into the sky searching for her. She levitated a rock from the ground and flung it in Robin's direction. He easily dodged it, such was her intent. He looked in her direction and as soon as they made eye contact, Raven disappeared into the shadows of the city. Robin pursued.
As he was running, Robin removed his communicator.
"She's retreating into the city, you three watch from the sky. I'm pursuing on foot." He yelled.
She waited, seeing Robin run blindly into the alleyways. He was frantically looking for her. He began to slow and walked down one of the darker alleyways, making sure to check every corner. She levitated a piece of broken rock from the ground and closed off the alleyway. Robin turned around quickly.
He reached for his communicator and before he could send a message, a dark aura surrounded it and flew in Raven's direction. She grasped it and then looked at Robin. Robin brought out his staff and stood in a defensive position.
"Now, now." She said sarcastically. Her eyes had become four dark glowing red eyes and her voice was now slightly more demonic sounding. She crushed the communicator.
"How about a little one on one." She added, with a smirk. She used her energy to slam and pin him against the alley wall and began walking closer.
"You're a monster!" He said, and spat in her direction. She chuckled.
"Believe me, you haven't even seen monster." She lifted her right hand up, and behind her hand dark energy began to form into something that resembled a raven's talon. She pinned his head against the wall with her other hand then brought her head next to his.
"This won't hurt a bit." She said. She then slashed with right hand towards Robin; the force of the slash was so great that the brick wall he had been pinned against collapsed on top of him.
Raven paused for a moment, unsure if she had put an end to him. She listened and could hear coughing coming from under the rubble. She reached back for one more slash and then… THWAK.
She was hit from the side by a rampaging rhino. She flew quite a ways and then slammed into the nearest wall. Beast Boy shapeshifted into a gorilla and began hurling bits of the rubble off of Robin. The rest of the team wasn't far behind. He uncovered Robin and picked him up, he was unconscious. He was bleeding profusely and had three streaks across his body.
Starfire and Cyborg approached. Starfire cupped her hands over her mouth in awe and Cyborgs eyes widened.
"We need to leave, now!" Beast Boy said. The other two nodded and they flew off in the direction of the nearest sewer entrance.
Raven regained her composure and noticed the Titans retreating. She flew after them and maintained a safe distance so she would not be spotted. The Titans lowered into the city and Raven watched from atop a nearby building. She saw Beast Boy look around, and deciding that the coast was clear he opened a manhole in the street and the three of them jumped in.
"The sewers." Raven said aloud to herself. "Interesting."