Chapter 4: Cookies and S'mores

And so, just like in the blink of ones eye, a month had passed. The Titan's stayed busy, defeating a plot from their old buddy Slade, foiling an attempted robbery, and the countless smaller crimes in between. Patrolling the city, keeping things safe; the usual routine. And during this period, things seemed to slide back into the way they had been. While they didn't show it, all of the Titan's, Robin more than any of the others, were still racking their brains, wondering who the mysterious Raze was, why he had appeared and then vanished so suddenly, or why he had not emerged for so long.

But at the time, facing against Slade, the stranger didn't really seem too important. It was evening, and while on a daily raid of the fridge, Beast Boy discovered that there was no real food in the place. All they had was several plastic mustard and ketchup packets, moldy graham crackers, and some weird blackish gunk that no one wanted to touch even with a stick.
"Man, this stinks," whined Beast Boy, who was sitting in a chair, arms crossed, looking like he was about to throw a fit. "Not a thing to eat in the house! Who was supposed to get my tofu and snacks?" No one answered.

"Well," said Cyborg, trying to summon up the courage to poke the black blob, hoping it wasn't alive. "We ain't findin' anything here, so we might as go out for a bite. And I know I'm in the mood for pizza." His face seemed to freeze up, as a starry look came into his eyes. "Mmm, warm, cheesy goodness! We gotta have some pizza!"

"No way dude," argued Beast Boy, "we went out for pizza yesterday! I need something else!"

"Perhaps we could go to the place that serves those delicious burgers of ham," suggested Starfire," And also the long golden French of fries! Those are most tasty!"

"I can't eat a burger made of meat!" cried Beast Boy, his face turning an even darker shade of green, the mere thought of eating meat making him feel ill. "There's got to be something else!"

"You know," broke in Robin, hoping to defuse the situation before it exploded into a free for all. "We could always go to a Tex Mex restaurant. There's not too much meat there." Both Beast Boy and Cyborg traded glances, then said at the same time said, "Naw!"

Cyborg still hadn't given up on his pizza idea. "Come on man," he said, throwing an arm over Beast Boy's shoulders. "You know you can't resist the smell of pizza!"

"Or," said Raven from the side, who had been trying to ignore the ensuing dinner plans. "You all stop pointlessly arguing, and just order Chinese takeout or something." That stopped the argument, and both Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other.

"That's it," they cried. The two of them stampeded over to the phone, hitting the speed dial button for Wu Fong's Chinese takeout service. Not only did they have great food, but they were the only ones who would deliver it to Titan's Tower. "Okay, Chinese it is," yelled Cyborg. "Chow Main, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Low Main, Egg Foo Young, all that good stuff! I'm gonna get it with extra meat!" Beast Boy let out a shriek, and the whole meat argument began again. Finally, they decided on getting a combination of all types of Chinese, plenty of extra rice and soy sauce for Beast Boy.

As usual, Wu Fong's service was right on time, as the delivery boy arrived by boat, holding the bags of food, still piping hot. The Titan's had an exquisite meal, getting a little heated when they began to run low, Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all fighting for the last remnants of rice, and Egg Foo Young. However, why they were brawling, Raven took up the bowl, and split it with Starfire. By the time the three realized that the food had been taken, it was already gone. So, ended their meal, too full to eat another bite. As Cyborg was rooting through the bottoms of the sacks, hoping a few grains of rice may have eluded them, he came across one last container.

Inside were five little cellophane packages, each housing a fortune cookie. Grabbing all five, Cyborg waved them at the others.

"Hey y'all, we gotta eat the cookies too! Then we get our fortune!" he passed them around. All five of them ripped off the plastic wrap, broke the cookie open, removed the fortune, and then ate the sweet shell. Once finished, Robin picked up the small scrap of paper which he had removed from the cookie. He read it…and at first he didn't believe he was seeing what he was actually seeing. He shook his head and then looked closer. The mysterious writing that was printed on the paper was definitely not normal.

"Look at this," he said getting the others attention. "What do you make of this?" He put the fortune flat on the table, allowing the rest to take a look. Indeed, this fortune was far from ordinary. In tiny script, it had only a few simple words. "Greetings again Titan's, I trust your dinner was to your liking?" No one had any idea at all what that meant. Before they could conclude that it might have been a joke fortune put especially into a cookie by the staff at Wu Fong's place, Beast Boy checked his own fortune, and squeaked, "Dudes, take a look at mine!" The second fortune was even more perplexing than the first, however it did point to an obvious source.

"It has been nearly a month, yes? I'm sure you've all been thinking about me, because I know I've been thinking about you." That pretty much spelled it out. They all knew the answer, but it was Robin who said actually said it.

"Raze. He's back." Raven unfolded the piece of paper from her cookie, and put it on the table. "I trust you wish to see me, right? Well, I've taken the liberty of giving you an exact time, and place. I do hope you will be punctual." Seeing where this was eventually headed, Cyborg's was next. "In fact…I know you will be." Following the message, it then gave a string of numbers, which became apparent to be a set of coordinates, both latitude and longitude. When imputed into the computer, it pointed to a spot within the forest that lay to the north of the City.

And finally, Starfire's "fortune" was laid out. This one had no words, but it did hold another set of numbers. A date and time. As it was, it was that very day, while the time said eight o'clock p.m. It was currently seven o' five p.m. After gathering all the info, Robin turned to everyone. "Okay, team, we knew this was going to happen eventually. When we see him, we need to attack in the same way as we planned. Remember he's fast, and I have a feeling he will have some new powers to throw at us. So stay alert. Let's go!"

Later outside the City…

The Titan's reached foothills of the woods with plenty of time to spare. A mighty forest, filled with thick pine trees, obscuring ones vision. These woods were north of the city, perched atop a massive slope. Not exactly mountains, but it was a bit more than a hill. Looking back down into the vast lights of the city, it definitely seemed like you were high up, nearly touching the sky.

From their position, The Titan's could see, deep within the trees, a thin line of grayish smoke. The sun was close to setting, throwing a purple haze over everything, so visibility was falling fast. However, once they got a lock on the smoke plume, they followed that, staying down, as they coasted up the hillsides. They not only covered ground quickly, but stealthily as well, in hopes to get the drop on their foe. Robin was quietly jumping from one tree branch to the next like a ninja; Beast Boy was right under him as a monkey, swinging from the same branches. Starfire carried Cyborg through the thick brush, and Raven was flying beside her, barely making a sound.

Once they got close, they all landed, and as a group began to approach the area. They walked a little ways, the giant trees creaking and groaning in the breeze. They spotted a very small clearing, a patch of cleared ground, completely surrounded by foliage not too far ahead. In the very center, a modest sized campfire was flickering, it being the source of the smoke. Besides the fire, which was surrounded carefully by small stones, there was a single large fallen log, and a big rock. Next to the rock, was a small bright red knapsack, half-heartedly concealed under some dirt and leaves. Other than that, there was nothing, no trace of any human presence. Not wanting to trigger a trap or something, they sat tight, watching to see if anyone would appear. No one did. Finally, Cyborg scooted over to where Robin was crouching.

"Psst," he whispered, "He isn't here. This might be a trick or something to lure us out." Robin studied the situation.

"Maybe," he whispered back, "but I don't think he would need to trap us. Besides, we're early. We were supposed to be here at eight. What time is it now?" Each Titan checked their wrist, seeing that none of them had a watch. Right beside Robin, an arm covered in black leather extended a silver pocket watch, the numbers and watch hands glowing in the dark.

"Here," came a strong voice, "you can use mine." Robin was about to say thanks, before he realized what was happening. He, and the rest of the Titan's leapt backward, startled to no end. They landed on the soft ground, weapons out and energies ready, prepared for battle. However, their adversary didn't seem to be as eager to leap into a fight. There he was, still kneeling on the ground, dressed in the same outfit as before. Black shirt, black jeans, black leather trench coat, silver jewelry, as well as black boots, and gloves. Raze. And he was grinning. And he laughed.

"Twenty minutes early," his voice now lacked the ominous and conniving quality from before. Instead, it sounded warm, perhaps even cheery. "I knew you all would be punctual, but by twenty minutes? Such a grand margin! You do continue to surprise me." He stood, brushing off his clothes, sending a heap of leaves flying around him. "Although, I must admit, your skills in sneakiness leave something to be desired. You not only failed to sneak up on me, but I was easily able to sneak up on you. Oh well, not everything can be one hundred percent I suppose."

He seemed completely unaware of the threatening stances of the Titan's, on the verge of attacking. At last, he looked at them, and studied them for a minute. Then he waved a hand.

"Oh, do knock that off," he said in exasperated tone. "I hardly think this situation calls for such brutality. Besides, I didn't summon you all to fight again." He turned, considering the manner closed, and walked into the clearing beyond. As he strode into the firelight, all the Titan's looked at Robin, who was also poised to strike. Finally, after several moments of deliberation, he lowered the Birdarangs in his hands, and little by little entered the clearing as well. Raze strolled over to the stone bolder, and after making a flourish with his trench coat, he sat down. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the Titan's had followed, watching him, ready to strike at the first sign of an attack. He gestured towards the fallen log across the fire.

"Please, sit," he instructed, "There is much to discuss." They eased around him, staying out of his range, and they all sat on top of the log.

What followed was an awkward silence, the two sides not saying anything, the Titan's still sending mistrusting looks towards Raze. He meanwhile, had thrown one leg over the other, and removed his shades, stowing them in a pocket of his jacket. Finally, probably unable to tolerate the stand off any further, Raze reached down to the red knapsack at his feet. At the movement, the Titan's sprung like a mousetrap, all lunging at him. Before they got anywhere near him, he had vanished, winking out of existence. They stopped and went back to back, waiting for the counterattack. It never came, but the imposing voice of Raze did speak from the trees.

"I see you still harbor a grudge about our last encounter," he commented with a chuckle, "I suppose it is to be expected. No one likes to be defeated and humiliated. A humbling experience to be sure, but before you go and pin all your blame on me, remember that your defeat was your own doing." His voice was echoing, not coming from a fixed location. It seemed to emanate from the air itself, above, all around, even under their feet. Robin pointed out into the darkness, not entirely sure he was pointing at him.

"What do you mean it's our fault?" he yelled, "You're the one who recklessly blew up part of the City, and it was our job to stop you! We wouldn't have needed to fight you if you had never shown up!" A tittering laugh came from everywhere.

"Ah, but you see Sparky, that's not entirely true! While I did indeed blow apart a small section of your oh so precious city, it was your choice to engage me in battle. If you recall, I repeatedly recommended against it, and if you will also remember that you are the headstrong and brash youths that seem to enjoy combat so very much. Such as this situation right here, come to think of it! You launched an unprovoked attack, which resulted in me having to vanish from your sight. Now, if you would be so kind as to return to your seats, we can continue our "heated" discussion, yes?"

In a sulking manner, the Titan's returned to the fallen log and sat, still looking around for a sign of Raze.

"Better," he said, his voice now whispering into their ears from behind. They all whirled around, and there he was again, crouching behind them, red sack strapped to his shoulder. Once again, they leapt to their feet, but he put up a hand. "As I said before, I didn't call you up here to fight. My, you all are certainly jumpy this evening. Must be all that Soy sauce or something…" He gestured to the fallen tree, and the Titan's sat, their eyes following Raze as he came strolling out from behind them, retaking his own seat atop the stone.

Once settled, he began to dump out various items from his pack. Out came dozens of graham crackers, bar after bar of a variety of different types of chocolate, and a huge plastic bag of marshmallows. In addition, six very long sticks, perhaps four feet long each, came out of the small backpack. After that, he pulled out a small boom box, and put it down beside him. Ever weirder, out came several more long chunks of fire wood, which he hurled on the fire. Noticing the Titan's stares due to the numerous large items he was retrieving from the small bag, he pointed to it, and gave them a wink.

"Dimensional bag. Near limitless holding capacity. You could easily carry around everything you own with this." He put the bag aside, and offered five of the six sticks to the Titan's. Robin took them, and handed them to the others. Raze began to tear open the bags of goodies, pushing a button on the boom box, which wasn't even plugged in, and from the speakers came a rock and roll tune. He then began to roast a marshmallow over the glowing fire. It took only a moment to put together a s'more, but before he could eat it, he noticed that he was getting cold stares from across the toasty fire.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, "Are you waiting for an invitation or what?" He extended a hand, offering the sweets. No one moved. Raze heaved a sigh, and sat back. "Okay," said he, crossing his arms, his s'more hovering in the air beside him. His voice was thick with sarcasm and mockery. "I'm sensing a lot of "bad vibes" here. Now call me crazy, but I'm getting a sneaking suspicion that you all don't like me very much, yes? I'm trying to be friendly here, being the nice guy, and all I get in return is icicle stares from you all. Perhaps you'd care to explain your frosty disposition, lest you ruin my appetite?"

"Don't play dumb," snapped Robin, obviously not in the mood for niceties. "You went on a crazed rampage, and destroyed things for no good reason. And now, you're asking why we dislike you?"

"I seem to remember," said Raze thoughtfully, tapping a finger on his chin, and gazing up at the clear evening sky, "as I was rooting through your minds on our last encounter, that you all came across two brothers by the name of Thunder and Lightning before. I trust you recall them, yes? To them, "fun" was defined by destruction and mayhem. And if I'm correct, even after the mess they caused, you didn't and in fact, still don't, harbor any ill will against them. And furthermore, they didn't even help in cleaning up the messes they themselves caused, except for summoning the rain that put a stop to the Giant Flame being. I may have caused damage, but at least I lent a hand in the reconstruction process."

Now that was something the Titan's hadn't expected him to say. Beast Boy leaned forward, his eyes breaking away every moment or two to glance down at the s'more ingredients. "What are you talking about? You just blew stuff up! I didn't see you fixin' anything!" Raze laughed, then took hold of his floating desert, then took a bite.

"True enough," he agreed, licking his fingers clean of melted chocolate and marshmallow. "You didn't see me, but that doesn't mean I wasn't there. I mean, honestly, wouldn't it have seemed a bit strange for the very guy who wrecked stuff to be giving a hand to repair it? That wouldn't fit my character. So naturally, I had to do things undercover, in a disguise. I suppose it was so wonderful a camouflage that no one really noticed me."

Not believing him, Cyborg asked, "All right, then why don't you tell us what you did fix while you were "undercover"?" Raze grinned.

"Ah, I was truly hoping you would ask me that. Before I answer though, I would like to ask you all something." He leaned forward, giving them a mischievous smile. "How is Central doing, hmm? Is it back to normal? Back in the green and all that?" Raven answered.

"Everything looks as if you hadn't ever been there. All the buildings are fixed, the plants have re-grown. Your attack was totally pointless, not leaving any lasting damage." Raze gave a low laugh, smiling and pulled back, finished his s'more, and then began fishing around, beginning to make another.

"Good to hear. However, while I believe what you say about the buildings, I'm afraid I don't buy your story about the injuries I inflicted into the Gateway and park. Let me ask you, do any of you have a P.H.D in Botany?" All the Titan's shook their heads. "I didn't think so. So, you have no idea what happens when most types of trees are burned to such a point?"

"Ha," broke in Cyborg, "We got your answer there! The trees bark and leaves are gone, and it can't produce its food. If it's fed, it'll come back in a few weeks." Raze stared back at him, studying him carefully. Then, he threw back his head, and began howling at the sky, his laugh echoing throughout the trees.

Once he finally got control of himself, he wiped a tear from his eye, and then asked, "Where in the world did you hear such garbage? I've never heard such a ridiculous claim in all my life." His face grew colder, still having a sinister smile on his face. "When a tree suffers from extreme burns, it's dehydrated, yes, but it suffers from a severe shock, which breaks control over the various functions. The tree withers, it wanes, and then…" Raze craned his neck forward, and in a very scary whisper, "it dies." He leaned back, letting the truth sink in. "So now," he said smugly, "You see why there is no way for the trees in the park to be alive at this point, unless the lifeless trunks were dug out, and replaced with new trees. It is a fact I'm sure you are all aware of, that it is impossible for humans to bring back to life what was once dead. A law of life, I'm afraid."

"That cannot be true," cried Starfire, leaping up. "We were told by the tree expert that the trees live because he saved them! I do not believe your evil lies!" Raze's smile softened, and he shook his head.

"Dear girl," he said gently, "I do not lie, and that is another of my characteristics, albeit a strange one considering my…profession. Whoever this tree guy was, he was an idiot, and not having the faintest idea of what he was talking about. I however, am a different story." Robin took Starfire's arm, and sat her back down. Then, he crossed his arms, and said, "We don't believe you."

Raze nodded. "I didn't think you would," he said quietly. Very slowly, he stood, stretching his back. He then began to casually walk over to the nearest tree. He leaned up against it. "However, if you won't believe me," as he spoke, he stepped behind the tree for but a moment. When he reemerged, all five Titan's jumped; their eyes opened wide, a look of horror on their faces. "Then perhaps, you'd better let me explain it." The figure who came stepping out from behind the tree was not Raze, but a young collage student, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, with a grinning tree embroidered on the back. The person walked towards them, and in the light of the fire, it was none other than Buddy Kovak. He grinned at them, waving his hand.

"Good to see y'all again," he said in his cheerful tone. He sat down on the rock, and studied the Titan's dumbfounded faces. "Well, first I'd like to apologize for last month," he ran his hand through his hair. "But I guess I goofed on my research. Turn's out that oak trees aren't nearly as resilient as I thought. The ones in the park died, and even though I tried, there was no way I could bring them back. Sorry." And if the discovery of Buddy Kovak's true identity wasn't terrifying enough, what happened next was even more upsetting. His body began to shift, colors blurring, features contorting. His hair turned into spiny silver, his orange suit turned to black, and in less than ten seconds, Raze was once again sitting on the rock, a shadowy smile on his face, as he observed their aghast faces. Due to the fire, and the lack of light, he seemed even more ominous than before.

"Unsettling isn't it?" asked Raze, looking from Titan to Titan. "The person who you were talking to, even shaking hands with, was none other than me…the whole time. The villain you had fought not less than seven days ago. I did say I would be watching you remember? I guess you never realized how serious I was about that." The first to speak was Raven, her voice quivering ever so slightly.

"But how do we know that you were him then? That might have been the real guy, and you just impersonated him right now."

"Ah, how right you are Raven. Yes, I could very easily be changing my form to confuse and baffle you all, but rest assured that I have come bearing more proof than a simple trick." So saying, he reached inside of his leather trench coat's pocket, and carefully pulled out a simple black cloth wrapped into a bundle. Undoing it, he lifted an object, an object that all the Titan's recognized. It was the round black stone, with the marking in the side that Starfire had given Buddy before they left.

"A lucky Tamaranian moon stone, if my memory serves," he said. He leaned over the fire, offering the stone to Starfire. "Here, while I do really appreciate it, I have little use for a luck stone. I think it will be better put to use in your possession." Starfire tentatively reached out, and took hold of the rock, her face completely petrified. Raze settled back, casting an eye towards Raven, who looked ready to say something.

"Yes, I know what's coming, my dear. You were going to suggest that I could have easily stolen that from the "real" Buddy, and then shown it to you here, to be the "proof of the pudding" as they say. You may have a point, but I will say this." He stretched his legs, settling in, trying to get more comfortable on his rock chair. "While I may not be a saint in the world, I really don't think that I would be so low as to stoop to petty muggary. That is totally devoid of any and all style. Don't you think so?" No one continued to argue, but Robin did ask another interesting question.

"If that really was you instead of Kovak, and if those trees really were dead, then how do you explain them being alive again? Didn't you say it was impossible for something that is dead to be brought back to life?" Raze thought back, going over his own words.

"Ah, but I said no human could do that. But then, I am no mere human, now am I? No doubt you have seen for yourself that while I may seem human, I am far much more. Meaning, bringing a tree back from the dead is no problem for me. But there are issues to discuss. I am a villain, with plans of future designs in mind, and that is why I've called you here." That got Robin's attention, and he had to exercise great restraint not to snatch up a Birdarang.

"What are you after, tell me that much at least! And what is all this?" Raze looked up at him, with a coy eye.

"Well, as for my agenda, I'm afraid that's something you will have to live without knowing. And as for this little get-together, it is nothing more than a meeting place, to give you all a little chance to relax before your lives are hurled into a vortex of complications. For instance, you still want to fight me, yes?" He looked each Titan in the eye. "You needn't deny it. All of you have a disliking of me, that much is written all over your faces, and you all relish the chance to try and even the score between us. I see it in your eyes, and feel it in your hearts. There is little you can conceal from me."

"So you want to fight," growled Robin threw gritted teeth. He pulled out several Birdarangs, while the others stood at the ready. "Fine, let's fight! Here and now! I want to stop you here for good!" Raze snigger from behind his hand.

"Oh don't be ludicrous. You know as well as I that you are in no position to face me. Especially here. I would tear you all apart before you even realized what was happening. You couldn't possibly be ready to face me again." He pointed to the log once more. "Sit."

"What's that suppose to mean?" questioned Cyborg.

"Quite simple. It was but a month ago when we first fought, and you all couldn't even lay a finger on me. Not to put too fine a point of something so very obvious, but I thrashed the lot of you, and very badly at that. Do you honestly think you have improved yourselves by such a margin in this last month, that you could do any better? A few simple strategies is not going to get you anywhere against me. I mean, you couldn't even sense my aura when you were standing right beside me in the park. Me, the one who defeated you less than a week before. You couldn't even tell that that was me. And you think you are prepared to face me now? Please. Don't be in such a rush to embarrass yourselves again. I personally don't see your interest in wanting to fight, but you all seem so very intent on trying to best me, so I guess I'll play along."

"I don't care how strong you are," yelled Robin, "or how little we have improved since last time! We are now more determined to beat you now, and we have a better understanding of who we're dealing with! You won't win this time!" Raze simply clapped his hands, very slowly, once, twice, and three times.

"Hurrah Robin, you are inspiring everyone here, filling their heads with thoughts of heroics. But while you banter is full of bravado; you know you can't back it up. Courage, bravery, and righteous valor will only get you so far before it gets you dead. But then, I wasn't purposing we fight here and now. However," he paused looking at the now starry sky. "I must admit, that I do like having a blackened atmosphere. It adds a little flavor to the battlefield." He stood, and pointed to the Titan's. "Very well. I will give you one week. Do whatever it takes to increase your strength. Work out, meditate, upgrade, strategize, whatever. And once that week is up…I'll be coming back. I trust you will then be able to provide me with a better challenge than before. How does that sound?"

He paused, and began packing all the stuff he had pulled from his bag earlier back into his sack. "Here is the deal. During this week, to ensure you get the most out of your training, I will protect your precious city. Should a criminal attack, I will arrest him, or whatever it is that you do with them. In the meantime, you all must prepare yourselves. I don't want anything to divert your attention from your goals. And as a piece of advice, I would recommend that you concentrate on your weaknesses first and foremost." He finished with his task and stood, sticking out his hand.

"I hope you understand though," he continued, lifting his eyes, "that if you want to try and protect the city yourselves, you can't beat me. You won't have enough time to become stronger if you are sidetracked with you normal routines. Is this agreeable?" Robin put up his weapons, and stepped around the fire. Raze was about five inches taller than Robin, but his weight and strength made him seem almost three times as big. His hands alone nearly enveloped Robin's smaller gloved hands. They shook, a firm handshake.

"I'll agree to this," said Robin, "Just because I want to bring you down."

"Very good," said Raze, with a devious smile. "I will return by the weeks end. I expect a great deal of improvement." He picked up the red knapsack, and stuffed it into his coat. He pulled out his dark sunglasses, and slipped them on, even though it was dark. He started off, but twisted his neck around.

"By the way, I certainly hope you will be more observant of your surrounding from now on. If I can sneak up on you all so very easily, or even place messages in your food, then just think of all the possibilities of damage and chaos that I could sow, should I so want to. Try and keep heads up, alright?" As he talked his body seemed to be growing transparent, wispy, like smoke. In a moment, he was nothing but a trail of vapors, rising into the blackened sky, being blown away by the wind.

"I'll be in touch," called his echoing voice, and then…he was gone.