"How long have you been having these chest pains?" the doctor asked, her concerned blue eyes resting over Lance.

"For as long as I can remember," he replied. "But this morning was different. These twinges, they haven't ever hurt enough to bring me to my knees before, but when I woke up...I could hardly move."

She nodded, reaching into her white coat to draw out a pen and began writing upon the papers her clipboard contained. Lance remained silent for a moment.

"Lance, the records we have of you indicate your parents are deceased, is that correct?"

He didn't even blink. "That's right, Dr. Adams."

"You're a ward of the state, then?" she asked, raising her eyes and one of her eyebrows with it.

Lance shook his head. "No, I'm emancipated. I'm legally recognized as an adult. I felt like I should come to you because you're my pediatrician. I think you'll be able to help me the best out of anyone."

She nodded knowingly. "I'm glad you feel safe with us. Can I simply be frank with you?"

"Of course. I'd prefer it, actually."

Adams paused for a moment to remove her glasses and looked up at Lance again from her seat on her stool while he sat high on the examining bed. "You've got a special heart condition. When you were very little, we noticed your heart was just a little larger than normal. It didn't present any threat to you at the time and so I'm guessing your parents kept it a secret."

Lance grew apprehensive. "Does that mean it's a threat to me now?" He unconsciously leaned forward on the table.

"It might be so," she continued. "Your heart's abnormality can, when combined with stress, cause your heart muscle to tear."

"Tear? Doc, is my heart going to burst on me?"

She shook her head confidently. "No, the heart is like any other part of the body, when it's damaged, the body will try to repair it. Unfortunately, when the muscle heals, it's scar tissue keeps it from functioning correctly. Eventually, if enough damage occurs to the heart, it can fail."

Lance's emerald eyes widened. "Doc, are you saying I'm going to die?" He reached up and placed his hand on his chest, just to the left of his sternum.

"It's impossible to say, at this point. There's no way for us to know what will and won't damage your heart. It is safe to say that the more damage it incurs, the harder it will be for it to pump your blood. Cardiac arrest is a possibility by that point."

Lance rocked back on his seat at that. Staring up at the ceiling, he grappled with the weight of that. Dr. Adams continued to fill him in on prescriptions that might help prolong his life, but the tone of her words was undeniable. Lance could die. He nodded along when she suggested certain treatments and he kept his eyes on the ceiling when she left.

Lance wasn't afraid of death itself, as a concept. He knew everyone eventually died, and he knew that he too, would die. But, when faced with the idea that his passing might be very soon, he suddenly became very afraid.

Fear tore through him as he envisioned his brother living on in a world without him. He saw Dani, standing over a fresh grave next to their parents' in the cemetery. He saw a figure emerge from the dark graveyard and loom over Dani in his state of grief. It's fingers ended in long nails that resembled claws as it reached toward him. Alone, with no one to aid him, Dani stood no chance. The person took him and disappeared. But together, he and his brother could work together to stop her.

Logic hit him as it strung out facts for him. His heart condition might kill him sometime in the near future. That meant that in order to achieve his goals, he had to work fast. If he was risking his life every time he went into battle with the Titans, then he didn't have any time to lose. Every moment was precious.

Of course, if he wasn't careful, that meant that if he made the wrong step or underestimated even one situation, he might not come out of it again. He would need to be careful. He had his goals and his dreams, but dying was not part of those plans. There would be no sense in throwing away his life.

So, if I'm going to die, I may as well make my life count for something, he thought coldly. I won't let her take him. Before I die, I will make good and sure she is dead. Lance clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

Dr. Adams returned with some prescriptions that was supposed to keep his blood pressure low, as well as some relaxants, if he needed them. Lance thanked the good doctor for her help and flew away from the pediatrician's office while deep in thought. He stopped briefly at the drug store to fill his prescriptions and thought about the girl they had stopped at the museum.

What had she been there to steal? Why had she seemed to know something he didn't? What made her different?

There was no better way to find out, he realized. It was time to pay her a visit.

The Titans finally learned the girls' name.

"Serenity Segeal," the cop on duty said. "You have visitors." The Titans stood on the other side of the glass and each of them watched her warily.

She took a seat at the booth and picked up the receiver. Dragon did the same. "Serenity," he said. "Nice to have a name to put with the face."

"Ah, but you haven't graced me with the pleasure of your names, yet," she purred, her eyes on Dragon's.

"I am Dragon," he stated simply. "This is my team, Psyche, Pharis, Wild Child and Dust."

Her lips curled up into a smirk. "A super team? How quaint."

"Y'know, I'm more interested in you," Dragon said, unfazed. "Just what were you attempting to steal from the museum last night?"

"I told you last night you could never understand," she reminded him.

"But that doesn't quell my curiosity at all. You had to be after something quite valuable to risk being so conspicuous," he accused.

"Nonsense," she retorted. "The Era City museum has no shortage of valuables that would fetch a high price with any dealers."

"Cut the crap," he said so suddenly and fiercely that even she jumped. He pinned her under his gaze. "I read your arrest record. You're nothing but a petty thief with a long history of shoplifting and pick-pocketing. You like easy targets. Maybe they're trusting old folks or a distracted shop-owner, but there's always a weakness you exploit. But I can't think of a more difficult burglary target than the museum. So, I'll ask you again. What on earth were you hoping to steal?"

Serenity's dark eyes turned spiteful as she endured Dragon's tirade, but at his last question, her expression suddenly changed again, just like it had at the museum. As they shared a gaze, Dragon saw her genuinely at a loss for words. Then, in a flash, her defiance was back again.

"This conversation is over," she said.

Dragon turned to look inquisitively at the cop behind him, who nodded his head. "Have it your way," Dragon said, turning back to her. "But rest assured. I'm going to find out what makes the museum so important. When I do, you can count on your life becoming a whole lot harder." He hung up the phone quickly and rose to leave.

The Titans followed him out to the lobby where Lieutenant Mulcagey was waiting. He sat in front of a TV that showed the visitor's center the Titans had just vacated.

"Did you catch all of that?" Dragon asked.

Mulcagey nodded, taking a bite out of a white-frosted donut. "You caught her off guard with that question," he noted.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure that even she knows why she was there."

Mulcagey seemed to consider that for a moment. "Perhaps. Or maybe there's something we're missing."

"Maybe," Dragon agreed. "You going to keep an eye on the museum?"

Mulcagey's mustache twisted into a grin. "If only I had thought of that last night," he said. "Perhaps I would have already set two of my men to investigating the origins of all the museum's pieces."

Dragon let himself burst into laughter. "You'll keep me updated, then?"

"Sure thing, kid. I have your number," Mulcagey said.

"Thank you," Dragon nodded to the older man. "Titans, let's hit the road."

As they cleared the doors of the police station, Psyche took stride in line with Dragon. "The cop isn't telling us everything."

Dragon nodded. "I know, but this is the road we're on. We have to see it through. He's a good man, we should trust him."

"So that's it? We're just going to leave it at that?" Psyche asked, appalled at the idea.

Dragon's lips stretched into a wide smirk. "Well, I never said that."