New chapter, and not too long of a wait! This one went completely a different way than I expected, as I hadn't intended to introduce one of the characters in this one that I did, but I wanted the extra drama. Robots were not enough! Read, review, and enjoy.

Shards Of Time:

Who's Next?

Raven walked quickly through the now completely darkened streets, mulling over the new information while trying to keep her emotions in check. She wished she could just transport to the library, but didn't think that it would be a wise idea, as she didn't want to announce her presence, and her entrances were rather noticeable. Anyway, walking gave her the time to study the city, to see what had changed.

Everything.

While the city that she knew had crime, it was not an unapproachable place. There would always be some people out, some stores brightly lit at any hour. This city was dark. As far as she could tell, she was the only one on the streets, and the buildings were all locked up tight. Unlike the outskirts of town where she had been earlier, the inner city was clinically clean; there wasn't even any gum stuck to the sidewalk. Raven never thought she'd miss something as disgusting as that, but in a strange way, she did. At least that showed some sign of life.

A speck of movement caught her eye, and instinctively, she pressed herself against a wall, willing whatever it was not to see her. It gleamed, giving away that it was a robot.

Must be one of the patrols Cyborg mentioned, she deduced, breathing shallowly through her mouth, He could have told me what I'd be up against.

After a couple of moments, it looked like the robot was going to leave, but then it paused, tilting its head in an eerie imitation of human puzzlement. The girl gazed at it, puzzled, then nervous as it started towards her. When there was no mistake that it had indeed spotted her, she swiftly gathered her magic to her hands, slashing it against the machine's head. Sparks flew, and the head combusted, leaving the robot to wander around aimlessly.

"That was easy," Raven breathed, frowning, "Too easy."

Perfectly on cue, five more robots marched towards their disabled companion, the other members of the patrol. Eyes widening, the Titan decided that it would be better to escape than risk fighting and being discovered sooner. She ran, heart and feet pounding, but the machines pursued, and it was evident that they were faster. Gasping, she ducked into a narrow alleyway, hoping to catch a breath. Instead, she felt a strong hand covering her mouth.

"Come with me and I won't let them get you," said the person, but Raven kicked out with a little of her powers behind the blow. Her captor cursed and let go, giving the girl a chance to see who it was. Even with the passing of the years and the loss of her trademark Mickey Mouse hair, Bumble Bee was still recognizable.

"Sorry," Raven quickly muttered, reaching out a healing hand to repair the damage she caused, "I thought you were with—"

The former Titans East leader grabbed Raven's wrist, twisting it behind her back and holding one of her unique weapons to her throat.

"You thought what?" she smirked, "That I was with the robots? Nah, they're with me."

The empath winced in pain, both from her wrist and knowing that an old friend had gone awry.

"Why?" she whispered, not really expecting an answer.

"Because someone needs to make sure there's a little law and order," Bumble Bee replied, pressing a button on her belt, "And if there needs to be a little twisting of the law to get that order, who am I to complain?"

Raven's eyes glowed in fury, but before she could try anything, a new voice rang out – "Don't hurt Raven!"

A rock whizzed past Bee's head, causing her to let go of her prisoner and take a fighting stance.

"You wanna play?" she growled, "Then show yourself!"

No one appeared, but moments later the former Titan gave a yelp, falling to the ground and flailing, apparently unable to get up.

Not in the mood to stick around and get caught, Raven ran, out of the alley and in the direction of the library. Light footsteps followed, but she didn't dare to look over her shoulder, continuing to run until stumbling and falling.

"Raven!" she heard the voice call again, the same voice which sounded before Bumble Bee's fall. A figure appeared in front of her, and Raven rose warily to meet it, readying herself to vanish if necessary.

Whatever she expected, it was not to be pounced upon and hugged.

"Who are you, and what do you think you're doing?" asked the empath, not sure if anything could surprise her now. The hugger, looking slightly abashed, let go and took a step backwards, making it so she could see her. It was a girl, blonde braided hair swinging merrily to the sides, looking older than Raven but much younger than anyone else she had encountered.

"Should have known you wouldn't recognize me," the blonde said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "But it has been about twenty years since you last saw me. I'm all grown up now!"

Raven stared at her and reached out mentally, looking for a clue to her identity and her intent. A moment later, she had her answer.

"It's so weird to see you like this, Melvin."