Part 1 for my series: Hopes for a Bastard!

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And This is Why I'm Not in Charge…

Victor Stone, he'd admit that eight years ago, when Darkseid had taken to invading Earth and whatever happened to him had happened, he had thought his life was officially over. All his dreams of University, the Pros… it was all gone. And for a while he had thought he had found his place with the Justice League, but it turned out the moment that the crisis was over he was alone. He was back to being a sixteen year old cyborganic freak, one of a kind, and his father's pet project. It sucked. Then there was everything with Atlantis and Victor accepted that he was never going to be accepted anywhere outside the hero world. Even the odd Billy Baxton fit in the civilian and hero world; for that Victor envied the kid, truly envied the kid.

Which was part of why he left, left his father, his home, his city, and the Justice League. He didn't fit in anywhere and at sixteen he had been done with not fitting. He had come to San Francisco, because that was where all the weirdos and whackos lived (well, here, New York, Las Vegas, and Gotham, but here was furthest from his father), got a job as a mechanic and intended to just fade away.

What he never expected was to be dragged into a team by a twerp who had been Batman's protégé, and find a home. Garfield was his best friend, the green dude was filter broken, genuine, and caring; but more than that Garfield was accepting and never bugged him about being a cyborg. Starfire, Kori, his best girl friend, was an alien princess from another world; she didn't even know that here he was weird. Robin, now Nightwing, Dick, had just shrugged and said there was weirder out there; Dick was a great pal to have.

However, the only one Cyborg dared to take in the family way, and even going so far as to shout she was his sister, was Raven. Raven he understood, and she understood him, it was as easy to be around her, as it was frustrating, but she caught on fast. Ever since that first car they had rebuilt together he had found a little sister. And there was nothing he wouldn't do for her: harass unworthy suitors, glare at boys staring at her, hang with her in the garage, complain, listen, annoy, and prank (lots of pranks). She in turn told him everything; there were no secrets between them, it was the only rule, and while she had the empathy link with Dick, she had secrets from him too. Victor and Raven had none of those, it was their sacred rule and what had made them more than friends. It was also why he was her second in command.

Actually, now that Victor thought about it, Raven was more of Team Leader than anyone in the Titans organization. Dick tried but between Blüdhaven, Gotham, the Titans, the League, and the entire Batclan, he was stretched thin and Raven often came through to pick up the slack on Dick's part. And Raven did a damn good job keeping them all together, Dick of sound mind, the Titans in one piece, and the world safe. It wasn't easy for Raven to be seen as a leader, but she was the defacto leader, and he her right hand by default.

And right now, Victor's little sister had a problem at the moment which was why he was fully willing, and able, to take over Raven's team; well his team too, but Raven was Team Leader.

Walking into the gym after talking to Raven he looked over the files of the kids on Raven's Team:

Jaime and Damian he knew, knew very well as he had been trying to help them out with their training. However it was the rest of the line up which had him arching his brown and rubbing his temple. Raven and his' team consisted of:

-M'gann M'orzz

-Timothy Drake

-Stephanie Brown

-Kaldur'ahm

-Bart Allen

On the bright side, Terra had been put on Star's team, which meant Raven and he didn't have to deal with her, but everyone else on this team… oh brother. They were going to have their hands full with the younger spectrum of the recruits.

"Where is Raven?" a voice had him jumping slightly as he spun around to look at one of the resident ninjas of the Bat clan.

"Don't do that Damian! Nearly short circuited me," Victor groaned.

"I apologize," the boy reluctantly grumbled and Victor smirked. Raven had taken to Gibbs' slapping the younger kids when they had no manners; and Gar when he had no common sense, and her training appeared to be working. "Where is Raven?"

"She's looking for someone," he admitted.

"What is going on with her?" Damian asked, Victor frowned a bit. Damian had become unusually attached to Raven, quickly too because of the incident when Jaime's armor hadn't taken to Damian's attitude well and blasted the young Robin.

"Why don't you ask her?"

"She said she would tell me only after speaking with you, and since you are here I presume you know what is going on with her and can debrief me," Damian stated.

"Dude! I'm not taking your word on this matter, and if Raven should wish to discuss what's going on with her she will tell you herself, or better yet go ask her!"

"You and Raven are very close, are you not?" Damian asked. Anyone else the question would be innocent but it was Damian Wayne asking.

"She's my little sister," he grounded out.

"I presume through adoption then," Damian muttered.

"Heyguys! Readyfor training!" Bart shouted appearing then and Victor had never felt more relieved seeing the kids filing in.

"Where is Raven?" M'gann asked as she floated in.

"Raven's dealing with something right now so I'm in charge!" Cyborg announced.

"No way! Yes!" Jaime bounced then and Victor frowned; it was going to be a long day.

"Whoa!" Wally shouted as they slid into a vault on the lower levels, Project Kr. The door shut and sealed shut then, Dick let out a shuddering breath as he hugged his ribs. Fuck this hurt! He had not been expecting… well, any of this!

"Next time Bats asks a favor of us the answer is no, N-O, in capitals!" Wally blurted out.

"I don't think he was intending to run into this…" Dick tried to defend. Honestly it was like something out of a bad sci-fi film. Monster, giant, small, razor clawed, telepathic, and electric had been roaming all about, these leaves were even mushy and a bit organic, and honestly Dick did not want to know what other surprises were laying in these levels.

"Whoa, um… dude, you're going to want to see this," Wally said. Reluctantly Dick looked up, his ribs singing in protest as he stood then and moved to where Wally was, there was pounding on the other side of the vault door but that wasn't what had his undivided attention. No, what had his attention was now before him.

"Holy…" Dick trailed off.

"That can't be…" Wally started, Dick was hunched over the control panel then as his fingers flew over the keys, his eyes scanning the data as he worked.

"The Superboy," Dick informed Wally. "Weapon designation. A clone force grown in sixteen weeks! From DNA acquired from Superman. Solar suit allows him to absorb solar radiation twenty-four-seven."

"More like stole!" Wally argued.

"Well, now we know why Bats was keeping Supes out of it," Nightwing muttered as he looked at the young boy who looked about seventeen or eighteen. Honestly it was freaking him out staring at this boy and seeing Clark there.

"We can't leave him," Wally pointed out.

"Agreed," Nightwing muttered as he continued his hacking to break the kid out of the container he was in. There was no way in hell he was leaving a kid here to be raised as a weapon, it was what had happened to Damian and it was taking a family effort to try to straighten Damian out.

"Uh… the door?" Wally whispered.

"Already disabled," he smirked.

"Don't do the creepy laugh thing or I'll call Raven," Wally warned.

"When we get communications and out of here, I'm calling her here to get us the hell out of here!" Dick countered.

"Why?"

"She teleports, it's an easy escape and a fast way to get the kid," he gestured to the Superboy clone. "To the Tower."

"Well then hurry up on the hacking!" Wally hissed as the door rattled dangerously then. Nightwing frowned as he worked, there was something bothering him about this. However, he'd discussing it with the Titans after he got the hell out of here!

"Get him!" Dick shouted as the pod opened then. a blur of yellow caught the falling boy just as the doors blasted open.

Damian looked over the other idiots he was now going to be on a team with and he felt like gouging his eyes out. This wasn't going to be… whatever it was supposed to be. Groaning internally he thought about what Victor was saying about how they were going to be working in a team and they would be a unit with their own missions without League guidance or supervision.

He knew all this which was why he stealthily slipped out of the gym leaving the losers behind.

Mostly he was curious about whatever was going on with Raven; he had never seen her move so fast. And he'd seen her in battle. Riding up the express elevator he came to the roof and poked his head out, he was surprised that Barbara hadn't spotted him sneaking around the tower and trapped him somewhere then summon Raven to collect him. Dick had done that a week after bringing him here.

Looking around he spotted Raven levitating just off the edge of the roof.

"What are you doing?" he demanded as he walked over to the edge. Raven didn't look at him.

"I'm seeking out a person," Raven answered flatly.

"What happened last night?" Damian demanded sharply as he glared at her and folded his arms. Raven turned around so she was now floating across from him and then she stepped onto the ledge.

"Last night an old… pain, decided to resurface and broke into my room," Raven answered.

"I thought that wasn't possible," he grounded.

"It's not impossible, it's just exceedingly difficult. I am not surprised that of all the people on this planet he'd be the one to get around my wards and magic," Raven shrugged.

"Who was he?" Damian demanded. He felt a cold fury filling him with curiosity as he listened to Raven.

"That is what I am figuring out," Raven said calmly.

"Do you require assistance?" he asked, malicious delight filling him at the anticipation of a fight.

"No," Raven stated.

"Why are you after him?"

"Because he stole something which is genuinely irreplaceable, and I need it back," Raven answered.

"Then you do need an assistant!" Damian argued.

"Go train with the team, Damian, I will handle it, it's personal," Raven shrugged.

"But!"

"I will tell Dick that you skipped training with the team," she warned, he shuddered at the thought.

"Fine, but if you are not finished with this by the end of tonight I will tell Grayson and demand to help you," he warned as he stalked off.

"This isn't his fight, it's mine, and you'd be wise to stay out of it," she murmured as he walked into the elevator. Damian pressed the button to the gym and watched as Raven leapt off the edge and started levitating again.

Truthfully this was one of the things he found irritating about Raven, the entire independence and demand to work in a team. It was as if Raven had another set of secret responsibilities; it was annoying to be left in the dark about them too.

Raven settled again as she again centered her mind and spirit and again focused. Her breathing was steady, her heart slow, her mind empty and her shields were down as she started again focusing on the emotions and filtering them out. She was focused on something specific as she worked. Stretching her mental wings, she flew through the city, her mind touching everyone. Everyone was unique, she was focusing on a particular flavor of emotions.

It was something few outside of Hell possessed, and when she encountered it, it was something she filed away for later worries.

The Lazurus Pit, for all it gave, it also took, but something particular that it gave to it's victims was a particular emotion. Ra's al Ghul had been drowning in it, lost to the Pit, his daughter had it, Oliver Queen also had it, as did his sister, Thea. Raven never liked feeling what the Lazurus Pit left in others, it was something closer to what her kin were like, bloodlust, the anger, the fury, the uncontrollable red nature. It was like her own rage or her father, it did not scare her, but it was wild, uncontrollable, and unstable. But worse, it was something which twisted the mind, the heart and the soul.

Raven did not like the Lazarus Pit, but the ones who had been healed by it varied. Opening her eyes she felt a surge of her powers as she reached out and felt the pull of the Lazarus Pit.

Her mind and emotions reaching for the pulse of the Lazarus Pit she continued familiarizing herself with the young man. His emotions were coiled, guarded, she pried as she looked for a latch so she could pull herself there.

Standing in the air she reached a hand, felt her powers slip through her blood to the tip of her fingers as she opened the shadows and let them consume her as she latched onto the Lazurus Pit.

Everything he'd been researching about that fucking book revealed nothing as he read up on everything the JL had on Azarath. Funny, he'd have thought there'd been more.

Sighing his head fell back on his couch as he stared at his ceiling.

Fuck it, it wasn't important, and he'd been paid to do a job. A job he had done.

It was over, he was not going to be like the Bird Brains or like Bats, nope, it was not happening. Obsessing got him killed; literally and figuratively, and he was not ready for the return trip to Hell. Standing up he walked to his kitchen as he glanced at the stove time, it was around ten in the morning. Two more hours before he checked on Sunshine to make sure she was out of the warehouse.

Picking up his latest book he decided he would not worry about Azarath or anything about the previous job, as he started making a sandwich and looking through the list of available jobs.

There was an itch in his skin which had him wanting to kill something, frowning he thought it over. It wasn't like he was bound to the same morals as the Bird Brains or Bats, he had killed before. His only problem was the black outs. The black outs concerned him, and it made him avoid taking hits; for now.

No one knew he was alive, no one knew he was here, and no one was coming after him, he'd like to keep it that way for the time being as he planned out what he would do next. Black outs where he woke with everyone dead were not conducive to keeping a low profile. And if Bats found out he was alive… well, he had no desire to go to Arkham unless he was killing a particular clown. But until he had his head on straight(ish), and he didn't have a panic attack just hearing the laugh on the television, he wasn't going near Joker.

Yet.

Sighing he decided he hated having to wait on his revenge again because his mind raced back to the fifteen year old he had been whenever he heard the Joker laugh.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he had a gun in hand, turning he saw a small shadow circle on his wall.

FUCK!

He didn't freeze, but everything happened so fast he was slammed back as a small force hit him.

She'd been paid to impersonate a magician, she'd been paid to deceive a young man who would recognize her anymore, and she was now being paid to kill him.

It was a very good thing she had known who she was hiring to steal that book. Now she was looking down the scope of her rifle her mind cold as her eyes looked over the windows of the young man's hide out.

Her eyes tracked him as he walked through his home, he grabbed a gun, and then there was a flurry of motion, her head snapped up as her eyes widened a fraction then she focused again. Looking through the scope she saw the young man she'd once known and a woman fighting.

A light breeze had her adjusting as she took another steadying breath and let her finger rest on the trigger.

It was just a job.

It was just someone she used to know.

It meant nothing.

Cold filled her, her mind cleared and she squeezed the trigger. Her sight on the center of the young man's back. Glass shattered, there was blood, she fired five more times, there was nothing. Pulling away she looked at the building without her scope. Smoke started billowing through the shattered window and she looked back through her scope.

He was good.

She knew, she had trained him.

But she was better. There was a flash, she gasped as bullets flew past her head and she dove behind a wall.

"Give Me Back The Book!" Raven shouted, his gun clattered out of his hand as he grabbed her wrists. She snarled ferally, but he knew he had the upper hand.

"I gave it to the buyer!" he snapped.

"Who!?" Raven roared, her leg lashed out to catch his bad ribs, he grunted as he stumbled, releasing one of her wrists. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shouted.

Her black energy filled his apartment as pans started flying at his head, he jerked her around as he avoided them.

Glass broke behind him, then there was a whistle of something slicing through the air before there was a sharp sting of something tearing through his shoulder. Spinning Raven around, her back to his chest he dove over his couch for cover and he saw her energy stop. There were more shots, Raven flinched as he tightened his grasp on her as shit splintered and his couch was shredded.

"What the hell!?" he growled as he reached under his battered coffee table and grabbed a smoke bomb he had there, pulling the pin he tossed it over the couch as smoke filled the air.

"You'd bring a sniper!?" he snapped at Raven as he dragged her with him and the ducked into the small hall.

"No, I didn't know who or where you were until two minutes ago!" she snapped.

"Fucking double crossing buyers!" he hissed, ignoring the burn in his shoulder he ripped open a side panel he had tucked his rifle case in and pulled out the gun. Assembling it quickly he loaded it before looking at Raven.

"Stay put," he growled.

"What!?" she gasped he moved to his kitchen and settled his riffle on his island bar as he scanned for wherever the shot came from.

He found what he was after, his eyes narrowed and he opened fire. The return fire came after he stopped.

Raven opened her fingers as she whispered her chant and she felt for the largest object in the street. She found a dumpster which was just barely within her reach as she pulled it up. The weight of it was startling but she didn't slow as she dove out of the hall and threw her hands at the window where the shots were coming from, something burning sliced her leg which had her hissing as she kept her focus on slamming the dumpster through the wall of that building.

The crashing had her gasping as she looked over to Red X.

"Well fuck," he muttered. "Come on! now they know you're here so come on!" he snapped. The man shoved past her.

"Wait! What!?"

"Come on Sunshine, we have to get out of here!" he snapped as he grabbed a bag, shoved a jacket and helmet at her, Raven reluctantly took them as he jogged out of the room, she stiffened as he grabbed her, but the pillow on the couch exploded as the glass truly shattered and then she was out the door. zipping the jacket, she pulled the helmet over her head as they ran down the stairs.

She wasn't leaving Red X until she had her book back but for now she was running because she preferred being alive.

"This way," he shouted as he tossed her his pack, she yanked it over her shoulders and secured it as she ran after him, her blood sliding down her leg. He leapt onto a black bike, she hopped on after him, her arms slipped around him as the engine roared and then they were blasting out of there.

"No powers!" he shouted over the engine.

She didn't bother to respond, using her powers would draw unwanted attention which would not be wise right at this moment. She ignored the throbbing pain of her thigh as they wove through traffic, another engine roaring like theirs caught her attention as she twisted around. There was another motorcycle, but Red already did a hard turn.

"Turn into an ally!" she shouted.

"What!?"

"Just do it!" she snapped, she threw her hand in front of them, her mind picking a city to go as she felt the energy slice through her fingers as a portal appeared, she twisted around as they flew through it and shut it just as the other biker caught up to them.

"What the fuck!?" he groaned as he skidded to a halt and then Raven noticed the blood on his shoulder, soaking through his jacket.

"Who the hell did you steal that book for!?" Raven spat as she already focused her attention on Red X and examining the wound.

"Fucking double crossing bitch apparently," he snarled.

"And it couldn't be your past client?" she asked blandly as she looked at her thigh.

"No fucking way. What the hell is so fucking important about that book anyway!?"

Dick stumbled out of Cadmus with an arm of the unconscious Superboy slung over his shoulder and Wally supporting the boy's other's side. Ripping out his communicator he flipped it on.

"Nightwing to Titans!" he shouted.

"Yo," was the answer.

"Get Raven to get us the hell out of here!" Wally shouted.

"Raven's not here at the moment, but I'll Boom-tube over and get you, I'm getting your coordinates," Cyborg replied calmly.

"Where's Raven?" Dick demanded.

"Dunno, she was looking for something, I'll be there in a sec," Cyborg answered. There was a furious roar behind them which had him and Wally groaning.

"He's still alive!? we dropped a building on him!" Wally complained.

"Come on!" Dick shouted as he started dragging the unconscious boy as fast as he could; Kyrptonians weighed a fucking ton when they were unconscious.

"What no asterous or whelmed jokes now?" Wally tried.

"So not the time!" he shouted, the giant thing which had once been a scientist roared as it leapt after them. Dick dropped Superboy then as he dove under the beast, and knocked it off balance. The thing grabbed him by the waist and hurled him into Superboy and KF which had them smashing into the rubble. The loud boom then a blaster as blinding light formed into a tunnel had Dick looking up at Cyborg.

"Thank God! We're saved!" Wally shouted and grabbed Superboy as he dove back into the Boom-tube, Dick limped after him quickly with Cyborg following. The beast stayed down.

Raven's eyes narrowed on Red X before she slid off the bike and folded her arms.

"That book was mine! And you stole it, I'm not tell you what about it is so important!" she spat. She felt his emotions rolling off him as he sat there.

"Where are we?" he decided. Raven looked up and then around her, and then she looked back at X.

"New York," she answered and poked her head out the ally to see the familiar sign. "Brooklyn to be exact."

"Alright," he sighed.

"Who'd you steal that book for and where are they?"

"Seriously?" he demanded as he took his pack from her.

"Yes! It's vital that I get that book back!" she grounded through clenched teeth. Her mind was in that book, and she was genuinely terrified of someone; whoever had hired X to steal the book, poking around and finding her mind.

"Ah, hell," he groaned.

"I'll help you, I'll heal you, if you tell me who has the book," she bargained then as she saw him tugging his jacket off and examining his wound.

"Don't bother," he countered.

"Please! It's vital that I get that book back!" she huffed, then slapped his hand away from his wound as she examined it. Clean, a through and through, he wasn't going to die, but it had to hurt. Looking through his pocket of what was clearly medical supplies she found sutures, a needle, alcohol, and a set of gauze, plus tape. His pain was distracting her, and if he could ignore it, she couldn't; which was why she threaded the needle and got to work.

"Why are you helping me?" he spat out as he tried to jerk away, she wrapped her energy around him to keep him still.

"Your pain is distracting, I need to think," she answered as she worked quickly, she was shocked that though he was sitting she was still hovering off the ground to see the wound well. His eyes were bright and familiar behind the helmet. She felt like she should know him, not just as Red X, but as something more.

Suddenly it clicked in her memory where she'd seen his face, and it had her smirking as she found the upper hand then. Since she had tracked him down she'd been trying to face his face, even if it had mostly been a blur, and the young man with her was clearly taller, but he was the same man. Both from memories and photos she'd seen. The plan started formulating in her mind, and she was relieved that he was silent as she worked.

"Help me and I will not tell them you're alive, Jason Todd," she said slowly as she knotted the suture.

They had Superboy in the med-bay, Cyborg was looking him over. Dick was getting stitches from Kori at the moment and Wally was healing his broken leg.

"Well, according to the DNA, he's partially Superman's son," Cyborg spoke then.

"Partially?" Dick asked, wincing as Kori tugged lightly on the thread.

"Yeah, it'll take longer to figure it out, but he's part Kryptonian," Cyborg answered.

"OW! Kori!" he hissed.

"Stop moving!" she snapped.

"Dick never was any good at taking his stitches," Babs announced as she rolled into the lab. "I can do it."

"I have it covered," Kori answered. He looked at Cyborg for help only to find his friend drawing Superboy's blood, and Wally found the ceiling very interesting all of a sudden.

"Where's Raven?" he asked then.

"On the roof last I checked," Barbara answered.

"She isn't," Damian appeared then looking agitated. "And her tracer isn't working."

"You put a tracer on friend Raven!?" Star shouted. Dick winced as it echoed in his skull.

"Yes."

"Damian, we talked about this," Dick sighed.

"I like knowing where my friends and enemies are, and you will thank me one day," Damian defended. Dick just groaned. The kid was going to start a war one day.

"I'll go check to see if I can find her," Babs sighed before she rolled out.

"Who's he?" Damian demanded as he walked over to Superboy.

"Uh…" Wally started. "Star do you have a communicator I can call Jinx on?"

"I will fetch it after Nightwing's stiches are complete."

"Superboy," Cyborg filled in. Damian poked the young man then, and before anyone could move or blink there was a blur of white as Cyborg threw Damian away and Superboy punched him through the wall.

"Whoa! Wait!" Star shouted as she lunged for the boy, who looked scared now.

"Easy!" Wally shouted.

"We're your friends!" Star said softly. The boy looked confused.

"We pulled you out of Cadmus, I'm Nightwing, that's Kid Flash, that's Starfire, and that's Robin, and the one you punched through the wall is Cyborg, we're not here to hurt you," Nightwing stated as he stood, wincing a bit at the pain. Now would be a good moment to have an empath, the Superboy glared at him and lunged for Damian, Star crashed into him.

Jason stiffened hearing his names off the lips of his 'elder brother's' friend. Then he slowly slid a sideways glance at her.

"Same face, the eyes, and though you're definitely way taller, more filled out, wiry muscles too, than the memories and Robin footage, you move the same. I'm surprised Dick hasn't noticed it yet," Raven smirked as she then taped pads over his wound before she leapt back and sat in thin air.

"Been a really long time since anyone called me Jason," he smirked as he pulled off his helmet. His hair flopped a bit in his eyes as he looked at Raven then.

"I bet, and I'm betting you don't want Batman to know you're alive," Raven said.

His lips curled up a bit, perhaps she wasn't all that much of a goodie-goodie if she was blackmailing him to help her. It was kind of amusing.

"And what makes you think Bats would believe you about my supposed life?"

"Because he has trusted me with all his Robins," Raven murmured. He frowned.

"You're sure about that?"

"That and I can just bring him with me the next time I have to find you, you can't hide from me."

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Give Me Back My Mind! =)