A/N: I'm on spring break now and will try and churn out a couple more chapters before it's over! Hope everyone enjoys. Don't forget to R&R it helps a lot!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or any references within the story.
Chapter 7: Nightmare
"So, how is he doing?" Raven asked from her position on the ground, Beast Boy's head in her lap.
"Getting better, it won't be very long now," answered Knowledge, "though I think there might be someone you wish to talk to." She moved her eyes over to where the tree of emotion stood.
Raven followed her eyes and noticed two figures almost completely behind the tree. One was wearing a flowing deep violet cloak, which was similar to Affection's, but darker. Standing next to the cloak wearing figure was a familiar green teen.
Raven rushed over to the couple that was under the tree, "and just what do you think you're doing?" Raven asked, obviously a bit peeved.
"Relax honey, I wasn't going to steal him... for long."
"Wha... Raven?" Beast Boy now looked confused, he had dealt with Raven's emotions before, but apparently was confused and thought this figure was her.
Raven wasted no time pushing the dark cloaked girl away and embracing Beast Boy. "I'm glad that you're alright." She then pulled back and slapped him straight across the face.
"OW! What did I do?" He yelped, rubbing the side of his face, where a red handprint now shone.
Raven glare angrily at him. It was taking all her power to do this, as it would be hard to stay mad at him for long. "Next time I say 'don't', listen to me. You almost got yourself killed!"
Beast Boy looked down at the ground, hand still on his cheek. "I'm sorry... I was just so mad at him showing up, and I wasn't about to let him get to you."
"I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself, Beast Boy."
"Oh don't let her treat you that way, Beastie boo," the new Raven cooed.
She waltzed out from behind him, and draped an arm across his shoulders. "She's way too mean to you."
Beast Boy looked as though he was between a rock and a hard place. The deep violet colored Raven walked forward to Raven, "We haven't met before."
"No, I assume we haven't. Who are you?"
"Can't take a guess?" She teased playfully.
"I'd prefer not to guess," Raven answered.
She responded to Raven by planting a kiss on Beast Boy's cheek, "You can call me Lust."
"Oh Azar…"
"That's right Ravey, Beastie here is all mine," she said, drawing her finger over his chest.
Raven's eyes glowed white, and prepared to forcibly remove Lust from Beast Boy's side, when another voice rang out.
"Stay away from him!"
It was Rage. Apparently she didn't like Lust playing around with him. Her eyes had split and her teeth had sharpened. No one in their right mind would have gotten on Rage's bad side on purpose, aside from maybe Rude or Brave.
"And what are you going to do about it, cutie?" Lust said to Rage.
Rage leapt forward, intent on some damage, Lust easily side-stepped the anger-blinded emotion, sticking out her foot in the process. Rage tumbled to the ground, angrier than before. Before she could lunge again, she was quickly restrained by Brave.
"Dude, relax!" Brave shouted, straining to hold her back.
"He's mine! Don't forget that!" Rage bellowed at Lust.
Lust giggled. She loved watching Rage in a love fueled lust, it fed her. Though many of the bystanders were wondering why Rage was showing affection towards Beast Boy, maybe she figured she owned him now that Raven was dating him, and she was merely protecting what was hers. They surmised it also could have to do with Lust being more active and having an effect on all of the other emotions.
At this point, who knows? Barely anyone understood Rage. She could be angry at you for a plethora of things in under a millisecond. No one retained the subject in their minds for more than a moment.
"Just get the hell out of here!" Rage screamed. Brave took the opportunity to drag her behind the tree. A loud thud could be heard, Brave then walked back out dusting off her hands.
"She should be out for a while," Brave said as she winked at Raven.
"Thanks." Beast Boy and Raven said together.
Everyone else shuffled back to the task at hand, Beast Boy being healed. His spirit form or soul-self was present in Raven's mind. His body was still injured, though he was no longer in danger of dying thanks to the emoticlones.
Raven looked into his emerald eyes, "Feeling ok?" She knew it was an empty question. His body was laying a short twenty feet away.
He smiled, "Now that I'm here with you, yes."
'Always the smooth one,' she said to herself.
Raven took his hand and began to lead him away from the group, wanting to ease his mind as well as keep him out of Rage's range, and also to lead her away from Lust who was still eyeing him. They walked slowly, both taking in the color and calmness. Birds were chirping as the clouds slowly rolled over in the sky.
"So how did you get here? I know since we're connected it might have been easier, but you usually need to be helped," Raven asked.
"Yeah… You're not going to believe who helped me get here… I still don't."
"Who? One of your emotions?" They stopped walking and she turned to face him.
"Well, you could call him that," Beast Boy shifted awkwardly.
Raven thought for a moment. If it wasn't his emotions, or hers, then what brought him here? She played through the possible list in her head, and the previous day's events.
"The Beast?" she asked, finally.
"Yeah, apparently he's been in contact with your emotions, and since our link, he's become more helpful and knowledgeable. It's kinda odd."
"You mean… he's being nice? Or you have control?"
"More like, he gave me control. He said something along the lines of "I'm here when you need me, as opposed to when I want to"."
Raven crossed her arms and looked at the ground. Could this link possibly have really tamed the Beast? Her emotions could have easily helped get his in line. It seems though, that they were having a direct effect on how his emotions acted. Could it possibly work in reverse?
The idea played around in Raven's mind for a few minutes. Beast Boy had taken a seat and was leaning back on his elbows, staring at the blue sky.
"It's become really pretty in here, Rae. I remember the last time I came here 'accidentally' it was all red and rocky."
"Yeah, apparently as my emotions influence you, yours influence mine," she took a seat next to him.
"So all of this is because of me?" Beast Boy asked with a grin.
"Hold up there Romeo, it's because of both of us," she returned his grin with a smile.
Beast Boy returned her smile. "So because of us being together, this place is all happy now?"
"Pretty much, it should be accurate representation of how I feel." Heeding Beast Boy's wish from their date, she refrained from pulling up her hood to hide her blush.
"Raven!" Knowledge shouted.
Raven turned around seeing Knowledge, and acknowledging she was needed. She looked back at Beast Boy and pecked him on the cheek, then got up and ran over to the group.
Beast Boy was speechless. He just turned his gaze back up to the sky, and closed his eyes. He was feeling weird, lighter, but he hadn't wanted to tell Raven. Probably just a side effect from the healing he was receiving. He didn't want to go over to where she was, and he knew that she knew that as well. He wasn't interested in seeing how his mistake with Slade had impacted his body.
'Raven really is amazing.'
With that thought in his mind, when he opened his eyes, he was looking up into Raven's. All of the emotions were crowded around him as well. He hadn't heard them move over to him. He was near the tree again.
"Wait… what?"
"Relax, B," Brave said, grinning.
"You're back in your body now," a deep voice murmured from behind the group.
"What? I was over there, I just closed my eyes, and…"
"Don't think about it too much, babe," Lust said.
"What… how…" Beast Boy looked between the different emotions, "Huh?"
"You reformed with your body. You're in Raven's mind."
"Yes, now relax," Raven said.
Beast Boy looked up, and took in who was standing around him, Brave, Knowledge, Wisdom, Rude, Happy, Lust, Raven, and the Beast.
"Wait, how did he get here?"
"The Beast?"
"Please, just call me Beast. I don't need 'the' title."
"Very well, Beast. He's been here since you conked out over on the grass. Remember? Knowledge called me and I went over to help?" Raven asked.
It was all coming back to him. "Yeah."
"Well, Beast showed up when you started to reform with your body."
"I see." He really didn't.
"I'm here merely to make sure you're alright."
Beast Boy had a hard time believing that. The Beast was a feral part of himself. Could Beast really actually be concerned about him? Or was it all a ploy?
Beast Boy sat up, "So, what did I miss since I got my butt kicked?"
"Robin and the others went out on a mission to lure in and capture Mallah."
"Capture?"
"Yes, they plan on capturing him and finding out more about the plan through him.
"Who went with him?"
"Jinx, Starfire, Cyborg, and Batman."
"Whoa, Rob called in Bats?"
"Yes, as far as I know."
"It must be bad if he's doing that."
"That's what we were thinking," Raven gestured to everyone around her.
"So, what are we going to do?" Beast Boy asked.
"How do you feel?"
"Ready to pay back Slade."
Raven smiled, "Not so fast Tiger, you need to take it easy for a while."
"I feel fine," Beast Boy protested.
"Yeah, you look fine too," Lust added.
"Enough, Lust," Raven warned.
"Sheesh, don't worry, he's ours anyway."
"So what are we going to do about this mission?"
"They left us behind, so I could heal you. When you're back to one hundred percent, which you aren't, we'll see what we can do to help."
"Roger that." Beast Boy stood up, and helped Raven to her feet, she had been kneeling beside him. As he pulled her up, a pain in his side caused him to fall to his knee.
"I told you, you look fine, but you're still injured. I did all I could, but it'll take a couple days to fully heal, much longer if you strain it."
He winced as he stood back up, many sets of hands supporting him, including, surprisingly, Beast.
"Alright then, so when are we good to leave?" He asked.
"When I've had a little break, I used a lot of energy to heal you, and it's been constant."
"Sounds good, you deserve it."
She took his hand and they walked towards the door, leaving everyone behind. The group of emotions began to follow the Chromatically Challenged Couple™, when they reached the door that they had gone through, it was covered in a black aura.
"No fair, Ravey," Happy whined.
"Let them be for now," Wisdom said, "They'll leave when they're ready. Everyone just relax."
»§«
"Is it finished?"
"Almost, we're missing one piece."
"The converter, I take it?"
"Yes… I requested we send a higher up for that, and they sent the ape…" Chang said.
"He's able," Slade responded dryly.
"I hope so, without that part, this whole project won't work. On top of that, it was in Titan control, so it's most likely tampered with."
Both men had been standing in the room Chang had been 'jailed' in, staring at the screen on the wall, unsure as to what would happen. Slade didn't like unpredictable circumstances, so he tried his best to have all of the information beforehand and always went in with a bulletproof plan. The screen was displaying in a black and green grid, the plans for the Rift Generator. Slade was certain that Chang knew what it was. The call of Xenothium for him was too high for him to ask what Slade planned to use it for.
Slade honestly had no idea what the idea was for the generator. He knew that Trigon wanted to enter the realm, and knew he wanted to take over the world. He didn't have much of a choice with his soul-self able to be yanked from his body and be put at Trigon's mercy. He hated the fact that he had no control over Trigon, nothing to loom over him. That would have to change at some point. He didn't have many contacts that would be able to go across dimensions.
"How will we know when they get it?" Chang asked.
Slade had almost forgotten he was in a room with Chang, "Soon."
The screen flickered and displayed a small screen with a man staring back at them, it was Wintergreen.
"Sir."
"Yes, Wintergreen?"
"I have a rather large oaf trying to contact you. Saying he has something called a 'converter'?"
"Yes, we've been waiting on him. Make sure you see him down to us, will you?"
"Of course, sir."
With that, the small square that had held Wintergreen's face, closed out. Chang turned to Slade, though Slade kept his eye focused on the screen.
"With that part, I'll need just a few hours and your mechanism will be complete." Chang didn't want to let Slade knew, that he knew, what it was. The less he showed the better chances he had of actually leaving when he was done.
"I believe it is Mammoth who has your part," Slade commented.
They both waited patiently, until the door could be heard sliding open behind them. Chang turned to see who it was, Slade merely kept his stance.
Mammoth and Gizmo slowly followed Wintergreen. Mammoth was carefully cradling the converter, though it looked as he had taken a major beating.
Gizmo was the first to speak up, "Here's your cruddy part! We're still getting paid, right?"
"Of course," Slade responded. He turned and his eye glowed dark red. Gizmo was engulfed in a swirling orange and yellow torrent of flames. Screaming could be heard, and as soon as it started, it was over. All that remained was a black scar on the ground where Gizmo once stood.
Mammoth, in a fury, dropped the converter and charged at the red eyed man. Slade deftly dodged under Mammoth's incoming fist and jabbed straight up into his gut. Chang stood wide-eyed, Wintergreen seemed un-phased. Protruding from the back of Mammoth, was Slade's fist.
The giant man, hacking and coughing, slowly slumped forward as Slade removed his hand.
"Take care of this won't you, Wintergreen?"
"Right away, sir."
Slade then left the room, leaving Wintergreen and Chang together. Wintergreen moved over to Mammoth, and with the skill of a master, snapped his neck, killing him instantly.
"Pity, he was useful. Pray do make yourself useful as long as you can, Professor Chang," Wintergreen said as he walked to the door, dragging Mammoth's body with him, "Oh, and your converter is here, I expect you'll be getting to work?"
"Y-yes I-I will g-get right on i-it."
Chang didn't expect this, he knew he was more useful than two lackeys, but what had they done to deserve this? He made up his mind right there to do everything in his power to remain useful to Slade. He walked shakily over to the converter and began to drag it over to where he had the rest of the pieces assembled. It was going to take a while, but he would get it done.
»§«
"Can you track it yet, Mark?" Robin asked.
The fight hadn't gone how Robin had imagined. Yes, they had captured Mallah. Batman had made sure that Mallah was transported to the tower, and was currently handling his restraints. Robin trusted Batman more than himself right now near the giant ape.
"I'm trying to pull it up right now," he answered, frantically typing on his keyboard, attempting to get the software to register.
Robin and Mark were sitting in the Ops room. Cyborg and Jinx were in the med lab, Raven and Beast Boy had disappeared, but according to the security cameras, they had entered her mind, so he was sure they were alright, and Starfire was in the common room talking to the other scientists.
Chris walked in, disturbing the silence that was haunting Robin. "Rob, we're being called back."
"All of you?"
"Basically, I talked to Dr. Stone about Mark remaining for a bit to help you."
"What did he say?"
"That, we'd need to bring him with us. They aren't happy that we lost the converter."
Robin sighed. Nothing was working out well, he'd have to call Dr. Stone at some point. "Alright, we appreciate all the assistance you've given us. I'm sure Mark and Cyborg can work together even though they're apart."
"Of course we can. I'll call Cyborg as soon as I land. Though I'm sure he knows how to work this software better than I do," Mark said, as he got up to leave.
"I'll see you out," Robin said, getting up and following them out the door, heading down the hall, and back to the common room.
The group of scientists sat around the couch and table, when Chris, Mark, and Robin walked in.
"Pack it up guys. Dr. Stone has called us back."
They all nodded and headed out to go pack up all the tools and mechanisms they brought with them. It would take longer without Cyborg around to haul their stuff, but no one was about to go disturbed him when he was trying to do what he could for Jinx.
The past day had swept a black cloak of dismay across everyone currently inside the tower. Jinx had been injured, her skull was cracked open. Beast Boy had been injured as well, he was almost incinerated by Slade. Starfire had been injured by Mallah, though Robin neglected to tell anyone, as Starfire looked and acted perfectly normal, not wanting to worry anyone.
"Robin."
He didn't bother to look up, "All done?"
"Yes."
"How is he restrained?"
The Dark Knight walked closer, and put a hand on his shoulder. "None of this is your fault, you keep blaming yourself, and you'll end up like me."
Robin did look up this time, "I could have…"
"No, you couldn't have. Mallah is held down in the same restrains that I had made for Superman."
"So he won't be getting away."
"I'll be taking my leave back to Gotham. Joker is apparently on the loose."
"Right," Robin began, as Batman began to leave, "Thanks for coming."
The Dark Knight didn't look over his shoulder, and merely threw up his hand, signaling a 'goodbye'.
Everyone was out of the room now, except for Robin and Starfire.
"I have seen you like this once before, Robin. It was when Slade had hurt our team. Please, tell me, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, Star."
"I find that hard to believe, but will respect your wish to not talk about it."
He looked over at her, and scolded himself for being so closed. He didn't want to turn into Bruce, but he was used to bottling up his feelings and dealing with them after the mission was done.
"The man of Bats is correct, Robin. You could not have done anything."
Robin chuckled in his head. He'd have to remember to call him the 'man of bats' at some point. Smiling, he replied to Starfire, "Thanks Star."
He walked over to her and sat down. She leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat there, doing nothing but trying to calm down.
"ROBIN!" Mark skidded into the room, frantically searching for Robin. He spotted the spikey hair poking out from the top of the couch and ran over.
"I got a blip for a second and then it disappeared!"
Robin sat up quickly, "Show me."
They ran full speed, with Starfire in tow, towards the Ops room.
"I was packing up stuff, and gave it one more attempt. I was able to pull up the tracker, but once it turned on, it's almost as if someone on the other side had shut it off."
"Where was it?"
They turned the corner and quickly opened the door leading into the room. Robin looked up at the monitor. It showed the last known location, near a power plant, on the outskirts of the city.
Little did both Slade and Robin know but before Gizmo and Mammoth had brought it inside, Gizmo had accidently turned on and off the tracker before entering inside Slade's location. He was a genius, but this stuff was apparently too much for him.
"It was outside an abandoned power plant, on the outskirts."
"That must be where Slade is."
"Most likely, but I wouldn't go there yet. We have no idea what he's planning. Why don't you go talk with Mallah? I'll work on getting information for you, though Chris might have better luck with his ties to the government in pulling up records."
"Right, call me when you guys get anything on that plant," Robin said, clasping Mark on the shoulder, "I appreciate it, I really do." He walked back to the common room to the couch and sat down, taking five minutes to go over a line of questioning before heading down to Mallah. The sun had just come up. They had been out a whole night, being a super hero was tiring.
»§«
Robin walked, with purpose, to his room. He knew what he was about to do. He couldn't bear to do it while wearing the symbol of hope for many in Jump City.
He entered the code on his door. It swooshed open, and he entered it, keeping the lights off as the door closed behind him. The dark gave him comfort at the moment. He found a black shirt, sweatshirt and jeans, and some Vans he had for when he needed a public appearance when he lived with Bruce in Gotham. He changed, not once looking over himself in the mirror. He removed his mask, and pulled the hood over his head so nothing could be seen. He was having a huge argument with himself inside his head. Maybe there was another way? No. This had to happen. He was tired of losing to Slade.
Blood coated the floor. Screams could have been heard, but the room was soundproofed. A man in black was inside, near a very injured Monsieur Mallah. Deep wounds were clearly visible. Knives, prods, and heavy wrenches were on a table near where Mallah was strapped down.
"You show no allegiance to him! Tell me what you know, now!"
"He'll kill me if I do!" Shouted Mallah, desperation and honesty laced in his words.
"And you think I won't if I don't get what I want?"
"You… can't… you… won't…"
The man under the hood, Dick Grayson, wasn't sure what he would do if Mallah refused, but he wasn't going to lose to Slade. Robin wasn't in any part of his psyche now. He was doing this to protect his team, his friends.
"I can, and I will. If you don't tell me what I want."
"Protect me, and I'll share what I know!" Mallah was pleading. He had nothing, and no one to save himself, aside from what he knew.
"I hold all the cards, you give me what I want, and perhaps I can do something for you."
"What guarantee do I have?"
Dick put down the wrench he was holding, "You don't."
Mallah thought for a second, he was in excruciating pain, his limbs were all injured and his vision was hazy. He had no other options, this was Robin after all. He recognized the voice, though he hadn't recognized the outfit.
"Robin, protect me and I'll tell you what you want to know."
"I'm not Robin."
"Y-yes you are, I recognize your voice!" Mallah spat in a panic.
"I'm much worse than Robin," Dick said, picking up the wrench and holding it over his head.
While Mallah's vision was blurry, he was able to make out the figure looming over him, "ALRIGHT!" he shouted.
Dick lowered the wrench, "Speak, quickly."
"Slade contacted the Brotherhood of Evil to work for him. He said he needed us to gather parts for some machine. He wouldn't say what it was. We're not even being paid by him."
"Go on."
"There were groups that were sent out, four or five of us. I was requested specifically for this. The rest of the groups were common thugs."
"Do you know what the part does?"
"We know it's a power source, The Brain had been looking into it in the past."
"Where would you have taken it if you had obtained it."
"Some building on the edge of town."
"The power plant?"
"I believe so, yes."
Dick now had what he needed. He put down the wrench, and without another word, walked from the room. The door closed behind him, and he began to pace.
'What could Slade be planning?'
"Robin, is that you?"
Starfire had been looking for Robin. She couldn't find him in his usual places, in his study, the Ops room, or even in his own room. She checked the roof, and then decided to check the lower levels where the containment rooms are as well as the prison rooms.
Dick wasn't about to be seen after what he had just done. He turned and ran. Starfire was fast, but he had the advantage. He ran for it. He would easily lose her in the shadows, and then make his way back to his room and change.
Starfire didn't chase him though, she knew it was him. She turned and looked in the room where he had been. Mallah was still restrained, oozing blood.
'Robin could not have done this,' she said to herself.
She flew the opposite way and went to find Cyborg, he needed to have a look at Mallah and help him, before he bled to death.
Robin saw her leave, and noticed her look inside the room where Mallah was being held. He was found out, this was bad. He had done something that no one would have thought he could do, not even himself.
He snuck back to his room, staring at his uniform on his bed; he didn't think he could put it back on.
"Robin?"
He heard her voice, but didn't see anyone. He closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to see her.
"Robin? Robin are you alright?"
"W-what?"
"Robin. Look at me!"
Robin opened his eyes. He was in the common room on the couch. He was covered in sweat, covered in a blanket.
"W-What, where am I?"
"You are in our home, in the common room."
"What?"
"You were doing the rolling and tumbling," Starfire tried to convey.
"Tossing and turning…" Robin corrected, attempting to fake a smile.
"Yes, that. Are you alright, Robin?"
"I'm fine…" he started, pausing to think for a moment, could he really lie to Starfire? Now that she was his girlfriend? Moreover, did he need to?, "Actually, no. I'm not."
It took Robin all of five seconds to be honest with her. No more lies, no more hiding facts. He was who he was. Not who Batman made him to be.
"I had a nightmare."
"What happened in this mare of the night?"
Robin actually smiled. Starfire's language had a way of making him smile. He knew she understood what it meant, and sometimes neglected correcting her just to hear her talk in that manner.
"I… tortured someone."
"Tortured?"
"I hurt someone, so they would tell me something."
"Tell me Robin, who did you hurt?" She asked.
"Monsieur Mallah."
"Why did you torture him?"
"To get information, so I could save the team."
"Save us from what?"
Robin hadn't taken a minute to think about that, why did he torture Mallah? Slade. Slade was the reason that he did it. He did it for information.
"From Slade."
"You do not need to protect us from Slade. We are a team, we can handle him together."
Robin had been so dead set on protecting his team that he forgot that they protect him as well. They work together to overcome problems, not behind one another's backs.
"…Will you guys help me interrogate Mallah? I don't trust myself with him anymore."
"You would do fine, Robin, but if you wish, we shall assist you."
Robin hung his head, disappointed that he needed to ask for help, but also, in a way, relieved. He wanted to have help when he talked to Mallah, but he always felt as though he should be doing it himself. Having Starfire, Cyborg, and possibly Jinx, depending on whether she was better or not, would help greatly, as Mallah wouldn't have time to focus and fight one person.
"Let's go see if we can get Cyborg and Jinx to come with us."
"That is a good idea," Starfire said, "Robin?"
"Yeah?"
"I know it must have been hard for you to disclose that mare of the night to me. I appreciate that you are trusting me."
"How can I not?" Robin leaned in and gave her a small kiss. Something he had been neglecting to do.
Starfire blushed, and grabbed his hand, and began to lead him to the elevator. Robin considered going to find Beast Boy and Raven, but after what happened to him, he knew that they would join the group when they were ready.
The elevator dinged, and the two stepped out. They continued their journey down the hall and opened the med lab door. They walked inside and found no one.
"Where are Jinx and Cyborg?" Robin asked.
"They were here when we returned, I am sure of it," Starfire responded.
"Perhaps he's in his room… but Jinx isn't in here. What about her room?"
"Perhaps we should split up and look for them?" Starfire suggested.
"Good idea, Star. I'll go see if Cy is in his room."
"And I shall do the same with Jinx," she said, "Do not worry, Robin. Everything will be ok."
"Thanks, I needed that."
Robin walked off in the direction of Cyborg's room, while Starfire floated away towards Jinx's.
Starfire floated gracefully down the hallway. Finding Jinx's new room, she landed in front of the door that was engraved with 'Jinx' on it.
She reached out her hand to knock, and heard soft voices. Starfire put her ear to the door, and listened.
"What if they find us in the room?"
"Robin already knows. He caught me in a lie when he asked about where you went shopping."
"I went with Starfire, so she already knows."
"We haven't seen BB, or Rae all day, so I assume they don't know, though since they aren't in the med lab I would assume we won't see them for a bit. Raven is probably attempting to heal him in her mind."
"Why in her mind?"
"Well, out here she's limited by emotions, inside she isn't. She can let her powers go wild."
"So, she should be able to heal Beast Boy?"
"So he's good as new," Cyborg reassured.
Starfire, not wanting to be sneaky, or be caught eavesdropping, knocked on the door, "Friends?"
Scuffling could be heard, as Cyborg walked to the door. It opened to reveal a smiling Cyborg and Jinx sitting on her bed with the covers pulled around her, with a huge bandage on her head.
"Hey Star."
"Hello friends! Jinx, are you ok?"
"Yeah, tin head here fixed me up."
"Glorious!" Starfire yelled. She floated past Cyborg and sat down next to Jinx on the bed.
"Like it Star? It came earlier."
"It is most comfortable."
"The delivery guy was surprised when Cyborg just lifted it with one arm and said 'Thanks'. Can you believe he almost asked if we needed help?"
"He did drive away quite quickly…" Cyborg said, scratching his chin.
There was another knock at the door, and Cyborg, who was already standing over near the door answered it.
"Come on in Robin, everyone else is here."
Robin walked in, and noticed Jinx, the new bed, and Starfire.
"Doing alright, Jinx?"
"Yep!"
"Good." Robin walked over to the bed and pressed his hand into it, as many people do, "Nice bed."
"I have Jinx and Star to thank for that," Cyborg commented.
"Ah right, I remember." Robin shot a grin at Cyborg, remembering their previous conversation.
"So what's up?"
Starfire almost mentioned Robin's nightmare, but caught herself, and kept quiet. He noticed and figured it was time to open a bit to his team.
"Well, I had a nightmare. I fell asleep on the couch before I was going to see if Mallah would give up any information." Robin began.
"A nightmare, huh? You don't get many dreams or nightmares as far as I know." Cyborg said.
"True. I stopped having them a long time ago. This was different though, I…" he hesitated.
"It can't be that bad, Rob," Cyborg said, Jinx and Starfire remained silent, but listening intently.
"I tortured him, for information."
"Any particular reason? Or did you just enjoy it?"
"I don't know. I couldn't come up with a reason aside from protecting you guys. He's tied up and is no harm to you and I still wanted to torture him. I wouldn't stop until he gave me the information."
"Well, that's all it is. A bad dream, don't let it bother you."
"I still feel that way, Cy."
"Well then let me handle the questioning."
"I was hoping we all would."
"Works for me," Cyborg said, "C'mon ya'll, let's go talk to a monkey."
»§«
The interrogation chamber was a blank room. Usually it had the table and a couple chairs. Its normal appearance from two days ago when Jinx occupied it, had changed and now had a solitary upright human shaped table in the middle.
Strapped to the table was an abnormally large monkey, also known as Monsieur Mallah. Outside the four Titans stood in silence. The glass allowed them to see through, but not for Mallah to see out.
"So, who is going in first?"
"I figured we could do a bit of Good Cop, Bad Cop, hun." Jinx spoke up, answering Cyborg's question.
"Works for me, I tried once before with Beast Boy, but he went way overboard."
Robin nodded, "You two go ahead, we'll watch and come in if you need any help."
Cyborg opened and held the door for Jinx, who was still a bit wobbly.
"Hey there, ya big old ape!" She shot at him as she walked in.
Mallah merely opened one eye and looked at her, then sighed and closed it. He knew what they were doing already. 'Who do they think I am? Some stupid monkey from the zoo?'
Sadly, that was exactly what the two were thinking. Hoping they could easily agitate calm him down together.
"What's wrong? Don't wanna talk to me?"
"No," was all he answered.
"I figured as much. Say, do you want me to bring you a banana? We got some last time we went shopping."
"I do not want anything from you, you filthy traitor."
"Traitor? Isn't that a bit harsh?"
"No. You betrayed The Brain. He will hunt you down for that."
"I have no doubt. Good thing I told the Titans everything I know. We're going for him after we deal with you."
"You don't know anything important."
"Sure about that, Mr. Monkey?"
"I have beyond human intelligence and am a General in the Brotherhood of Evil. I promise you, that you, of all people, know nothing."
"I happen to know how intelligent you are, Monsieur," Cyborg began, "Enough that you know the plans, and trusted enough that you know what is being built."
"So what? You really think I'd fall for this routine? You two watch cop dramas on TV and think you can use it on me?"
"I was kind of hoping so," Cyborg said. Both Jinx and Cyborg were giving up on the good cop, bad cop routine. It was time to see if he could be forced to divulge information through anger. Though it seemed Jinx just wanted to anger him.
"You humans never cease to amaze me. Always thinking you can outsmart someone, you weakling will never finish off the Brotherhood of Evil, and you will NEVER stop Slade from constructing his…"
"His what, Monkey-boy?"
"SHUT UP! I AM MORE THAN YOU WILL BE!"
"Doubtful, I'm part robot," Cyborg said calmly with a grin.
"Careful there Banana brain, you should relax, don't want you rampaging like before," Jinx antagonized.
"I WILL NOT RELAX!"
"You will. You will also tell us what we need to know, and then you can go to jail."
A minute or so passed, Mallah seemed to be playing with different ideas in his head.
"Why should I tell you anything?"
"If you do, you only go to jail for theft. If you don't, you're in for conspiracy."
"I will not betray The Brain."
"Do you hate Slade?" A voice rang out from the back of the room.
Mallah looked back, seeing only boots, and the rest of the man hidden in shadow.
"Yes."
Robin stepped forward out of the shadows. "Then tell us what you know on Slade. I hate him as much, if not more, than you. I want to stop him. He's using you, and he's using Brain."
Mallah played with the idea of telling him what he knew, and also thought that The Brain might actually reward him for turning the Titans off of the Brotherhood of Evil and on to Slade.
"I will not disclose any information about the Brotherhood." He said, finally, and softly.
"I wasn't asking about the Brotherhood, I was asking about Slade. What is he doing?"
"He's making some sort of Rift generator."
"What do you mean a Rift generator?"
"I'm sure you don't understand quantum mechanics, and I don't have the time or patience to explain them to you," Cyborg already knew, but he wanted to let Mallah focus on Robin.
"You do."
Mallah glared at him, knowing he held none of the cards; he was at Robin's whim.
"You understand Raven's teleportation?"
"No, but I can surmise it's comparable to that?
"Essentially, it rips a hole in the fabric of reality and allows a being, or item to go into a separate dimension, or vice versa."
"Why is he building this?"
"We do not know. All I was told was what I just said, and the fact that this all leads back to Slade."
"What about his base?"
"He has many, from what we at the Brotherhood know, but I would assume he is using the power plant as his base of operations for this."
"Is that where you were told to take the part?"
"Yes."
"We'll arrange for your pick up by the jail."
Without any more words, the Titans left the room.
"This is bad," said Cyborg.
»§«
'Just one, more wire… there.'
Chang was putting the finishing touches on the machine. It was a very plain device, rather rectangle like, and doorframe above it made out of magnetized iron in the shape of a doorway.
He admired his work for a moment, and then walked over to the screen. He pushed a button on the bottom left and a face popped up.
"Well?"
"Tell Slade, it's complete."
"I will pass along the message."
Hopefully, unlike Gizmo and Mammoth, he would be able to walk out of the building alive, and with Xenothium. He desperately needed the Xenothium, though he wasn't about to attempt to steal it himself. Most of it was locked up by either Wayne Industries or LexCorp.
The door clicked and opened behind him. Wintergreen walked in first, follow by Slade, who now had red marks all along his armor.
Chang knew better than to antagonize Slade, and merely ignored his new glowing appearance. "I finished your mechanism."
"You can call it a Rift generator. You already know that's what it is."
"Well… yes."
"You're worried about me killing you?"
Chang looked him dead in the eye, not wanting to show weakness, or his fear.
Slade continued, walking in farther and around the generator. "The thought crossed my mind, free work, and I would keep my Xenothium."
"What do you plan to do with me?"
"Do with you? Nothing. I came here to extend an offer. Something I rarely do."
Chang was interested. He wasn't in danger at the moment, though he may be if he just stated his wishes of getting the Xenothium that was promised and leaving in one piece.
"I would like you to stay here. I have rooms and extensive labs, and wish for you to help me operate this machine."
"What do I get in return?"
"Access to my money, in order to fund your research, and the Xenothium, as promised before."
"I don't think I could turn it down even if I wanted to. If I did, you're liable to kill me."
"That's the spirit." Slade commented. "Does the generator have a failsafe 'off'?"
"Yes. I installed multiple backups, in case it either went out of control, or it needed to be closed for some reason."
"Very well. The time has come. Let us engage the Rift."
"R-Right now?"
"Yes, now."
Chang didn't want to be around when it opened. He had no idea what was on the other side of the Rift and didn't want to find out. However, he diligently walked to the panel that was installed near the generator, off to the left side, and began to type in the basic commands for powering it online.
A light sound, almost like a car coming, could be heard as the machine began to generate power. After a minute the sound was still just as soft and distant, though at a higher pitch.
"How much are we generating?"
"Almost enough to support the entire country," said Chang, impressed himself, with the output.
"Fantastic, we should be able to open the rift."
The doorway, which was made of magnetized iron began to buzz, and electricity arched off it like a cat's back. In the center of the doorway, a bright hole could be seen, surrounded by a dark glow. It was glowing bright white. As it began to expand, the bright white began to turn a bright pink, then eventually a red. The rip in dimensions expanded to the size of the door and halted.
Chang looked over his computer, just as a hand grasped the side of the doorway, from the other side. It was darkish red, scaly, with black nails.
"It's about time…" A voice said.
"Welcome, Master." Slade said, acting the part.
Another hand grasped the other side. A long flowing mane of black hair slowly emerged from the portal, then the body of the figure, which was covered in black armor amassed with spiked. The front of his face was covered by his hair, but the glow was unmistakable, the eyes glowed red.
"It has been too long since I walked in this realm." He was now standing in the room. Where his feet were, the ground cooked. "I have many plans.
"As do I," Slade said.
"Ah, but you will be carrying out my plans, Slade."
"We will be carrying out each other's," Slade said trying desperately to gain a little semblance of control.
"Do you know why I gave you powers, Slade?"
"To make this easier for you, so there was no chance of failure."
"Partly correct. A part of myself, resides in you."
"You… don't mean?"
Trigon walked over and placed a hand on the mark that resided on Slade's forehead. Trigon seemed to be sucked inside, and Slade fell over, grasping his head, screaming. Wintergreen rushed over to try and help him, but was knocked aside, forcefully and flung into the opposite wall where he fell to a heap.
Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and Slade's hands fell to his sides. His body began to shake, and then laughter could be heard, maniacal laughter.
"Yes… this will do… just fine."
Slade looked up at Professor Chang, two red eyes gleaming out from the mask, both on the left side.
"What… who… are you?" Chang gasped.
"I… am… Trigon."
