This is the part of the story where it veers away from what was originally written by my cousin Raven Lynn Morrigan and picks up the story idea I came up with and never wrote. I OKed the change with my cousin before writing it this way. She said basically to do whatever changes I wanted since the stories are in my hands to finish. That's the definition of co-authoring I guess, or close enough for government work anyway. Her version of 'Forget Me Not' had a bad ending and the story idea I came up with was never written because it had a bad beginning. The two have similar themes and pair very well together to make a complete story.
ForgetMeNot 7
*~`7~*
The next day Richard looks around the backrooms of the library hidden under a wide brimmed baseball cap and carrying a backpack of supplies. If caught he looks like a college student looking for a quiet place to study-but the backpack doesn't hold any textbooks. If Cyborg had made good on his threat to call Batman, Ragen certainly wouldn't be here at work today. She would be hidden somewhere for him to track down and get caught in some trap by the bat and hauled off to an asylum. No he decides Cyborg is planning one last ditch effort to get him to come to his senses. One that includes an eye being kept on Ragen at all times and apparently by a Titan in disguise when possible.
Outfitting Beast Boy with a holographic ring might have worked if not for the fact that even in disguise he sticks out in a place of learning like Starfire with her distinctive vocabulary trying to fit in an internet chat room. With Beast Boy's ability to shape shift and follow Ragen anywhere, Richard knows he is going to have to work fast to grab her. It needs to be when she's on a break alone somewhere Beast Boy wouldn't go. He could turn into a bug and follow anywhere but horny peeping tom stage in that respect is something the changeling hasn't yet attempted. That makes the only place Beast Boy would leave her alone for any length of time the bathroom.
Richard creeps back the area waiting in the shadows for sometime to make sure its empty before he ventures into the ladies room. This is an older building with a frosted glass window. One that opens by a hand crank. It would be close but with it fully opened he could just barely squeeze out of it he thinks. He studies it looking to see if an alarm would be triggered if he tries to open it. There might be a beeper to say its open somewhere this time of day but he doesn't see that as a problem in the short term. When he is satisfied there is no active alarm he tries to open it. At first the crank refuses to turn but after applying a little pressure it slowly begins to move. Richard opens it just enough to peer out. The window opens on the alley. It is high up off the ground but below is a closed dumpster. He closes the window then checks the stalls looking for one which takes a lot of force to pull open and anyone in a hurry to go wouldn't think about it being locked and go to another stall rather than trying to wrestle it open. When he finds one he enters and locks the door. He sits on top of the old tank style toilet and hunkers down so no one sees him. There he waits.
*~`'~*
Ragen looks back at the kid following her that the robot guy sent to keep an eye on her. "You don't need to follow me everywhere."
"Cyborg said not to let you out of my sight."
"So you're going to follow me into the bathroom?"
"Maybe I should take a quick look around in there just to be safe."
Richard perks up at the sound of voices outside the bathroom door. This is the moment he has been waiting for. If he is going to convince Ragen that she is really Raven as he knows her to be he has to get her away from anyone that would try to keep her away from him. That means getting her out of the city even if she isn't willing to go. He takes off his backpack and takes out a takes out a small bottle of chloroform which he dowses on a rag.
Ragen at least peeks inside to make sure no ladies are standing at the sinks that would freak out at seeing a guy. When she sees no one she shrugs and stands aside.
Beast Boy takes a look at the bottom of all the stall doors. It seems to be empty. Any smells he might pick up on of anyone hiding is made impossible by the heavy scent of air freshener. He sniffs deep just to make sure he doesn't pick up on anyone before leaving the bathroom. "Seems clear, but I'll wait outside. Scream if he pops out of the ceiling or something."
"The ceiling? Seriously?"
"I wouldn't put it past him."
Ragen shrugs as she enters the bathroom. As the door closes she hesitates. She has the urge to open the door and let the guy check again. After a few moments she chalks it up to nerves and goes into the nearest stall.
Richard quietly opens the lock on the door. An idea occurs to him as the air conditioning system kicks in. He uses the whoosh of air blasting into the room to cover the sound of him opening the stall door as he gets down off the back of the toilet tank. He quickly opens the window then retreats back into the stall leaving it part way open this time.
Ragen freezes with her hand on the lock of the stall door after she is finished. Did she just hear someone shuffling around in here? As jumpy as she has suddenly become she reasons that maybe the noise is from the air system is playing tricks with her mind. She opens the stall door and goes over to the sink where she washes her hands. As she is about to leave she freezes when she spots the open window. Was it open before she wonders? Ragen doesn't think so, but then she wasn't really paying attention to it. Part of her wants to turn and run back out into the hall, but being an employee its her job to make sure the window is closed before someone gets the idea to sneak out it and gets hurt.
He holds his breath waiting for Ragen to approach the window. At first he thinks she is going to ignore it but then he sees her pass into view as she walks over to the window. He waits until she is occupied with trying to close it before he pulls the door fully open and grabs her. Richard clamps the chloroform soaked rag over her mouth and nose before she has a chance to scream.
It happens so fast that Ragen doesn't register the attack until a rag is held over her mouth and nose and an arm clamped around her pinning her arms to her sides. She tries to scream but becomes very light headed as she tries to draw breath through the rag.
"Don't fight it...its okay I won't hurt you." Richard speaks low in her ear. "I'm just going to take you somewhere that we can be alone and I can help you remember."
As Ragen struggles to free herself from the attacker's grasp a part of her mind registers that it is Richard before everything goes dark.
Richard looks back at the door as Ragen collapses limp into his arms. He has to work quickly. He picks Ragen up slipping her through the window and down on top of the dumpster. He then takes off the backpack and slips it through the window before he climbs out. He pauses looking at the chain link fence that separates the alley from the employee parking lot where he left his rental car. He checks the dumpster to find its on rollers. He releases the brake and pushes it over to the fence. Climbing back up on it he tosses the backpack over the fence. He quickly picks up Ragen and tosses her over his shoulder makes the short climb to the top of the fence and drops down to the other side with the practiced ease of a one time superhero. He quickly picks up the backpack and rushes over the rental car. He looks around to make sure there are no observers as he opens the trunk and lays Ragen down inside it. Just to keep her quiet he takes a roll of duct tape from the backpack and tears off a strip which he places over her mouth. He rolls her onto her stomach and brings her wrists together behind her back winding several rounds of tape over them. Richard takes one last look around before closing the trunk. He quickly gets in and starts the engine. As he pulls out onto the road heading out of the city he turns up loud music to drown out any noise Ragen might make if she wakes up before he takes her where they are going.
