Chapter 6: Out of the Dark

Night had already come and settled when the Titans finally decided to say goodnight. Everyone was taken aback by the news from that evening, and had all stayed up to discuss the future plans for how to handle it. It was not that they feared the H.I.V.E. Five returning, but rather they were more afraid that the other villains might have run free as well. By midnight, they'd contacted the closest Titans near the Brotherhood base and warned them of the possible breakout. But soon, even the almighty Teen Titans needed some sleep and were forced to retire to bed after their eyelids refused to stay open.

"Good night friends!" Starfire said cheerfully, though with not as much energy as usual.

"Get some rest team, we've got a busy day tomorrow," Robin stated.

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Beast Boy answered wearily, stifling a yawn.

Raven merely nodded then headed off to her room, albeit slowly while Cyborg activated the tower's night security system.

"Night y'all don't let the bed bugs bite!" Kid Flash called out. The Titans nodded back though he swore he saw BB shudder slightly. He wondered if that had ever been a problem for him in the past. He shrugged to himself, scooped up Jinx into his arms, and walked (yes walked) to her room where he laid her on the bed. With everything that had happened that day, he'd decided not to be too rough with her. She was so close to breaking already, he feared anything more might shatter her completely. So, Jinx sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Kyddie's fur in comfort and adjusted the little bell that they'd decided to put on him. As much as it bothered him that she was seeking comfort from the cat and not him, Kid Flash remained quiet and let her in peace. After a few minutes, her hand ceased movement, and she turned her head up to look at him in the eyes. Kid Flash seated himself next to her on the bed and raised a palm to her cheek. She nuzzled her face against it in response. He decided that this time, it was alright to speak.

"Jinx, I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

"For what?" she asked weakly.

"For giving you false hope." When she gave him a look that told him she didn't understand, he elaborated. "I led you to believe that there was no way those guys would ever break out of that ice. And now look what happened."

"Wally, I don't blame you for anything," she replied, raising her own hand to his cheek. "You were just trying to help, and I'm thankful for that. Besides, you said you'd protect me right?" Kid Flash nodded. "Then I expect you to uphold that promise."

"I will," he said without a hint of teasing in his eyes. At that moment, he sounded so serious, for a second, Jinx was unsure whether it really was him, or if he'd replaced himself with a robot, just like when Cyborg infiltrated the academy. She decided to test the theory.

"Good, because I was hoping that maybe you could spend the night with me just in case."

And just like that, his face lit up instantly. "Of course Babe, anything for you!" he answered eagerly, a little too eagerly for a robot.

Jinx rolled her eyes. Oh yeah, it's definitely him, she sighed. "Clothes remain on, Wally."

His face dropped. "Fine…" he answered back with his lip sticking out. The sight was enough to make her laugh which lifted her spirits if only a little bit. As she got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, behind her she could hear him squabble with the cat for the 4th time today.

"Oh no you don't pussycat that is my spot! You can sleep on the floor! Come here you little sack of- Ow! Jinx he bit me again!"

Jinx left the room with a smile on her face, feeling a little lighter than before. She had to admit, though he could be a pain in the butt sometimes, Kid Flash always left her a little happier in the end, whether it was his jokes or a more than that.

However, with all the commotion, neither of the two had noticed that they were being watched by an unseen visitor. Had Kid Flash only turned his head a little faster, he would have caught sight of him before he disappeared into the dark, silent as the night wind.


A loud crash of thunder had Raven sitting up out of bed breathing heavily. At least she thought it was the thunder that woke her. She found it rather strange though, since storms never seemed to bother her in the past and she had always been accustomed to the darkness. Raven was practically born in darkness after all. She lay her head back down on her pillow, and closed her eyes, prepared to fall back asleep when a feeling struck her. A very familiar feeling, one that she should not have felt at this time of night. Someone was here. On impulse, she jerked herself up, threw off the sheets, and jumped to her feet, hands burning with dark energy. Eyes glowing and fists raised, she focused her spirit on her surroundings, searching for any sign of life.

At first, Raven heard nothing, felt nothing but the still air and the light rain that began to fall against her window. But once she poured all of her concentration into it, she felt the sensation yet again. Her ears twitched as she struggled to pick up any noise. They were soft, but she could hear them, light pants of breath from the being that lurked here somewhere. Despite her rapid pulse, Raven forced herself to relax and fought to push all of the tension out of her voice.

"I know you're there," she whispered coolly. "If you come out now, I promise to go easy on you.

As expected, only silence answered her. She sniffed. "I'm warning you, you're only making this harder on yourself. If you don't come out now, I'll just have to search for you. Azarath, Metrion," she started. But before she could finish the familiar incantation, the presence disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving her slightly rattled, though she'd never admit it. Nevertheless, she remained in position, ready for battle, waiting for any sign of life. However, after a few minutes of no other movement, Raven slowly forced herself to relax somewhat, lowering her hands to her sides. Glancing about her room, she searched for any sign of the mysterious intruder but to no avail. Only pitch black shadows stared back at her, dancing across her walls as the lightning flashed outside her window. But she still wasn't convinced.

Strange, she thought to herself. I was sure I felt someone's presence earlier, but now… The presence had simply vanished. Could she have imagined it, she wondered. It seemed very unlikely but it was possible. Perhaps I'm more tired than I thought. But just as she turned around to go back to bed, like a burst of light, the presence suddenly reappeared. It was nearby, but she couldn't determine exactly where. Taking a breath to steady herself the dark sorceress sent out her spirit about the room and beyond just to be sure when the chilling realization hit her along with a shudder down her spine. The intruder was very close…as in, right behind her!

With all of the speed she could muster, Raven swung her body around, beginning her chant again, when the wind was suddenly knocked right out of her, as though someone had just kneed her in the stomach. Caught off guard, she gasped for breath, fighting with all her might to stay on her feet. However, her enemy took the opportunity to overwhelm her with another kick to her chest this time, followed by an uppercut under her chin, and finally a hook punch to the side of her head, leaving her slightly dazed and taken aback, though still conscious. "Azarath, Metrion, Zin-" Raven tried with the last of her strength, when this time she was cut off by a different kind of pain: a prick to the wrist. Almost immediately afterwards, she felt her muscles begin to go limp and a fog filled her head as a feeling of somnolence overtook her. In the end, despite how hard she had fought, the drug was too much and Raven found herself sprawled on the floor, completely sedated. Her attacker only looked down at her with a smirk then took out a bright yellow hexagonal-shaped communicator and typed a message to his comrades. 'Step 1 complete, moving on to Step 2. Begin preparations for end result.'

Outside, the light rain had turned into a downpour.


Ah, here it is! Kyd Wykkyd thought triumphantly. The Titan's mainframe computer buzzed with activity, helping the Titans sleep better at night with its security system. The screen towered over him like a giant shiny wall, making him twitch his eye. It's much bigger than the computer we had back in the H.I.V.E. tower. How come we never had one of these things back there? Oh right, Cyborg built it. I better let Gizmo know he's falling behind. All the while as these thoughts ran through his head, to any other person, Kyd Wykkyd simply stood there staring and unmoving. I wonder if that's why people think I'm weird. It's not like I can ask them that directly. They'd only run away. I wish I could tell them I only wear black because I can't be out in the light for very long. I wonder if losing my voice was fate's way of telling me I talked too much when I was younger. Father did tell me that I should listen more often. At least that's what I thought he said he was always a bit cryptic. Could you become really cryptic from emotional scarring? Maybe it's because…

Before he could finish the thought, a soft buzzing interrupted him midway. Glancing at his communicator, a blaring yellow message stood out against the black screen. 'We're done with the preparations. WHAT THE KLUDGE IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?' Kyd Wykkyd frowned after reading. I must have been thinking off topic again. Darn, I hate when that happens. Oh well. He shrugged slightly to himself before pulling out the disk from his pocket. He looked at the disk, then at the screen, and then back to the disk. Gizmo said just slip it in. Is it really that easy? Maybe I should have taken a hacking class instead of those cooking classes back at H.I.V.E. He shrugged again and finally slipped the disk into the CD drive off to the side. Immediately the computer came alive, random pieces of code flashing across the screen like flying bullets. Kyd Wykkyd merely watched, tilting his head slightly. I guess it is that easy. On second thought, those cooking classes totally were worth it. Eventually, the code ceased and the screen pinged with another message 'Access Approved. Welcome Back!' Kyd nodded. Perfect.

His fingers flew across the keys, searching and disabling anything. First came the cameras, then the motion detectors, then the firearms, and lastly the shields. Quick, easy, and efficient, definitely something Cyborg would design. But there was still something else missing. Found it! He thought before clicking. Another message. 'Activate Emergency Lockdown?' A simple click was all it took. 'Lock-down will begin in 15 minutes. 14:59, 14:58…'

This time when he grinned, the smile held all the malice he was capable of showing outwardly and his eyes glowed brightly in the dark, lit up with excitement. 15 minutes, more than enough time to finish the mission and have a laugh or two! Sorry See-More, but there's no way I can pass up this chance. I haven't had this much fun in ages! Despite the fact that he hated being called 'creepy', or 'spooky', Kyd Wykkyd had to admit, humans were incredibly easy to scare!


'Step 2 complete, moving on to Step 3. Final assault underway. BTW, can a person become cryptic if they're emotionally scarred?'

Gizmo blinked at the message once, twice, and then closed his communicator. "Weirdo," he muttered.


Thunder crashed like a bomb explosion, waking and startling Jinx who had just been drifting off to sleep after laying awake for over an hour. Next to her, Kid Flash slept soundly, the sheet falling past his chest and one arm wrapped protectively around her waist. In the dark, a light dinging noise alerted her that she wasn't the only one awake. Blinking the sleep away from her eyes, Jinx glanced up towards the front of the room to see Kyddie pawing furiously at the door. A loud Meow escaped his mouth. Sighing to herself, Jinx removed herself from her boyfriend's embrace, careful not to wake him, and lowered her feet to the floor. Kid Flash snored on. The sight made her chuckle slightly. He always had been a heavy sleeper.

Jinx walked over to the door where Kyddie sat waiting, looking up at her with large, hopeful eyes. "What's the matter, huh?" she asked, wiping her eye. The dark furred cat only looked at her before turning towards the door and pawing at it again, his intent clear. "Ok, I get it," she said back. Walking up to the door, she triggered the sensor. Kyddie merely scurried out, and, after some thought, Jinx followed. Just to make sure he didn't cause any trouble in the living room.

But once she walked outside and the door shut behind her, Jinx began to have second thoughts. The tower was a lot darker at night than she'd originally thought. There were no windows in this hallway so it was pitch black. Putting her hand against the wall, she trailed her hand along to keep herself steady. Farther up ahead, Kyddie ran further and further. The only reason she knew where he was the bell he wore rang softly, the sound growing dimmer as he ran farther away. "Kyddie, slow down!" she called to him in a loud whisper, eventually sprinting after him. He didn't stop until he'd reached the main living room door where he sat waiting. When she finally arrived, Jinx panted and looked down at him. His yellow eyes only looked at her as if he were asking what was taking him so long. She groaned inwardly. "You're lucky you're cute, you know?"

"Meow!" he said back, waving his tail.

Jinx sighed and opened the door. Luckily, it wasn't as dark as the hallways due to the main window. But the lightning flashing outside along with the rain pouring wasn't much of a comfort either. Kyddie didn't seem to mind and dashed into the room excitedly which puzzled Jinx. The cat only went around peeking into corners as if looking for something, yet she didn't see anything in the least that he would want in here. Maybe looking for some food or his litter box, she thought. Walking up to the main window, she peered outside at nothing in particular. Are they really out there right now? She asked herself, placing her palm against the cold glass. It seemed that no matter what she did, the H.I.V.E. was always on her mind, even before she'd heard the news that they'd escaped. Jinx had figured it out by now that it was mainly guilt for betraying them but…

Before she could finish the thought, she glanced up to see look at her reflection in the glass, only to realize there was someone else right behind her. Swirling on her heel, she turned around to see…no one, to her confusion. Taking a few steps forward, Jinx blinked and looked about but nothing stood out. She scrunched her eyes. I must be getting paranoid, she thought… just a burst of air brushed her neck from behind. She nearly jumped this time when she turned around but only saw the window that she'd previously been looking out of.

"I really must be losing my mind now," Jinx muttered to herself. "I need to get some sleep. Kyddie?" She called out looking around until she found the cat in question. He rolled around playing with something he'd found on the floor. "Come here, playtime is over!" she said playfully, picking him up. It was then that she realized he was playing with a piece of paper. When did that get there, she wondered. Picking it up, she noticed a message scrawled on one side lit up as the lightning flashed angrily. The note had only three words:

I See You

A chill ran down her spine. "Ok, that's it, you've got me! Whoever is pulling this prank, it's over and done. I'm sure this was really amusing but I'm not in the mood for this. Come on out!" Jinx called into the dark. No one answered but the thunder. "I'm serious! If you think I'm joking you better- AAGH!" she cried out, clutching the side of her face in shock, her other hand on her heart. She only stood there for a second, stunned as she fought to catch her breath. It was like a hand had reached out from behind and stroked her face!

"B-Beast Boy, is that you?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake with fear. Inwardly, she kicked herself for sounding so startled. Jinx had never let herself become vulnerable before; she always managed to remain calm and collected, no matter what the situation, and now here she was shaking like a leaf. Get a hold of yourself! she demanded. However, not even her own words of encouragement could prepare her for what came next. As she turned to pick up the little black cat who had remained sitting there simply watching her, something pushed her from behind, causing her to trip over her own feet and topple to the ground. Quickly, she scrambled to get to her feet, picking up the cat next to her, and turned to find the door. Instead, her path was blocked as she found herself starring into two red eyes only a few mere inches from her face. Her own eyes widened. This time, she couldn't contain the loud scream that escaped her lips. He reached out and grabbed hold of her arm before she could escape avoiding the hex blast she sent his way. His other hand covered her mouth, preventing her from making any other sound.

She must have fainted shortly afterwards because the last thing Jinx saw was the living room disappearing in front of her very eyes just before she was enveloped in darkness completely.


A loud scream is what it took to wake Kid Flash from his deep sleep. For a moment, everything was disoriented from waking so suddenly, but he snapped back to his senses when he felt the cold imprint next to him. Imprint, as in Jinx wasn't there, cold meaning she'd been gone for a while. Pulling himself up, Kid Flash grabbed his shoes and made a dash for the living room, running faster than he'd ever run before. He paid no attention to his surroundings, or the shouts of the other Titans as they too arose from their own beds. All he could hear was his own voice inside his head chanting over and over again. Jinx, Please be OK, Please be OK, Please be OK!

In no time at all, he found himself in the main living room, and after switching on the lights, searching for any sign of her but sadly found the place empty. Alright, don't panic, he commanded himself, but found his pulse speeding up anyway. Right on schedule, the rest of the Titans arrived, all pumped up and ready for battle.

"Who screamed?" Robin asked with urgency.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it was Jinx. When I woke up, she wasn't in her room!" Kid Flash explained.

"I hope she is alright. Perhaps she had a case of the walking in her sleep?" Starfire inquired.

"I doubt it. That's never been a problem in the past."

"Dude, anyone seen Raven?" Beast Boy asked.

But before anyone could answer, a loud alarm interrupted their conversation dead in its tracks. An electronic voice blared out "Lock-down initiated" and almost immediately after, the door began to seal itself up, dark sheets of metal began to cover the windows and the lights flickered to low power, leaving the team in dim lights. Confused and flustered, the Titans all looked at the Cyborg, the technical genius. What he said didn't surprise them at all, only confirmed their suspicions.

"That's the security system's emergency lock-down. It closes everything up so nothing gets in or out," he said without any hesitancy.

"Why would it activate now?" Robin asked though he already knew the answer, as did they all.

"Either someone's trying to get in, or someone's already in and hacked the system."

Off to the side, Kid Flash clenched his fist in frustration. Jinx, he cried to himself, I promised I'd keep you safe. I've failed you yet again.

Outside, the rain fell even harder as though reflecting his inner turmoil. Would it ever let up?


Hi everyone, hope you're enjoying this so far! Just want to start out with one thing: OMG I have people from the Philippines reading! Being half Filipino myself, I am honored! Much pride to you all!

In my opinion, this chapter was a little rushed and didn't have as much detail as I'd hoped. I think I may go back later and add a few things.

I decided to have some fun with Kyd Wykkyd here since he's one of my favorite characters! Since we normally never know what he's thinking, I wanted to dive into his thoughts and take a closer look at what must pass through his mind when he just stands there, like in the beginning of "Lightspeed" when they're robbing the museum. I must confess, I can be the same way at times. I start thinking about something and then suddenly I find myself on a completely different topic. Then when I ask my friends a question, they wonder where the heck it came from.

Next off, my friend who pushed me to write this story was curious and asked me, "Why did you choose Angel as the one to add to the team?" After I explained why, she felt satisfied with my reasoning. So, I decided to explain to any readers who are wondering as well. The main reason was because after Jinx left, I wanted to add a girl to the team to balance out the boys. At first it was going to be Cheshire, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't fit. Everyone in the H.I.V.E. Five is unique, and Cheshire just didn't add anything different personality-wise, plus I didn't think she could relate to the group since she was never a H.I.V.E. student. So I watched "Deception" again, and I saw Angel! Since she never had a speaking role, I could write her character anyway I wanted. I later decided to make her opposite to Jinx, sort of like Raven and Starfire, which worked out rather well. I hope you guys come to enjoy her as much as I like writing about her!

Reviews, comments, and criticisms happily accepted, just no flames please!