Robin looked up in astonishment from his T-communicator. "I don't believe it!" he shouted to the empty main room.
Cyborg and Beast Boy, running into the room at the sound of Robin's shout, skidded to a stop when they saw Robin wasn't about to kill someone. "Don't believe what?" Beast Boy quizzed.
"Slade's been caught! He's being sent to prison right now." Robin was halfway between elation and rage: elation that Slade was finally defeated, but rage that he, Robin, wasn't the one to do it.
"So how did it happen?" Cyborg asked, scratching his head. "I mean, we've never caught Slade. And nobody in the city has. Who could have done it?"
Robin stormed to the door. "I don't know, but I'm going down to the station to interrogate Slade. Whoever did this, they're far more dangerous than he is."
Robin rode his R-cycle furiously through the streets of Jump City, his mind racing even faster than his motorcycle. How could Slade have been captured? He's never been that unguarded. It's got to be a ploy, but what's the motive behind it? Why would he let himself be captured? The questions just wouldn't answer themselves, so Robin was left to wait until he arrived at the police station, where Slade was being held under high security guard.
Robin was let through to interrogate Slade via the telephone windows. Slade's hands were bound, and six armed guards kept him from trying anything. One lightly armed police officer held the telephone to Slade's ear.
Slade's mask had refused to come off, as if it were surgically attached to the black-clad fiend. But Robin was, for once, interested in something other than Slade.
"Alright, Slade, I'm not here to taunt you or question you about your robbery. In fact, I'm not here about anything you've done in the past, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad you were finally here. But what I came to ask was how you ended up here. Who defeated you? How?"
Slade shook his head, a mute expression of defiance, or was it simple lack of knowledge? Either way, he didn't answer the question.
"Answer me, Slade! I need to know who did this. Not so they can be rewarded, but so that we know who it is. They're the biggest threat to the city right now, not you, so if you can tell me who it was, then I'll actually go so far as to ensure you don't get the death penalty." Robin was desperate now, and it showed. Slade chuckled.
"I don't know who it was, little Robin. If I did, he would not be alive. He wore a helmet that concealed his face. I would have, I should have defeated him. But he turned my robots against me." Slade shook his head furiously, and the guards tensed in the background. But Slade made no more sudden moves, and they calmed down. "I don't know how he did it. I know he has psionic abilities, similar to but much more useful and flexible than your Raven's powers. But that doesn't explain how he could control my minions. They're robotic! They listen to only me, and you can't use mind control on robots!" Slade was truly mystified, and that fact probably scared Robin more than anything. If Slade didn't know, then how was he supposed to find out?
Robin left Slade's cell in a daze. What kind of madness was this? Slade captured, almost certainly by the very same criminal who had stolen the blue substance from Syntech. Slade defeated by his own robotic minions, who had turned against him at the will of the Perfect Thief. The thief had stolen an alabaster jar worth millions, in what appeared an attempt to keep Slade from taking it, but the jar hadn't been returned, so that officially made the thief a criminal. And from what Slade had said, the thief considered himself on the side of justice! Robin's head was spinning madly, so he headed back to the Tower to get his bearing… on a punching bag.
At that very moment, a news flash was being displayed on the Titans' main TV screen, Raven actually watching it for a change. A few minutes ago, something had possessed her to turn it on. When she did, she was shocked by the headline: "Slade captured at last! Unknown Hero to be honored." Her interest piqued, she continued to watch, bound to the glowing contraption. "What could have been disaster last night turned instead to victory, as not only was a robbery attempt on a rich family in Jump City foiled by a mysterious masked man, but this same vigilante defeated and captured the rogue villain known only as Slade. The Teen Titans have claimed no credit for this capture, and when asked, their leader, Robin, declined to answer." blared a newswoman in the most professional voice Raven had ever heard.
"At first, the masked man took this alabaster jar, worth millions—" the screen showed a white jar with black designs on it—"which made him a prime suspect in the theft. When Slade was found unconscious, it was assumed that he was the thief, but a search of the immediate area left no clues as to the whereabouts of the jar. The owners, shown here, are disappointed at the loss of the treasured antique, but are very grateful that nobody was hurt and that Slade was captured." But Raven could not hear the last words, for she had seen the faces of the family. The old man was familiar, the woman was not, but even in photograph, the son made her heart skip a beat. "Tylan's house was broken into last night by Slade! I need to see him. I hope he's okay…" she whispered to herself. She got up from the couch, leaving the TV glaring, and ran to the door."
She teleported to within a block of Tylan's house, which was swarming with reporters. She then walked the rest of the way, hoping to see him amidst the crowd of media, but saw no sign of him. So she went in the back way, with the key Tylan had given her, saying "Come over any time you like. Our door's always open to you." She snuck into the back door, calling out for Tylan. When no one answered, she crept downstairs, hoping to find him in his "workshop."
The first sight that greeted her upon entering the cluttered basement was the completed jetbike. Apparently, he had found a way to make it work. Later she would inquire about it, but for now, she was still looking for him. She wandered through the vast basement, which was very dimly lit for such an expensive house. Shadows abounded, and objects under white sheets prevailed throughout the room. She looked under a few of them, seeing collector's edition cars, or pinball machines, or other useless paraphernalia. But a human-shaped object obscured by a sheet in the corner caught her eye, and she slowly moved toward it. She pulled the sheet off… and gasped in horror when she found herself looking into the helmet of the mysterious intruder!
She pulled back a few steps, but the armored figure didn't move. It must have been empty. But that could only mean one thing. Tylan was…
"Raven?" …right behind her. She whirled around, the look of betrayal in her eyes cutting through him. As he glanced over her shoulder, he saw the armor, and his eyes widened, she guessed in realization that his alter ego was now discovered.
But that notion was put to flight in an instant as the seemingly empty armor flashed from the corner and attacked Raven. Before she could turn around, and before the Perfect Thief could cut off her head with a swift blow of his forearm blade, Tylan caught her around the waist and tackled her to the ground, the razor-sharp weapon of the intruder catching his shoulder and slashing a gaping wound in it. Tylan cried out in pain. The Perfect Thief kicked Tylan in the side before aiming a glowing-blue hand at Raven. "I've had enough of your interference… Raven," the armored figure stated with scorn. When her eyes widened, he chuckled. "Oh, yes, I know your name. Not because I know you, but because you're one of the Teen Titans." Shock registered on both Tylan's and Raven's faces, and the intruder laughed again. "You thought no one would ever find out? That your lover boy here would never figure out where you really lived?" He laughed again, and there was no amusement, only scorn. "You may not have fought me the first few times, but I'm not taking the chance… demoness." The last word was hissed venomously. "My mission is far more complicated than you could possibly understand, either of you. And so, to keep you both quiet, I'm going to kill you." His hand glowed brighter. "Starting with you, Raven." He let loose a blast from his hand.
Tylan lunged between the thief and Raven, intercepting the blow, which knocked him back. At this point, Raven became so angry that she skipped meditation altogether, simply shifting into Rage Mode. Her two violet eyes became four red ones, and she grew to three times her height, tentacles of darkness snaking out of her hands. The intruder was able to dodge four before having to blast the rest away with his hand beams. He hopped on Tylan's jetbike and took off with it, punching his way out of the walk-out basement garage.
Raven reverted to her normal self, and knelt over Tylan. He was still breathing, and aside from his shoulder wound, he wasn't bleeding. She quickly healed it, and held his head in her hands. He opened his eyes.
"Why… why didn't you… tell me?" he rasped. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"I… didn't want you to know. I knew that if you knew, you'd tell someone. And if word got around, then my enemies would start coming after you. I couldn't do that. I couldn't endanger you like that. And… I thought that if you knew… you'd leave me. I couldn't bear that, I couldn't bear being away from you now that I know you and I know…" she shuddered to say the words, for they were irrevocable. "… I know that I love you."
"Knowing that wouldn't have changed the way I felt about you." His voice was fading now, as he slipped into what she hoped was mere unconsciousness. "I love you too, Raven. I know how hard it is for you to say that, and I'm…" – he struggled (just like the author) to find the right word—"… I'm glad that I'm the one you can finally say that to." He looked deep into her eyes. "If I get out of this, I'm never leaving you. Ever. And that's a promise." He stroked her cheek gently, before closing his eyes and going limp.
His breathing continued, a good sign. She gently set his head down before rushing up the stairs and alerting the media of the attack.
The Perfect Thief made his getaway rather easily on the stolen jetbike (which flew like a dream!), and returned to his base of operations. He parked it confidently, then reviewed the day's events. Not only was he in possession of the coolest ride ever, he had eliminated the threat to his security. Everything was advancing according to his ingenious plan…
