Chapter 9: Traitor

Beware. One of you is the traitor.

The Teen Titans stood facing the entrance to their tower. The giant T-shaped structure loomed over them, and for the first time in a long time, their own home was their biggest threat.

"So, I guess this is it," said Beast Boy solemnly, as if the world were about to end.

"The world's not about to end, BB!" Cyborg retorted. "We just don't know what's in there."

"I might be able to scope out the place," said Raven. "If there's anyone or anything in there, I'll let you know."

"How are you gonna do that?" Nexus asked.

"I have my ways," she replied. As she turned towards the building, Beast Boy reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Be careful," he blurted.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, startled, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh. Right." Beast Boy awkwardly pulled his hand away and let out a nervous laugh.

Raven approached the entrance. She closed her eyes and began to levitate. "Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos." Her eyes shot open with a blinding glow. The Titans stood there watching; slowly spreading from the base of the Tower was a layer of dark, black energy which gradually engulfed the entire structure. An astral projection of herself as a raven appeared and entered the tower.

Raven spent several minutes in her state of levitation, her hands moving as though they were rearranging objects, searching the Tower thoroughly for any sign of threat.

The Titans had sat themselves down on the grass during the wait. Starfire noticed that Robin was looking rather concerned, so she approached him.

"Is something the matter, Robin?"

"Not really, Star. It's just..." Robin hesitated, unsure. "On the way here, I... I heard a voice. It said that one of us is a traitor. I was probably imagining it, though."

"That is certainly strange," said Starfire, similarly confused. "I believe I heard the same voice."

Robin quickly turned to face Starfire, shocked. "You did?"

"Hey guys," Beast Boy called out, "look!"

They all turned their heads to the tower and watched as the dark energy covering Titans Tower dissipated. The black bird returned to Ravens body and she lowered herself to the ground. The Titans crowded around her.

"How did you go, Raven?" Robin asked.

Raven seemed rather dumbfounded. "There's... nothing. It's all clear."

"What?" said Cyborg. "Are you sure?"

"I looked everywhere," Raven replied, "every room, every crevice, every ventilation duct. Nothing. Not a thing."

There was an awkward silence. "Then what the heck was the point of the distraction?" Robin exclaimed.

"I don't know," Raven said sincerely. "All I know is that this isn't what they were distracting us from."

"Maybe they didn't know where our base was," suggested Beast Boy. Everyone glared at him.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, "we live in a giant T."

"Well, uh..." Beast Boy scratched his head. "They... don't necessarily... know that..."

"Well, Raven," said Robin, "if you're absolutely sure..."

"I'm absolutely sure."

"Alright. Let's go in."

As the team began to enter the tower, Cyborg stopped in his tracks. A two-dimensional black square appeared in front of him. He blinked a few times, and the square was gone. He looked around in confusion.

"Hey, Cyborg," Nexus called out, "you alright?"

"Y... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Cyborg dismissed it as a glitch in his retinal implant and continued walking.


Nothing really seemed right in Titans Tower. It was difficult for the Titans to figure out whether they were in danger or if they were simply paranoid. Even so, the Tower could be attacked at any time, and the Titans were the only line of defence.

The Titans had gathered in the lounge in order to discuss their next course of action. There was an air of distrust among the group.

"Okay, Titans," said Robin, "we can't deal with the First unless we know what we're up against. Nexus, since you're now an... honorary Titan, we need your help. Care to elaborate?"

"Sure," Nexus replied. "Alright, so I don't exactly know much about them, except I've been running from them for the last five years. Ever since I developed these powers, the First have been after me. You see, they already had a ship on Earth at that time, and they were taking control of any police officer and government agent they could get their hands on. Thing is, at the time, they didn't know I had powers, so it was pretty easy to defeat them. But they'd already contacted the rest of their race, so I knew I had to go off the grid for a while. It's been pretty pleasant, actually. Got to travel across Europe. You know, I had absolutely no idea there aren't actually wild gorillas in Greece! Would you believe that?"

The others glared at him. "Yes, I would believe that," said Raven.

"Hey, I grew up with video games," said Nexus, defending himself, "you wouldn't believe the stuff they get wrong in those games."

"Ohhh, I think I know which one you mean!" said Beast Boy.

"Hey! See, someone gets me!"

Robin was growing impatient. "Can you get on with it please, Nexus?"

"Yeah," said Nexus, "sorry. So I ended up in Jump City, 'cause I have friends here and didn't want to be lonely, and I guess that's finally when the First showed up again. Only took 'em, like, four years, but they got there."

"Why do they want you?" Robin inquired.

"Well, I'm assuming it's got something to do with my powers. From what I've gathered, my abilities are a side effect of something they did to me at some point. They'd been monitoring me for quite a while. And no, I don't know what they did."

"What, so you're the MacGuffin? Cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Nexus scoffed, offended. "Huh. Says you, Mister Comic Relief."

"Hey!"

"So how do we know you're not going to betray us?" said Robin.

"Excuse me?" said Nexus in confusion.

"Robin," said Raven, "we've been through this!"

"All this time, you've somehow been engineered by these creatures." Robin was becoming aggressive. "You might be okay now, but you said it yourself! Even you don't know who you are anymore!"

"I'd really rather not discuss this," said Nexus.

Robin took a deep breath. "Listen to me, Nexus. Raven trusts you with her life, and I trust her with mine. But we don't know what you are. None of us do. And that makes you dangerous. It's my job to protect this team..."

"I get it," Nexus interjected, "I really do. I'm sorry. I'll get my things."

Nexus slowly stood up, hanging his head in shame, before hastily leaving the room.

The Titans looked around awkwardly, unsure of how to act. Robin looked back at Raven, who returned his gaze with anger. She left her seat and walked towards the door.

"Raven, wait!" Robin ran after Raven, who stopped in her tracks before the door and turned to face him.

"What was all that about?" she whispered angrily. "He was trying to help us, and that's what he gets?"

"Raven, please tell me you heard it too. That voice."

"Of course I heard it. Everyone heard it."

Robin looked surprised. "You sure?"

"I could sense their distrust a mile away. They thought they imagined it, but it's a thought that's been planted." Raven sighed. "Think about it. When the whole team hears a voice telling them they're gonna be betrayed, who's gonna be the first person they look to?"

There was a look of realisation on Robin's face.

"Can't you see, Robin? It's the First. They're playing games with us. This is what they want! They're tearing us apart piece by piece!"

Robin contemplated deeply, before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I stand by my decision. But we have to stick together..."

Raven sighed and left the room.

"Raven!"

Robin stood there, conflicted. He turned around to find the rest of the team looking at him.

"Show's over, folks."


Nexus was packing. His backpack was made out of advanced Kevlar in order to protect his belongings during battle. At times he often stuffed in bubble wrap or scrunched-up newspaper to stop them from breaking. He didn't have any at the moment.

Nexus' head was still throbbing. He was lucky; if it weren't for his mutation, he'd have serious brain damage by now. He sat himself on the edge of the bed and looked out of the window. He hadn't yet seized the opportunity to take in the view during the day. It was a beautiful day, and the clear skies and sunlight made the all buildings in Jump City sparkle. He felt like he was staying in a five-star hotel in Vegas. The pretty mural covering the walls and ceiling only added to the illusion.

He suddenly heard a knocking on the door. "Nexus? It's me, Raven."

"Yeah, come in."

The door slid open and Raven stood in the doorway. "Sorry about Robin," she said.

"Nah, that's fine," Nexus replied, "he's probably right anyway. By the way, thanks for... you know, not telling them..."

"Not telling them what?" said Raven. "That the First are parasites? Or the fact that you killed everyone on that ship? They deserve to know, Nexus."

"Yeah, I know, I know..."

Raven relaxed slightly and leaned against the door. "Sorry. Geez, even I'm berating you now. Look, I understand. They were all infected. They had no chance of survival."

Raven sat down on the bed beside Nexus as he studied the mural on the walls, which depicted an orange, rocky landscape at night. "Did you guys do this? Looks pretty cool."

"Yeah," sighed Raven, "we did it for a former Titan. This was her room."

"She betrayed you, didn't she?" Nexus' question had caught Raven off guard.

"Yeah, she did," she said sadly. "We trusted her. She was our friend. My friend. But she went down the wrong path, and she paid the price. She sacrificed herself to save us from what she started."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Nexus. "It must feel terrible. Such... tremendous guilt... It's not your fault, Raven."

Raven looked back at Nexus uncomfortably. "How are you doing that?" she snapped.

"Doing what?" Nexus asked, confused. He suddenly realised what she meant, and his eyes widened. "I... I don't know... I..."

Raven then realised what must be happening. "You can sense my emotions, can't you?"

Nexus looked back at Raven, dumbfounded. "Yeah... I'm sorry, I didn't notice..."

"It's alright. It's another side effect of breaking your connection. You shouldn't be getting much from me, I hope. Only the really superficial, subconscious-level stuff. Your mind would overload, otherwise."

"Okay, that's a bit of a relief." Nexus suddenly had another realisation. "Ah, that would explain..." He chuckled to himself.

"Explain what?" asked Raven. "What's so funny?"

Nexus turned back to her with a grin. "That's why I've been thinking about Beast Boy so much!"

Raven's eyes widened with embarrassment. "Oh... gosh, don't do that..."

Nexus laughed. "I mean, Beast Boy? Really? I mean he's pretty cool, but you two are completely different. Oh well, there's nothing stopping you, is there?"

Raven was staring at the wall in deep thought.

Nexus grew concerned. "Raven? You alright?"

"It's him."

"What?"

Raven turned back to Nexus. "It's Beast Boy. He's the traitor. He has to be."

"What? Seriously? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"How else could they know Beast Boy would be at the music store? Why would they plant someone as a staff member? How would they know about our new security system?"

Nexus turned away, deep in thought. "I don't know about this."

Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "Nexus, I'm sorry. I think you should go. Let me handle this."

"But I can help!"

"If you're still here, they won't listen to me. I'm sorry."

"This is what they want, you know," said Nexus, strangely mirroring what Raven had said to Robin earlier. "The team's going to fall apart."

"I know," said Raven, "but this time I'll be prepared."

Nexus stood up. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah," Raven replied. "Good luck."

Nexus picked up his backpack. "You too. And thanks for understanding."

He left the room and continued down the hall without looking back. He became increasingly bitter about the situation. He thought he'd made some new friends, but now that they'd had a taste of his world, he knew he didn't belong in theirs.

Nexus just hoped that leaving the Titans would bring them peace, and keep the horrors of the First away from them.

He then remembered something, and stopped in his tracks.


Raven entered the main hall. She took a moment to observe her fellow Titans. Robin was intensely sifting through files on his laptop. Cyborg and Starfire were again working on their multimedia playback system. Beast Boy was attempting to cook himself some tofu sandwiches and failing disasterously at it, with ingredients flying off in all sorts of directions and even something burning on the stove. He looked up at Raven and waved, his face sporting a delightful grin. She nervously waved back. Beast Boy chuckled and returned to his cooking.

He looked so happy.

Do I have the right? Is he really the traitor?

Raven took a deep breath and began slowly approaching Beast Boy.

What am I going to say?

She felt an overwhelming sense of panic build up inside her. She was almost praying for an excuse not to confront him.

What if it's not him?

Raven stopped. She watched as Beast Boy transformed into a bird and flapped his wings in an attempt to put out the fire.

"You're making it worse," she called out. "Just... oh whatever..." Her eyes glowed as a bubble of dark energy formed itself around the fire, smothering it.

Beast Boy changed back to his normal self. "Phew! Thanks, Rae!"

Raven smiled. She was sure it couldn't be him. Someone as cheery and likeable as Beast Boy couldn't possibly be a traitor. But she knew that if she didn't do anything about it, her friends could be in serious danger.

No. It has to be done.

"Beast Boy, we need to talk."

"In a sec, Rae, I'm in the middle of cooking some nice..."

Raven's eyes glowed white, and the stove switched itself off. Beast Boy was flung back against the wall, unable to move. The other Titans readied their weapons, puzzled.

"Raven! What are you doing?" he cried out in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but this is for your own good! You're the traitor!"

"What? I'm... I'm not a traitor! I'm your friend! I'm me!" He tried to resist, but it was no use.

Raven moved toward him. "I can't let them control you, Beast Boy!"

"Raven, stop!"

Raven looked back and saw Nexus standing in the doorway. "I told you to go!" she yelled.

"You don't understand, Raven!" Nexus exclaimed desperately. "Listen to me! I can explain!"

"Get out!" cried Raven. "Everyone, get out! Before the First make their move!"

"Raven, listen!" Nexus slowly approached her. "The First must've been suppressing my memories before the link broke, because I've just remembered something. I was in that music shop a few days before all this started. I was in the line behind Beast Boy. He was trying to buy his album, but it wasn't out yet. Don't you see, Raven? At that point I was still able to be linked with the First. That's how they knew!"

"That doesn't explain how they knew of the security system!"

Raven was still incredibly aggressive. Nexus kept his distance. "The First are resourceful. I can't prove this, but think about it. They see Beast Boy. They assume by his appearance that he's a local superhero. Quick Google search — boom, he's from Titans Tower. They get a bit more advanced with their scanning — boom, the tower has a new security system. Plant a new staff member at the music store, make sure that Beast Boy gets his new CD at all costs, and the rest is history. Trust me, this is what they do. Beast Boy is not the traitor."

Raven suddenly dropped Beast Boy, swung around and lifted Nexus up into a chokehold.

"If he's not the traitor, then who is? Are you suggesting it's me?"

"I... never... said that..." Nexus spluttered, trying his best to breathe.

Raven clenched her fingers, and Nexus's face went bright red.

What am I doing? This isn't right!

Nexus fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry, I..." Raven was at a loss for words. She'd only just realised how hostile she had become.

Beast Boy helped Nexus onto his feet. "What's gotten into you, Rae?"

"Raven," said Nexus, still catching his breath, "this is what they want!"

"No," said Raven, "it's more than that. I'm..."

No... I can't be...

Raven slowly reached for the back of her belt and found something attached. Something that wasn't there before. As she removed it, she laid eyes on it and gasped. It was the transmat device from Punk Rocket's guitar.

"Raven, what are you doing with that?" said Cyborg. "I had that!"

Raven was horrified, and on the verge of tears. "I'm not me! I'M NOT ME!"

"Raven! What are you doing?" cried Robin.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!"

Raven let out a blood-curdling scream, and everyone else fell to the ground, unconscious.

No no no, this can't be happening! I'm not in control!

Raven unwillingly knelt down beside Nexus and placed the transmat on his chest.

"You're the traitor..."

She turned around and saw Beast Boy crawling towards her.

"Beast Boy, stay back! Please! I don't want to hurt you!"

Beast Boy looked utterly devastated. "Rae..."

The transmat began to activate.

Oh, don't you dare!

Raven outstretched her arm. "Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!" Nexus was enveloped in dark energy as his body began to shimmer.

Raven wasn't going to give up without a fight, but neither were the First. She tried as hard as she could to protect Nexus from the transmat, but the First were burrowing into her mind to reverse the spell. She couldn't let the First get their hands on Nexus; she didn't know what he was, but she knew he was dangerous in the enemy's hands.

She had to stay motivated if this was going to work. If she failed, the whole world would be at stake. She could lose her friends. She could lose Beast Boy.

She cried out as she began to regain full control over her powers. Nexus' body was returning.

It's working!

"RAVEN!"

She spun around and saw Beast Boy running towards her.

"No, wait!"

Beast Boy tackled her to the ground. Raven's powers slipped, and all three of them were enveloped in a ball of energy. There was a bright flash, and they were all gone.