"Okay everyone in position, the message was sent." Robin sent the starting signal for their mission, that took more than 10 hours of planning. Needless to say, nobody got any sleep that night, and both teams were looking forward to having the mission turn out as they planned it exactly. The green tinted heroes were camouflaged by Cyborg's rings, making their skin Caucasian, and any other bright physical appearances, like Star's bright red hair and Raven's violet bob, were also taken care of. As Raven said before she dyed her hair completely black "It better be worth it."
Wally and Beastboy saw Ethan look at his phone for a moment and then he nodded at two security guards nearby who followed him out of the bar. He walked quickly, and kept his sight to the front.
"Ethan is on the move." Robin stood up and Wally followed, entering the elevator right beside them, up to the floor 103.
About 5 minutes that seemed like eternity went through, Robin and Wally left the elevator, making sure that Ethan had gone to the corresponding floor where his meeting with Star and Beast boy would take place, and then got into the room where their teammates were.
"How is it?" Robin took off his jacket and looked at the screen.
"They're in the room already." Superboy said.
The door opened once again, revealing the older Robin. He was dressed in black, with matching sunglasses.
"Well, here we go." He said as he stepped into the room.
Ethan and the security guards went inside looking around the room. They looked at every frame, every wall, making sure it was safe, but didn't detect the tiny camera on a wall, that gave the team perfect view over the meeting.
Starfire looked at Beastboy, who gave a quick nod.
"Which one of you is Ethan Worthington?" She asked politely. Her naivety was replaced by a serious smile. Her usual purple outfit was know an elegant black dress that hugged her curves gently, and matched with her new black tinted hair, which she hoped was temporary.
"I am." The handsome man extended his arm, grabbing her hand, and kissed the back of her palm. "Pleasure to meet you." He said with a charming smile. Looking over Beastboy his smile disappeared visibly. "And you."
"Pleasure is ours." Beastboy said sarcastically. His animal senses were going crazy, since Ethan wasn't a trustworthy person; never the less he tried to hide it the best way he could.
"Please, take a seat." Starfire said.
Ethan sat down and the security guards stood by his side.
"I believe you have a good uh..." Ethan looked at Beastboy straight in the eye. He looked around, trying to stop his own eyes to make contact with the assassin.
"Pay? We do." Starfire finished for him. "As long as you keep the part of the trait."
"I re assure you I do, miss." He smiled. Starfire felt incredibly disgusted with his fake smile. She swallowed what seems to feel like shards of glass and then flashed a smile at the security guards.
Beast boy looked into his jacket and took out piece of paper. He handed it to Star; he was only there to take pictures and nod, and decided she would do the talking.
Ethan snapped his fingers and the guard quickly took a couple of papers out of his suitcase, giving them to Ethan. Ethan passed the papers to Starfire, and she moved her arm, but stopped mid way.
Ethan cocked a brow.
"Gar, check if they're ok." She said, looking into Ethan's eyes.
Beastboy received the papers and followed Robin's directions, blinking twice on each. The printer let out the codes in the other room; Red Arrow walked to them and took them in his hands.
"We got the codes." He spoke.
"Excellent, phase 1 is complete." Robin exhaled and relaxed for a bit.
Back in the other room, Ethan eyed Beastboy mysteriously. The changeling nodded and Starfire gave away the check. After Ethan took it in his hands, he smiled satisfied.
"Nice doing business with you." He stood up and extended his arm. When Starfire did the same, he grabbed her arm and dug a sharp nail into her skin.
Starfire jerked her arm away from him, gasping from the sudden pain.
"Kill them both."
As soon as he spoke the security guards fired at Beastboy and Starfire who sprang into action.
In the other room Red Arrow went to the door quickly, to help the titans that were being attacked.
"Wait!" The older Robin said looking at the screen.
Beast boy knocked one of them out with a punch and grabbed his gun. Starfire twisted the other security guard's arm, making him yelp in pain, and knocked him out as well, taking control of his weapon. Starfire looked at Ethan, who held his arms up nervously.
"Out. Or I'll fire." Starfire growled, pointing the gun at him dangerously.
He took a step forward and Beastboy filled up his gun, pointing him as well, confirming his intentions to open fire. Ethan narrowed his eyes at him, then he looked at Starfire, watching the blood drip from the wound he had made, and slowly stepped out with a smile, never giving his back to either of them.
"Ethan is on the move." Beastboy informed once Ethan was out the hall.
Robin turned to Red Arrow, who was still standing at the door, waiting for directions.
"Now you can go." He said, keeping his eyes on the screen.
Red Arrow and Artemis went out and took the elevator, were Ethan went in afterwards panting heavily. Red Arrow took the injection in his hands and aimed it carefully. He sweat dropped, and finally inserted it once the elevator door closed.. Ethan made no move at it, not even a flinch.
The he turned around, his eyes big as saucers, his smile fading. That's when the elevator stopped, and they were open to everyone's view. Ethan fainted on Red Arrow's arms, as he was dragged outside.
"Hey, everything okay?" Red Arrow followed the act as a group of tourists eyed him mysteriously. "Honey, I think we need to take him to a hospital."
He looked at Artemis. She quickly opened space in between the tourists, guiding Red Arrow and a fainted Ethan to the nursing room.
"We are in the nursing room" She said when they had reached Cyborg and Raven.
"Got that." Robin answered. "Aqualad, I need you and Superboy to get to that room and make sure the guards don't try anything."
"Got it." Aqualad and Superboy moved out.
"Starfire?" Robin spoke into the mic.
"I hear you." She said shortly after.
"Get information about anyone else that Ethan may have sent."
Starfire dropped the gun she held in her hands, and took one of the guards by the collar pulling him up to her level, inches from her face. Her eyes narrowed dangerously
"Did Ethan send anyone else?" She asked.
The guard chuckled. "I ain't talking."
Her grip moved to his neck, and got stronger by the second. The guard was starting to struggle, before he spit out some words.
"K-Kurt waters." Starfire dropped her serious expression and worry splashed over her face. She dropped the guard unconscious and looked at Beastboy.
"What's wrong?" He said.
"Ethan sent someone else in here." She answered.
Beast boy started to the door, but then turned around quickly when he heard Star yell in pain.
The guard has stabbed her leg with a medium sized pocketknife, and was holding her down. Starfire kicked one of her heels to his face, and Beast boy took the opportunity to knock him out with a punch.
Star stood up with difficulty, her leg bleeding.
"I am fine, it is just a wound."
"Here" Beast boy ripped off a piece of his shirt's fabric and used it as a turnstile.
"No little pocket knife is going to stop you is it?" He smiled at her and guided her to the door.
Starfire smiled back "It never will."
Robin stood up alert and looked at the remaining heroes.
"M'gann and Robin find Craig and guard him. Wally, find Eric and don't let him near the nursing room where Ethan is."
Robin himself sped down the hallway and into the elevator, where he found Beastboy and Starfire. He immediately looked at Starfire's leg, where the turnstile was tinted red from the blood.
"Ethan sent someone else here. We already tracked him down." Beast boy said before Robin could ask what happened.
"We can knock him down and take him to the nursing center." Robin said. "Who's the guy?"
"Kurt Waters" Beast boy answered.
"Raven, is Ethan awake?" Starfire tried to contact her through her microphone while Robin and Beast boy spoke.
"No, but we found something interesting." Raven's response came.
She sounded worried, and Starfire could hear voices of people talking about in the background.
"What is it?" By now, Robin and Beast boy were trying to hear what Raven was saying.
"There's a bomb in level 52. Ethan has a device counting down, but it's all encrypted, I have no idea when it might explode. You must get everyone down here fast!" Raven said.
Starfire looked at the number displayed on the elevator screen. 52.
"Oh no." She said.
"Starfire?"
She moved to the buttons, stopping the elevator. The chamber shook, making Beastboy loose his balance and fall down.
"Ow."
"Starfire what happened?" Robin took balance with the wall.
"I don't think Ethan was planning to get out of this alive." She said as she waited for the doors to open.
"What exactly do you mean?" Beastboy regained his balance with one of the bars on the elevator's walls.
"There is a bomb in this level, Raven found this information from Ethan himself, he has the countdown device with him, we have to get everybody out!" She opened the doors with her own strength and scattered to the hall. Beastboy opened his eyes in shock and pushed Robin out, knocking on every door and getting everyone out safely.
Ethan opened his eyes and sat up in the bed. He was in a completely white room that had a strange scent of medicine and bathroom soap. He rubbed his head and tried to clear his vision. By the other end of the room, he saw a nurse, with black bobbed hair and violet eyes. She looked at him and gave him a try of a smile.
"Hello Ethan" Raven said.
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh don't worry, you kind of fainted on the way down, but an ambulance will take you home." She said turning her back to him once more. "Everyone is leaving the hotel actually, there is a bomb somewhere. But you'll be out of here in no time, don't worry."
"No can do ma'am." Ethan said, trying to stand up. His legs wobbled and fell down on his knees. He slammed his fist to the floor in rage.
"You can't walk, the medicine given won't fade out until 24 hours." Cyborg stepped out from another door of the room and looked at his clipboard. He looked entirely normal, thanks to the holo-ring.
"You two drugged me." He narrowed his eyes.
The door burst open and inside came M'gann, wearing a hotel worker suit.
"Sir, we're evacuating the whole building, please step out of the room."
Ethan turned his head, but Raven and Cyborg were gone. He looked at M'gann.
"The nurses, they..." He tried to speak desperately.
"Sir, there's no time, you must leave."
M'gann helped him up.
"God dammit they..." He found his tongue tied, cursing the medication that he was given.
Superboy and Aqualad entered the room with a medical wheeled bed and put Ethan onto it. He desperately tried to talk about what Red Arrow sedated him with, but he had no energy.
They escorted him to the ambulance. Outside, Robin, Wally, Artemis and Red Arrow waited, along with Raven and Cyborg.
"Where's BB" Cyborg looked around the humongous crowd running outside of the building.
Suddenly the whole tower collapsed sending debris flying everywhere. People ran away from the dangerous zone with screams and the cars drove away quickly as well; that's when Raven remembered.
They were still inside.