The team turned their heads to stare at Robin, whose mind was doing flips in a sea of adrenaline. Since there was so little known about what they were up against and this entire mission was unlike anything they've done before, nobody came up with a play by play; just a basic skeleton to follow. However, this would never diminish the importance of redistributing the team's roles once more for reinforcement before he allowed them to continue the task.
"Just to remind you guys: Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg, you go first to the dance while Starfire and I wait for your okay. Don't enter all at once and if you decide to take the T-car, make sure it never makes an appearance towards the building. You don't want to be recognized. Get as close to the two of them as possible without being caught on to. We want to try to get every detail possible. Is that clear to everyone?" he finished.
"So what happens after this whole thing?" asked Beast Boy a little confused.
"We have to play that by ear because we don't know what's going to happen as a result of tonight's work. If anything, we'll all just meet back at the tower," he answered.
"It's already past five-thirty. Should we start leaving?" directed Raven.
"Sounds fine," agreed Robin.
Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg trailed into the garage for the second time that day to get into the T-car. Cyborg decided that he would park the vehicle several blocks away from the club. It was easier to just to drive the T-car and park somewhere else than to disguise Raven or Beast Boy flying them over. It was also much faster and time was becoming an increasingly important factor. After the car was parked in a back parking lot of a store four blocks away, the three got out to walk the rest of the distance. They each obtained some money in order to pay the entering fee, and ventured out into the night.
Beast Boy got out of the car and quickly turned to look at Raven. He could sense how uncomfortable she became. He figured between dressing in normal clothes, wearing contacts, being forced to enter a dark room with flashing lights where her least favorite activity (human contact) is the main objective, and on top of that, her emotions becoming vehement and unpredictable, meant an absolute torment within her head. He shot a comforting glance in her direction, but she never looked up from the ground to see it. He decided to fall back behind Cyborg slightly in order to be next to Raven. He gently touched her shoulder with his single hand which made her jolt almost her entire body. She was so fixated in her own thoughts that she let the outside world dangerously fade so that she was barely paying attention. She relaxed just slightly when she realized that it was Beast Boy.
"You'll be fine," he reassuringly whispered to her.
"Hurry up slow pokes!" called Cyborg while continuing to walk at his usual fast pace.
Raven looked over at Beast Boy and caught his comforting smile. She returned a shadow of a smile as he picked up his stride to match Cyborg's while Raven lingered.
"C'mon Raven! We've got no time to lose!" warned Cyborg in an urgent, but quiet voice.
"I'll stay back here. We're not supposed to enter at the same time, remember?"
Cyborg nodded and both he and Beast Boy continued in their quick walk, leaving Raven about three yards behind. Raven just let her head fall back down and her eyes follow the moving sidewalk below her trudging feet. She took simple deep breaths and tried to clear her mind. There was no sense in denying that it was troubled; she had to act on it before it blew their cover. The last thing she needed was another episode in the club where the mission would be ruined and they would be even more behind on the mystery than the team already was. She couldn't stand to think of the disappointment in Robin's face if something like that transpired.
Before she knew it, she heard the heart-pounding bass from the horrendous music playing within the building. She felt it rumble into her stomach as it flipped like a trapeze artist. She looked up and saw that the immense structure was right before her. It looked and certainly sounded more petrifying than she anticipated. She stood still for barely two seconds when two girls sloppily bumped into her and continued to stumble back into the club's depths hysterically laughing the whole way, making Raven wonder if either buffoon even took notice to their rude collide with her. She cuffed her hand tightly around the bill in her pocket as she walked up the three cement steps and into the first section roped off which was where she needed to pay. Not even waiting for the peppy woman at the podium to ask, she handed the bill over and just walked in.
Raven squinted and put her arm up to her face to protect her adjusting eyes from the sudden outbreak of unnecessary neon lights. She immediately let her free hand search for a wall to press against in order to steer way of the traffic of giddy dancers. When her eyes reduced to a slight sting, she began searching for Beast Boy and Cyborg. When she spotted them, they were both already looking at her from across the room. They gave her a subtle nod and began their searching.
Raven took one last deep breath and braced herself for diving into the pool of reckless and unpredictable people. She speedily walked right into the pit to prevent herself from chickening out. As she walked through, she just kept looking for faces. She had no idea what this Julie girl looked like, but she undoubtedly couldn't forget a face like Victor's. She looked at the time and was alarmed to see that it was already a quarter past six. She groaned in frustration and wondered when this torture would end. She had no idea how much longer she- or her emotions- could handle this.
She continued to search and had her share of collisions with the intense dancers. Embarrassed at first, she would mumble an apology to them, which she highly doubted any of them could hear anyway, but after another horrible twenty minutes she just continued on her erratic path without a mere flinch. However, she would always take a quick glance at them to see if it was Victor or anyone else that they should be on the lookout for. Another fruitless fifteen minutes passed and still there was no sign of Victor. Raven desperately hoped that Beast Boy and Cyborg were having different luck, but it was unlikely because she would have gotten some kind of alert.
Suddenly, it hit her like a torpedo. She sensed his presence and it was fairly close. She started moving at a faster pace, trying to find him before it was too late. While continuing her search at a rapid rate, she accidently hit right into Beast Boy. Without wasting a second, she very quickly cupped her hands to his hat to about where his ears were hidden and said, "I sense Victor." It was nearly impossible for any bystanders to hear over the pounding music. Beast Boy alerted Cyborg with his communicator and Raven and Beast Boy saw a large shadow start to move a little quicker.
They three walked throughout the dance floor for about five minutes when Beast Boy spotted him. He tugged on Raven's sleeve very slightly and followed his gaze to meet an overly cocky teen, maybe seventeen, with a girl dressed in garments that hardly classified as clothes dancing on his hip. That was him alright. Beast Boy only had to look just off into the distance to get Cyborg's attention. When their eyes met, Beast Boy just tilted his head in Victor's direction. Cyborg faintly nodded his head and sent a beeping signal to Robin in order to give him the direction that he and Starfire had been waiting for all evening.
Both Beast Boy and Raven separated and circled as close to him as they could without raising suspicion. Cyborg soon joined, but a little further away, pretending to enjoy the music and lively dancing. So far, Victor had done nothing but invite women to dance with him. None of them were Julie, but it was assumable that he wanted to come early in order to get some partying in. This scene lasted for about ten minutes. Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes every time another woman dressed in almost nothing would waltz up to him and allow his grimy hands fall wherever they pleased. It churned her stomach and made her unintentionally grimace.
Suddenly, Raven's stomach's summer-salts picked up velocity when his head snapped in her direction. She quickly looked down and swore under her breath; she was caught and she ruined the entire mission. Her heart beat so rapidly that she was sure it would break through her chest. He slowly walked towards her, so Raven tried to scurry in the other direction and become lost within the crowd. Before she could get there, both of his hands latched onto her waist. Her mind raced and she was just about to elbow him in the gut and try to make an escape before he could hurt her.
"Wanna dance?" he whispered in her ear seductively.
Raven lowered her arm, but clenched her fists. Her fear subsided, but in its place came the humiliation and anger. She felt bile rising in her throat as his hips began to rotate just under hers. She stood there like a stone and prepared her searing vocal chords to reject him. Then her stomach sank even lower when she took a grasp on the situation. In a sick, twisted way, this was probably the best thing that could have happened for this mission. She was literally as close to him as she could get without raising suspicion… Robin's words ringed in her ears. As much as this disgusted her, she knew she could not ruin a chance like this. It was a sacrifice that had to be made. She forced her muscles to relax and made a valiant attempt to follow the rhythm of his movements.
Beast Boy froze when he saw Victor slither his way over to Raven. His heart skipped a beat as he got closer and closer. We're screwed he thought, but he sprinted over to protect Raven. It would be a cold day in hell before he let that slimy kid hurt her. Suddenly, Beast Boy stopped dead in his tracks. He watched in distress as Victor's hands made their way to her hips and his lips nearly kissing her ear. His body was pressed up against hers as he danced provocatively on her back. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed, his hands formed fists inside of his sleeves, his jaw fixed itself in a lock, and his entire body seemed to shake in fury. He marched over to Victor and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around in clear annoyance, but kept his arms tightly woven around Raven.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" asked Victor exasperated.
"I think you should leave her alone. She's not interested," Beast Boy stated in a cold tone.
"She looks pretty interested to me," laughed Victor then lightly kissed her neck which only sent Beast Boy to another level of rage as he bit his lip, trying very hard not to knock him out.
Raven stiffened at the icy touch of his lips to her neck. She unwrapped herself from Victor's grasp to talk to Beast Boy.
"Who is this guy?" asked Victor annoyed.
"My brother."
"Her neighbor," they both said at the same time. They gave each other a nervous glance.
"He's my neighbor's brother," Raven concluded while shooting Beast Boy a glare.
"Do you want me to get rid of him?" asked Victor hinting at the beating he intended to give him for interrupting his fun.
"No, no. It's fine, I'll just talk to him," she reassured him.
"Will you come back?" he whined.
"Of course," she blankly replied.
Victor allowed her to walk away, but at the last second, he looked Beast Boy in the eyes and grabbed Raven's butt just to tease him. Beast Boy felt a growl forming in the back of his throat and had to prevent himself from turning into a bear and mauling him to death. Raven whipped her head back and was one second away from throwing him into another dimension, but she knew that if she was going to fool him, she had to play the part. Her fuming façade swiftly unwrinkled and she forced out a giggle while holding back her gag reflexes.
When turning back to Beast Boy he could see the defeat in her face. Her eyes were sullen and her clenched jaw resembled the swallowed resentment. His body relaxed almost trivially when she walked away from Victor and to the safety of his own arm reach.
"What is your problem?" she hissed.
"My problem? What is your problem? What are you thinking?" he shouted.
"Quiet down," she warned.
"Sorry," he mumbled through his teeth.
"Beast Boy, I have to do this. It's impossible to hear anything in here. The only way that any of us are going to find out what's going on is if one of us is standing shoulder to shoulder with him. You can barely hear anything and you have the hearing of the best animals."
"Yeah, shoulder to shoulder! Not mouth to mouth!" he spat.
"It hasn't even gotten to that point and I won't let it! Just let me do what I have to do. I can handle myself," she nearly shrieked with her face heating up from being simply mortified.
"He's treating you like some kind of toy! When he looks at you… Uggghhh! Rae, if you could just see the look in his eyes, it's no good!" he warned angrily.
"Do you really think that this isn't pushing up every bit of today's food? He's a disgrace to life forms all over the universe. This is bothering me just as much as it's bothering you, but I know where I have to put the team and the safety of this city before myself," she explained.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're actually enjoying this," he wrongly accused.
"You have got to be kidding me," she said keeping her jaw from hitting the ground.
"All I'm saying is that you're not acting like you tonight," he defended.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not supposed to be me right now! I'm in this uncomfortable disguise in a dark room with flashing neon lights, and making constant accidental contact with grown people wearing clothes in sizes that I've seen Melvin wear! I'm extremely irritated and the last thing I need is for you to tell me how to get answers when I clearly know exactly what I'm risking and how stupid the whole act is! I get it. Now I have a mission to complete and I suggest that you do the same," she finished off.
Beast Boy didn't say a word. He just narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms, and let her walk back to Victor who grabbed her like a slab of meat. It sickened him to watch, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the two of them. All of a sudden, he realized that Cyborg was standing right behind him with his one eye wide and his mouth open in astonishment.
"Well, she sure told you," he finally coughed out.
"Just shut up," he said through clenched teeth as he turned back to stare at them.
"BB, you know she has everything under control," Cyborg tried to reassure him, but it was rather difficult to sound comforting and still be heard over the shouting and music all around. Cyborg would have stopped her himself, but he heard the way she snapped at Beast Boy and that indicated that there was no talking her out of it. Besides, there wasn't much he could do without trashing the plan.
Beast Boy didn't bother replying; he just glowered at the two of them. He watched as Victor kept her in a constant wrap of his arms and Raven shivered from the intensity that her emotions were stirring up. Something had to happen fast, or Raven was going to combust.
Robin and Starfire entered the room, hand and hand. One girl slung her arm around Robin's shoulders and Starfire nearly ripped it off and stormed away, dragging Robin with her. Cyborg noticed the two of them and made direct eye contact with both of them and motioned with a tilt of his head to come over. The longer he could keep Robin from noticing Victor and Raven, the better.
Raven felt the darkness of anger from within her growing at an alarming rate. She had to keep this under control with every ounce of her energy or more than the mission would be lost. She almost regretted doing this, but in all honesty, if rage overtakes her in Victor's arms and she winds up smothering him, she wouldn't be so devastated. Of course, when the human contact results in rage and embarrassment, it's easier to hold in her inner explosions because she has dealt with it before numerous times. However, if there had been any loving feelings attached to the encounter, the emotions would have been much more difficult to hold down because it was nothing she was used to. Thus, she trusted herself to make this sacrifice of her dignity in order to save the team. There were more important aspects in the equation than just her. Suddenly, Victor let go of Raven and put his mouth to her ear which made her flinch.
"I'm supposed to meet a friend here. I've gotta go," he said.
"Wait!" Raven exclaimed. She had to follow him. "I don't want to leave you," she whined trying to act more like the majority of the people.
"Aw, babe, I'll be right back," he smiled.
Raven's hand instinctively went up to slap him in the face at the sound of the atrocious pet name, but half way up, she managed to resist. "Can't I just go with you?" she asked with the slightest hint of emotion. She kicked herself for not being a better actress.
"I don't know," he trailed off, looking behind her.
Raven turned her head and found a young woman with curly dark hair. "But we're having too much fun," she enticed using a little more emotion this time. It was much easier to fake an emotion than actually feel it.
"Why not," he finally agreed. He tried to take her hand, but Raven pretended to suddenly have an itch on her arm so that she had an excuse for snatching away her sweaty hands. She just followed him to who Raven hoped was Julie.
Robin and Starfire made their way over to where Cyborg and Beast Boy were standing. Cyborg sighed in relief when he saw Victor leave with Raven, but he pushed Beast Boy to follow them and keep an eye out and an ear open for any kind of signal. He complied angrily and stomped off to follow them.
"What has been troubling him?" asked Starfire, careful not to use his name.
"I have no idea," Cyborg lied."But we found Victor and we're still on the lookout for Julie."
"Okay, but where did Raven go?" asked Robin skeptically and only lowered his voice to a whisper at her name.
"She's following Victor," he responded.
"Where are they?" Robin asked eagerly.
"That's where Beast Boy is headed right now. He's going to give us a signal when he finds them."
Raven followed behind Victor who followed Julie as she led them to a sectioned off room closed in by a curtain where the lighting was a bit darker and the music was a little lower. There wasn't anybody else located in this part which made hearing a lot easier, yet made seeing a little more difficult from the lack of proper lighting.
"Who's she?" Julie immediately asked as they entered the room.
"Just some chic I'm dancin' with," he smirked.
"Victor! You can't have anyone else in here," she warned in annoyance.
"No worries! She'll have no idea what we're even talking about," he begged.
"No, she can't be here," Julie warned again.
"C'mon! We'll be really vague. She won't understand or hear anything we're talking about," he urged. Victor may have acted witty, but lust always clogged his proper brain function.
"Whatever, we don't have time to argue," she rushed. Raven silently felt a wave of victory fill her and allowed her adrenaline to focus on the difficult task.
"I already have it set up," she mentioned.
"You serious? Already?"
"It was easy because nearly everyone wanted in... or out I should say. I assume you got your brother to help spread the word because a lot of them already knew about it; they just needed my details."
"Yeah, I did. When is this goin' down?"
"That's the sick part. He already started," she smiled deviously.
Raven's heart sank. Were they too late?
Beast Boy discreetly followed the three of them and noticed that they were following in the direction of Julie. He caught a glimpse of her crystal eyes as she led them into another room with a curtain rather than a door. He smiled a little when he saw Raven standing independently from Victor's gripping claws. As they disappeared from his sight, he quickly made his way to the wall and tried to listen as closely as he could, but all he could hear were muffles and voice inflictions. He called in Cyborg from his communicator. Beast Boy held it to his ear to disguise it as a cell phone and luckily, Cyborg did the same.
"Ah, here he is now," announced Cyborg to Starfire and Robin.
"I found them. Julie led the two of them into one of the back rooms and they're talking about something that sounds important. Raven is still with them and I'm outside of the wall, but I can barely hear anything. I'll let you know if I hear anything important," Beast Boy explained in a voice of urgency. It made him a little nervous that he couldn't exactly see what was going on with Raven still in there.
"Got it," said Cyborg as he hung up.
"What did friend Beast Boy say?" wondered Starfire.
"Okay, Julie, Victor, and Raven are in one of the back rooms and Beast Boy is under close watch," he reported keeping his voice low enough for only the three of them to hear it.
"So we should continue to search around the place for anything else that looks out of-" Robin was cut off by the unmistakable sound of everyone's team beeper, signaling danger within the city. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg quickly turned down the noise before anyone noticed an off-key and off-beat component to the music they soulfully moved to.
Robin suddenly froze as his mind focused on something even more dangerous than the unknown alert. "Raven!"
"For real?" asked Victor in amazement.
"Yeah, he said that his weapon is already a huge success, so there was really no time to waste."
"Alright, awesome!" said Victor excitedly.
"All I had to do was disrupt some cameras, distract the right people, and he did the rest. Of course, all of this isn't even the best part. It's just the beginning," she greedily mentioned.
"I am one happy guy," Victor announced as he sat back and put an arm around Raven.
She felt her body jolt at his touch as if his fingers were live jumper cables. She could feel the heat of extreme rage fill the paleness of her cheeks as his other hand found its place on her upper thigh and his face leaned into hers, gradually making his way to her mouth. She felt her body shaking and tried as quickly as she could to clear her head before her emotion broke out. A fraction of a second before her breaking point was reached, the two of them jumped back at the sound of her communicator. It flashed red lights from her pocket and erupted with sound. Her eyes widened in fear as she looked up at him and then at Julie who looked rather confused.
"Aren't you gonna get that?" she asked.
"Huh?" asked Raven.
"I think your cell phone is beeping or something," she elaborated.
"Oh, yeah, my… cell phone. You know what, I'm just going to leave that," she said trying to prevent the need for her to take it out and have them see the recognizable large "T" on the front.
"Whatever," Julie replied, rolling her doll eyes.
"Imbeciles! That's Raven from the Teen Titans!" came a voice from the shadows of the room.
Raven shot her head up. It's been a long time since she's heard that voice, but it was a voice she would never forget. It cut threw her like a set of a shark's teeth and sent chills down her spine. Fear and fury usually raced through her veins in a fiery combination that made her throat lump, her jaw lock, and her stomach fall. She saw Julie whimper and Victor freeze just before she felt an exploding bang across her face. She fell to the floor with a grunt and a fit of dizziness.
She tasted blood in her mouth, but she stood up on her knees and hissed, "Slade."
Hey guys, sorry that this chapter took me so long to write. I was worried that I made the characters steer away from their regular behaviors, so I added more inner thoughts and took out certain actions to clean it up a bit while still using the same general idea. I hope you still liked it anyway .