"Say whaaaat?" screamed Cyborg as he stared at his best friend and his almost sister.
"A metallic ufo with actual flesh around it. Apparently it's power was drawn from blood." Raven deadpanned.
"But...but… awh that's nasteh." Cyborg made a disgusted face as he cringed back.
"They targeted you guys. That means they know already Raven is here so we better move fast. Maybe move tonight. Maybe we should take a car. Do you know any place we can get one?" Nightwing asked Raven. She shook her head.
"I know someone!"Ravager smirked. "Let's just say that someone owes me something and I can get us a good car."
The leader tried glaring at her, but she clarified it was all in good heart. She got out to get the car as soon as possible.
The dark sorceress was assigned to show them all what had happened to them with her powers, except Changeling since he was there. Said man sat back staring at her, studying her every movement. She still hadn't changed from her civil clothing given there was not much time to even do so. Her short pants stopped right under her rear, which was more covering than her leotard but it still bothered. 'Her shirt at least wasn't revealing' he thought. Soon, she finished passing it all. Mas y Menos excused themselves after seeing the memories, since that was a pretty disgusting scene. Basically tear human flesh from metal? Who expects that?
After orders of preparing to leave were given, Rose had come over with a jeep hummer, two of them. When Nightwing asked what kind of debt did he owe her, she simply changed the subject and directed the attention to the car features that were hacked for them. That seemed to shut him up. Slade's daughter winked at the girls and Barbara smirked. The redhead knew how difficult her batmate could be.
Raven had prepared her duffel bag which was small packed, and loaded it in the car alongside all the other bags. They had some camping materials inside two cars and were ready to leave. With one last look at the apartment they called home for 5 days, the purple haired girl got inside, alongside her other three teammates. The Titans East boys and the two new girls took to the other car, and with the car's bluetooth connection, it was as if they weren't watched as the beaches left her view, along with the city lights and crowded people turned into just the moment they had experienced there. Said girl looked at her green teammate that sat besides her in the back rown as the other boys sat in front. He looked back at her and gave her a toothy green, making her feel secure once again with him. They were headed to the State of Mina Gerais an 6 hour drive, if they were lucky. But that night, they weren't. Traffic was around, disrupting the peace, and the 6 hour drive turned to 12, in which the titans had taken into switching driver's seats with the 5 stops they did.
On the first stop it was to Alem Paraíba, they got details of a certain change of ways and suspicious kidnappings around Ipanema, a city a bit higher. Sensing that the trouble they're following was close, they decided to push a bit harder than the 3 hours they gave at that ride, and the stops were made in longer periods of time and as they kept going north. The rest of the road trip was going smoothly even with the traffic. There was a moment when the couple had fallen asleep in Nightwing's second driving turn and Cyborg snapped a picture to later prank them, given they took each support to do so. And even when Raven drove, Changeling had to be sitting besides her, talking with her, scared that she might fall asleep after being more than a day without sleeping. And the same she did, as he drove. They were helping each other. They already did, but now more than usual.
"Help, I need somebody, help, you know I need someone, heeelp!" the radio rang.
"Haha!"Changeling laughed and smiled. "Look at that! They got the Beatles here!"
"Of course." Raven rolled her eyes. "They got them everywhere in the world. Even in China."
"Really?!" his eyes made stars as he looked at his lover. She ordered him to look at the road. "You know what, Rae?"
"Hm?" she looked out at the dark forest under the leaving moon.
"If I ever retire superheroing, this is a nice place to come and relax."
"Really?" she said sarcastically and with few interest. She found it as if he was just saying it.
"Yeah!" he kept his smile. "Like, the people are mostly always nice, and it's so green and just so many animals! Those 5 days I spent it researching of this country and instead I fell in love with it! And dance festivities! That is the best!"
"You would be surprised." The young adult had gone back to give attention to the window after looking at him as he spoke. "There is much sadness and darkness under that colorful and warm exterior.
"In difference to you." She glared at him. "I mean it! You have this dark brooding 'I'm so darks get away' look but then when we talk and share you seem very nice and warm…" His eyes went back on the road.
"...Thanks…" she really didn't know what to say.
"Hey," he called out to her. "I know we don't talk that much, but I know this much because I've known you for years…"
"Sorry to interrupt love birds" a voice came from the car's phone, "But we're as close already to Ipanema from Mina Gerais, or at least as close as we can get without raising suspicion" Barbara finished.
The couple looked at each other and took parking besides the other car. Nightwing and Cyborg woke up from the sudden halt and noticed they had reached close to the city as target. All of the 9 people got out of their cars and stared out towards the city from outside. Having a sunrise giving light to the small town gave them a sense of being very far away from home, since it was a somewhat colonial like structured settlement. They left the cars far away on the road, and walked towards the city, taking care of not being sighted fast. They discovered an abandoned house, and took the place to rest with their sleeping bags, to rest up a bit. The windows were shaded so it helped block whichever curious person would like to wander. Deciding to plan out in the later day, Mas y Menos took their civil clothing and went out, and Aqualad with Cyborg took watch.
Later that day, the ones that took rest woke up, after the second change of watch, giving everybody sleeping opportunities. Nightwing asked the twin brothers about their scouting, and they answered in spanish about how they found out everybody knew each other and they told them they were just tourists passing by, after the locals were wary of them. The mexicans also suggested the leader to act as a detective from America, searching clues about the kidnappings. Raven suggested to be her "translator" which he will really need, and Changeling offered to be the sidekick but it was decided that Cyborg would be so, since Cyborg could help out with the info. Changeling fumed, but the half demon simply placed her hand in his shoulder as a matter of thank you for participating. For now, since it was sunset, they decided to do a bit of checking in the forest for any signs in the nearby area.
"Hey, Nightwing?" Raven began.
"Yes, Raven?"
"What happened to Red X?" It was a question burning in the back of her mind.
The original Teen Titans took a bit of a flinch. "He… escaped." The black haired man said with anger.
Raven decided to keep shut. She could ask later her lover for the details.
Sunset left, and in came the sun again after a few hours, having not discovered anything in the nearby forest. Now Nightwing, Cyborg and Raven (in her case, after a quick meditation session before the others woke) were taking their mission to action, the three using the holorings. Wanting to start first thing in the morning Dick ordered his two teammates to take into breakfast in the nearby area. Later one of them will drop food for the others as they took into going in this mission. They took to a local bakery, in which they brought bread and some hams for all, with cheeses on the side and coffee. Taking mugs out and some extra of everything to take, Nightwing sent Cyborg to the others, after Raven had volunteered to do a portal in some secluded place, but they were already under watchful eyes.
A lady came to their table, with a bit of distrusting face looking at the remaining two.
"E quem são vocês?Heim?" the brunette woman asked.
"Bom dia" Raven began a bit sarcastically. Nightwing glared at her with his brown eyes caused by the holoring, or at least she thought he had one on. "Nós estamos aqui em Ipanema pelos seqüestro que estão acontecendo. Se você puder brindar alguma informação, seria legal."
The woman didn't change her state of displeasure. "Eu perguntei quem são e agora pergunto de onde vem. Não dou informação aos estranhos. Escutou?" Her voice was raising and her teammate was getting a bit intimidated by this woman that showed no resistance towards them, much less any fear to Raven's glare.
Said woman sighed. "Os homens que me acompanham são dos Estados Unidos. Detetives. Eles precisam de descobrir o misterio dos seqüestros e se você tem informação poderia ajudar muito."
The local woman stood staring at them for a minute, but then she relaxed. "Disculpe. Nós não estamos acreditando muito aos estranhos. A pessar dos acontecimentos. Tem identificações?" the two of them nodded, and handed their fake inspector and translator ids. "Ta bom isso." She turned. "Oi, você! Vem aqui já! Sou Sonia, ás suas ordens! E ele é meu marido, João." the last part she referred to an old man who nodded in acknowledgement.
After the cordial presentations and clearing the mess of misinterpretation, Nightwing and Raven took into their investigation, even after Cyborg came back which brought the people in another frenzied state of discouragement. Apparently, everybody wanted to help out in the findings of their missing relatives. The count had passed to over 24 disappearances, which obviously had them all nervous and pretty much in their reason to be so distrusting to outsiders. They began with them mentioning they had received a few weeks ago some strange looking people, which they at first didn't like them but still acted out nicely since they hadn't given any reason to dislike, but after a few days around town, they left the place, and with them, a batch of 4 of their loved ones, with this, they had started doing hunts and search parties, but they all turned into no coming back, especially from a route that lead to a mountain. They had wanted to contact the government but each time they did, they were denied a hearing, so they had resulted into arming themselves and locking their doors.
Having all this information, their leader had decided it was time to go back, since it was already sunset, and so they walked back, after buying a lot of food, each in separate places, claiming they were gonna share it (They weren't exactly lying), and so they continued into their own abandoned building. For lunch, the locals had brought them some food, and since almost all the town were giving them attention, the sorceress had communicated to Batgirl to go out and hunt for some food. It was a tiresome day, but they were content with the outcome. Raven looked at the doll she had in hand. A local girl had been holding it as her mom told the moment her eldest daughter had been kidnapped. It was right inside their house, and if the mother hadn't enter the room when she did, the youngest was gonna be taken too. At this, the brunette pacifier sucking girl looked down and tightened her grip on the black haired tanned toy. After finishing the process, the daughter handed her the figure, claiming it was an angel and was made by her sister. It was a sweet gesture, but she knew it had another purpose in her hands.
"This is perfect!" Dick had exclaimed. "Changeling can track the smell of the missing girl! With this, we can find the others!" Raven nodded at him, kind of not liking how her lover was a dog to them, but the job was the job and whatever they can do, it can be helped.
They reached the abandoned house, and decided to go into the forest in the first ray of light. Garfield had taken his liberty of grabbing the first chance he got of snagging his dear one to a room and kiss her, telling her how much she missed her and whatnot. She smiled, feeling loved more than just a friend in all its sincerity for the first time. His emotions weren't hidden, and she was enjoying it very much. The two of them shared how the day went for each of them, as he ate the açaí bowl with fresh fruits (she had taken the liberty of picking up his food and the girl's food too). She ate her cheese bread silently hearing him talk. She was also enjoying this change. The only change she's lately enjoying. After eating, he turned into a cat and sat in her lap, purring as she automatically petted him. It always relaxed her.
"So, tomorrow we're going into the lion's den, huh?" He transformed back into human, crossing his legs in front of were in one of the four rooms of the house alone.
"...If we find it…" she responded to him with eyes closed and laying slowly into the sleeping bag, it was obviously purple.
"Fuck, I really hope we find Star." he did the same in his green one.
"Hmm…" she agreed.
"Hey Rae…"
"Yes… Gar?" she wanted to sleep already and if he interrupted her drifting once again, she was gonna hit him, lover or not.
"...nothing. Goodnight." he turned around giving her his back.
She decided to not push his actions and turned around also. Morning came, and she did her daily meditation, before the others awoke. She missed her best friend Star in these moments more than anything, because she almost always tried to join her in these moments. The red headed claimed it made her feel "the relaxed of the center. To do the feel of the around of the earth". She stopped, before the tears came to her. She looked besides her to the sleeping form of the green man, and decided to wake him instead, after staring a bit as he snored softly. He woke up scared, jumping to reach something, but he noticed his surroundings then. He nodded when she told him that the both of them should go to the main room of the building, and they parted.
Now all of them set on going to the forest, changeling took the knitted doll from Raven's hands and took a large whiff of it, before turning into a maned wolf and took into moving towards the forest, after he found a trail. The others followed close behind, moving swiftly in the shadows of the town, later in the plain view of the wilderness of the flora from the targeted place, but in vigilance of whichever movement they found different. Tailing the slick wolf, the dark young adult had decided to connect their minds in case something was found, only thoughts could be heard but not viewed the places. Hours passed, and they kept swiftly moving, they heard Changelings, hesitant voice for calling them. The whole team reached the shapeshifter and gasped.
"Mother Fucker! We're late." Cy exclaimed pissed.
In front of them, laid a decomposed older version of the young local girl.
I had to search for actual geographical facts for this!
Just in case, I do love Brazil, though Ireland has my heart! I greatly love the Brazilian culture (4/5 of my portuguese professors were brazilians!) so I tried to include a bit of things from them.
I won't translate because It's a lot, and I think you can get the swing of what the lady and Raven were speaking. The lady was being distrustful of them all, Raven explained who they were, and and after a while the lady trusted them after seeing their ids! They practically had to speak with all the locals since they all had to offer their opinion!
Finally, I give you all this chapter a bit late. Hope you guys like it!
R & R!
For seeing them all again!
Now, will Starfire be alive after this finding?