Lotus broke the surface, breathing deep the salt flavored air. The endless stretch of ocean had finally reached an end. She looked over the subtle, calming waves rising and falling around her, towards the beach. It was a few hundred feet away at most. She could already see the brightly colored umbrellas speckling the shore and people milling about, like a colony of ants. She grinned. Finally. With a strong push of her legs, she started towards the beach.
"Starfire!" Robin called from the shore, waving to the soaking wet Tamaran as she flew towards the tower. She didn't meet his eyes, and returned with a less then cheerful,
"Hello Robin." Raven stood beside him, holding a towel and warm tea for Star. She touched down on the rocky terrain and gladly accepted them. Robin leaned to look behind Starfire, expecting to see their returned prisoner. A flash of anger danced across his face once he saw that his hopes were not met.
"Star?" He barely contained the growl in his voice. "Where's Lotus?"
"I- um," Starfire hesitated, eyes growing wide. "I could not catch her."
"What do you mean, 'couldn't catch her'?" His voice grew sharp.
She winced. "I could not capture her! She was too quick! I am…sorry."
"And you didn't pursue her?" he yelled, guesturing to the water. "She couldn't have gotten too far- she was tired, wounded and starving!"
"I apologize deeply, Robin! But the prisoner was indeed gone and I had not a clue as to her whereabouts or the direction she took! She could have been anywhere!" Her eyes shone with tears. "Please, forgive me." Robin opened his mouth to continue, but clamped it shut when Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
"It's useless." She deadpanned. "What's done is done. We need to plan our next move, not sit here and bicker."
Robin sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Fine. You're right. Star," He glanced at the alien. "we'll talk later." She drew the towel closer around her shoulders and nodded sadly.
"Hey," Beastboy approached the group, clutching his bleeding arm. "has anyone seen Cyborg?"
"Hey! Hey, miss! Wait!"
Lotus turned, a snarl on her face. The middle aged man running after her hesitated in his pace at her expression.
"Y-You dropped this a while back." He offered her a crumpled piece of paper with a weak smile. "It- um, f-fell out of your pocket. I think it's a photograph." He flinched as she snatched it from his hand. Lotus unwrinkled it and a grimace crossed her face. The sea water had distorted nearly every part of the picture, making the colors run together and the figures become mere silhouettes. She growled, folded it up, and shoved it in her pocket before glancing back at the frightened man.
"Thank you." She muttered. He nodded minutely and hurried away. Part of her felt badly. She should have acted kindlier towards him- he had just given her back the one piece of the puzzle that would lead her to Akimil. She was in no civil mood though. Knowing the Boy Wonder the little that she did, Lotus was certain that catching her would now be his number one priority. And if Robin wanted her, nowhere in the entire city was safe. Perhaps, though, she could find shelter with someone, if only for a while. It was risky, but the way Lotus saw it, she had no choice.
"Cyborg!"
Four Titans rush through the open door to the horrifying sight of their friend immersed into the very metal of the wall.
Robin reached out to touch his teammate, but hesitated and drew his hand back. "What the hell happened?"
Cyborg shook his head, a snarl on his lips. "Lotus."
Robin's eyes narrowed. "Lotus? But, how-"
"Her powers." Raven cut in, kneeling to examine her trapped friend. "She's a technopath, remember? She probably used her powers to bind Cyborg with the wall. And considering over half of his body is metal…"
Starfire hovered anxiously behind Raven. "How did you get into this predicament? Was she not bound or restrained?"
Robin sighed, shaking his head angrily. "I-I took her handcuffs off after a while. I figured we wouldn't need them anymore."
"I was cleaning her up after her last episode with Robin." Cyborg explained. "We were just talking. She seemed completely docile one moment, and then the next…"
"Friend, how did she come to overpower you?" Starfire asked. "She is but a human."
Cyborg looked away the best he could, his brow furrowing even deeper.
Raven frowned. Something wasn't right. He wasn't telling them everything. She pulled up the hood of her cloak and lightly touched Cyborg's shoulder for a surface read of his emotional well being. What she found dwelling underneath his skin though, was something entirely different. A strong surge of energy pulled her deeper into Cyborg's conscience. She could feel him being pulled in as well. Her eyes slammed shut as she was visited from visions of the prior hour.
Confrontation…
Apology…
Kiss…
Betrayal…
Leaving…
...
Cyborg's voice echoed towards her from the darkness.
'Please don't tell. It was a mistake, nothing more.'
...
Raven resurfaced from their mind's connection, air flooding back into her lungs. Her eyes slid open and snapped over to Cyborg. He looked at her, silently pleading, 'Don't tell them.' She considered the weakened, distraught man before her. To tell Robin of his momentary weakness would be beyond betrayal. He'd suffered enough without Robin adding to it. She gave him a concealed smile and nod.
"Raven? Something wrong?" Robin asked.
She glanced at him and shook her head. "Nothing at all. However," she stood and faced Robin. "I am wondering how we intend to catch Lotus again, if we have no idea where she went."
"I don't know yet. If we could only figure out where Akimil is, then we'd have everything figured out."
"Find Akimil," Cyborg continued the idea. "find Lotus. She only broke out to get him in the first place."
"Exactly." Robin agreed.
"Well, where do we begin our search?" Starfire asked. She was eager to make up for her transgression early, even if Robin didn't know what that transgression entailed. She set Lotus free, but she wouldn't hesitate to follow her team on the search and apprehend mission to find her again.
"Starfire, inventory the evidence here." He guestured to the scattered papers on the ground left from the earlier spat. "Compare it with the inventory I took of it yesterday. See what's missing, then report back to me."
Starfire nodded, compliant, though somewhat disheartened by the harsh commanding tone his voice held. "Yes, Robin."
The Boy Wonder addressed Raven. "Look in your books for anything on how to reverse this." He put a gloved hand on the wall. "Anything you find, you try."
"I won't guarantee anything. This is Lotus' work, and I'm not entirely sure how she did it. That will make it much harder to undo."
"I don't care." Robin replied. "I want Cyborg out of this wall, by any means."
The empath sunk into the floor, black magic shrouding her. "I'll try."
Beastboy tapped Robin on the shoulder and offered a weak smile. He was still clutching his bleeding arm. "What do you want me to do, Rob?"
"Come with me," Robin said, patting Beastboy on the back. "we're going to wrap up that arm."
Captain Hughes unlatched and unbolted his door, opening it a crack. "Who is it?" he asked, squinting through the bright morning light.
"Dad."
The middle aged man gasped, dropping the mug of lukewarm coffee he held. It shattered, but he didn't look down. Instead, his eyes widened and he seemed unable to speak for a moment.
"I-I need your help."
That seemed to bring the Captain out of his paralyzed state. He opened the door and hurried her inside, slamming it shut and locking it again when she had entered. He whirled around and pulled her into a big embrace. She blinked, and then returned the hug. He was so warm, and smelled of dried apples and smoke.
"Lotus, my baby girl." he murmured, still clutching her close. Her eyes shone with tears. Lotus hadn't realized how much she missed her father. She pulled away from him, expression desperate.
"Please help me."
He guided her deeper into the house, leading her to a sofa and sitting her down. "Lotus, what's going on? I haven't seen you in days! Just look at you," He tilted her head gently to get a better view of the bright purple bruise blossoming on her cheekbone, as well as her split lip. "You look like you've been put through a meat grinder. And what's this I hear from Base about you staying with the Titans?"
"Not staying. They arrested me."
"Arrested?!" he cried. "Why?"
She looked down, hands fidgeting with her torn shirt. "…I-I needed to do it. I had to."
"Do what?"
"I had to get him."
He began to look concerned. "Get who, sweetheart?"
"That man. The mass murderer. Akimil."
Her father's face paled. "W-What?"
"He killed her." Lotus insisted. "He killed mom all those years ago! I can prove it!"
"Whoa, slow down honey." He gripped her shoulders. "What are you talking about?"
She wriggled an arm from his grip and reached into her pocket, handing him the picture. "I need to know where this is."
He unfolded it carefully, and squinted at the blurry lines. "This looks like…" His breath hitched and he visibly stiffened. He let the picture fall from his fingertips. Shaking, he whispered, "Where did you get this?"
"I stole it. Lotus admitted unabashedly. "From your desk. And I know what it is. So do you."
"You had no right-!"
"I have every right to look for my mother's murderer!" she screamed, standing up. "I know that's the apartment complex she died in, and I know he's there!"
"The mass murderer did not kill your mother." the captain said quietly. "Drugs did."
"I don't care! He still sold them to her!"
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do! I don't have the time or strength to explain myself, but you have to trust me!"
"I shouldn't even be talking to you!" her father replied. "By what you've told me, you're a fugitive! Which means I should place you back under arrest and give you over to the Titans!"
"Dad," She clutched his hand, begging with him. "Just tell me the address. That's all. I'll walk out of this house, and I won't tell a soul you helped me. Please."
He hesitated.
"...How do you know he's in there?"
"Just a feeling."
"You're willing to risk your life on a feeling?"
She smirked halfway. "Aren't we all?"
He couldn't help but smile back. "You always did have her wit…" Bending down, he picked up the picture and pulled a pen out from his robe pocket. He scribbled down the address on the back and handed it to Lotus.
"I really hope you know what you're doing, Lotus." he said.
"I do." She read the script aloud. "252nd Street, Apartment C, Room 42."
"That's where her body was found." he said. "You can start your search there."
"Thank you." She headed towards the door, the picture clenched in her fist. Two strong hands turned her around and pulled her into another warm, enveloping hug. She could hear her father crying, and felt the teardrops fall on the top of her head. Her own eyes shone as well, threatening to overflow.
"Please," he whispered. "be careful."
She buried her head in the folds of his robe and nodded with a barely suppressed sob. "I will."
It's been a while, I know! Sorry! School has been hellish- with finals, research papers, testing, not to mention the family stuff I've got going on. I hope it hasn't been too long!
This chapter is cut into a bunch of small chunks that follow our two groups- the Titans, and Lotus. You'll get a bit of everyone in this.
So, this chapter sort of starts the beginning of the end. I'm thinking in a few more chapters, this will be finished.
Thanks for your reviews, and keep them coming!