"We don't have a gun to play with," Robin said, looking out of the window of the speeding train- which Blaine had told them was a mono. He couldn't really catch anything, as they were going too fast for his eyes to focus in on anything.
"YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY YOURSELF OVER THE NECESSITIES THE GAME REQUIRES. I HAVE THAT TAKEN CARE OF. YOU WILL NOT BE USING A GUN FOR THIS GAME, BUT INSTEAD YOU WILL EACH BE TOUCHING MY MAP FACE. I HAVE PROGRAMMED IT TO MALFUNCTION AT ONE RANDOM MOMENT DURING OUR TWENTY MINUTE TRIP. WHEN ONE OF YOU TOUCHES THE MAP, YOU WILL BE SHOCKED WITH OVER TEN-THOUSAND VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY."
"Hey, I've already been fried once today and it hurt. I don't want to go through that again," Tucker said.
"YOU CAN FORFIET THE GAME, BUT YOUR TRIP WOULD BE CUT SHORT."
Robin looked at Raven uncertainly, but she only stared at him with a look that told him that she knew what she was doing. With a sigh, Robin turned to the map. "We'll play."
"WONDERFUL! NOW, LET'S BEGIN. YOU HAVE ALREADY WASTED TWO MINUTES OF THE TRIP. WHO WILL BE THE FIRST?"
"I will go first," Starfire said, standing.
Robin's frown increased.
Starfire went over to the map, looking at the green dot that still did not move for a moment and then looked up at the roof. "Where do I touch?"
"THE GREEN DOT."
Starfire nodded and, after a moment more of hesitation, pressed the green dot, shutting her eyes as she did so, but nothing happened. Her finger touched the dot on the screen without any interruption. There was a sigh of relief from everyone in the cabin.
"IT APPEARS TO HAVE SKIPPED YOU THIS ROUND, STARFIRE OF TAMARAN."
"I hope it skips everyone," Starfire said as she returned to her comfortable chair.
"WHO NEXT?"
Robin stood up and walked slowly over to the map.
"SEVENTEEN MINUTES TO DESTINATION," Blaine said, "PLAY YOUR TURN QUICKLY AND THEN STEP AWAY FROM THE MAP."
Robin glanced up at the roof briefly, shook his head and then reached a hand out to the map. Without giving his mind any time to think about it, he touched the green dot. Again, the finger made contact without interruption. Robin sighed with relief and pulled his hand away. Above him, Blaine was laughing that chilly laugh.
"ANOTHER LUCKY PLAY."
"I think I know why Reaper took us here," Robin said as he looked back at the others gravely.
"I'll go next," Tucker said, standing.
"VERY WELL, TUCKER OF AMITY PARK. STEP UP TO THE MAP, IF YOU PLEASE."
Tucker stepped up to the map and stood in front of it, staring at the green dot while licking his dry lips, though he was unable to relieve them.
"MY NEW FRIENDS MUST BE THIRSTY. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A MEMOSA? OR PERHAPS A MARTINI?"
"How about water?" Raven asked.
"I CAN PROVIDE WATER, WHICH FOR YOUR COMFORT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY PURIFIED." Beside the chairs suddenly appeared a small table with four glasses of sparkling water on top. They each took one, Tucker leaving the map for a moment to take a drink, wet his lips, and set it down beside his seat. He then returned to the map and stared at the green dot again.
"Thanks for the drinks. I was parched," Tucker said.
"MY MAINFRAME CAN DETECT MY PASSENGERS' COMFORT AND STRESS LEVELS. YOU ARE VERY THIRSTY, SLIGHTLY HUNRGY AND EXTREMELY TIRED FROM LITTLE REST AND EXTREME STRESS. I PRESUME THIS STRESS WOULD COME FROM YOUR CONCERN FOR YOUR FRIEND."
"Yeah," Tucker said. He closed his eyes and practically stabbed the map with his finger. Nothing happened. He quickly removed it and sat back down in his seat, taking the drink and gulping down several swallows.
"THAT LEAVES YOU, RAVEN OF AZARATH."
Raven stood from her seat, placing her robe over the arm and walked over to the map, touching it without hesitation. She was not shocked.
"EVERYONE HAS SURVIVED ROUND ONE. HOW EXCITING! NOW FOR ROUND TWO... AND WHAT DO YOU SAY WE MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING. I HAVE NOW REPROGAMMED THE MAP TO HAVE A TIMER. IT WILL SHOCK EVERY TIME THE TIMER HAS ENDED A CYCLE."
"That wasn't a part of the deal," Robin said.
"THE TERMS OF OUR AGEEMENT WERE NEVER COMPLETELY DISCUSSED, ROBIN OF GOTHAM."
"That's true, Blaine," Raven said, "so let's have a... what did you call it? Palaver... all of us; about the rules."
There was silence for a moment. Finally, Blaine replied, "I APPRECIATE THE ATTEMPT TO STALL FOR TIME, RAVEN OF AZARATH, BUT I HAVE LITTLE PATIENCE FOR IT. WE WILL CONTINUE THE GAME THE WAY WE STARTED IT. SHUTTING OFF TIMER SEQUENCE AND REPROGRAMMING TO RANDOM SEQUENCE." There was a click. "THERE WE ARE. NOW, WHO WAS NEXT?"
"We need to palaver, Blaine," Robin said.
"VERY WELL, BUT TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME I WILL BE STOPPING UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED. WHEN THE GAME IS RESUMED, I WILL CONTINUE ON," Blaine said and then said no more.
Robin turned to Raven, his forehead wrinkled from stress. "Alright. That's enough. We're getting off."
"We're two-thirds of the way there," Raven said.
"I'm not going to let him kill any of us."
"He's not going to," Raven said calmly.
Robin gave her an inquiring look.
"Just trust me and keep riding for as long as we can."
------
"What now?" Beast Boy asked, looking down at the small island where the Specter Speeder was nothing but a tiny white dot in the distance.
"I go on alone. I can fly that distance," Danny said. "While I keep Reaper busy, you guys have to find the others. When they're safe, have Beast Boy come. That'll be my signal to get out of there."
"You're going to face Reaper alone?" Sam asked. "That's kind-of stupid of you, don't you think?"
Danny paused, thought for a moment and then looked at Shadow. "I'll have him come with me."
"Good idea," Cyborg agreed.
Danny dismounted from the motorcycle and transformed, with some effort, into Danny Phantom.
"If anything goes wrong, you get out of there," Cyborg said.
Danny nodded and glanced down at the island with a slight frown. He then looked at Shadow, who had not left his side since they had left Kitty and Johnny 13. That was somewhat reassuring, but he doubted if Shadow could manage very long against Reaper. "Good luck, guys," Danny said at last and then began flying down, Shadow following along behind him.
The others watched him for a moment, somewhat shocked at everything that was taking place, but after he began disappearing, they turned to take care of the business they were assigned to.
As Danny flew down to face his almost-murderer, he was formulating a plan in his head. He didn't want Shadow to be seen immediately. If he could be kept hidden, that might give him just more of an advantage, however meager it may be.
----------
Blaine had picked up speed again once the palaver was over and the game had restarted. Thus far, no one had been shocked, which, somehow, was disconcerting Robin. He guessed that this train didn't really want to take them to the door and get them where they wanted to go. No, it seemed more likely that Blaine was dragging out this game for the fun of it, until they came to the end of their trip, at which point everything would probably end in a pretty flash of blue light. He was fairly certain, that this feeling wasn't just a hunch or opinion. Even so, he sat in his chair, watching each of his friends walk up slowly to the map face, touch it lightly with the tip of their fingers, and then return to their seats.
"EVERYONE HAS SURVIVED ROUND FIVE," Blaine said.
You mean you let us survive round three, Robin thought, but remained seated, saying nothing.
"Looks like we have," Raven said, "How much farther until we get to the door, Blaine?"
"APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES, RAVEN OF AZARATH."
Five minutes to the blue flames if Raven's plan doesn't work, Robin thought. Several more cynical thoughts ran through his head before he could finally put them out of his mind.
"WHO IS UP NEXT?"
Tucker stood from his seat and walked over to the map face, while overhead Blaine spoke in a baseball-mediator's voice, "THE CROWD HUSHES AS TUCKER OF AMITY PARK STEPS UP TO THE PLATE."
Tucker, a little more confident at having survived five rounds, approached and touched his finger to the map face. By that time, they had come to the four minute mark. As his finger made contact, its shadow strangely darker than seemed natural, there came a sizzling noise and a bright blue light jumped from the map to his extended finger. He went wide-eyed and then shut them, preparing for the end. His mind whirled with thoughts. This time, he wouldn't wake up a little shaky and cold. This time, he wouldn't wake up at all.
---------
Danny landed on the island softly, looking around for his friends... or his enemies. He was feeling slightly stronger thanks to a rush of fear-induced adrenaline and had gotten over there with a fair amount of ease. It was the only reprieve he had gotten ever since Reaper had been let loose. He looked to the right of him, wondering where Shadow had decided to hide himself until called. If things went bad, he'd need him quickly, but if Cyborg, Sam and Beast Boy returned with the others, he would just be helpful backup.
As he came out from behind a rock, he saw a large chunk of metal about twenty feet from the Specter Speeder and knew immediately what it was. Skulker. Was he dead? He looked a little rough, but mostly intact.
"Heavy breathing isn't terribly ideal for secrecy, is it?"
Danny whirled, backing up several feet and staring at the blue-skinned figure of Reaper. He was leaning against a boulder casually, not really looking at Danny, but at Skulker. "Your heartbeat sounds like a drum."
"It happens," Danny said nervously, taking a few more tentative steps backward.
"Not to everyone," Reaper replied, his eyes suddenly turning an even brighter red than before. A slight grin was appearing on his face. He spun his cane in his left hand, making the blade, which was activated, dig into the island surface and break up small pebbles and dirt. "Isn't there a saying that you only miss what you no longer have?"
Danny paused, looking around and licking his lips, which had suddenly gone very dry.
"I cannot remember who may have written that," Reaper said musingly. After a moment, his eyes turned to Danny and again that grin crossed his face. "But enough teasing. Let's get down to business, shall we?" He stopped spinning his cane and grasped it tightly in his hands.
Danny felt his heart stop- he was too frightened to catch the irony- and began thinking quickly. Reaper had provided most of the stalling, but it looked like he was done and ready to get on with it. As Reaper took a step forward, Danny blurted out the first thing that came to his mind; "What was your wife's name?"
At this, Reaper stopped dead, making Danny wonder if maybe he had accidentally frozen him, but after a moment, he straightened, his eyes flaring dangerously. "That... boy... is none of your concern," he hissed viciously.
"Did you love her?" Danny pressed. It probably wasn't the best idea, but for the moment, that was all he had to go with it and it appeared to be working.
Reaper stared down at him silently, his hand grasping his cane so tightly that Danny could hear the material straining to retain its form. "Speak again, and I'm going to make this very unpleasant for you," Reaper said, his voice regaining some of its steady firmness of before.
Danny hesitated, glancing up at the sky for his friends... no sign.