United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Chapter 37: The Growing Darkness.
In the months following the ordeal with Doctor Light, when the team wasn't out fighting crime, it became a sort of weekly ritual to journey down into the deepest section of Titan Tower and gaze at the statue still body of their friend Raven. Near where the Titans once held Red X prisoner, the fallen Titan lay inside of a medical tank, surrounded on the inside by healing liquid, and on the outside by a bank of sophisticated medical terminals that constantly monitored her. The attention they paid her seemed so futile, in weeks their friend had not once moved, had not once breathed, and according to the machines, had not once even registered brain activity. Any doctor would have proclaimed her dead, despite the fact that her body had yet to show even the slightest hint of decomposition. It was like everything that had made her alive had simply shut down, and left, leaving nothing more than the solid shell of her body. And it was that fact that the Titans couldn't bear to depart from their teammate, as hopeless as it truly felt. It was as if she weren't truly dead…just asleep, though they had all long given up the hope that she would one day wake up. At any given time, there could be found at least one Titan down in the bowels of the tower, closely inspecting the machines, silently hoping for even the slightest sign of life. Currently, both Cyborg and Beast Boy were there, alternately watching over Raven's body, and inspecting the ever-present machines.
"Do you think she'll ever wake up?" Beast Boy asked, pressing his face against the glass container. Cyborg craned his neck from his seat at the main set of computer screens.
"Like I told you the last thousand times you asked, BB, I have no idea." He turned back to the screens and sighed deeply. Every time he came down here, he would ask the same question without fail. "Look, her condition hasn't changed since we brought her here. She may wake up tomorrow, in ten years, in a hundred, or maybe never."
"I know, I know." Beast Boy groaned. As much as he didn't want to face the truth, all he ever had to do was take a glance at the floating form in front of him to be brutally reminded of it. What happened to Raven was a fact of life that none of the Titans could ignore, what happened to her could happen to any of them at any time, and that time could come against any foe, whether he be someone like Doctor Light, or someone like Slade. If they weren't careful enough, it could even happen against the lowliest thug, and that thought sent a shiver up Beast Boy's spine. What made the situation worse was what happened to Red X. He saw what went down first hand, and something inside him just snapped, sending him spiraling back to some part of his mind that he had long since seemed to conquer. He took out all of his rage on Doctor Light, nearly killing both of them in the process. Afterwards, during a stay in the hospital he disappeared into thin air, and hasn't been seen since. Beast Boy rapped his knuckles on the glass, as if the sound would somehow stir Raven from her comatose state. He stood in silence for a few seconds, let out a breath in disappoint, and then turned to walk back to the upper levels of the tower. Before he got to the exit, the sound of Cyborg's voice stopped him
"I know you miss her Beast Boy, we all do, but the only thing we can really do for her is to never give up hope." Cyborg slammed a palm down on the top of the computers, sending a metallic ring echoing through the room. "As useless as these computers may be, as useless as all this attention and waiting may be, we still keep up with it because we still believe there is hope, and once we lose that, its over for all of us." Beast Boy smiled at his friend, nodded in agreement, and walked out.
It's midnight, and Jump City Prison is under attack. From his vantage point on a nearby hill, Red X could see the smoke billowing out of the building up into the cool night air. More importantly, he could see the blasts of energy his partner Blackfire was raining down from the sky, and could hear the commotion it was causing. How strange, he thought, most of those prisoners would do anything to get out, and here I am trying to get in. The sound of sirens coming from other parts of Jump City told him that he had to move quickly, or he would miss his opportunity. He raced down from the hill towards the prison, making sure to stay out of view, which was simple thanks to Blackfire's noisy distraction. All of the eyes were on her, leaving him free to go about as he pleased, without the bothersome guards to tell him that he wasn't eligible for visiting hours. So inconvenient, when all he wanted was to discuss business with one of the many inmates. He made his way to the wall of the prison, on the opposite side from where Blackfire was delivering her barrage. He darted between the lights and the last stragglers rushing to try and deal with his partner, not that they would be able to actually do anything to stop her. Though he wasn't really in any hurry, he still had to act fast, not because Blackfire would tire, but because he didn't want any other outside interference from any of Jump City's many inhabitants. With the aid of a grappling hook, Red X quickly scaled up the prison wall, to one of the many steel barred windows. One canister of a powerful acid later, and he was inside. He snuck down the metal and stone corridor, taking careful notice of each prison cell as he passed, as there was only one that he held any interest in. Most of the super-criminals captured in Jump City were shipped off to the ever popular, but always full Arkham Asylum, but a few were kept here either for good, or until they were transferred to a higher security facility. Red X had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure that he knew each and every prisoner kept under lock and key. Eventually, he finds his way to the one cell he was looking for, one marked with the name Cameron Van Cleer, though the being inside looked anything far from human. Sitting hunched on the bed, the creature had large wings, bulging, multifaceted eyes, and a pair of razor sharp mandibles jutting out of his mouth. He looked for the entire world like a human-sized version of a mutated moth.
"Killer Moth, I presume?" Red X asked the creature, peering through the small window of his cell. Killer Moth shifted toward his visitor, looking as confused as his insect-like face would allow.
'Yeah, and who wants to know?" Moth asked.
"A friend, here to offer you two things. An escape, and an opportunity." Red X replied.
"If you can get me out of here, I'll be all ears."
"Good." Red X plucked a small device from his utility belt. "That's enough fireworks Blackfire. If you don't mind, our new friend would like a way out." Red X turned back to Killer Moth. "I think you better stand back from the wall." Doing as he was told, Moth pressed himself up against the cell door, and Red X backed up as far as he could as well. A few moments later, the wall behind Moth exploded, showering the criminal with chunks of rubble. Blackfire floated in the air a few feet away from the demolished cell wall. Killer Moth looked first from the hole in the wall, and the hovering alien, back to Red X still standing out in the hall. X nodded at him, and motioned towards the hole. Moth spread his wings for the first time in days, and flew out, though he kept his distance from the Tamarainian. Red X smiled under his mask. The plan was going perfectly.