Also, did you know there's a 16 hour time difference between Singapore and California? So that's why there may be a discrepancy between the dates.
And did anyone look up the coordinates for the island? I promise I didn't just make it up, and you might be surprised by the island's actual name.
_
15:13 PDT
November 31st
Titans Tower, Jump City
...
"Find him yet?"
"Ask me one more time, Beast Boy, and you will take another trip in my magic mirror," Raven snapped.
She had been trying to psychically find Robin since the call to Batman ended, which was just a little under four hours ago. But no matter what she tried or how far she reached, she just couldn't sense his presence anywhere. And to add to her difficulties, everyone's emotions were chaotic. But the true cherry on top was when the Dark Knight himself arrived an hour ago.
His body betrayed no emotion, his mind even more heavily guarded, and yet she could still sense the waves of seething fury and parental worry rolling off of him, crashing into her with enough force to make her physically stumble.
Batman took full control of the search, dividing the teens into groups while keeping at least one person to stay behind in case Raven found Robin with her powers. Batman used the computer to access the security cameras scattered throughout the city, doing everything in his power to retrace where Slade went after he left the tower and hopefully find out where he took Robin.
Raven stretched and stood, breaking out of her hovering lotus position. She had been going nonstop and was desperate for a cup of tea to soothe her fraying nerves. But she may not get much reprieve since she was stuck with Beast Boy.
"Oh, taking a break? That's a good idea," the shapeshifter rambled awkwardly as they descended the stairs from the roof back into the tower.
Beast Boy wasn't quite sure what to do, if he was being honest with himself. He and Raven never really hung out much by themselves. Usually one of the other Titans was there to break the tense silence that hung between them. He didn't do as much reading as he should, and he figured she wouldn't be that interested in video games, so there wasn't a lot of common ground between them.
But as he watched the enchantress, he couldn't help but feel that something was off. She didn't reprimand him as often as usual, and she hadn't said anything sarcastic in a while. Her hood was down, revealing a small layer of sweat shining in her bangs, causing her lavender hair to cling to her face, and her breath came out slightly labored.
Raven stopped walking, her body swaying as her vision swam. She instinctively reached out for something to hold, and she clung to Beast Boy's outstretched arm with a vice grip.
"Rae? You okay? What's wrong?"
"I—Something's wrong with the link," she gasped, placing an ashen hand to her forehead.
"What? What link? Rae, what's going on?" Beast Boy asked, his voice filling with panic.
"The mental bond between me and Robin...after I went into his head...something's wrong with it. I can't..," she whispered as her eyes pricked with unshed tears. Somewhere a lightbulb exploded.
Beast Boy pulled her closer when she crumpled, though she remained conscious. The green shapeshifter picked her up and ran to the main room.
"What's going on?!" Batman demanded as he spun from the computer and watched the teen set the girl on the couch.
"Something's happening to Robin," Raven gasped and grabbed her head, "I can't—he—he's hurting...so much." The microwave exploded.
The Dark Knight leveled a glare on the changeling, "Explain."
"Uh-um, well, Rob and Rae have this freaky mental connection after she went into his head to save him from these Slade hallucinations that almost killed him. Long story," he explained in one rushed breath. If Batman wasn't used to talking to excitable speedsters, he might have missed it completely.
Raven's form shook violently on the couch as she gripped her head, leaving thin scratches on her temples with her fingernails. She had never felt pain like this. Never. Whatever he was facing, Raven feared for his life more than ever.
An unnatural screech that did not belong to her flew past her lips, and then everything fell silent. She no longer felt his pain lighting every vein in her body. She no longer heard his cries in her head. She couldn't feel him at all.
Raven panted for breath and closed her eyes. She needed to get her emotions under control before something terrible happened. But she couldn't feel Robin. Something had severed the link, but that shouldn't be possible, unless...
"No...," she breathed, opening her eyes and sat up, staring at nothing, "No. No, I refuse. He can't be—no. No. No...NO!"
All of the windows on the main floor shattered instantly as the sorceress sunk to her knees and sobbed.
...
Jump City, California
...
Cyborg scratched his jaw and forced his system to run yet another scan of the area he'd been assigned to as he trudged along the street. Nothing. Not a single hint of where Slade could have taken his leader and one of his best friends. He had even searched Slade's old hideout, and yet there wasn't a clue to their whereabouts.
The cybernetic teen grumbled to himself as he passed a dark, unfamiliar alleyway. He hated being in this part of town, but he promised himself that he would be thorough in his search. Cy glanced down the alley, and a signal beeped.
"Huh? What's this?" he said to no one as he stepped into the lingering shadows. His scanners picked up a camera of some kind facing the street. But there were no windows or anything of value that would require a surveillance system. Robin always told him to trust his gut when it came to suspicious stuff, so that was exactly what he was going to do.
Cyborg had to balance precariously on a closed dumpster in order to reach the mostly hidden camera, but it didn't require much effort to pull it out of the wall it was attached to. However, the sharp, curved S emblazoned on the side caused his bionic heart to sink into his stomach.
Slade had eyes and ears everywhere. He had been watching them from the start, which meant he knew they were looking for him. And if he was smart, which Cyborg did not doubt in any way, then that meant only one thing.
Robin wasn't in Jump City anymore.
"Cyborg to team, come in," he radioed, "Regroup at the Tower. I got some bad news."
"You're not the only one," Beast Boy replied on the T-comm, "Raven said something happened to the mind meld thing she had with Robin. She's been in hysterics for the past ten minutes, but she's in her room now, so it's safe to come up. Just expect it to be a little breezy."
"On our way," Kid Flash signed in with a nodding Speedy in the background.
"I shall be home shortly," Starfire replied, her voice slightly muffled from her flying.
Cyborg ended the call and released a deep sigh. Just when he thought things couldn't get more complicated...
...
Titans Tower
...
Batman narrowed his eyes at the computer screen, not bothering to turn around when the teens entered the room. The cloaked girl, Raven, had retreated to her room to recover from her episode and had re-emerged only moments before the others walked in, giving her just enough time to use her powers to repair the damage she had caused.
To find out that his son had a mental link with the daughter of Trigon was cause for concern in of itself, but to see that bond be severed so violently before his own eyes was a thing of nightmares. The mind was a complex yet delicate thing, and he hated to think about what happened on Dick's end when the bond had been broken.
Before he could be distracted by his thoughts, Cyborg stepped up to the Dark Knight and handed him something that looked like a security camera with a jagged S printed on the side.
"I found one of these on my search," he explained, "The symbols is Slade's. Who knows how many more he has set up throughout the city."
Batman took the camera and hooked it up to the main computer, "We are about to find out. If I can hack this one, I can find out the locations of any others and, hopefully, find a source or signal that could lead us to Robin."
"Glorious news!" Starfire exclaimed, eyes alight with renewed hope. Batman maintained his frown.
"The only issue is that it will take me time, and our mental search has been halted for the time being. You have a ten minute break, then I want you all back on the streets. Rotate your given quadrants every hour, and report anything you find that is out of the ordinary. Return to the tower at sundown."
Everyone agreed and split up to take a quick, yet much needed, break, but Cyborg remained. He scratched his head nervously and suddenly found his feet to be most interesting. Batman held back a sigh.
"You have something to say, Victor?"
"Oh, uh, well, I was just wondering if you needed any help hacking that camera thing? I am 90% machine. I could maybe do something. Not that you need my help or anything!" he backtracked, "I mean, you're the Batman, but Robin's my friend and my leader."
"I understand," he replied with an even tone, "However, I need you more on the field. You did a good job bringing this in, and with you on the streets, there's a higher chance of us finding more and limiting how much Deathstroke can see."
"Yes, sir," he agreed reluctantly and went to recharge for a few minutes.
We're coming, Rob. I promise, he thought.
Batman was about to return to his task when an alarm signaled several unknown figures landing on the roof of the Tower. With a flourish of his cape, he glided to the stairs with a pack of anxious, yet curious, meta-teens trailing behind him. He pulled out a pair of batarangs and opened the door, fully prepared to release his pent up rage on the intruders. However, it looked like he wouldn't be getting the chance.
"We came as soon as we heard the news," Wonder Woman explained as she stepped forward, "What can we do to help?"
Batman looked into the eyes of the six members of the original seven founders of the Justice League, along with Green Arrow and Black Canary. They were the defenders of Earth and all things good, yet they were also family. Two of them were Robin's godparents, and they were each considered his aunts and uncles. He nodded. Time to get down to business.
"Manhunter, I need you to get in touch with Dr. Fate and see if the two of you can trace Robin's presence," he began and motioned to Raven, "He also had a mental bond with Raven that was just recently severed. She could be of help. Starfire, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, I need you three to expand the search past Jump City from the air. Start here in the states then work outward. Flash family, you're on the ground. I'll give you what clues we have so far; see if you trace where they went. Aquaman, return to the ocean and have everyone on alert for anything that could be traced to Deathstroke or the League of Shadows—"
"Deathstroke?!" Flash spoke up. Batman glared.
"Yes, he is the one who kidnapped Robin."
That piece of news made the older heroes tense. They knew that man was not one to be messed with. He was essentially the evil, assassin version of Batman. And that realization added a whole new sense of urgency to their mission, as though the idea of the League's semi-adopted nephew going missing wasn't enough incentive.
"Now, as I was saying," Batman continued, "Cyborg, I need you to get in contact with the rest of Titans International. We need all hands on deck. Beast Boy, call the Doom Patrol, and if Mento refuses to help, tell him that I'm calling in a favor he owes me. Arrows, you three will need to help the others cover their cities. Call in as much help that will keep things balanced. We are still the Justice League, even if Robin is missing." Even though he wished that wasn't the case.
"What will you be doing?" Green Lantern asked.
"Setting up a temporary base here at the tower till I can follow through on a lead. Pending the result, I will eventually have to return to Gotham and run the search from there. But finding Robin will remain Priority One."
Superman smiled and rose into a hover, "Sounds like a plan."
As the band of heroes began to scatter, Batman pulled Wonder Woman aside and asked in a hushed whisper, "How did you find out?"
The Amazon princess smiled gently, "You left your computer on. Agent A called us immediately after he found out who had taken Robin. Said you could use the assistance."
Batman nodded and vanished from the rooftop and back into the main room of Titans Tower.
Don't worry, Dick. I'll bring you home soon.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy was snapped out of a shocked daze by Cyborg.
"Dude! Don't you have a call to make?"
"Oh! Uh, yeah! Sorry, but dude! That was the original Justice League! We just met the Justice League!" he fanboyed, "Do you think I can ask them to sign my poster when this is all over?"
Cyborg grinned and ruffled the changeling's hair, "Sure thing, little man. I'll bet they'd be happy to."
Beast Boy yelped happily and took off back down the stairs to find his old Doom Patrol communicator. At the same time, Cyborg pulled out his T-comm and flipped it on.
"Calling all Titans."