Death and Rebirth: The End of Raven's Repression

by TheProlificAnonymous

Beast Boy’s new vegan friend pushes Raven too far, terrorists target the city, and The Man gets all up in the Titans’ business. That aside, this story is for Raven fans who would like to see a happy ending for Raven. Four romantic pairings by the en

9. and Reality

Chapter 9: ...And Reality

Beast Boy walked carefully through the dark cracking halls of the milking operation just outside of town.  The only sounds were the occasional distant moo and the soft echo of his own footsteps.  He walked with a careful ear to any sign of life, trying to ignore the sulfurous smell of rotting manure that seemed to emanate from the walls.

Since the last attack, the Tower's sensors had tapped into the security systems of food operations such as this one.  When unnatural movement is registered at multiple facilities which are commercially similar, it registers as a possible terrorist attack.  Robin had said that they surgically strike multiple places at once because it allows them the element of surprise and doesn't give facilities similar to the one attacked a chance to learn from their fallen brethren's security inadequacies.  It also made it difficult to deduce where they would strike next.

Fortunately, the new sensor arrangement, combined with Cyborg's algorithm, had registered an attack on all the milking operations close to town.  There was no way to save all the targets but if they could catch just one terrorist, they might be able to get a lead and bring down the entire cell.  That's what Robin said anyway.

Upon arrival, Cyborg's sensors didn't pick up any explosives but a bike was found outside.  The team split up the search, and Beast Boy got hallway patrol.

The milk business, it seemed, was nothing like the commercials depicted.  This close to the city, there were no large expanses of green pasture.  Infact, outside the complex was nothing but sparse grass and frozen dirt.  And one certainly didn't imagine such a stink when they pour themselves a glass of milk.  Beast Boy had always known of the cruelty that accompanied animal food production, at least everything the animal rights websites had told him.  He had resented those who just closed off their minds and drank and ate the stuff, never even wondering how it was made.  He had once decided that everyone should visit the places where their food came from and then decide whether or not they should eat it.

But since his arrival he had found the experience to be very much anticlimactic.  He had almost hoped to confirm everything the websites had told him but it seemed that reality was not quite as astounding as the propaganda.  The websites against milk production practices showed nothing but tortured cows with swollen utters, and told stories of abominable treatment of the "downers" which lost use of their legs before it was time for their slaughter and were thus bulldozed to their final destinations.  He left the tower fearing having to witness all of this and yet, now as he traversed the hallways, it all just looked like any other sort of factory, with concrete floors, lighting panes in the ceiling, sparse doors, and a fire extinguisher every so often.  The cows were all sleeping and the evil barbarian employees which cackled cruelly as another newborn calf is ripped from its mother's womb were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly he heard a shriek up ahead of him, followed by a chorus of high pitched moos.

            "Starfire!?"

He bolted forward when suddenly a door flew open and almost whacked him in the face.  'VEAL ROOM' said the stenciled spray paint inches from his face.  The volume of the moos increased when the door was open.  They seemed to be desperate cries for attention.  Starfire appeared from behind the door and quickly closed it by throwing her back against it.  She bent her knees slowly and started sinking to the floor.  She was breathing heavily and looked as if she had seen a ghost.  She heaved steadily as she slid down the door until she noticed Beast Boy.  She jumped up and shrieked again.

            "Beast Boy!" She said with huge eyes.

Beast Boy cocked his head and looked at her curiously.

            "Did you find her?"

Starfire grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him in her distress.

            "Oh Beast Boy, the babies.  They were-"

Her desperate whining was interrupted when her radio blared static for a moment, followed by Robin's voice.

            "The pasteurization room!  I found her!"

Suddenly there were bursts of gunshot heard both from the radio and from far down the hallway.

            "Ack."  Robin continued.  "Hurry!" click.

Beast Boy and Starfire looked up at each other with determination and then raced off down the hall.  The silence which had permeated the atmosphere just moments ago had been completely broken and replaced with racing footsteps, intermittent bursts of gunfire, and the air which moved across their ears.  The shots grew louder as the Titans approached the door to the pasteurization room at the end of the hall.  Suddenly it burst open against the wall and the masked terrorist bolted out, looking back into the room over her shoulder.  She turned her head forward and spotted Starfire and Beast Boy.  She lifted her gun to take a shot but soon found her shoulders and forearms bound to her and her feet kicked up from under her by a birdarang.  She was pulled back and fell backwads, revealing Robin in a sturdy stance behind her, grappling gun in hand.  She hit the ground with a feminine grunt and threw her legs around in order to spin herself.  As she came to face Robin, she let out a burst that resounded harshly in the hallway.  Robin dove back aside from the doorway.  She continued spinning and when she was facing down the hall again she let out another burst at Starfire and Beast Boy.

Beast Boy thought quickly and poofed into a snake and held fast to the ground.  Starfire wasn't so lucky.  The ricochets traced a path up the wall and across her midriff.  In a grunt of pain too soft to hear above the racket, she doubled over and fell to her knees.  The terrorist continued her spin and caught the door with her feet just in time to slam it into Robin's face.  A muffled curse was heard through the door.  She then tucked her legs in and used the momentum to bring herself to her feet without the use of her hands.  She bolted down the hall, dragging Robin's grappling gun behind her and struggling to free her arms.  Beast Boy, deciding old tricks are the best tricks, morphed into a giant green gorilla and stood up right in her path.  She didn't expect it and slammed into him, flipping onto her back.  Beast Boy towered over her and she couldn't lift her forearm enough to shoot him.  Beast Boy raised a double fist above his head.  The terrorist threw a leg up and whacked him painfully in the groin.  Beast Boy's eyes widened in shock and pain and he began to tip forward.  The terrorist rolled under him and he fell with a crash, poofing back into his human form.  He heard shuffling behind him and soon the terrorist's footsteps running further away down the hall.  Robin's grappling gun dragged right past him but his hands were busy tending to more important matters.

When the footsteps had all but faded, the door to the pasteurization room burst open again.  Robin ran out, a birdarang in hand and his nose bleeding.  He looked down the hall angrily before noticing his fallen comrades, doubled over and groaning on the floor.

            "Rarr!"  He yelled in frustration as he yanked out his radio.  "Cyborg!"  He spit into the device.  "She's coming your way.  Raven, give Cyborg a hand!"

***

Outside the building, a ground floor window is shattered and moments later a dark figure dives out and rolls across the ground.  The terrorist rolled into a standing position and raced towards her motorbike.  She was free of grappling cord and her arms pumped along with her legs as she quickly closed the distance to her escape.  She grabbed the handle and went to jump on it when suddenly a blue beam of sonic energy blasted it out from under her.  She landed flat on the ground, completely taken by surprise.  She heard the source of the cannon charging again and she rolled out of the way, avoiding a blast which obliterated the dirt she had been laying on.  She looked to the source but saw only darkness.  Hearing heavy footsteps, she took off back towards the complex as she felt a blast of air from the beam which just narrowly missed her.  She bolted for the main door, which must have been opened by her pursuers, avoiding two more blasts on her way.  She finally made it into the door and slammed painfully into someone, cracking her head on theirs.

She looked up from her sitting position on the floor and saw a mysterious figure in a dark hood, standing up and groaning.  She looked on in fear as the figure righted her self.  Its eyes glowed an eerie white and by the shape of them, she could tell the figure was very angry.  She pushed herself up off the floor and began to run.

            "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

She didn't look back but continued to run, rounding a corner just as a security desk smashed into it.  Raven stared at the corner with fists balled in frustration.  Cyborg's foot steps could be heard approaching from outside.  He entered the door beside her and looked at her.

            "That sounded like a nasty bump.  You ok?"

Raven didn't even turn to him.  She growled viciously and floated off after the girl.  Cyborg bit his nails and called after her.

            "Uh Raven…we need her alive ok?"

Raven continued to ignore him and drifted off into the shadows.  Cyborg felt a chill and picked up his radio.

***

            "What?!"  Spit Robin through grit teeth.

            "Not only that," Continued Cyborg's voice from the radio.  "But Raven's ticked and going after her in a big way.  I suggest you get a move on unless you wanna be scraping our only lead off the ceiling with a spatula."

            "Fine.  Turn on as many outdoor lights as you can and patrol the area with the T-car.  This one's not getting away."  He said with gruff determination.

Starfire moaned from over his shoulder, one of her eyes squeezed shut from the pain.  He put the radio away.

            "I'm on it." It said from his belt. click.

He grasped her arm gingerly, his face still showing determination.  She was resting against his back, her arms draped over his shoulders as they both rode on a green horse, slowly and steadily through the hallway.  She had taken two slugs to the abdominals but they didn't pierce her resilient Tamaranian skin.  Nevertheless, the painful bruising was debilitating, at least temporarily.  Finally they arrived at their destination, the archives closet.  Beast Boy lowered his front knees to the floor and Robin helped Starfire to the cement floor.  She was able to stand with his support.

Beast Boy poofed back into his human form and Robin transferred Starfire duty to him while he himself went to work on the lock.  The dark hallway was silent except Starfire's soft straining and Robin's delicate clicking.  The silence was thick but welcome after the loud retorts of the sub machine gun which still rang dully in their ears.  The lock gave a final climactic click and Robin pulled the door open hastily.  He was apparently still angry.  He walked inside and felt around for the light, finding the switch quickly.  The room was small and was full of old cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other, presumably containing files of various types.

Robin entered and began kicking the boxes violently, shouting battle cries as if he were in a real fight.  He threw his arms to the side and grabbed a box on the top of a stack and hurled it with all his might against the opposite wall.  It tore open on impact and threw papers everywhere.  Robin continued to ravage the boxes, his fists cutting straight through the floating papers and into other boxes, which were promptly tore open aswell.

Beast Boy and Starfire watched from the hallway as Robin shouted and wrought destruction in the tiny room.

            "Robin…"  Starfire ventured.

The sound of her voice prompted in him one final pound, accompanied by the release of a climactic battle cry.  He ceased his thrashing, his fist stuck in the last box and the last sheet of paper fluttering to the floor.  He turned around, heaving, and walked towards Starfire, his nose bleeding with newfound vigor.  Her eyes were still half closed from pain and she seemed a little afraid.  He slipped his arm under her shoulder and pulled her gently off of Beast Boy.

            "I made… a bed…for you."  He said breathless and very serious.

He led her into the small room and picked her up by the back of the knees to lay her down in the bed of cardboard and paper.  She groaned and trembled in his arms as he laid her down gently.  Having deposited her, he rose but as his arm slipped out from under her shoulder she grabbed it with a pleading look in her eyes.  In the light, her bruise looked even worse.

            "Don't worry Star."  Robin assured her gruffly.  "We'll come back for you."

She nodded painfully and released his arm.  He rose the rest of the way and looked down at her.  She was staring straight ahead at the opposite wall where there was once a stack of boxes.  Robin growled in frustration, took a step back and closed the door on her.  He kept his hand on the handle and looked down on it angrily.

            "Jeeze."  Said Beast Boy from behind him.  "Maybe you oughta calm down."

Robin turned, releasing the handle at the same time.

            "C'mon."  He said roughly, and ran down the hall.

Beast Boy wasted no time in taking off after him.  They didn't get far when they heard a burst of gunfire somewhere on the other end of the complex.  Robin whipped out his radio.

            "Raven?"

He continued running with the radio near his ear.  No answer.

            "Raven!  Raven come in!"  He said, the urgency in his voice increasing.

More gunfire was heard, this time a steady succession of bursts.  Suddenly there was a huge crash.  Robin grunted and picked up his speed.  He bolted down the hallways and jumped off the walls to round corners.  Beast Boy had to morph into a dragonfly to keep up with him.  More crashes.  The boys raced through the hallways in the direction of the noise.  The crashes came in quick succession now, punctuated by long bursts of gunfire.  It sounded as though there was quite a battle going on.  Robin's footsteps were mere background noise now as the urgency and increasingly loud crashes and smashes dominated the mood.  They continued running, haphazardly choosing their path along the forks as they followed the sound.  They were approaching the end of the complex now and still they had not found the battlefield.

Suddenly, the noise stopped.  Robin put his boots out and skidded to a halt.  Beast Boy buzzed around him once and then poofed back into his human form.  They both brought their hands to their ears.  The silence was ominous.  They both waited for a noise, any noise.  Robin tried his radio again.

            "Raven!"  He shouted.  "Check in."

He waited for an answer.  Nothing.

            "Damnit!  Where are you!?"

Suddenly the radio gave a burst of static.  Both boys listened with anticipation.

            "Yo, Robin."

            "Cyborg?"

            "If ya'll are looking for Raven, check out the loading area.  From out here it looks like a bomb went off."

            "Stay there!  We're on our way!"

He put his radio away and bolted towards the loading area, with Beast Boy close at his heels.  As they ran the action had once again been replaced by rushing air and their own echoing footsteps.  It seemed as if they were the only two people left alive in the entire darkened complex.

Before long they reached the personnel door to the loading area.  They stopped running and walked carefully to the door.  It was slightly open into the room.  The both listened intently.  There was an intense silence on the other side.  Robin looked to Beast Boy to see if he was ready.  Beast Boy nodded.  Robin put his hand on the door and began to push it.  He moved it only several inches before it came to life on its own and creaked at the hinges as it came off the wall and fell to the ground.  Both boys jumped back in fright as the door hit the concrete with a huge bang, which echoed throughout the huge room.  Only when the echo subsided did they here the engine of the T-car outside and see its headlights coming in through the gigantic hole torn into the giant aluminum loading door.  The radio made static.

            "Everything ok?"  Came Cyborg's voice.

Robin pulled the radio back out of his belt.

            "Yea."  He responded shaken.  "Just the door.  We're going in.  Stand by."

Robin led Beast Boy into the room.  It was the size of a small gymnasium, and very poorly lit.  Robin looked to the wall for a switch.  He found a rather large one that he took for the lights.  He reached his arm out and flipped it on.

The ceiling lights came on with a baritone shuttering noise- and promptly blew out, spraying streams of sparks every which way.  The room was dark again but not before the image of devastation was burned into the boys' eyes.

Piled against the walls were crushed and ruined refrigeration units- huge metallic tanks, thrown about and punctured like tin cans.  There was an overturned forklift which had somehow found its way against the wall near where the boys had entered.  Busted crates and milk gallons were strewn all over the floor.  There was a pile of ceiling beams stacked up against the far corner of the room.  Another pile of rubble was covered by a giant piece of ruffled aluminum siding.  The loading ramp had been pulled from the truck dock and was leaning against a wall, split through the middle.  And right in the center of the room, floating above the wreckage in lotus position with her back turned and her cloak hanging limply, was Raven.

            "Looks like we found our bomb."  Cracked Beast Boy from the entrance.

            "What happened?"  Came Cyborg from Robin's hand.

Robin lifted the radio.

            "Cy, we're gonna need a flashlight in here."

Beast Boy stepped past Robin and walked into the room.  His head moved all around him as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.  He walked down the concrete steps and heard a splash as he reached the floor.  He looked down at his foot and lifted it off the ground.  He heard the swishing of the fluid and subsequent dripping from his boot.

            "Ground's all wet."  He said looking up at Robin.

Robin narrowed his eyes in thought but gave no other response.  More splashing was heard across the room and then everything became softly lit.  Beast Boy and Robin looked to the broken loading door and saw Cyborg standing in the hole, an electrical torch in his raised hand.  He let out an impressed whistle which echoed strangely in the hollow room.

Robin finally entered the room and walked down to Beast Boy on the concrete stairs.  He put his foot carefully into the liquid.  He kept it there for a moment and then brought his other foot down and started splashing carefully through the debris, each step echoing through the gigantic room.  Beast Boy followed his example.

            "The ground's covered in milk and fluorinated hydrocarbons."  Said Cyborg, looking into his forearm.

            "Freon…"  Said Robin.  "Probably from all the refrigeration units."

The boys splashed their way over to Raven.  She was completely still and without her hood, apparently meditating.  Robin addressed her from behind.

            "Hey Raven.  Why weren't you answering your radio."

His question was met with silence.  There was not a sound except for the droning of the T-car's engine outside.

            "Uhh…Raven?"  Tried Cyborg.

Beast Boy splashed around and brought himself in front of her.  Her face was completely calm.  The other two followed him and stood behind him, one on either side.  He walked forward, picking his way carefully through the junk around her.

            "Hellooo.  Earth to Raven."

He waved his hand in front of her face and when that got no response he started obnoxiously snapping his fingers in front of her face.  Suddenly her brow furrowed.  Everyone took a giant step back, Beast Boy tripping and landing in the fluid with a scratchy yell.

Raven opened her eyes slowly.  She looked annoyed but not particularly unstable.

            "Raven," Started Robin.  "Where's the girl?"

Raven just looked at him for a moment and then turned her head and raised her left arm to point to the corner of the room.  Everyone followed her point to a rubble pile against the wall.  Cyborg focused the torch on the pile but saw only a disheveled mess of steal ceiling beams.

            "She's in the-?"

Robin stopped when he noticed that she had gone back into her meditation.

            "Raven?"

            "Just forget her," Said Beast Boy standing up and turning his head over his shoulder to see how wet he was.  "She's been acting totally weird lately."

Cyborg splashed his way over to the pile Raven had specified.  Beast Boy followed and then Robin.  Cyborg read the output on his forearm.

            "She's in there alright."  He said turning around to look at his friends.

They both stopped walking and gave him hopeful looks.

            "And alive."

They both relaxed and made their way to the pile.  After much excavating, Cyborg called them over to him.  The girl was lying unconscious on her back, her hips caught in the rubble and her torso and head curved to the left, arms sprawled and hanging over an edge of sorts.  Her shirt was torn to shreds, revealing her navy blue Kevlar vest.  One of her exposed shoulders was covered in blood matted hair and she was still wearing her mask.  Cyborg referred to his sensors.

            "Fractured wrist and a dislocated shoulder on the same arm.  No internal bleeding, possible concussion."  Cyborg listed off.

Beast Boy looked down at the girl.  She sure looked helpless, especially considering her violent demeanor earlier.  He looked back towards Raven.  She was calm and completely still and had not moved from her floating lotus.

            "Good."  Said Robin, fully composed.  "Dig her out and tie her up.  We'll bring her back to the tower and get some answers."

He turned to Beast Boy.

            "Beast Boy, come with me to get Starfire."

            "And what're we s'posed to do with typhoon girl?"  Asked Beast Boy looking at Raven.

Robin followed his gaze and put his hand to his chin.  He rubbed it for a while before putting his hand behind his head and finally responding.

            "The heck if I know."

***

Ten minutes later, Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire made their way around the outside of the complex.  Starfire was recovered enough to walk reasonably quickly and pain free so long as she had a boy on each side to support her.  She was no longer groaning but still twitched an eye in pain every now and then.  They had decided to walk outside in the cool night air to give Starfire a break from the stink- and also to forget about the horrific events that transpired inside the complex.

They walked in silence, each involved in their own thoughts.  Everyone was sore, shaken and wanted to go home.  It had been a pretty rough night indeed.

Suddenly there was shouting in the distance.  No one could make out any words but they knew it was Cyborg, and he sounded angry.  Beast Boy and Robin looked at each other.

            "That sure doesn't sound good."  Observed Beast Boy.

Robin reached down and scooped up Starfire's knees.  She squeaked as he brought her horizontal.  He shifted her in his arms and the two boys started jogging towards the shouting.

***

            "Get that stupid badge outta my face!"

            "Young man, once again you are trespassing on federal-"

            "Man, I've had enough of your federal bullcrap!"  He shouted into Sparks's face.  "Where the heck were you when we were busting our butts in there, trying to save the city?!"

            "Uncle Sam appreciates your efforts but right now you are interfering with a federal investigation."

Sparks narrowed his cool grey eyes, in the first show of emotion since Cyborg had first met him almost a week ago.

            "And do you realize the penalty for preventing the arrest of a federal-"

            "Awwww no!  This is our suspect."  He retorted, referring to the tied up girl behind him, who seemed to be coming to.  "We arrested her!  Ya'll didn't even show up till after-"

            "Young man, you do not have the authority to-"

            "I'm talking here!!"  Cyborg shouted.

That's when Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire arrived on the scene.

            "You again?"  Called out Beast Boy.

Sparks turned his head to acknowledge them and then proceeded to turn his body as well. 

            "I'm glad to see somebody more reasonable has arrived."  Said Sparks flatly referring to Robin, who was setting Starfire softly on the frozen dirt.

Cyborg was visibly offended.

            "Why you dirty stinkin-"

            "We don't want any trouble."  Intervened Robin, walking towards them.  "We were just about to leave."

Sparks nodded smugly.

            "A wise choice young man.  And of course you'll be handing over our suspect."  He said as more sedans arrived behind him.

            "Suspect?"  Robin asked.

Sparks looked behind Cyborg, where the terrorist was sitting up, fully conscious and looking about.  Beast Boy stepped forward.

            "Dude!  Do you know what we went through to catch her?"

            "She's our only lead." Added Robin.  "We need her to solve the case."

            "I've reviewed your files and you all do good work."  Sparks said without raising an eyebrow.  "But this is now a federal crime scene and as such, the suspect now belongs to us."

            "Don't you guys wanna hear my opinion?"  Came a feminine voice.

Everyone looked over behind Cyborg and saw the terrorist, sitting straight up with the ropes lying limply around her ankles.  Everyone's eyes opened wide with shock and that's when the flash came.  Everyone was silent as they heard her get up and start running, completely speechless at having fallen for the same trick again.  The only sound was the droning of the various car engines which had come to surround them, that and the fading tap of commando boots on frozen earth.

            "Hold it!"

            "Freeze!"

            "Stop right there!"

Several gunshots rang out as the newly arrived federal agents opened fire on the fleeing terrorist.  There was much running and shooting until finally there was the sound of a car door slamming and the gunfire stopped.  There was the sound of tires kicking up dirt, followed by several slamming car doors and more dirt kicking.  Cyborg heard a man run past him.

            "109 to base 109 to base, we are in pursuit of a blue sports car I repeat a blue sports car."

            "Blue spor- no." Murmured Cyborg. "no no NOO!!!"

Cyborg stumbled left and right, frustrated at his disability.

            "Damnit I am not gonna be chasing her all over town again."  He said in a panic.

The last sedan raced off down the dirt road, leaving the Titans and Sparks.  The engines were all gone and the only sounds where the crickets chirping and Cyborg talking to himself psychotically.

            "It's ok Cy," He muttered under his breath.  "The FBI's gonna find your baby and bring her home in one piece."

Robin was pissed.   After all of that trouble, they were so close and now nothing.  Twice in a row these petty terrorists had evaded him, both times with the same damned trick.  His heart was broken.  He had no leads at all.  He would have to wait until they strike again and then suffer through another episode like tonight's.  And even then there were no guarantees.  Starfire had been badly injured this time.  These bastards were ruthless.  Next time someone might die.

He felt his vision beginning to return.  He was still staring at the spot where the terrorist had set off the flash.  He saw no reason to shift his eyes- it wasn't as if the scenery would change.  He hated these terrorists- he hated them with all his heart.  They were the epitome of evil. They were cold, ruthless and totally unreasonable in their demands.  They had complete disregard for law and order, and wanted things their way, not caring for a moment who they hurt in the process.  Did they need to save their precious animals at the cost of human lives?  Did they need to shoot people and blow up workplaces?  His own parents had been killed by the likes of them- criminals who had no regard for human life, only for their own narrow-minded interests.

His vision had recovered almost completely and he suddenly noticed something on the ground.  He shifted his pupils back and forth slightly, trying to focus on the object with a part of his eye which was not as damaged.  He walked forward and leaned over to pick it up.  His hand grabbed only hard ground but he probed around more in the darkness until he heard a rustling.  He grasped the object clumsily, pulling it off the ground.  It was a slip of paper!  It wasn't frozen to the ground so it must have just fallen.  This was it!  His lead!

He brought it to his face and tried to read it but the white spots in his vision disallowed it.  He continued to stare at it and waited for his vision to return fully.  Suddenly it was snatched from his hand.  He reached out in the direction from which it was taken but grabbed only air.

            "Excellent work young man."

Sparks!

            "Oh no you don't!"

Robin reached out at him but continued to grab only air.  He was desperate.  He was not going to lose his lead!  Not again!  He flailed his arms around grasping aimlessly, and finally landed a glancing blow on Sparks' trench coat.  Suddenly he felt a sharp jab into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him stumbling backwards.  He looked up at the shadowy outline of Sparks and heard the click of a gun.

            "I wouldn't advise striking a federal officer."

Cyborg stopped his ranting and looked at the two.  Things were starting to get out of hand.

            "Dude, now your just being mean."  Protested Beast Boy from behind Robin.

            "And you're out of line."  Sparks returned, his gun still on Robin.  "Both of you."

He started walking backwards towards his car, keeping Robin sighted.

            "You son of a bitch…"  Growled Robin with restrained fury.

            "This is federal evidence young man."  Said Sparks, opening his car door.  "Now if you don't mind, I have a case to solve."

He got into his car and started the engine.  His gears shifted and he rolled off down the dirt road towards town.

            "Yea sure, just like he solved the last two."  Retorted Beast Boy, way too late.

            "Beast Boy."  Robin snapped, standing up.  "We need that clue.  You up for some espionage?"

Beast Boy stood at mock attention, like a soldier.

            "You got it sir.  Uhhh… what's espinage?"

            "Follow that car and use your animal forms to find out everything they know about the terrorists, including what's on the slip of paper."

Beast Boy brought a stiff hand to his forehead in mock salute.

            "Aye aye captain!"

He poofed into a hawk and took off down the road after Sparks's sedan.  Robin watched him go and then turned to Cyborg, who was still staring at him.

            "Cyborg, I suggest you get Raven to help you track down your car."

Cyborg looked to the destroyed loading area, then looked back to Robin with fear in his eyes.  Robin didn't have the patience for this.

            "You do wanna find your car don't you."

Cyborg looked back to the loading area, in obvious distress.  Finally he sagged his shoulders, let out a whiny sigh, and proceeded to the building.

            "Oh and Cy."

Cyborg turned around and looked at Robin.

            "Call me a cab will ya?"

Cyborg nodded and turned around.  He started back for the loading area, raising his inner wrist to his ear.  Robin turned away from him and let out a sigh of exhaustion.  He walked over to where Starfire was waiting patiently on the ground.

            "Are you ok?"  He said kneeling down next to her.

She was lying on her back, looking up at him.  She shivered.

            "The ground is cold Robin."  She said matter-of-factly.

He slipped his arms under her and picked her up with a grunt.  When he was standing, he and let out another sigh.

            "Oh Star, could this night get any worse?"  He said staring off into the night.

aCHOO!!

**********[end chapter 8]**********

Next time: Beast Boy plays the spy game and Raven tries on some new clothes. And if all goes well, a new character will be introduced.

The next 'chapter' is also going to be long so i'll prolly split it like this one.

Le Chat:
Haha, capitalization ran away. I felt it was the only way to show one phrase is louder than the next without interrupting the flow of speech for description. Atleast i've matured as a shouter since chapter 2! And i don't really have a blend of the two Ravens. It is fully the TV Raven. I mention the comics only as proof of what the show only leads us to assume. Raven's TV behavior is fully consistent with the fact that she needs to prevent herself from feeling so she doesn't wake up Trigon- it's simply that it is never said outright. The only reason i made it a point in my intro is that other fanfics all seem to ignore this.
And Patch may be a vegan (and apparently for anti-cruelty reasons) but notice that he refuses to be pushy about it and even made lamb for cyborg. terrorists are extremists and Patch isn't...or he atleast hides it well. And if you want a summary of all the Freud i know lemme know and i'll email it to you. The alternative is to read his stupid books, which are rambly and boring.

Veral42:
Music to my ears. I still haven't managed to make myself cry (and i know i'm softer than most people) but your post is encouraging.
I don't have anything against Beast Boy- in fact he's my favorite character. I would venture that a relationship between him and Raven wouldn't work out, despite whether or not he has a crush on her. And anyway, the writers have different plans for Beast Boy (episode 23 at ). That doesn't prevent me, however, from appreciating a writer who can make it work. Infact, when did i ever say that i wouldn't pursue such a relationship after Raven is able to feel (and Beast Boy grows up a little)? The reason i responded in the way i did last chapter was to put you in the same position you put me in. I have a plan for this story the same way you have a plan for yours (and i know you have a plan cuz you've shown excellent plot development). Would you change your plan because of my request? How then can you expect me to do the same?
My story is drawn up in my head and it is what it is. And the way i have the story planned out, it will detract from the reader's experience if they know who's going to end up with whom before hand (it basically kills the effect of the sexual tension). Remember, this is a romance. It is ABOUT relationships, not one of those stories where couples are established early on and then the real plot begins to unfold. To give away my couplings would be to give away the entire plot. If you really want a guaranteed RxBB coupling i'm sure you'll have no problem finding one elsewhere.

WintersIceAngel (WintersIceAngel@aol.com):
I responded to your post by email. lemme know if you didn't get it.

Jek:
Thanks. But come now, just because two characters share a moment doesn't mean their going to fall in love. If that were the case we'd have Starfire with Beast Boy from "Forces of Nature," Raven with Cyborg from "Car Trouble," and Starfire with Raven from "Switched." You'll notice that these character pairs share far more intimate moments than did Beast Boy and Raven in "Nevermore" and "Final Exam." Couplings will not be revealed except through the normal course of the story.

Lisboa Miraflores:
Haha, poetry about females ingesting males? I see your writing has a Freudian influence as well! I hope you've enjoyed chapter 8, it was my most Freudian one yet.
And i have the same problem with memory. I always forget how old i am and what my phone number is. I too never know what date or day of the week it is and i've been known to forget to eat all together on some days. But somehow i can remember programming languages, how to solve a differential equation, and the name of each Transformer and what they transform into. I once heard that we only remember things that are important to us but i don't say that in front of my girlfriend cuz she'd just love to bring up the anniversaries i forgot.

Kishi:
As always, that was a very interesting post. Perhaps i am technically a christian but i prefer not to call myself one because the image ascribed to the label is now the pious church goer. You did present a great way of looking at it when you pointed out that there was christianity before there were churches but if i tell anyone nowadays that im a christian they think me a hypocryte give me crap when i read things i'm not allowed to or don't want to sit through a mass with them or refuse to believe in a literal satan who follows me around trying to trick me into doing bad things (yes, there are people who react this way. I find they are mostly Roman Catholics). And about the scrolls, you are absolutely correct. The interesting thing about those records (the gospels anyway) is that the they are in the form of a sermon, the one teaching it named Jesus (though he is never refered to as the christ). Obviously its not the same guy (300years before he is born) but both the language and teaching style is identical, as is the underlying morality. There is also my favorite gospel, the gospel of (doubting) Thomas, which was lost before the RC church got their hands on the scriptures (and found a couple decades ago). That's important to me because i don't trust the medieval church to not pervert scripture for their own ends (the church was very political back then). There was actually a movie made about the gospel of thomas called Stigmata. The gospel is available online from any search engine.
That's wonderful that you find the lesson in the example provided by christ cuz i've found that most people tend to get caught up in his sayings and miss the real point. And about the story, its not going to be "religious" (in the ritual sense) at all but you'll find that Patch's core flaw is a trap that most modern christians fall into (and that the ministry seems to almost force on them. The RC ministry anyway). Also, i must know, what is it about vegetarian terrorism that is so appealing? It's very interesting to see what different people take from the story, especially when it differs from what i intentionally seeded it with.