"Recent reports show that crime has dropped an astonishing sixty-five
percent-"
"Our headline tonight is that the mysterious vigilante, Wraith, has caused
the biggest decrease in organised crime in 15 years."
"Just turn the T.V off, will ya?"
Robin put down the remote, and looked over his shoulder at Cyborg.
"I just can't figure it out," he said. "One night everything in the city's normal, the next we have this Wraith character floating around. I mean, why has it come here?"
"He. It's definitely a he." Came the voice of Beastboy. "I heard his voice, though it's not really something I want to hear again." He shot a glance at Raven, who (as usual) currently had her nose in a book. She looked up, and scowled. Beastboy recoiled a little, but then continued nonetheless.
"And I think it knows Rae." he said, meekly. Robin looked to Raven, and waited for a retort. None came. "Well?" he asked eventually, "Do you know Wraith?"
Raven didn't seem to take notice of this question but then slowly lowered the book, looking Robin straight in the eyes. "Maybe." She said ambiguously "Maybe not. Maybe he just decided not to do what he was about to. Maybe I just interrupted him."
She got up, not wanting to be asked any more questions, and left the room. She left a very uneasy silence.
"I think she knows something." Said Beastboy. "Maybe she is our friend, but she can't keep it from us, not when that thing did that to Mumbo!"
"Maybe," said Robin, "but maybe we don't have to ask her again. Maybe we should just find someone else who has seen Wraith, face to face."
"But who possibly-" began Cyborg. Realisation dawned on the three Titans.
"Mumbo!" they said in unison.
The Titans (minus Raven, whom hadn't been seen since she had left the others earlier) walked along the long, white corridor of the asylum, guided by one of the wardens. He was updating them on Mumbo's condition.
"He was very traumatised," explained the warden, "If you hadn't stopped that Wraith creature from doing anything else to him, I don't think we could have stabilised him. As it is, he's stable, and just sitting down to dinner now."
The guard came to a door, and opened the eye-slot first to make sure the inhabitant of the cell was not doing anything out of the ordinary. Then, he took a big bunch of keys from his belt and unlocked the door. The titans filed in, followed by the warden. Mumbo looked up, and put down his knife and fork.
"Come to gloat?" he asked, bitterly. "After what that. thing did to me, I'll probably never be able to go into the dark ever again."
"Well it serves you right for being a criminal." Scathed Starfire, waving a finger at the magician. Mumbo turned back to his meal.
"What do you four want then?" he asked snidely.
"We want to know what you saw when Wraith caught you" said Robin, drawing closer to Mumbo. "We want to know what happened. And you were in the right place to tell us what did happen."
Mumbo thought for a few moments, cringing at the memory. "Well, I'm sorry, but the doctors say I have to refrain from traumatic ordeal recollection for the time being. Trust me, you don't want to know what I saw." Mumbo vaguely noticed the warden leaving the room, to let someone else in. "If you were on the receiving end of that, you wouldn't want to tell anyone either. So if I were you I'd just go back to your tower and try and forget about it. I thought you'd like this Wraith, since he's managed to put more criminals in the asylum in a week than what you did in your whole lives!"
Cyborg rushed forward; Mumbo's words had obviously hit a nerve. The magician shrank back and grinned. "Now, now Cyborg" he jibed, "You wouldn't want to do that in here, would you? Hurt a helpless old man?" Cyborg calmed a little. "That's better, see how easy it is to-"
The man's eyes seemed to widen, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints in his face, which was rapidly draining of colour. The warden locked the door again - Raven was stood in front of him.
Mumbo started to scream again. He was quaking like a leaf. "K-K-Keep her away from me!" he cried, clawing at the other side of the room, trying to dig his way through the wall. The warden sighed, and showed the titans out. Raven hadn't even said a word, but now she was sure. sure of who Wraith was.
"Just turn the T.V off, will ya?"
Robin put down the remote, and looked over his shoulder at Cyborg.
"I just can't figure it out," he said. "One night everything in the city's normal, the next we have this Wraith character floating around. I mean, why has it come here?"
"He. It's definitely a he." Came the voice of Beastboy. "I heard his voice, though it's not really something I want to hear again." He shot a glance at Raven, who (as usual) currently had her nose in a book. She looked up, and scowled. Beastboy recoiled a little, but then continued nonetheless.
"And I think it knows Rae." he said, meekly. Robin looked to Raven, and waited for a retort. None came. "Well?" he asked eventually, "Do you know Wraith?"
Raven didn't seem to take notice of this question but then slowly lowered the book, looking Robin straight in the eyes. "Maybe." She said ambiguously "Maybe not. Maybe he just decided not to do what he was about to. Maybe I just interrupted him."
She got up, not wanting to be asked any more questions, and left the room. She left a very uneasy silence.
"I think she knows something." Said Beastboy. "Maybe she is our friend, but she can't keep it from us, not when that thing did that to Mumbo!"
"Maybe," said Robin, "but maybe we don't have to ask her again. Maybe we should just find someone else who has seen Wraith, face to face."
"But who possibly-" began Cyborg. Realisation dawned on the three Titans.
"Mumbo!" they said in unison.
The Titans (minus Raven, whom hadn't been seen since she had left the others earlier) walked along the long, white corridor of the asylum, guided by one of the wardens. He was updating them on Mumbo's condition.
"He was very traumatised," explained the warden, "If you hadn't stopped that Wraith creature from doing anything else to him, I don't think we could have stabilised him. As it is, he's stable, and just sitting down to dinner now."
The guard came to a door, and opened the eye-slot first to make sure the inhabitant of the cell was not doing anything out of the ordinary. Then, he took a big bunch of keys from his belt and unlocked the door. The titans filed in, followed by the warden. Mumbo looked up, and put down his knife and fork.
"Come to gloat?" he asked, bitterly. "After what that. thing did to me, I'll probably never be able to go into the dark ever again."
"Well it serves you right for being a criminal." Scathed Starfire, waving a finger at the magician. Mumbo turned back to his meal.
"What do you four want then?" he asked snidely.
"We want to know what you saw when Wraith caught you" said Robin, drawing closer to Mumbo. "We want to know what happened. And you were in the right place to tell us what did happen."
Mumbo thought for a few moments, cringing at the memory. "Well, I'm sorry, but the doctors say I have to refrain from traumatic ordeal recollection for the time being. Trust me, you don't want to know what I saw." Mumbo vaguely noticed the warden leaving the room, to let someone else in. "If you were on the receiving end of that, you wouldn't want to tell anyone either. So if I were you I'd just go back to your tower and try and forget about it. I thought you'd like this Wraith, since he's managed to put more criminals in the asylum in a week than what you did in your whole lives!"
Cyborg rushed forward; Mumbo's words had obviously hit a nerve. The magician shrank back and grinned. "Now, now Cyborg" he jibed, "You wouldn't want to do that in here, would you? Hurt a helpless old man?" Cyborg calmed a little. "That's better, see how easy it is to-"
The man's eyes seemed to widen, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints in his face, which was rapidly draining of colour. The warden locked the door again - Raven was stood in front of him.
Mumbo started to scream again. He was quaking like a leaf. "K-K-Keep her away from me!" he cried, clawing at the other side of the room, trying to dig his way through the wall. The warden sighed, and showed the titans out. Raven hadn't even said a word, but now she was sure. sure of who Wraith was.