Chapter 1
"Titans! Trouble!" Robin's familiar voice broke crackled in their communicators. Raven and Star abandoned their meditation, exiting Raven's room and hurrying to the common room.
"Man! It's like, two in the morning!" Beast Boy complained, "Don't you ever sleep?"
"What's up?" Cyborg demanded, ignoring Beast Boy.
"Robbery in progress." Robin told them, busily pressing buttons on the control panel of the main view screen, "At the City Bank."
"The big one near the harbor? How'd they get in there? That place has more defenses than Raven's room!" Beast Boy added in. With a barely visible movement, Raven pinched him.
"Ouch! Well you know it's true..." He grumbled, rubbing his arm.
"We don't have time for this." Robin stood up and faced them, "Let's go Titans."
Wordlessly, they all turned to follow.
Raven flew out the window. Beast Boy changed to a winged dinosaur and picked up Cyborg, flapping out the window to follow Raven.
"Star?" Robin set his hand on her shoulder, "You okay?"
She turned to face him a small smile on her face, "I am worried. This mission gives me the... heebie-jeebies? Is that how it is said?"
Robin nodded quietly. "I know. I just have this feeling. But we'll be fine if we stick together and look out for each other."
Star nodded mutely. "I am sure you are right." She picked Robin up and flew out the window to join the others.
OOOOO
The Titans arrived at the bank to find everything... fine.
"Where's the robbery?" Beast Boy asked, after he had set Cyborg down and returned to his form.
"The alarms went off..." Robin muttered confused, "Maybe we should check just to be sure."
He approached the entrance, reaching into his belt for one of the many gadgets stored there. He attached the small device directly to the security mainframe. The device whirred silently for a moment, then the small light on it changed from red to green.
Robin let out a sigh and turned to motion the other Titans inside. Star hesitated for a moment before entering. Robin followed her inside.
They cautiously crept into the main part of the bank.
"Where's all the guards?" Cyborg whispered. A low moan interrupted any answer there might have been. Every Titan whipped around to face the direction the sound came from.
"Can you give us some light Star?"
Star summoned a glowing starbolt on her hand, holding it high so the light fell in the direction the moan had come from.
"The guards-" Star whispered horrified, "What is wrong with them?"
Every guard lay, huddled on the floor. Many of them screamed noiselessly, their voices broken from screaming so often. Their eyes were blank, sightless as they grappled with non-existent horrors. They were sweating, rolling around on the floor, moaning and whimpering to themselves.
The light disappeared as Star caused the bolt to vanish, backing away from the guards.
Raven eyed the shadows now concealing the guards, "Their minds are being controlled. That's why everything appears okay on the outside. There's no one to sound the alarm again now that it's been deactivated. Obviously they must think whatever they're seeing is real. We need to be careful."
Robin nodded in agreement, "Right. Be careful everyone. Something is defiantly wrong here."
Beast Boy changed to a wolf, his fur bristling. He whined once and began trotting along a corridor, sniffing busily.
This way. He whisked his tail toward the main vault. I can hear voices. But something smells weird... Metallic sorta'. I haven't smelled anything like it before.
Robin took a a deep breath. "Okay Titans. Me and Cyborg first. Then Raven and Star. Beast Boy brings up the rear. Try not to attract attention. I'll signal when to attack. If we're spotted-"
A cry cut Robin off. "Boss! We got visitors!" A man appeared behind Star, grabbing her roughly, "There's more over here!"
Star bit the man, causing him to cry out and release her. She backed up to join the other Titans who had risen to help her.
"Looks like we'll have to do this the in-your-face-way Rob." Cyborg commented, powering up his cannon.
"Titans! Go!" Robin launched himself at the nearest man, extending his staff as he jumped. Other men appeared out of the darkness, each going down under the Titans assaults.
Raven levitated out of the fray, followed closely by Beast Boy, who had transformed himself into a bird. The other Titans battled their way to the entrance of the vault, leaving the men behind.
"Cyborg! The door!" Robin yelled, jumping inside. Cyborg instantly grabbed the edge of the gigantic steel door and shoved it closed, locking the clamoring men out.
We're in the main vault. Beast boy told them, And that weird smell? It's stronger now.
Harsh, grating laughter rang through the vault. Lights flickered on overhead casting the room into a harsh brightness.
"Good Titans. Although, I must admit, with your reputations I expected you quite some time ago."
Squinting against the light, too bright after so much darkness, Robin made out a stooped form near the other end of the vault. He put his hand up to his eyes, bringing the figure into sharper focus.
An old man stood there. His was thin as a skeleton, his skin sagging off his bones as if the couldn't quite hold it. He wore a gray suit, cut to his rather sharp profile. His nose was long and hooked, giving him the appearance of a hawk. He bent over a cane, the wood of it as gnarled and old as he was. A large black orb was held on the top, a swirling mass of black captured inside. But the thing that captured Robin's eye more than anything was his eyes. They were dark, almost black, and had no pupils that he could see.
The man laughed again. His frail body shaking with the force. "Now Titans. Are you prepared? I know you've faced many monsters and villains in your time. And defeated them all I dare say. But are you really ready? That is the question."
"You're speaking nonsense old man." Robin responded, slightly confused.
"Am I?" The man responded, twirling his cane slightly, "Am I really? How can you be sure? Of anything really? What's reality and what's... illusion."
"I'm getting sick of your riddles." Cyborg said angrily, "Tell us what you want!"
"Isn't that the question of the hour. But what I want to know is this, what are you afraid of?"
"Titans! Trouble!" Robin's familiar voice broke crackled in their communicators. Raven and Star abandoned their meditation, exiting Raven's room and hurrying to the common room.
"Man! It's like, two in the morning!" Beast Boy complained, "Don't you ever sleep?"
"What's up?" Cyborg demanded, ignoring Beast Boy.
"Robbery in progress." Robin told them, busily pressing buttons on the control panel of the main view screen, "At the City Bank."
"The big one near the harbor? How'd they get in there? That place has more defenses than Raven's room!" Beast Boy added in. With a barely visible movement, Raven pinched him.
"Ouch! Well you know it's true..." He grumbled, rubbing his arm.
"We don't have time for this." Robin stood up and faced them, "Let's go Titans."
Wordlessly, they all turned to follow.
Raven flew out the window. Beast Boy changed to a winged dinosaur and picked up Cyborg, flapping out the window to follow Raven.
"Star?" Robin set his hand on her shoulder, "You okay?"
She turned to face him a small smile on her face, "I am worried. This mission gives me the... heebie-jeebies? Is that how it is said?"
Robin nodded quietly. "I know. I just have this feeling. But we'll be fine if we stick together and look out for each other."
Star nodded mutely. "I am sure you are right." She picked Robin up and flew out the window to join the others.
OOOOO
The Titans arrived at the bank to find everything... fine.
"Where's the robbery?" Beast Boy asked, after he had set Cyborg down and returned to his form.
"The alarms went off..." Robin muttered confused, "Maybe we should check just to be sure."
He approached the entrance, reaching into his belt for one of the many gadgets stored there. He attached the small device directly to the security mainframe. The device whirred silently for a moment, then the small light on it changed from red to green.
Robin let out a sigh and turned to motion the other Titans inside. Star hesitated for a moment before entering. Robin followed her inside.
They cautiously crept into the main part of the bank.
"Where's all the guards?" Cyborg whispered. A low moan interrupted any answer there might have been. Every Titan whipped around to face the direction the sound came from.
"Can you give us some light Star?"
Star summoned a glowing starbolt on her hand, holding it high so the light fell in the direction the moan had come from.
"The guards-" Star whispered horrified, "What is wrong with them?"
Every guard lay, huddled on the floor. Many of them screamed noiselessly, their voices broken from screaming so often. Their eyes were blank, sightless as they grappled with non-existent horrors. They were sweating, rolling around on the floor, moaning and whimpering to themselves.
The light disappeared as Star caused the bolt to vanish, backing away from the guards.
Raven eyed the shadows now concealing the guards, "Their minds are being controlled. That's why everything appears okay on the outside. There's no one to sound the alarm again now that it's been deactivated. Obviously they must think whatever they're seeing is real. We need to be careful."
Robin nodded in agreement, "Right. Be careful everyone. Something is defiantly wrong here."
Beast Boy changed to a wolf, his fur bristling. He whined once and began trotting along a corridor, sniffing busily.
This way. He whisked his tail toward the main vault. I can hear voices. But something smells weird... Metallic sorta'. I haven't smelled anything like it before.
Robin took a a deep breath. "Okay Titans. Me and Cyborg first. Then Raven and Star. Beast Boy brings up the rear. Try not to attract attention. I'll signal when to attack. If we're spotted-"
A cry cut Robin off. "Boss! We got visitors!" A man appeared behind Star, grabbing her roughly, "There's more over here!"
Star bit the man, causing him to cry out and release her. She backed up to join the other Titans who had risen to help her.
"Looks like we'll have to do this the in-your-face-way Rob." Cyborg commented, powering up his cannon.
"Titans! Go!" Robin launched himself at the nearest man, extending his staff as he jumped. Other men appeared out of the darkness, each going down under the Titans assaults.
Raven levitated out of the fray, followed closely by Beast Boy, who had transformed himself into a bird. The other Titans battled their way to the entrance of the vault, leaving the men behind.
"Cyborg! The door!" Robin yelled, jumping inside. Cyborg instantly grabbed the edge of the gigantic steel door and shoved it closed, locking the clamoring men out.
We're in the main vault. Beast boy told them, And that weird smell? It's stronger now.
Harsh, grating laughter rang through the vault. Lights flickered on overhead casting the room into a harsh brightness.
"Good Titans. Although, I must admit, with your reputations I expected you quite some time ago."
Squinting against the light, too bright after so much darkness, Robin made out a stooped form near the other end of the vault. He put his hand up to his eyes, bringing the figure into sharper focus.
An old man stood there. His was thin as a skeleton, his skin sagging off his bones as if the couldn't quite hold it. He wore a gray suit, cut to his rather sharp profile. His nose was long and hooked, giving him the appearance of a hawk. He bent over a cane, the wood of it as gnarled and old as he was. A large black orb was held on the top, a swirling mass of black captured inside. But the thing that captured Robin's eye more than anything was his eyes. They were dark, almost black, and had no pupils that he could see.
The man laughed again. His frail body shaking with the force. "Now Titans. Are you prepared? I know you've faced many monsters and villains in your time. And defeated them all I dare say. But are you really ready? That is the question."
"You're speaking nonsense old man." Robin responded, slightly confused.
"Am I?" The man responded, twirling his cane slightly, "Am I really? How can you be sure? Of anything really? What's reality and what's... illusion."
"I'm getting sick of your riddles." Cyborg said angrily, "Tell us what you want!"
"Isn't that the question of the hour. But what I want to know is this, what are you afraid of?"