Chapter Two: Murderer

Raven looked up at Cyborg, meeting his hating eyes for the first time with her own, looking like a dear in the headlights.

"Cyborg?" she said breathlessly. "Have you gone mad?"

"Yes, friend Cyborg, what do you mean?" Starfire wrapped her arm defensively around a shaking Raven.

Cyborg made his way slowly to the pair on the floor, his footsteps pounding.

"You asked me where your friends are," Cyborg said evenly. "Have you not thought to ask her?"

"Your wires are crossed, tin man," snapped Raven. "I don't know where they are anymore than she does."

"You should," said Cyborg with cold indifference. "You were there."

Starfire stood up and slowly backed away from Raven with a gasp.

"Then it's true…" she said. "Your vision, it… it did happen!"

"I guess so," said Raven suppressing a wave of nausea. "But that still doesn't explain how I am dangerous."

Cyborg pointed his sonic blaster at Raven, who looked more surprised than anything else. Cyborg looked away sadly and shook his head, his gun still pointed at Raven, who had quickly jumped to her feet.

"I don't want to do this, Raven," he said, his eyes closed.

"Then don't!" she cried. "That could put someone's eye out, Cyborg, put that thing down!"

"Cyborg, stop it!" Starfire shreiked, jumping into the line of fire.

"Star, get out of the way!" Cyborge shouted angrily.

"I will not let you hurt one of my friends," said Starfire.

"Nor will I let her hurt you," said Cyborg.

"What are you talking about, I would never hurt Starfire…" Raven looked at the redhead and shrugged. "Well, intentionally."

"You think this is a joke?" Cyborg laughed, seeming to be at his wits end. "I don't know whether or not those scars on Beast Boy will ever heal, or if Robin will ever wake up. Does that sound funny to you?"

Both girls were startled by this news. Starfire slowly backed away from Raven, looking at her in confusion.

"You know I find very few things funny, Cyborg," said Raven inscrutably.

Cyborg looked at Starfire and sported a disappointed smile as he shook his head at Raven. "You didn't tell her, did you?" he said. "You didn't have the heart. She deserves to know."

"I deserve to know what?" Starfire demanded of Raven. Raven looked from Starfire to Cyborg.

"I don't know!" she shrieked. "Cyborg's circuits are fried from all that water. He's not thinking straight."

"I think you're the one who's not thinking straight," said Cyborg. His arm began to quiver as he kept it pointed at her. Finally, he sighed. "I can't shoot you and you know it," he said. "So you're coming with me to the police. I expect you'll turn yourself in?"

"I don't even know what I did yet!" Raven said, looking at Cyborg as if he were more thickheaded than Starfire.

"Tell Starfire where you were last night," Cyborg ordered. Raven and Starfire exchanged looks.

"We already talked about this, neither of us know," said Raven.

"I can understand her," he said, nodding at Starfire, "and why she would be an easy person for you to con into helping the person who might have murdered her friends."

Raven looked desperately at Starfire who was looking at her dumbfounded.

"What trickery is this?" Starfire demanded, her eyes full of deep hurt.

"No trickery!" Raven said in her own defense. "I am no murderer!"

"Not yet," said Cyborg, gravely.

Silence returned to the Titan Tower. Finally, Raven sighed and looked up at Cyborg. "Look," she said, holding up her hands. She spoke to him slowly, as one would speak to a toddler. "Nothing up my sleeves. No clever illusions. Just me. Please, Cyborg, look at me and believe me, I don't know what's going on!"

Cyborg was staring at the floor.

"I can't look at you," he said, pained and exhausted. But he looked up at Starfire, who was eagerly awaiting an explanation. "Yesterday, Star, when we were out fighting the Hives, you took a huge blow to the head. We got you home and too bed. I guess you were out all night. But we saved that jewelry store from a heist and that kid gave Raven a knowing look and departed…"

Cyborg glanced at Raven, letting her know he was still suspicious of the silent exchange that apparently had passed between the child and herself. If only Raven could remember what that exchange was.

"After it was over, Robin, Beast Boy and I decided it was time to hit the beach. Rob and BB cajoled Raven to come and meditate on the beach with us."

"The beach is no place for meditation. It's full of static and mindless noise." Raven frowned. "Wow, Déjà vu."

"It should be," said Cyborg. "You said the exact same thing last night.

"Everything was fine at first. A friendly game of volleyball…"

"Beast Boy as a seagull…" Raven muttered, the image flashing in her mind again.

"So you do remember?" Cyborg said, accusingly.

"Only vaguely," said Raven. "I've already explained it to Star. I remembered parts of it and mistook it for a vision."

"Anyways, after a moment, you made some snide remark about the noise and then your eyes kinda… glazed over." Cyborg seemed to shiver with the memory.

She went wild then, going on about God knows what.

"What's she saying?" Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg. But before he could answer, Raven made a violent dive for Robin. He held up his hands to try and hold her back but she was damn set on getting him. She pushed him to the ground.

"Christ, Raven, what's gotten into you?" Robin screamed, fear and frustration evident in his voice as he struggled against the telekinetic.

Beast Boy transformed into a wolf, ready to protect a member of his pack.

"Beast Boy, wait!" Cyborg advised, grabbing the shape shifter by the scruff of his neck. Beast Boy looked up at him, angry and confused. "It's Raven," Cyborg reminded him, as he watched them struggle with each other.

Robin threw Raven off of him, his eyes wide with astonishment behind his mask. She glared at him and her eyes glowed dark as she uttered words none of them had ever heard before.

A moment later, Robin was engulfed in blackness and for a moment, he looked dead. Finally, his body flew against a large bolder and blood trickled down from his scalp line.

There was a scream of rage from Cyborg and he let the struggling Beast Boy loose on this girl gone mad.

Raven turned her black eyes to the canine before her as it launched at her. With another word she easily knocked him aside as if she were waving away a fly. The wolf gave a defeated whimper before slumping into submission by Robin's side.

She advanced towards Cyborg, who was pointing his sonic canon at her.

"Rae, girl, why are you doing this?" Cyborg asked, appalled.

"You deserve it," she scowled. "Each of you save-the-day louses deserve to die."

"We're your friends!" Cyborg stammered, trying to load his gun.

"I live and work alone. I do not have, nor do I have the need for any friends."

And with one final move, she threw Cyborg into the waves.

Starfire looked from one Titan to the other. Raven looked to be on the verge of breaking, but from what emotion, Starfire couldn't tell. Raven's admirable talent for keeping her feelings hidden masked whether it was rage, shock, or devestation. However, her talent might work against her if it condemned her.

"Is this true, Raven?" Starfire asked timidly of her friend. Raven was staring a Cyborg, dumbstruck.

"I woke up this morning with seaweed around my neck," said Cyborg. "It's true."

"Raven?" Starfire would not believe what Cyborg had told her until Raven herself admitted it.

Finally, Raven fell to her knees again, but this time in defeat.

"It can't be true," she whispered to herself. She looked up apologetically at Cyborg. "And yet… it must be." She then turned to Starfire. "What other explination… could there be?"

Starfire wanted so badly to run to her friend and comfort her, despite how the introvert may react to such a display of emotions. But something in Cyborg's gaze made her refrain.

"I'm taking you down to the police," said Cyborg, reluctantly. "I'm sorry, but it's the only way. I can't put Starfire or myself in danger with you around."

"She can't be dangerous!" Starfire exclaimed, in denial.

"I saw proof with my own eyes, Star. Believe me, had you have seen it…"

There were tears in the Tamaranian's eyes. "Robin is really…"

"Unconscious," said Cyborg. "But Raven did something funny to him before giving him a concussion."

Raven was staring at the floor as she held up her hands together.

"Cuff me, officer," she said.

Starfire watched in disbelief as Cyborg treated an old friend like a common criminal. He pushed her ahead and walked her to the elevator.

"But…"

"Star," Cyborg interrupted before the elevator doors closed. "Go down to the beach and clean Robin and Beast Boy up. I have no time or energy to do so myself. My battery's on its last leg anyway. I only have enough energy to take Raven in—if she cooperates." He pointed this comment at Raven who nodded, seemingly disgusted with herself.

"I will do as you say," said Starfire obediently as the doors closed.