It was a quiet night in Jump City.
Too quiet.
Down in the warehouse district, things were being set in motion. Pawns were being moved a great chessboard, through the pawns might not yet be aware of their use. They were being manipulated. But they didn't know and thus they didn't care. There was not to question why.
There was but to do or die.
"Hurry up and get those crates onto the truck!" shouted one of the miscreants, ordering about his minions. It was a simple job, transporting their cargo off the ships, to the warehouse, and out in the trucks to their appropriate destinations. Simple enough work. They weren't exactly getting paid but their boss had promised them a vast reward when everything was said and done. Until then they simply had to do as they were told.
But it was about to be interrupted.
Robin made no sound as he opened the skylight in the roof and dropped down gracefully onto one of the support beams of the warehouse. Long years of training under Batman had taught him to move as quietly and invisibly as a shadow. Even if he -was- dressed in a costume of bright greens, reds and yellows. Thus, the thugs below had yet to even notice his presence. His eyes narrowed behind his black mask as he peered down at them, wondering what they could be up to.
He'd been trailing this particular gang for a few weeks now. Small-time thugs that had seemingly come from out of nowhere, they made no contact with outsiders and spent more time stealing food and clothing than jewels, which had piqued his interest. Now they were smuggling weapons. High-grade explosives, to be specific. The sort that leveled buildings or blew up buses. That made the Boy Wonder theorize that perhaps they were terrorists about to take hostages and make demands.
"Get a move on you cur!" cursed one of the thugs, their leader by the sounds of it. It was hard to tell. All of the gang members were wearing heavy trench coats and hats to conceal their features and working hard to stay out of the light. Robin couldn't identify any features.
Then Robin saw something even more peculiar.
One of the criminals had reached down to pick up a crate, but to Robin surprise he grabbed not one but two, each with only a single hand and, apparently with no effort at all, hoisted them up onto his shoulders, carrying them towards the truck and (thankfully with great care) placing them in. Robin's gaze narrowed further. No ordinary human could be that strong. Metahumans? Or maybe they'd come up with a copy of Bane's old venom formula?
Whatever it was, it was time to end, thought Robin as he reached down to his utility belt and pulled out some birdarangs.
Throwing with pinpoint accuracy, they slammed right into the side of a crate one of the thugs was just about to pull, startling him and causing the others to glance up in surprise as Robin leapt down to join them on the warehouse floor that quickly became a battlefield.
"Stop the kid!" shouted the lead thug, his voice sounding distorted by the shadows of his coat. Two of the criminals rushed at Robin, arms extended, not even bothering with weapons.
Confused by their sloppy tactics and upset because of their comment (kid?! He was nearly seventeen for crying out loud!) Robin launched himself into a back-flip, dodging the first attack and adding a kick into his flip to catch the thug full in the jaw, sending him reeling. To Robin's surprise, however, the kick hadn't had much effect. It hadn't felt like he was striking a bone jaw either, it had felt harder and... different. Almost like he'd struck hardened leather or a Kevlar bulletproof vest.
Growling like some animals, the second thug moved in but Robin was ready, reaching behind his back, under his cape, and grabbing out his retractable bo staff, drawing out and swinging it in a smooth, practiced motion. The steel end slid out in mid-swing and hit the other thug's legs, knocking his balance out from underneath him. Robin followed through with the swing, twirling the staff above his head, and allowed the other end to slide into place as well. Fully extended, he snapped his bo staff behind his back, one arm extended towards the other thugs.
They were all facing him now and, judging from the growls coming from beneath their hats, they were very, very angry.
Robin smirked, beckoning them on with his free hand.
Jump City was normally a very quiet city. It was an industrious city, its market centered on the great bay and their shipping base. A great deal of products went in and out of Jump City, and it had prospered because of them. True, crimes happened, no city was perfect, but on the whole its people were normal and law-abiding and had no interest in causing trouble. Most nights went by with the only major disturbance being people with insomnia.
Tonight was not an ordinary night.
In one of the back-alley's of Jump City, far from the warehouse district where Robin was fighting off criminals, a strange wind had picked up. A nearby dog, a stray, howled as the wind picked up, and little flashes of lightning lit the air. Black, negative light lightning. The dog was afraid, its instincts screamed danger, even though its senses had yet to register anything truly threatening. Then there was a clash of thunder, and a bright light.
When it cleared, the stray was not alone in the alley.
A young girl, no more than perhaps fifteen or so, stood in the alleyway, shrouded in a blue cloak that fell down to her ankles and hid all that was visible beneath. A hood covered her head, allowing only the lower part of her face to be visible in the light. Her skin was deathly pale and colorless, save her lips, which were a healthy if dark color of crushed grapes. Her eyes were large and doe-shaped, lavender in color and seemed to take in everything around her. Her hair could not be seen underneath the hood she wore. Everything about her screamed mystery and, to some perceptive eyes, danger.
"Not exactly where I was hoping for," she remarked sarcastically to no one, shaking her foot to dislodge a loose piece of newspaper from her blue shoe.
Raven closed her eyes, reaching out from under her cloak with one hand. Lifting it up she sprayed out her fingers. She shifted her hand... slowly moving it left... turning in a circle. Searching. Where was it. Then she sensed it, and her eyes widened.
"They've already broken two of the seals," she breathed fearfully. She hadn't expected them to move so quickly. "That leaves only a few left. They must be powerful indeed."
Raven dropped her hand back down to her side, letting it be swallowed up once more by her blue cloak as she stepped to the mouth of the alley, peering this way and that. What she saw amazed her, though outwardly she was as calm as ever. Despite it being well past midnight the streets were filled with people, walking, talking, doing a myriad of activities. The streets were filled too, by large moving beasts made of metal. Cars, she realized, remembering her lessons about Earth. She had been fully versed before her mother had opened the portal, after all. This world is nothing like Azerath, she thought. Nothing at all like home. It seems more... dangerous. I will have to familiarize myself with it.
"Perhaps I will need help," she mused aloud. Ordinarily she would never even consider it, but with such powerful foes, in such an alien world, and with such at stake, she would have to reconsider. She wasn't completely ignorant of the nature of Earth, but it was different viewing it through a crystal globe from the safety and serenity of Azerath. It was quite another to be actually here.
The Justice League? she thought to herself, tapping a finger against her delicate chin in thought. No, they won't accept my aid. They'll see me for what I am. They'll sense the darkness of father within' me, she thought bitterly. I will need assistance though. Perhaps there are others of similar caliber who could be... persuaded... to assist me in my quest.
Raven reached within, focusing her powers, and allowed the tiniest portion of emotion to escape so she could activate them. A great black raven of pure energy rose from the ground, engulfing her in its shadowy-self. When it dissipated, Raven was long gone. Teleported to somewhere else.
She had to work quickly... or all was lost.
Author's Notes:
Raven's entrance into our world I modeled largely after the time-traveling effects from 'Terminator', 'T2' and most recently in 'T3.' In the comics Raven first went seeking help from the Justice League but they rejected her pleas for help because of Trigon's evil within her (Zatanna, specifically, sensed it) and she was forced to call together the Titans. Her inner musings are a tribute to that. Next time, Robin's battle in the warehouse becomes more dangerous, and the arrival of a visitor from another world.
Oceanbang: Glad you like the descriptions, I do try. United team on its way, but they gotta meet first. Patience.
Spazzfire: Well I'm glad I've managed to keep your interest. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep up the posting.
ViciousAssassin: Well glad to see you're back. Hope you enjoyed the other four Titans introductions/secret origins.
Koriand'r Star: Not next chapter no, but down the line I'll bring it up. Glad you enjoyed the depth I put into Cyborg's origin.
InuKurama: I cannot say what the future brings but I do promise this. Once the Titan series is over I plan to write many, many more future-fics, just like I did with XME. I make the same promise concerning JLU, when that ends. But let's hope they never end.
Darkgoddess333: As will most people who read this I hope, otherwise I'm in trouble. Glad you like it.
Todd fan: Nothing wrong with that. I have a thing for hot alien babes, amazons and mutant femme fatales. To each their own.
WingedUnicorn123: Uh, after I hope, not many kids I know with fangs like that. Thank you, I do try.
Elrohirthewriter: Good to see you again. Tim? I'm pretty sure the animated Titan Robin is Dick. Entpan? WTF? And I'm pretty sure the vegetarianism came later, I'll explain that when it comes up in my story.