BEGIN PART 1: NEWS OF THE WORLD
Storm the master marathon, and I'll fly through
Flash of thunder fire, and I'll survive
Then I'll defy the laws of nature
And come out alive!
Chapter 1: THE SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE
The story truly begins a week later. A week of time is enough for many things to have all ready happened. A week was enough time for reality to settle in for the Teen Titans. They had defeated Slade and brought about the crumbling of his power. The mastermind himself had escaped, perhaps he would rebuild and return in time, but that was no longer the concern of the Titans. They were the victors, and to the victors go the spoils.
And they had just bought a new home theater system to celebrate. Robin had said they deserved it, and settled in for a long, long overdue vacation. He turned on the TV to channel 58, and that meant cartoons. "Ah," Robin said to himself, "Bugs Bunny on a big screen TV. Nothing beats this,"
"This is an emergency news bulletin," the TV announced, correcting Robin. "The United Kingdom submerged. Flooding has overtaken the British Isles at an alarming pace. Officials have announced that there is no known cause for this unprecedented turn of events. This is just one of many unnatural phenomena detected all over the world. Africa and South America have both detected record level earthquakes, and monsoons of unheard of intensity have been announced in. With news of evacuations in Hawaii, and increased tornado activity in the Great Plains, disaster has even struck home," Robin reached for the remote, his eyes not straying from the screen, "Truly, this has been an interesting and frightening week in news,"
Robin changed the channel, expecting the news to be even worse, "Beached whales have been seen in alarming numbers along the coastal America," and again, "And the Cubs have won the pennant."
"What is happening," Robin said to himself. He settled on the first news network he found. He leaned forward, watching the news. Each new story added to the catastrophe, and he felt his stomach knot in fear. "Titans," he hoarsely said. He cleared his throat and said much more audibly, "We have trouble!"
"What now?" came the irritated voice of Cyborg as he came into the room. Robin could see something had upset him greatly. The two of them were best friends for the longest time, and even though there had been tense times when they were too angry at the other to agree with anything, they had still stuck through.
"Have you seen the news?" Robin asked. This just made Cyborg even more upset, "I guess you have."
"What's up, dudes?" said the youngest member of the team. Beast Boy was everyone's little brother. Robin sometimes wondered if the team would be enough to stay together if it weren't for BB, as some of his closest friends were given to privilege to call him, and his wild antics. He seemed to not have a clue about the strange proceedings, and it made Robin feel almost guilty to take away that bliss from him. However, even if he was younger, Robin knew that if he kept something from Beast Boy, he would be keeping him from doing what he loved best - saving the world he felt so in tune with.
Robin felt relieved as the beautiful Starfire entered the room. She calmed him down, in spite of the disasters raging outside. "Robin!" she chirped upon seeing him. She looked at him, wide-eyed and childlike. She had, Robin remembered, the ability to convert the Sun's waves into dangerous energy bolts, making her like a solar-powered battery cannon. However, she would probably have been a more effective fighter if she didn't try and talk to the enemy first. Still, that was part of why Robin was so glad to call her his friend, and maybe - he banished this train of thought.
Lastly, the mysterious sorceress known only as Raven appeared. She said nothing as she emerged from her cloak of shadows. Her deep, sunken eyes looked at Robin, then at the rest of the team, back at Robin irritably, and then were closed as she sat and waited the news. Robin had the hardest time figuring out Raven because she was also the most distant. Her attitude was totally unreadable. She just sat there, waiting for Robin to talk.
"Have you heard the news?" Robin asked,
"I don't think we want involvement in that," Raven said irritably, "We're super heroes, not miracle workers,"
"I know, but something's fishy," Robin said.
Cyborg answered furiously, "No kidding. I swear, that pennant game was rigged. No way the Cubs could win it,"
"I fear we're in for tough times ahead, Titans," Robin said, ignoring Cyborg. Then he stared astonished, "Wait, they won?"
Cyborg shrugged, "Gotta be rigged,"
"No kidding!" Robin said. "Wow. I just can't believe that," there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Robin looked embarrassed, "Anyway, back on track. You guys have any ideas?"
"Is the water blue?" Starfire asked. They all looked at her expectantly. There was a pause, a cough, and Starfire pointed to the window, "I seem to recall it being blue yesterday." They looked to see the water had turned red like fresh blood.
"Okay, first the Cubs, now this," Cyborg said, "The signs of the Apocalypse are just adding up,"
"Interesting analysis, Cyborg," Raven said, monotonously, "Care to elaborate what those signs are?"
"Well - "
"Yeah. Didn't think so. Well, Robin," Raven asked, "What are we going to do?"
"Well," Robin began, straight-faced. "At least we have an operative in the waters. C'mon."
********************************
DATE:
"What's today, anyway, Jinx?"
"The, I don't know, first or something," Jinx said lazily. She adjusted her shades, "Who knew China'd be so relaxing?"
DATE: The First or something
MISSION LOG:
"Okay," Gizmo sat at his computer typing, "Mission status?"
"Oh, my nails could use some work," Jinx said, "I've not had a proper manicure yet,"
"Ugh," Mammoth was lounging on the bed, his stomach growling and his voice little more than a groan, "This Chinese food fills you up for an hour, but then you're hungry all over again. Need more food,"
"Wish I brought real printer paper, now that I think about it. I'm not using that stuff they're importing from India," Gizmo looked idly at the printer paper package he had bought. It moved. In fact, it squirmed about like a nest of bees. He sighed.
MISSION LOG: BORED
Jinx smiled, "Let's go shopping," the smile suddenly took a nasty, wicked shape. Mammoth and Gizmo stared aghast, and tried desperately to get to the door. The door lock jammed, and Mammoth desperately tried to rip open the door, "There's no escape, boys," she taunted, her eyes glowing menacingly. The boys utilized the single option available to them.
They screamed.
*********************************
The signal went through the red waves. The water was blood, cloudy and dark, and only the light of the angler fish gave the traveler any sight. His dark, strange eyes stared ahead of him and saw red. The ocean felt wrong. It was difficult to breathe and he would be lost without his aid's bioluminescence. Aqualad had tried to stop the spread of the red tide, but it had finally reached Atlantis.
The seas rumbled with the cry of something mighty in its depths. There was a rhythm to it.
"We must hurry," he urged the angler, and they proceeded as fast as they could. The fish was not used to the change in water pressure of being so close to the surface, but in the new environment the angler was much better suited than its ilk that resided at this depth. The red devoured those that could not see. Aqualad was filled with a sense of sorrow when he passed through the barren, cruel landscape of the sea. No dolphins played here anymore, the sea had changed too much..
The sea was darkness.
Aqualad surfaced by the Tower. Sitting by the shore, waiting there for him was a familiar green face, "Yo, dude," said the shape shifter,
"Hey," Aqualad answered. He looked grim, perhaps even a bit dark emerging from the red water, "This is serious,"
"How bad is it down there?" BB asked, leaping to his feet, "Give it to me straight,"
"Disastrous. Zero visibility, and when you can see, it's empty. I don't want to think about what's happened to the fish," he said, clearly upset. Beast Boy looked at him, nodded, and got to his feet,
"C'mon. Robin wants to talk to you," said he. The two walked in. Beast Boy groaned, "I hoped it wasn't too bad. I mean, I've been most of those things. I kind of feel a link to them, y'know?"
"I know," Aqualad said, "I feel the same way, for different reasons of course,"
"Yeah," Beast Boy said. Aqualad looked at him, and smiled,
"Oh, come on, cheer up. Where's that incorrigible attitude of yours? I was half hoping you'd race me there and give some big speech afterwards,"
Beast Boy looked at him. Then, slowly his grin peeked out from its hiding place. "Okay then! Race you to the living room!"
"You're on!" the two broke into a sprint across the path. Aqualad grinned and pushed Beast Boy as they entered the foyer, and Beast Boy returned the favor. They laughed as they broke past the finish line and into the stern face of Robin.
"Aqualad, good to see you," he said, his tone the same as his face, "But can we stay serious for at least one minute?"
"Sorry," Aqualad said, turning his head to the side slightly. He frowned, "This is a serious problem. I was on my way to see you when I got the signal. Guess it's even worse up here?"
"Not yet," Robin admitted, "But it's getting there." Beast Boy stood silent while Robin continued, "Do we know what's causing it?"
"I can't tell you. The visibility down there is way too cloudy. I was going to ask if you could help us with that," Aqualad admitted. Robin nodded in affirmation,
"Well," Robin said, "Let's get the Titans together. It's time for a mission briefing."
*****************************
Jinx looked at herself in the mirror, and winked at her reflected image, "Perfect!" Her hair was tied into buns. She admired her new kimono, a black affair with violet lining, and then made a pose, "What do you guys think? Is it me?"
"Sure, whatever," Mammoth grumbled, "Can we eat now?"
"Please," Gizmo said, eying his stomach, "I think my stomach's beginning to eat itself." Jinx looked at the boys angrily, "Not that it hasn't been fantastic spending this last afternoon carrying your bags,"
"That's more like it, slaves. Let's eat." The boys followed Jinx as she swayed down the street. Gizmo muttered to himself, looking at the load he was carrying because there was no way he would be able to see above it. Boxes upon boxes stacked up in front of him. They occasionally bounced with his steps.
"C'mon, Jinx!" he urged, "I can't see where I'm going," Jinx glared at him, but he couldn't tell, "I swear I'm going to walk into someone at this rate,"
"Just. Keep. Walking." Jinx annunciated every word. The boys groaned.
No one was sure what happened next. Gizmo walked forward a step and collided with a boy that Jinx and Mammoth had not even seen there. The boxes fell in a perfect pile in Jinx's arms, and Gizmo merely got a small shock, "Watch where you're going," he muttered. He looked at a small blonde boy who stared innocently at him,
"Hello!" he chirped in awkward English. "How are you?" He was dressed in strange oriental robes, made of the finest silk any of them had ever seen.
"Um," Gizmo said, unused to such things as social tact, "Fine?"
"That's absolutely wonderful!" the boy squealed happily.
Jinx looked at him critically, then asked, "Who are you?"
"They call me Mad the Swine. I guess I'm Mad the Swine," he said. They looked at him, perplexed by his odd, awkward behavior. "I was wondering if you would be my friends?"
They were caught off guard by this question. Gizmo was the first to recover, "Go be your own friend, snot."
Mad looked at Gizmo, his expression constant but his tone confused, "I'm sorry?"
"Leave us alone," he repeated. Mad looked at the ground, his big blue eyes looking upset. "Yeah, go cry to momma, I don't care. Let's go guys,"
"Yeah! Cry to mommy!" Mammoth agreed. But Jinx lingered. She couldn't force her eyes off the boy. There was something about him that was keeping her legs fixed in their place, paralyzed with fear. She felt a tingle down her spine, and her hands began to shake.
"Magic," she muttered in awe, "Such powerful magic!" She looked at, and Mad at her, his eyes welling up with tears. There was a hesitant sniff, and a pained breath, then he began to bawl like a little child who had his favorite toy taken away from him,
"No one wants to be my friend! Why is everyone so mean to me?"
"I'll be your friend," Jinx said, eagerly, "After all, friends should help one another. If you help me take these heavy bags to my room," she made a show of it being heavy, "I'm just a simple girl after all. If you help me with that, I'll be more than happy to get you lots more friends!"
"R, really?" Mad said, a tear lingering preciously, almost perfectly, from his right eye, "You would do that for me?"
"Of course!" Jinx said. Her Cheshire grin grew wider and wider.
****************************
This is Slade Wilson's chamber. It is simple. The only thing of note is a large painting of a happy father and his beautiful wife looking after two growing, healthy young lads.
Slade hazarded a smile underneath his mask. He then turned to the computer terminal he was working on. Written within were abstract pieces of information that he had been able to gather.
The man had been named Arthur Ezekiel, no known relatives ran one line, and right next to it a completely different thought, He carried a bamboo staff. China? followed behind it. He looked down at the rest of the document. Written repeatedly, time after time, was the word 'song'. It baffled him. The man had said he had mentioned the song as though it were the end all be all of destiny, "Perhaps it is." He typed furiously for a second, bringing up an e-mail manager and then continuing to type. He sent the mail expectantly, "I've got the greatest expectations of you, 'Oracle', don't let them down."
A knocking at his chamber door. He rose and answered it, "Wintergreen," he said, "A call from the HIVE?"
"Yes, sir," the servant said curtly, "Most distressing news,"
"The only kind at a time like this," he walked to the command center. Completely automated, it only took a button to bring up the incoming call. The old woman's face appeared before him, "What news do you bring me?"
"There is nothing unusual happening in China, Mr. Slade. We advise that you consider using our services when it is necessary," the Headmistress said, curtly,
"Ah," said Slade, simply, closing his eyes, "Is that how it is. Most distressing. It seems that I will have to book a flight there myself at this point in time,"
The Headmistress cut off the channel. Slade looked at the empty screen, and carefully pressed a key, "I'm most terribly sorry, but I wasn't finished. As your employer, I do demand a bit of courtesy,"
"Mr. Slade, at this time our services to you are terminated," the Headmistress answered in a dangerous tone, "I don't know how you managed-"
"Let me keep a few of my tricks magic," Slade implored, gesturing with his hand, "After all, I want a report of this strange normalcy in a time where whales have been seen to beach themselves as though they are running from a predator, where England has had to consider erecting dykes, and the seas have turned red,"
"Mr. Slade, we assure you that there is nothing that needs be brought to your attention," said she, with her tone turning furious, "Good day, Mr. Slade,"
"Naughty, naughty," Slade said, "Withholding information when that is what I hired you for. I guess I'll just have to detract that from your payment."
"We will return it posthaste, then, Mr. Slade. Good day," the channel was cut again. Slade rested his chin on his hands,
"Well," said he, his eye narrowing to a mere slit, "Looks like our trip to China had been most successful, Wintergreen." The servant gave his master a puzzled expression. Slade smiled underneath his mask, "When mercenaries reject payment, they've gotten something much more profitable in mind. Perhaps I should have offered them more money." He pressed some buttons on his desk. The view screens lit up with stylized red insignia over a mighty, blue T.
"Time to call in a few favors, Mr. Red X."
********************************
The T Tower had been installed with a conference room. It had become an unofficial dining room at 5 PM during Day 1 of the occupation by the Mighty Teen Titans. They had never used it for its actual purpose before, and Robin was having some difficulty with the buttons installed at his chair to allow him to manipulate diagrams of the Earth, and, most fortuitously, the surfaces beneath the waves. It was only due to Aqualad that they were even able to recognize it as something other than 'Vaguely Rocky Area'.
"Well, Aqualad, what's the story," Robin asked. Aqualad nodded and pointed at the diagram,
"This is where the strange substance began to leak," Aqualad explained. "At first, my liege and I were able to maintain it in a slow growth. We estimated that it would take a few days for the, well, we called it the bloodwater, to reach the surface, and we worked eagerly to contain it. What I find most ironic is that I'm certain that here," he pointed to a series of caverns, "Is where we contained the army of Trident clones,"
"Seriously?" Beast Boy asked, "You think they got out?"
"That isn't too likely," Cyborg answered, "My sonic blasters were able to shake up enough stone that an army of drillers would take a decade to get through,"
"The point is," Aqualad said, his voice calm, "When we passed by, the cavern wasn't blocked, but worse yet, there was nothing inside,"
"No way!" BB exclaimed, "I can't believe this. After all that work he broke out?"
Aqualad shook his head, "I don't know. And we can't exactly find out because we're dealing with a red fog that's been slowly suffocating the seas," he looked to the girls, who swooned in turn, "I need your help, I implore you,"
"Uh, sure," Raven stuttered, ashamed of her behavior, "That's what we do, isn't it?"
"Oh! Most certainly!" Starfire swooned. Cyborg seemed to be lost in thought. Robin looked at him,
"Hey, Robin, call up the diagram of the sub," the tin man asked. After flipping through a few wrong buttons, a few including racy diagrams, Robin finally located the sub diagram. He wondered idly if it was too late to get labels installed on these buttons. He idly noticed Cyborg's brow raise and his arm out to cover Beast Boy's eyes. Starfire and Raven both wore blushes, and Raven took time to glare at Robin. Aqualad was just plain confused.
"Uh oh," said Robin, his face starting to wear a blush of embarrassment and shame. "There we go."
"Um, thanks, Robin. That was most interesting. I especially liked the La Blue Girl one," Cyborg said, slowly. He removed his hand from the protesting Beast Boy's eyes.
"I don't know whose that is!" He screamed through a series of excuses, "I'm not just making up excuses!"
"Right.... Anyway." Cyborg said, skeptically. He took time to look at Robin incredulously before continuing, "As you can see, the ship's equipped for five people. Usually that wouldn't be a problem. However, with the water being totally obscured, Aqualad and Beast Boy are going to be confined to the sub. Unless sonar's working, I'm going to have to try out a few different scan methods,"
Aqualad shook his head, "We had attempted using echo-location early on, however the water seems to return the signal almost immediately. It's as though we're swimming through seaweed,"
"No sonar, huh? Guess I'll whip something up. That shouldn't take more than an hour, it's just that the sub is not going to be able to carry the six of us. Someone's going to have to run Mission Command up here,"
"That's probably for the best anyway. Cyborg, it's your sub, and Aqualad, Beast Boy, you two are probably our best operatives down there, so you're on the away team. Now, I'm going to ask for someone to volunteer to stay up here," Raven brought her hand up nonchalantly and put it down again, "All right, Raven. We'll need you to keep an eye on everything. If there's an emergency, contact us, and if anything big happens, just get out of the tower, got it?"
Raven uttered, "Whatever," and then went silent.
"Okay, everyone get ready. We leave as soon as Cyborg's done modifying the sub." The others got up and left, while Robin sat down and thought for a second. He looked at the buttons on his seat and idly browsed through them, making note of which did what. He sighed embarrassedly at the sheer amount of information stored in there.
There was a beeping sound, "The communication channel?" Robin asked aloud, idly, as he pressed the button. The diagram screen lit up with a familiar mask,
"Hello, Robin. I've come to tell you I've reconsidered your earlier proposal and must now say I have no other choice but to accept. Partner." Robin rose to his feet, and angrily called out,
"Slade!"
"That's right, Robin. Seriously though," Slade said, his face never changing, "We need to talk about combining our efforts. Just this once,"
"What are you talking about, Slade,"
"Are you familiar with a book by a St. John the Divine? It's quite famous, actually. The Book of Revelations," Slade held up the Bible for Robin to see, "Part of the Holy Bible, the primary doctrine of the Christian Church. Most fascinating read, I must say. What if I were to tell you I have reason to believe that it is coming true?"
"I wouldn't believe you,"
"I see," Slade said, "But it is,"
"That may be," Robin said, "But I have no reason to trust you," Slade laughed. Robin's eyes narrowed, "What's so funny?"
Slade cleared his throat, trying to maintain some composure, "Trust," he began, "We talk about Trust while wearing masks. Robin, I have about as much reason to trust you as you have to trust me."
"Slade, if you're just going to contact me to laugh, go away. We've got enough problems as it is,"
"Ah!" Slade said, "To be young again, when you have all the problems of the world. Robin, put things in perspective. Your most serious challenges were the games you and I used to play. You are completely irrelevant in the scheme of things, and that makes thinking about your so-called problems so very simple to make difficult."
Robin shot Slade a glare, and returned ferociously, "Shut up, Slade. Give me one good reason that we should work together,"
"It's a temporary agreement, let's say, to exchange information and to coordinate our efforts in a way beneficial for both of our interests." Slade gauged Robin's reaction. He was quiet, his brow furrowing. He looked up with a calm expression,
"I'm listening."
***********************************
Robin and Raven ran into one another in the halls. They fell to the ground as each of them bounced off the other. Robin looked up to see Raven's fragile form dazed and just a bit confused, "Sorry, Raven! You okay?"
"I am," she looked down at herself, "Embarrassed," she answered at last. She looked at Robin, and then frowned, "I have to talk to you,"
"Same," Robin said. "I need to stay up here, Raven. Can you take my place in this mission?"
Raven looked Robin in the eyes, "Don't trust Slade," she said, "I wouldn't trust anyone who wears a mask with my life,"
"What about me?"
"As I said," she looked at Robin again, "I will go, but upon my return I submit my resignation from the Teen Titans." Robin gawked at her. She rose and began walking towards her room, "I must prepare for the mission immediately,"
"I'm sorry?" Robin said, "You submit your what?" Raven looked at Robin and reluctantly gave him a sad smile,
"Resignation." Raven returned her expression to stoic and looked at Robin, "There are things I must do. Pressing, urgent business, and if I fail then I'm afraid of what may come. I do not want liabilities, and a team like this one is a liability waiting to happen." She returned to her room quickly.
"Raven!" he called, "Wait!" Raven stopped moving. "I won't stop you if that's really what you want, but," he smiled bashfully, "But know we don't want to just let you go." There was a sound, he couldn't exactly decipher what it was. It was like a sharp, voiced breath. She took a step, and picked up her pace, leaving Robin standing, alone, confused, and most of all, worried.
Cyborg found him in this state a few minutes later, "Hey, man, you ready. We're going to shove off in about five minutes!"
"Last minute change, Cyborg," Robin said, "Raven's accompanying you. Oh, and make sure she has some fun,"
"What?"
"Just, trust me." He hesitated, "You trust me, don't you?" Cyborg looked at Robin like he was crazy,
"I may have gotten a teensy bit mad at you for that whole Red X thing, but honestly, you've proven yourself enough times that I can safely say I trust you. Look, little man, whatever reasons you got, you obviously don't want me to know," he winked, "And I'll keep that out of Star's ears so she doesn't get upset again like last time you tried to keep a secret from her,"
"Oh god, not the Surprise Party of 2002." Robin covered his face with his hands, "Don't remind me, I just want to forget the Surprise Party of 2002. Look, should I get Raven for you?"
"Nah! It's cool, little man. I'll get her. You just get your scrawny self over to the command center and get us ready for launch," Cyborg said. Robin smirked, and gave a salute,
"Whatever you say, Captain Cyborg, sir," he winked.
"Whatever," Cyborg said. He watched Robin leave and then made his way casually to Raven's room. He knocked on the door and awaited her response. She opened the door suddenly, "Ready to push off, landlubber?"
"Shut up," said she with the force and speed of a glacier. Cyborg shuddered, "Let's go." She walked away from the room, but the door was left wide open so Cyborg could see that the room was completely empty.
*****************************
The submarine was hanging over the red liquid. Starfire was running a few tests on her area. She turned on the radio, "MUSTAFA MUSTAFA! MUSTAFA MUSTAFA!" And quickly turned it off, covering her ears. She looked at Aqualad, who was before testing the waters with a great deal of distrust. He brought his finger out of the water, it had the consistency of blood. She smiled. "Hello, Aqualad!"
"Ah, Starfire! Hello," said he, she swooned. He shrugged, never fully understanding what it was with land-dwellers, "This is certainly a surprise," he said, with a somewhat confused tone. Starfire looked up. Twitch.
"Sorry?"
"It's a surprise," he said without changing the tone of his voice. She nodded,
"Certainly it is. I wonder what exactly is causing this?" She looked to Aqualad,
"Well, I'd say-" he began, when Beast Boy decided to make his presence known with a big,
"Surprise!"
Starfire's left eye began to move on its own. Aqualad nearly fell into the red goop, "Hey there! You ready?"
"Poseidon," exclaimed Aqualad, "You gave me a jump! That was no fair. You really surprised me!" he said, his voice raising up. Starfire felt her arm move without a command. Beast Boy sheepishly traced an outline in the ground,
"Yeah," he said, "Well, we don't get to yell 'Surprise!' often," he explained. Starfire continued to twitch, "I forgot why. It's just really fun to yell out 'Surprise!'" Beast Boy's memory was not as good as Robin's. "Hey, Star! Isn't it fun to yell 'Surprise!'" Starfire twitched violently enough to leave her in a seizure like state, "Star?"
"Um, I think you broke her," Aqualad said, "I wonder why." The door to the hanger opened and Raven and Cyborg walked in. They immediately glared at Beast Boy,
"What'd I do?"
"How many times do we got to remind you. Starfire just can't take people yelling out, 'Surprise!' ever since the Surprise Party of 2002!" Cyborg screamed. Raven just shook her head as Starfire passed out as a defense mechanism.
"What a surprise," Raven said, angrily. Twitch.
****************************
Robin sat in the command center and watched the proceeds with a smile. "Poor Starfire," he said to himself. The Surprise Party of 2002 had been a rather bad experience for all of them. Starfire especially had a compulsive twitch whenever she head surprise.
The end results of the party had left the Titans cleaning cake off the bathroom ceiling and left little or no explanation for what happened to the pizzas they ordered. Most of them ended up caught in the propulsion systems for a prototype submarine Cyborg had been working on at the time.
"We've had some crazy times," Robin said to no one in particular. He smirked, "Talking to myself, first sign of insanity." He watched the Teen Titans awake Starfire from her comatose state, and noticed Raven standing in the corner. She had all ways been as far away as she could be from the rest of the Titans, never sharing in the joy and the sorrow the team had gone through together.
He hadn't an idea why she was resigning. He wanted to convince her to stay, to show her how important to the team he was. He wanted her to feel loved. Perhaps he wanted to understand her. Maybe if he had he wouldn't have wanted to, maybe if he had he would have understood why she was leaving. But he didn't, so he smiled and announced to himself, "We'll give her the best Farewell Party this planet's ever seen!"
****************************
3
They had finally awoken Starfire and were now preparing to set off into the ocean. Robin's voice echoed on the intercom, "Okay guys. Good luck."
"Thanks," Cyborg said, "But with these new infra-red sensors, we don't need luck,"
2
"We must endeavor not to become needlessly arrogant," Starfire said, checking the oxygen tanks one last time, "We are ready for launch,"
"That's good to know," Raven said, "I'd hate to think of what would happen if we began the countdown unprepared,"
1
"This is serious guys!" BB implored, "Who knows how the animals are doing down there!"
"Let's move this big metal fish!" Aqualad implored.
LAUNCH!
The submarine broke past the red surface and dove deeper and deeper into the bloody substance. Cyborg pressed some buttons, and the water's redness was replaced by a blurry blue image. The infra-red sensors picked up the cold stones just enough to provide warning, through the icy blue of the water. "It worked!" Cyborg whooped over the intercom! Robin's face appeared in the left-hand corner of the screen,
"Good to hear," he said, "how's the visibility?"
"Iffy," Cyborg said, "But enough that we can avoid any unexpected colisions," he pressed a few buttons, "Right, overlaying the map on here. It matches. Robin, keep in touch." He turned off the channel. "Hey, BB?"
"Yeah?" said an unusually subdued voice, "What's up?"
"Nothing," he said, "Just worried I shut off your mike accidentally,"
"Very funny," Beast Boy said, "I'm just," he trailed off, then sighed, "It's nothing." Cyborg sighed. He turned on a private channel with Beast Boy,
"Fess up. You really care about all those little fishies, don't you?" he asked. "Private channel, you can be honest. We're best buds, right, little guy?"
Beast Boy smiled, "Yeah, we are." He looked out at the infra-red images, seeing nothing but the gridlines of the ocean's surface as he passed. "I don't see any of them, Cy! Where are they?"
"That's what we're here to find out," Cyborg said, "We're getting to the bottom of this one way or the other." He tapped a button, "Exiting the private chat, BB,"
"Cyborg! Oh, look, Cyborg! There is something alive down there!" Starfire trilled. Raven gave an unenthusiastic hooray. Aqualad looked at the heat signature.
He squinted, "My eyes must be playing tricks on me. Is that a whale?" Beast Boy chuckled at Aqualad, who glared in return, "Yes, I've seen whales before, it's just I haven't seen them in this area before." Cyborg piloted the ship towards it. There was something not right about this, the water felt dangerous, and it sent shivers all through Aqualad's body, "It seems to be as big as a whale, but it's nothing I've ever seen before,"
"You're kidding," Beast Boy commented, "That is so definitely a whale. There's nothing bigger than a whale, Aqualad. Trust me. I'd know,"
"Uh, guys," Raven commented, "We're no where near this guy. It's about 10, maybe 20-"
BB quickly interrupted. "Thousand leagues?"
"Idiot. Fathoms. Leagues is an entirely different sort of measurement," Raven said dryly, "Don't you know anything?"
Cyborg chuckled, "Bet you a buck you learned that on TV," he quipped quickly, shutting off Raven's mike 'accidentally'.
Aqualad frowned. "We are quite a distance away, and it just seems so big. It's like the ocean floor just got up and began swimming." He traced the movement of the creature. It seemed to be stationary in the hazy red image. The sounds made it seem as though it were moving, slowly, but surely. The mass came to a point. "Was all that just its tail? I've never seen anything like that in my lifetime!"
Cyborg shrugged, "Well, let's follow it," he suggested, "Tracking it now. Robin, you there?"
"Still kicking." Robin answered, his face appearing once again in the view screen, "What's up?"
"Quiz here. What's the biggest animal alive?"
"A blue whale, right?"
"We have a creature with a tail that long," Cyborg answered, "Got any idea what that means?"
"Nothing good. Look, I've got to go. Emergency coming up. Keep safe,"
"Got it." They closed the link. "Let's reel this fishy in." Beast Boy glared in Cyborg's general direction,
"Let's not make any analogies like that. Hooks hurt," he said. Cyborg laughed. "Hey, I was hungry and I was a fish at the time. What was I supposed to do, hold out for a tofu worm lure?"
Raven closed her eyes, "Let's just get this job done with as soon as possible."
*******************************
The clock ticked the seconds away slowly. Robin changed the channel on the communication link. "Slade, come in."
"Ah, Robin. Good of you to call," Slade said, nonchalantly, "What is it you want to ask me?"
"My team's found what they described as a 'tail the size of a blue whale'. Any ideas?"
Slade made a show of looking through the book, "Hm. Fascinating. If it's what I think it is, they'd better stay away from it at all costs." Slade narrowed his eye, "And I do mean all costs." Robin glared at Slade. "What's with the look," responded he, smugly.
"What are you up to, anyway. What is that?" Robin stood, "What can I do to help them?"
"Ah, Robin. You are indeed the most loyal of leaders. I believe that to be what is described as The Leviathan. A large undersea creature. If it's awoken, then we are truly dealing with something most dangerous,"
"You don't sound too concerned, Slade!" Robin announced. Slade shrugged. "What do you care? Why are you working with us? There's got to be an ulterior motive!"
"Curiosity, Robin. I'm curious as to the will of humanity. The Earth has belonged to many species over the eons it's existed. Can we, the dominant race of this planet, truly overcome the end of our time?" Slade closed his eyes, "I have too much at stake to let it end now. As do you. You can't even be old enough to drive,"
"I am," Robin said with a scowl, "Slade, I don't want your help if it's all for curiosity's sake. What guarantee do I have that you won't get bored with your little game?"
Slade opened his eye, "Ah, such a good question, Robin. Why should I care? You assume because I'm your enemy I particularly like seeing children hurt." He saw Robin's teeth grit. He knew he had struck a nerve, "Robin, this is a job to me, not a hobby. Oftentimes, when we are given a job we may not necessarily enjoy doing what is necessary. I could let you watch your friends writhing in pain as they're slowly drowned, but do not assume for a second I will enjoy it. I am a mercenary, Robin, not a career criminal."
"Slade, I don't care for your little speeches,"
"Robin, Robin, Robin." Slade shook his head, "I just don't know what I will do with you. You're all ways so gung-ho and reckless. You would make the perfect protégé."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear your lies, Slade!" Robin said. His hands were trembling, "I don't trust you, no, I hate you! And never, ever, compare me to you."
"Well." He looked at Robin, and beneath the perfect mask he frowned, "What can I say? I all ready know that your friends will die if they attempt to face this thing alone. Just imagine what they could do against a creature large enough to be a good sized island, Robin. Think about the chance they have against it. If you don't want my help, however, I suppose I could just terminate the channel right now,"
"Wait." Robin said, "Let's talk, Slade. And this time, you come here."
*******************************
The submarine was pushing itself chasing after the creature. It seemed to go on endlessly into the horizon, and then it abruptly stopped. The creature's massive body disappeared from the censors. "What happened?" Cyborg screamed, "It was right in front of us! How can something that big just disappear?"
"I dunno," BB responded, "I just dunno,"
"I am most concerned," Starfire commented, looking around. She scrutinized carefully with her eyes, "Be careful! I see something approaching!" There was a large amount of rock that did not appear on the map screen just in front of them. Cyborg quickly brought the submarine to a halt as it approached the obstacle. "I fear perhaps that the creature is camouflaged?"
Aqualad sighed, "This is getting us nowhere. Perhaps we should proceed to Atlantis first, and see if anyone else has sensed this giant anywhere. We also need to speak to the king about the red spill," the others talked amongst themselves about it. Raven did not say a word, looking carefully in the direction of the wall. There seemed to be a sound somewhere deep within there. Rhythmic, like a clock. One two. It was faint and slow. "Raven?"
Raven responded with an intellectual answer, "Huh?" She took a breath, "Yes, perhaps we should. But hurry. There's something here that's eerie,"
"Um, no offense Rave," Cyborg said, "But I think that's just Beast Boy," there was a muffled "Hey!" from Beast Boy's cockpit, but his mike had been switched off. Raven grinned,
"Not that. Worse than that,"
"Well, if it's creepier than BB, we're going to have to hyper turbo it to escape," he smirked. They turned about. "Let's go!"
There was a gaze following them. The beat picked up, and if any one of them had looked behind them, they would have found that floating behind them was the Leviathan's eye, large as the sub itself, watching them slowly. It blinked.
********************************
The die is cast. The game is begun. The battle fought. The battle won.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Time passes. Time disappears. Time returns. Time disappears.
The clock sang its melancholy song, a song forever written in Raven's mind. Nothing can stop the passage of time, nothing. Not even her mind could stop it, nor could it even slow it down. Raven was at a loss. "Raven?" there was a voice of the intercom. Starfire, "Raven? Did you hear me? We have arrived,"
"Oh. Yes." Raven looked over the landscape of Atlantis. It was like a place out of a Greek myth. "To think, it was only that an instant ago," she said unbidden,
"Pardon?" Starfire said, aiding Raven out of her seat, "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Raven said, "I was thinking aloud."
"I see," Starfire said, "That is," she hesitated, "Very unlike you, Raven." Raven nodded in agreement. She sighed. "We must rest. Also, Robin has not answered any of our signals. Do you think he is all right?" There was a silence Starfire couldn't decipher, "Raven?"
"I don't care." Raven said, "After this mission, I will not care about anything."
Starfire looked hurt, "But our precious friendship is now like the bonds of sisterhood! How can you forsake such a precious thing?"
"I can't care, Starfire. I can't." Raven said, angrily, "I cannot be angry," she said, taking a deep breath, "I need to meditate." Starfire looked to the ground.
"Let me aid you, Raven," she implored, "If you are afraid that merely feeling can-"
"It's more than that now." Raven turned and left Starfire standing there. She looked around for a second, but Starfire did not see it.
****************************
Robin didn't hear the transmissions, but someone else did. Slade sat in the command seat in the conference room, pondering over the transmissions and what to do about them. There was of course the delight of surprising one of them with his voice over the line, but that just did not seem right. It was more fun this way. He waited for Robin to enter, "I don't have all day, Robin."
"I'm here now," came a slightly distorted voice. Slade turned around to see the emptiness behind him, and then watched it slowly begin to fill itself up. Slade remembered that ability, he had equipped it on his robotic lackeys and Robin had taken that to make a disguise. He had actually been very pleased with Robin's performance there, proving to him that Robin had cunning and resourcefulness. The new costume fascinated him. It had the improvements of the Red X design, but there was the nature to it that screamed 'Boy Wonder' or, he idly thought, even 'Decoy'. Robin explained, "I decided that perhaps I should update the costume if we're not exactly dealing with the normal breed of super villain,"
"Wise decision. Of course, it also comes in handy when I betray you, isn't that what you're thinking?" Slade commented. Robin merely smirked. He brought up a diagram. "Well," Slade commented, "You've really gotten the handle of this, have you?"
"I've had tons of practice," he lied. Slade merely nodded, "They're in this area," he pointed, "Atlantis is nearby, and it was the safest place to begin a search. The source of the redness is here," he switched the diagram, "This area imprisoned an army created by a nut-job named Trident until recently. Totally gone, no signs of him anywhere,"
"I see." Slade said, "Well, that certainly puts a few pieces into place. If I may," Slade placed a small device on the conference table. He pressed a button and a hologram sprouted from the point at the top of the device, "This, as you may know, is a team of HIVE operatives. Agent Jinx, known for her grace and ability to cause bad luck, Agent Mammoth, of the mammoth strength, and of course, the unforgettable Agent Gizmo, whose ability to be a nuisance surpasses all others," there was a snicker from Robin. Slade continued, "They were sent under my employ to China a week ago. For the past week I have had them on the look out for any strange or unusual activity. I received a report today that they had found nothing and that their services with me were terminated for the time being,"
"You're thinking they know what happened to Trident. How?"
"That I don't know." He turned off the projection. "However, the H.A.E.Y.P. is a fairly successful academy. I shouldn't think we have much to worry about in the way of unchecked destruction,"
"You didn't see our living room when they were done," Robin said. Slade raised his brow.
******************************
Aqualad was speaking to the King when Starfire met with Cyborg and Beast Boy. They had taken to eating at a small cafe in the streets of Atlantis. The tranquility of the city was offset by the blood red sky. She sat with the boys and ordered a small drink before outwardly sighing and saying, "I am concerned, my friends, about Robin. Perhaps something has happened on the surface?"
"If that's the case," Cyborg said, "Then it's his problem, not ours." Beast Boy nodded in agreement. He downed a kelp sandwich and looked at Starfire seriously,
"Star," he said, "Robin's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Unlike me," he wagged his brow, "Me, you can give all your attention and adoration."
Starfire laughed merrily, "Oh, Beast Boy! You are such a jester!" Beast Boy looked a bit upset at her reaction and just stuck his tongue out in disgust. Cyborg continued,
"Seriously, Star. We got our mission, and we can't stop it just because you're concerned about your boyfriend," he looked at her sharply, "Robin knew what he was going into staying up there, and I'm sure he's got his reasons for not telling us where he is or why. We just got to trust him for now,"
"But," Starfire began to complain. Raven walked over to the group around this time. They did not know how long she had been there, but she swept silently into a seat and began drinking a cup of coffee. She looked a bit troubled by something,
"But we can't trust him," she said, "Remember what happened the last time?"
"Look," Cyborg said, "Robin may not be the brightest of the bunch, hell, the punk sometimes scares the Hell outta me, but I don't think his plans have anything to do with teaming up with Slade again. We won, remember?"
"Slade is involved," Raven said, "I don't know if we can trust Robin at all." Cyborg glared at Raven,
"I don't care if Slade's involved or not. Robin's not stupid. He won't get involved unless it's an absolute emergency,"
Raven was silent. She looked at him idly, raised a brow, and frowned, "I see." She would miss these memories, "Perhaps I should ask him when we return,"
"Yeah, you do that," Cyborg said, "You'll see that I'm right,"
"I know."
Cyborg growled, "Look, you may not believe me now, but - what did you say?"
"I said I know." Raven closed her eyes, "We're in a dire emergency, and I know that. What's our current situation,"
"Don't look at me," Cyborg said, "Just gotta get some answers from Aquaman. Yeah, I know, Aquaman of all people." Everyone, and that includes Beast Boy, agreed that making fun of Aquaman should be illegal. It's like tripping the kid in class who couldn't walk well. It was just too easy, "But, seriously, once Aqualad gets back, we'll know."
"Ah! Here he is!" Starfire squealed, taken by the dashing young sea-boy, "Aqualad! Over here!" He hurried over towards the cafe and found himself situated between the two ladies. He suddenly felt a chill,
"Uh," he stuttered. He looked at Raven, who had simultaneously the look of adoration and of homicidal rage in her eye. He did not want to know where both of those were directed, "So. Guess the story is that there have been a lot of strange wave patterns," He frowned, "Not much to make note of besides that they're strongest around the coral reefs to the east of here,"
"Not a good place to hang out, then," Cyborg said, "What's the news on the red spill?"
"Nothing new. Aquaman has the entire area blocked off, but if I'm there we should be able to get through. I'm not sure what we'll find there," Aqualad said, "But it's as good a place as any to start looking." He rose from his seat, followed soon after by the others. Raven hesitated longest and rose. There was a sensation of pounding, distant like a clock, but mammoth like a drum.
"It's coming," Raven said, idly. "We should hurry,"
"What's coming?"
"I don't know," Raven said, "But it's seen us. I can hear its heartbeat." The group stopped to listen. There was a definite beat. Powerful cardiac muscles pounded out the rhythm as the red sky was blotted by stone darkness. The eyes, giant and cruel, stared down at humanity as though it were regarding a thief in its court. Its long, muscular neck arched upwards, then descended to look around Atlantis, wrapping around halfway around Atlantis's dome, the massive flippers causing the dome to shake as they held the monster in place. Its tail, massive, wreathed its way towards the surface. "It's here."
"That thing!" Beast Boy said, "It's like a giant plesiosaur!" The others just stared. There was nothing to say. This was the Leviathan. The massive city of Atlantis barely wider than its face. It roared and the city shuddered. "Hey, you can communicate with dolphins and stuff, Aqualad, you try talking to it!"
"All right," Aqualad said. He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to the monster. The monster boomed back in words that shattered his ears without even speaking into them,
IS THIS THE CRADLE OF HUMANITY! WHERE IS YOUR WIZARDRY NOW?
"Wizardry," Aqualad said, more to himself. He called out to the Leviathan to answer his inquiry, and the Leviathan answered,
PROOF OF YOUR WIZARDRY? YOU DESIRE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GREAT RED? SIXTY-FIVE MILLION YEARS AGO IT CAME ONCE BEFORE!
"Sixty-five million years ago," Aqualad said, "Any relevance to that date?"
"Um, duh. End of the Cretaceous Era, and with it," Beast Boy made a gesture, "Boop, end of the Dinos. Hey, what's it saying, come on, tell us!"
There was a commotion as guards were scene running down every street, "Evacuation, by order of the King!" they declared. The citizens looked wide eyed and desperately attempted to gather their belongings together. Raven looked at the other Titans, also preparing to leave, and then she looked upwards at the glass. It was tiny, almost unnoticeable at the distance it was away, but Raven could feel it, she could hear the slow, creaking noise over the ruckus of the streets. She could not see it, but she knew that crawling across the surface of the dome was a crack. Aqualad covered his ears as the booming voice of the Leviathan spoke once again, this time to the people within,
BEHOLD! I AM LORD OF THE SEAS! DESTROYERS OF MY PEOPLE, PUNY APES, TREMBLE BEFORE ME!
The mighty boom of his voice struck even the deaf minds of the Titans. Cyborg ordered the Titans to the sub, and Beast Boy, changing form into a gorilla, took Aqualad's trembling form into his arms. Starfire tugged at Raven, seeming to urge her to hurry, but Raven didn't hear her. She just looked upwards. A little child began to wail, the guards screamed out their warning. "Raven! Please!" Starfire urged above the din. Beast Boy yelled for Raven to follow.
Then there was silence, for one instant, all noise stopped. Raven closed her eyes and smiled.
Then, the dome shattered.
end chapter one
They'll be running for to come
Out of the rain...