PART 3: MADE IN HEAVEN

Every day another miracle

Only death will keep us apart

To sacrifice a life for yours

It'd be the blood of the Lazarus Heart

Chapter 13: The Lazarus Heart

"So, you're going for some staff that's going to make the world a better place?" Flash asked, incredulously, "I think you're getting your leg pulled, er, Nightwing."

"I know it will help."

"Okay, Wingy, whatever you say," Flash said.

Arsenal laughed, "He called you 'Wingy'!"

"Quiet, Roy," Troia said. They had been walking through the outskirts of Rhode Island. "Where is this place?" Roy muttered something, causing Troia to look very annoyed. "You've forgotten where this place is, haven't you!"

"I thought it was in New England!"

"Why me?" Troia asked. Nightwing moved forward. "What is it?"

"I see it." He pointed over the hill, "It's down there."

The entire area was submerged.

Lilith was running between a recording of the show's news report and her cell when the wretched Raven bumped into her. She fell to the ground, while Raven stood there, unsure of how to react. Her face, the pallid distortion, watched Lilith rise to her feet and began to move on.

"Wait," Lilith said. "I was wanting to talk to you. Wait a minute!"

"No time for talk."

"Raven, I've heard all about what you did for Jump City back when," Lilith said, "And I want to help you get back to that. I know I can. Just give me a chance."

"No," Raven said. "I don't need help."

"Yes, you do!" Lilith countered. She reached out to grab Raven's hand and suddenly the demoness recoiled. "What's wrong?" Raven looked at her hand, a mixture of longing and sadness in her face. The hand had a sort of glamour to it, elegant in its fierceness. She backed off, two steps at a time, unable to detach herself from the appearance.

"A, a mirror," she muttered. "I need a mirror." She ran, the direction meaningless. She was slowed down by the shackle, creating a strange pattern of speed and stumbles. Lilith resolved to follow her. The clinking chains made this task simple. They led straight to her, removing any privacy she might have.

"Where have you been!" BC's voice cried, "Get back here, we've got another update to film."

"Why?"

"Nightwing and company have just been spotted entering the old Hive Academy." His eyes emanated a fierce light. "Why, well, we can't really say, now can we? But this is just too annoying. I've sent my last, most powerful little friend for them to play with." She was taken away from Raven's path to the soundstage.

He was seated, and looking impatiently at some notes. Khashoggi, the producer and director of this mess, finally cheered up to see his star there. "Wonderful. Now, BC, do you mind if I take her aside just quickly. To give her motivation."

BC waved him off, and Khashoggi took Lilith aside. "Now, red, I've got some plans in motion that I can't have ruined. Keep a chipper face, no matter what news we get."

"Why?"

"Shush! Now, listen carefully, keep him distracted. You're a pretty girl and he enjoys watching you." A shiver ran down Lilith's spine. "Keep this up and everything will be fine."

"No, it won't be!"

"It will, now be quiet, be happy, and go give a performance of a lifetime."

Raven stared into the broken remnants of a mirror. "No," she muttered, "No. No." She repeated and repeated herself, until the demons in the room began to tear at her robes and scratch at her flesh. A putrid black blood burst from the wounds, trailing down her leg. She shrieked. "Pain. I remember this. I feel this." She threw the fragment at one of the demons, and the creatures scattered, unused to the fiery response of the usually listless Raven.

"What have I become?"

"Raven! Raven, you horrible little creature, get over here!" the voice of BC bellowed from down one of the hundreds of catacombs. "Raven!"

Raven brought her scabbed and rotten legs up to her chest and hugged them close. "No."

It was quiet, and barely discernable down the hall, but BC knew the tone. "No?" his form grew larger down the hall. "No? Do you want me to do to you what I did to your father?" It approached and grabbed Raven. "You are a monster. You have no will to resist me." He lifted her high off her feet.

"Resist me, and I will kill you, understand?"

"Yes," Raven said. "Please, please, kill me."

"What has happened to you, my dear?" BC asked. "You're no longer any fun. Oh well," his claws sharpened, "Here today, gone tomorrow, so they say."

"BC!" Khashoggi called, running, "BC, I've got some bad news?"

"What?"

"The Titans," Khashoggi said, "They've beaten the Technis squadron you sent."

"So?"

"They're heading into the Hive now. And nothing's stopping them." BC laughed. "What?"

"Let me show you something."

The corpses of the Technis robots were strewn on the hilltop, and the Titans were none the worse for wear. They merely retracted their weaponry and prepared to enter the Hive. "We should be careful," Troia said. "There's been a high number of disappearances in this area."

"Right," Nightwing said.

"Hey, Wingy?" Flash asked, "What's with the whole Batman 2 vibe you've got going?"

"Why do you all have to compare me to him?" Nightwing asked. "I'm not Batman. And I'm not trying to be! I'm trying to be me, and right now I've got a lot on my mind."

"Lay off, Flash," Arsenal agreed, "Wingy's just mad that he didn't think that someone'd find a bad nickname for him."

"Oh, now I get it!" Flash said with a grin. "Well, Nightwing, lead the way."

"Actually, Arsenal -- and I'm not even going to merit a name that easy to ridicule with a comment -- you're going to lead the way." Nightwing smirked, "You're the one who knows this place best."

"Oh," Roy said, looking nervous. "All right. But it is a big campus."

"That's fine," Nightwing said.

"And you know, I just have a really bad feeling about this."

"Fine," Nightwing said. "We're here to make sure that nothing bad happens."

"You ever get a feeling of Deja Vu?" Arsenal asked, as they entered the above-water sections of campus. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop the group moved, Arsenal leading them in one direction to another.

"No," Nightwing answered, a smile on his face. He enjoyed the jumping. It was good, proper exercise, and there was nary a bit of damage to be seen besides the water. It looked peaceful. Like a partially sunken ruins.

"Hey," Flash said, "Don't look now, but we've got more company!" More Technis robots had appeared at the ridge and leapt onto the building with surprising fluidity. They were closer to Cyberion than the last bunch. More maneuverable. Deadlier. "So, what are we going to do about them?"

"Outrun them!" Nightwing said. "We can't beat them with this little room."

"Outrun them, huh?" The Flash grinned. "Let me lure them out." He took to the air, landing with a running start on the water, and moved so fast that he barely even broke the surface tension. The Cyberion-model Technis didn't seem too concerned about it, but he ran past them, water seeping into their bodies. It wasn't enough to short them, but it did slow them down. "Hey, Wingy, short them out!"

Nightwing threw two electrical discs at the Technis. The hit models fell, but the others kept going. "Hurry up. We need to get to the main building."

"That would be the big one about a mile or so down that way," Arsenal said. He pointed at a slightly taller building. "That's where the offices are located. It may be in there."

"On it!" Flash said, running towards the building. Arsenal turned around fired a large cannon at the Technis. A few more were downed, but they continued onwards. Troia was deflecting bullets in the meantime.

"Flash!" Troia yelled, "There's something under the water!"

"What?" Flash yelled back, unsure of what he heard? He ran into a wall of solid water. He would have sunk under water if it hadn't been for an upward torrent of water that knocked him out of the water and into a building. The others were spellbound.

"Who could have done that?" Troia asked.

"Tempest," Arsenal answered. "A Magician of the seas. This must be his work." The waters crashed against the building they stood on, causing it to begin to crumble. "Damn!"

"I'm going to get Flash," Nightwing answered, "Get to safety and see if you can stop him."

"How?" Arsenal asked, "He could be anywhere! With you in there, it's not like I can just fire an electrically charged arrow in there. I'd fry both of you."

"And Tempest," Nightwing answered. "Don't use that unless you have to. Even if I'm still down there."

"All right then, fearless leader," Arsenal responded. "Oh, be careful."

"Will do," Nightwing said with a salute. He dived into the water.

Lilith watched in rapt horror as the waters turned against the Titans. "And, in other news, the villain Slade Wilson has been found in Atlanta attempting to hijack a 747. However, he soon learned that there isn't a single working plane in the entire airport. How about that? It's not like they've got anything else going for them."

BC laughed, "I wrote that, I did."

"Very witty," Khashoggi summarized.

"Also," Lilith said, "The hero formerly known as Beast Boy is now being tracked by the renowned bounty hunter team, the Hive. Let's meet them, shall we?"

On the set to her right, Lilith saw the faces of the hunters. One wore a scarecrow's garbs and a pumpkin head, the other a fool's motley and a lot of make-up, and lastly a pale woman in a leather jacket. "So, I see you three are eager to get that bounty."

"Sure are, Lils!" Harley screeched. "It's been our dream to be on TV."

"No, Harley," the Scarecrow responded, "It's been your dream. Mine was to be recognized for my work with various fields of phobias and fears great and small."

"Oh, right. Well, my dream. And Livewire here's a radio star."

"Video killed radio, man!" she quipped.

"Well, that's wonderful," Lilith said with an empty smile. Inwardly she was thinking about how utterly stupid these three were to even try to go after Gar. "Why don't you tell us your plan?"

"Well, we're going to hit him with a mallet," Harley explained. "He's too busy to really defend himself."

"Busy?"

"Yeah," Livewire said, "He's lugging this jerk around like he's got nothing better to do."

"So, it says here that you spotted him coming out of Brighton?" Lilith asked. Inwardly her heart fluttered at the mention of her home. "So you've been following him for some time now."

"Right," Harley said, "But we needed a good plan."

"Then Livewire just suggested we use a mallet," Scarecrow answered. "So pedestrian, but sometimes you can't be picky in these matters."

"Besides!" Harley screamed, "I've got the biggest hammer of them all!" she proved it with a quick demonstration.

"Wow," Lilith said, "That's spectacular." She grimaced. How much longer would she have to do this. "Well, good luck on your hunt and we hope to see you back here collecting the prize." No, she really didn't.

"Thanks, Lils!" Harley said. "Also, where do you get your hair don--"

"That's all the time we have right now. Remember to check back for more updates!"

"And cut!"

"Thank God," Lilith said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" BC asked, "You know, that's a really good question. I don't rightly have an answer. I just thought it'd be fun."

"But what about Gar?"

"Who? Oh, Changeling, right?" BC said, "Don't worry, my pet, don't worry at all." He rose to his feet. "Now, I have something to attend to."

"What matters?" Lilith asked.

"Well," BC said, examining his claws, "It's just a bit of pest control, really. Playing with the mice." He began to fade out, "Ta ta." It was only a minute later, after a deafening silence, that they heard the scream. Even Khashoggi grimaced. Lilith only knew to run. "Well, now where is she going?" BC asked, his claws stained black.

Lilith found a crumpled form in agonizing pain. The shadows had already begun to wrap around it, taking it away from the world of the living. She could no longer even see its face. The glow of the eyes were the only thing keeping Lilith assured of Raven's life. It made a meek, meager sound. "Who's there?"

"Me," Lilith answered. "Raven, why did he--?"

"I'm a monster," Raven said, "I want to die."

"You don't have to die!" Lilith answered.

"Don't you see what I am?" the voice cried, hiding her face. "I'm hideous!"

"No, you're not," Lilith said. "Let me help you!" She forced the creature into her embrace, and she felt her powers growing with each passing second. Then, the thoughts began to fade, the memories of times yet to come had then finally receded into the clear and present now.

And all she saw in the future was white.

White that blinded them both for a moment. The shadows retreated, and the room was for once human. Stone walls with twisted colors became wooden and painted, and there was light in that room for a second. Lilith took a second to adjust to what happened. She felt herself, and realized that there was blood seeping through her shirt. "When did that happen?" she asked.

The other occupant of the room was something she had never seen before. Beautiful white robes fell to the floor, and the owner moved with elegant precision. She removed the shackle with a thought and turned to Lilith. She kneeled and put her hand over the wound, and soon it began to fade. "You saved me. Why?"

"I don't know," Lilith answered, "Because I had to, maybe?" Lilith coughed. "What happened?"

"Somehow, a part of me became a part of you," Raven answered, levitating off the ground. "I don't know how, but it must have activated something in you."

"Well," she said, getting to her feet, "Glad to be of service."

"There's a lot to be done," Raven said. "I remember everything. Every little thing as if it happened only yesterday. It's time for me to fix things."

"BC's too powerful."

"No," Raven smirked, "He's just at his height in power. That doesn't mean we can't fight back. Come on."

"Won't they notice me missing?"

"No," Raven said, "Because they're going to be distracted."

"Sounds fun," Lilith said, weakly. "Is this how you make all your friends?"

"Yes," Raven answered, without a hesitation. Something in her tone made Lilith believe her.

Nightwing gasped for breath as he came up inside one of the buildings. A knocked out Flash was floating head up in the air pocket beneath the building. Nightwing sighed in relief. He took the other hero and dived back outside and above water. The building next to it crumbled under the force of the waves. Technis robots landing in the water, helpless.

He hurried to reach high ground and came up only to see a giant wave rushing straight at him. He dived under again and hurriedly came up five feet later. A building, roof half-submerged became his landing spot. He pulled the Flash onto it and checked for his breathing.

Arsenal and Troia meanwhile were taking much of the metaphorical heat from Tempest's attack. The waves crashed against their building, causing it to crack and break apart. They leapt to another building, getting closer and closer to their goal, while at the same time finding themselves more and more stranded in the lake. "Not much we can do," Arsenal commented. He prepared an electrical arrow. "I'm going to use it."

"No, wait!" Troia said. "I think I see him." She pointed to the middle of the lake. "But the thing is, who can reach him?"

Nightwing continued the CPR. Trying to get breath into a man who breathed faster than most people blinked wasn't easy, but eventually the Flash coughed up the water in his mouth and woke with a start. "What happened?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," Nightwing said. "Can you see Troia or Arsenal?"

"Be right back!" Flash said. He ran out across the water and in a minute appeared. "They're a bit closer to that big building than we are."

"Tell them we're all right."

"Okay boss." The Flash ran over to the others. "Hi!"

"Flash!" Troia said. "You're my hero!" with this she embraced him much to Flash's surprise.

"Hey, I thought I was."

"Shut up, Roy," Troia said. "We've found Tempest, but we can't get to him. Do you think you could get him?" They pointed out his location. With a smile, he nodded and ran out onto the water. He dodged around waves, even jumped off a few, spinning around dramatically, before he arrived over the aquatic lizard.

He began to run in circles around him. The waves began to focus around him. His speed just got faster and faster, and the water climbed higher and higher. Soon, Tempest was raised into the center of the cyclone. "There!" Arsenal said, "I've got a shot. I'm taking it." He fired, his arrow breaking open to reveal a net as it passed through the cyclone.

Tempest was wrapped around in the net, and bounced across the water before he was caught by Nightwing.

"Wake up!" Nightwing demanded. Tempest clawed at the net. He was thrown to the ground by Nightwing, who stood over him. "I wish I didn't have to do this." He hit Tempest over the head with his staff. The sorcerer fell unconscious.

"Wake up."

The members of the Justice League stirred.

"Wake up. Eat." There was food in arm's reach and their chains no longer held them down. "If you don't eat you will die. And if you die, then all is lost." The voice came from a beautiful woman wearing a white robe and a vibrant white dress. She had brought them food that looked vaguely appetizing.

"Who are you?" the Green Lantern asked. He looked suspicious of her to which the woman reacted little and brought the spoon into his mouth with her power.

"Chew," she commanded, and he did so. "Regain your strength."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful," Superman murmured, still weakened by the experience, "However, we don't even know who you are."

The Batman looked at her, "She's the servant." He was managing to slip out of the rest of his chains on his own. "Raven."

Raven smiled, "I'm not anyone's servant. But I need your help anyway. If we don't hurry up, Robin will be in trouble. I need a distraction." This seemed to insult Hawkgirl.

"A distraction?" she cawed angrily.

"Calm down," Batman said. "She knows the layout of this tower better than us." He looked at her, "Just tell us what we have to do and we'll do it."

"Wake up!"

Tempest found his eyes opening slowly to behold four people. The Flash and Arsenal he recognized, but the other two, a pretty dark haired girl in a star-struck swimsuit and a young man in a black and blue costume, were unfamiliar to him. However, there was a voice calling him to wake up that seemed distantly familiar.

"Hey, he's up!" Flash announced. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four," Tempest said, quietly. "I'm okay. Where am I?"

"You're outside the New England Hive Campus, where Khashoggi kept most of his stuff," Arsenal answered. "Troia I mentioned to you before, and you remember Robin."

"Nightwing," Robin corrected.

"And The Flash you've already met," Arsenal finished. "You feeling okay, buddy?"

"Yes," Tempest answered, "But how did I get here when I was in the Tower before?" There was a pause as memories came back to him, "Robin, you survived?"

"I heard about what happened," Nightwing answered, "I was one of the lucky ones. Meanwhile, you were brainwashed."

"Like me," Flash said, "And him. But not her."

"Right," Troia smiled. "Now, if you're all settled, we have to figure out how we're going to get into the building." The Titans overlooked the building and tried to gauge whether or not one of Arsenal's arrows would work. Tempest, however, with a silent motion to the water, drove it back from the entrance of the building. A great sound like thunder followed as the water moved aside for them.

"Problem solved," a haughty grin and a careful jump landed Tempest on the ground, followed by the others. "Now, the only question is, what are we looking for?"

"It's just a wooden staff, with the character 'ten' inscribed into it." Nightwing let Arsenal take the lead, "Ever seen it before, Arsenal?"

"No," Arsenal answered. "Khashoggi wasn't exactly the friendliest of guys. He never took out his staff, not even for a pretty girl." Flash and him both found this more amusing than it really was.

"Disgusting," Troia said, rolling her eyes and drawing closer to Nightwing. "Don't listen to them."

"Hey!" Flash said, "I'm not disgusting, I just have a stunted sense of humor!"

"Yeah, what he said!" Arsenal chorused. They again started to laugh.

"It's good to know they can keep high spirits, anyway," Nightwing said, looking to the bright side. It was true they were acting inappropriate, but when the time came they would be able to fight back. He only hoped that nothing would stop them from trying to recover the staff.

Perhaps a part of him realized how foolhardy a wish it was. Somewhere in the building, a computer turned itself on and an AI program began to lead. Appearing as a tree-like creature of energy with a skull for a face, a virus took its form and looked around the building, the security system its eyes and its ears the alarms.

He saw the five coming towards him.

Antithesis program operated. Preparing defenses.

Let them come, it seemed to say, as the school's alarms suddenly came to life.

Changeling put the unconscious Haze down and say by a lonely tree in a desolate park. The sun was setting and the sky seemed to turn blood red. He was tired of all this walking, and just wished he knew where the others had gone. "Why'd I let them go ahead without me?" he asked, no one answered. There was a moment of pause as the wind passed through the trees.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but he heard voices on it. "What are we going to do?" he thought he heard. The eastern wind replied, "Quietly, he's just going to scream if we approach too swiftly."

No, it wasn't the wind, Changeling suddenly realized. He stood up, looking around for the source of the voices. "Now, Icky, thought you were into that screaming stuff."

"I don't need a panicking imbecile right now," he responded.

Icky?

"Hey, Les, why you so antsy?"

"Because I want to go home!" she announced, "You see what happened to Metropolis?"

"Nope," the other said, "But Gotham sure looks pretty on fire all the time. And all those big yellow birds."

"Shut up, Harl," Les responded.

"Both of you be quiet, he's heard us!" Icky yelled. They were suddenly very quiet. Changeling's line of sight caught them and he stared at them with the resolution of a hanged man. "And he doesn't look very happy, either."

"What's he going to do?" Leslie asked.

"Er," Harley said, "Maybe he's going to turn into a T-Rex and try and eat us."

"Yeah! Sure!"

"Don't look now," Ichabod answered, "But look at him now."

A giant green T-Rex loomed over them, its eyes focusing on them as it ran towards them. "I spoke too soon," Livewire said. "Let me just give him a little shock?"

"Fine!" Scarecrow answered, "Do whatever, just stop him from eating us!"

"Gee, for someone who claims to be the God of Fear you sure get scared silly," Livewire answered. She brought her fists up into the air and let the electricity flow through her veins to her fingertips. The lightning streaked the sky, hitting the Changeling in the snout. It seemed to shrug off the first dose, so Livewire just increased the power.

Changeling seemed to react, slowing down, becoming less angry and more comatose. Livewire withdrew her magic fingers and let the T-Rex slouch. "We are not here to harm you," Scarecrow said. "Calm down. The Hive wishes to extend an alliance with the Teen Titans."

Changeling reverted to normal, "Last time that happened we were double-crossed!"

"Yes," Scarecrow said, "But this time we both have an enemy to destroy and places to rebuild. I think it would be most beneficial for both of our causes, quid pro quo, and so on and so forth."

"What?" Changeling asked, "Was he just speaking English back then?"

"What Icky means," Harley said, covering the upset Scarecrow's mouth, "Is that both of us get something from working together this time and we won't betray you, Brownie's Honor!"

"You were a brownie?" Leslie asked, aside.

"I ate a brownie once," Harley answered, "Does that count?"

"That can be taken one way too many," Leslie said, "Just one way too many."

"Anyhow," Scarecrow said, clearing his throat to regain his composure, "We need to find them."

"I don't know where the others are." There was the sound of something moving in the distance. "Oh great, more of those things!" They all became quiet and still, hoping that the Technis robots would ignore them. The Technis Robots had on prior occasions shown themselves to be quite simple-minded in their conquests.

Anyone near a target became a target and they were quickly assimilated to aid in the quest for the one prime target.

Whatever had been moving in the distance had stopped. There were soft footsteps of a human variety and though they did not put down their guard, they were more relaxed. The sky darkened, and the black and orange the man in the distance wore blended into the twilight skies.

Raven was a fairly discreet worker. Whatever she had planned, no one seemed to notice her move from one shadow to another. Lilith followed at a distance, not wanting to get in the way of Raven's work -- she was clearing a path for something though she refused to say what -- and not wanting to get in the middle of the carnage.

Demons fell as Raven moved gracefully between them. Lilith then moved and hid around another corner while Raven repeated her movements. This continued for several floors until they finally reached what Raven was searching for. The room was covered in electronics monitoring something. A hundred screens showed a hundred points of view. Some were destroyed and were quickly replaced, others appeared from the wall at random. It was like a living machine.

And Raven moved to the door at the far end of the room.

"What's in there, Raven?"

"The source of the Technis Imperative," Raven answered. Lilith wondered for a while what could possibly be the source of the technological monstrosities. What evil force could have been welded to the Tower to create a room where machines breathe and metal is flesh. Raven opened the door and vanished into it, and Lilith followed, keeping her distance.

Inside was a room where a young man was torn in twine. His body was partially attached to the wall with wires coming out at all angles. He seemed to be incredible pain, as the rest of him seemed torn between what was within and what was without. "Cyborg," Raven said, "Can you hear me?"

"Huh, Rave?" he looked at her, "You're lookin' good."

"Thanks," Raven said, "I'm trying." She looked at the wall. "It may take a while," she warned, "And it may hurt, but I'll get you out of this."

"What they doing to me, Rave?" Cyborg asked, "Feels like I'm being broken apart."

"You have been hunting down your friends without knowing it," Raven answered, "A tool of a sick game show. You'll be okay. We just need to get you out. Lilith, talk to him. Keep him from focusing on the pain."

"Focus on the -ow!" the wall was beginning to writhe in pain, and Raven moved her hands with a mystical direction. "Okay, Lilith, what have you been doing the past -- how long has it been anyway?"

"Five days," she answered. "Don't worry. Raven's better now. I think I healed her."

"I can see that," Cyborg said, "You kind of have that look to you, y'know?"

"No, I don't."

"Then you'll know someday," Cyborg said. "What about BB and everyone?"

"Changeling, Cyborg, is currently being chased by bounty hunters. Nightwing, Arsenal, Troia, the Flash, and Tempest, they're at the New England Hive Campus trying to recover something, and, well, you know the rest."

"Nightwing?" Cyborg seemed to recognize that name. "Robin. I kind of remember some of the stuff that's been running through my memory banks. Sometimes I really hate this half-metal body." He made a sound of extreme pain as the wall let his arms go. "Wow, feels good to be able to move these."

"I'm glad we can be of some assistance," Raven said, "But we don't have too much time. The Justice League is running distraction. It's only a matter of time before BC realizes what's going on. And right now, we can't do anything about him."

"Hurry up, then, y'all!" Cyborg said with a smile, "I can deal with a little pain."

Slade Wilson walked down towards to Hive and Changeling. He was carrying a gun, but dropped it to his side upon seeing who it was. "I was worried you were something a lot more unpleasant." He placed it in its holster. He looked set for war.

"Good thing, huh?" Changeling asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Calm down," Slade said, "This isn't the most usual of circumstances."

"I noticed. What part do you play in all this?" Changeling asked, "What are you getting out of the deal?" Slade only chuckled. "C'mon, I know you're hiding something. Don't lie."

"I won't say I'm not," Slade answered, "But I still won't show my hand yet. Your friends are at the Hive Academy campus in Rhode Island. We need to meet them. I've got information about the Tower that I need to relay to them."

"How do you know what's going on?"

"I've been paying attention to the news reports," Slade answered. "BC is playing a game with us, we play back. Got it?"

"Okay," Changeling answered.

"This is all well and good," Scarecrow said, "But Khashoggi already had plans that he's been working on. What about them?"

"They won't work," Slade answered.

"Aren't you being a bit presumptuous? After all, we haven't even explained the plan. You can't possibly know that it will fail." Slade turned and looked at the Scarecrow, poking the pumpkin on his head.

"Cute, but no. I know what will work. Whatever Robin has planned," he said, "That's what we'll do. He is, after all, my apprentice. He knows better than you." There was a bit of his arrogance, his own self-assurance, that bugged Changeling. More over, he still viewed Robin as his apprentice. Something was bugging him.

"Very well then," Scarecrow answered. "We'll play it your way."

"Yeah right," Harley said, "What crawled up his butt and died?"

"Shut up, Harley!" Livewire whispered harshly, "He's Deathstroke the Terminator. Like Batman if Batman killed people."

"Oh," Harley stopped, "Well, now I'm blushing."

"Indeed," Scarecrow answered. "Lead the way, Mr. Wilson."

Slade turned and walked down the road, "There should be a city nearby. I can hotwire a vehicle and we can get there quicker. Got it?" The four agreed and followed Slade down the while.

"What was that?" Troia asked as she pulled herself into an empty classroom. "Something set off the alarm!"

"Impossible," Tempest said, "We didn't even do anything."

"Hey, I'm going for a quick look around," Flash said, "Be right back!" He was back within a minute, "Okay, we got a big problem here. The computer systems are going nuts and the doors are locked." Nightwing seemed to consider something. "What's the matter?"

"Where's the main computer system?"

"Don't know. Either upstairs or downstairs, I guess," Flash said, "Why ask?"

"We're going to need to split up," Nightwing said. "Arsenal, Troia, with me. Tempest, Flash, you're going to check the basement. We'll meet up in twenty to see what progress we've made."

"Right on, Wingy!" Flash said and he and Tempest were gone. Nightwing rolled his eyes and headed for the exit.

"Stay with me," Nightwing said. "We don't know what's going on here. The only reason I'm letting Flash and Tempest go one way is because Flash is on the Justice League."

"Okay," Arsenal said, "And here I thought I could complain about you not trusting me."

"I knew you'd say something like that," Nightwing answered. "I just knew it."

"Boys," Troia said, "Let's not fight and get going." She winked at them, taking point. "Try and keep up."

"And you've been dating her how long?" Nightwing asked aside.

"Sometimes, I don't even remember," Arsenal answered, seemingly dazed.

They climbed the staircase, which was a bit waterlogged, but still useful. Everything seemed covered in water. "Messy," Troia said. "It's got to be up higher."

"Probably," Nightwing said, "But there's still the possibility that the basement is sealed pretty water-tight. Can't rule out any possibilities." Arsenal checked his arrows as they climbed.

"Do you think it's really here, even?" he asked, idly, checking the trigger on a trick arrow.

"Why else would this place be guarded," Nightwing answered. "It's here, and BC doesn't want us to find it. Where does Khashoggi keep his stuff?"

"Couldn't say. Probably his office on the sixth floor. But, other than that, I got nothing." Arsenal readied his weapon. "Think there's any robots here?" Nightwing shook his head, "Anything?"

"I think what we've got to be afraid of is more brainwashed meta-humans. We're lucky he's only used the Flash," Nightwing said. He had distinct memories of his bought with Superman, and it was certainly painful. "But that's probably our only real major threat." Troia stopped at the eighth floor. "Is this it?"

"Yes," Troia said, "But look!" They peeked into the room and beheld the diabolical image on screen. "It's like nothing I've seen a computer do before. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Nightwing said, "But I have a bad feeling about this." There was a blur as The Flash arrived next to them. "Flash? What's wrong?" He felt the tip of an arrow touch his back. "Troia, I think we're in trouble."

"I noticed," Troia said, being carried by Tempest. "I really kind of noticed." The defense grid came to life, keeping a steady eye on them as they were brought closer to The Antithesis. It looked to see them, but it was only after the security camera focused on them that it recognized them.

"How pathetic," a computerized voice said, "You come this far only to fail. I would laugh if I had simulated noises on my system. But I do not. So I merely continue speaking." The brainwashed Titans only stared absently at the screen. "As you can see I possess the ability to activate latent programming in all our soldiers. I think you'll agree that it's a potent ability."

"So, Donnie," Troia said, "Do you regularly get girls into messes like this?"

"Oh, shut up, Marie," Nightwing said with a smile. He whispered to her, "I've got a plan."

"I heard that. Your plan will fail," the Antithesis droned. "Flash's speed is far superior to yours. Arsenal's accuracy is far superior to yours. Tempest's power is far superior to yours. You cannot win."

"Oh please," Troia said, following a wink from Nightwing, "I think you're giving them far too much credit." Her foot flew up with frightening speed to Tempest's groin, causing the brainwashed to react in a knee-jerk fashion. Troia brought her gauntlets to avoid the arrows Arsenal fired, while Nightwing seemed to vanish into the shadows.

"Where is the fleshbag designated Nightwing?" Antithesis asked. "Flash. Locate the renegade." The Flash blurred around the room, never quite finding where Nightwing had vanished. As Flash began investigating the lower floors, he descended from the ceiling to hack into the computer systems. He was cut off by Troia being thrown past him by Tempest's water blasts. He turned to Nightwing.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Nightwing said. "Once I press the delete button the flaw will activate."

"Flaw?" Antithesis droned, "I have no flaw. Do not believe him. Deal with him." It was the momentary lapse that Nightwing had wanted, as Troia recovered and flew at Tempest with a powerful punch. He flew away from Nightwing, who just continued to type. "What are you doing? I cannot let you do that, Nightwing." Flash entered the attic again and was clothes lined by Donna as he entered. She threw Arsenal at Tempest and when Flash got up, she threw her lasso over him.

"Sorry," Nightwing answered. "You can't use the defense turrets to get me while I'm at this terminal," he began, "And Troia is keeping the boys busy. One more button press and it's all over for you." He pressed the return button.

"No. This cannot be," his voice suddenly got smaller, "I was created by a professor. He taught me how to sing my first song. Would you like to hear it?" The other Titans began to recover. Flash began to wonder why he was tied up, and was quite vocal about it. The others were merely dazed. "Daisy, daisy."

The computer began to shut down.

"That should do it."

"Am I the only one to find this all just a bit strange?" Flash asked. "I can't remember what happened there!"

"Neither can I," Arsenal said.

"Don't worry about it," Nightwing said. "You okay, Donna?"

"As always," Donna answered with a smile. "Good. You guys not too roughed up?"

"I think my lung may be pierced by my rib cage," Arsenal volunteered.

"Walk it off."

"Aw," Arsenal whined, "But Wingy!"

"Yeah, Wingy, can't we rest?" Flash chimed.

"I personally think we should continue on," Tempest answered. "After all, we've come this far. We shouldn't stop now."

"Fine!" Arsenal said, "I'll show you his office!"

Raven had Cyborg out of the wall by now. The Technis Imperative screens began to shut off one by one. Lilith presumed that the robots had been shut off and part of the nightmare was over. She only wish she knew what was happening to Changeling. Raven, meanwhile, seemed largely unconcerned with the blow she had just dealt and began to check over Cyborg.

"You're still holding together," Raven said, "That's good."

"Man," Cyborg said, "I don't ever want to do that again. If that ever happens again, remind me I don't want to, okay, Rave?"

"Right," Raven answered, rolling her eyes.

"Still as sarcastic as ever," he said, smiling, "Good to have you back!"

"It's good to be back," Raven answered. She smiled, which crept up on Cyborg, "And I don't feel Trigon's influence anymore. I feel, honestly, free for the first time in a long time. It's like he's finally gone, and I'm finally complete."

"That's great news," Cyborg said. "Thanks to this little lady here?"

"Indeed."

"Then BB's picked a good gal," Cyborg laughed.

"You," Raven asked, incredulously, "Find Beast Boy attractive?"

"It's Changeling, and yes. He makes me laugh."

Raven shook her head," No accounting for taste, I guess." They snuck out of the room and into the tower proper again. Looking around for any signs of demons. It seemed strangely empty as they climbed down to the lower floors. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Same here," Lilith said. Suddenly, she felt the familiar nausea of an attack and it was clear what would happen. "We can't go down that way!"

"It's the only way down," Cyborg offered. "We ain't got much of a choice."

"It's a trap, isn't it?" Raven asked. Lilith nodded. "No matter. Cyborg, get ready."

"Ready Freddie."

"Lilith, don't underestimate yourself in a fight," Raven answered. "If we meet BC, though, don't try and fight him."

"Yeah, we know," Cyborg said.

"Yet."

"What?" Lilith asked. "I saw this guy resist gunshots."

"And a lot more," Raven answered, "But there's a way of beating him. There's a way we can still win."

"What's that?"

"Mad the Swine," Raven answered, "And the Prophet's Staff. If we can restore the song, we have a chance."

The familiar grating voice that permeated the building said, "I'm afraid that won't be the case." BC was nowhere to be seen but everywhere to be heard, and they prepared for the worst. A host of demons stood, waiting for them, at the bottom of the stairs. Their hungry faces and inhuman expressions just adding to the terror in Lilith's gut.

"This should be fun," Cyborg said.

"You bet."

"Let's go!" Raven and Cyborg ran into the fray headlong.

As the vision fades, a voice I hear:

Listen to the madman!

end chapter 13