Author's Note: OK. (To Amanda H) Yes, I know Larkin's history avec Raven is a little... AU-ish. So sue me. I know all about Trigon, and that he raped her mother and all that jazz. Thanks for the name of the mother, though, quite helpful... I'm actually going to use that information in the future. Also, I'm glad to see a sharp mind questioning my writing. Keep up the shrewdness, dudeness.
And, (to Typewriter) haha, thanks for the thingie on Raven, and yes, I do agree. I will not try and pretend that I can write Raven exactly in character all the time. She doesn't make long speeches, merely comments, nor does she confide in anyone really and I tried to acknowledge that... the reason she decided to talk to Starfire was because of Starfire's steadfast loyalty in the previous story. Although, granted, this alone might not be enough to have her bear her soul to Starfire, but it's a start. And she had come to the roof in the first place to sort out her dreams. Though she'd rather do it alone, Starfire's there, so what the hell? Anyways, I still agree. There are often times in this story that I myself don't like the dialogue, or the way Raven sounds when she speaks...
Might I warn you all that, coming up, Raven will seem less like her normal, "hides her emotions" self. Thing is, taking away the whole part of her personality that forced her to hide them in the first place (namely her powers), I found no real reason for her to be so secretive of them other than pride. Which is why she never really expresses her emotions aloud (that is, when another person is present) beyond a simple tear or smile (or perhaps a scream of anger, which would be quite appropriate for Raven's pride IMO). Please understand that most of my REAL emotional-ness occurs INTERNALLY more than it does externally. Also, I keep repeating, her powers are GONE and therefor, I was having her test her emotional waters with minimal fear of repercussions... they can no longer physically harm anyone. Just thought I'd explain that before someone pointed out that it was OOC.
Honestly, I forget what's in this chapter, but if I'm right, there's more weird stuff in Raven's head having to do with more childhood memories. Again, this may not go with Rae's actual past in the comics/show, however for my own purposes, I decided to use it. And if it's not in this chapter (as I think it is) then it will definitely be in the next one.
Chapter 4: 2:00: Birds of a Feather...
Larkin looked out of the window in Raven's room and into the seas below. They were churning from the storm. Something wasn't right. He could feel the warning tugging at the edges of his psyche like a child vying for a parent's attention.
She was coming.
Larkin smiled. It was no matter. He would be ready for her. All he needed was that alien girl on his side. She was what saw through his plan last time. But she had trusted Raven's body when she denied the charges, despite what her other friends had claimed. Should Larkin act in a similar way, would Starfire take his side... or Raven's?
Now was the time to secure his alliance. His smile turned into a grin.
He entered the livingroom where he could find two Titans lying as usual on the couch playing video games. How conveniently reliable of them, Larkin thought with a grin. Perhaps modifying their personalities was unnecessary. Maybe he could mold their minds using simple verbal coercion saturated in exaggerated love. Hell, their minds were already numbed with hours on end of video games.
He approached them and was about to speak when he noticed the peculiarity of Beast Boy's position. Mouth agape, the top of his scalp rested on the floor while his knees rested comfortably on the back of the couch, his calves drooping over it. Glancing at Cyborg, Larkin noted that he was madly deep in concentration, as if trying to crack a government code that was enmeshed in the bright lights and harsh sounds which emanate from the TV.
Beast Boy grinned as his virtual car glided easily over the finish line, with Cyborg right behind him. "Told you I could beat you upside down."
Cyborg released a slew of obscenities, throwing his controller down on the floor. "You little monkey, you cheated!"
"Check my handicap. 0-0." Beast Boy's grin widened.
Behind them, Raven coughed. Both boys jumped, and Beast Boy, in his haste to get up, knocked his head on the coffee table.
"Hey, Rae," Cyborg said, not hiding his satisfaction at Beast Boy's injury. Raven smiled at them and they shivered agin.
"I've seen you play this racing game too often. I have got to tell you, I'm finally... intrigued enough to actually ask you... can I play?"
At first, she received two dumbstruck looks from her fellow Titans. But slowly, Beast Boy's grin returned, and Larkin noted that annoying singular tooth that protruded over his lip.
"Sure, why not?" he said, handing Raven the controller.
Larkin's initial intention had been to locate Starfire and win her trust, manipulating her mind further. But he figured the boys would work for now...
2:00
"Drive faster."
"I'm not breaking the speed limit, I don't care what you're possessed by."
Raven took a deep breath and tried to contain her frustration... when she realized she no longer had to. Grinning at the prospect, she snapped at the woman driving the car.
"Abby, I don't think you understand quite what's at stake here. My friends–"
"The Teen Titans?" Abby said, inscrutably, eyes on the road. Not sure if she was mocking her or not, Raven continued warily.
"Yes... They're in deep trouble. Deeper than I am. I may not have my real body, but I can deal with that. The worst part is, Larkin doesn't have his, which means he has mine. Which means, he has unlimited access to the Titan's personal mind space, which means he can and will manipulate them by and to any means necessary. They'll go from teenage heros to the Top Five Most Wanted list in a week or less. But worse than that..."
"This just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?"
"Worse than that," Raven snapped, angry at Abby's sarcasm, "is that after Larkin tools with them... they won't be themselves anymore. They'll be puppets, lobotomized zombies of human beings..." Raven's lips twitched. "And Tamaranians," she added as an afterthought. Her face grew solemn again. "But the point is... they'll be dead in every sense of the word. And when Larkin milks their minds for all they've got... Let's just say you'll have four new tenants at your hospital, Abby."
"Four?" Abby said.
"Of course," said Raven, as if it were obvious. "Larkin is in my body. I'm Raven."
"Right," said Abby, giving up on protesting. "So where will you go?"
Raven turned and looked out the window at the passing skyscrapers. She didn't reply.
Abby glanced at the little boy beside her out of the corner of her eye. "Ray?" she said. But he made no move to show he heard her. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Why was she doing this? Whatever she'd seen in that exam room had scared the hell out of her. She didn't know if what Ray said was true or some avid delusion, or some sinister demonic plot (she strongly didn't doubt the last one), but from what she'd gotten a glimpse of in that exam room, she knew she didn't want to cross his path when he was really pissed off.
The question arose about what they were to do when they arrived at Titan's Tower. Maybe if she spoke with the leader, Robin, she could explain that Ray was an unstable patient of Sun Oak's and that she had feared for her safety and so she brought him there. Robin would no doubt wonder why a ten-year-old boy had frightened her so and subsequently demanded to be brought to them. To be sure, that's exactly what she was wondering. But maybe he would go along with the game.
Why the hell had she agreed to take him? Not only was she risking her job, she might be risking lives...
Or saving them.
She had no idea of Ray's true intentions, should they not be what he told her they were. But whatever they were, she damn well hoped they were good intentions, or else she would never be able to live with herself.
And then, a thought occurred to her. Maybe, she thought, he's doing this because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he doesn't.
"What is this? Raven is partaking in the playing of video games?" Starfire stood in awe as she watched the race on the screen.
"Yeah," Beast Boy said, dismally.
"Yes!" Raven exclaimed with a laugh.
"Not only that," Cyborg snorted, rolling his eyes. "But she's kickin' ass."
"I can't believe how much fun this is!" Raven cried, gleefully.
"Raven, contain yourself!"
Raven jumped at the voice and at the same time, a nearby glass vase shattered into a million pieces, its sharp shards flying in every direction. One even cut into her shoulder. She scowled at it and pulled it out. She looked up at the voice who had caused her to lose her calm.
He will be a problem, Larkin thought.
And there he stood, in all his glory, at the top of the stairs, hands on his hips. Had their been a breeze, Larkin was sure it would have filled his cape.
"Yes, Robin?" Raven asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. The leader of the Titans descended the stairs, looking reproachful.
"You know too much expression of any of your emotions is bad news," he snapped. "As you reveled in your victory just now, I noticed that vase levitate to the ceiling."
"I know that," Raven snapped, defensively. But I wonder how you do...
Robin nodded, as if he had done her a great service. Larkin scowled at him inwardly. It was obvious from the look in Robin's eye that he didn't trust him.
But the others did...
"Raven, could I talk to you for a second?" Robin asked. Raven looked back at the two boys on the couch wistfully. She looked like she really wanted to continue playing with them...
No! Larkin hissed to himself. Video games were pointless, no matter how entertaining. Just like friends...
Friends...
The concept eluded him somehow. All his 'friends' had been his followers, worshipers, Talents ardent for some desperate glory. They all died in the end, mostly by his manipulative mind that had proved too much for them. His own son had fallen victim to his overestimations of a human's mental strength.
In time, he came to realize that friends, like the human race, were weak and fickle. His followers saw him as a God, something to save them from themselves. They befriended him out of terrified reverence, not out of congeniality. He had no real use for friends.
Nor did he have any use for the Teen Titans other than to use him to his own advantage.
"Raven?" Robin repeated, a little more forcefully. Raven turned away from the TV that had entranced her and glowered at him.
"Fine," she said, sounding like her old self. She followed Robin out of the common room, up the stairs, down a hall, until they stood outside of his room. He opened the door and looked over his shoulder at his companion when she did not follow.
"Um... you can come in."
Raven stared at him wide-eyed, almost shocked. Her mouth was half open and she stared at him with an emotion he could not discern. But it disappeared quickly and Robin wondered if he'd imagined it. Her lips were pursed and she held her head high in a proud, almost arrogant way... like she was trying to hide something shameful from him.
It was the first time throughout all his years of knowing her that Robin even received the slightest inkling of Raven's thoughts and feelings.
That is, excluding six months ago, when she had intruded uninvited– yet quite welcomed– into his head. It was bound to leave a mark on him. And when she had told Larkin to "take her instead..." He couldn't help but be impressed. He knew that every Titan on the team cared for one another, and would have done the same for any of their friends... but none of them had ever had to before. Raven had been willing to die for him. Worse, she had been willing to sell her soul to a demon... for him. So he could live.
Little did she know Robin's worst fear was exactly that. Living... without his friends.
She stood before him now, her back to him, examining his room as though she'd never seen it before, staring in awe at the collection of news clippings that covered his desk; the floor to ceiling stacks books that littered the floor like stalagmites in a cave; a retired Red X mask on the floor in the corner, collecting dust; and, most embarrassingly, a stuffed Teddy Bear resting next to his computer. Quickly, he stuffed the offending bear out of sight and under his desk.
He turned back to his companion, who now had her arms folded, aparently bored with his room now, waiting for him to continue.
There she is... he thought. And yet, there she's not. Who are you, Raven?
"I... This... Well, needless to say, I've been having odd feelings... about you..."
Raven cocked a mocking eyebrow and scoffed. "Robin, I hardly have time for petty male hormones."
Robin was taken aback. "Wha-what? No, no, that's not what I mean at all..."
"Then please explain yourself," she said, both eyebrows raised. "I would like to play with Beast Boy and Cyborg."
Robin nodded at her grinning, glad for the opportunity to bring up his point. He picked up a pencil on his desk and shook it at her. "See, it's things like that... little things you do and say, small mannerisms... And big things too, like your smile."
She looked offended. "What's wrong with my smile?"
"N-nothing!" Robin stuttered, shocked for some reason, by the question. "Well, I mean, something. There's something in it, something in your eyes... first of all, you rarely smile warmly at us, and when you do smile, it's normally sardonic."
"Ah, yes, me and my faithful sarcasm..." Raven nodded, smiling wistfully. Robin frowned at her curiously, wondering if she was using that 'faithful sarcasm' at that moment... or saying something else entirely. She shook of her nostalgic look and looked at him pointedly. "But that's not me anymore, Robin. Look, Starfire had the same concerns you do. I told her that through my meditation I reached my ultimate, a point of enlightenment... call it Nirvana, if you're of that belief." The flicker of a smile that crossed her features seemed almost mocking. "My point is, I've finally learned to contain myself and my powers with minimal effort, allowing me to express my emotions in a more healthy fashion. I figure, what better time to have you get to know the real me... without my masks."
Robin looked at her skeptically. "But... you haven't learned to control your powers, Rae," he said. "That vase just now..."
"–Was an accident," Raven finished quickly. She laughed it off. "Really, Robin, a silly mistake. I'm still getting used to this whole emotion thing. I have it under control."
"Mm hm..." Robin said, narrowing his eyes at her critically. She sighed, annoyed.
"You still don't believe me, do you?" she asked. "Starfire does. Cyborg and Beast Boy do. Why can't you?"
Robin stared at her long and hard before answering. Finally, he sighed. "Because I know you, Raven. And no matter what you tell me... this isn't you. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but you're... you have this aura about you that's totally different from what I remember... When you were in my head last April, I... I could feel you. And since, I've always been able to. I would know when you walked into a room, I would know when you were stressed or upset, I would know when to leave you be and when to try and comfort you. True, most often you denied it and turned me away, but you always went to your room and poured over that damn mirror of yours... Rae, one thing you don't get about emotions are that they're there for a reason. You can't bottle them up and expect them to go away. You can't siphon it off during meditation. The best cure for a troubled heart is conversation... But I'm totally off topic here."
"Yes," said Raven coldly, sounding deeply angered and offended. "You are. And out of line."
Robin sighed. "Raven..."
"No. Who are you to tell me who I am and who I'm not? Come on, Robin, do you really know me that well? One ten minute battle in your head and suddenly you're Mr Intuitive! Look, Robin, you don't know me. You're wrong."
"Look, Raven, the point is... I can't feel you anymore. I... it's..." He bit his lip.
Raven folded her arms and shifted her weight to one foot, smiling smugly.
"Feel me? Are you sure this isn't some petty crush?"
"Shut up!" Robin snapped, defensively, somehow detecting aggressive connotations to Raven's tone. Her lips curved into a wretched grin, her eyes agleam with a deep rooted need for intimidation.
"What's the matter, Robin? Did I strike a nerve?"
Robin was glaring at her annoyed a moment, furious that she wasn't cooperating and even more furious that he couldn't communicate what he was feeling. At least, not without it sounding romantic.
And this is far from romantic, he assured himself. Just as the adamant thought trailed through his mind, his eyes widened in shock when he felt something... touch him.
But he looked down and Raven was yards away. He frowned in confusion. Raven seemed impassive, but oddly silent. She was eying him curiously. For a moment, everything was fine.
Then the sensation returned.
It was a tingly sensation, the kind one gets when one's foot falls asleep. Only, the feeling shot through his mind like an alarm and his head flew around, searching for a source... but could find none. The feeling died and he noticed Raven's eyes still on him, now looking frustrated and determined.
Suddenly, he felt something barge against his mind, like a migraine ready to tear open his skull... only the pain was more than physical.
"Holy hell!" he screamed, his eyes now flying to Raven. Raven looked terribly unhappy. His eyes widened in horror. "Raven... Raven, was that... are you... What the hell are you doing?"
She sighed, folded her arms and pouted. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said.
"What's wrong with you!" Robin demanded, in that tone he used when he wouldn't settle for anything other than an honest answer. She smiled at him smugly again.
"Nothing," said Raven. "That's my whole point, Robin. Nothing will ever be wrong with me again."
Robin sighed and closed his eyes. "Raven... I miss you. What the hell happened to you? What the hell are you trying to do to me? God damn, Raven..." He sniffed, and turned away from her eyes, having an urge to grab the teddy bear out from under the desk.
Raven frowned in suspicious surprise. "Robin... are you... crying...???"
Robin wiped his tears away and shook his head, solemnly, glaring at her, almost knowingly, with fierce ferocity.
"No," he said, curtly. "You are."
Raven continued to stare out the window as the raindrops trickled down the pane. She sniffed and rubbed at her red eyes as the warm tears slid down her boyish cheeks. Her heart ached to think of what Larkin would do to her friends once he gained full control of them.
All of a sudden, there was a stabbing pain in the back of her skull. Instantly, an image of Robin was conjured by her mind.
No... she thought, retreating to her deteriorating consciousness. Please, not Robin. This would not be the last time she remembered him. She had forgotten so much of her past already, with wild flashes in her mind's eye, one final blaze of glory before the image tumbled down the waterfall of the Mind Stream, carried off into deletion.
Not Robin. She refused. Plenty of other memories she could no longer recall had already been lost to the vicious Mind Stream, a train of consciousness that runs through everyone's minds, cosmically linking every living being. Some said even the meaning of life could be found in its swirling waters, compilations of the thoughts of geniuses and dreams of artists.
She would not lose her friends to that Stream.
But as she inspected her pillars of memory, she noted that Robin's section was intact, for the most part. Frowning, she wondered what could have brought him to mind...
Again.
That was when she realized. She was feeling disturbances in his mental rhythms.
Someone was trying to do him harm. And she knew all too well who.
"Well, we're here." Abby's voice extracted Raven out of her tangle of thoughts. The little boy hastily wiped away his tears and looked eagerly across the water at the giant T that rose in the middle. Raven grinned.
"The next ferry is at 3:00," Abby said, looking at the sign. But Raven shook her head, looking out across the sea.
"I can't wait that long," she said.
Abby cocked an eyebrow. "Unfortunately, little guy, you're going to have to. They only stop at the island on special request. And they're not leaving for another ten minutes. You can handle that, can't you?" She analyzed the sign. "Damn, it costs twenty bucks extra to stop there... I'm not paying that."
"You won't have to," said Raven, a grin slowly spreading across her features. She searched her new body for the powers Larkin possessed and was delighted to find that the levitation technique was present. "I wonder if this will work... I've never done this before."
"Done what?" Abby asked.
"You coming?" Raven inquired of the petite brunette. She could feel Abby's confusion as clearly as the mist from the ocean. Still smiling, she turned to her. "Well?"
"Coming... where?" Abby said. Raven laughed and rolled her eyes, seizing the nurses hand.
"Come on, let's see the horsepower this little engine has." She smiled inwardly at the joke, knowing she would have baffled both Cyborg and Beast Boy with the unusual remark.
With this in mind, she cautiously rose into the air.
Abby shrieked and clung desperately to Raven's small arm. Raven was ecstatic.
"Don't worry, Abby, I have you," she said, finding the nurse's reaction quite comical indeed.
"Ray, I don't even have me!" Abby cried nervously. They advanced over the water at running speed. Abby looked incredibly pale. "I don't even think I'll have my lunch anymore in a minute."
What's the matter, Abby? Raven thought to herself. Are you getting a little airsick?
Inwardly, she snickered.
Beast Boy would have had a blast to hear her talking as she was.
A once in a lifetime opportunity that he'll never have.
The room was silent as each teen stared at one another suspiciously. Whatever trust had previously been present had evaporated. Robin knew that he wasn't speaking to Raven. He wasn't even speaking to a good actor. He saw straight through the facade.
"What have you done to her?" he asked, his breathing heavy, his voice barely a whisper.
A sinister smile crept across the girl's face. "Clever Robbie."
And then the sound of a doorbell.
Both teens ignored it.
They continued in their glaring contest until they heard Beast Boy.
"Rae, Rob, you might wanna come see this."