Second Chances

DarkWarlord

As much as I wish I did, I do not own the Teen Titans, they are copyrighted material of DC Comics.

Darkk Agent and Robert Redding are not copyrighted material of DC Comics they are original characters, any resemblance to existing characters is purely coincidental. Please do not use these characters without my permission, I can't really stop you, it's more of a courtesy thing…

Chapter 4-Fall From Grace

Titans Tower

"Azarath Metreone Zinthos…Azarath…." Raven hovered a few feet off the ground, mumbling her incantation. She floated next to the couch on which Beast Boy and Cyborg were sitting playing another racer, (this was most likely because they didn't feel like a fighter, probably because of the close call with the bot.) Beast Boy's head was wrapped in a bandage and there were two large band-aids in an 'X' on his cheek. "Ya can't pass me, Ya can't pass me…what the!? How'd you pass me?!" Beast Boy screamed as his sure win was stolen by Cyborg at the last second.

"BooYA!" Cyborg got up and did his victory dance. "I so demand a rematch dude!" Cyborg yawned and shook his head. "Come on, pleazzzzzze, ya gotta race me again! Honor demands it dude! Beast Boy shouted in a last ditch effort to convince Cyborg to race for literally the fifteenth time in a row, Beast Boy was sick and tired of losing and wanted to win at least once.

"Why don't you try a different game?" Cyborg and Beast Boy looked over at Raven who had said something different from her incantations. The two looked at each other and shrugged, "we've played every game we own at least 5,000,000 times, they're getting pretty boring… so maybe we'll turn off the TV and just talk." Beast Boy finished by scratching the back of his head. Raven nodded, 'perhaps he's not so bad after all.' then she continued her meditations. Cyborg on the other hand didn't know which was weirder, that Raven had given an opinion that wasn't mean or that Beast Boy wanted to GASP talk!

Cyborg walked over to the kitchen and looked through the fridge, "OK, tomorrow we really need to make a run on the grocery store, the mold is starting to grow mold!" Beast Boy laughed until he saw Cy wasn't, "your serious aren't you?" Cyborg nodded, Raven made a gross face and Beast Boy supplied the sound. "ok, whose up for take out?" Beast Boy and Cyborg once again looked at each other in shock, Raven wanted take out? Raven was interested in what games they played? What was going on here? But they would not have the opportunity to find out what had caused Raven to take sudden interest in being normal, fore Starfire burst through the door at that moment, she was breathing heavily as if she had just flown across the town in just a few minutes, (there is a reason for this…she did.) She was talking incoherently; they were only able to catch a word or two: Robin, Alone, Parents. They watched as she quickly took off her leather jacket, quite violently too, ripping it in a few places. 'She loves that jacket, what is going on?' Cyborg thought.

"What?" Beast Boy could not understand what she was trying to say, she was frustrated, that was obvious from the tears she had forming in her eyes, and she was desperately clutching a piece of crinkled paper. Cyborg was trying to analyze what Star was trying to say. Raven slowly walked over to the hysterical Starfire and touched her forehead, she instantly calmed, Raven began to read her mind, at first only able to sense her emotions: Fear, Confusion, and Frustration. "Ok, so Robin is Alone with his Parents?" Beast Boy ventured.

"No." it was not Starfire who answered but Cyborg, "If my language analysis is correct, then she said Robin went alone to fight with a man who knew his parents." Raven shook her head Starfire's mind was too hectic, she had calmed a visibly but was still wound like a mattress spring. Raven looked at her friend and her gaze fell to the paper clutched in Starfire's hands. Raven slowly moved her hands to the paper and gingerly pried open Starfire's fingers, "is this what this is about?" Starfire nodded vigorously. Raven unfolded the paper and quickly scanned it. "This is bad, Robin is in great danger." The other two looked at each other clueless. "Read this." they read the paper. Beast Boy was at a loss for words, Cyborg was angry. He walked towards the stairs. "Were you going?" Beast Boy asked. "Where do you think?" "Robin can take care of himself," "I know, that's not what I'm worried about." Beast Boy cocked his head.

"BB. You're not stupid, don't act like it." he looked hurt. "If someone killed your parents, what would you do if you got your hands on them?" Understanding washed over Beast Boy, he leaped up and started running for the stairs. Starfire got up slowly, happy that her friends were able to figure it out, and ashamed at herself that she was unable to control herself. She looked down at the floor.

Raven looked at Starfire, she could feel that the alien was upset that she had lost control over her emotions, Raven knew the consequences of such an action. She walked over to Starfire and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Starfire, we need to help Robin." Starfire looked at Raven with caring eyes, which hardened with determination. She flew off down the stairs, Raven nodded, she would be alright. Then she too took off down the stairs.

DOCK 13

Robin did not enter the old warehouse via front door, no, no. He silently crept through the roof's window. The warehouse was dark and damp, the only illumination came from the dim lights on the walls, and a large spot light in the middle of the ceiling they cast eerie shadows all around the warehouse. Robin surveyed the warehouse on the east side there seemed to be some sort of grinding machine, it was large and took up a lot of space, he looked around and saw him. A man standing in the circle of light cast by the spot light, he wore a leather trench-coat and a black mask under a broad rimmed hat. Robin stared at the man for a long moment, 'so this is the man who killed them. Mom, Dad, James, tonight you will be avenged.' Robin smiled wickedly tonight he would pay back years of nightmares and anguish.

As if he could hear Robin's thoughts the figure looked up at Robin, "now, now Mr. Greyson, it's not polite to spy on people now is it?" angry that this person could just spot him Robin leaped from the ceiling and after some acrobatics landed perfectly on his feet. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, "Excellent Robin, your parents would be most proud of you,," amused laughing, "yes, yes you've come very-" "NEVER MENTION MY PARENTS!" Robin screamed at him, after his outburst Robin breathed heavily, regaining his composure. "Well, aren't we feisty, but I didn't drag you all this way just to patronize you dear boy, I invited you here to settle this. I'm sick of running. I've killed a lot of people to become what I am today," he took off the hat in a flamboyant gesture, revealing a white and black mask that covered his entire face. "I was just starting out when I killed your parents, a two bit assassin. Yea that's right, I was paid to kill your parents, by their employer." Robin couldn't believe what he was hearing, Mr. Redding, the owner of the circus had paid this psycho to kill him and his family?

"You might be wondering why. Why did Redding do it? A simple answer: he wished to collect the insurance, and the sympathy generated by the 'accident' caused profits to jump through the roof. A simple answer yes. Redding was a good friend of your father wasn't he? And you may be wondering why I didn't kill you. Well that is because I had a soft spot for you, you reminded me of, well me." the man shook his head and laughed a little. "Before I kill you, I just want two things, to look into the eyes of the man who slaughtered my family, and your name." The man was confused, "they say you should never look into the eyes of the person you're about to kill my boy, they say that those eyes will forever haunt you… they're right Dickie, is that what you want?" He stared at him, a grim expression on his face, "so be it."

"My name is Ronald Zibach, also called Darkk Agent." he stripped his mask, revealing two weary gray eyes. Robin nodded; this man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, which would put him in his late teens when he killed the Greysons.

Robin reached to the back of his utility belt and pressed a hidden button, on his boots and wrists, blades slid from their secret hiding places, a wicked smile crossed Robin's face, "I've kept these for a long time, I was saving them for Slade, but you're a hundred times wore than him. Time to Die." He lunged at him and Agent took out two guns with lightning speed and was about to open fire when they were thrown from his hands by black energies, a blue beam of energy also slammed into Zibach throwing him halfway across the warehouse. "NO STAY BACK, THIS IS MY FIGHT!" Robin shouted at the Titans. "No way Rob. We can't let you kill this guy, we can't let you do that to yourself." Cyborg said to Robin from the front door. "Come on now Robin, come back to us, we will capture him and then take him to the authorities together." he shook head, "not this time Star, I have to do this, he killed my parents! My brother! They were all I had!" He screamed. Starfire looked over at him, he was angry, and he had every right to be, she looked down sadly, "please Robin, do not do this…" he through down a smoke pellet and was gone.

"Find him!" Raven screamed, the four titans began to quickly search the warehouse for their friend, but they would not find him there. He and agent were on the roof of the next building. "Robin, Robin, Robin… I thought I said no little frie-" Robin cut him off with a blow to the side of the head, they began to fight, Robin took out his staff and released his blades. Agent took out two short swords and combat enveloped. Robin was a blur, Agent was good but was getting pounded by the boy wonder. Robin leaped into the air and made as if he was going to bring his staff down, Agent blocked accordingly. But unfortunately for agent, Robin did not bring his staff down, he instead through many exploding disks. Causing Agent to fall through the roof and into the interior of the building.

This warehouse was well lightened and mostly vacant, he could see Agent sprawled on his back, laying on a mattress… 'Just my luck, a mattress warehouse, what sweet Irony it would be if he died the same way they did...' he smiled and jumped into the warehouse, ready to take revenge for his fallen kin.

Next Door at the same time…

"Dude, did you hear that?" Beast Boy looked through the window and over at the building and saw a figure jump into the smoking hole in the ceiling in a very Robinish manner. "They're in the next warehouse!" BB shouted and while running for changed into a Raptor so he could get there as fast as possible. Raven levitated through the roof and Cyborg ran for the door. But before he made it he looked back and saw Starfire just floating there a troubled look on her face. "Star!" she jumped, "come on, we can't let Rob do this." "Cyborg, I do not understand, on my planet it is not considered wrong to take revenge in a situation such as this…" she looked down at the ground ashamed at herself for wanting to let Robin take the life of this…scum. Cyborg looked at her sympathetically, "I know Star, but we can't let him take a person's life, on this planet if you kill someone, no matter what the situation, you are considered a murderer. Then we'd have to turn him in for trial, and I'm not sure I could. So I'm not going to have to make a choice like that." She looked at him puzzlingly. "Because I'm not going to let him destroy his life." she nodded and flew out of the roof, Cyborg moved as fast as he could to get to the next warehouse.

Cyborg arrived at the next ware house to find a large hole in the door, 'who knew that BB could make a big entrance?' he looked at saw that Robin was fighting both the dude in the black mask and the other titans, shouting things like "Stay back," and "This is my fight," and the one that surprised Cyborg, "you would do the same, and I would let you," "No you wouldn't Robin." Raven shot back, and she tried to restrain him by tying his arms, he quickly broke free but was punched hard by Agent. Starfire was only watching, she couldn't bring herself to deny Robin his right for vengeance, it irked her but she understood. "Dickie, you know you can't beat me and them, I may not be the best, but I pride myself on the fact that I'm a professional, unethical yes, but still a professional." Raven, not trying to hurt Robin picked up two mattresses and sandwiched Robin between them. (now she did it pretty hard so it hurt, not harm but hurt, ok read on.) The mattresses then were reduced to nothing but shreds via Robin's blades.

"Stop calling me that. Only a few people can call me that, but they're either dead or in my past." "I am your past, and don't worry about the ones who are dead! You'll be meeting with them soon enough!" Beast Boy who had been fighting with Agent was flung across the room into a wooden crate. He lay there stunned. His last thought was something about his rotten luck and landing on the only hard thing in the entire warehouse. Agent produced a gun from his coat and shot Raven down; she fell to the floor, lying very still. "you…you…" Was all Robin was able to produce. Agent was smiling through his mask, Starfire's hands were at her mouth and Cyborg was staring at her form. Beast Boy came out of his haze to the sound of gun shots, he watched as Raven fell from the air and to the ground with a thud. Tears flowing from his eyes he walked over to her body and held her close to him, "I'll kill him for this… man, why does every girl I like end up dead?" he finished his question with a sob. "That's very rough kid, but she's not quite dead yet." the titans looked over at agent, he held up a dart and then looked at his wrist, "she has about ten minutes before the poison takes effect, I suggest that you take her to the hospital immediately." Agent threw the dart to him. Beast Boy looked down at the uncurious form of Raven, he changed into a roc (for those of you who don't know what that is it is a really big bird) and as fast at the wings could carry him he crashed through the roof and straight for the hospital.

It was Starfire's turn to get angry at the assassin, before he knew what hit him he was flung through the warehouse back into number 13. Cyborg looked at where Robin was standing, except there was no Robin. Cyborg scanned the area and saw that somehow Robin had gotten into the other warehouse without him or Starfire noticing. "Star, we gotta go!" she bolted forward through the hole she had just made using Agent, she looked for Robin and saw he and Agent fighting, Agent giving almost as good as he got, 'he is good, but you'd have to be to up against Robin. He's the best.' she thought with pride as Robin kneed the jerk under the chin sending him to the ground. 'But I must not let Robin kill him.' She floated towards Robin, he was breathing heavily and bleeding badly from a cut over his right eye, she floated behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his.

"Robin, I…I…" she took a deep breath, "I do not wish for you to kill him, but if you do I will still love you." She said all this in a slight whisper. She felt him stiffen, 'still?' was the only thought that passed through his head, suddenly slaying this monster wasn't so important. He just stood there and raised his own hand to her arm, there was peace in his mind, for the first time in a long while, everything, Slade, the HIVE, Brother Blood, he had time to relax between these villains but not for peace of mind. "Isn't this touching?" Before Starfire or Robin could react, Agent kicked Starfire in the face with a flying kick, breaking her nose and rendering her unconscious.

Cyborg arrived just in time to see her fly back, her purple blood spewing from her face, frightened for her safety he ran over to her, he breathed a sigh of relief, today was full of too many close calls, too many surprises, he just didn't know if he could take any more surprises, there was an explosion, Cyborg shielded Starfire with his metallic body. He looked over at the two combatants, he detached his arm and used it's camera to record the rest of these events, he figured that if explosions were going to be going off then he had to get Star out of there.

After a short but vicious battle of singing blades and flying bullets, Robin walked out of the now burning warehouse and bleeding badly and bruised something terrible he walked up to Cyborg and said nothing, he just looked at him. Cyborg knew that his worst fear had come true, the blood that his friend was covered in was not his own, it was the late Ronald Zibach's, the Darkk Agent. Robin's gaze fell to Starfire, he knelt down beside her and looked at her face, her nose had set itself, and she looked like a child sleeping. He gently touched her cheek, leaving a smudge of blood, he then reached up to the emblem on his vest and took it off, he placed it in Starfire's hand, and then he left. Cyborg did not try to stop him, he merely watched his friend disappear into the night.

The Next Day approximately eleven in the morning.

Raven awoke in her room, everything was normal except there was someone else in the room, she looked at the door, or rather next to it. Her gaze fixed itself on a sleeping green boy sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair. 'he must have tried to stay awake all night.' she walked over to him and shook him a little, stirred a little but remained asleep. She smiled despite herself and decided to let him sleep. She walked downstairs to see Cyborg staring at the TV, he was plugged into it and was unsure as to weather or not watch it, she felt out to him, she sensed, Apprehension, and a slight shimmer of hope, hope that Robin did not commit the heinous crime. She walked over and sat on the couch, Starfire was also there, staring at Robin's emblem, Raven sensed, Indecision, and affection. Raven walked over to her metallic pal, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder she nodded, "play the tape." He pushed a small button on his arm as a reply.

The tape was a bit fuzzy, but you could tell who the people were, and after a short but ferocious battle the one in the cape held the beaten form of a figure in a trench coat, and the one being held said "Yes Dick, kill me, then Redding, then your vengeance will be complete. You're famil-" with a swift motion of the wrist the shadowed person dropped the figure in the coat, he was clutching his throat gurgling for a moment, then he lay still, a small object the size of a marble dropped next to the corpse and exploded, causing the recording to static.

Cyborg stopped the recording, his shoulder's shook, and tears streamed out of his eye.

Raven walked over to the computer and typed in Redding and then Greyson. The search brought up an old article about the unfortunate deaths of the Greyson family, a group of acrobats called the "Flying Greysons." All had died, except the youngest son, Richard Greyson. The search also brought up the name of the circus they were with, The Red Ring Circus, currently in Boston. Robin most likely also had this information and that meant that the team had to stop him before he took another life.

"Starfire, Cyborg," she shuddered a little. The poison form last night hadn't killed her thanks to Beast Boy, but she was sicker than she had ever been in her life. She shouldn't even had been out of bed, but work needed to be done. "I need you two to go to Boston," the other two looked at her incredulously. "That is were Robin is going to kill Robert Redding, the owner and ring master of the Red Ring Circus. It would appear that he was behind the murder of the Greyson family. Even if he was, he should go to jail not be murdered himself. I would go to but I'd do more harm than good," she looked down at her bandaged arm, the dull pain from the I.V. the doctors had given her refused to go away. "and so would Beast Boy, he's had nothing but beatings and scares for the last 24 hours and very little sleep." She looked at them, "I can't go in the field with you but I might be able to be your operator, you should head out in the T-Jet after lunch," they nodded, Cyborg numbly, and Starfire sadly.

Boston, about the same time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" a loud booming voice rang throughout the Circus tent, "Welcome to the most renowned circus in the world!" a spot light shone down on a portly overweight man in a red suite, his arms were spread wide for emphasis. "The Red Ring Circus!" as he shouted the last word all the lights came on and performers were jumping and flipping and carrying on to the music generated from a music machine in the back, it sounded like the old music that was commonly played at the circus. The stands were full of smiling people, though one was happy for a different reason.

In the stands there was a teen in a white T-shirt, black slacks and wearing a chain with a G in the center of a flying robin wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. He smiled and laughed at the clowns and clapped for the performers. Be smiled to himself, he patiently waited for the show to end, smiling evilly to himself he thought of the look on that fat pigs face when he squeezed the last breath from his lungs. "Mommy, that man is scary…" Robin looked next to him and saw a little girl, probably no older than seven or eight staring at him with fearful eyes. The mother looked over at him and scowled, "um, sorry," he laughed a little, seeing that the girl was still scared he reached into his pocket and produced a quarter, he showed it to the little girl who was now looked at it with fascination, he made the coin dance on his knuckles and then when the girl was smiling he made it disappear. The little girl looked at him with a small frown, she looked as if she were about to cry. He held up a finger, she stopped again, the mother too was looking on with interest, he opened his hand to show that there was nothing there and reached behind the girl's ear and revealed the coin. "Cool!" the girl clapped as he flipped the coin in the air, caught it and gave it to the little girl. Content, the girl looked back to the circus.

The most terrifying part of the evening however was when the trapeze performers did their little show. Robin almost cried out when the youngest, no older than twelve looked as if he were about to fall from missing his father's hand, then the boy grabbed hand of his mother who was right behind the father and finished with a summersault, landing on a tightrope, arms spread. The crowed ate it all up, they applauded wildly after crying out for the safety of the poor child. Robin clapped just as hard.

After the show Robin walked around the Circus area, somewhere civilians were not supposed to venture. He looked around, everything was the same, there was Madame Francine Yeltskin the fortune teller. And over there was old Charlie, the old animal trainer. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, a massive hand. Nervously he turned and found himself face to face with a large bald man with a handle bar mustache and a neck as thick as a tree trunk. "And just what do you think your doing here my short friend?" the man was smiling broadly and spoke with a heavy German accent, "I think you know that your not supposed to be here. Probably just trying to see Kathy," he shook his head and his gaze passed over Robin's pendant, then it fixed on it.

"No, way, I can't believe it. Little Dickie Greyson?" Robin smiled as the big man took off Robin's sunglasses, "Mien Gott!" (my god in German sorry if I misspelled it…) he picked Robin up in a bone crushing bear hug, "I can't believe that you've come back!" tears were flowing out of the big man's eyes. "Jacques! I can't breathe!" the big man set a winded Robin back on his feet, "Charlie! Francine! Come look at little Dickie Greyson!" his voice boomed like an explosion, Yeltskin and Charlie looked over, Charlie squinted and then his bushy white eyebrows rose. Yeltskin looked then walked over, "Mr. Greyson," he straightened, she had this effect on people, "I knew you'd be back, and I know you'll be gone soon." Jacques picked up Robin and placed him on his shoulder. Charlie hobbled over with the help of a cane, "let me have a look at yea boy, well if I'll be, you're the spitting image of your brother." a pained expression came over his face, Jacques noticed and shot the old man a look. "I'm only telling the truth 'Frenchie!' ha ha!" now Jacques was many things, French was not one of them. "I'M NOT FRENCH YOU OLD FART!" "That hurt frenchie, I'm not old… though I am a fart." then the two of them laughed, Jacques a hearty and loud, Charlie quiet and ending in ragged coughs.

Robin shook his head, "Nothing has changed." Jacques looked up at him, "Well, I can think of one thing…KATHY!" "why are you calling my granddaughter Jacques?" Charlie asked. But it was Yeltskin who spoke, "he's going to try to get Richard to stay by dating Kathy. It won't work, he'll do his business and then leave." Robin looked over at Yeltskin nervously. "Sure it will! Go on now!" Robin's jaw dropped not because of Jacques plan, this was something he'd been trying to do since Robin was little, but because of the woman who just walked out of the animal tent. She was beautiful; she had shapely hips, short brown hair and lovely green eyes. Jacques put Robin on the ground and stepped back to admire his handy work.

Kathy looked the boy in front of her up and down, he certainly was handsome, and with those glasses he had an aura of mystery about him. But it was strange, Jacques trying to set her up with a boy, and grandpa not yelling at him, and he looked familiar. 'it can't be, can it?'

"Dick?" he nodded, her hands went up to her mouth, then she flung her arms around him. "Dick! Dick were have you been? When did you get here? How long-" he interrupted her "whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down a minute." She just must have realized what kind of position she was in, her arms wrapped around his neck, their lips only a mere inch apart, because she jumped back blushing. Jacques and Charlie laughed. Yeltskin just shook her head, 'She reminds me of a mix between Raven and Starfire.' a pang of hurt rang in his heart as he thought about his friends and the life he had thrown away. It must have shown on his face because Kathy now looked at him with concern. "what's wrong?" he shook his head, and wiped his eyes, "its just so good to see you all again."

End Chapter 4

This has now been revised from it's original version, hopefully for the better.

Drop me a line and tell me what you think.

Wow, that one took a while to write, good thing I had a little extra time on my hands.

The next chapter is called Death Wing