I'm having computer troubles. I went on the computer at around 5:15 PM Sunday, and it just stopped working. My Mom had been on it the three hours previous, so why wasn't it working for me? Well, I never discovered the answer. Alls I know is that for over a day, I have had to deal with constant freezings of my computer at random times. Sometimes it lasts ten seconds. Others it lasts twenty minutes. I have been lucky enough to get the computer to run for over an hour. Now I'm crossing my fingers and hoping to get this updated only a few hours behind when I intended to originally update. Before I forget... Starfire is dead. I know, she can fly. However, she was in a daze from being knocked around, so lets all assume she wasn't in the right state of mind to escape. And, as one person pointed out, you can really only place the blame on one Titan. However... surprises are in store, and you most likely will dislike them. Try to enjoy until that time comes though.
I do not own Teen Titans.
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Chapter 9: Discovered
Cyborg's View
An deafening noise alerted Cyborg. He was walking below the main floor when something above him sounded off. It was a battle. Yells, thumps, explosions. The real party seemed to be upstairs. He quickly pressed himself against the window, trying to look up above him, but that was no use. Cyborg quickly turned back towards the door, where Raven was standing and waiting for him. He nodded at her, and Raven turned to run. Cyborg caught up, and then they took off together.
"Raven, this isn't good! Explosions? Something big is going on, and we're missing all the action!" Cyborg said to her. Raven was no longer running, but floating at the same speed as Cyborg's movements. She calmly floated back wards, her arms crossed as they made their way up the stairs. "If the action is this intense, it may be a good thing that we aren't involved. Not many of us are left," She said quietly. Cyborg almost missed her words, but he caught the bulk of it. He continued to run, now picking up speed.
A loud crash made him stop. The sound of glass shattering happened first, and it was followed by a feminine scream. 'Starfire' Cyborg realized. Him and Raven exchanged worried glances before rushing up the remaining floors. They reached the top quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, Cyborg saw a blur of movement shoot off past him. He raised his hand, but found that his energy was too low to fire a blast. Raven managed to fire off a wave of dark matter, but the killer quickly shot an x out to stop it. There was another explosion, and the room was covered in smoke.
"Starfire!" Cyborg yelled through the haze. He hoped to god that it wasn't someone else who had fallen through the window. At least Starfire knew how to fly. 'Not that it guarantees survival' He thought to himself. Cyborg shook the thought away and decided to breifly activate his heat vision. It only took a moment to locate Speedy, and he went back to normal so as to avoid using too much power. Cyborg got to him first.
"Speedy, what happened?" Cyborg asked. The archer was leaning against an unbroken pane of glass, occasionally looking over the side of the broken window to look down. Speedy jabbed a finger to the ground below. "It was X, he kicked her down there! She's gone!" Speedy yelled over the crash of thunder that went off. Cyborg glanced over the side, unable to really see much in the rain. He could see the outline of someone on the ground. It could be anyone really. But Starfire did scream, and the glass broke... so it had to be her down there. And the fall was too far for anyone to survive.
Raven appeared at Cyborg's side, her hood up as she surveyed the scene. "X is long gone," She muttered. The half human nodded at the goth girl, who began to search the area. Cyborg held out his hand for Speedy to take, but the teen didn't accept the offer. He used his bow as a crutch to slowly get up. Then he took out the real arrow he had been carrying, and he loaded it slowly. Cyborg could tell that he was really upset now.
"I should have done more to help her," Speedy whispered. Cyborg lifted his hand, drawing it back for a moment, but then slowly placing it on his friend's shoulder. The guy needed some comfort. "I'm sure you did all the you could," Cyborg said softly. Speedy shook his head quickly. "No, I didn't. If I had just grabbed the right arrow... we might have got the son of a bitch right there. And I actually thought I had him, but I didn't. Starfire... s-she pushed me out of the way. She saved my life," Speedy queitly spoke. He sounded as if he was about to break down in tears. The archer pulled away from Cyborg, then walked over to Raven.
"You've been sensing him the entire time, haven't you?" He asked her. Cyborg stared blankly at Speedy. This was quite the accusation for him to be making. If Raven had felt somebody thinking violent thoughts, she would have- "Yes." Cyborg's mouth dropped open. Raven knew all this time that someone was up to something, and she didn't tell anybody? He took a few slow, heavy steps forward, still speechless from her answer.
"You mean to tell me that you knew something was going to happen, and you never bothered to even mention it?" Cyborg asked. Raven didn't look away from his look and Speedy's glare. "I wasn't sure if I was imagining or not," She answered simply. Speedy put his bow down slowly, chuckling to himself. "You're a mind reader Raven, you said yourself that you've managed to do it before," Speedy said. Raven frowned. "I know. But lately... I've been having issues," She said. Cyborg perked up. "What kind of issues?" He asked. Raven paused for a moment. "Ones involving my father," She answered. Cyborg knew exactly what she meant.
Raven had explained it to him before. There was some sort of... force inside of her. An evil one. Cyborg never fully understood what it was all about. Her father was an evil demon, and this thing inside her took his form. Apparently, when Raven's emotions get a little out of hand, this force inside of her mind became functional. When this happened, she was definitely now herself. But what exactly did it matter if she was having "issues"? Cyborg was very interested to know.
"And this means...?" Speedy said, implying a question. "It means that there is another voice inside my head that is making me think bad thoughts, and I haven't been sure whether the violent emotions I've been picking up were my own... or the killer's," Raven explained. Cyborg understood now. It all made sense. With this force inside of her head, Raven's new and more advanced mind reading abilities were becoming a difficulty. She ddin't know whether she was picking up the evil side of her thoughts, or somebody else's. Speedy didn't say another word, he just walked towards a door, picking up his bow quickly on the way.
"And where exactly do you think that you're going?" Raven asked him. Speedy gave her a smirk. "Well, while you decide if you're crazy or not, I am going to find this killer and stop him... once and for all." And with that, Speedy left the room, sliding the door shut slowly and leaving Cyborg to wonder whether or not it was safe to be with Raven. Being murdered was one thing... but going insane was another. If she went whacko again, Cyborg did not want to be the one who ended up like Doctor Light.
"You gonna be alright?" Cyborg asked her. He thought he heard a sniffing noise for a moment, but was sure it was his imagination. "I'll be fine," Raven answered in her usuall monotone, offering no leads on how she was feeling. Cyborg knew that she wanted to be alone, so he turned around and headed out a different way then Speedy. He felt like he could use some alone time as well.
Speedy's View
It turns out that Raven was a little more unstable than Speedy had originally thought. 'So sue me' He thought to himself. If he had known that she was a danger to not only herself, but him as well... Speedy never would have bothered to have stuck with her when they split up in the beginning. Sure, she hadn't tried to kill him, but she could have. 'Just be glad you didn't say the wrong thing' He told himself. That would have been a serious disaster.
Of course, Raven's emotions weren't the only ones that had been a little jumbled. He had started out very happy to be at the party. It was fun. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. But then Wildebeest turned up dead, and everything changed. Suddenly he became fearful. And when more bodies turned up, his level of fear only increased. Soon he felt almost as afraid as he felt alone. He couldn't trust anybody. Then, just when things got a little better... he found Aqualad dead. His best friend gone, just like that. Now alls Speedy wanted was vengeance for all the heroes that had died on this night.
He once again had his bow armd and ready. No more fooling around, not now. Speedy didn't even want to think of the amount of times he might have had the killer dead if he had been ready. The only time he even got to fire the arrow was when the killer was ready for him. Speaking of ready... "Robin," He whispered. Suddenly the Boy Wonder came into his mind. He hadn't seen Robin since his little encounter with the killer, nor had he seen Beast Boy for a while. And, as far as he was concerned... Beast Boy seemed like a very likely suspect. Once again, Speedy decided to look at what he knew.
'Can change into any animal, no matter how small. This gives him a large advantage to dispose of the generator, stay out of sight, and get around easily. Is apparently a decent fighter when serious, and has greatly improved his abilities since a certain beast incident' Speedy thought slowly. "Wait..." He whispered. Robin had told him about it. The so called beast that arose from Beast Boy after being drenched in those chemicals... what if they affected him mentally? What if he was the one that ws truly unstable? Speedy made a mental note before turning the next corner carefully.
Then he heard footsteps, quiet ones. Speedy looked around the hall that he was in. Nothing but a large box and some metal stairs leading down a floor. But there was somebody near. The echoing sound of shoes on the stairs made him realize that someone was coming up, so Speedy quickly looked for a hiding spot. He saw that the box was his only hope. Speedy rolled past it, then pressed himself to the wall next to it. The person reached the top of the stairs. Then they walked in the opposite direction of the box.
Speedy stuck his head out slightly from the side. Oh, it was him, not the killer. Speedy found it odd how he was walking alone and casually, as if he didn't even expect an attack. The archer crawled out from behind the box slowly, then crept down the hall to follow him. There was something weird going on with this Titan, and he knew it. Speedy mentally wondered if they had found their killer, though they doubted it. Despite what he thought was possible, this just didn't seem to likely. But he followed anyways.
The Titan turned into a room, and Speedy stood up. He quietly ran to the open door, holding himself to the wall and peeking around the edge. He saw no one. Speedy crouched low, then slinked into the room unnoticed. It was full of boxes, and he positioned himself behind a few. The Titan was directly ahead of him, messing around with a bag. What were they up to? Speedy put down his bow, then moved closer for a better view. He watched as the Titan pulled out a black suit and laid it on a box. Then he pulled out a mask, and he put it over his face.
'No way!' Speedy yelled. It was "Red X", though this wasn't who Red X was, not at all. Why this Titan now had Red X's suit was a mystery, but he was using it to kill. Speedy crouched down, then moved back to his bow. The killer really was a Titan. Despite all his suspicions, Speedy never wanted to actually believe that a hero could go this evil. He picked up his bow, fumbling for the arrow so that he could get ready for the kill. They had to be taken down now, even if they had been his friend. Speedy prepared to fire.
Bam! Something knocked Speedy's down to the ground, and his bow clattered to the ground. He his snapped to the killer, who now had the suit fully on and was staring at him lying on the ground. Speedy reached for his bow, but quickly drew his hand back as an x flew out. He rolled back wards, silently wondering what had knocked him over. There was no time to think though, because the killer was running at him. 'Shit!' Speedy's mind yelled, and he took off running. There was no time for his bow.
He ran through the doorway, looking back for a quick second and seeing that he had dropped the rest of his arrows in the door way. 'You don't have a bow now, who needs the arrows!' He yelled in his head. Speedy ran down the hall, once again casting a glance behind him to see the killer standing in the doorway. Speedy stopped for a moment to watch. The killer disappeared through the door again, and Speedy ran. He had to find somebody to tell quick, because he knew who it was now. The only question was... could he find someone in time?
Raven's View
She spent a few minutes meditating again. The entire time she was arguing with Speedy and Cyborg, her inner evil voice was telling her to give into her again, to let them take over and show them to never yell at her again. Speedy was being a jerk. She had given him a shoulder to cry on, he should have treated her with some respect. But Raven managed to control herself until Speedy and Cyborg were gone, and her meditation had calmed her significantly. It needed to be done often, or things could get hectic.
Raven yawned for a moment. She hadn't thought about time much, but now she realized that it must have been fairly early in the morning. It wasn't light outside yet, but it was getting there. The storm was calming, and soon they would all be able to get out of Titans Tower alright. 'And so will the killer' She thought. That was true. The killer was a Titan, she could feel it. But she wasn't sure which one it was. Not Cyborg, not Speedy. Beast Boy or Robin? She asked herself. Great. Neither seemed like a killer suspect, being heroes and all. But if she had to choose one, she would say...
"Raven!" She jerked around, staring wide eyed at Speedy, who was running full speed down the hall to her. He stopped in front of her, clearly out of breath. He bent over, his hands on his legs as he began to breath heavily. "I... saw... it was him... the killer... put on the suit..." Speedy managed to say. Raven wasn't sure if she was hearing him right, but it sounded almost as if Speedy was saying that he had seen the killer. She grabbed onto his shoulder and lifted him face to hers.
"Speedy, who was it? Take a deep breath and tell me, we need to know before the storm calms. They'll get away if it does," She said urgently. She heard the voice in her head as her anger rose, but she shook it out. Speedy stood up straight, looking behind him and taking one more deep breath. He pushed her against the wall, staring into her eyes. "I finally got to see who it was. He went into a room full of boxes, and started to change into the suit. But I saw who it was, and he was chasing me. I think I lost him. It doesn't matter though, the killer is-"
Well, Raven never got to hear who the killer was. A sudden explosion sent them both flying. Raven was thrown free of the hallway, a cloud of smoke billowing up into the air and into her face. She coughed loudly, trying to see where Speedy was. "Who?" She called through the dust. There was a quiet noise from far away, then a thump, followed by a weak cry. Raven's heart nearly stopped as she heard someone hit the ground in front of her. She felt around for someone. She found them quickly, someone's hand. Speedy's.
"Speedy?" She asked him. There was no reply. Raven reached up, feeling his face. He was responding at all. She reached down, her hand touching Speedy's chest as the smoke cleared. But there was something not right. Raven looked down, and stared at what was there. An arrow. The real arrow. It was right in the center of Speedy's chest, blood slowly pouring out. Raven clapped a hand over her mouth and looked down the hall, where the killer was standing. Speedy's bow was in his hands, the arrow carrier on the ground empty. The tossed the bow down and turned, then walked away. Raven looked back at Speedy for one brief moment, wishing that she had read his mind instead of waiting for an answer. It was too late now though. She didn't to hear her the killer was, but she would know... soon enough.
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I'm quite surprised actually. My computer has been on an hour and a half, and it has not frozen. I'm very shocked. I was going to bring it in to get fixed over the next couple days, but I might not have to now. This is a pleasant surprise. As for the chapter, I really enjoyed writing this one. I forget where I thought up that kill on Speedy. The idea came from somewhere, oh well. In my own opinion, this chapter seemed pretty good. It only took me an hour and a half to write, not even. And I thought that it came out well. Forgive me for any and all spelling mistakes. It's nearing 2 AM and I just studied for exams, I'm a bit off. So, hope you enjoyed the chapter, come back for some more in another week. Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance if you review. One more thing... I'm writing a new Teen Titans fanfic soon called "Death's Design", and it will be posted shortly after this. For an idea on what it's about, read up on the film "Final Destination", as that is where the basic idea is from. Anyways, away with me.
Next Chapter: Raven goes on the prowl, and finds out some startling information. Soon after, the killer is revealed, and it's a battle between certain Titans. Will the killer manage to finish off the remaining heroes?
"I like your shoes... give them to me!"
-SinFire
