Matches: Unleashed

Lessa-13-2004- I sure will!

Faithinme- I just thought someone ought to show a different side to them. Their badass side, preferably. Especially, Robins….

nathalsa (and Raven A. Star)- Since you two seem to be reviewing together, I'll just respond one time. I actually thought the summary wasn't too good, honestly. Did it really impact you that much emotionally? I had no idea! Thank you so much for reviewing!

firetop- Thank you. And Wow for reviewing!

And on with the show!

Chapter-Three

An In-Depth Perspective

God, here I was crying again. Why couldn't I just keep a straight face for an hour? I looked at my face in the mirror. My face was flushed and my eyes bloodshot. You could tell I wiped my mascara off long ago. I look terrible without make-up. It's like clothes to me. I can't go out in public without it.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Hey! Whoever's in there needs to come out right—"

I opened the door.

"Oh, gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was y—"

"Don't worry. I was just….cleaning up." I sniffed, wiping away the remainders of my tears and walked out of the bathroom. I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye for a second then rushing into the bathroom and slamming the door.

So where was I going? This tower is huge. I guess I'll just have a look around, see the sights. I started walking towards the roof when I realized I had a meeting with Raven at 4:30. She wanted to look into my mind some more and see what I was capable of. I checked my watch, it was 4:40.

"Damn," I said and sprinted down towards the living room. Ah! Which way do I go? I chose right. I never choose left if I have to, it's just a thing. Is that another pair of footsteps running? I don't stop to think. I turn a corner and run into something very solid as it knocks me over. Solid and….muscular? Very muscular….

"Angie! Oh my gosh! I'm sorry," says Robin. I didn't know he was that heavy! I cough as he lifts himself off me and holds out a hand. I grab it and he lifts me up. Why can't I stop coughing?

"You okay there?" he asks, patting me on the back.

I nod, continuing to cough.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I manage.

"Why were you going so fast?"

"I'm late for a meeting with Raven."

"Oh, I was running too. Sometimes I jog around the tower. You caught me on a sprint."

"Story of my life," I say, "Well, I got to go. Otherwise, she'll have a fit."

"I understand. See ya."

I walk this time, but at a much brisker pace. When I reach the room, I open it up and see her meditating in front of the window.

"Sorry I'm l—"

"—late. I know," she says, cutting me off.

"Yeah, I was—"

"—in the bathroom. I know."

"Well, I also—"

"—ran into Robin. I know."

"I know, you know! Okay! Why do I even need to meet with you if you can just read my mind from across the tower anyway?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips.

She turns towards me. "Because," she says calmly, "this requires the presence of the person. It's a much deeper form of psychiatric probing."

"Will it hurt?" I ask, sitting across from her on the floor.

"Depends on what I run into…" she says as if I can understand that.

"Look…Raven. Before you go searching through my mind, there's something I have to tell you. If you do find…powers…or something like that, it will change my life. If I leave now, I can just walk away and say that you guys saved me from a blizzard. But, if you find them in there, I'll never be able to go back to…my life before."

She studies me intently, and then speaks. "Angie, even if I do see a pyro inside you, you can never go back. You're father was killed—"

'Jesus, why did she have to say that?' I think, tears welling up in my eyes.

"—and no matter what you do, you can't change the fact that things will never go back to how they were before. We cannot change the truth, no matter how much we dislike it."

"But," I say, a lump forming in my throat, "at least I can try to be normal. At least I can go back to the school and—"

"—and what? Have the kids pity you because of your loss? Do you really want it from them? We can be like your family, Angie. We will try our hardest to make sure you feel like you fit in. We all have lost something dear to us. For me, it was my innocence. Now, I must earn it back. For Robin, it was his parents. He saw them die right in front of him. We all have something in common here, and we use that to be closer." She looked at me again. My tears were flowing freely, but I wasn't sobbing or bawling. They just rolled down my cheeks.

"What do you say?"

"But, I have a history project due next week and a color guard competition coming up. And the book club I'm in has a meeting tomorrow. Not to mention my piano solo I have to be judged on soon. I can't just abandon these people that are counting on me. "

"You are not abandoning them," she said, "In fact, you are far from doing that. Imagine their faces when they see that you are the newest Titan. The last Titan. We work best as six, so Robin and I have been searching for another for a while. And after Terra…." her voice trailed off.

I remember Terra. The earth-mover. When she sacrificed herself, it was all over the news. And how Slade was defeated and everything.

"If I join, is there a chance that I might…die? Like Terra?"

"Terra sacrificed herself for the city. Any of us would have done that and we all take the risk that a situation like that will arise. But, the chances of you dying…" she said, her voice being whittled down again. She sighed, "Once you join our team, you become like a family member. We respect you, and you respect us." Those words echoed in my head. And they were the ones that made me say—

"Okay. Let's do this." I wiped the tears from my cheek and adjusted myself on the floor.

She smiled. Just as she was explaining how it would work, Robin ran into the room.

"Titans! Trouble!"

"Fantastic…" said Raven, getting up and leaving me on the floor.

"What's going on?"

"Some stupid bank robber," she said, looking over Robin's back as Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire ran into the room. "God, do these people really think we're that dumb?"

"Looks like the east-sector," Robin said, typing something into the mainframe. "Shit, it's Krim."

"Who?"

"A psycho we put away months ago. Looks like he escaped."

"Titans! Go!" shouted Robin. Everyone but Raven left the room.

"You coming?"

"But, I can't do anything!"

"We'll show you how crime fighting is really done…" she said, waiting for me to catch up.

I was going to see the Titan's in action. I'm so excited.

I feel like I'm going to hurl my guts out.

"C-c-could we p-p-please sl-sl-slow d-d-down-n-n!" I yell.

"No, we have to get there as fast as we can!" yells Robin. I'm sitting in the back seat of the R-cycle and Robin's driving about 150 miles per hour down the interstate.

"M-m-maybe I sh-should have r-r-ridden in the T-T-T-car!"

He laughs. "I don't think you want to do that!" he says. I hold on to his waist tighter, closing my eyes. He slows down a little, but barely. At least he's being considerate.

"And why do I g-get the d-dorky helmet?" I ask.

"Because I didn't really expect anyone to ever ride on this thing with me!"

"Do I get a c-cool car or m-mmmotorcycle?"

"You're staying!" he asks, looking back.

"Watch it!" I yell. He turns and dodges a bus.

"I have n-no where else t-to go!"

"We'll see."

"Target inclosing," he says, turning on the intercom in his helmet. I can suddenly hear his voice crystal clear in my ears. Why did he keep our conversation private?

"I can see him!" yells Starfire.

Robin screeches to a halt. The T-Car pulls up behind us with Beast Boy and Cyborg. I take the helmet off and shake my hair. It's full of static. And then I realize why.

An extremely good looking man is running, no, gliding, out of a bank. Underneath him, electricity pulses with energy. Crackling white static covers his body. He laughs.

"Hello, Titans! How long has it been?"

"Not long enough obviously," says Robin, "Because you haven't learned your lesson in jail yet."

"You really think those little tinker-toys can hold me?"

"Like I said before," Raven chimes in, talking to Robin, "We're gonna need a bigger jail."

"Titans! Go!"

The man laughs and sends out a shock-wave full of thick electricity, hoping to annihilate the Titans. Raven shields everyone on the street.

"You know, Krim. You're tricks are getting a little too old."

He shoots lightning towards her and it strikes her in the stomach. She plummets to the ground.

"Obviously…..not," he says, chuckling to himself. Robin growls. He throws a freezer disk and falls underneath Krim's feet. It detonates and locks Krim in place. He tries to move, but he can't.

"Looks like I've got you," he says.

Krim's eyes glow.

"Actually, Robin…" he says, and shoots bolts from his eyes, "I've got you." He blasts Robin into the air and he falls across the street from Raven. I run over to her and check for a pulse. Raven doesn't have one. I pray that Robin does.

"Shit! Beast Boy! Get over here!"

"Now isn't the time, Angie!" he yells, morphing into a hawk and circling around Krim as Starfire and Cyborg blast the robber.

"Raven doesn't have a pulse!"

He morphs back into human form and runs over.

"Is she breathing?" he asks, panting from running.

"No, I checked. She smells like, she's burning."

"The shock from Krim must have stopped her heart," he says. Checking her vitals.

"That means that another shock will start it up," I say.

"One of us has to get Krim to attack us."

"Hey! Over here you asshole!" I shout. Krim turns my way. Robin gets up.

"What are you doing?" he shouts as Krim walks over here. I can see the villain's eyes starting to light up. I grab Ravens ankle and mentally prepare myself.

'Okay, no big deal. It's just going to feel like your foot fell asleep….'

"Angie! Wait! He'll kill you!" shouts Beast Boy. I reach my hand out so it hits sooner. Then Krim shoots. It feels like I'm on fire. Like a thousand knifes cut into me every square inch of my body. I can't even think. I can feel my hand get tight from how bad it hurts. I don't scream. I just let it go. It's like I'm stuck to the ground. I can't let go of Raven's ankle.

'It's going to work. It's going to work...' I think. And then it stops and I fall to the ground.

"Angie!" I hear. And then everything goes black.

"What was she thinking?"

"What would you have done?"

"I just wish that she would awaken. I hope she is alright…"

"Dude, she sacrificed herself. The only person that's ever done that for us is Terra."

"I think we've found the one guys."

The voices hover over me. Once again, I'm awake with my eyes shut. This time I decide not to fake it. I open my eyes.

"Angie!" squeals Starfire.

"Hey!" say Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"How are you feeling?" asks Robin.

I groan. "Like a bus ran over me." I move my legs, but once again, the pain is unbearable.

"Where am I?"

"Jump Hospital. The second best hospital in the country."

"Well, I'm flattered." Then I remember….

"Raven!" I say, not seeing her in the room, "Where is she? Did it work? What happened?"

"We got Krim back in jail; they put him in a contained environment," explains Robin, "And it did work," he said. He puts his hand on mine and holds it, which is the most comforting thing anyone could do for me right now.

"Her heart started up again. It is very weak, and she just came out of critical condition, but at least she's alive."

I sigh with relief. I look around the room. Awww….they got me flowers.

"You guys didn't have to…"

"Yes," says Starfire.

"We do."

"We don't know how much to thank you for what you did," says Robin, "We never could have asked that from you. Never. You got her back."

He slightly squeezes my hand. I have a feeling there is something between Robin and Raven that neither of them have told me. I wonder what would happen if the team lost one of them….

"Time for your medicine!" bubbly nurse chimes, coming into the room with a needle.

"Uh-uh…I hate needles."

She stops, "Well….I'm sorry, but there really isn't another way to—"

"No."

"Angie, just do it. The injected you when you were asleep and you slept right through it."

I sigh. God, I hate needles.

"Fine."

Titan009- Please, oh please review. I tried to make it extra long!