Jump City Cantata
A Teen Titans Fan-Fiction by Jacob McDonald
Opening notes: I know, I know. Update. You guys don't have to tell me every review you give... sheesh. I'm a busy guy, you know? Homework is bogging me down here at the end of the semester, and I've been working tons of hours as well. Gotta pay that rent. That and YOU try writing a 9100 word chapter in a week. It aint easy. Anyway, as per request by dbzneon, a brief explination. Speedy is more like the Green Arrow the Kid Flash. I've never seen him in a comic, but he made his first apperence in Teen Titans in episode 22, called 'Winner Take All.' He packs a wide veriety of arrows that do different things, much like the explosive/freeze disks that Robin carries. The The Tournament of Heroes in that episode came down to Robin vr. Speedy, and in the end, Robin won. Speedy will be taking a more active roll in the series as he is implemented into Titans East sometime in the next few episodes, at the end of Season Three.
Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Teen Titans. The lyrics in this chapter are from 'Lulluby' by Ben Folds Five.
Chapter 5: Death
The dark form darted out across the rooftops of Jump City with amazing agility, executing perfect flips and landings. The acrobatic nature of the moves would have made any on-looker wonder if this person had belonged to a circus at some point in his or her life.
If there was any on-lookers that is.
Not only did the figure move with skill and agility, but also with stealth and speed. Nearly invisible, and totally silent, the figure made a Navy Seal look like a clumsy ox.
As the figure landed on top of another seven story building, it rolled and came up running. Across the rooftop, the other edge of the building was highly visible, because there was no rooftop beyond it.
The next building was the first of many in downtown Jump City that reached almost fifty stories into the air. This didn't slow the sprinting figure down at all as it pulled a device from the utility belt it wore and fired a grappling hook. Feeling the line secure, the figure jumped off the edge of the building it was on and began to retract the cord.
Shooting up at a rapid velocity, the figure stuck out it's feet and began to run up the side of the sky scraper until it reached the secured point where it's grapple line had sunk in to the stone of a gargoyle on the fortieth floor. Pulling it's self up over the stone beast, it crouched and looked out over the city from behind a black mask, it's black cape with yellow trim blowing in the wind.
The storm that had been threatening to break all day finally gave it's first shout as a stroke of lightning arched through the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. In the brief seconds of illumination, the figure was revealed to be a young woman wearing black clothing, the cape, the mask, the belt, and a strange amulet around her neck. Her pink hair was swept back in a flowing spiky mess, and a grin of epic proportions adorned her face.
She sang in a soft, melodious voice, "When the Bird is away, the Witch will play..." she grinned even wider, "Beware villains of Jump City; Robin's back in town."
Raven stood in the shower in her bathroom, letting the hot water pound down on her neck and shoulders, melting away all the stress of the past few days. She could almost feel the tension pouring out of her body.
Her legs were still shaky. The 'Impulse Five Dream Maker' really lived up to it's name. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next day after the orgasm she'd had just fifteen minutes before. She hadn't even been able to move for five minutes before she dragged herself into the shower.
Jinx was getting a big gold star when they talked next.
Reluctantly shutting off the water, Raven stepped out of the stall and dried herself with a thought, blasting the water from her body with telekinetic power. It was a useful trick that she'd taught herself several years before to keep herself dry when they were out on missions that required them to be tromping through sewers. One never knew what one would step in down there.
Ten minutes latter, she was stepping out of her room, adjusting her cloak so it would fall shut in the middle and hide her breasts better. She didn't feel like having anyone stare at her tonight while she was on patrol.
"Ahem." Raven looked up from her primping to see Cyborg and Beast Boy standing in front of her. They looked like they'd been waiting for her to emerge.
"What can I do for the two of you?" she asked in a monotone.
"Two questions," Cyborg held up one finger, "What the hell was going on earlier, and," he held up another finger, "any idea what THIS is about?" Beast Boy held out a hand written note.
Raven arched an eyebrow and took the note. It was from Jinx.
Hey guys! I'm going out on patrol early tonight to get the feel of this new equipment. Think Robin will mind that I raided his room and barrowed some of his stuff? I figured that having another Robin in Jump City couldn't hurt, so I'm filling in for now. I'll see you guys when you get out on patrol, so just call ahead and I'll find you!
-Jinx
"It seems pretty self-explanatory to me..." Raven shrugged, "She borrowed Robin's stuff and she's out there pretending to be the Girl Wonder."
"And you're okay with that?" Cyborg demanded.
"I don't see a problem if that's what you mean." Raven shook her head, "As for earlier..." she pulled out her T-Comp and flipped it open, "Jinx, report."
"Jinx here," came the reply just seconds latter, "all quiet."
"Good. Your findings from this afternoon?"
"We're clear. The Titans are to investigate the large black pudding monster, but other than that, the guy will live, and the girl isn't in shock too bad either."
"Thanks. We'll be out shortly. Hold down the fort until then."
"Roger that. Jinx out."
Raven shut her T-Comp and turned back to the other two Titans, "When we were out shopping earlier, I ran across a rapist just finishing his dirty work," Beast Boy and Cyborg winced, "I... got carried away, and the Seed got loose. You know what that's like... what I did to Dr. Light..." she shuddered at the thought, "I don't remember any of it, but Jinx stopped me from killing him..."
"Thank God..." Cyborg smiled down at her.
"... but not before I ripped off one of his arms."
There was dead silence in the hall way for several seconds before Beast Boy spoke, "You're okay now, right?"
"Yeah." she smiled at them weakly, "I have the Seed caged again, and I've met my new aspects and figured out how to control them. Everything will get back to normal now."
"How is everything alright?" Cyborg shouted at her, "Raven, you almost KILLED someone today!" he towered over her, "If you're going to be losing control like that all the time then I don't know if you should be going out on patrol."
If Raven was in any way intimidated or cowed, she hid it well, "It's under control now. I have things I need to deal with, yes, but they can wait until Robin is back in town. I'll need to go away for a little while... maybe a month or two. Then, when I come back, everything will be fine."
"That doesn't change the fact that you're bordering on criminal behavior here, Rae." Cyborg frowned as he stopped yelling, "I'm just worried about you, you know that."
"I do. And now that the new aspects are under control-"
"New aspects?" Cyborg sounded confused.
"As my personality evolves, so do the 'other Ravens' you two met inside my mind. Sometimes, new ones pop up to fill roles the others aren't suited for."
"Who are the new ones?" Beast Boy took a step back, which Raven noted with passing interest.
"Love, Jealousy, and.... Passion." Raven blushed slightly.
"Passion?" Beast Boy asked with a grin, "Is she the one that made you screw that dude on top of the building the other night?"
Raven narrowed her eyes, "Either Jinx or Starfire has a big mouth."
"Star." Cyborg and Beast Boy said in unison.
"Great." Raven muttered, "I need to have a talk with her. While I'm doing that, you two get ready for patrol." Raven started down the hall, "Where is she, anyway?"
When nothing but silence greeted her, she turned to glance back at the two boys. She looked just in time to see Cyborg duck into his room and the door shut and lock. Beast Boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Beast Boy," Raven said in a low, deadly tone, "where is Starfire?"
"Um... Gotham City?"
Raven narrowed her eyes down to tiny slits that glowed with white hot light, "You told her about Robin's past with Bat Girl, didn't you?"
"Uh... yeah." Beast Boy laughed nervously, "Please don't kill me?"
Raven sighed and her shoulders slumped. So much for the stress going away. She pulled out her T-Comp again and punched in a code, "Raven to Robin. Come it, Boy Wonder." she sounded tiered.
"Robin here. What's up Raven?" the reply came just seconds after she had spoken.
"Starfire is on her way there. Be ready to receive a guest."
"She must have flown fast. She's been here for several minutes."
"Great. When is she going to be home?" Raven sighed with relief.
"She'll be coming home with me." Robin sounded firm, "I've called in additional support for you guys out there."
"Who?" Raven frowned, "If it's Wildebeest, I'm going to do bad things to you.
Robin's reply was half a laugh, "What's the matter with Wildebeest? That valentine he sent you was cute!"
"It was revolting, and it smelled like shit."
"That was perfume, Raven, it smelled fine." Robin chuckled, "It's not him anyway. I called in Speedy."
"Doesn't he need to head up Titans East?" Raven was annoyed.
"Naw, Aqualad can handle it for a week. Look, I have to go. You guys just tough it out with four of you for a day or two and Speedy will be out there. Robin out." and the line went dead.
"He sounded rushed." Beast Boy commented.
"If Starfire is there, than he's probably trying to do some explaining." Raven quirked an eyebrow at him, "I'm not even going to bother kicking your ass, because Robin is going to do a thorough job of that when he gets back. Isn't it like in the guy manual that you don't tell your friends girlfriends about his ex-girlfriends?"
"Uh..." Beast Boy scratched his head.
"Never mind." Raven spun around on her heel, he cloak billowing out behind her in a dramatic fashion, "Cy! You can come out now! Let's go!"
Robin shut his T-Comp and tossed it on the bed side table in the large guest room Alfred had made up for Starfire and himself. He'd stopped by his own room to grab a set of black silk pajamas, which he had changed into while Star was in the bathroom taking a long shower. The water had stopped running several minutes before, so he assumed she was doing whatever it was girls did that took so long after a shower.
As he lounged on the bed and stared at a muted TV, Robin considered his decision to send Speedy out to Jump City. Raven hadn't sounded too happy about it, but something in his gut told him they were going to need the help soon.
He knew Raven and Speedy had never had a very good relationship; in fact they had spent a good deal of time arguing on the few occasions they'd seen each other, which had been several since Speedy had taken over leadership of Titans East in New York. Other than that little instability however, Speedy got on famously with the rest of the Titans.
As he wondered about how Jinx would take to the temporary addition to the team, the bathroom door swung open and Starfire stepped into the bed room, a towel wrapping her hair up above her head, and a white, terry cloth bath robe wrapped around her slim figure. She wore no slippers, and her toenails, he noticed, were pained pink. With a smile, he thought about how cute her feet were.
Mesmerized by her graceful movements, he watched unblinkingly as she took the towel off her head and tossed it aside, letting her still-damp hair tumble down about her shoulders. She smiled a mega-watt smile at him, and walked over to the bed, taking a place next to him and snuggling into his side.
"Sleepy?" he asked as she sighed with content.
"No, simply happy to be by your side once again."
"I'm happy you're here."
"Really?"
"Really. I've missed you." he kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sent of the expensive shampoo the manor stocked.
"Richard?"
"Yeah, Kori?"
Her hand rubbed across his belly, "Is Raven angry with me? I heard you talking to her a few minutes ago..."
"No, she's not."
"Good. I would not want her to be angry with me on this night."
"What's special about tonight?" Robin asked, expecting a lengthy explanation of some strange alien holiday.
"Tonight is simply special." she replied with a saucy grin.
Robin was about to reply, but found himself unable to do so as her hand snaked down the top of his pants.
Fireworks exploded in his brain as she gripped him, and he sprang to life almost instantly, "Star?" he sounded uncertain.
"Do you wish for me to stop?" her voice sounded disappointed.
"No!" she had started stroking, "Please, continue... I just don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you into anything-"
"Richard, I have wanted to do this for some time now." she smiled at him and leaned in for a long kiss. He groaned as she moved her hand faster.
One of his hands reached out and cupped one of her breasts, massaging, and then gently squeezing one of her nipples, exacting a satisfactory moan from her.
She began to kiss her way down his chest, unbuttoning his pajama shirt as she went, until it was removed entirely. Then, with great strength, she pushed him on to his back, and tugged down on his pants.
Robin gasped and arched his back, eyes going wide as she put in to practice what she had learned from Raven the night before.
Jinx hurled herself bodily off the building she was crouched on, and fired a grappler hook that caught the sky scraper across the street. She swung down in a graceful arc, landing on top of the Jump City Museum and sliding a few feet until she stopped.
Since she had stolen several pieces from the museum herself, she knew the way in through the hatch on the roof. On a whim she had decided to check it out.
Tonight, it looked like her whim was going to pay off big time. The hatch was open, and looked as if it had been forced. She grinned and silently padded over to it, glancing down inside. Any good thief would use the same rout to get out as they had to get in, in order to minimize the number of areas the police could collect forensic evidence from, so she figured her thief would be somewhere in the vicinity of the hatch eventually.
All she had to do was wait for him to come.
She dropped though the opening, and landed as quietly as she could. Rolling across the ground, she avoided the laser beam security system perfectly, and hid behind a suit of armor.
Jinx only had to wait a few minutes for her perpetrator to show up. He came down the long, wide hall way perfectly, avoiding all the lasers and motion detectors, but strangely, not bothering to stay out of the view of the cameras. As his shadowy form darted forward and was about to jump up to grab the edge of the hatch, she rolled out from her hiding spot, avoiding the lasers once again as she lashed out with her foot, kicking the thief's feet out from under him.
He went down quickly and quietly, not even shouting in surprise. As she dove away over a beam and landed back in the shadows, she glared at her fallen opponent, her the eyes of her mask shining white from the darkness she crouched in.
"Great." the robber said as he spiraled his legs above his head, kicking up into a standing position, "Just what I need... the Boy Wonder coming around to play tag."
Jinx stood up slowly and stepped forward two feet so that she came in to the light cast by the moon, shining down through the opening of the hatch.
The robber, still standing back in the shadows, made a slight noise of surprise, "Correction. Girl Wonder. Who the heck are you, baby?"
"Name's Jinx." she threw him a cocky grin, "I'm filling in for Robin tonight."
"Great, a wannabe bird-brain." the thief took a few steps forward until he stood in the light as well, just five feet from Jinx. The black suit was skin tight, and the shredded cape flapped lightly as he walked. The mask, a half skull with a what looked like a red cross splitting one of the eyes, shown brilliantly in the moonlight. The belt he wore, so much like the one she had borrowed from Robin, was buckled shut with a 'X'. "My name is Red X," he said with a tilt of his head, "and I'll be kicking your ass tonight."
Robin lay on the king sized bed of one of the guest rooms in Wayne Manor, naked and gasping for breath. Starfire, leaning between his legs, looked up at him with a predatory smile as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then proceeded to lick her fingers.
"Not as good as mustard," she stated, "but still delicious." her tongue flicked out again, electing another sharp intake of breath from Robin, "I do not understand why Raven said she did not like the taste."
Robin groaned and sat up, "You talked about the taste of... well..." he blushed and shook his head, "With Raven?"
"She instructed me on the proper method." Starfire nodded happily.
"Raven?"
"Richard, she isn't so serious and depressed that she abstains from having sex."
Robin gaped at her, "Raven's had sex?"
She nodded, "Twice."
"Wow."
"She also told me about when you kissed her."
Robin froze. Star hadn't lost the happy look on her face, and she didn't seem to be getting ready to blast a hole in him with a starbolt, so she must not be too upset by it, but girls were strange creatures. "About that... I... um..."
"It is okay, Richard. I understand why you did it."
"Oh... okay..."
"Now, would you like to have sex with me?" she smiled and crawled up on top of him, pushing him back down to the bed.
Robin was sure he'd died and gone to heaven. Apparently, in heaven, they gave you alien girlfriends who simply asked if you'd like to have sex like they would ask you to pass the butter. And they gave phenomenal blow jobs. And they were good at it. Still, "I don't know if... well... I already..."
"Oh, we can get you in the mood again, Richard." Her bath robe had come loose and fallen down around her shoulders. She simply shrugged out of it, letting her breasts fall free. Lifting one of his hands, she placed it over her left breast. "Raven also told me that reciprocation is only polite."
Robin grinned up at her, "Well, I've never had instructional lectures, but I'll do my best..." he suddenly sat up and flipped her over, so he was on top. Tugging her bath robe the rest of the way open, he did the same thing she had done to him earlier, and began kissing his way down her body, lingering at the nipples a bit longer then she had.
As she gasped and moaned under him, he could feel his arousal starting again. When he finally reached her nether regions, he took a deep breath before diving in.
Starfire arched her back and cried out in pleasure.
Jinx found herself being hurled end over end into a wall.
Again.
Red X wasn't just good, he was Robin good. Maybe even Batman good. His speed was unthinkable and his execution flawless. He punched with strength and blocked with intelligence. He was strong, graceful, and smart. The perfect combatant.
Jinx knew she was pretty good herself. She'd gone a few rounds with Robin before though, and she knew she didn't stand much of a chance against Red X now. She was going to need back up.
As she pulled herself up from the ground again, Red X stalked forward, "I've had just about enough of this." he had to shout to be heard over the alarms that were blaring all around them. They'd set them off long ago when they had started fighting, not caring if they broke any of the laser beams while they were trying to avoid each other's punches.
Jinx grinned up at him, "Sorry X, I'm not throwing in the towel y-" She was cut off rather abruptly by his steel toed foot slamming into her ribs.
Jinx crashed back into the wall again, then slammed down into the floor, spitting blood as she did.
"Ow." she gasped out.
"That didn't hurt nearly as much as this is going to." Red X lifted her off the ground and pitched her at one of the eight foot tall windows that lined the front of the museum. She hit it with enough force to crash right through the shatter proof glass.
She had enough time to see she was still three floors up, and there was nothing below except pavement. She also knew that it wasn't the fall that killed you.
It was hitting the ground.
Kicking around in mid air, she pulled a grappler and fired it at the roof. She found her mark and swung herself to the ground rapidly, rolling as she hit the ground. As soon as she was upright again, she yanked out her T-Comp, "Titans! Trouble at the museum! Red X is-"
Again she was cut off, this time by his fist slamming across her face. Her T-Comp went flying and she hit the ground with a grunt.
"Time for me to go." Red X said as several police units pulled up, "I'll check ya' latter, Girl Wonder." and he was gone.
Jinx lifted her head up off the ground briefly as he fled then flopped it back down as the world went dark.
"Do you think we should catch up to Jinx sometime soon?" Cyborg asked Raven as they walked down Main Street.
"No, we'll let her play Robin for a little bit more, then we'll find her." the psion motioned up ahead of them, "Besides, do you really want to deny Beast Boy his fun?"
Cyborg had to grin at that. It was still early, and Main Street was busy this time of night with club goers, bar hoppers, and last minute shoppers. Beast Boy was taking full advantage of his fame by signing autographs and shaking hands.
"He really likes to ham it up, doesn't he?"
"Yeah." Raven lowered her hood and nudged her friend, "Hey, about yesterday, when we were training Jinx-"
"Forget about it. I didn't know about you and Robin then." she arched an eyebrow, "I never would have ribbed you about it if I had known he'd... done whatever it was he did to you."
"He kissed me if that's what you mean."
"Yeah, that."
"You've been dating Sarah for how long, and you're still embarrassed about me kissing someone? I've seen you two tongue jousting before." Raven chuckled.
"Well, I still kind of think of you like a little sister you know?" Cyborg nudged her this time, and sent her reeling a few steps.
"You're all of a month and a half older than I am, Cy, don't pull 'little sister' on me."
"Well, you are smaller than I am."
"Everyone is smaller than you are. Oh." she pointed up ahead and Beast Boy, "Look at this."
The green changeling was talking to a young woman holding a baby. As they watched, she blushed and held the child out to him. Beast Boy looked confused for a moment, then leaned in and lightly pecked the child on the forehead.
The little girl immediately started wailing.
Raven sighed and gave a tiny smile, "He's hopeless."
Cybrog arched his eyebrow as she lifted off the ground and flew forward. Landing next to Beast Boy, she gave him a frown, "Can't you play nice, Beast Boy?"
"I guess baby's just don't like little green guys..." he scratched his head.
Raven rolled her eyes and turned to the young mother with a smile, "May I?" she asked as she held out her hands.
"Oh! Yes, of course!" the woman had been trying to calm the baby, but nothing she did seemed to be working. As the little girl was placed in Raven's arms, she started to quiet down. Gently, Raven rocked the child, and sent calming emotions it's way.
As Cyborg walked up with a small smile, and Beast Boy watched in fascination, Raven began to quietly sing with a smooth, light tone that sounded almost nothing like her normal voice.
Goodnight,
goodnight, sweet baby.
The world has more for you
than it
seems.
Goodnight, goodnight...
let the moonlight take the lid
off your dreams...
The baby girl was silent now, and she looked up at Raven's violet eyes with a smile on her face. Raven smiled back, then leaned down, and kissed the child's cheek. The baby grabbed her face and held her, cooing.
As she rubbed her cheek against the little girl's, Raven murmured to her friends, "You should feel how good this baby feels." Pulling away from her, Raven passed the child back to her mother, "Thank you."
"Thank you!" the young woman replied with a wide smile, "You're excellent with children!"
"Well, I do live with him..." she jerked a thumb at Beast Boy.
"Hey!" the green changeling looked mildly affronted, but was still too much in awe of Raven to be truly upset.
"Have a nice night." Raven nodded to the woman as the three Titans set off down the street again. They were silent for several minutes before Beast Boy spoke.
"That was really something back there, Rae."
"Hm?" Raven looked over at him, one hand still on her cheek.
"With the baby. That was... awesome."
"I just calmed her down."
"You sang to her. I didn't know you could sing! And I just assumed you hated kids like you hate everyone else!" Beast Boy grinned at her, "You're a real softie on the inside!"
"I do not hate." Raven said firmly, "I simply cannot express myself as freely as you can-"
"I know, I know." Beast Boy waved her off, "I've heard it before. Doesn't change the fact that you'd make a great mother."
"Volunteering to help me with that?" Raven quirked an eyebrow.
"Wha?" Beast Boy stumbled and almost tripped, "What are you talking about?" he sounded frightened.
Raven chuckled lightly and turned to Cyborg, "Too easy."
"No doubt." he chuckled as well.
"Hey! You guys are-" Beast Boy was cut off by the beeping of their communicators.
"Titans! Trouble at the museum! Red X is-" Jinx was cut off and they heard a sharp crack that sounded suspiciously like bone snapping.
Beast Boy was already morphing into an hawk as Raven shouted, "Titans! Go!" and took flight herself. Cyborg ran after them the best he could, and they all made a b-line for the museum.
Robin traced the lines of Starfire's shoulder blades lightly as she lay next to him, naked. She giggled as his finger ran along a sensitive spot.
"You were wonderful, Richard." she sighed into the pillow she had her arms wrapped around and her face buried in.
"I had a good partner." he smiled down at her and placed light kissed down her shoulders, then back up to her neck. She rolled over and let him continue to her throat, then up to her mouth.
"We should do this again soon..." she murmured into his mouth.
"How about in the morning?" he pulled back from her and took in her perfect body with a look of awe on his face, "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, you know that Kori?"
"You flatter me." she sat up as well and wrapped her arms around him, "I love you, Richard."
"I love you too, Kori." He kissed her forehead, "Let's get some sleep now. We've both had long days, and tomorrow we have to go back to work."
"Very well." she lay back as he pulled the sheets up around them, "But I am holding you to your promise for the morning."
As he lay down and she snuggled into his side, Robin wrapped his arms around her and held her close, "I'll be dreaming about it all night. Sweet dreams Kori."
"Sweet dreams, Richard."
By the time the rest of the Titans had reached the museum, Jinx had come to and was sitting on the steps, a short ways away from a pile of broken glass. Police officers were running all over, and one was talking to her as her three friends walked up.
"What's the situation?" Raven demanded of the officer.
"She has a broken jaw. We've been trying to piece together what happened by asking yes or no questions, but the going is slow."
Raven rolled her eyes and stepped forward, "Here." she held a white glowing hand up to Jinx's jaw and winced as the healing power took hold. After a moment, Jinx moved her jaw around and smiled at her friend, "Thanks Rae."
"Don't mention it." Raven rubbed her own jaw and moved it around, "Now report."
Jinx frowned, "What's wrong with your jaw?"
"No power comes without a price." Raven stated simply, "Report, Jinx."
"Red X was stealing something here. We fought, he won." she shrugged, "He actually kicked my ass soundly."
"He's a tough one." Cybrog said, "Robin designed that suit to take down the Titans specifically, and Red X uses that to his full advantage."
"No kidding. Can Robin beat him?"
"He has before." Raven frowned, "Must I continue to remind everyone that Robin isn't here? We have to focus on a way to find Red X and get back whatever it was he stole." Turning to the officer that had been questioning Jinx, she asked, "What did he steal, anyway?"
"Um..." he looked down at some papers he held in his hand, "It says here he took a coin that dates back to ancient Mesopotamia... something called the Arcana Tertius."
Raven frowned, "Must be working for a collector."
Jinx piped up, "Or a Necromancer."
"There are no true Necromancers." Raven replied with a frown.
"Because no one has all four Arcana." Jinx pointed out.
"Is anyone else completely lost?" Beast Boy asked.
The two girls glared at him. Raven spoke first, "It's sorcery, you wouldn't understand."
"Why don't you try us." Cyborg said as he stepped up next to Beast Boy.
"I'll do it." Jinx said as she placed a hand on an agitated Raven's arm, "Try to keep up boys." she took a deep breath and began reciting,
"The four High Arcana are the Bone Staff of Evelon, also called the Arcana Primus, the Gilded Cup of Gargemesh, called the Arcana Secundus, the Coin of Haberagalan, called the Arcana Tertius, and the Ring of Mordront, called the Arcana Modus, for it is the only artifact not from the ancient times. He who holds the power of these four worthy objects, and who knows the dark words of power, will hold dominion over life and death, and rule the world of mortals with absolute authority."
"Sounds like you're quoting something."
"She is." Raven replied, "The Libris Mortis. Roughly translated from Mesopotamian it means 'From the Books of the Dead.'" She frowned, "If someone is hunting down the four High Arcana then we can bet they're a pretty nasty person. The Libris Mortis was source material for the Necronomicon."
"How do you guys know about this stuff?" Beast Boy asked with a fair amount of shock evident in his voice, "I mean, this sounds like some seriously evil crap!"
Jinx blinked behind her mask, "I studied it in Black Magic 340. That's the highest level Dark Magic course available at the HIVE."
Raven shrugged, "I have a copy of both books back at the Tower."
Jinx whirled about, "No way!" she sounded excited, "You have the Libris Mortis?" Raven nodded, "You have got to let me check that shit out when we get back-"
"Not on your life. I keep it so no one else can get their hands on it. If I could, I'd find the other four copies and hold them as well."
"Why don't you just burn it?" Cybrog asked.
"You can't." Raven shook her head, "It's magically protected."
"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Beast Boy asked.
"We have to find the other three Arcana before Red X does." Jinx replied.
"No need. I already know where he's going next." Raven turned North and looked off into the distance, "There's a collector who lives just up the coast at Morro Bay. He has the Cup of Gargemesh."
"We'll take the T-Copter." Cyborg said, "Can I get a lift back to the Tower, BB?"
"Sure..." he walked over to his metallic friend, but paused before he transformed. Turning back he looked at the two girls, "Um... Raven? What did it mean 'power over life and death?'"
Raven, her hood pulled up and her eyes glowing from inside of it replied, "It means whoever has all four Arcana and knows the proper words of power can raise the dead." Lighting arched across the sky, and thunder rolled, "Let's get moving." she said as she turned away and wrapped her arms around Jinx's waist to fly her back to the Tower with them, "I just felt a drop of rain."
"Excuse me, young man?" the flight attendant leaned down to the blond haired youth in question, "Is there anything you need?"
He looked up and opened his eyes, smiling as he did, "No thanks, I'm fine."
"Okay. Just call if you need anything." she smiled back and walked to the next passenger.
Speedy stared at her backside as she bent over to talk to man in the next row up.
"I love long flights..." he muttered as he settled back into his chair. He had booked the flight not two minutes after Robin had called, and it had taken off only a few hours latter. Once in Jump City, he knew he wouldn't get much rest, so he had to take what little he could get now.
Closing his eyes, Speedy tried to fall asleep.
Twenty minutes after they left the museum, the Titans arrived back at the Tower, soaked to the bone. The storm had broken while they were on their way back and none of them had been spared it's wrath. Raven had given them five minutes to get changed.
As she stepped out of her room, dry uniform in place and hair freshly blown dry, Raven glanced down the hall at Jinx, who was emerging from her own room. The pink haired sorceress had changed completely into one of Robin's uniforms instead of just his cape and mask. Raven quirked an eyebrow at her, "Still pretending to be Robin?"
"He's got all sorts of useful stuff in his gloves and boots." she scratched her shoulder, "It's really itchy."
Raven raised her other eyebrow, "An aluminum/fiberglass weave will do that. You ready?"
"Yeah." Jinx lowered her hand and walked a few steps forward, "Um, Raven?"
"Yeah?" Raven paused as she turned to walk down the hallway and looked back.
"Do you think we can beat him?"
"What do you mean?"
Jinx shuffled her feet, "He beat me, Raven. Badly. I've never been beaten like that before." she looked up, and the eyes of her mask narrowed, "I can go a few rounds with Robin. Red X kicked me around like I was an amateur."
"We haven't seen much of him in the past few years. It's possible he's gotten much better." Raven smiled a reassuring smile, "But so have we. Play to your strength's Jinx. Don't be afraid to use your powers."
Jinx walked forward and poked Raven in the shoulder, "And you be careful when you use yours. Keep your cool and all that." she frowned in a concerned sort of way and continued quietly, "I don't want to be stopping massive blood loss again."
"I've got it under control now." Raven smiled widely, "Oh, and the vibrator? Works great."
Raven hopped into the front seat of the T-Copter as Jinx piled into the back next to Beast Boy. Cybrog was flipping switches and getting the blades moving.
"Are you sure we can fly through this storm?" Raven asked, "It's pretty nasty out there."
"I can do it." Cyborg sounded confident.
"Alright, if you say so." Raven shrugged.
In the back seat, Beast Boy was pestering Jinx, "You're sure you aren't hurt very badly? I noticed you favoring your right side-"
"I took a shot to the ribs. Nothing I can't ignore." Jinx shrugged, "I'll be fine BB. Don't worry so much about me."
"Well, you know... friends with benefits and all that..."
"Don't want to loose your fuck buddy?" Raven called from the front as she adjusted her headset.
Beast Boy stuck out his tongue at her as he put his own headset on, "You're just jealous because I have one who's NAME I know."
"You can just drop that one right there." Raven replied with glowing black eyes.
"Right, right. You'll swallow my soul and all that." Beast Boy waved her off, "You know, if you're really that horny, I'm sure we can find some way more constructive than boffing random guys for you to take care of it?"
Raven leaned into the back seat and got right in Beast Boy's face. She lowered her eyelids to give him a smoky stare, "Like a vibrator that leaves your legs weak from the intensity of the orgasm?"
"Uh..." Beast Boy's eyes seemed to be pried from hers to stare down at her breasts, "Can I just..." his hand started to creep up.
Raven grinned, "No."
Suddenly, Beast Boy found himself jerking back form her, "What the hell did you do to me?" he shouted.
"I just recently discovered that I can project emotion as well as sense it. It's a good way to get what you want." She settled back in her seat, "We ready to go, Cy?"
"Yeah. Try not to get BB to horny on the way there... I don't need him and Jinx doing anything nasty in the back of my chopper."
"Shut up dude." Beast Boy slugged the back of his seat.
Jinx looked miffed, "Nothing nasty, huh?" she grabbed Beast Boy and pulled him over to her, "Like this you mean?" and she attempted to find his tonsils with her tongue.
"Hey!" Cyborg shouted as he lifted off, "You kids cut that out, or so help me I'll turn this helicopter right around!"
Raven rolled her eyes, "Why do I put up with this?" she asked her reflection in the window.
They arrived in Morro Bay just after 11:00pm. Cyborg managed to set the T-Copter down on a basketball court that sat behind the upscale apartment building the collector they were looking for lived in, and they all jumped out into the light drizzle that the storm had become.
Raven was all business as soon as their feet hit the ground, "Beast Boy, take Jinx up and check out the penthouse. That's where he lives." she turned to Cyborg, "Cy, I need you to head up through the building, looking for any signs of Red-X."
"Where are you going to be?" he asked.
"I'm going to do a sweep of the outside of the building, looking for any access points he may have used. We don't know if he's here, been here and gone already, or if he's still on his way, so everyone be careful." she nodded around at her team, "Titans, go."
They all broke up, Raven taking off to search the outside of the building, Cybrog running for the doors, and Beast Boy morphing into a pterodactyl to bring Jinx up to the top floor.
Raven circled the building slowly, taking note of any possible entrance points. There were at least fifty that she could see upon initial inspection, and she knew Red-X would see fifty more in the same search. She had to go with what she knew though, so she contacted Cyborg, "Cyborg, check the third floor laundry room. The hatch to the ventilation system there looks pretty loose."
"On my way, Rae." came his reply.
She glanced up at the penthouse above, hoping Beast Boy and Jinx weren't running into anything they couldn't handle.
Beast Boy dropped to the patio outside the sliding glass doors that led into the penthouse next to Jinx after he dropped her off and transformed back into himself. "Quiet now." he whispered. Jinx nodded and they moved forward silently. She tried the door, and found it was unlocked.
"Not too many people would bother locking a door twenty stories up, huh?" she whispered to Beast Boy.
"Nope. Wanna check it out?"
"I'll go in. If he's there, I'll send a signal."
"Right." Beast Boy nodded and braced to run if he needed to.
Jinx opened the door just wide enough for her to slip in, and began to look around. It only took her fifteen seconds to locate the Cup of Gargemesh. It was sitting on the mantle above the electric fireplace, prominetly displayed. It was probobly the collectors prize piece.
"Didn't take you long to figure out where I'd be next did it?" Jinx spun around and threw up her arm just in time to block the punch Red-X had aimed for her head. She flipped back into a back-hand-spring and took up a fighting stance.
"You're in over your head this time, X." she grinned as he came at her again, dodging his punches and kicks, "You'll have to do better than that!"
"Oh yeah?" he chuckled as he kicked a standing light over, clonking her soundly in the head. She stumbled back and grinned at him.
The green mountain goat he hadn't seen behind him blasted him across the room and into the sliding door with a mighty charge. "Yeah!" Jinx shouted and jumped across the room in a flying kick.
She smashed Red-X through the glass, sending him skittering across the patio. He quickly kicked his feet back over his head and landed on his feet, up and ready for her as she came in again.
As the two of them began to fight in earnest, Beast Boy flipped open his T-Comp, "Raven! Cyborg! Up top, now!" shoving it back into it's pouch on his belt, Beast Boy morphed into a tiger and charged out to the patio.
What he saw almost stopped his heart. Jinx was grappling with Red-X for a moment, then he broke her grip and slugged her firmly across he jaw. She flew back a few feet and hit the railing, which cracked and crumbled behind her. Pin-wheeling her arms, she briefly regained her balance, only to have Red-X dart forward and kick her in the gut, blasting her back off the balcony.
With a roar Beast Boy pounced on Red-X, who rolled with him and kicked the green tiger over his head, slamming him into the wall of the building. Beast Boy regained his footing in time for Red-X to wrap him in a tight red binding.
"Hey!" Beast Boy yelled as he became himself again, "No fair!"
"Sorry about your girlfriend kid." Red-X walked past him, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a cup to steal."
He stepped through the broken glass door and into the penthouse, only to find himself face to face with Cyborg.
"Looking for this?" the robotic Titan asked as he held up the Cup with his left hand. His right was already in it's sonic cannon form, and Cyborg proceeded to put it to good use.
Beast Boy watched as Red-X flew back out of the penthouse, blasted along by a beam of blue energy. "Way to go Cy!" he shouted as Red-X flew over the edge of the balcony.
Jinx was sure she'd had it this time. As she fumbled for a grappler, she felt strong arms grab her.
"I've got you." Raven said as she floated in mid-air, twenty feet away from the building and ten floors down from the top, "We need to get back up and help Beast-"
Red-X flew off the top of the building, propelled by the beam from Cyborgs sonic cannon.
"...Boy..." Raven watched the thief falling, "You going to grapple him or what?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Hold on." Jinx took a half a second to aim the grappler gun before she fired it and wrapped it around his ankle. She swung him down, smashing him head long into the back board of one of the hoops on the basketball court ten floors below them. Jinx looked up at Raven and grinned, "Oops."
Raven rolled her eyes as she decended to the the court, only to find Red-X picking himself up off the ground. His suit was crackling with red electricity, and he couldn't seem to make the cloaking device work.
"Damn." he looked up at the two young woman before him, "Looks like we have to do this the hard way." he held his hands up and two blades formed on his wrists in the shape of large X's.
Raven backed up a few steps, but Jinx took one forward. "I've got this one." she said as she pulled Robin's bo-staff from behind her and extended it.
"Careful Jinx. Those things he's got are sharp..." Raven back up and pulled out her T-Comp, "Cyborg, Beast Boy... a little help would be nice."
"We'll be down as soon as I get this stuff off BB." Cyborg replied, "He must have found a way to make it stronger... I'm gonna have to cut it off."
"Whatever! Just hurry up!" Raven snapped the communicator shut as Jinx and Red-X came together.
It was a fascinating dance of whirling blades and spinning staff. Jinx obviously had training with her weapon, and she used it's longer reach to her full advantage. Red-X wasn't letting up though, and kept her on the defensive.
"You know, you could just let me go." he said as he jabbed at her midsection.
Jinx blocked the strike easily, "Or you could give up and we could take you in." she suggested.
"Not on your life." Red-X threw a strong punch, and Jinx barely got the staff around in time. The razor sharp blades sliced right through the metal of the staff, and Jinx was suddenly left with two long sticks.
She stepped back and spun them around a few times, then held them out in front of her again in an escrima fighting stance.
"Come on..." Red-X sounded exasperated, "Just give it up, girl."
"Give this up, you skull faced bastard." Jinx pounced forward and he jumped back. Before he hit the ground, she slammed the pavement of the basketball court with both sticks, sending a wave of pink energy along with the strike. The ground buckled where Red-X was landing and he found himself falling flat on his back.
Jinx was on him in a second, pinning his hands to his sides with her knees and crossing her sticks over his throat, "Give up!" she shouted in his face, "You're beaten!"
"I don't think so." he chuckled as the defense system in his suit activated, blasting 5,000 volts of electricity through Jinx, blowing her back off on him and into the corner of the basketball court. She lay on the ground, twitching as her nervous system shut down briefly.
"Too bad Robin didn't make this thing with any lethal toys..." he said as she stood up.
Raven's kick flattened him again. "Get up." she said calmly as she floated around him, "Get up and face me."
"If that's really what you want..." Red-X kicked up and came at her with lightning speed. Raven dodged to the side, then put up a black force-field to block his next punch. The razor edged blades sliced the air around her, but she dodged with such speed and skill that he couldn't seem to land a hit.
"Hold still!" he shouted in frustration as she dodged yet another strike meant to take her head off.
"Right. Let me think about that one for a second..." Raven ducked again and blasted him back with a wave of black energy, "No."
Red-X rolled back in and threw a heavy right directly at her face. Raven moved her head to one side and grabbed his arm as it flew past her head. He leaned in close to her and spoke in a low tone, "You were great the other night by the way."
"What are you talking about?" she grabbed his other wrist to keep him from punching holes in her while she held him.
"On the rooftop... after I swiped that bitches purse." What little color there was in Raven's face drained out, and her grip on him slackened for just a moment. It was all he needed to yank his left wrist out of her grasp and take a swipe at her face again.
Raven stumbled back out of the way, but felt a searing pain across her cheek. She was aware of the blood splattering down her cloak from the gash there as they began to circle again. "You lie."
"Like hell I do." he laughed, "Let's see if you know what you're doing downstairs..."
Raven's eyes burned red suddenly, "You LIE!" she screamed and the ground around him exploded.
Red-X was hurled back into the chain link fence that surrounded the basketball court, and bounced off of it with a grunt. He managed to somehow land on his feet and dodge the next blast that blew a chunk out of the pavement.
"Holy shit!" he shouted as he continued to dodge. Red-X found himself in a very bad situation suddenly. She was learning his movements, and he could only keep one step ahead of her for so long before one of those blasts tore him apart.
Jinx slowly picked her head up off the ground as another explosion rocked the court. "Raven?" she murmured as her eyes focused on her friend. Red glowing eyes burned from within the depths of the psion's hood, and Jinx knew that the Seed was taking over her again, "Oh no." she whispered as she jumped to her feet, "Raven!" she screamed, "I'm okay! Calm down!" Raven didn't seem to hear her as she tried to blow Red-X apart once again.
Jinx growled and charged at her friend.
Red-X seemed to have the same idea. He lengthened the blade on his right wrist and charge at Raven, dodging blasts as he went. Jinx saw him and pulled out a bird-a-rang from her utility belt. Throwing it in a perfect arch, she deflected his strike just before he plunged the blade into Raven's chest.
"Raven!" Jinx grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her, "Look at me! I'm here!"
"Get out of the way! We have to kill her!" Red-X shouted as he attempted to stab Raven again.
"No! She'll come out of it! Just go! Get out of here!" Raven's eyes cleared and became normal again just as Jinx was hauling back a fist to hit her.
"Jinx?" she asked, still slightly dazed.
"Raven, I-" Jinx saw Red-X coming in again, too close to block his strike.
She did the only thing she could. Spinning Raven around, she took the hit.
More blood splattered Raven's cloak, this time from the blade that protruded from Jinx's side. The pink haired girl gasped as her face contorted in pain, "Raven..." she whispered, then went limp in the psion's arms.
Red-X yanked his blade back and it fell from his arm. He took several steps back, clearly horrified at what he'd just done. "I didn't... she got in the way... I was trying to stop YOU..." he looked over his shoulder as Beast Boy and Cyborg came charging up the path to the basketball court. "Fuck." he swore and ran to the fence. Jumping it in one leap, he hit the other side and sprinted off into the rainy night.
"Jinx?" Raven lay her friend on the ground, shocked by the amount of blood pouring from the wound, "Jinx? Talk to me Jinx... JINX!" she felt for a pulse, but didn't find one, "Oh God... Jinx! Come on..." Raven tilted her friends head back and began to give her CPR.
Beast Boy stood by and watched as Cyborg checked his sensors. The robotic Titan shook his head and bent down. Lifting Raven away from Jinx, he spoke in a low, grim voice, choked with tears, "Let it be, Rae... she's gone."
"No!" Raven struggled in his grasp, tears streaming down her own face, "She's not! She still has brain activity! I can sense it!"
"Raven! Come on!" Cyborg pulled harder, "She's dead, Raven!"
"No she's NOT!" Raven screamed and blew both of the boys away from her with a wave of black energy, "I can still save her." she whispered and fell to her knees next to their fallen friend. Holding out her hands, she gathered all the power she could, "Live, Jinx."
Beast Boy groaned as he sat up off the ground and looked around. "Raven!" he shouted as he ran over. The gruesome sight that met him was one that would stay etched in his mind forever.
Raven knelt next to Jinx, pouring healing energies into the pink haired girl. As she did, a large dark stain slowly spread across her side, soaking through her leotard and dripping to the ground in large red droplets. Tears streamed down Raven's face as she healed her friend.
He couldn't do anything except stare. After a full minute, Raven finally lowered her hands to her sides and slumped down. There was a beat of silence in which the only sound was the falling rain, then Jinx shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath. She breathed heavily for a moment, then felt down by her side. Her hand came away red, but as she tore open her uniform, she couldn't find any wounds.
"What the hell?" she looked over at Raven, who was smiling weakly at her.
"You're alive. Good." Raven nodded.
"Raven....?" Jinx's eyes grew wide, "What did you do? Did you heal me?"
"Yeah... you'll be fine now." Raven swayed a little.
"What did you do to yourself?!? Raven?"
"All power... has... a price." Raven's smile faded, and she slumped over to the ground.
Time seemed to speed up again for Beast Boy and he lurched forward and ran to his friend.
Jinx began to franticaly search for the cause of Raven's collapse, "No," she whispered, "not for me... not for me, Raven..." the psion wasn't breathing.
"RAVEN!"
Closing Notes: I can't wait to hear all the speculation on this one. :) For those of you who don't know already, I've set up a LiveJournal account, and would be more than happy to start a thread for discustion about just what the hell you think I'm doing with this story. Who knows? Maybe I'll use some of your
I use it largely for updates on the progress of the story, and to keep people informed about what I'm doing with the story. Go ahead! Give it a read!
Reviewer Response!
BeautyOfTheRose- Not on your life. Speedy kicks rocks. :)
Heaven's Angel- Guilty as charged. Sick SOB or not though, you're addicted and can't wait for the next chapter already. Right? :)
dbzneon- Hope this chapter was up to snuff. I try, I really do. Stay tuned for Raven/Jinx goodness. More Alfred moments you say? Well okay! I LOVE writing Alfred Pennyworth. The man's a riot.
StarryRavenFire- Look for tons of Robin and Starfire in the coming chapter. I kind of screwed them out of screen time in this chapter by just making them have sex. But hey, who the hell is complaning about that?
Stolen Valkyrie- I think you've review every story I've put up now. That's cool. Speedy does indeed, rock socks. How could I NOT put him in? Look for him to take an active roll in a few chapters. Oh, and overanalyze away! You might be closer to the truth than you think...
Brogramn- Reviewed that one-shot you were talking about. Good stuff, yo. Hope the sex in this chapter was enough for you... as I've stated before, I'm just not very good at writing it. Well, you win some, you loose some... KPAAF bro.
Greg867- If that e-mail of yours is back up and working, and you have any questions, drop me a line. Thanks for the review!
kyoraven- Actually reviewed after Chapter One, but hey, who's counting. WTF this is long as shit! Yeah, I hate short little 500 word updates. That shit bothers me. I update with nice long ones to keep people tided over until the next one comes out. I have well defined cut off points for all my chapters, and if it takes 10,000 words to get to that point, than that's what it takes. Sorry that it cuts into your mastrabation time... but there was sex in this chapter! You get off to that shit, right?
Kit Spooner- Thanks for taking on the edits of Sonata for me. I just don't have the time. Also, sorry for STILL not defining any kind of relationship for Jinx, Raven, and Beast Boy, but that'll come. Trust me. :)
robinstar- I kept you in mind while I wrote the sex in this chapter. Hope it was enough to stave off your hunger, because now they have to go back to work. Well, maybe they'll get down on a roof top somewhere... that's becomeing a prevelent theam in this story... :)
CHEENAMIDanny- I've found a couple of stories with a horny Starfire in them now. I like them best. I always figured Star for a freak. I mean, the girl drinks mustard for crying out loud! How could she not like the taste of jizz? Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope to hear from you again!
dbzneon (again)- Fine! Updated! Now leave me alone! sniff
ChaosChampion- Close, but sorry, no cookie for you. Jinx ALMOST died, but I kaked Raven in the end. Really. I did. Grin
Next Chapter- 'Rebirth'. Grief leads to discovery, discovery leads to action, and action leads to life. Robin and Starfire hit the streets of Gotham to hunt down a clown with an attitude, Speedy walks into a madhouse, more Cyborg and Sarah fluff, and I FINALLY clear up all that Jinx/Raven/Beast Boy confusion. Sort of. Oh, and Beast Boy get's laid.