They entered the large room silently, the whole Team following Mark and Robin as they sat down on the king-sized sofa. Cyborg was feeling hungry, so he decided to raid the refrigerator whilst Robin explained to Mark exactly what had happened to Terra.

"Mark, you have to realize one thing. You weren't the first person we invited into the team. We came across this girl, Terra…" Robin began to explain, began to talk about what fate had befallen Terra. He talked for a while, vividly describing how she managed to always catch the villains without the slightest hassle, and how she was a good friend, but deep down a troubled soul, much like Raven. As he talked, Beast-Boy interrupted several times to add events of his own, some wildly exaggerated, others surprisingly accurate.

"We thought she had destroyed Slade once and for all, but a few days before you arrived, we crossed paths again, but this time he had gained control over fire and he was no longer after me anymore. He was after-"

"Raven" Mark said, finishing Robin's sentence for him. Robin shot him a puzzled look, so Mark decided to explain himself.

"He told me, through the communicator thing." Mark lifted himself off the soft couch, his fatigue still wearing him down, but he was determined not to seem weak in front of his Team-mates. He walked slowly towards the massive window and gazed out into the night's sky once more, except this time Raven wasn't by his side. He sighed exasperatedly and turned back towards the Titans, their silent gaze hardly comforting.

"But what does he want with me?" He started. "I mean, why did he go to so much trouble, just to bring me into your world?"

Robin shrugged dejectedly. "We...don't know yet. We were actually hoping that you could tell us that."

"I don't know anything but! I don't know how I got these powers, or what Slade was talking about when he mentioned my Mother. I have a mother in my world! Is it possible to have two blood-related mothers? Or is my mother from my world like a step-mom?" Anger welled up from inside of him, consuming his thoughts and senses. His heart-rate rose with each word he spoke, accompanying his voice and the brightness of his hair. He quickly shut his eyes so the others wouldn't see how his pupils were darkening, and forced himself to relax. He attempted to remember what Raven had taught him after one brief lesson in meditation, and it worked. Sort of.

After a brief moment, he opened his eyes again, and he had reverted back to his normal state, his hair no longer glowing and his eyes no longer darkening.

"Well, your powers are very much alike, so perhaps he is just showing an interest in you. Maybe it's nothing serious." Robin said almost hopefully, noting the sudden changes that had overcome Mark's body, and how quickly they had disappeared..

Mark shook his head sadly. "He told me himself. He said that I am too important and that I will serve his plans..." Mark stopped himself quickly before he said too much. He had just quoted a vision he had, but at the time it had felt so real. He shook his head slightly, trying to remove these thoughts from his head.

No-one replied, and Robin took the chance to study him more, watch his facial features, and examine him for any signs of fear and anxiety. He saw plenty of the latter, but he did not notice any fear in his eyes. They were unnervingly calm and resolute.

"He really doesn't know what's going on..."

"Well..." Cyborg remarked between a huge yawn, shattering the uncomfortable silence of the Tower.

"I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm tired. I'm off to bed, 'night y'all" He said sleepily, stretching his metallic arms and standing up.

The half-metal, half-human teenager slowly shuffled his massive robotic frame through the sliding doors, which glided open silently as he approached. With a slight movement of his palm that activated the Tower's security system, he disappeared into the darkness. No-one felt like bidding him a farewell, as the melancholic atmosphere had smothered their urge to converse.

Robin opened his mouth to ask another question, but quickly rejected the notion. With a slight yawn as well, he proceeded to stand up.

"I think we should all get some sleep. We need to figure out what Slade is planning, so we need to rest." Robin said and walked off, following Cyborg's wake. Beast-Boy and Starfire, now overcome by the urges of sleep as well, stood up and slowly shuffled towards their respective rooms, leaving Raven and Mark alone once again. They sat quietly for a moment, mimicking the atmosphere that was present just a few seconds ago, but Mark was unable to stand the silence.

"He mentioned you again, Raven. He said that you will fulfill your destiny, and that your father is getting upset." Raven looked up at Mark, seeing the fear, fear for her, in his eyes. She wished to comfort him, but she knew that Mark could see through the lies, through the deceit that had fooled the rest of her friends so effortlessly. She looked deep in his dark blue eyes, and began with a nod.

"I know. I can feel him, feel his strength growing. He's clawing from inside me, trying to get out." Her upper lip quivered slightly as she spoke, and she turned away.

Mark's eyes flashed with anger.

I swear I will kill him. I will stop him, and I will kill Slade and find a way to destroy her father.

Mark tried to comfort the dark girl, but she was able to see through the lies just as effortlessly as Mark was.

"Don't worry Raven, we will stop Slade and your father, take my word for it."

"I wish I could believe you... I truly do..."

Raven gave a weak smile, a pathetic attempt in reassuring Mark. Raven replaced the hood on her head, covering her deep purple hair and delicate features. With a quiet "goodnight", she left towards her room, leaving Mark standing in front of the gargantuan window alone.

Mark reached in his pocket and withdrew his school tie. He fumbled with it absent-mindedly, letting it slowly weave its way around his outstretched fingers, guided by the motion of his hand. It was creased and folded many times over, and Mark didn't even notice he was holding it until he looked down and studied his hands.

He brought up the dark burgundy tie and stared at it, studying its intricate pattern and unique design.

"All Hell is going to break loose tomorrow. I can feel it, and there is nothing I can do to stop it"

He looked at the tie one more time, and with a sigh, he threw it in the bin.

"I'm not going to need this anymore."

With one final look at his discarded school tie, he turned and walked back to his room, his head hung low.