"I gotta warn you man, this isn't a pretty sight."
"I can handle it," said Cyborg, addressing the mortician. "Go ahead."
Gingerly, the elderly doctor drew back the cover of the corpse, allowing Cyborg to see Blood's final fate. There was no mistaking it. His head had been completely crushed, bone, metal, everything. It was a mess. And even he, who'd seen a lot of horrible things in his life, felt himself grow sick to his still flesh stomach.
"Like I said... not pleasant," said the mortician, reaching to pull the cover back up. Cyborg gently stopped him.
"I still need a look," he said, bringing up his arm and allowing a wire to slid from his wrist. With little hesitation he hooked it to the side of Blood's cybernetic face, and allowed his cybernetic brain to take over. Like accessing a computer, really. A broken one, albeit, but one that might've worked none-the-less. Most of the files were trashed. But fortunately some small part of the system had been left intact. And, as a stroke of pure luck, Cyborg was able to access the final visual log given by the left LED eye. It was accompanied by audio as well.
Alright, he thought, as he accessed the file. Let's see who you are.
The last few moments of Blood's life replayed before Cyborg's eyes, and he saw for himself the great purple werebeast he easily recognized as Adonis, as well as the yet-to-be-identified slayer of Blood.
"Don't you know... father...?"
Cyborg's eyes opened wide with shock.
"Whoa..." he murmured. Unbelievable. Who could have foreseen such a thing would have happened?
For that matter, who knew Blood had a kid?
Shaking aside the crack that was much unappreciated right now, Cyborg jerked the wire out of Blood's skull and slid it back into place, letting the mortician cover the supervillain's mangled form back up. Cyborg shook his head, trying shake away that image. But it was tough. He wandered right out of the mortuary, barely aware of anyone around him. They were certainly aware of him though. Not everyday a big half-robot came wandering into your place. Especially a hospital and mortuary.
Now, a mechanics, on the other hand...
Cyborg's head snapped up as the Titan's communicator call came through, and his eye blinked briefly. He lifted up his arm, tapping the key to allow the appropriate image to form on the screen.
"Hey Rob, what...?" he started to say, then stopped. It wasn't Robin. It was Starfire. And she looked a bit roughed up, all things considered. "What's wrong?"
"Friend Cyborg, Robin is injured... we were ambushed at the laboratories..."
"Ambushed?"
"Yes, my sister was here..." replied Starfire.
"... and Adonis!" came Beastboy's voice from the background.
"... and another we could not see, who hurt Robin. We are carrying him back to the Tower."
Another they couldn't see. Must have been this new Blood, thought Cyborg, remembering what he'd seen in the old Blood's final images.
"I'll get there ahead of you guys, Raven and I'll prep the med bay. How badly hurt is Robin?"
"Bad," replied Starfire, her voice quivering with worry, clear even over the communicator. Cyborg could see her eyes were moist. She was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, everything's gonna be okay," said Cyborg, still speaking into his arm as he exited the mortruary and made his way to where the T-Car was parked. "Robin's tough, he'll be fine."
"I am not so certain," replied Starfire. "Our attackers were most vicious," she added, rubbing her jaw. Blackfire's last strike had indeed been painful. It had sent her hurling up through all three stories of the building and high up into the sky. Had she been human, the re-entry (where she'd fallen down and slammed into the parking lot with enough force to leave a Starfire-shaped crater) alone would have killed her.
Beastboy hadn't done so well against Adonis either. Or Deathfang, as he now called himself. He'd been able to avoid a lot of the behemoth's attacks, but in assuming the offense against something that large and fast had been more difficult. Beastboy had been battered aside like a cat toy, and he'd nearly broken his neck when Deathfang had thrown him against the far wall. He'd been knocked unconscious. Frankly, he was surprised he was still alive.
All this did they relate to Cyborg as he climbed into the T-Car and buckled himself in.
Robin, still unconscious, could not relate his story.
But something wasn't adding up, thought Cyborg. Some piece of the puzzle was missing. If it was this new Blood who'd attacked Robin... why not finish him off? Why didn't Blackfire or Deathfang kill the other Titans too?
"What were they after?" he asked, trying a different angle.
"They stole some sort of experimental generator," said Starfire. "I am not certain what it does, but it came from STAR labs before the WayneTech people acquired it."
STAR Labs. Brother Blood. Attack on the Titans.
Cyborg's eye opened wide, and unconsciously he slipped into the leadership-role he always assumed when Robin wasn't available. "Get back to the Tower. All of you. I'll meet you there," he shouted into his arm, clicking it off and burning rubber. The T-Car shot out of the parking lot and down the streets of Jump.
If he was right... Raven was in danger.
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Titan's Tower.
One of the monuments of Jump City, home to it's heroes. Easily visible from most any part of the city, and in turn, all could be seen from it's high windows.
"How did the song go?" he murmured to himself. "'From their Tower, they can see it all?' Heh."
Brother Blood grinned to himself, leaving behind the view of the Tower from the docks and traveling towards the underground tunnel which would lead him to it. And save him the trouble of drying out his robes once he arrived. Far simpler this way. At the entrance, a handprint ID had been set up. Blood smirked, holding up his hand... but instead of slipping off his glove, he slid a device out of his sleeve and slapped a wire into the console, tapping into the keys a combination that should, he hoped, allow him safe entry.
If not, he was about to bid a rather hasty retreat.
However, to his delight, the red blinking lights turned green, and the doors slid open. Blood grinned to himself, pocketing the device as he made, with slow deliberate steps, his trip down the tunnel towards Titan's Tower. Behind him, the doors slid shut.
"Azerath... Metrion... Zinthos..." intoned Raven, meditating cross-legged in mid-air as she was wont to do, allowing her mind to wander and her body to relax. She had recovered from her sickness but was still a little fatigued, and thus had opted to remain behind while the Titans went out to kick bad guy butts. Besides, teleporting put an incredible strain on her, and she didn't want to risk a relapse of the fever.
"Azerath... Metrion... Zinthos..."
Now, her mind could wander free, and she could relax. For an hour or so until the Titan's got back and she'd be dragged into being the judge of another tofu n' glorg-eating contest between Beastboy and Starfire.
"Azerath... Metrion... Zin-..."
Raven's eyes snapped open wide.
She'd just felt a chill run down her spine.
Dropping to her feet, Raven made her way to the door, sliding it open and glancing down the corridor in both directions. Despite it being mid-afternoon, the lights were out. That was unusual. Usually the Tower's lights didn't shut down until 10pm, when Robin had instituted a curfew for their own benefit. But as it was, all was dark in Titan's Tower. Raven stepped back, letting the door slide closed as she sat back down on her bed, contemplating what was going all.
Something dark... she decided. And foreboding.
Thus, Raven nearly jumped out of her skin when her communicator went off, the red gemstone at her throat blinking as she reached down to her waist and pulled it out, flipping it open. "Raven," she said.
"Yo Rae we got trouble!" came Cyborg's voice and face across the communicator. "Teammates ran into some trouble, they're headin' back now with injuries."
"I will prepare the medical bay," she said, glad to be able to act. With little hesitation she made her way to the door...
... and was instantly slammed hard in the chest by a flat palm, sending her flying back into the room to crash against her bed. Before she could stand a hand was at her throat, cutting off her breath and, worse, making it impossible to call upon her more powerful magic by speaking.
"Rae...? What was that?" came Cyborg's voice from the communicator, now lying on the floor. "Raven, I thought I heard something...! Raven? Raven!" An iron booted foot slammed down, shattering the communicator, and Raven peered up fearfully at her attacker. It was Brother Blood. Yet it wasn't. But the build was the same, the robes were a dead match, and the eyes... there could be no mistaking the wickedness in his features. But this psycho was a good thirty years younger than the original, as far as she could tell. Closer to her own age. And he had no cybernetic implants.
Her eyes glowed, and she threw out a hand, allowing her dresser to become engulfed in a black aura as she hurled it at her attacker, who nimbly dodged aside, letting the dresser shatter on the ground. It had missed, but it had been enough to get him to loosen his grip around her throat. Now she could speak again, and her magic would be more powerful.
"Who are you?" she hissed, rubbing her throat. He'd left a mark with those gauntlet's on his hands. "How did you get in here? What're you after?"
"My my, aren't we full of questions," came the replied, as the figure leapt up and over the broken remains of the dresser and slammed his foot into the sorceress's midsection, knocking the wind from her and sending her crashing into the far wall. "Still," he continued lightly, as if he wasn't in the middle of a deadly fight. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I am Brother Blood, I hacked into your security system... and..."
Before Blood could finish telling Raven his plans she'd shot another bolt of black energy from her hand like a whip, and he'd been forced to dodge aside, though he did so as nimbly as a dancer. He landed in a crouch then shot forward as if launched from a spring, his hand glowing a bright crimson as he slashed at Raven's face with his fingertips. She dodged as well, and she could feel the heat coming from his hands.
I can't let him touch me, she realized.
Both hands lashed out now, slicing in the air with his palms like knives, and Raven dodged and ducked and did her best to counter attack, but she was unable to land so much a single hit against Blood. And then she made an even more fatal mistake, for she kept close watch on his hands and in doing so was not as cautious of the rest of his body. Particularly, his head. And he took advantage of this by suddenly lunging forward and slamming his head against hers in a solid blow that knocked her instantly unconscious. She crumpled to the ground.
Blood stood over the defeated Raven, allowing the crimson fire to fade from his fingertips. "... and I am here," he continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "... to do some reading." Idly he gently brushed a finger against her cheek, admiring her unconscious form. Tempting, she was. He could see why the Book of Blood had spoken of this. Still, it was too early to reveal himself. So he left her where she was.
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Ignoring the unconscious sorceress, he began a thorough search of the room, starting with the broken dresser and working his way throughout the contents of the small room, tearing up the entire place. Raven's clothes and possessions soon littered the floor, including an antique hand mirror that Blood had almost been tempted to keep... but he knew well enough the power of magic and the dangers of it as well, and left it well alone. He'd find what he came for.
And eventually he did, sealed up in a chest underneath Raven's bed. Blood tore the lock off it's hinges with red fire and flipped it open, grinning as his prize came into view. A book of ivory pages, in pristine condition despite it's great age. A pattern of silver was etched into the cover, but like most books, it was not the cover that mattered, but the contents.
And these contents were without equal.
Brother Blood reached in and picked up the tome, holding it in his hand as he grinned triumphantly. That was, however, before a bright blue-white blast of sonic waves lanced over his shoulder and slammed into the far wall. Blood whirled around in surprise, then his expression changed to shock... and then again, to a playful smirk.
"Nice to finally meet you," said Cyborg, sonic cannon upraised, aimed right at Blood's head. Neither had any doubt he'd hit at this range. And what'd be left wouldn't be a pretty sight. "You're the guy who took out Brother Blood. I suppose I should shake your hand for that... but as it is..." he said, powering up his cannon with a distinct 'rhhrrrrr' sound. "... I'll just say: Get the hell out of my house."
"While flattered by your thanks I am most unworthy," replied Blood, shifting the tome under his arm. "I did not defeat Brother Blood... I am Brother Blood. The Eighth, to be precise... at your service," he added with a bow before Cyborg. "And you are Cyborg, his greatest enemy," he added respectfully, giving Cyborg a quick, appraising look.
"I am not impressed."
Cyborg shot off his cannon, aiming for Blood's shoulder, but the red-robed bastard was faster, and whirled out of the way, leaping clear over Raven's bed and running full tilt towards the window. He smashed through it in seconds, and Cyborg quickly made his way to the window, half expecting to see Blood splatter all over the ground.
But he was mistaken. Blood had released a contraption hidden in his robes, which exploded off of him, stripping him down to a darker red, skin-tight suit underneath. As the contraption unfolded, Cyborg recognized it instantly. A hang glider. Brother Blood instantly lifted up into the air and soared off, using the prevailing winds to carry him far out of the range of Cyborg's sonic cannon. He still tried a few shots anyway, for principle's sake, but the punk was already long gone.
And besides, he thought, as Raven groaned behind him, he realized had other things to worry about.
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By the time Starfire and Beastboy returned to Titan's Tower, carrying Robin between them, Raven had made a full recovery in the medical bay. Her head still smarted but she'd be fine in an hour or so, and gladly relinquished her bed to Robin, who was in far worse condition.
"What happened to him?" asked Raven.
"We were ambushed. Our attackers separated us and we were overpowered," said Starfire, standing beside Robin's bed, anxious with worry. "We were unprepared for them."
"Totally," confirmed Beastboy from the corner, an icepack on his forehead. "They tore us apart then ran out with the tech."
"Which also explains why they attacked the Tower," added Cyborg. "They were after my power cells. Some of them are missing. But I've no idea why Blood went after you," he said, turning to face Raven, who was currently trying to employ her healing magic to the unconscious Robin.
A gentle blue-white glow surrounded her fingertips as she pressed them against his chest, and in a few short instants his cuts and scrapes had sealed over and vanished, his bruises had disappeared. The Titans and even Raven flinched at the sound of his ribs cracking back into place, but Robin barely gave a murmur of discomfort. Finally, she finished, and Robin was allowed to rest, deep in a healing sleep.
"He stole one of my books," said Raven. "One of the ones I keep locked away, one of the dangerous magic tomes that nobody should ever get a hold of."
"So they've got Cyborg's tech, a bad book of spells and some experimental technology from WayneTech... and to top it all off they can already kick our butts?" asked Beastboy. Raven shot him a glare and he shut up instantly.
"Well whoever they are, they sure as hell aren't pullin' any punches," remarked Cyborg, glancing over at Robin's prone form.
"But why then did they simply defeat us and run?" asked Starfire quietly. "Why did they not... finish the job?"
An ominous silence set in after that. Because each of them realized that if their attackers had wanted to 'finish the job,' that most of them would be dead by now. Robin especially. And that in and of itself sent a chill down the spines of the Titans. Robin was, arguably, their best. He could take down any Titan on his own, as well as a small army of robot ninjas and some of the biggest, baddest fighters in the world all by himself. Most of them had gotten used to the idea that, if nobody else could, Robin could do it.
Now, to see him like this... broken... beaten... well, reality had just given them all a healthy slap in the face.
"Ravager..." muttered Robin, tossing in his sleep. Starfire was instantly at his side, holding his hand in hers. "Rose..."
"What is he saying?" she asked, puzzled by his choice of words.
"RAVAGER!" he suddenly cried out, shooting into a sitting position, eyes open wide with fear. He instantly had the attention of all the Titans, and they crowded around him. But Robin didn't seem aware of them. His eyes were open but he wasn't completely awake yet, he was still in the grips of some awful nightmare.
"Robin...? Robin...?" said Starfire gently, his hand still firmly in hers. She gave a gently squeeze, and his eyes blinked once, twice, and finally came into focus.
"I..." he started to say. Then he took a deep breath, calming his jangled nerves, and lay back down on the bed. Raven's magic had healed most of his wounds but he was still weak from blood loss and the pain, while faded, was still present. "It's my fault... it's all my fault..."
"What's your fault?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Who did this to you man?"
"Robin?"
He could barely hear their questions, Robin was enwrapped in his own world as he lifted up his own two hands and peered down at them. As if they were responsible for what had happened. As if they were to blame.
"Robin?" Once again, Starfire's gentle prodding had brought Robin out of his own little world and back into reality. He reluctantly turned to face his teammates.
"It's all my fault... I... I couldn't save her. And I... I made her who she is," he said.
"Who?" asked Raven.
"Rose... the little girl we failed to save seven years ago... the little girl I failed to save seven years ago..."
Titan memories weren't perfect, but they all instantly remembered exactly who Robin had been talking about. Rare was the event in which the Titans were defeated, and thus it had stood out like a sore thumb in their memories. They all remembered. But it still wasn't adding up.
"Robin, what happened to you?" asked Cyborg, taking a more direct approach.
"I was separated... Blackfire... Deathfang..."
"We know. They got you all alone. Who fought you? It couldn't have been Blood, he was here."
"It was... the Ravager..."
"THE RAVAGER!"
Well did the Titan's remember the Ravager. He had been their first foe faced as a team. Back when they'd first been drawn together by a mysterious telepath and told they were needed to save the world. And, indeed, the universe. They'd saved all of Earth from a terrible demon from a nether dimension. A demon who, Raven had later admitted, was her own father (after Cyborg and Beastboy's disastrous trip through the looking glass). A creature of unparallel evil and power that sought the utter destruction of all dimensions beyond his own. Earth and our universe had been the next step for him, but at the time, he'd needed to work through intermediaries and minions to achieve his ends. And at that time, against a fledgling team of Titans, his minion had been the Ravager. That had been their first battle against the evil they would later learn was named Trigon. But it would not be the last.
The Ravager had been one of his many minions.
"It's back!" voiced Beastboy aloud. He thought Robin referred to the giant black scorpion-spider hybrid that had attacked them nearly Five Years ago.
"No," replied Robin, shaking his head. "No she... she called herself the Ravager. She was a fighter... like... like Slade. Like me. And she was... she was Rose."
Quiet gasps filled the silence then, but Robin wasn't done with the shocks just yet.
"... and her father was Slade. We killed her father... and now she wants revenge."
"And she named herself after our first enemy," surmised Raven, as usual not missing a thing. "And she's made her move when it's almost our ten-year anniversary as a team."
"And she's collecting a team of some of our greatest enemies," added Cyborg, catching on. "Think about it. Slade's dead, but if this Ravager is like her, then she's a perfect foe for Robin... Brother Blood for me..."
"My sister," whispered Starfire.
"Adonis," added Beastboy.
"That's four," concluded Raven. "But no one for me. I have no enemies. No personal demons to battle. Not anymore, at least," she added darkly. The Titans didn't need a translator to understand her message. Not since her father had been defeated and Slade had been sent back to Hell for a second time.
"We... we have to stop them," said Robin, sitting back up again. Instantly he was pushed back down by four sets of hands.
"We don't gotta do anything," replied Cyborg. "You need to get some rest while the rest of us find out who we're dealing with and what they're up to."
"No!" said Robin, trying to push himself back up. But against four sets of hands, including one of Tamaranian descent and one with the strength of a machine behind it, it was hopeless. "Rose is my responsibility. I failed her when she was a kid, I killed her dad, I'll deal with..."
"No!" they all shouted at once.
"Robin you're hurt... you'll just get yourself killed."
"Besides, you didn't kill Slade. None of us did," added Beastboy. He did not voice aloud, but they all knew who had really been most responsible for Slade's death, besides Slade himself of course. Terra. "Slade deserved whatever he got," he added vehemently.
Robin conceded that Beastboy had a point. Reluctantly, he let his body relax, and the other Titans stopped trying to keep him pinned down like his life depended on it. He was a little insulted, but again, they had a point. He did tend to over-react. Especially when Slade was involved. Or, apparently, someone like Slade.
"Alright," said Cytborg, once everything had calmed down. "Raven, look through your books, find out what's missing. I'll check out the schematics on the technology they stole, see what they might be building."
"We should also contact Titan's East and the League," said Raven. "I know I would normally not suggest such a thing, but these people are not playing around. This isn't like Plasmus' last rampage through the city. They're in a whole different league. And we may have to accept the fact that we aren't enough to stop them this time."
"But what could they be after?" asked Starfire.
"Ain't it obvious?" replied Beastboy. "They wanna take out the Titans!"
"No," interrupted Robin, again drawing all eyes to him instantly. "No... that can't be all. If they wanted us dead... we'd be dead by now. But there's no need to get the League involved," said Robin testily. Batman would never let me hear the end of it, he thought darkly.
"We should at least inform them."
"Titan's East only," countered Robin. "We don't need them to come charging into Jump but you can let 'em know about this new Brother Blood, at least."
"Good. Beastboy you can contact them. Everyone get busy," said Cyborg, turning to exit, followed by Raven and Beastboy.
"Uhm..." They all three paused, glancing back over at Starfire, who was standing by Robin's beside, hands clasped before her. "What shall I do?"
The three Titans in the doorframe glanced at one another, and weren't terribly surprised to see similar thoughts running through each other's minds. As one, they turned back to her and spoke.
"Keep Robin here."
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A day passed. Then two. And still a third. Jump City had become quiet. The Ravager and her cohorts had vanished like smoke in the wind after their initial attack. None of the Titans had been able to turn up any leads. Robin had been making a slow recovery in the medical bay. He'd insisted he be out their helping the rest of them find their new enemies, but Starfire had been equally insistent he stay in bed. Too weak to fight her or escape, he'd reluctantly complied. He'd been asleep much of the time, and thus his aid (and the aid that could've come from the tracking device) was beyond them.
But as the sun set on the fifth day since their encounter with Tartarus, the Titans still had found nothing, and were in need of sleep. So they bid their respective good nights to one another and trudged off to their rooms, sleeping in their respective beds and dreaming their respective dreams...
... unaware that, almost a week ago during his visit, Brother Blood had left them a gift.
They'd changed the security codes, and Cyborg had upgraded the system so Blood wouldn't be able to hack into the Tower again. But as it stood, he wouldn't need to return to Titan's Tower. He had already gotten everything he needed from them already. And it would be rather difficult at any rate, considering his gift was a megaton detonator hidden in the basement of Titan's Tower and powered by nearly a whole gallon of zinothium, courtesy of Professor Chang's handiwork.
And the bomb had just lit up as the Titan's drifted off to sleep... none-the-wiser...
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Author's Notes:
In the comics, Cyborg's father, Silas Stone, worked at STAR labs and that was where Victor Stone originally became Cyborg. STAR labs also helped build Titan's Tower. The mirror in Raven's room is, quite obviously, the one from 'Nevermore.' The book too comes from an episode, as many have figured out, but I'll leave the rest in the dark about that one. Brother Blood's hacking into the security system of Titan's Tower is mirrored by his predecessor in 'Titan's East part I.' Now Robin knows how Batman felt when he learned he created the Joker, ne? The Ravager (the demonic one) also appears in my previous story 'Secret Origins' detailing the animated Titans coming together prior to 'Final Exam.' It is not required reading but it may give a better appreciation and understanding for certain elements of this story. I'll try to fill in the gaps myself. Zinothium, of course, comes from 'X.' Next time: The fifth member of Tartarus is revealed, and they take their fight with the Titans up a notch. Bam!
Tigeress419: I'm glad someone finally noticed that! My original line-up for Tartarus included the old Blood, Slade, and even Atlas. But I wanted to make them younger so they're more of a match for their Titan counterparts. Glad you're enjoying the Ravager and her fights. As for Blood, you'll see, but there is more than a few reasons I decided to outside #7 and replace him with #8.
Ray1: Certainly not father of the year material, is he? Heh.
Pnaixrose: I get told that a lot but it's always nice to hear. Better chapters you ask? Of course! This is the tip of the iceberg. Both for fighting and with the story of Rose. There's more to it than that.
Yomiori-Wolfdemon: Ah, plushies of my favorite alien Princesses. Uber-kewl. Somewhat surprised you didn't comment on BB getting' thrashed by Adonis, but s'all good.
Comet-hime: While I cannot claim credit for that, I noticed it as well when I was researching Ravager, and thought of 'Triangle.' Perhaps it is a sign. And yes the Titans have their work cut out for them, as you're going to see, but fret not. You of all people know how much I prefer the sappy sweet happy endings to all my tales.
TDG3RD: Tartarus also beat them to Blood and stole some equipment, so I think they're well ahead of their Titan opponents. You are indeed correct, the two remaining Titans were next on the list, but neither is the intended fifth member of Tartarus. It is indeed an old enemy of the Titans.
Toddfan: Oh most definitely. What does not kill you makes you stronger. And the Titans will need to be plenty strong to win this one.
Ultimate R-Man: Blood, like most of Tartarus, has plenty in store for the poor Titans. And yeah, sorry to hear about that, but my bro saw "Employee of the Month." That's not a good episode to start out on, is it now? Bob and Nufu definitely don't make for good villains.
Blackbird: Agreed, it doesn't make sense for Slade to seek apprentices if his kids are available. Still, I'm operating under the assumption animated Slade is sometime past the death of Grant, and Jericho isn't involved, and that leaves Rose... and he tried to keep her away from him so she wouldn't be corrupted. Glad you appreciate the work I'm doing to flesh out her character as an animated version of herself.
ViciousAssassin: I do like being dramatic, and I enjoyed that line as well. I did also have to give reason for Rose's codename, since in the animated series (and my own stories) there haven't been any human Ravagers prior to her, while in the comics there were three. Her age in the flashback? Sorry should've mentioned, same as when Robin lost his parents. Nine.
Elrohirthewriter: Ah well, when you get back do enjoy the story that will have grown since your departure. Near vampirism? 'fraid I'm not quite catching that, but glad you're enjoying my portrayal of the Ravager anyway.