Robin wouldn't speak to her. No one would, but it was Robin that hurt most. To compound her sudden ostricization, Takahashi was gone, which didn't exactly help her position.

Kay sat in her quarters absentmindedly toying with her Sig Sauer handgun. This whole thing was a mess and the twins were variables in the equation she didn't need. So was Takahashi being AWOL. How could she protect him if she didn't even know where he was?

She sighed and rolled over. She at least had the answer to one of her problems. Unbeknownst to Takahshi, the diamond-studded Rolex she'd gotten him for his birthday was outfitted with a tiny microchip beacon that could broadcast his location to her GPS anywhere within the city limits. She would have to go find him, perhaps not even with the Titans knowledge. They probably wouldn't even care if she left or not.

She reached over to her bedside desk and wrote a quick note to the others. Then she got up, stretched and opened her closet, pulling out a briefcase and a duffel bag. She unzipped the bag quickly, pulling out its contents, which happened to be custom body armor. A black, skintight, shadowsuit composed of titanium alloy weave started the ensemble. The nanotechnology on which it was based allowed it to read and properly react to the wearer's body temperature, heart rate, etc. It could also mask her body completely, making her invisible in the dark even to those with night vision equipment The suit was virtually impossible to cut or tear given the interlocking fibers of which it was made. That was good news in a knife fight, but the impact of a bullet would be deadly, even if it didn't penetrate. Thus the polycarbonate armor that went on over the shadowsuit: a helmet, shoulder and forearm plates, a breastplate, and several interlocking pieces for the legs The additional armor was not bulky, but it could stop most handgun rounds and would offer serious protection against debris or shrapnel. He helmet was outfitted with a fold-down visor that could offer binocular, infrared, and ultraviolet vision, as well as a crosshair system that interacted with her firearms.

That was where the briefcase came in. Once she had finished putting on her armor, she laid out the contents of the briefcase. Two concussion grenades, two fragmentation grenades, and two flash grenades, a total of six. These she hooked onto the belt extension of her armor. Next was a Ka-Bar fighting knife, laser-sharpened with a blade that could slice through a six-inch steel beam like hot butter. She'd used it once before, and as a result the man she'd been fighting could only count to six on his fingers.

That left her beam rifle, HK-33 assault rifle, Beretta, and .44 Magnum. Her armor was the only reason that she, experienced as she was, could handle weapons that packed so much recoil. The assault rifle, Magnum, and Beretta each had their own place, handguns in their holsters and the assault rifle slung over her back. The beam rifle was a new piece of technology. Weighing five pounds, it was extremely lightweight with a skeletal frame that could luckily fold up into a compact form that could be stored nearly anywhere. The reason it could be so small was that it fired concentrated beams of energy rather than bullets or projectiles. It was a versatile weapon that on its lowest setting would give its victim a mild burn and on its highest could flash-fry an oak tree. She had a feeling it would come in handy.

Giving her armor and a equipment a double check, Kaila turned out the lights, closed the door and walked out into the hallway, half expecting to see Starfire hiding behind the door again. The hallway was empty though, and with a deep breath, Kaila strode towards the makeshift garage containing Takahashi's sleek new Lexus and Two motorcycles. One belonging to Kaila, the other to Robin. Hopping on hers, Kaila keyed the ignition and roared off, leaving the safe house and garage in her wake.

Rupert Thorne sat in his study, anxiously watching the large Grandfather clock as it ticked. The only source of light was the fireplace, whose flickering flames cast an orange glow across the room. Julia stood dutifully in the corner of the room. Her face was emotionless but Thorne knew she was seething inside at being bested in combat by Karl and Ana.

Karl and Ana. He was growing impatient with those two. They had yet to deliver any news, which left him in an uncomfortable position. He needed Takahashi dead in order to be able to move on, reclaim his property, and leave this whole sordid mess behind.

Meanwhile, outside, Takahashi crept up to the front gate of Thorne's headquarters, contemplating how exactly he could pull this ridiculous plan. He had exactly one firearm, an MP5-K, against at least a dozen similarly armed guards, two of whom were currently patrolling the grounds. He would be within their line of sight once they rounded the brick wall in about five seconds, so he would have to act now.

Picking up a hefty, tennis ball-sized stone, Takahashi hurled his makeshift projectile into the surrounding trees. It was the oldest trick in the book, but these two fell for it, instantly going over to check where they'd heard the stone strike tree.

Takahashi crept up behind them, praying he still had skills he hadn't used in over a decade. Then he struck. His first blow, a knuckle strike, slammed down onto a nerve cluster on the back of the first guards neck. Before he even hit the ground, Takashi launched off of his left foot, going airborne and twisting sharply in midair, foot snapping forward. His heel, loaded with centrifugal and muscular force, struck the guard squarely on the temple. He joined his colleague on the ground.

The entire thing had taken less than seven seconds. He could have done it in half the time a decade ago, but those days were long gone. He would simply have to work with what he had.

He touched the firearm slung across his back, glad he hadn't had to use it. There was only one person he intended to kill tonight.

Rupert Thorne.


"I thought you had a tracer on her motorcycle," Robin scowled at Cyborg.

"I did."

"Then why can't you locate her?" Robin demanded.

Cyborg haplessly shrugged. "Kay's not an idiot, Robin. If she wanted to get away, she would have been able to locate and disable whatever we tried to track her with."

Robin continued pacing in the makeshift meeting room. "Why would she leave, though?" he wondered aloud.

Cyborg jerked a thumb at Starfire's room down the hallway. "Gee, I wonder. Seriously though, if what Starfire said is true, it means-"

"Nothing. Whatever Takahashi did, Kaila was not a willing participant."

"Dude, she knew the guy wasn't on the level with us and didn't say a word."

"That's because he's her boss. Regardless, it doesn't change much. Takahashi's still missing the Twins from Hell are still out there. That's what we need to focus on."

Cyborg frowned "Y'know Robin, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're letting you feelings for her affect you judgement."

"Well I guess it's a good thing you do know better," Robin said coolly. "Cause that's absolutely ridiculous."

Cyborg gave a nonchalant shrug. "I only call 'em like I see 'em, man."

"Then you're seeing wrong."

"Whatever. Just think about it. In the meantime, there are some security upgrades with my name on them."

Beast Boy felt a drop of moisture on his face. Then another one. Was it raining? Did it rain in heaven? Maybe it was holy water.

Or maybe he'd gone to the other place, since he'd definitely done some nono things before. Thought about them, anyway. Was that bad too? It had been a long time since Sunday and his brain, fuzzy and confused, was randomly accessing pictures and images. He couldn't grasp one topic for any length of time.

There was one thing he was sure of though. He was dead. Had to be. Those psycho blondes had beaten the living crap out of him and then some. All those boken bones, torn ligaments, ruptured veins . . .he had to be dead.

A face came into view just then. Very beautiful. He tried to say so, but the effort came out only as a barely perceptible whisper. God, this girl was beautiful. Maybe this was heaven and she was an angel.

No, that wasn't it. This was no angel. In fact, as he overcame his confusion with clear willpower, he realized there was something awfully familiar about her. . .

"R-raven?" he croaked, mustering up all of the energy he could. Raven whirled back around to face him, hope in her eyes.

"Beast Boy?" She was a his bedside in an instant, already looking over at Cyborg's makeshift vitality indicator. Sure enough, there was a slow but steady spike.

"That you, Raven?" he mumbled again, voice slurred.

"Yes, yes it's me," she answered excitedly, breaking out into a rare, full-fledged grin. "Cyborg!" she yelled. "I think the patient's waking up."

"Hey Raven," Beast Boy went on as if he hadn't even heard her. Perhaps he hadn't. "Thought you looked . . ." he let out a small wheezing sound. "Familiar."

"Mmm-hmmm." Raven didn't trust herself to speak.

". . .Pretty hot when you smile," he continued, voice fading. "Should . . .do it more often." With that, his body went limp and he fell into a deep sleep, vitals still improving.

Cyborg clanked in just then, taking a quick assessment of the surroundings and Beast Boy's vitals. "Well whaddya know about that," he said grinning. "Looks like our resident vegan's gonna make it after-hey, are you crying Raven?"

The telekinetic girl shook her head vehemently. "No, something must have gotten in my eye."

"You feel like keeping an eye on BB while I go tell the others?" asked Cyborg.

Raven shook her head. "No, she said sincerely, still struggling to keep back what felt suspiciously like tears. "Not at all."


Outside of the safe house, two figures, one male and one female, sat inside of a Starbucks café.

"There's a cavity in the mains and gas lines that run underground right beneath our feet," said the male, a blond, as he sipped on a cappuccino. "Its them."

"What are we waiting for then?" the girl, also a blond, asked.

"We're waiting for me to finish my beverage," replied Karl evenly. "I did pay three dollars for it, after all."

"Fine. Waste time. I'm attacking within the hour though. With or without you."

Karl nodded. "All in good time, sister. All in good time."