Teen Titans: Half-Life

Chapter 12: Nevermore, Once Again. (part 3)

The gray-cloaked Raven standing in defiance before him was the persona of Raven's timidness, low self-esteem, and sadness. Timid Raven forever carried the look of someone who had never smiled before in their whole life. But at the moment she was acting more aggressive than Cyborg had thought possible of her. Cyborg faked a slide to the left, she followed, then he ran down the past her right. However, Raven, again, followed his movements perfectly, using her self as an obstruction

"Why are you stopping me Raven?" Cyborg asked in a heated tone. Timid Raven's visibly cowered from his interrogative glare, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, yet she remained steadfast.

"Please don't yell at me." She wept, "I know you hate me for this, but Beast Boy is the only one who can face what's ahead." Cyborg loosened his expression; he didn't want to make her cry, but he couldn't leave Beast Boy alone.

"What's the deal Raven? What's ahead? Is BB in danger or not?"

"I can't say anymore, she might hear us." Timid Raven's looked around nervously, studying for movement.

"Who's she?" Cyborg noticed Raven's nervous glance. He too started looking for things he couldn't see, but feeling suddenly that he and Raven were not alone anymore. He scanned the area, using Night vision, Thermal and Ultraviolet modes. As far as his sensors could determine they were the only two living beings around. But he couldn't dismiss this cold feeling of dread, slowly growing beneath his skin; dread and panic; he broke into a cold sweat, his legs fidgeting, finding the need to suddenly be somewhere else.

"She is a part of me yet of someone else. She hates me and will do anything to stop you from succeeding."

"Then let me go help BB, he'll need my help!" Again, Cybrog tried to force his way past Timid Raven, but she remained unyielding like a brick wall.

"You need to find the others first. Only then can you defeat her."

"The others? They made it in as well."

"Yes, Robin and Knives are lost in the labyrinth and Starfire is roaming my past."

"Raven would you please be more specific." Cybrog was starting to get

"I'm sorry I can't. I'm so sorry about so many things I've done and said, but I can only show you the way now." Timid Raven raised her arms above her head and clasped them together while chanting the words to a spell. She spoke in hushed tones, not even Cyborg's mechanically augmented ears could pick up what she was saying.

As she chanted the ground began to shake. At first it was a mild vibration as if a train was passing nearby, but steadily rose in strength till it nearly cause him to loose his footing. Then it was gone. Timid Raven opened her eyes and released her grasping hands; leveling her index finger at an object behind Cyborg's back.

"Take that road and it will lead you to the labyrinth, please save the others. Your enemy has become stronger since you last fought her?"

"You mean that freaky-deaky demon dude from before was a she?" Cyborg was shocked, "but I thought that was your father?" Timid Raven just shook her head, sadly.

"That's what I thought too, but she only used my fathers appearance. I'm sorry I didn't notice it before." She started to weep again.

"Hey Raven," Cyborg put his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her, "it's not your fault. She tricked us all, but who is this person then?"

"Her name is Id and she's one of my father's guardians."

"Wha? His guardian?"

"My father has three guardians: Jiga, Chōego, and Id. They protect him, carry out his commands, and are his eyes and ears into the outside world."

"What's she doing here? Your father too cowardly to face the Teen Titans himself?" But Timid Raven only shook her head a second time.

"I do not know, but she seems to want to bring about either Knives', or my own, death."

"Not gonna happen!" Cyborg stood erect, cycling his cannon a few times. "As long as the Teen Titans are here, Id's gonna have to deal with all of us."

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"Friend Raven?" Starfire called out, but she couldn't even hear herself over the constant shouting. Ever since she had entered into Raven's psyche she had been meandering amongst a large group of rambunctious children. The children all behaved in the most undisciplined fashion, running this way and that, playing all matters of Earthen child games that Starfire did not understand nor ask about.

All of the children ignored her, never paying her any concern, even when she addressed them directly they refused to acknowledge her presence. But she was sure they could clearly see her. Several time she had seen, in peripheral, a few pointing directly at her commenting on something; with looks suggesting they recognized her. They were careful to avoid colliding with her as they ran about played their juvenile activities.

Now Starfire didn't know much about how Earth people raised their children, but even she understood that something was clearly wrong with this place. It was dirty and rundown. A large mesh fence surrounded the premises, which consisted of a parking lot, leading to the only gate in the fence, a playground and a large building four stories high. The building was a dirty white color in the places where the paint still remained on the walls. Most of it had long since peeled off with age and from weather corrosion, elsewhere the plaster walls showed through; a stained yellow-tan color.

While the grounds were mostly free from random pieces of discarded trash, the smell of decay, like a compost pile, hung loosely in the air. Starfire only noticed it when she took a deep breath. The biggest trouble came from the lack of parental guidance. Amongst the 40 or so children moving chaotically around, only a small handful of adults, with faces suggesting a desire to be anywhere else, reigned over the children's games.

Starfire didn't know the time, but the sun was half way below the horizon line and had been slowly sinking further down since she'd been here.

"Alright children, playtime is over, get inside and ready for dinner." An elderly lady called from the building's front door. It seemed as if her body was wasting away even while she still lived; thin, and lanky she was as she sat half crumpled in her wheel chair. But her smile and the defiant flicker in her eyes said she wouldn't give up the ghost with out fight.

All the children dutifully obeyed without question, forming in a perfect single file, they quietly shuffled into the building's interior. Starfire was about to leave when she thought she'd spotted a familiar face amongst the assembled children.

"It's most doubtful," is what she wanted to say, but then remembered where she was, so it was entirely possible. Starfire, with no hesitation, followed the children in. Passed the narrow decrepit wooden door, the building opened up into a marginally sized lobby. Several used seats stood lined up on the right side wall, while the receptionist, a young woman, sat behind a worn wooden desk, shifting through a pile of paperwork. She didn't acknowledge Starfire's presence, or didn't care. The smell of old dry wood assaulted Starfire's nostrils and she sneezed.

"Bless you." A youthful voice said.

Starfire turned toward the owner of the voice, sitting among the lobby chairs was the child that Starfire had been seeking out.

"Raven?" Starfire said amazed at the uncanny resemblance. The young Raven titled her head slightly, obviously confused.

"How do you know my name?" Young Raven asked back. The Youth was not very tall, her feet barely touched the floor yet, she still had the diamond shaped Amethyst mark on her forehead, and her hair was still the deep shade of lavender. She was old enough for Starfire to recognize her, but that was all.

Everything else about this young Raven was changed from the Raven Starfire knew. Her whole body radiated a youthful energy and naiveté; in addition, her voice, didn't have the low, reserved, grown up quality to it. But a child's higher pitched, faster, and more innocent manner. The Coup de' grace was her clothes. Not the usual dark gothic cape and leotard; nothing even remotely resembling it, but a dress of the kind a young girl would wear to Sunday school.

Starfire was beyond words. Could this child be the Raven she knew; even her name didn't fit anymore. Starfire would've imagined her name to be Dove or Swan; at least they would fit her far better

"Are you a Teen Titan?" The young Raven broke Starfire's silent reverie. She had notice the communicator that was clipped to the top of Starfire's skirt. Young Raven's eyes light up with curiosity, "Big brother has never mentioned you before? Are you a new member?"

"You have a brother?"

"Well," the child Raven look away, embarrassed, "He's not really my brother, but he's taken care of me since mother passed away. He's a Teen Titan too and he always comes and visits me." She shined a smile that seemed to encircle the whole of her face.

There were many questions that Starfire wanted to ask. She had been told that Robin and Raven had originally founded the Teen Titans together, now it seemed that they had existed back even when Raven was still a child, but this was a question that would have to wait until the real Raven was revived.

"What's his name?" Starfire found herself asking. She was genuinely curious about this boy that young Raven had mentioned. She had never heard of him before from the real Raven. Whenever someone asked about her family, she always managed to change the subject or avoid the question entirely.

"Shouldn't you already know him? You're a Teen Titan just like him?"

"I have only just joined forces with them today." Starfire gave her most innocent smile. The young girl considered Starfire's words briefly.

"His name is Xavier," she giggled, "but I like to call him, Eugene because it annoys him."

The creaking of the front door broke their conversation short as one of the adults, who had been watching over the children in the playground, entered the room.

"Raven your brother is here." The man said mildly, and without another word exited the room. Raven leaped from her chair and sprinted out the door, which slammed closed behind her. Starfire tried to follow, but when she turned the door handle, she found it locked. She jiggled the handle several time, still it remained unyielding to her efforts. She turned expecting to ask the receptionist for a key or something, but the receptionist was gone. So had the desk and the chairs. Even the smell of which had moments ago filled the room had vacated. Nothing was left save for the walls.

A bright flash of light filled the room for a brief instant. It's sudden entry made Starfire's heart jump in her chest as a deep rumbling sensation shook the ground. Then an ear-piercing explosion tore the walls from their resting places, breaking them like a hammer striking glass. Starfire jumped to the ground, hands on head, as wood splintered and flew over her. A nuclear burnt her exposed skin and set her clothes on fire as a pillar of fire accompanied by a mushroom cloud erupted over the distant landscape reducing everything around her to a barren ash wasteland.

Then it was over. Once again Starfire found herself back in the dark passages of Raven's mind. Her clothes were burnt and torn in places, but physically she hadn't sustained any injury, but mentally she was exhausted, as well as confused. Things weren't adding up, had her friends lied to her about the Teen Titans?

The red halo sun seemed to look down upon her smiling in satisfaction as she quietly cried, alone.

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"Are you ok?" Robin turned to Knives, who had gone paler than even Raven on a bad day.

"Ever get that feeling that a ghost just grabbed your shoulder?" he replied in a strained and frightened voice. He gazed over the tall barren walls of the maze. "Something terrible just happened, I can feel it."

"What are you saying." Robin was growing more concerned.

Knives shook his head, "I don't know, but we need to get out of here."

"Beast Boy said something about Raven helping them out last time. We should try calling for her help."

Robin and Knives started calling out, in no particular direction, Raven's name asking for help out of the labyrinth.

"Took you long enough to finally ask directions." A green suited Raven berated the two boys, as she walked from behind a wall corner.

Again, Teen Titans, in whole or part, is copyright Warner Bros., Cartoon Network and DC Comics. I do not lay claim to any of the characters or elements except for Knives and the overall plot line of this work of fan-fiction.