Teen Titans: Half-Life

Chapter 18: Raven's Story: Brother Titan

The next day Raven called a meeting to gather all of the Teen Titans together. Normally this duty was left to Robin, who would call for a meeting, over the towers internal PA system, and everyone would always arrived on time, even Beast Boy who had real trouble in keeping track of time. Because whenever a meeting was called, it was always very important, but for Raven to request one this time was, first of all, unheard of and, secondly, it probably meant something big was going to happen, and most likely it was going to be bad.

And so it was.

This time they didn't hold their meeting in the usual place. Instead they gathered upon the Tower Roof, in the early morning, while the temperature was still cool and the sun barely rose above the western horizon. There was a reason for this, it was Raven's most favorite spot for meditation. If there was any place or time where she could relax her mind it was here, meditating to the rising sun, the only place she could be alone and at peace.

So once everyone had gathered Raven pulled Robin aside and had a secret but brief talk with him. BB was not used to waking up this early, he was a night animal, staying up to the late hours watching TV and playing games. BB was yawning so much this morning that a fly flew into this wide-open maw and choked him. Cyborg apart from pounding on a choking BB's back, was still misty eyed with drowsiness, he even still wore his nightcap. Why a half man machine needed a nightcap to sleep, none of the Titans knew, it was one of the oddest things to see though.

Starfire on the other hand was wide-awake and was closely watching as Raven and Robin held their secret meetings. Starfire knew what everyone was gathered here for; Raven and Robin were about to discuss with them some very important information on past events. While she was curious about what they had to say, a part of her didn't want to know what they were going to tell her. Maybe it was better just to leave the past buried and some things no revealed. But most of the events of the past couple of months all seemed to have some connection with the past that both Raven and Robin shared.

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Robin's eyes widened in disbelief, "Raven, weren't you the one who said we shouldn't tell them in the first place?"

"I know Robin," Raven whispered back, "But things have changed since Xavier came."

"Are you sure that's really him?" Doubt laced Robins words, even his body language gave it away.

"Don't you think the resemblance is far too similar to be coincidence?"

"I don't know, I never knew him long enough to remember very well." Robin shrugged in defeat, "But if your sure about this..."

"Sure about this?" Raven almost sounded sarcastic, "To admit I've lied to my friends and didn't tell them about important things, no I am not sure about it. But it is the right thing."

Robin stepped back and looked Raven up and down, "You've changed Raven."

Turning her back to Robin and taking a few steps toward the others, Raven then suddenly stopped and paused for a moment. "I've changed, haven't I," she thought.

"When I saw Xavier again," Raven said to Robin, not looking him in the face, "I remembered an important thing."

"What was that?" he asked.

"That someone lied to me once before and never admitted the truth until it was almost too late."

Robin wanted to ask who she was talking about, but just as he was about to speak, Raven started walking back towards the others again. He just shook his head, he had never understood Raven before and doubted it would end here. He would just have to ask later. Jogging slightly to catch up, Robin took his place next to Raven as they began their story of days past.

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Two and a Half Years Ago

Robin and Raven created an organized crime-fighting force designed for the purpose of fighting against criminals. But not just normal criminals, but those possessing natural or artificially supplied supernatural powers. At first it was just the two of them that made up the team, but they knew that they would not survive long without more members. It was only a week after the groups founding that Cyborg joined the team. As a young man Cyborg had suffered near fatal injuries and had had most of his body replaced with cybernetic parts. At the age of 16 he dropped out of high school, unable to stand the torment he suffered at the hands of his fellow classmates, and ran away.

It was Robin who found the homeless man-machine sitting alone and forlorn at a bus stop. The two started talking and became fast friends. Robin made the offer that Cyborg join their new troupe of teenage superheroes, and Cyborg happily accepted.

Membership, immediately after, increased to four when Beast Boy, who had been wandering the city as a stray cat, overheard their conversation and jumped at the chance to join a team of crime fighters. Not because he was necessarily interested in fighting crime, but that he hated living on the streets and, mostly of all, wanted some company. Robin seeing the usefulness in BB's shape-shifting abilities recruited him on the spot.

For about 7 months afterward the group, of now four Teen Titans, battled crime much like they do nowadays, but missions were very difficult due to their lack of manpower. They still tried to recruit members but potential applicants were few and far in-between. For a short time another Titan, who went by the name of Speedy, joined forces. However, he left shortly afterward, saying that he could no longer stand the extreme rivalry that developed between himself and Robin over who was the better fighter.

Their numbers reduced back down to four, soon after shoot right back up to five when an alien girl by the name of Starfire who, having heard of the Teen Titans growing reputation, offered her services to the fledgling group. They tested her abilities and found them most useful and didn't hesitate to include her as one of their own. So from then on, until today, the Teen Titans were the frontline force on supernatural crime fighting.

But the Teen Titans held a secret in there origins, or to be more accurate, Robin and Raven held a dark secret from the others. They did not, in fact create the Teen Titans, but were the only two members left after the first team were all killed in the nuclear explosion that occurred many miles outside Jump City.

The past group of Teen Titans were far different from the modern group. First of all their headquarters was the bottom floor of an abandoned warehouse, before the Tower was built. Secondly, they all preferred to remain nameless and didn't even adopt the name Teen Titans until shortly before the accident, preferred stealth and hit-and-run tactics as apposed to brute strength, avoided the media, all wore masks and dark clothing, and had an age limit for members. You had to be fourteen or older to join. Robin and Raven would have joined sooner if not for the age limit, but in retrospect it saved their lives. Robin had just joined and was still being tested when the team was wiped out, while Raven had been a couple days away from her fourteenth birthday.

Also thanks to the past team's preferred stealth tactics, Robin and Raven were able to easily take over the team without the public or sponsors, who had graciously supplied the money and resources to build the Titans Tower, knowing that they had all died. In fact it had been Robin standing atop the unfinished Tower when the nuclear fireball erupted into the night sky.

So who had the original members been? Robin didn't know, he was in the middle of testing to see if he was eligible to join the team and thus they did not trust him with their true identities yet. As for Raven, the only one she new who was a part of the team was her older step brother Xavier Kage. They were not related by blood, but had been traveling together and looking out for each other for a few years. But Xavier did not tell Raven the names of the other members; it was team policy to never give identities outside the team, not even to their own family. Unfortunately, Xavier took that knowledge to the grave along with the others.

Xavier joined the first team of Teen Titans, back when they were still an anonymous group to earn money to support himself and young Raven. While he was off performing dangerous missions he paid for Raven's school while she lived in an orphanage. This worked well because they were both orphans anyway.

So who is Xavier? Xavier is Knives, but not how Raven remembers him. The Xavier she knew was the one who had taught her how to control her powers through meditation and monitoring ones emotions. Why had he taught her this, because he possessed similar, but opposite powers, while Raven was darkness, Xavier was light. In fact he would often joke by calling them the Ying and Yang siblings. Xavier did not possess all the medical knowledge and techniques that Knives did and also had no use for Knives or swords since his light powers were far more effective. Finally, and what disturbed Raven the most, Knives looked exactly like Xavier did before he died. If Knives was indeed Xavier he would be 19 by now, but yet still looked to be around 16, which was Raven's current age as well.

That day, when the first Titans went on their final mission, Raven lost someone who was important to her. Someone she had grown to respect and admire as both a friend and family. She swore she would find who had been responsible and bring them to justice. But worst of all, without Xavier's light to compliment her darkness she started to sink in her own self-loathing. Ever since her powers had first manifested themselves, she had begun to hate who she was. Believing herself only capable of destruction and misery. However, she slowly began to change, becoming more socially inept, gave up on light colored clothing; opting for more dark colors, and generally lost interest in many things she had once enjoyed. She saw all of this as proof that she was nothing but darkness inside. It was her powers which had made her an orphan in the first place for reasons she does not like to discuss. But her father was still alive, how could she be an orphan? True her biological father was still alive, but she didn't consider him family.

This brings us to the topic of Raven's father, Trigon. Why did he want Knives dead and in fact had sent Id to accomplish this? Concurrently there had been another incident long ago, where her father had sent an assassin to kill Xavier. Why had he done such a thing, they never found out then either. But Raven came to the conclusion that Trigon feared Xavier's powers, it made sense darkness feared light, right. Or did Trigon do it just to make her suffer? It was when Id tried to assassinate Knives that Raven became convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Knives was Xavier. But that still left the questions of how did he survive the accident, what had he been doing and where had he been in the last two years?

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After Raven and Robin finished telling their tale, they waited. They didn't know how the others were going to take it, they had been quiet all during the story and so far hadn't betrayed any hint of what they were thinking; apart from Beast Boy who had obviously become lost shortly after they had begun the tale. Robin apologized for both of their deceptions and told the others that they were free to decide on a suitable punishment if they so desired it of them. Cyborg and Starfire whispered amongst themselves for a time; and also explained it all to BB again, but in simpler terms. After their short altercation, all three stood before Robin and Raven.

"We are," Cyborg started, his body tense and his voice firm, "very angry that you could not trust us with this information before. That it took Starfire accidentally finding it out to finally get the truth out."

We are," Starfire continued, "nevertheless greatly relieved that you did tell us anyway and not try to hide it again."

Cyborg shook his head. "But how can you expect us to trust you now?"

"We can't," Robin replied, "especially me since it was my decision anyway."

"And especially since Red X, you don't trust us anyway," BB interrupted.

"I told you Red X was a mistake, It'll never happen again." Robin said defensively.

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence following.

"So what do we do now?" Beast Boy suddenly stepped in.

"We still need to find the HIVE and find out what they wanted with that Uranium battery."

"What about Knives, huh? Why did you let him go Raven, if you already knew who he was?" barked Cyborg in an increasingly foul mood. But Raven did not answer, but instead turned to leave.

"Hey! Don't turn your back to me!" Cyborg stepped after Raven and grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her. "Answer me?"

"Get your hand off me," voice like a chainsaw on metal.

Cyborg's hand flew off her as if the sound of her voice had physically cut him. But not before a portion of the couch exploded, sending cushion stuffing to all four corners of the room. Sweat poured from his brow, he feared she would cause far more damage if he didn't back off right now! After a few moments she did calm down, but the feeling of danger still lurked around her like an invisible aura.

"I have my reasons for letting him go. But I know that we will see him again."

Then Raven left the room.