Generic Disclaimer:
No, I do not own the characters portrayed in this story. No, I do not own the shows that they come from. No, I do not have ownership of Warner Bros. I do have the artistic license to let this story be shown, as it will always be non-profit and open to the public. Any characters, places, or events that may resemble actual people, living or dead, places or events is entirely coincidental. I apologize in advance for anyone who may be insulted by this work.

For those of you who got through that terrible mess involving the Mary Sueing of Alexis, thank you so VERY much for continuing on. Once again, I'd like to remind people that she's that way on purpose, not because of a writing error. However, expect to see more of this in the future. I'm sorry if it's all cruel and stuff, but my muse forced me to write that at gun point.

And I give you the next chapter. Please don't yell.

-Hybrid

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There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

- The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot

Chapter 3

"Do ya think that evil robot dude was two-hundred feet tall?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg curiously. "Musta been at least two hundred..."

"Dunno. Probably one hundred-and-eighty now, 'cause of that lil' slice off the top!" Cyborg replied, laughing at the memory of that creature's beheading, and gave Beast Boy a high-five. A moment later, a small grin came to his face. "Dude... That thing looked like it was growin' meat on itself. Do ya think you could... Change into it?" He asked, smirking.

Beast Boy made a disgusted sound. "Why would I wanna be that? The ladies like Beast Boy the way he is." He says, beaming his eyebrows over to Raven accompanied with a lounge singer-type grin. Although he was returned with a momentary stare and a nonchalant sound of rejection as if saying "not-in-a-million-years" without actually saying it, Beast Boy laughed and shrugged it off. "Well, at least Star likes me, right?" He asked towards Starfire, pleasantly.

She looked away from the vacant space she was looking at, blinked herself into attention, and responded. "You are indeed correct, Beast Boy. There is no question..." Star finished, going back to looking out at nothing and returning her face to that look of neutralness.

Beast Boy got up from his spot on the ground and flopped down beside Starfire. "You OK, Star? You've been all quiet since you came back."

Star nodded and smiled over to him. "I appreciate your concern, friend, but there is nothing wrong. I am simply wondering about our new friend Alexis and Robin. They have been talking for quite some time now..." Her smile slowly worked its way down into a saddened frown throughout her little talk.

"You're not... Jealous, are you?" Beast Boy asked, sounding more concerned than jokingly, due to Starfire's unusual mood and all those times in the past when someone else got in between the two.

Starfire blushed at that question, and quickly shook her head. "Oh no, I am not! I am fully aware of the novelty of a new friend, but I worry that he may be spending too much time with her..."

"Don't worry about it. Robin comes back every time." Raven absently states without letting her eyes leaving her book, knowing fully that when she speaks it was for the sole purpose of maintaining peace or confirming a truth that was under question. Since she never really spoke that often, it only magnified that fact. She crossed her legs and went back to reading that page in her book.

"Yea, Raven's got a point. We all know you're his main squeeze." Cyborg adds, slyly grinning while Raven shakes her head with a slightly annoyed look.

"... I do not know what the expression 'main squeeze' represents, but I shall accept that as a compliment based on your tone and context." Starfire responds, looking more befuddled rather than complimented. Despite that, she did smile in Cyborg's direction.

"Ooo! It's back on!" Beast Boy exclaimed, sitting back down on his spot on the ground. " 'The Ten Most Exciting Police Chases.'" He adds, a tone of anticipation in his voice as he eagerly awaits the crashes. Cyborg joined him on the ground, also looking as gleamy-eyed as his green companion.

"This program, why must the police be chased? I do not understand how the excitement is a result of their pursuing." Starfire questioned, sitting there on the couch while looking at the television. Although she was a bit troubled, this was a diversion.

"You'll see for yourself, Star." Beast Boy responds, his eyes almost glued to the screen.

Raven shook her head again, as if mentally weeping for humanity, and turned the page of her book. Meanwhile, the first TV explosion made BB and Cyborg cheer.

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Robin and Alexis sat side-by-side on the edge of the roof, looking outward at the city. She hadn't yet removed her cloak, although her head was still in full view. Robin had pulled up one of his legs, letting the flat part of his foot rest on the stone ledge. They had been talking for the last half hour about random things. They both knew quite a lot about martial arts and melee technology. It was at that time when Robin asked a question that he was interested to hear about. "So, why did you come here?" Robin asked, looking curious.

Alexis looks at Robin for a moment before looking out to the city and closing her eyes, letting the sunlight land on her skin. "Well... A few reasons. I wanted to go out and see something new. I had a lot of friends back where I was, but there was just no excitement. It was too peaceful. I wanted to go out there and make a difference, you could say." She responds, smiling.

"That's a good reason... We could always use more people to help out here." Robin said, looking back to her with a small smile.

"You're... Inviting me to stay?" Alexis asked, looking over at Robin with a slight gleam in her eyes.

"I'll have to talk it over with the other Titans, but you could always stay here in Jump City. You could help out a lot." Robin says, smiling a bit more.

The look in Alexis' eyes conflicted with the rather flawless history she gave him. She looked happy. More than happy; like ecstatic or euphoric. Almost like she was the happiest person on the planet. "I... Don't know what to say.."

Robin, looking back to the city, nodded. "Don't have to say anything. I'm sure you're welcome."

After that, they sat quietly beside each other and looked out at the morning of the city. The buildings and windows were being repaired, the large mechanical parts were being taken by the government and shipped off to some unknown bunker where they'll never see the light of day again, and things continued on as though the events had never happened in the first place. They never wondered how weird that must have looked, since that always seems to happen after every near-disaster. Still, both of them savoured the quietness before some other inevitable attack on everything they knew. Or, at least, just what Robin knew.

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A small icon had appeared in the bottom of the transmission screen in the Tower. It flashed "INCOMING TRANSMISSION" over and over again, with a light beeping sound. Raven, being the only one within range of the room, entered and typed in a quick command to see who it was. It was there that she stared up at the gigantic image of the upper body of Slade. "Slade... What do you want?" Raven questioned, typing in another command hotkey to lock out the main systems in the Tower. Cyborg had put that in and told the rest of them to use that in case someone would try to hack into their computer.

"A message. I see you have discovered Alexis." Slade said, knowing exactly what had happened. Raven, however, did not flinch.

"Yes. Is that the reason for your message?" Raven asked.

"Precisely. I have… Information, for you to consider." Slade said, then quickly added. "Just for you, of course."

Raven raised her eyebrow and rested against one of her feet, looking as though she were leaning to the side. "Why would it matter?"

"Because you also are suspicious of her. You are correct in your assumptions. I believe that is reason enough for you to recieve this information." Slade said. Just after he said that, the screen gave the slight tint of red. "From here on in, this conversation won't be recorded on either side."

"How do I know it won't be on your side?" Raven questioned. She crossed her arms, still suspicious of Slade.

"I may try to destroy you, I may threaten you and everyone you know, I may even unleash a demon capable of enslaving the universe... But I do not lie." Slade said. There was a short pause. "Pay close attention, because you will not get a second chance." It was then when Slade started talking for what seemed like the longest time while Raven patiently listened to what he had to say.

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After about five minutes after Slade finished and signed off, Raven slowly moved out of the room. She was using a hand to steady herself against the wall, while the rest of her body was concentrated on getting her breathing and heart rate down. Her eyes were wide open, and the beginnings of sweat were starting to form along her hairline. What she heard was something that she almost couldn't handle. What she saw, which verified it, made it even worse. She couldn't bring herself to tell the other Titans, because she knew they wouldn't believe it nor would they handle it if they did. Slowly, she made her way to her room, locking the door behind her. Moving onto her bed, she sat down on top of it. The texture felt different now, as if it suddenly felt dirty even though it wasn't. Crossing her legs, she let herself hover in the air. There was another texture towards hovering as well, like some kind of uncleanliness that wasn't there before. Closing her eyes and resting her hands against her knees, she started her chant. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos... Azerath Metrion Zinthos..."