Um…I haven't got anything to say… Sorry. Yeah…Oh well. Ah yes, before I forget. To all the people in the states: Happy (if not late) Fourth of July!
Aeris-Raven: Scary? Oh dear…sorry about that. Sadly, I'm afraid this fic won't get much happier…Yeah, and Bruce will, no doubt, be very guilty, although I don't think I'll have a chance to do his POV in this chapter…perhaps later on. And yes, poor Beast Boy and Cyborg. I'll mention—kind of in brief detail, however—what happened to Cy, and BB…yes, his final thoughts…well, it just goes to show that even the funny guys can be deep at times…I feel kind of horrible, treating my favorite characters so badly…I suppose I have issues…
Insanity 101: (Whistles.) Wow, long review, eh? I'm so glad though; I have a lot of fun reading reviews—who doesn't? It's true, I've never felt much of an attachment to Cyborg either. Yeah…Batman's a little late…'cuz now his son is angry at him, he's stuck with two severely injured kids in a hospital, not to mention that there's an unknown psychopath out there, organizing the entire operation. If it makes you happy, I shall let you in on a little secret: Yes. Raven will put up one hell of a fight. Wouldn't you, if all your friends were hurt because of a nutcase? I know I'd go absolutely crazy… And…(darn, I'm teetering on the edge here…but…) HOLY CRAP, YES! BATMAN BEGINS KICKED ASS! (Sighs.) Sorry. I have to agree, Christian Bale was the best Batman. Don't get me wrong, the old ones are still great, and (as it is the same with Star Wars) I have a rather personal attachment to the older versions. Yet, this new one was, at some parts, darker and waaaaaayyyy better than the old ones. If you liked this one, you may be interested to know this: They're planning to do a new sequel to "Begins," and bring in the Joker. Wow. I can't wait for it to come out! And, thank God, Katie Holmes is being replaced by a new actress. (Did you like her? I thought she was a pointless character, and her squeaky voice got on my nerves. It was really funny, because I also went to go see it again in theaters—not to mention, I'm aiming for a third time, LOL—and my friend Ryan, who came with, groaned when Katie appeared and muttered, "God, I wish she would just go back to Dawson's Creek and drown in it!" Well, anyway, it made me laugh…) Yeah, "Secret Window" was good, but kind of freaky. I loved the ending, however, because it was so dark, and he never got caught. Did you know that that movie was actually based off a short story by Stephen King? I'm trying to find it at the library…and stuffing Robin in a coffin was kind of fun, if not cruel of me, I must say…Oh well. No, I haven't seen Mother Mae Eye. Was it any good? I heard some spoilers about it, and it sounded really strange… Wow…long response…sorry…BTW: I don't want to be a pest, but I missed "The Prophecy" too. Did you see that one? Do you think you could tell me what happened? (And, was there any more Rob/Rae hints in that episode, like there were in "Birthmark"? That info is for my friend, because she too finds the Robin and Raven pairing quite interesting. Thanks.)
Asilla: Aah! Calm down, calm down! You'll find out, you'll find out! (Why the heck am I repeating everything I say?) But you really must try to relax; please. I know, it's quite horrible, and I'm kind of regretting that I chose this kind of morbid, evil plot, but it makes for a good story line…I suppose…(Don't have a heart attack! I updated this as fast as I possibly could, just for you! Honestly!)
KaliAnn: 'Tis drawing you in? Wonderful. It's always great to know that a reader is still enjoying and is interested in the story…'course cliffhangers don't help at all. (Wink, wink!) I am so happy that you continuing to read this; here's your update.
Kazzy103: Nonsense. I think you'd be a great writer. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself! But, anyway, I'm glad you liked this chapter. Yes: LOL (though it's a horrible thing to be laughing about), you're right. The Titans are definitely having a bad time, keeping in shape…poor guys… "Three down, one to go…" You're also right about that; all Hc's got to do is take care of Raven. Slade, of course, gets Robin…but…well, I can't say anything without giving the plot away. Hurrah! Another Batman Begins fan! It was INCREDIBLE! Without a doubt, one of the only movies worth seeing this summer…(Funny, I just sounded like I was quoting one of those critic's comments you see in the newspaper…I'm such a dork.) And you're not weird, either: I've been to see it—twice—and I still haven't tired of the story. It's similar to me and Pirates of the Caribbean: I've watched that movie approximately 96 times—no joke. I find that I'm kind of attracted to things with a dark story line, a main character with a compelling past, and yet combined with action and wit (Alfred made me laugh with his dry comments here and there: "What were all those push—ups for, if you can't even lift a bloody log!") Yes, poor Beast Boy…I've been babbling. So sorry to keep you from the story. Enjoy! Well…as much as you can, given the fact that this story is making all the characters out of their minds with misery…
Infamous One: Ha ha ha…yes, I completely agree: Poor Alfred…but, I think later on…given a few things here and there, dear old Alfred will get a chance to shine (Hurrah!) And I'll take you up on that deal; I may not be able to update as quickly as I would like, seeing as things are a tad bit complicated at the moment when it comes to the computer, but I shall try my best! Even if it means staying up until three in the morning so I can sneak out and post! Hang on a sec, that's when my mom gets up…drat…err, but you get the general idea!
Jewel-Gurl73: Hey! It's good to see you again! You were gone for awhile…but now you're back! And that's all that matters, right? Well…um, yes. Anyway: I know, I know, I'm treating the Titans quite horribly. You must understand—I really like the five of them, I really do! But…sometimes, yes, I find myself rooting for Slade once in awhile. And, like you said, this is an angst fic…many people, like you, are wondering if things are going to turn out okay for our heroes or not. I'd have to say…yes and no, considering all these possibilities that are running through my head…Well, I'm glad this is getting intense for you, and thank you for the compliment! I really appreciate it—and now, onto the story!
Sarah Shima: (Blushes.) Yes, me and my cliffhangers…I'm sorry. I can't help it. It's just in my nature…but it's true, there are people that have done worse! …But I'm sorry, all the same. I'll try to make it so the ending of this chapter will give you a bit of a break…yet on the other hand, I can't promise anything. Sorry… Ha, yeah, poor Robin. Perhaps I should send him to a psychiatrist—Oh. My. God. You just gave a me a brilliant idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hahaha! This is genius! You are a genius. Haha! Thank you! Well…ignore my insane babbling. Enjoy the chapter!
Pickles12: Heh, heh…spoil your fun, eh? Don't worry—I wouldn't have told you the answers anyway. That is, unless you REALLY just wanted to get the story over with… Thank you for the compliment. And, hello Spud, should you be reading this too.
Remix17: Oh yes. That's really the question, isn't it? I suppose my answer to your question would have to be…mixed. Things will turn out well…and yet…well, never mind.
Sorry…nothing to say…
Chapter Seventeen: The Plot Thickens…
Alfred-
The house was completely empty, something that happened often, what with Master Bruce going out to fight crime in his alter ego—and Master Dick had not been back since the day when he had first left to join his new team in Jump City.
For the most part, he'd gotten used to it, using the quiet hours he had to himself to tidy up the manor, for Bruce rarely picked up after himself. The young man took too much of his personal time pursuing villains to stop and adjust a few papers into neat stacks, or place the dishes on the counter. The British man didn't mind; he understood that his employer had much more important matters on his mind (like saving his home city constantly as well as keeping up with his social life so that nothing seemed out of place to his friends).
And yet…now, as Alfred paced back and forth in the parlor, feet scuffing silently against the thick rug that adorned the floor, clutching a cell phone to his ear, he felt as if the calm was creeping up on him, like a predator might on its prey; he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
"Has Richard come back to the house yet?"
Master's Bruce's voice rose and fell amidst the static crackling between the two lines. It was a bad connection, Alfred assumed.
"No," the butler said regretfully, the ominous sensation growing on him even more. And why not? If Master Bruce—the legendary Batman—was worried, it usually meant that the situation at hand was very grave, indeed.
"How did your visit to the hospital go?" Alfred asked curiously. He—despite the annoying, terrified sobs that kept interfering with the odd woman's message—was intrigued. So one of the Titans had been attacked? He wondered how that had happened? One would think that a hospital should take better care looking after their patients, no?
Alfred realized that Master Bruce had remained quiet the entire time he had been thinking. That usually signified something had gone wrong…once more.
"The other kid's been attacked," The Dark Knight said finally. "Nobody at this place knows how it happened—not that I'm completely overcome with shock," he added dryly. "The doctors and nurses here aren't exactly living up to my expectations…"
Alfred nodded seriously, even if his friend couldn't see him. For some reason, it came as no great surprise to him.
"What sort of shape is he in?"
"…He's a real wreck. The girl attending him said that he was pretty bad before, with blisters and all that. Now…when she opened the door…there was different, metal parts of his body strewn around, and there was blood all over the floor, and the boy—Cyborg—looked close to death…"
"My God…"
"I'm about to leave now, and I've got the two Titans ready to—"
Whack!
Alfred never heard the end of the sentence: A heavy object had struck him in the back of the head, and he collapsed on the ground.
I should have seen this coming, he thought dazedly, fading quickly into a state of unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was a pair of steel—tipped boots…
Raven-
Robin winced as his old friend fell to the floor; beside him, Raven mentally lowered the small, Oriental vase they'd found placed on a table near the entrance to the mansion, before looking at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry I had to do that, but you said you wouldn't be able to," She muttered, feeling low. Robin nodded quietly.
"So I did," He answered curtly, carefully stepping around the fallen form of Alfred to lay Beast Boy on a nearby couch. The changeling groaned faintly, and blood began seeping on the once fancy coverings of the furniture. Raven stooped and lifted Alfred into an armchair where he sat, head hanging limply to one side.
"We could have killed him, you know," Robin murmured, as he crossed the room, heading for a medical case.
"No," Raven contradicted, talking to nobody in particular. "I did it gently."
She said it more to reassure herself than anything else.
Beast Boy whimpered from behind her and Raven hurried over to him, setting about in healing him as best as she could. A blue glow seeped from her palms and into his body, mending as many of the bones as she could.
Robin came back while she was working and began cutting strips of gauze into pieces to wrap over the bloody areas. The two friends kept up a polite—if not a continuously halting—conversation, although both of them knew they wanted to say more.
I can't, Raven thought desperately. There's just so much that's happened…
Finally, after the longest time, the Goth girl drew back, just barely refraining from dropping instantly into a chair; she'd used a lot of energy to fix Beast Boy up, not to mention that she'd only slept for a couple of hours when they'd first come to Batman's house.
Hiding a yawn behind one of her hands, Raven glanced at over at Robin and felt her heart jolt—he looked even more exhausted than she was. And there was a haunted expression that had crept into his features; she knew something had happened during his absence.
But he wouldn't talk, and he'd just shove her out of his mind if she tried to peer in for a few seconds.
"I've managed to heal his ribcage, to keep the bones from puncturing his lungs," She said eventually, voice croaking like a frog's. "And I got around to healing part of his leg and one of his broken arms. But it's not going to be enough: We've got to get him to a hospital."
Robin nodded grimly, before saying hoarsely:
"I'll take him. You should stay here and rest."
Raven frowned, her annoyance at his words bringing some energy back to her limbs.
"What? He's my friend too. We'll both go and wait for news from Jump."
"NO!"
Her leader's outburst rang in the still air and startling the Goth into silence; over on the couch, Beast Boy gave a weary moan of pain.
"Look," Robin whispered, trying to appeal to her. "Stay here and rest; when Alfred wakes up, tell him what happened. I'll drop Beast Boy off at the hospital, and then…I've got some stuff to do…"
Raven eyed him closely.
"This 'stuff you've got to do' wouldn't have anything to do with Starfire and Cyborg, would it?"
When he didn't respond, the demon shook her head slowly from side to side, hair falling into her eyes.
"You can't do this alone, Robin…I know you're just as scared as I am, especially with the possibility of Slade working with this guy—"
"He is working with Holocaust. That's his name, you know—"
"—But you can't ignore what's happening to you, and you need help…How can you expect to save our friends, if you can't even save yourself?"
The Boy Wonder's face contorted with horrified surprise at her words, as if they had triggered something within him. Had she said the wrong thing?
However, he began to relax again—if not slowly—and, attempting a calm voice that sounded strained with pressure and fear:
"Rae…You can't understand…"
I would if you would just talk to me.
"Just trust me when I say it's better if you stay in the house; nobody can hurt you if you're here. You can stay with Alfred, and just explain the situation when he wakes up again. I'll be back from Jump before you know it—If Bruce won't help Star and Cy, then I will."
Raven narrowed her eyes.
"I don't care what you say; you can't get from here to Jump City on foot—"
"—I'll take cab—"
"—And you shouldn't go walking into that city alone, because it's probably what Slade wants you to do anyway—"
"—Slade can go to hell for all I care—"
"Stop it!"
Robin did, lapsing into quiet, though his eyes never left her. Raven sighed, trying to ease the headache that had crept up on her, and tried to reason.
"Look, it's better if we stay together. Slade and—did you say his name was Holocaust?—probably want us to do something stupid like separating. The two of us will bring Beast Boy to the hospital in Gotham, and then I'll teleport the both of us to Jump. It's that easy!"
She had been hoping that her words would get through to him and that he would see the logic in this plan. Instead, Robin groaned and, muttering something about "needing an aspirin," stalked into the kitchen.
The demoness was actually slightly relieved to see him gone; he was becoming so edgy and impossible to talk with, and it was starting to get on her nerves.
Attempting to calm herself, Raven leaned back in her armchair, closing her eyes, as she listened to the steady inhale and exhale of her breath…she didn't even bother to notice the cloth that fluttered over her nose, letting her sink into oblivion…
----------------------
…She awoke sometime later, vision bleary and unfocused, along with her mind. Where was she? How had she gotten here? And…why was she sitting alone, aside from Alfred, who was still propped up gently in his own chair…
And then she remembered.
"Dammit!" She hissed, barely keeping her anger in check as she flew from her seat, ready to hurl the nearest thing in sight. She noticed a sheet of paper, folded and tucked neatly beneath a crystal paperweight.
Dear Raven:
You're going to kill me, I know. But please; wait until everything's been taken care of. Beast Boy's probably in the Gotham City Hospital by now, and I'm most likely on my way to Jump. I'll see you and Alfred soon—and Bruce too, if he's arrived yet…
—Robin
The Goth crumpled the note in her open palm, just as the paperweight exploded into a million fragments that scattered themselves along the floor.
Holocaust-
"I got the green kid," the demon explained over the cell phone as he skulked along the shadows of an alley.
"Excellent," Slade drawled in that creepy voice of his, and Holocaust felt shivers run down his spine. He made sure not to shudder out loud though; the last thing you ever wanted was a weirdo like this knowing you were afraid of them. It gave them power over you, because they exploited your fear as a weakness, using it as a method to subdue and keep you from rebelling against their control…
"But, what about the girl?"
It was posed a an innocent question (as if anything about Slade were "innocent,") but Holocaust could sense a trap.
"Err…I didn't get her. There wasn't anytime. That kid—Robin—came before I could finish her off."
"Did he?" Slade asked in a bored manner, not sounding surprised at all. "Pity But of course, there's still time…do you have it?"
Holocaust grinned, though it was concealed behind his mask.
"But of course. It's all over the news."
"So I see," Slade murmured, and the fire—thrower had no doubt that the white screens in the mastermind's lair had been turned on, and his partner was examining his handiwork even as they spoke.
"Hmm…" The other end clicked off, disconnecting the call.
Nice response.
Holocaust shut the cell phone with a snap, before throwing it into the lap of a dead man who lay sprawled on the ground at his feet.
"Thanks for letting me borrow it, pal," the demon said mockingly, before trudging into the darkness.
Tonight…it will all be over…
Beast Boy-
Somehow, he managed to wake up, despite the intense agony that was coursing through his body…and immediately wished he hadn't.
Doctors swarmed above him, yelling out orders; a table of strange looking devices was beside the bed that he was on. They reminded him vaguely of the saws on medical programs on TV that were used to cut people open who had problems inside their body.
This thought was not a comforting one.
Twitching and jerking madly, Beast Boy tried to drag himself away from the strangers, avoiding their touch. One man bent over him and held his shoulder down, while a nurse quickly jabbed a needle into him.
"W—What's happening to…where are…?"
"Shh," The man above him whispered, even as the scenery in front of the changeling's eyes swam and ran together like wet paint dripping from a artist's canvas. "It's okay, just try to relax."
But Beast Boy kept up his struggle, until black gripped him in its iron fist.
Why did Robin and Raven do this to me…?
----------------------
Clomp—squeak! Clomp—squeak!
Bemused, the girl at the front desk looked up from the magazine she had been reading to fix her gaze on the boy who was dashing down the immaculately white hallways with incredible speed, causing the patrons there to gaze at him with interest. He was a skinny sort of kid, with spiky black hair, and blue eyes; he was wearing a plain brown trench coat, though the nurse thought she caught a quick dash of color beneath it—red and green perhaps?
Whatever.
The boy skidded to a halt, nearly crashing into the desk in his hurry. However, the girl did not seem startled in the least, but merely continued to watch him serenely, blowing bright pink bubbles with her gum.
"Are there patients here—?"
"Well, duh," She snorted rudely, not bothering to sound polite. The teen blinked, then shook his head and continued.
"I wasn't done yet; are there patients here that go either by the name of Cyborg or Starfire? They're part of the Teen Titans, and I've really got to speak to one of them."
The girl shrugged carelessly and, wheeling her chair over to the side, picked up a few papers and skimmed through them carelessly, flipping them aside with an annoyingly slow pace. The boy watched her, growing steadily more agitated. He was just about to speak, when—
"Yup. Got two kids here by that name."
The boy looked relieved.
"Good. Do you think you could tell me where their rooms—"
"Hang on," The girl spoke slowly, cutting him off. "No…sorry. Both of them are gone."
The teen stared at her for a few minutes, as if he hadn't heard what she said.
"What?"
"They're gone. Both of them were moved this morning to another hospital."
"But—" The boy stopped, confusion growing on his face. "—How is that possible? That can't be right! Who moved them?"
The girl checked again.
"Uh, a dude by the name of Bruce Wayne. You know, that billionaire from Gotham."
She looked up to flash him a grin, but noticed that he seemed frozen with shock.
"I…I didn't know…" He murmured quietly, and she was intrigued to see that his face fell, his expression a mixture of sadness and guilt.
"Yeah…well, that's it then… Have a nice day!" She chirped falsely, rummaging for her magazine. In the process of doing so, a red disk slipped from the drawer and onto the desk.
The receptionist squinted closely at it, her instructions coming back to her, one word at a time…
"He says that if a boy with spiky black hair comes in asking for him, he wants this to be given to him without question," The nurse ordered firmly, handing the "secretary" the disk.
"Yeah, whatever," The girl grumbled, popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth.
But the kid was already turning and walking away…
"Wait!"
The teen turned back, his expression suggesting that he was trying to fight off a trance that he was slipping into. The secretary quickly snatched up the red computer disk and waved it wildly in the air, as if it were a flag.
"I think this is for you!"
The boy took it cautiously, like how one might handle a bomb.
"What is it?"
The girl, not catching the suspicious tone, said instantly:
"It's something that Cyborg kid created. He said he wanted me to give it to a kid with spiky black hair. I'm…guessing that's you," She muttered, eyeing him with narrow hazel eyes.
The kid look carefully at the disk, as if torn some inner decision about whether to take it or not. Then, he pocketed it, and said briskly:
"Thank you."
The secretary nodded and, lowering her head for a second, picked up the magazine that had dropped to the ground. But when she look up again, the boy was already gone…
He moved really fast for someone his age.
Robin-
He had no access to any other computers around, so, resigned, he headed for the Tower.
It was…quiet when he got there…almost too quiet, as if it weren't natural.
Robin shook his head sadly, as he gazed around the main room which was still cluttered with junk from a couple days ago. Of course it wasn't natural—without his friends there, laughing and chatting casually like they always did, the whole scene was entirely wrong.
The Boy Wonder felt uneasy coming here by himself; all this did was make him feel the weary burden of all the events that had taken place over the course of only a few simple days. Everything about his life was speeding by like a roller coaster—and he was in the very front seat, with no hope of ever stopping.
It was a miserable idea to consider, but he knew it was only too true.
With a sigh, Robin crossed over to the computers and slid Cyborg's disk in, accessing the information on it, before sinking into his seat, hugging his shoulders. Depression was gnawing at the corner of all his thoughts, threatening to take over…
And yet, the force of curiosity seemed to be growing stronger, overpowering than all the other emotions that were bubbling in a frenzied turmoil beneath the surface. What was so important that Cyborg had to give him?
The screen before him (which had been blank only a few minutes ago), suddenly filled with several lists of people's profiles, along with personal information and history. Robin raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the photo images; whoever these people were, they didn't look like normal, law abiding citizens…
It hit him in an instant, like lightening flashing through the sky to strike down anything in its way, leaving him paralyzed and gaping in shock, as he scrolled through the lists, taking in everything.
How had Cy done it? Most likely, he'd found a way to hack into the "Forbidden" files (Darn things would never open whenever he tried), and had found all of this…
For him.
He didn't know what to do or what to say; for the second time that day, he felt guilt wash over him—first with Bruce, who, despite the harsh things Robin had said, still helped his friends, and now with Cyborg who was so weak at the moment, yet he had dragged himself out of bed just to do this…
Robin had a perfect tool at the tips of his fingers…and yet all he could think of was how low he felt at the moment.
Still, he ran a careful eye over each of the names, checking their current status:
"Wife…divorced."
Not much luck there, if they'd been apart for several years.
"Other wife…dead/missing."
That wouldn't help him either, no doubt about that.
"Children…dead…dead…"
Great. Just absolutely great. With a groan of frustration, Robin leaned back in his chair, glaring at the computer. Sure, it was good information…but all it lead to were dead ends.
Well…on the other hand, it was better than nothing. Maybe he could find out where the first wife was living at the moment and—
Hang on.
At the very bottom of the screen was one last name…of a child. And they were alive. That was a change. Robin, feeling slightly more hopeful than before, clicked quickly on the name, reading through the bio, noting that they were living close by…in Gotham, as a matter of fact…
Things had suddenly become a lot more interesting.
To be Continued…
Hmm; so, we've reached the end of another chapter. I'd just like to add that I'm thrilled with all the wonderful reviews I got—it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. So, now you know what happened to Cyborg and Starfire (You saw right through me, Aeris-Raven!) I didn't go into details, because if I did, I'd make it as horrible and gory and dramatic as possible, and I don't think you guys would have fun reading that. Heh, heh…Yes…well, good-bye, for now.
Later:
Rebel-Aquarius