Ten Little Titans

by Riles

One Titan dead, two Titans dead, three Titans dead... How many more must die before the villain is caught? Inspired by Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians”, aka “And Then There Were None”.

4. Split

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own the Teen Titans, but by the time I'm through with them, they're going to be dead, so I don't see how much good this does….

()TLT()

Ten little Titans went out to dine;

One choked himself and then there were nine.

Nine little Titans stayed up very late;

One overslept and then there were eight.

Eight little Titans traveling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Titans were chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in half and then there were six.

Six little Titans playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Titans going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Titans going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Titans walking in the Zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two little Titans sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Titan left all alone;

He went and hanged himself and then there were none.

()TLT()

Cyborg awoke with a jolt as a beeping signaled from his arm. He groaned slightly. He was finished recharging, yet his human half longed for more sleep. In what seemed like simply a two-hour nap, he had dreamed of the three victims and their smiling faces. Cyborg would almost rather have had a nightmare where they were trying to kill him. To think that they were once happy when he knew their present condition was exceedingly painful.

Cyborg sleepily walked over to the security cameras on the opposing side of the room. The main ones had been in the living room that was now nothing more than ashes, though for his own benefit, Cyborg had installed a few to give feedback in his room. The cameras showed that the hallways were empty, save one. Starfire, looking worried and upset, roamed the halls, making her way towards something unknown before changing her destination. She moved endlessly from one hallway to the next, searching for a target that couldn't be deciphered. The Tamaranian drummed her fingers against her leg, while the other hand was placed nervously at her mouth. She paced, going down one hallway with determination, and then suddenly losing faith and turning the opposite way.

She suddenly glanced up and noticed the mini camera propped up in the corner. Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before they softened and she changed her direction completely, going along a familiar route. She went off one camera's view and into the next, making her way down the hallways. Cyborg turned from the screen and headed towards the door, anticipating the knock that erupted from it.

In all honesty, despite the fact that Cyborg was certain it wasn't Starfire, her behavior was somewhat suspicious. Why would she be pacing the hallways at this time when normally she'd be cooking breakfast, no matter how repulsive it would be? Something was wrong. An idea suddenly hit Cyborg like a brick. What if she had discovered a dead body? That would explain her behavior! She was scared she'd be accused!

"Star," Cyborg said as he opened the door, not even faking surprise at her arrival on his doorstep. "What brings you here?"

Starfire shifted her feet uncomfortably. "At first I was not sure who to see, but then I saw the camera of security and thought it best to inform you."

"What's wrong?" Cyborg asked.

"Well… I went downstairs to begin breakfast this morning," Starfire started. "Since we now eat in the training room, I had to pass by your lab."

Cyborg attention was caught double. Something was wrong with his lab? Was his baby all right? What about the T-sub? Robin would be furious if something had happened to the R-cycle. Had Beast Boy blown up the Cy-cow again?

"I noticed a spark. Robin's cycle of motors had crashed into the sub you built. There is a very large hole. I took the cycle out, but I am unsure of how to repair the hole."

Cyborg shut his door behind him and made his way to his lab. "Don't worry, Star, I'll fix it. You just worry about breakfast."

The Tamaranian nodded behind his back and followed him, their routes almost identical.

When I find out who crashed the R-cycle into the T-sub, they're going to find several new reasons to get out of the this tower, Cyborg thought viciously as he entered his lab space.

Starfire had not lied, but the gaping hole in the T-sub was larger than he had expected. It looked like the R-cycle, which was now hardly recognizable as a motorcycle, had been thrown against the T-sub multiple times. The circuitry in the sub was spewed about the surrounding area, and Cyborg's seat had been split in two, run down by the motorcycle innumerous times. This would take a while to repair.

Cyborg groaned and got to work. He took out his old seat and began working on a new one, ensuring that this one was motorcycle safe. The outside of the sub would take days to fix, as dozens of circuits that ran along the side were strewn about, and the likeliness that he would put them back together again anytime soon was very slim. A few of the controls had been damaged, and Cyborg thought, though was scared to test, that the laser beams had been deactivated. The R-cycle was damaged beyond repair, and he would have to start work on a completely new one as soon as the T-sub was finished. If only Beast Boy had blown up the Cy-cow again….

Each Titan came in to ask him what had happened that morning, and he could give no more insight to the late-night activities of the murderer then the Titans themselves. Robin had been especially dismayed at his motorcycle, and had refused to leave it for the majority of breakfast. He searched over every inch, the horror written all across his face. He had grown attached to that bike, and now it was going to the junkyard.

Robin's sudden freeze as he examined the motorcycle caught Cyborg's attention. "Hey, you okay, man?"

Robin didn't answer, didn't do anything for a moment. Then he stood up very suddenly and started at a fast pace towards the door.

"Rob? Hey, wait!" Cyborg raced after him, catching him as he was about to enter the training room. Cyborg grabbed his arms, not liking the tenseness that he felt. "Robin, calm down."

"Who did it?" The voice that erupted from Robin's mouth wasn't his own. It was cold and lethal. "Who crashed the R-cycle?"

The happy chatter that had been going on was now as dead as Robin's tone. They stared at him, some with a bit of pity in their eyes, no one admitting up to the crime. Starfire stood slightly, uncertain if she should go to Robin or not.

"No one?" Each syllable was hard and angry. "No one will admit it?"

There was an unhappy silence.

"Rob, calm down," Cyborg said gently. "Just relax."

"Relax?" That voice turned on Cyborg. "The R-cycle has just been annihilated, and you want me to calm down?"

"I can make a new one," Cyborg said.

"It was sabotage! We shouldn't let them get away with that!"

"We shouldn't let them get away with murder either!"

Robin was quieted. The tenseness in his arms died away, and Cyborg let go of him. The martial artist stood there in silence for several moments before Starfire spoke.

"We all desire the capture of this killer," Starfire said gently. "You must understand, Robin. We are doing everything we can to capture them."

"What are we doing, Starfire?" The voice was much less threatening than it had been before, but Starfire could sense the warning behind it. "What are we doing to find the killer?"

Starfire didn't say anything, only stared at Robin with pleading eyes.

"Robin, tell me what we can do," Speedy said. "What can we do to find the killer? We can't search for fingerprints. You don't have that kind of equipment here. The murderer has left no trace of themselves anywhere."

"Yes they have!" Robin said. "The hamburgers, Hot Spot. The water, Aqualad. The clock could be anyone, but—"

"Robin," Beast Boy said, "note that all of the people you mentioned are dead."

Everyone's gaze shot towards Beast Boy in surprise. He was right.

"Oh my gosh," Terra suddenly stood up in her chair. "Don't you all see the pattern?"

Bumblebee gasped as the realization hit her. "Of course!"

Starfire looked at the two girls, trying to comprehend, before it dawned on her. "No!"

The guys looked at each other, completely clueless.

"A girl thing?" Cyborg questioned quietly.

"You mean you don't see it?" Bumblebee asked. "Who did we accuse at first?"

Several different names came at her at once.

"No, logically, guys, who would we accuse?"

There was a pause before Robin murmured, "Hot Spot."

"Right. The person we thought most likely was the next to die," Bumblebee said.

"Who was the most likely to have poured a great amount of water on Hot Spot?" Starfire asked.

"Aqualad!" Cyborg said, catching on.

"Aqualad snuffed it next!" Beast Boy said, for once understanding what was going on.

"But anyone could've bashed Aqualad!" Speedy said. "How do we know who's next?"

"Normally I would say the most accused," Bumblebee said, "but that would be tie between Terra and yourself. I would say the person to be most likely selected out would then be the one who was affected most."

Robin's heart stopped. "Starfire…"

Starfire, on the other hand, felt her breathing quicken. "Me?"

"You were the one who was most affected by Aqualad's death," Speedy said slowly. "You would be easily pinpointed."

An ominous silence fell over the room as all eyes focused on the Tamaranian princess.

"I won't let that happen." The hard tone was back in Robin's voice, but now it was full of determination. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Starfire. I promise."

Starfire nodded. "I believe we must locate the killer very soon. It is my preference not to die today."

"You won't," Robin assured.

"Well, if I'm gonna live to see tomorrow, I'll be taking one of these and heading back to the lab." Cyborg picked up a biscuit that Terra had made and returned to his lab.

"Starfire, come with me," Robin ordered. "I'm not letting you out of my sight all day."

Starfire nodded and followed Robin out of the room, sparing a nervous glance towards those remaining in the training room.

There was a short silence for the remaining Titans before Terra spoke up. "You guys, let's assume something for a moment. Let's assume that Starfire was right about that poem thingy of hers. How could Aqualad have died having something to do with Devon?"

"Did he ever live there?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't think so," Speedy said. "I'm pretty sure he was always in Jump City in the sea."

"Maybe some of his history is in Devon," Terra suggested. "Like, I dunno, his parents were born there or something. Something might've been special in there."

"No!" Bumblebee said. All eyes turned to her as she looked on the brink of a discovery. "I get it! Starfire's right! It is going according to that poem!"

"How?" Beast Boy asked anxiously. "How is Aqualad connected with Devon?"

"The other day at dinner! Oh, it makes perfect sense!" Bumblebee said. "He mentioned Devon. Remember? Aqualand was a water theme park in Devon!"

"Eight little Titans traveling in Devon," Speedy quoted. "One said he'd stay there and then there were seven. He said that, no matter how much he'd love to, he would never get to go to Devon to go to Aqualand. I guess he was right."

"Hey… you don't think he knew something?" Beast Boy asked.

"What d'you mean?" Terra asked.

"Well, how did he know he was going to die?" Beast Boy asked.

"I think he was being general," Speedy said. "He wasn't talking about himself in particular."

"Shows how much faith he had," Bumblebee muttered.

"No! He knew something! He came back late to that dinner, remember? He saw something, and for some reason, he didn't think he could escape!"

"Terra, tell Beast Boy how insane this is," Bumblebee said with a roll of her eyes as she turned towards the girl. "We need ideas that are plausible, and this is crazy! Aqualad would've said something!"

"Well, he did come back late…."

"Oh, not you too! Terra, this is mad!"

"But it's also possible," Speedy put in.

"Why are you so against this?" Beast Boy asked suspiciously. "Is it because you're the murderer and you know it's right?"

"Don't accuse me of murder!"

"Then why are you so against me and my ideas? Is it because I'm going next?"

"Stop calling me a killer!"

"Why should I when you're killing people? You're the one behind all this! I know it's you!"

"You've got nothing on me!"

"On the contrary, I have a list!"

"Do you even know what contrary means?" Terra asked.

Beast Boy ignored her. "On our first night here you protested to going to bed. It's because you wanted to murder someone else! I guess Raven just wasn't enough, huh?"

"Raven was my friend! How dare you accuse of killing her!"

"Beast Boy, are you out of your mind?" Speedy asked. "I know Bumblebee's acting a little weird, but everything points to Terra."

Terra looked enraged. "Don't you start that again!"

"So what if I am?"

"Then I'm going to knock your face in!"

"Oh, just like Aqualad's, huh?"

"I DID NOT KILL AQUALAD!"

"Yes you did! You're a psychopathic killer! I can't believe no one's put you away yet!"

"I can't believe Bumblebee hasn't been put away after three murders!"

"I DID NOT KILL ANYONE!"

"You're one to talk Speed Boy, when you're planning on a few more murders!"

"It's Speedy, and I haven't murdered anyone!"

"Stop accusing me or I'm going to start thinking it's you!"

"Well who do you think it is?"

"I don't know, so don't make me think it's you!"

"You witch, stop accusing me! I know you did it!"

"Oh, you're name suits you! You're so quick to accuse without any founded evidence!"

"I do too have evidence!"

"Show me!"

"What's going on here?"

Robin and Starfire had entered the room, both looking quite the mess after their race to the training room. Robin's voice had been the last one issued before all temporarily ceased their bickering to stare at the two Titans that had just recently made their entrance.

"He's accusing me of murder!"

"Yeah, but she's accusing me of murder, too!"

"He's accusing me of killing everyone!"

"She killed everyone!"

"You're kidding me," Robin said, leaning against the door with a sigh. "I thought with all the racquet someone else had died."

"Why did friend Cyborg not come in and resolve this sooner?" Starfire asked.

The four who had previously been throwing insults at one another looked at each other. Where was Cyborg?

As one, the four rose from their chairs, and Robin and Starfire turned and bolted from the room. In moments they had entered the lab space, and the smell of smoke was just wafting by their noses. It soon passed by them and began making its way throughout the rest of the tower to reveal that something was wrong. They traced the gray trail over to the T-sub.

Starfire, having taken flight, reached the ruined water machine first. She peered inside, gently calling, "Cyborg?"

Her face took on a sudden horrified look. She stared at some unseen horror for a few seconds before unexpectedly taking flight and hiding herself in a corner of the lab space. The Titans watched her in shock as she suddenly began vomiting.

Robin immediately stepped into the sub as the leader of the Titans. He peered about and had to shut his eyes for several moments to prevent vomiting himself. He tried to convince himself that he had seen wrong, but as his eyes opened again upon the scene before him, he found that it was as he thought. He delicately stepped out of the sub and then made his way over to Starfire with a pained expression on his face. He helped the crying girl to stand straight as the pile of vomit on the floor increased.

It was several minutes before she had stopped completely, with several pauses in between each outburst. At that point all of the Titans had seen the situation inside the T-sub, and several looked like mimicking Starfire, though none did. They had split up among the lab, none daring to look inside the sub again, though none finding the strength to speak. Starfire, when she was sure nothing else was going to fly from her mouth, tried to find words.

"Cyborg… he…"

"Yeah, I know," Robin murmured.

"He… he was…"

"I know."

"In… pieces…"

Hearing it said out loud seemed to make it more final, more real. Everyone flinched, the image of their friend once more entering their mind. His human half looked like it had been electrocuted, his metal half split in uneven proportions. It was a repulsive sight.

"I know."

"What…?" Beast Boy's voice was scratchy, so he cleared his throat. "What do we do?"

Everyone, even Bumblebee—or perhaps, especially Bumblebee—seemed to be looking to Robin for the answer. Robin looked at each Titan in turn, his gaze finally landing back on Starfire. He felt the pressure of each person's eyes and faith in him as he searched for an answer.

"I… I want this place closed off," Robin said finally. "Somehow, I want it blocked. I don't want a single person in this room ever again."

All but three Titans slowly nodded and made their way toward the exits. Starfire remained in her crumpled position; Robin remained as her support; Bumblebee stood in shock. Robin glanced at her as he noticed she hadn't moved. She was staring at him, a pleading look on her face. Robin saw what was coming a moment before it happened.

Bumblebee fell to her knees and broke down in tears.

Now he had two emotional women on his hands in a place he didn't want to be because of a situation that had only happened in his worst nightmares.

Robin silently begged for Starfire to move, and at Bumblebee's sudden collapse, she looked up at the girl. Starfire did as Robin wished and began to make her way towards her friend. When the distance between the two had diminished, Starfire fell next to Bumblebee and hugged her.

Robin, quite unsure of what to do, stayed back a little bit and let the girls work it out. Bumblebee returned Starfire's hug, and the two used each other's shoulders to cry on. Bumblebee didn't let herself get emotionally attached to too many people, but Cyborg was one of the lucky few. She hadn't even been with her teammates long enough to give them that kind of trust, but Cyborg had gained it right away for a reason that she liked to pretend was unknown to herself.

She had liked Cyborg. Sure, she'd teased him—the name "Sparky" suited him—and sure, she'd mocked him about knowing more than he did—how could he not know about the turbonic field mechanism?—but she'd really liked him. Perhaps some people had known what she really felt—Aqualad had been giving subtle hints when he was around—but Cyborg didn't. It made her feel even worse that she'd never told him. She'd never apologized for all her teasing either. She had really liked him, in the more intense meaning of the word, and nothing had ever happened. Nothing ever would.

Their tender moment was rudely interrupted as rising voices from outside the room made their way into the three's hearing. Starfire, Bumblebee, and Robin looked towards the door where Terra's and Speedy's voices could be clearly made out.

"YOU LYING WENCH! TELL ME HOW YOU MURDERED CYBORG!"

"IF YOU CALL ME A MURDERER AGAIN, I REALLY WILL SMASH YOUR FACE IN! CYBORG WAS MY FRIEND AND THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

"YOU CERTAINLY WOULDN'T MIND KILLING ME, I SEE!"

"AT THE MOMENT, I'M NOT SURE I WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT! I'M SICK OF YOU TRYING TO PIN ME WITH THE MURDER OF MY FRIENDS! YOU IDIOT! CAN'T YOU SEE I CARE FOR THEM TOO MUCH TO HURT THEM?"

"ALL I SEE IS A GOOD ACTRESS WHO'S KILLING PEOPLE!"

There was pause and then a crash, and Beast Boy's yells of, "WHOA, TERRA, STOP!"

Robin rushed from the room as the yelling and crashes persisted. Bumblebee and Starfire stood up using the other, and for a moment it looked as though neither could summon the will to move.

"We must go stop Terra before she actually does murder someone," Starfire murmured quietly.

Bumblebee forced herself to find some hidden strength. The power came to her at a high price—the face of Cyborg appeared in her mind. The picture brought with it its own pain, but Bumblebee put on a tough face and began leading Starfire out of the room. Whoever murdered Cyborg was not going to get away with it. Bumblebee would make sure of it if it were the last thing she ever did.

"How come you two can't go half a minute without yelling at each other?" Robin asked as the two girls entered the room.

"Because he's accusing me of being a murderer!"

"Because she says I'm a killer!"

The two answers came at him simultaneously, and Robin put a hand to his head. This was getting him nowhere. "Look… just… for the sanity of all, please try and keep it to a minimal amount of noise."

"Why don't you accuse someone?" Bumblebee asked harshly. All eyes turned to her, surprised at her sudden attack on the Boy Wonder. "Because you're doing it?"

Robin turned surprised eyes on her. "I think we discussed this last night. Bumblebee, are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Bumblebee shot at him. Her eyes turned to Beast Boy. "What about now, Beast Boy? Do you still think I'm murderer now?"

Beast Boy didn't answer her.

"Oh, I see," Bumblebee said shortly. She turned to Terra and Speedy. "Well? What about you two? Which of you murdered Cyborg?"

"Oh, is that what made you snap?" Speedy said in understanding.

"YEAH, WHAT OF IT?" Bumblebee had already raised her stingers. "I GUESS YOU DID IT, HUH? YOU KILLED HIM? TELL ME!"

A short yellow beam flew across the room, and Speedy had to duck his head.

"Bumblebee!" Starfire placed her hands on the closest of Bumblebee's raised arms. "Please do not try to harm him! You do not know who has done this, and you must not hurt an innocent person!"

Bumblebee slowly lowered her hands, and put her stingers back on her waist. She looked hard at each Titan until her eyes reached Starfire, where they softened slightly. She looked back at the other four with a slightly determined look in her eyes. "Let's figure this out."

The six took a seat at the table, looking slightly warily at the other five. There was an uneasy silence for several minutes that Robin was sure he would soon be able to see as the minutes grew.

"I've been thinking," Beast Boy said suddenly.

"This is a day for surprises," Terra muttered.

"And I think," Beast Boy said, ignoring his friend, "as hard as it is to admit, that the only two who could've done it were Robin or Starfire."

The two named tensed, and Robin asked, "What d'you mean?"

"I mean that all four of us have an alibi of being with each other. All four of us were part of the argument, so there's no possibility of someone leaving without our noticing. You two were just off alone by yourselves."

"But we have the alibi of being with each other as well!" Starfire said.

"Unless you both are behind it," Speedy said, looking at the three who weren't on the block for support.

"But this is insane!" Robin protested. "Why would we want to do that? Raven and Cyborg are dead! Why would either of us, Starfire in particular, want them dead?"

"Well, maybe it wasn't Starfire, just you," Beast Boy said.

"But Robin was with me!" Starfire amended quickly.

"When he was Red X, he had a hologram that looked like he was there, moved, and even spoke," Beast Boy said. "He could've done it again."

Starfire and Robin were both silenced. They looked as though both wanted to say something, but neither could gain the courage to get it out.

"So that leaves Robin, and possibly Starfire, as options. Who else could it have been? Could something have been programmed to kill him?" Terra asked.

"It looked like he'd been electrocuted, so it was probably something in the T-sub," Speedy supplied.

"But to program something to electrocute him at a specific time? How could they be sure?" Robin found his voice.

"They would have to have a very good knowledge of mechanics," Speedy said.

"And they'd have to know Cyborg pretty well, to know he would be working on that thing incessantly," Beast Boy said.

"Who is expanding your vocabulary? Anyway, I think anyone could guess Cyborg would be working on it nonstop. That one can't really point anyone out," Terra said.

"But the knowledge of mechanics points to one person," Speedy said. "Bumblebee."

"What?" Bumblebee asked suddenly, snapping her head up from an unknown world.

"You were always mocking Cyborg back at Titans East, saying you knew more than Cyborg about his own specialty," Speedy said. "That points to your knowledge of mechanics."

"But I didn't—"

"So that's Robin, Starfire, and Bumblebee," Beast Boy said. She wasn't even given a chance for a defense. "There are no other options."

"I must disagree." Starfire said after a moment. "Anyone might have messed with the electrical equipment and hoped ill will upon Cyborg."

Terra sighed, and her head fell into her arms as though giving up. "Then we haven't narrowed it down at all. Anyone could've done it."

"What about Aqualad?" Robin said. "Can we narrow anyone down from that?"

"Though Beast Boy seems most likely for it now, I suppose anyone but Terra and I could've snuck away."

"Why not you and Terra?" Bumblebee asked, her temper raising slightly at this comment.

"Because we were the center of the argument," Speedy said. "There's no way we could've gotten away without someone noticing."

"No, you could've when we were running to… Cyborg… in the lab," Bumblebee said hesitantly.

Robin put his hand to his head once more. "All right… Hot Spot?"

"Who could have put such a large amount of water on him without waking him?" Starfire asked. "Someone who still lives," she added hastily.

The six looked at each other. They sat in silence for several moments before Bumblebee dared to speak.

"I suppose… maybe if… if Starfire really did…"

"No," Robin cut her off sharply. She was treading on thin ice now. "Starfire didn't do it."

"But if she did have some kind of strange alien power—"

"She doesn't," Robin said harshly, "so drop it."

Bumblebee sighed and continued her staring at each Titan, hoping for some inspiration. She didn't want to believe it was Starfire, but she couldn't think of any other option.

"I don't know how, but Terra did it," Speedy said decisively after a beat of silence.

"I control the rocks, not the water," Terra said acidly. "Now stop accusing me of murder!"

"But you did it!"

"NO, I DID NOT!"

"YES, YOU DID!"

"STOP IT!" Robin shouted over the other two. They turned to look at him, and he could tell that each temper was rising. "Don't start this again. Now think: Raven."

"It was a food fight, dude," Beast Boy said in defeat. "Anyone could've done it."

"So we have not narrowed our search at all," Starfire said.

"Unless you count the dead," Robin added quietly. He looked at each Titan uncertainly for a moment, and then said, "It's scary, you know, to think you're in the presence of a murderer. To look around and imagine that one of the people you've trusted has betrayed that trust. I hope it scares you all just as much as it does me so that you'll never put your guard down. I've had too many friends die over the last few days to risk any more. I'm going to be out of friends soon."

"I just wish that, no matter how wrong it seems, if there was another death, it would shed some light on the murderer," Speedy said. "It could be any one of us."

Starfire held her breath for a moment before suddenly blurting, "No! It cannot be two of us!"

Everyone but Robin looked at her in confusion.

"What d'you mean?" Bumblebee asked.

Starfire took in a breath, glanced at Robin, and continued. "It cannot be Robin or I."

"Why not?" Beast Boy asked.

"You said that perhaps Robin had used a hologram, but he did not. I know because… I touched him."

"Do I even want to know?" Beast Boy asked, pushing his chair back slightly.

Robin's fist came out of nowhere. "Don't even think like that." His voice seethed with repulsed fury.

"We, well, were, um, holding hands," Starfire admitted.

"Ooh la la!" Bumblebee said with a smile. Starfire's face flushed. "Starfire, I'm surprised at you!"

"Score for Robin," Speedy said with a wink.

"Two," Beast Boy said agitatedly, raising himself up and holding his left eye.

Robin put his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. This was mortifying. Why was this a big deal to everyone? It should've been a big to deal to him and to Starfire, and that was it….

"But you see," Starfire cut in embarrassedly, "this excludes Robin and I from the murder of Cyborg."

Bumblebee's smile faltered and she shook her head. "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. You could still be accomplices in this."

Starfire looked highly upset. She had disclosed that information for nothing.

Robin intervened. "I think we should all go to our rooms. I'll board up the entrance to the lab or something so that we can't get back in."

"But Robin, it is only noon," Starfire said. "Might we help you in boarding up the lab?"

Robin hesitated, but then nodded. "Yeah, of course."

It turned out to be a rather difficult task to find wood, or any material for a suitable blockade. They ended up splitting into pairs, but Robin and Starfire were forbidden to go together "for security purposes", as Bumblebee told Starfire later. Instead Terra and Robin went together, and Beast Boy went with Speedy to avoid further conflict. The three teams went out on a search and returned several hours later with nothing for their efforts. It was at this moment that Bumblebee's genius pointed out some in the lab, the single place they hadn't looked.

The six then grabbed the wood they estimated they would need, and Beast Boy ran and grabbed a box of nails. They took the items outside and slowly began work on building a barrier from the nightmare beyond. Robin and Starfire were in the middle, splitting the other two quarreling pairs. With meaningless polite chatter that no one was into, they worked on erecting their blockade. It took another hour to accomplish because their only skilled person in such things was being sealed inside. There were several accidents, but the only person seriously injured was Starfire, who had repeatedly hit her finger with the hammer.

Robin dismissed them at this point, saying it was late enough for them to stay secluded. He escorted Starfire to Cyborg's room, where she opened a closet to find rows of medical items. He was surprised as the alien scanned the equipment and easily picked out an antiseptic and bandages.

"Star, when did you learn how to do that?"

"Cyborg taught me last night," Starfire murmured quietly as she applied the antiseptic. "He showed me what everything did so that when he was gone, I might take over for him."

Robin stared at her. "Did he know he was going to die?"

Starfire shook her head. "I do not think he knew he would be next, but I think he believed he would not make it through this ordeal."

Robin sighed and laid his head back against the wall. "This is so aggravating. I don't know who to trust."

"Neither do I," Starfire said. "I wish to believe everyone is innocent of such crimes, but I must face the truth. Someone is behind all of these murders, and as much as I wish to deny it, it is one of our friends. That makes it very difficult to believe anything anyone says."

"The only person I know I can believe is you, Star."

"The same is to you. Do you think any of the other Titans feel such a certainty towards someone?"

Robin sat in thought for a moment. "Bumblebee told me she thought so of Cyborg last night. Beast Boy probably thinks it of Terra, and Terra likewise. That's all I know of."

Starfire nodded. "Do you know who it might be?"

"It might be any of those four," Robin said. "Who I think it is, though…" He sighed. "Speedy maybe? I've crossed Bumblebee out because of Cyborg going, but I'm not sure who to think now."

"I am not either," Starfire said. "I do not wish to accuse anyone. I merely wish to be surprised when the villain is found."

Robin looked at her for several moments before nodding. "Yeah. Let's be surprised."

()TLT()

"C'mon, Ter, let him be," Beast Boy said.

"No! Speedy's behind all this! I can't! Not when I know I'm right!"

"But you don't know you're right, you just think you are." Beast Boy sighed. "I don't know what to do now."

"What d'you mean?" Terra asked.

"I thought it was Bumblebee; I was sure it was Bumblebee, so much was pointing to it; but I can't see her killing Cyborg. There's no way I can see her killing Cyborg. I don't know what you thought, but I seemed to me like and she and Cyborg had something going."

Terra nodded. "It did seem like that."

"So… I can't really see her hurting him… unless she is psychotic and has completely lost her mind. Yeah, maybe that's it. She's going blind to everything she thought and felt before, so now she's killing everyone, even Cyborg."

"Beast Boy, as possible as that is, I don't think it's right," Terra said. "Bumblebee doesn't seem like the psychotic type to me. I mean, if I could see her going crazy, then I might be able to see her killing someone in her insanity, but I can't see her going mad to begin with. She's a little nutty as it is, but it's a kind of playful thing. Sort of like you, except she doesn't crack jokes, and if she did, they'd probably be funny."

Beast Boy gave Terra a sour look, to which she laughed. "I think this is where we split ways."

Terra was smiling. "Goodnight, Beast Boy." She hesitated before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. In a swift movement she had turned away from him and raced down the hallway to escape to her room.

Beast Boy stood there, completely immobile, holding his cheek like it was heavenly object—after all, it had been kissed by an angel.

()TLT()

"Is that all?"

"No! And she's obnoxious."

"Is that all?"

"No! And she's got an attitude problem."

"Is that all?"

"NO! She's blonde too! Now that is all."

"How many reasons was that why Terra was the murderer?" Bumblebee was highly bored at this point.

"Seventy-four," Speedy said after quickly counting them up on his fingers.

"Wonderful," Bumblebee said. She had actually stopped listening after reason nine, which, as she recalled, had something to do with blue eyes. All she had to do was ask if he was finished in between every breath and he would ramble on, leaving her thoughts to her own. She was still thinking of an adequate punishment for Cyborg's murderer.

"So who do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Bumblebee said.

"C'mon, you've got think it's someone!"

Bumblebee hesitated as she came up with a name. "Beast Boy, perhaps."

"Why?"

"Well… he's so quick to pin everything on me. I mean, I guess I could say the same to you and Terra; it's just that he finds the most impossible reasons for it to be me. Tomorrow morning he'll have come up with a way for me to have murdered Hot Spot, which is practically undoable."

"What about Robin and Starfire?"

"I agree with Beast Boy that they were the most likely to have killed Cyborg," Bumblebee said. "Because I know I didn't. I may have the brains, but I wouldn't have the heart to have killed him or anyone else."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you did it."

This coming from someone whose reasons for his accusations are "being blonde" and "having blue eyes". "That's very comforting."

"I was rather surprised at who Terra chose to kill, though."

Bumblebee tensed slightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, everyone was expecting her to go after Starfire, and it would've shown that she could get through even Robin's keen watch. I wasn't expecting Cyborg to go at all."

"No…" Bumblebee said quietly. "No. Me neither."

()TLT()

The murderer collapsed onto the bed, rather disappointed. In all their horror at the method of death, no one had noticed the broken model T next to Cyborg's remains. It had been so hard to get there inconspicuously too! Ah well. Perhaps to make matters interesting, they would break the blockade of wood and screw around with the place a little more.

The murderer bent over the bed and took out a piece of paper they had hidden underneath. They skimmed the modified poem and read aloud, "Seven little Titans were chopping up sticks; one chopped himself in half and then there were six. Bye, bye, Cyborg." They looked at the next name on the list they had determined and smirked. "So, you ready to die?"

A/N:

Gomen nasai you guys! I meant to update yesterday, but I got put on restriction for a day. Apparently my mother doesn't approve of locking my brother out of the car. But, c'mon, he was going to bring his bionicles into Perkins. Nuh uh…

While I'm thinking about it, I was going through different reviewers to find more good fics (as if I haven't got enough on my to-read list already) and I noticed a certain fic on Inu-Yugi's list…. First off: you're psychotic. When did you READ Voldemort's Tale, and why the devil is it on your favorites? That's one of the worst fics I have ever written. All my Harry Potter ones suck because they were written for friends. The kind that should never be posted on the internet, and certainly never added to someone's favorites list. Are you smoking something, or were you at the time? xD I'd say I'm flattered that you like such crappy work, but I'm too worried about your sanity.

I had one person suggest that the murderer wasn't one of the Titans because I do little bits from everyone's point of view and no one seems to know who the murderer is. I write it that way just so that you can't tell who it is. Obviously the murderer is faking it, and they're only acting that way because they know I'm typing what they're "feeling". So here's your hint: the murderer is one of the Titans. So sorry if that blew out a few theories, but I might as well give you a few tidbits along the way.

Before I get to chapter 6, would someone mind giving me the most precise definition of "Chancery" you can? I had to look it up, and the one I'm going by is "a court with jurisdiction in equity". I didn't quite know what I was going to do to kill the person in this chapter, but I had an idea, and while reading the reviews, I was surprised to find my definition was a little off. So tell me anything you know on it!

Theoryguy14- … Whoa. That is the most incredible theory I have ever come across while writing this fic. See two paragraphs above to blow it out of the water, but you could seriously write a mystery fic with that plotline. I was completely aghast and wondering why I never thought of that. Props to you; my hat is off.

Digital-Dragon-Master- Props! Cookies! -hands cookie- You got it right! Bye, bye, Cy! Oh, and I'm not telling you what you said, but you're on the trail of your words biting you anyway. So have fun!

May- Now I shall no longer get on your case. Maybe. xD My living pensieve won't tell me what she thinks. The Clock of Eternity was used in reference to Aqualad's usage of time and how he would never get to go to Aqualand.

Thanks to all my loverly reviewers for doing what you do best. REVIEWING! Isn't that amazing? xD Do me a fav and do it again before you exit out, okay?

Riles