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”.

5. Sting

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()

Bumblebee looked at the practically nonexistent window. Outside it was probably a beautiful day, with the waves crashing against the shore. A bird would fly and sing a short hello, and the sun would be shining high above, casting a beautiful glimmer on the water below. She could just see the grass as it gently waved good morning in the light wind that was brushing against the earth. The clouds moved smoothly above her, snowy white in color and wispy as they crossed into and out of her view.

It was a beautiful day outside—according to her imagination. What really lay outside the window was a mystery. Perhaps Jump City was in flames with no heroes for so long. After all, it seemed that every ten minutes the alarm would normally be sounding in Titans Tower. Maybe, if she could see, she would witness criminals running amok with no one powerful enough to dispose of them. The police in Jump City were about as useful as a murderer in the tower. Bumblebee gave them a slight amount of credit for transporting the criminals to jail, but she could think of little else the Titans didn't normally handle.

Bumblebee didn't go directly to the training room, as she customarily had every morning. She roamed the peaceful halls, taking comfort in the silence. She had gone up several flights and was now far enough from the noise below that she couldn't hear Beast Boy's unfounded accusations against herself, or Terra's jarring remarks about Speedy. Robin and Starfire remained the sole voices of reason as they tried to comfort the two.

The girl passed by a familiar room. The aroma of a dead body was slowly seeping under the door. Bumblebee hesitated at the door into Hot Spot's room before slowly pushing open the door. She nervously stepped inside and leaned back on the door as it closed behind her. Bumblebee closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door. She needed to apologize to Hot Spot. She had been so wrong to accuse him, and she felt so horrible. Bumblebee looked at the form of a body covered in white sheet. Another wave of guilt swept over her.

"Hot Spot… I'm so sorry." Bumblebee took a few steps closer. "You weren't on my team, but I shouldn't have accused you. I was wrong, so wrong. I'm so sorry. I really am. I feel so responsible. I'm sorry."

Bumblebee walked over to the bed and reached over to remove the white blanket. Her eyes caught site of two curious objects on the desk, however, and her attention was temporarily diverted. Bumblebee changed her hand's direction towards the broken glass on the desk. She recognized it, and with a pang it reminded her of happier times, when everyone was still alive. The glass was actually two model Ts, the ones Beast Boy had bought for their victory dinner. As if an omen for Hot Spot, both were shattered.

"Quite the coincidence, huh?" Bumblebee murmured quietly. She gazed at the miniature versions of Titans Tower for a moment before once more reaching out for the white blanket. She hesitated for a moment as her fingers touched the cloth, but with a look of determination on her face, she threw back the bed sheet.

All she could do was scream.

()TLT()

All eyes turned to the ceiling.

"Titans! Go!"

They rushed up the stairs, through the hallways, making a few new doors as they went. The four in company raced to try and find the continuing screams of Bumblebee.

The screams of Bumblebee found them.

"Friend Bumblebee!" The said girl collapsed into Starfire's strength. "What is it that has upset you so?"

Bumblebee whimpered, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Bumblebee, what's wrong?" Robin pressed.

Bumblebee stared.

"Bee!" Terra exclaimed, bending down so they were eyelevel. "Tell us. What happened?"

Bumblebee slowly turned to look at each of the four around her, looking as though she had been traumatized for life. "I… I did it."

"Did what?" Robin asked sharply.

"I killed him."

There was a tense silence where Starfire almost dropped her. "Killed him?"

"Speedy. I killed him. I must have. I've gone mad."

"Bumblebee, what are you talking about?" Terra asked. "You didn't kill Speedy. He's the murderer."

Bumblebee turned frozen eyes to meet Terra's. "Speedy—is—dead. Hot Spot."

Robin vanished and had in moments raced down beyond sight through the halls. Starfire held Bumblebee in a comforting manner, though she looked worriedly at Terra and Beast Boy. Was Bumblebee really a murderer? She had admitted to it herself, but something wasn't right.

Robin returned with a look of shock on his face. Three looked at him expectantly for an explanation. "I think Speedy is dead. He's in Hot Spot's bed, but I think he's dead. I'm not sure how to check."

"I can." Starfire helped Bumblebee to stand properly and slowly began leading her down the hall, the one that had caused Bumblebee so much terror. She panicked slightly as they neared the door, and Starfire was unsure she was still breathing when they reached it. Her eyes were wide in fear as the door opened to reveal the disturbed room of Hot Spot that now held within it the body of Speedy.

Starfire hesitantly walked over and put her finger against Speedy's throat. Her face lifted for a moment but then dropped again. After several more seconds she removed her fingers with a sigh. "I thought that perhaps since his skin was warm, he might still be alive. He is not."

Bumblebee looked absolutely traumatized as she stared in horror at the body.

"Bee, what's wrong with you?" Beast Boy asked. "I know, it's horrible, but you're really—"

"I think I can explain that," Robin said with a sigh. Everyone turned to face him except Bumblebee, whose eyes were fixed upon Speedy's limp form. "Bumblebee, you recognize the abnormal amount of static electricity, don't you? It's the same thing that happens if you use your stingers too much on a person."

"I did it," Bumblebee whispered. "I must have done it."

"That's not true," Beast Boy said comfortingly. "Someone could have stolen your stingers and used them. They're very powerful weapons, you know."

"Please wait a moment… Bumblebee, where are your stingers now?" Starfire asked.

Bumblebee looked down at her waist, and her eyes filled with surprise. "They're… they're gone."

"And where is Hot Spot's body now?" Robin asked. "Titans, conduct a search! Make sure the other bodies are still there. Then we need to find Hot Spot and Bumblebee's stingers. Tear this place apart if you must, but I want them found."

Everyone quickly left the room, save for Bumblebee and Terra. The two looked at the body in shock.

"I must have done it."

"I was so sure it was him."

"How else could it have been done?"

"Who else could have done it?"

They could only stand, staring at the new body, as a guilty silence overtook them. Speedy was dead. Neither had seen it coming. How could they? How could they have stopped it? What more could they have done?

Terra couldn't decide on what to say. "We… we should… we have to… I'll be your search buddy."

Bumblebee stared blankly as she had been, seemingly not to have heard Terra's stumbling over her words. It was a full minute later that Bumblebee nodded, and the two backtracked out of the room.

()TLT()

"Robin, I will be fine alone. You have forgotten that I am very capable of defending myself."

He was still fretting, and Beast Boy knew it. Despite all of Starfire's assurances, the Boy Wonder couldn't help but think of her. If anything should happen to her, Robin would never forgive himself. Starfire was his responsibility, or so he felt, and he needed to be there to protect her.

Beast Boy, however, felt he was treating her like a child. She was from Tamaran, a planet of born warriors. On top of that, she had an alien strength like none of her people, save Starfire's sister, Blackfire. Robin needed to stop choking her and let the girl breathe.

"Robin, Starfire's okay," Beast Boy said. "If I was the killer, I wouldn't want to mess with Star!"

"Yeah?" Robin asked testily. "Well I wouldn't have wanted to mess with Raven, or Hot Spot, or Aqualad, or Cyborg, or Speedy either, but look what happened to them!"

Beast Boy was temporarily silenced. "But now we're expecting it. Starfire will be on her guard."

"And what, Speedy wasn't expecting it?"

"Rob, he was probably killed in his sleep."

"And Cyborg?"

"I don't think he figured he was going to get electrocuted."

"And Aqualad?"

"We were in a hurry downstairs. He probably thought he was the only one taking a detour."

"And Hot Spot?"

"There had only been one death. We couldn't be sure if it was a murder or not."

"And Raven?"

"It was a party. No one was expecting to die."

There was a scream.

"And Starfire?" Robin was already running.

"I'll let you know in a sec."

Robin, predictably, was the first person in the room. Starfire sat on her bed, hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as they saw some unknown horror several feet away.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" The Boy Wonder was at her side in an instant. After several moments where the only sounds were Starfire's ragged breathing and the footsteps of the nearing Titans, Robin said, "Star, say something."

The Titans entered the room.

"It is… the poem."

Robin followed Starfire's terrified gaze to a book that had been tossed onto the floor. He got up and picked up the book, once more returning to Starfire's side. The alien's eyes were fearful.

"Which poem, Star?"

"Ten Little Indians," Bumblebee answered for the Tamaranian. "That's the one you told us the other day, isn't it, Star?"

Starfire nodded. Robin flipped through several pages before pausing at a picture of an Indian. The title of the poem was the one for which he searched.

"Ten little Indians went out to dine; one choked himself and then there were nine."

"Raven," Beast Boy whispered.

"Nine little Indians stayed up very late; one overslept and then there were eight."

"Hot Spot," Bumblebee said slightly louder.

"Eight little Indians traveling in Devon; one said he's stay there and then there were seven."

"Aqualad," Terra said with rising horror in her voice.

"Seven little Indians were chopping up sticks; one chopped himself in half and then there were six."

"Cyborg." Starfire's voice was laced with regret.

"Six little Indians playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one and then there were five." Robin paused. "Speedy."

There was a tense silence where no one dared to speak. The revelation was upon them once more. Previously the poem had been forgotten, but now they would always remember. Any doubt they had before was now abolished. Some sick psychopath was killing according to a children's poem.

"Five little Indians going in for law," Robin finally read, "one got in Chancery and then there were four."

"What's Chancery?" Beast Boy asked.

Starfire, Bumblebee, and Terra shook their heads slightly, unable to answer.

Robin furrowed his brow and looked deep in thought. "I know I've heard it before. Sounds like some of Batman's intellectual talk." He paused for several seconds. "I think it has something to do with the law…."

"Well, that's helpful," Bumblebee said in a sardonic tone.

"It's better than what you're giving me," Robin said with an icy glance up at her. He sighed. "It's no use. I'm not going to remember. It was too long ago. I've completely forgotten…."

"Don't you have a dictionary in here?" Bumblebee asked. "In this gigantic place, you've got to have some dictionary somewhere."

"We're superheroes, not students," Terra said, almost insulted. "We wouldn't have a dictionary around here if it was the last book on earth."

"Well how are we supposed to predict what the murderer's planning next?" Beast Boy asked irritably.

"I do not think we are," Starfire said. "They do not want us to know."

"Well did we find the other bodies?" Robin asked in exasperation, looking desperately for anything to go on.

"We found… Cyborg." There was a moment of revered silence after Bumblebee's words as the girl blinked repeatedly. "He's as we left him."

"And don't worry," Terra added. "We had to break a small part of the barrier, but we put it back. Nothing to clean up after."

"And I discovered the whereabouts of Aqualad," Starfire said. "He is also still residing in his room."

"Raven was lost in the fire, and Speedy is now where Hot Spot was," Robin said. "So where is Hot Spot now?"

Silence met this.

"We've searched the whole tower, just our rooms left," Beast Boy said. "But I think we would've noticed this morning if there was a dead body in it."

"Unless the murderer is hiding the body in their room," Bumblebee pointed out. "Let's all go and search each other's rooms. With four others searching, we're sure to find it."

Everyone agreed to this, and so they began with the very room they were in—that of Starfire's. Robin took particular care here, examining her every item. She held several photo albums she'd picked up at the mall, and as he took a brief moment to filter through them, he couldn't help but smile at the pictures of the Titans in them. She had added a few captions to them, and Robin's face flushed a horrible shade of pink as he noted a heart next to his picture. He quickly shut the book and glanced around, making sure Starfire was busy helping Bumblebee go through her closet. The boys had been forbidden to sift through the closet and dresser, which Terra was carelessly going through.

Next he noted a stack of dark square objects in the corner, mounted several feet high. He picked one up and examined it. There was a very small square in the middle, and a single black button next to it. He pressed the button.

The bulky figure of Galfore jumped out at him, and Robin dropped the object in surprise.

"WHO ARE YOU THAT YOU READ THE PRINCESS'S TRANSMISSIONS?" The small figure shouted, lashing out at Robin.

"Robin!" Starfire quickly left the closet and rushed over, murmuring a few words in her foreign tongue to soothe the savage nanny. They exchanged a few more words before Galfore disappeared back into the square from which he'd come. Starfire glanced up at the Boy Wonder. "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but I do not believe my Tamaranian transmissions are deceased Earthlings."

It was decided a half hour later that Starfire was not concealing the missing body of Hot Spot. They then decided to move on to Terra's room. It was not nearly as neat and orderly as Starfire's had been, but rather clothes were strewn about the place and the walls were cracked from certain places where it was obvious she'd taken out some frustration by punching them. It was Beast Boy who took a particular interest in this room, going through everything he saw and was allowed to touch. He sifted through her music and was impressed by nearly all of her tunes.

"You know," Beast Boy said suddenly, "I'm actually surprised. I thought after living on your own for so long, you'd be kinda neater than this. You know, since you had to pick up for yourself and all."

"What can I say? Living here, I'm spoiled," Terra said, and therein lay the first glimmer of a smile the Titans had seen all day. It was encouraging to them, and they went about their search with renewed vigor. They could find Hot Spot's body—they would—and they would make the killer pay.

After another quarter of an hour of searching, they unanimously agreed that Hot Spot was not in Terra's room. They then progressed to Bumblebee's room. It was a guest room all the Titans were accustomed to seeing, and having little with her, Bumblebee did not have much with which to make the room her own. The little they could discern was that she kept the place relatively clean. The bed was made, but there were few borrowed clothes in sight. This room was by far the most boring with so few personal touches, and they did a rather slipshod search before pronouncing Hot Spot's absence.

The second-to-last room searched was Robin's. It was Starfire who mostly enjoyed her time in this room, and indeed she did little searching as she browsed through Robin's belongings. She searched through his desk, looking at all the papers he had managed to stuff on and in it. Beast Boy and the Boy Wonder searched through the closet, but Robin was frequently seen glancing at the pretty alien. Terra and Bumblebee did what they could, but being forbidden from searching through drawers, and also having no desire to, they mainly stood and observed the boys go through the busy room. It was forty-five minutes later that Beast Boy tiredly declared the room "dead body free".

Beast Boy's room, by far, took the longest to go through. Not only was it the messiest room they had yet to encounter, but also only the two boys were allowed entry for over half an hour as they tried to clear off the variety of items that littered the floor. When the girls were finally allowed access, there were few things they permitted themselves to touch. Terra, it seemed, was most annoyed rather than infatuated.

"Beast Boy, I just helped you clean this place," Terra said in displeasure. "How could you so quickly dirty it up again?"

"What can I say?" Beast Boy said, quoting Terra. "Living here, I'm spoiled."

Terra gave him an irritated glance, but said nothing as she made her way over to the bunk bed. "It's so good to have this search over with." She collapsed onto the bottom bed, but then winced. "Beast Boy, how do you sleep on this? It's so uncomfortable."

"We still haven't found Hot Spot," Robin said dejectedly. "And we're way too exhausted to do another search."

"Don't even think about it," Bumblebee said with a lethal glare.

"Maybe we should get him a new mattress…?" Terra was on her hands and knees, bouncing slightly on the bed.

"What do we do then? We have a body unaccounted for," Robin said.

"Perhaps we should resume our search in the morning, when we are well rested?" Starfire suggested.

"Let's get this thing off his bed… gotta having something better around here…." Terra began tugging the mattress off the bed.

"No way," Beast Boy rejected. "I'm with Bumblebee. I don't want to do another search ever. Not even for the remote."

"I'm surprised she doesn't want another search," Robin said, eying the girl suspiciously. "It's her stingers that are missing."

"Hey, what's this…?" Terra picked something up from the floor that had fallen when she'd taken off the mattress.

"Hey, for all I know I left them in my room," Bumblebee said.

"After the search we did?" Robin asked. "I don't think so."

"Well then you tell me where they are, Boy Wonder," Bumblebee said angrily, realizing she was on the brink of being accused.

"No," Terra said, walking over to the group, "I will." She held up Bumblebee's stingers.

"My stingers!" Bumblebee identified, relieving Terra of them. "Where were they?"

"Under Beast Boy's mattress."

All eyes turned to the changeling.

He started to back away slightly, hands up and waving frantically. "I swear I didn't do it! I swear it wasn't me!" He looked at each Titan pleadingly. "Robin, you believe me."

There was a pause. Robin's words came out slowly and carefully, but as though someone was admitting to an undeniable truth. "You were caught with the evidence."

Beast Boy moved his eyes. "Star?"

"I wish to," Starfire said, not meeting his eyes.

"Bumblebee?"

"You're always accusing me," Bumblebee said. "I guess just to make no one suspect you."

Beast Boy turned to his crush, where he was sure to find an ally. "Terra?"

Terra, like Starfire, didn't meet Beast Boy's eyes. "This is really tough evidence Beast Boy…."

"But don't you see it? Somebody's setting me up!" He was looking at each Titan again, quickly realizing he was alone.

"I think it's settled." Robin stared determinedly at the floor. "Tomorrow at noon Beast Boy is going on trial for the murder of the deceased Titans."

()TLT()

Robin's face was buried in his pillow. He wasn't crying, but he certainly wasn't smiling. Beast Boy was one of the last people he'd have expected to be responsible for so many murders. It certainly seemed like he'd done it, though. To find the weapon used for the most recent murder clearly in his possession was highly incriminating. Sure, he easily could have been set up, and Robin was dearly hoping so, but until they could find evidence of that, Beast Boy was the prime suspect. Not of his team, Bumblebee was the only one left. Despite any connections they had made, he desperately wanted it to be her. To discover it was one of the people he had actually lived with would torment him for the rest of his life—however short it may be.

()TLT()

Beast Boy was demolishing his room, well aware that it had just been cleaned to perfection an hour earlier. If the killer had planted the stingers in his room without his noticing, who was to say they didn't put the body in there somewhere too? If he were discovered in possession of the body too, he would probably be murdered on the spot. The last thing he needed was more evidence against him—or indeed, a dead body in his room.

It was just into the morning when Beast Boy lay in his bed and shut his eyes, satisfied that there were no dead bodies. After the exhaustion of going through a world-breaking record of investigation of the same area, though, he still wasn't ready for sleep. What was he going to say? One of his best friends just put him on trial for murder. The idea was still sinking in, and it was clouding his already-clouded brain. Terra didn't even stick up for him.

Beast Boy's eyes suddenly shot open. Terra.

()TLT()

Bumblebee was leaning against her wall, examining her stingers. They weren't damaged at all, as far as she could tell, and after looking them over for twenty minutes, she was fairly sure she wasn't mistaken. Still, it was a very close call, and it persuaded her to keep on looking.

So Beast Boy was behind it all. She really shouldn't have been surprised. He was always accusing her when he really was the one behind it. She had had thought she might have been responsible without realizing it, but after finding her stingers in Beast Boy's possession, it clinched his guilt. Besides, for anyone else to so obdurately accuse her of the crimes had to be incriminating in itself. Beast Boy hadn't had an open mind, and had always been certain she was the killer. That had to mean that he knew who the murderer was, which meant that he had to be the one responsible. If he weren't a killer, she would almost feel sorry for him. No one was taking his side in this, even if there was the slightest hope of his innocence, not even his girlfriend. At that moment he would be scheming how to cover for himself, but even a madman could feel abandoned.

()TLT()

Starfire was sitting on her bed, a number of photo albums lying beside her. In her hands, however, was a book of nursery rhymes that she had looked over frequently in the last six days. She had a particular page marked, and it was much more battered than the others, showing it had been flipped to the most. Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one and then there were five. The poem was coming true.

Unable to look at the words coming alive any longer, Starfire closed the book and picked up one of her photo albums. On the front cover was a picture of the entire team at the park, the photo taken by one of the passing children. She ran her fingers over Raven and Cyborg, murmuring their names. Her eyes fell upon Beast Boy, and tears came into them. Had he really done it? She really did want to believe he wasn't responsible, but it was so difficult. She flipped through a few more pages and the faces of the dead appeared before her once more. Titans East was smiling happily at her after a crime both teams of Titans had appeared on to investigate. She quickly flipped the page again, and was happy to see the next filled with images of Robin. She smiled and went to the next page where Hot Spot was smiling at her, throwing a ball of fire up and down playfully in his hand. Starfire immediately shut the book. She didn't want to see the dead looking at her when the pain was still far too fresh. How could she face Beast Boy tomorrow with the proposition of him murdering them all? It was going to be a difficult task, but one she apparently was obligated to face.

()TLT()

Terra was crying. She never cried. She wiped her eyes fiercely and sat up on her bed, determined not to cry. The flow of tears refused to cease, however, and she fell back down. She hadn't defended Beast Boy when he needed her most. He was being accused of murder, and she had sat back and done nothing. What kind of friend was she?

Terra sat up again. No, this wasn't right to put herself through this! The evidence clearly pointed to him, and any person in their right mind would have acknowledged that he was most likely. She had done nothing another in her position wouldn't have done. Beast Boy clearly was the most likely culprit, and therefore she had every right to speak of how convincing the evidence was.

She wasn't supposed to, though! Terra fell back down. She liked him, and there was no way that funny, kind, stupid Beast Boy would've murdered anyone! He was too gentle to do that! She had been told of the time when he'd become a horrible beast, of course, but he had kept his sanity! He hadn't meant to hurt anyone! And besides, that was over with!

But what if there were aftereffects? Terra was once again up in her bed. What if the chemicals that caused the mutation were now causing Beast Boy to go mad and kill people? He had had no recollection of the things he did in his monstrous form, so now he might have no recollection of killing people! That must be it!

Terra instantly and quickly fell on her bed again. No. Beast Boy was not a murderer, conscious of it or not. He didn't murder anyone. Hurting people and killing them were two different things. He would know if he killed someone.

But if he knew, would he come out and say it?

()TLT()

The killer quietly got up out of bed. It was essential that they not be discovered. There was swift moving about in their room, and they tried to be quiet about removing the body from its hiding spot. After several minutes of attempted silence, the murderer had Hot Spot over their shoulder. They smirked, and inhaled deeply—the smell of death.

They quietly left their room and headed left, carrying Hot Spot delicately up the stairs, as though he might be porcelain. It was a curious job, this business of killing off the Titans, but it was fun. It was enthralling, and the trial tomorrow would indeed be interesting.

When they had reached the top, they met a steel door. Chuckling very quietly to themselves, they turned to their right and to one of the control panels Cyborg had installed throughout the tower. They punched in the numbers 314332 and then whispered, "Titans Tower Lockdown Disengaged."

The female voice of the security system was loud and clear all throughout Titans Tower, and the murderer was well aware they had only seconds to do the job. They quickly opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible while being quick. They hurried over to the edge of the roof and threw Hot Spot's body into the ocean. Not even getting a chance to enjoy the thrill, they rushed back inside, entered the pass code again, and murmured, "Titans Tower Lockdown Engaged."

The shouting below was unmistakable. They were congregating. The killer rushed downstairs as fast as they could, needing to join everyone before the Titans noticed they were gone. There was still no time to indulge in the victory. The murderer shrugged it off. They needed to put up the right face. Besides, there would be time for inward gloating as soon as they were back in their room. They could write another paragraph in the letter.

()TLT()

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"

Robin's steel-toed shoes hit the ground hard, and each step went ringing through the Titans ears. All were present and were gathered in the training room, each forming their own explanation of what had just occurred.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT JUST HAPPENED! THE MURDERER JUST LEFT THE TOWER FOR A FEW MOMENTS, THAT'S WHAT JUST HAPPENED! SOMEONE SITTING IN THIS ROOM KNOWS THE PASS CODE TO THE SECURITY SYSTEM AND IS USING IT TO TRAP US IN HERE SO THAT THEY CAN KILL US!"

Robin's furious gaze was going down the row. "TERRA! WHERE WERE YOU DURING ALL OF THIS? ARE YOU THE KILLER?"

"Robin, don't you yell at me!" Terra said, her voice rising as well as the heat in her face. "I'm just as upset about this as you are! We had a chance to escape and I missed it!" Her fist met her other hand. "I missed it!"

"WHAT ABOUT YOU, BEAST BOY?" Robin, instead of replying, moved on. "THERE'S ALREADY EVIDENCE ON YOU! WERE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, TOO?"

Beast Boy didn't say anything, merely stared at Robin. In disgust, Robin moved on. "AND WHAT ABOUT YOU, STAR? DID YOU DO IT?" It was exactly as he finished this sentence that Robin realized what had come out of his mouth.

"Robin… please do not yell at me…." Starfire's head was bowed, and her hair conveniently covered her face.

"Starfire… I'm sorry…." Robin sighed and bent down in front of her. He lifted the hair away from her face with his gloved hand and wiped the falling tears from her eyes. "I'm just… upset. We had a chance of life, and I completely missed it."

"You do not think we have a chance of life here?" Starfire asked. "You do not think we might find the culprit and apprehend them?"

Robin stared into her eyes for a moment, and he couldn't find himself to bring out the words. His eyes, however, told it all, and Starfire looked away. Robin didn't do anything for a moment, but then he stood and began pacing again, glancing a bit at Starfire, who still refused to look at him.

"I think we're all very clear on what just happened," Bumblebee said calmly. "We all know that we just missed an opportunity to get out of here. Now what?" Her question was almost a challenge to Robin, though any such hint was very subtle.

Robin sighed again and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I don't know. We have no way of finding out what our murderer did in those few seconds, so all I can see that happened is Cyborg's security system woke us up, brought us hope, and shattered our dreams."

"Well," Beast Boy said, "At least we know the tower can be dismarried."

"Disengaged," Terra supplied reflexively.

Starfire yawned, and since Robin was noticing the alien more than usual because she wasn't talking to him, he stopped his pacing. "Look, it's late, or early, however you want to look at it. We've got to get up tomorrow for our trial at noon. We'll just discuss this at that tomorrow, or today, whichever you prefer. Let's all go to bed."

It was noticed that Robin tried to talk to Starfire many times as they left. She did not avoid him, but she gave him the shortest answers anyone had ever heard the vivacious girl say. He gave up when they split ways, and called goodnight to her. She pretended not to hear him. Beast Boy and Terra were walking on opposite sides of the group, uncomfortable still about the earlier event. They glanced at each other occasionally, but had the luck to keep missing the other's eyes; whether it was purposefully or accidentally was unknown. Bumblebee walked in silence, a deeply thoughtful look on her face, as though she was seriously considering something. Each Titan went to their rooms again, and this time none got out of their bed until Starfire rose, slightly later than usual because of the lack of sleep, to make breakfast.

A/N:

You guys know what I have decided? This story is very loosely based on the book. I used the poem and the plotline, but everything else is going to be very different. I'm not sure yet (see how prepared for this fic I am?), but even the order of deaths might be different. At least that way you can't pinpoint the murderer by the order of death. -sigh- I'll think of something.

Oh, a round of applause for my living pensieve (using Harry Potter terminology), May! The girl saves my life. Every fic I write I TRY—I really do—not to tell her everything about the fic and what's going to happen. But I always end up spilling. (Yes, that does mean she knows the murderer and how everything is going to happen. Hate her. It's okay, as long as you clap. xD) It's a good thing I do tell her, though, because she helps me figure out plotlines and stuff. Like the way Terra is going to die. She helped me figure that one out. I may have started the idea, but I would have been staring at a wall for ten hours without nearly as good an explanation if May weren't there to help me. Everyone thank May for her brilliance (and patience with me)! Trust me when I say that listening to my ramble and bad plotlines is a very difficult task because I make no one, hardly even myself, understand what I'm saying. I have taught May to speak Riles, and it's amazing what this girl can do to help me make sense of me. Love yaz, May, and I couldn't do it without you!

BUT NEXT TIME, I WON'T TELL YOU THE PLOTLINE, MAY! That's my new goal in life. xD Ooh, and the next fic (once I complete Time's Second Gateway) is Spiteful Love! You shall agonizingly wait for updates with the rest of the reviewers! MWAHA! … Actually, I won't get past the first chapter without calling you up. xD

Hey, do you guys know what Bumblebee's weapons are called? I just called them stingers for lack of a better word, but I will redo this chapter with the correct terminology if someone has it.

Oh, and Robin would, of course, know how to check if someone was alive or dead. But for the sake of the story, no he doesn't. So mwaha. I am exercising my right as the author to stupefy any particular character(s) as much as I desire.

Another thing: you know that pass code the murderer used to unlock the tower? 314332? If you give me your e-mail address (don't forget the spaces so I can read it!) and you figure out the right code, I will e-mail you and tell you something…. Not the murderer, no. You won't find that out for a while still. Maybe I'll tell you… who's the last to die? Or perhaps I'll just tell you who is dying next and how? I dunno, you tell me your preference. Being the author, I get the final say, but your opinions will be taken into account. So anyway, go and figure it out! That password had significance! But how? Crack the code!

Eventidespirit- In actuality, the murderer wasn't revealed, no. It was revealed in the epilogue, however. In the actual story I will not be revealing the murderer, but I'll explain everything in the epilogue, just as Agatha Christie did. I'm thinking that I'm going to wait a really long time before I post the epilogue, however, just so you can formulate your insane theories.

Luckynut- No worries, I'm sticking to the same plotline. When I was writing, I just thought up the Beast Boy Monster Theory in my head, and I was like: Oh, I could've used that! It's probably a lot better than the one I picked out anyway…. But no, I won't change it just because someone guesses it. : )

xox.AnniePotter.xox- The Cy-cow was used in the episode "Employee of the Month". I just borrowed it from that. If you haven't seen that episode, don't worry about it. It's a minor detail.

Digital-Dragon-Master- Whoa… you're like… psychic! Another cookie for the person who doesn't want to be right!

D-I-WaRrIa- Hello again! I guess you didn't know this, but this story actually isn't prewritten. I'm trying it… and I don't exactly like it. Deadlines are scary… -runs and hides from evil deadlines- So the rest of my fics will be prewritten, but this one isn't….

Next chapter! Whoa, been so long since I did one of these. Next chappie, BB is going on trial! The Teen Titans Courtroom is now in session, so you'd better be ready to hear some shouting, and a murder right under their noses. Until next time!

Thank you for reading, and if you're taking the time to read the story, take another minute, or even ten seconds, to review your opinion. Arigato goziamasu!

Riles