A chilling wind rolled across the tops of forgotten buildings, night having swallowed any trace of light within them. At the top the highest rooftop, cast in the shadow of the moonlight, there was a lone soul; his tattered cape billowed wildly as his masked face remained titled down toward nothing.
The sudden sounding of a small alarm caught the figure's attention as an object hidden beneath his uniform began to vibrate. A gloved hand reached at his side, grasping a small circular device from inside his pocket. As he raised it to the front of his mask, a familiar face became visible on the tiny screen.
"X!" the screen spat with venom. "Report!"
The boy let a small huff of laughter escape his lips as he found amusement in his 'master's' frustration.
"All goes as planned, Slade. Two of them are headed this way; the other three are staying behind."
"And when were you planning to tell me this? After they were at your doorstep?" the notorious villain grunted.
"Relax, I gave you what you wanted, didn't I? It doesn't really matter when I tell you as long as you find out in the end." Confidence rang from the black fighter as a brilliant sense of arrogance protruded from his hidden expression.
"The next time I tell you to report within 24 hours, I mean it! Don't toy with me, X! If you want to keep that handy little suit of yours functional then you will do what I order you to do. Is that clear?" Slade's visible eye narrowed in bitter resentment as the words fell from his mouth.
"That depends," the teenager challenged, "When am I getting that belt you promised me? I'm sick of running your errands. Just give me the belt and we can go our separate ways."
The screen flickered once, the connection on the verge of being lost, as Slade lowered his head slightly. "Patience, your new toy is in the final stages of creation. Give it time. I assure you, you will have the belt by the time you finish this last task. Tell me, who is it that's coming to Gotham?"
"Boy Wonder and the redhead."
"Good. You know where to lead them. I'll take care of the other three." With that final line, the transmission was ended. Slade's face disappeared from the screen and the small device was placed back where it belonged.
"This is going to be fun."
Red X jumped from his place upon the roof, falling for a few moments, his blood red cape casting color across the night, and finally vanishing without a trace.
It had been nearly a full day of driving for the two teens atop the R-Cycle and by the time the moon was high enough to be seen, Robin felt his legs go numb. Seeing a sign for an exit, the black haired boy moved into the far right lane slowly, doing his best to avoid waking the alien behind him who had seemingly fallen asleep with her head rested against his back.
Before long, Robin was able to locate a decent motel with available rooms. He stopped the bike and reached behind him, tapping Starfire on the head. Eyes of jade met with black and white as the girl brought herself back to reality.
"Have we arrived?" the young girl asked, sounds of sleep still dominating her voice.
"Not quite. We're about half way there, but once we get to the city, there's still a few hours left before we make it to our final destination."
"And where is it that we intend to go?" Starfire squeaked as she followed Robin's lead in dismounting the vehicle.
A sip of poison seeped into his words as he responded. "That's not important. Let's just grab out things and get a room. We'll be leaving at sunrise tomorrow to get an early start on the next day's ride, so we should try and get as much sleep as possible."
Starfire sighed; Robin's words had brought a tight knot into her chest. She did not argue or press the matter any further. If there was something bothering the boy, she would have to assume it was about the place they were venturing to until he became more approachable.
Submitting to his plans, she pulled out a small bag of clothing and followed as he ventured into the lobby. The motel appeared to be barely well kept in the glory of the night. Chairs were turned over, papers scattered about the ground, and at the front desk say a lone girl, a cigarette hanging from the edges of her lips.
"Hey there, cutie," the new girl called as her blonde hair fell across her eyes. "What can I do fer ya?"
Robin grimaced at the nickname he received, but his discomfort was only heightened when he noticed the aggravation in Starfire's eyes, now narrow slits of green. He cleared his throat rather loudly, giving the blonde a cold stare before he spoke with a voice stained in ice.
"We need a room for the night."
"A room, aye? One bed?"
"Two."
A sour laugh flew from her mouth as she bent down to retrieve the keys. A loud 'clank' sounded as the girl slammed them on the counter. "There ya go, sweet cheeks. Room 214. Take the stairs up two flights and it's on yer right."
Robin's gloved hand snatched the keys from their resting place as he began to storm out of the room, Starfire following a few steps behind him. They did no speak as their boots clanged against the metal stairs. The pair traveled in the comfort of silence until they reached their room.
The black-haired teen unlocked the door, cringing as it creaked rather loudly. The two walked inside, placed their bags on their beds, and took immediately to getting dressed in their night clothes.
Several minutes later, Starfire stepped forth from the bathroom clad in a pink long sleeve button up shirt and matching pants. She ran a brush through her long red hair as her eyes searched the room for her companion. At first glance the room appeared empty, but as she began to look once more, a strange flash of light caught her eye. There, by the window, stood Robin, his black pants sleeve-less shirt and pants having blended him in to the lightless surrounding. In his bare hand, the onlooker noticed, was a strange charcoal object.
"Robin, what is-"
"It's nothing," the boy's harsh voice silenced hers as she appeared at his side. To stop and further probing from the girl, Robin moved the familiar weapon from her view.
"I-I see," Starfire began in a stutter, her voice chocked by the threat of tears. "Perhaps it is not my place to speak…perhaps it is Raven's instead."
Masked eyes grew wide in shock as they turned to gaze into the lost green pools of accusation.
Loud banging echoed violently throughout the hall of Titans Tower; Raven's hall. Masked by the black all around was Beast Boy with his hand colliding against the cool surface of the empath's door.
"Raven! Open up! Please? I'm sorry!"
Met only with silence, the changeling slammed his head against the door as his knees brought him sinking to the ground. The dark girl had seemingly vanished from sight the moment the strange red light etched itself onto her forehead. Having phased through the floor, the girl locked herself in the confines of her room, never speaking in answer to the boy's pleas regardless of how long he stood there knocking.
"Look, Rae," he started, ignoring the fact that he had used a nickname she abhorred. "I understand if you're still mad, Hell, I would be too if I were you, but I'm just asking you to hear me out. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Honest! I was just walking by and then I heard talking and I couldn't help it. You know what I'm like, Raven, I get too curious for my own good, but I-I'm worried about you…that's why I sorta listened in on things. Let me help you!"
Having hoped his heartfelt monologue would have breeched the icy wall he intended to crack, the green boy was fully disappointed when his only reward was silence once more. He trudged away in defeat, his hand having already begun to bruise from the abuse he had unleashed on Raven's dark grey door. As he walked away, Raven moved toward her door and pressed an ear against it to ensure he was truly gone.
Beast Boy let the hours slip away from him as his thoughts lingered on the events in the garage that had taken place earlier that day. Raven's strange silence, lost expression, and reddish light show was enough to keep his mind fairly occupied.
"What was that thing on her forehead?" Beast Boy was positive that, in the quickness of its occurrence, he would have surely missed it all together had he blinked once and yet, though he was sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he still did not understand what it was he had seen.
Realizing that further speculation in his quarters would gain him no answers, he leapt off the top bunk of his bed and headed toward the main room. To his delight, Cyborg sat on the couch, idly flipping through the extensive list of channels the young fighters had been privileged to receive.
"Hey, Cy," the boy called out.
Turning his head, the robot grinned and patted a spot next to him. "Hey there, BB! Come on over an' 'ave yourself a seat!"
The Titan obliged and the thick sound of his boots against the floor served as a cover of the light patter of Raven's own shoes coming toward the occupied room.
"Can I ask you something?" Beast Boy nearly whispered.
"Yeah, sure. Shoot."
"Do you have that security camera tape of Slade's attack?" And with that sentence floating in the air, Raven stopped all movement, her back pressed against the wall just outside the room.
Without even responding, the cybernetic giant hit the play button on the remote and up came Slade frozen on the screen, the red symbol clearly drawn across his mask.
"That's where Robin had it paused. Want me to-"
"No. This is where I need it."
Cyborg's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What's with you, man? You're never this serious!"
Letting a sigh escape his lips, the young boy lowered his gaze to his feet. "After you went in to make breakfast this morning, something weird happened to Raven. I could've sworn I saw some kind of red mark on her forehead, but she disappeared before I could get a good look at it."
"So that's why you've been banging at her door all day. You think it's the same as Slade's?"
"Maybe. If it is, that would kinda help explain why he's after her."
The half demon's knees faltered as her breath caught in her throat. Her blue eyes were drawn in shock by Beast Boy's unnatural display of foresight. Frightened for her life, the empath ran on shaken legs to her room. Once within the dark walls of her sanctuary, she stumbled forward and found herself smashing into her closet only to be tossed into the side of her dresser before falling to the ground. Sweat dripped from her face as her mind replayed what she had overheard.
"He knows too much," she thought out loud. "Too much…far too much. There much be something I can do to-"
Suddenly she jumped, her words having been interrupted by a sudden 'clang'. Her head snapped in the direction of the sound's source where she was met with an unexpected image. There before her, having fallen from the furniture she had previously collided with, lay a black raven hilted dagger, its blade gleaming in the soft glows of the moonlight.
A/N: Okay, Chapters 11 might take me a while to write since it's going to be a very dark part of the story. I really want it to be written the best it can, but hopefully it won't take me too long to complete. The next chapter is basically focused on moving the plot along so don't expect too many fluffy romance scenes. I will probably be changing the rating of this fanfic to M mainly because of the next part I'll be updating, but I assure you, there are no sex scenes in this fanfiction so the rating will not be changing because of that.