The rain had not let up. It poured down upon the city without mercy, drenching any who stood in its path. Cracks of lightening blanketed the sky, accompanied by the loud rumble of thunder. It would seem insane for any to be walking about in such weather, but the conditions did nothing to deter the path of five young warriors and the villain they planned to face.

Silence. None were talking as they continued to fight through the rain on foot. The T-Car and R-Cycle, having been trapped in thick mud, had been abandoned long ago and with the weather making flight dangerous, the Titans were grounded.

Robin led the way, a dark look scarring his features as he continued to ignore Starfire's silent pleads for him to let go of his anger. The alien walked a small distance behind him, clearly afraid of what he might do if she were any closer. Cyborg followed in pursuit of the Tamaranian, but kept her several feet in front of him, trusting that she would be able to help their leader more if they were given space. The robot was accompanied by Beast Boy who seemed to have his mind elsewhere, though that wasn't very different from how he usually looked. Raven lingered behind, unwilling to be near any of them after what had taken place.

The dark girl lowered her head in shame as she kept herself hidden from the rain. A dark image of a raven towered over her as a shield against the falling water as she continued to follow her teammates, walking softly on the ground as she did so.

Beast Boy looked around, trying his best to peer through the rain and wind that mocked his vision. The building they were passing appeared old, much older than he was accustomed to. They must be on the outskirts of the city. Deep down, the changeling hoped their leader knew where he was going. Averting his gaze, the boy looked at his teammates, realizing rather quickly that one was missing…Raven.

The green boy stopped walking, ignoring the bitter cold that bit in the absence of his body's moving warmth. He could hear her footsteps grow closer before they stopped. Taking this has his cue, Beast Boy turned around, flashing his dark friend his signature smile while reaching out a hand to her.

"Hey, don't fall behind now," he joked, wrapping his fingers around her left elbow and dragging her to his right side.

He could feel the stiffness of her muscles and it didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. Robin's harsh words were still ringing in his own head and yet, he hadn't even been the one the thoughts were voiced to. If what their teammate had done was affecting him this badly, he could only imagine how shattered Raven must be.

"Rae, don't look so sad, okay?" the boy whispered into her ear. "It doesn't make you seem intimidating."

"Shut-up, Beast Boy. I don't need this right now," Raven coldly hissed, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.

"Whoa…I'm just trying to help," the changeling spoke, tightening his grip on her arm. "Just try and forget about it, okay? We've got more important things to worry about. Once we get rid of this villain guy, we'll go home, grab a nice warm glass of tea for you, hot chocolate for me, and we'll sort things out…all of us will."

The empath looked up at the boy, realizing she had subconsciously stretched her makeshift umbrella so that it shielded him from the cruel weather. Letting the softness of his voice warm her slightly, she allowed the edges of her lips to lift, forming a sorrowful smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Before their conversation could continue any further, Robin's voice echoed in the street.

"How much farther, Cyborg?"

The cybernetic giant wiped a layer of water off his right arm, peering into its radar screen. The signal he was receiving was growing louder by the second, but they still had a ways to walk. Cyborg only hoped they would have enough strength left to take down this enemy after covering such a long distance.

"Whoever this guy is, he's on the border of the city! I mean look around, y'all, all these buildings were abandoned years ago."

Robin stopped walking, turning slighting in order to look at the robot behind him. Before he could speak, Starfire broke into a question.

"Please, why do people no longer wish to live here?"

The leader decided to answer her quickly before moving on to the point he was trying to make earlier. "These buildings are old, Star, they're the original homes built when the city was first formed. They're unstable. Anyway," Robin continued, redirecting his gaze to Cyborg. "If there's no-"

"Dude!" Beast Boy interrupted. "Why would this guy even bother to attack if there's nothing to steal? No one lives here, right? So there's no one to hurt and no shops to take stuff from."

Robin sighed. The green boy had pulled the words straight from his mouth. Deciding their contemplation would serve them better if they continued moving, he began his walk once more. His masked eyes gazed in front as the far off building drew closer, each darkened by shadow, but their enormity still making them as impressive as they would have been in daylight. The structure of the edifices before him failed to match what he was used to seeing in Jump City.

"Cyborg," the dark boy called out. "We're nearly out of Jump City's jurisdiction. Is that-"

"Yeah, that's Gotham, alright."

"How utterly pointless!" Robin nearly shouted. "Star and I could've just stopped off here on our way home if that damn signal had gone off sooner!"

"Whoa, hold on a second," the changeling voiced. "If this guy is basically in Gotham, then why the heck did the alarm go off? I mean, it's not like he can hurt anyone down here…this whole place is deserted."

"It's because I set up a security system when we first heard about Slade that could reach wide enough to cover Gotham and Steel City. I was looking for his hideout, not a crime scene," Robin answered.

Beast Boy grunted in frustration. "That's not the point, man. Why are we even bothering with this place? Isn't the Jump–Gotham border suppose to be watched over by both cities? Why are we the only ones out here in the stinking rain?"

The leader was growing tired of the young boy's worthless questioning, but failing to answer would only provoke the changeling further. "Because, Beast Boy, Gotham has enough crime to deal with as it is so they don't even bother keeping an eye out over here. It's not like it matters! By the time we get to where we're going this guy will be long gone!"

"I doubt that."

Robin froze. The sound of her voice…it send chills up his spine…chills that reminded him of his hatred. He could feel his teeth clench within his shut mouth to match the fists forming at his sides. The last thing he needed was to hear her voice.

"No one asked you!" he spat as he whirled around.

"Yo, man! Chill! Let 'er talk, she might actually know more about this than you do," Cyborg challenged, his uneasiness about Robin's previous behavior clearly evident in his speech. Turning to face the empath behind him, he offered her a prompting nod.

"I…I don't think this guy has any intention of leaving before we meet him. He broke into a building and the old alarms went off, but that's it, that's all the report said. The only thing this person could possibly want in an abandoned part of town is us, there's nothing else to gain."

"Friend Raven is right," Starfire nearly whispered. "The evil man would have surely left long ago had he been attempting a robbery, but he remains. Perhaps he is merely hoping to defeat us."

"Dead part of town, no people, no cops, no one to hear you scream…it all sounds like some horror flick," Beast Boy stated, his eyes glazed over in contemplation.

"This is too good a plan for someone like Cinderblock or Control Freak to cook up," Cyborg spoke, turning his head to face Robin before continuing. "You think it might be Slade?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that this is his doing," the leader answered flatly. "We're out in the middle of nowhere with no means of backup. We'll have to rely on our own strength, which should be no problem if someone doesn't decide to use theirs against us," Robin finished, his shielded eyes casting an icy glance at his cloaked teammate.

Without another moment passing, an explosion burst from a building slightly behind Raven, knocking the dark girl and the changeling to the ground. Confusion erupted within them as another building was blown apart on the other side of the street. Brick, wood, glass…it flew in every direction trapped in a net of flames.

"Raven, Beast Boy! Get out of there, now!" Robin shouted over the commotion. His voice barely reached them as it was smothered by the loud sounding of another explosion, this one in a building behind their leader. Starfire's voice came in the form of a shriek as the dark boy jumped forward, knocking her to the ground and away from most of the flying debris.

They all stayed where they were, rooted to the ground, afraid another step would provoke another eruption of fire. Starfire lay beneath Robin as his body attempted to protect her, Beast Boy and Raven lay in a crumbled pile near each other, and Cyborg had taken to blasting the large debris with his sonic cannon, hoping to nullify the chances of any Titan being crushed to death. The glass and shards of wood failed to pierce his metal coated body.

"Don't move, y'all," they heard Cyborg call to them.

The metallic man turned to destroy a chunk of brick head toward Starfire and Robin, leaving the other two Titans unguarded temporarily. Beast Boy looked above him and felt the air catch in his throat. A large metallic cylinder was nearly upon him. Letting his instinct take over, the boy grabbed Raven around the waist and moved quickly away, thrusting her to his other side. The canister burst as in connected with the asphalt, causing a rush of water to spew from its opening. The two Titans were blanketed by the icy mess, but their thoughts on the cold were soon redirected as another explosion was set off, this one being near Starfire.

It was almost like fireworks, each fire ball spaced out nicely, keeping them waiting, anticipating the next one and then it happened, the finale. Every building around them, even those that had already been destroyed, began to set aflame. If they remained there any longer, they would surely be killed.

Raven lifted her body from the ground, ignoring Beast Boy's plea as she moved out from his grasp. Taking him by the arm and rushing him toward the others, the sorceress grabbed her cloak and threw it over them with her left hand, watching as it appeared to extend on its own, covering them all before merging into the form of a black energy raven. As her soul self took flight, its white eyes looked back for a brief moment, baring witness to a familiar symbol etched in the flames of the city.

The dark bird moved forward, crossing the city limit in an attempt to get them away from the dangers of Jump City. Gotham was clearly their only chance, despite the fact that it was where they would meet their enemy. Raven was a bit unnerved being in the dismal area, but her concern for her friends outweighed her discontent. Finding clear ground, she descended and spread out her black wings before morphing back into her humanoid form. Her cloak took shape and from it fell the other Titans.

"Okay, that was weird," Beast Boy coughed as he raised himself from the ground.

"What just happened?" Cyborg's curiosity voiced.

"I got you out of the city the quickest way I knew how," the empath answered vaguely, casting them a glance that begged them not to ask any further.

Dusting himself off, Robin stood up, watching as Cyborg did the same before voicing a question. "So, where's Slade hiding out?"

The giant turned to look back at the burning outskirts of the city. "Shouldn't we-"

"The firemen are most likely already on their way. Our job is to take down the criminal, not save empty buildings," the leader retorted coldly.

"Whatever you say, man." Cyborg glanced down at his right arm to check where the signal was resonating before answering his companion's inquiry. "Looks like he's in there."

The Titans let their eyes follow the man's outstretched arm. Not far from them stood an enormous church. The building blended into the night quite well, but the strikes of lightening throughout the sky flashed out its striking features. The design was purely gothic. Stained glass windows on the sides of the building were found mainly in shades of red and, as they began to approach it, they noticed the images in them were far from religious; they were of black birds.

A tight knot began to form in Raven's chest as the cathedral loomed overhead. There was something wrong with this place and a voice within her head begged her not to take another step. Glancing about her and seeing her friends now far ahead of her, she shrugged off her uneasy feelings and followed in suit.

"He wishes to fight us in a sanctuary? I do not understand. Why would anyone wish to taint such a place with blood?" Starfire spoke, her voice filled with sincere disgust and disbelief.

"This doesn't really look like much of a church, Star," Beast Boy huffed, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. "It's kinda creepy to be a holy place, don't ya think?"

"Creepy or not, this is where Slade is and it's where we're going to finally take him down," Robin stated before grasping the handle on the large entry door and thrusting it open.

A gust of icy wind burst forth from the open doors, causing each Titan cringe under its cruel grasp. Letting the cold slip from his mind, the dark leader moved forward, allowing his body to be covered in darkness as he ventured into the cathedral. The other fighters followed his lead slowly and with an obvious display of nervousness.

Looking about them, they saw they were indeed within a church. Rows of benches decorated the floor, each tainted in red shadow from the large stained glass window at the end of the room. Hearing from Cyborg that Slade was in the very room they stood within, they ventured forward with the determination to face him head on, barely taking notice as the color of blood spilled over them from the stained glass.

Beast Boy looked up at the window, trying to make out what the image was. It was unique to say the least. In the center was the depiction of four red eyes, bent in as expression of hatred. The changeling couldn't help but think he had seen them before. Surrounding the eyes were strange black birds with similar orbs grazing their faces. They reminded him of the animals he had seen within Raven's mirror. In fact, this entire place reminded him of Raven, despite it being red and not as blue as his friend. Even the outer casing of the glass was an image of the dark girl. The top of it was curved downward into a point, matching perfectly with the hood that framed the girl's pale face.

Stopping his steps, the changeling looked behind him, letting his eyes glance at the dark girl he had been reminded of. What he was faced with was not what he expected. Instead of curiosity, he saw pain. One eye was closed, the other blanketed with agony. Her left hand was pressed against the side of her face, her thumbing casually rubbing her temple as the rest of her fingers held back her damp hair. The walk of her feet was faulty and as he continued to watch her, he was afraid she might lose her balance and topple over. At first he shrugged it off as her cloak being slightly too heavy for her now that it had been soaked by they water heater that had burst next to them back in the city, but as his emerald eyes searched her for an answer, he began to wonder if there was a reason this place matched the girl so well.

Before he could voice any words of concern, Robin's shocked tone echoed from the black walls. "It's the symbol!"

Each Titan looked to where his hand was pointing. Beneath Beast Boy's feet was a red circle, painstakingly visible against the ebony carpet. Strange scriptures were placed within the ring and in the center lay the mark that had haunted their steps for so long. The green boy froze, his breath caught in his throat and his feet refusing to move.

Raven could feel her body being pulled toward him, toward what was etched into the floor. Fear painted her body as she felt it begin to burn inside. The warning she had felt earlier should have been heeded. This was no place for her. Her feet did not stop their misguided path until she was standing in the center of the disk. Then it struck. A pain she had never felt before flooded every inch of her, causing her entire form to tremble beneath its cruel hold. Her breath came as ragged gasps as she did her best to suppress the sting she felt.

The team could only look on in shock as a strange red light shot from the ring, knocking Beast Boy away from Raven and into Cyborg who easily caught him. The light extended up toward the ceiling, cutting through the old roof and stretching out to the storm-filled sky. Their dark friend was caught in a cylinder of blood-colored light.

Raven could feel the bandages left on her body be torn away and a scream escaped her lips as the burning sensation within her burst, moving quickly to carve red designs on her skin. The pain was unbearable, but she was able to remain standing…until the lightening struck. A beam of crackling light engulfed the poor girl's body, causing her shriek of pain to grow even louder. Her knees buckled under the agony and she fell, her vision blurring as she fought to stay conscious.

"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted as he ran toward the fallen Titan. His body was thrown back the moment he touched the red shield, making it obvious to the group that they would have to risk using their powers to help the girl.

Before the rest had a chance to attack the strange light, the statues lining the walls of the church began to glow a strange red hue. The image of crimson cloaked figures emerged from them, each face hidden in the shadows cast by the hoods they wore, hoods similar to Raven's. The mass of spirits began to chant slowly, their words becoming a haunting riddle.

"The gem was born of Evil's fire. The gem shall be His portal. He comes to claim; He comes to sire the end of all things mortal."

"What in the world…" Robin's voice faltered.

A piercing scream from their dark companion shook them all from their fascination. There attention was drawn immediately to Raven, who continued to suffer within her strange cage. Deciding they would decipher the odd message later, they focused on trying to free their friend as the chanting continued around them.

Starfire released an onslaught of starbolts at the red beam, but even with the combined strength of the green flame that shot from her eyes, it remained unharmed. Robin threw a set of explosive disks toward it only to watch as they left no sign of damage; not even his freeze weapons had an effect. Cyborg lifted his right arm, letting it form his signature cannon, but his blast never fired.

They each froze at the sound of Raven's shaken voice. "Aza- Azarath Metrion Zinthos! Cara-Carazon...Rakashas E-Endere... V-Vaserix Endrien!"

The outer layer of the beam began to be consumed by the sorceress' unmistakable black aura. She was fighting against it. From the look on her face and the nearly transparent color of her powers, the Titans were able to infer that she was losing the battle. They had to think of something quickly.

Noticing Cyborg's outstretched cannon, Robin called out to the robot. "Shoot her!"

"What?" Beast Boy coughed in surprise.

"It's the only way to save her!" the leader countered. "Cyborg! Blast her out of that dammed thing!"

Taking in a deep breath, the synthetic man nodded and took aim. His mind hesitated at first, but as he watched his friend grasp her head with both hands and scream out once more, he knew he had to help her. A ray of blue shot from his right arm, gliding easily through Raven's power, knocking the torn girl from her crimson tomb and causing the chanting spirits and blood light to fade into darkness.

Beast Boy was the first to run toward their fallen friend, but his race was cut short. A flash of black came into his view and before he had a chance to react, a strong fist collided with his face, knocking him to the ground. The shadow was gone in the same instant the blow made contact, leaving them all dumbfounded.

"What's the matter, Titans? Don't tell me you've lost your touch."

The intruding voice echoed all around, its tone a familiar evil in their hearts. Each of them jerked their heads about, desperately trying to locate where the sound had come from, the resonance having thrown them and Cyborg's sensors into confusion. Raising herself slightly on her elbows, Raven tried her shot at sensing the villain, but to no avail. Something wasn't right. A sense of dread clouded her concentration.

"I've brought you all a little surprise. I do hope you enjoy it."

"There!" Robin shouted as he distinctly heard Slade's voice coming from behind them.

The Titans shifted their gaze to the stained glass window. Fear struck within them all as their eyes were met with an unimaginable sight painted with the image of red tainted lightening.

There, hanging limply from the ceiling was none other than Red X.

Author's Note: Don't ya just hate me?

–dodges flying food–

Sorry! I know that was a cruel cliffhanger! Originally, this chapter was 15 pages long, but I personally hate it when stories/novels have 10-15 page chapters and then randomly have a 50 page one, so I decided to cut it into 2 chapters. I really liked this ending and it was actually the original ending for Ch.17 before I kept writing. Then I cut it off at page 12, but the ending didn't sit right with me and I wrote 3 more pages until I finished with a satisfying ending.

That's not the only reason I split this in two. I'm starting Band Camp on Tuesday, so I won't have a lot of time to write the next chapter and I know you guys hate it when I leave you hanging for awhile. I figured if I just took this uber long chapter and split it in two, that would guarantee you guys an update from me within the next week or two since all I have to do is upload the file I've already written.

I promise Ch.18 doesn't have a nasty cliff hanger! I don't want you guys threatening to eat after that chapter since I'll be back in school and the time between updates will be much longer than you're used to. So consider this lovely cliff hanger a blessing and a curse.

Someone new will appear in Chapter 18 and I assure you, Chapter 19 will be all about Raven explaining what she's been hiding from the Titans. I know some of you have been waiting for that chapter.