Disclaimer: I DIS-CLAIM what I am writing. I do not claim Teen Titans. I don't even own the title; it was going to be used as an ep title.

NOTE: Everyone is now referred to normally.

Chapter 16: Shatter

Cyborg tried to contact Robin once again. His communicator was responsive, but the boy wasn't picking up.

The three were still camping in the hallway trying to find a way to disperse the villains out of the tower.

"I've got it!" Beast Boy whispered for the fifth time, his eyes lightening up.

"It can't use a lifetime supply of cheese either." Cyborg replied automatically.

Beast Boy sighed, leaning back against the wall thinking once more.

Starfire examined her nails in a worried manner. Raven and Robin had been gone a while without contact… what if something had happened to them? Even if Robin and herself hadn't been in the best of graces she still worried over him.

But Raven had gone to find him and she wouldn't allow anything to happen to him.

Finally there was a small return signal on Cyborg's arm. The three perked up, moving closer so they could see the transmission.

"Cyborg, listen carefully." Robin appeared, looking much more composed than earlier. Cyborg examined their backdrop… he looked to be outside. "The electricity is going to go down for a second, then Mod and Control Freak will be removed from the tower. The encryption codes have been reset so you'll need to reboot the tower's security."

"Well I'm near the main living room computer when are you going to-" Cyborg glanced down the hall before returning his attention.

"Now." Robin's face vanished and the connection was dropped. Cyborg hit the off button and pulled himself to his feet.

"Let's hope this works." He smiled grimly at the other two. Starfire thought he looked rather strained before the lights shut off, leaving them in darkness.

Control Freak and Mad Mod were discussing exactly what to go after first. Each with their own… ambitions, it took a little haggling.

"We could start with the banks of Jump City and work from there." Control Freak slid a hand affectionately down his gun.

"What about the snots?" Mad Mod raised an eye up to the ceiling where floors up the Titans were supposedly locked up.

"Quick elimination?"

"Don't be forgetting the disappearance of this lot won't go unnoticed." Mod grabbed his statue and placed it on the floor to make more room on the couch.

"I think we could have substantial funds by the time that pulls through." Control Freak grinned. "And with enough cash… we're untouchable."

"Mmm, quite right." Mod pushed his glasses back up as he leaned back in the chair.

"We should probably-" Whatever Control Freak was about to suggest was lost, the lights flickered off and there was a dying hum of a generator.

"Smashing." Mad Mod grabbed in the dark for the array of weapons they had.

"Careful, the power just don't go off by itself." Control Freak grasped his gun more tightly and placed a few smaller ones into his belt rungs.

The two villains stood with their weaponry, only the moon sliver that hung in the sky provided light. "C'mon, we should check on them." Control Freak called and began shuffling towards the stairs. Mad Mod attempted to follow in the dingy night.

The last of the light disappeared, causing the two to turn toward the large windows. There was a giant wave of black.

"What the-" Control Freak aimed his gun, unsure of whether the thing was substantial enough to shoot.

"Bloody hell." Mad Mod was looking at the ground. A seeping black mist had closed in around them. It was like quicksand, with the two quickly sinking through the floor. The two struggled against the mass, but their attempts did nothing but to quicken their sinking.

With the sounds of profane and accented curses, the two were pulled down through the floor.

Cyborg ran with thundering footsteps down the halls, using his robotic eye to scour through the darkness. Beast Boy was perched precariously as a small lizard, clinging to his shoulder.

Starfire was being dragged after him.

He dashed down the stairs, stopping at the large computer that had been turned off.

The rest of the room was empty. He breathed out, relieved. Somehow Robin had pulled it off.

He hit the button to boot up the computer and tapped his fingers impatiently while it went through its waking process.

Starfire massaged her wrist standing off to the side. Beast Boy appeared beside her a second later, greener than normal. The changeling (using the light from the booting computer screen) looked across the vacant area. There were still articles from the evidence room on the sofa and the floor.

Beast Boy frowned at the great amount that was still missing.

Cyborg entered his old pass code quickly at the launch screen and the computer went into loading for a second time. There was a tense silence while they waited.

Finally when the machine had fully loaded, Cyborg began his rapid precession of typing, changing files and resetting codes. He finished by putting the cameras back online.

"Alright." He cleared his throat, putting in a command to pull up the outside camera footage.

Beast Boy moved back over to the screen and Starfire shifted her attention as well.

The image was patchy at first and it crackled in the silence like a painful audio glitch. Then it smoothed, taking in the celestially shadowed landscape.

Cyborg typed in a command to zoom in, a bit of movement had just caught his eye.

The image grew on the screen. A mystic. A boy with a rather flashy cape.

There was a glint of metal and a discharge of a gun.

Cyborg cursed and took off running. Starfire cried out, taking flight and hurried after. Beast Boy eyed the few weapons still on the living room couch…

The transportation was…difficult. Raven's powers didn't work very well against those who didn't want to be teleported. The two villains were overwhelming her mind with their shouts, berating, and overall pushing away from her.

The four ended up crashing unpleasantly just outside the tower in the slightly dewed grass.

Raven for once landed hard on her tailbone, Robin just beside her on his side.

She could hear the scuffle of the other two a few feet away. Robin sat up, obscuring her view (although there wasn't much view, the clouds had splotched out the moon).

There was a sound of something like a click and Raven was suddenly floored. She knew Robin had just twisted and tackled her to the ground, but it wasn't until the pronounced shot of a gun did she realize why.

The bullet, or whatever had been shot, missed the two by inches.

Raven could only think sardonically how this was probably the second time Robin had saved her hide. She might have to thank him later.

Raven looked up slightly to the boy who was still pinning her to the dewy grass. One of his hands was on her shoulder, the other had shifted to just behind her head to keep her from hitting her head on the rather hard ground. The blazing white of his mask looked down at her concerned.

The mystic moved her mouth, forming her words and drawing her power. They had to create distance… or risk being shot at again.

The two vanished in a puddle of black dust

Robin and Raven tumbled to the ground a little ways off. Raven's concentration was still a bit shaken and she could feel it in the bruise that was developing along her tailbone.

She could feel the heat from Robin beside her and quickly pulled herself up. The mystic offered her hand to Robin.

Robin was only aware of the cold of her skin in the darkness. All of his other senses seemed dulled after the night's events. "Thanks." He said, feeling around for his communicator.

"I should be thanking you." Raven responded solemnly. Her head was bowed when Robin finally looked up.

"It's fine." Robin brushed her off and checked the inside pocket of his tux for the missing communicator.

"No, that's twice." Raven stated. Her violet hair hung messy and her pale skin was smeared with splotches of dirt.

Robin gave up on his search, watching her with a sort of wonderment. Raven was always resolute and calm in everything she did. She never looked back and never looked down. Of everyone, she was one to always hold her head high, uncaring of the rest of the world.

He found it curious she should be looking down now. It made her look almost… small.

Small was a word he had never associated with the Azarian girl. Her telekinetic powers and fierce attitude had wiped "small" clear out of her description.

"Raven, you've saved me before…" Robin prompted. He didn't like whatever was going through her head.

"Yeah." She turned her gaze to meet his. "There must be something wrong with me."

She stated it so plainly, it sounded to Robin as though they we're discussing plain facts.

"What..?" Robin was regarding her with more caution by the moment. He wasn't sure what was going on… but surely it was important. He glanced through the night to ensure they were still alone.

Whatever was going on with her needed to wrap up quick, before the villains decided to get themselves either back in the tower, or off into Jump City.

Raven wasn't sure what she was talking about, or even why she was talking. If she hadn't been trained so hard, she might have squirmed from the overflow of emotions running through her.

It felt disgusting, all of them suddenly smashed inside her, she couldn't believe normal people dealt with this on a normal basis.

They had been under tight lock and key and for them to barge out now was very… odd. Nothing even truly horrible or tremendous had happened, she couldn't understand it.

Her blank expression must have changed for a moment because Robin stepped closer and pressed a cautious hand to her shoulder. "You okay?"

Her insides wretched uncomfortably and she thought she might be sick. Raven, in her entirety of living had never been sick… and it only worried her more.

Quickly, she stepped back from him as though he burned.

Raven tried to remember the last time she had meditated… it had to be a little before the whole body switching mess.

"I-" Raven grimaced at the ailing feeling inside her. So unaccustomed to the feeling… though there wasn't the worry of Trigon… she still needed meditation. For her entire life she pushed them away and now to be taking them in… it was tearing at her stable condition.

Starfire must have allowed them leeway while occupying her body because her mind was used to… Raven couldn't even think it.

She was vaguely aware that there were villains to fight and Robin to pacify… but her mind overwhelmed itself.

Raven gripped her stomach, feeling queasy. She stepped back again, her steps strangely faltering….

"Raven? Oh…God, Raven are you okay?" Robin voice was close… oddly close.

Actually, so was he. There was a humanly warmth wrapped around her.

Robin was…she quickly pulled away from him, frowning at him. She didn't remember why he was…embracing her… but it made her insides tighten.

What was wrong with her?

"I'm fine." Raven held out a flat palm to keep him away. She focused on slowing her breathing to calm her heart beat. She needed to slow down so she could rationalize her mind. She couldn't have her memory lapsing like that.

Robin was bewildered. Completely. She had started looking unwell, stepping away from him woozily. For a moment she seemed to collapse and Robin had rushed forward to grab her.

And then she was pushing him away and telling him she was fine?

"Talk to me Raven." Robin commanded, staying where he was. Everything about her was warding him from coming any closer.

"I… I haven't meditated."

Robin recalled all the times she had stressed the importance of meditation. She used it to keep away Trigon and emotions.

Her emotions must be rebelling by now, having Raven not visited Nevermore in such a lengthy manner of time.

"You're feeling?" Robin asked.

Raven frowned disgusted. "It's not a pleasant experience."

"Then why.." Robin stepped forward.

Raven tensed. "Don't." She warned.

"Why?" Robin moved forward again. If she was feeling then why wasn't he allowed near… his mind was compiling a list of reasons that appeared like search results.

"I'm unstable… you… could be hurt." She had wrapped one hand around her stomach, the other still attempting to keep him at bay. "I just need a few minutes… I'll be fine."

Her voice was jumping and her composure was slightly slumped. She clearly looked anything but fine.

"Go find the others, I just need a few minutes." Raven was brushing him off cleanly. Robin weighed his options. It was probably dangerous to leave Raven in her state with villains nearby… but on the other hand his communicator was gone and there was no telling what the villains had done in their absence.

There was a hard look exchanged between the two. Robin sighed. "Fine, but I'll be right back."

Raven nodded, watching as the boy turned and sprinted, fading out of sight in the dark.

When she was sure he was gone, her legs collapsed underneath her and she fell to the grassy earth in a fevered mess.

Um. School started so it may be leaps between chapters, though thankfully we are getting to the end. And here we have a break through of emotions. Her reaction is based on a human reaction from deprivation to overabundance: terrible sickness.

Please review.

Praise as always to mah beta Sara Cabbage Patch.

-Dragonslayer527