A/N: Back by popular demand…Wow. 12 reviews in one day. That's a first. You must like it. I hope this chapter does not disappoint. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter…

Chapter 2

Raven struggled fruitlessly to free her hands. They were bound tightly behind her to the bike, making it impossible to see what she was doing. Listening to a loud blaring engine and feeling the wind whip her hair into her face wasn't helping her concentration either. She wiggled a little too far to one side and would have fallen off the bike had a strong arm not shifted her back to the center and held her there.

"Quit squirming or I'll knock you out," Red X informed her, trying to steer the bike one handed.

"Go to hell," Raven hissed, still struggling. He hit the brake suddenly and Raven pitched forward, nearly pulling her arms from their sockets at the force.

"Fine. We'll walk the rest of the way," Red X decided, untying her from the bike and yanking her off of it. He faced her in front of him, with one hand holding the back of her neck and pushed her forward. She stumbled a bit before settling to a normal pace.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not really expecting to be answered.

"To the exchange," Red X told her. "It's about three and a half miles of walking."

"Exchange?" Raven repeated. "Exchange for what?"

"Money," he stated simply. "What did you think this was about?"

"What's this—this thing on my forehead?" Raven demanded.

"Specially designed for you," Red X mocked. "Guaranteed to block your powers for quite some time."

Raven growled a response but let the silence drag on for a while. They were walking in the woods of the mountains, but she couldn't tell what direction they were headed until she heard waves off to one side. She tried to see if she could spot the water through the trees, not watching where she was going and tripped.

Raven didn't land straight on her face, but it wasn't a graceful landing either. She hissed as Red X pulled her back to standing, a long, shallow gash running down her left leg. He sighed in exasperation while shaking his head, then lifted her over his shoulder and began carrying her.

"You're almost not worth the money," Red X muttered as he walked the rest of the way out of the forest. From hanging behind him, Raven could see that they were nearly on the edge of one cliff; below it the sea crashed against it.

After a while of being carried, Raven's stomach began to hurt from being jostled up and down over his shoulder. She started to squirm again and was rewarded by being dumped on her butt.

"I take it back, you definitely aren't worth the money," Red X muttered, pulling her to her feet again, standing in front of a dark cavern. He took hold of her neck again and pushed her forward, ignoring her pained limp.

"Where are we?" Raven growled out, stumbling again on the uneven ground. It was pitch black and very cold.

"The exchange," Red X told her, still directing her in the dark. They began walking on normal ground and the lights flickered on. Raven blinked a few times to focus and then stared openly at the various machines in the room.

"This doesn't look like an exchange," Raven accused. "This is a base. What are you doing with me?"

Red X stepped in front of her and backed her into one of the machines, unbinding her hands and locking them into shackles that protruded from it. "I'm here to exchange you for my fee."

"There is no one here but you!" she yelled at him as he locked her legs the same way. "So then, who made you do this?"

"Come now, Raven," a familiar voice rang throughout the cavern. "You haven't forgotten about me so quickly, have you?"

"Slade," she trembled.

"Because I certainly haven't forgotten about you," Slade continued, finally walking into sight. He looked the same as the day he'd helped the Titans fight against her father, Trigon. "Nor what you did for me."

"When do I receive my payment?" Red X interrupted.

"The money has been forwarded to an account in Jump City Bank," Slade explained. "User name for that account is Edals, Inc. The password is Titan. Feel free to transfer the balance to your own account."

"Then my job here is done," Red X clarified, turning and heading for the exit.

"Actually, I have another proposition for you," Slade revealed, stopping the self-proclaimed thief in his tracks. "If you're interested."

"Depends," Red X said. "Is this job as highly profitable as the last?"

"Not quite," Slade admitted, watching the young man start walking out again. "But all I want is a book."

"Then steal it yourself," Red X told him.

"But you're so much more convenient," Slade countered. "Two hundred fifty thousand. Plus expenses."

"And where is this book?" Red X inquired. "Fort Knox?"

"Actually, its last known location is the old Jump City Library," Slade informed him.

"Exactly what book am I looking for?" Red X asked, curious.

"A book of spells," Slade stated, suddenly gaining the interest of Raven. "It is called The Book of Azar."

"Sounds like easy money," Red X surmised. "I suppose I can do one more job."

"Good," Slade said, watching the young man leave. He then turned his attention to Raven. "In the mean time, you and I have some catching up to do."

"Go to hell," Raven hissed.

"Been there, done that," Slade mocked. "It wasn't all that it was cracked up to be."

"You should have stayed there," Raven muttered. "Why do you want that book of spells?"

"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you I simply wanted to use it for world domination," Slade guessed. The look on Raven's face affirmed that thought. "I don't feel like revealing all my secrets right now, so you'll just have to wait and see."

He left her shackled to the machine and walked away, leaving her with her thoughts. She wondered what her friends were doing at that moment, as well as wished for the hundredth time that they were with her. Suddenly, the lights in the cavern cut out, leaving Raven in complete darkness. Though she had spent the majority of her life surrounding herself in the shadows, she never felt more alone than she did at that moment.

.o0o.

"It's working," Robin confirmed, glad that he'd decided to put a tracking device on his motorcycle after the last incidents with Johnny Rancid and Ding Dong Daddy. The blip that was his bike was showing up clearly on the only functional monitor in the Tower. "And it's headed…back into town?"

"Is this not a good thing?" Starfire asked, standing behind him. "If he is in the city, we do not have far to travel in our pursuit of him."

"Yeah, it's good in that perspective," Robin agreed. "But what was he doing on the outskirts of town?"

"Maybe we should ask him, after we kick his butt a little," Cyborg suggested. "I got the T-Car in running shape again. Bring the tracker and we can meet him half way. Hopefully with a big crunch."

"Hopefully not," Robin muttered. "That is MY motorcycle."

.o0o.

The motorcycle was parked right in front of the old library. As the Titans climbed out of the car, there was an odd quietness about them. The last time they had been in this condemned library, Raven had become her father's portal. None of them at the time had been sure if they would be able to get their friend back. It was like a sickening feeling of déjà vu as they walked through the collapsed doors.

The library had been in shambles the last time they had been there, but this time there were books and papers strewn everywhere. Like the place had been turned upside down in search of something. Beast Boy flew up to the third floor and Starfire to the second, while Cyborg searched the main floor and Robin headed for the old passage way.

Robin walked down the hard stone stairs toward the library's basement, running his hand along the wall trying to feel out where the passage had been. He found the familiar mark in the wall, but when he tried to kick through it, all he received was a searing pain in his foot. He knocked on the stone, listening to the sound it made. It didn't sound like stone that had a long passage way behind it. It sounded solid.

"This is Robin," he stated into his communicator. "Give me a report guys."

"The place is a mess," Cyborg responded. "That's all I have to report. There's no one here."

"Yeah, me too," Beast Boy stated, then sneezed. "Only a lot of dust."

"The Book of Azar: A Compilation of Spells," Starfire spoke into the communicator. "Why does this book sound familiar?"

"Were did that come from?" Cyborg asked as he made his way back to the main lobby.

"It is on this small white card," Starfire informed him. "There are many of these cards all over the floor. This one was on top."

"It's probably the book's catalog card," Cyborg told her. "There should be letters and numbers to indicate what aisle and rack the book is on."

"It is not here," Starfire revealed.

"Nor would it be," Robin agreed as he headed back up to the first floor. Cyborg stood in the middle of the room waiting for him. Above, Starfire and Beast Boy were descending to them. "That's Raven's spell book. The one we used to build her safe room."

"Thanks," Red X said from behind him. Robin whipped around to catch a glimpse of him before he threw a smoke bomb to the ground, immediately shrouding the thief in a haze. "That's exactly what I needed to know."

Robin stood there, perplexed for a moment before running out the collapsed doors in chase. The others were not far behind him, but when they had cleared the building, no one was there. Only Robin's motorcycle and the T-Car were waiting for them.

"We've got to get back to the Tower as soon as we can," Robin announced, climbing onto the bike and starting it. "He's after the book!"

A/N: That's all for now. Next update won't be for probably a week. But feel free to leave feedback!