Finally Beast Boy asked, "Now what?"
They all knew he was speaking of the ninjas.
"Should we go back?" Terra asked.
"No, they'll be ready for us if we do. And they already outnumber us," Robin replied.
"Doesn't matter," Raven spoke up. "They'll probably be gone within the next twenty-four hours."
"What?" all five of her friends demanded.
"Something you've read?" Robin questioned.
Raven gave a slight nod, but her eyes narrowed slightly at a sudden thought. "And something I've seen before." Her eyes became distant with the memory before she shook her head to clear her mind. "We should go back then and see if they left any clues."
The others agreed.
"Oh yeah!" Terra exclaimed, drawing their attention. "I forgot I had this." She pulled out the disk. "I copied some stuff off the computer in some office. That's when I was caught," she added, embarrassed and slightly ashamed.
"Don't worry about it," Beast Boy assured her, and the other gave forgiving smiles.
"Here, let me have it. I'll run it through the computer," Cyborg stated.
Terra handed it to him. "I don't think I got much. And it looked coded," she added.
"That's okay. It's a chance for me to see what else this new system can do," Cyborg said with a grin.
"New system?" Raven repeated.
"That's right! You haven't seen it yet. C'mon. It's really awesome."
"Why don't we all go? We haven't seen much of it yet, either," Robin said. They followed Cyborg as he ranted about the supercomputer. When the six entered the room and Cyborg logged into the system, Raven's friends did not notice her blink in surprise—and recognition.
Cyborg inserted the disk and they stared at the strange script that appeared when the copied files were opened. Cyborg quickly scanned the manual before smiling. "It'll take a while, but there's a program that will decipher this for us."
"Cool," Beast Boy said. Terra nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"What about that one?" Raven asked, pointing to the screen.
"What about it?" Beast Boy reiterated.
"It's got a different file extension," Cyborg answered, opening it.
A box appeared on screen requesting a password. Another search through the computer manual resulted in nothing that would help. "Not that I really expected it to, even if it was built by a hacker. Who would feel safe with a public computer system that could break through anyone's security system?" he asked rhetorically.
"So, how long before we can read the files?" Robin asked.
Cyborg shrugged. "Hours, possibly even a couple days."
"Well, let's get some rest, then. We can check it before we head back to that building tomorrow."
The Titans departed to return to their own bedrooms.
Raven lay awake for some time before she eventually quit trying to fall asleep and got up. Changing into a clean uniform, she threw on her cloak as she exited her room.
Robin entered as Raven removed the tea bag from her cup. "I couldn't sleep. Looks like you couldn't either."
"You could say that," Raven replied as she took her warm mug into her hands and left the room. "Good night." She heard him wish her the same as she disappeared from his sight.
Raven traveled down the hall and into another room, taking the seat in front of the new computer system.
XXXXXXSome hours later, Cyborg went to check if the computer had finished decoding the text. Instead, he found Raven sleeping, her head resting on her folded arms, in front of the monitor with half a cup of cold tea next to her.
Robin, wondering what was taking Cyborg so long, went to the computer room himself. Seeing Cyborg, Robin opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he noticed what Cyborg was looking at. After a moment of silence, Robin changed his question. "Has she been here all night?"
"Looks like it. But doing what?"
Robin shrugged. "I'll be right back."
In the kitchen, Robin met with the other three half-awake Titans, who were foraging for breakfast.
"Friend Robin, what is it that you are doing?" Starfire inquired.
"Yeah. Since when do you drink tea?" Terra asked with a yawn.
"Isn't that Raven's? Where is she, anyway?" Beast Boy questioned.
"She's at the computer," Robin replied, before leaving, followed by his now-curious friends.
Robin set the steaming mug beside Raven as the others watched from the doorway. The sound was slight, but Raven woke nevertheless.
Her eyes opened and awareness dawned in them. She sat up with a murmured apology and, once she saw the cup of tea, a thank you.
"What were you doing?" Cyborg asked, approaching the two. Raven blinked as she realized that all of her friends were there. The glowing screen caught Cyborg's eye and he added, "And how did you log on? You don't have my password!"
"First of all, 'waffles' is not hard to figure out, especially knowing you," Raven began, stifling a yawn and drinking her tea. "Second, I did not use your account. I have my own."
"That's not possible! I didn't make one for anyone except me yet! So the only person who could have an account besides me is…"
Raven shrugged as Cyborg's tirade ended abruptly and turned back to the computer. She set down the empty mug, which she had finished while Cyborg was ranting. "The coded documents have been cracked," she stated as she brought up a few choice files on the screen.
Before she could speak more, she was interrupted by Terra. "Hold it! What's going on?"
"Cyborg," Robin asked, "what were you going to say?"
"The only other person who could access the computer," Cyborg said again, more slowly, "would be the creator. They always leave themselves a way in."
"Dude…" Beast Boy spoke into the silence of dawning comprehension, "So Raven made the mega-computer thing?"
"So that means you won the contest," Cyborg said. Raven nodded. Everything clicked, and he shouted, "You're a hacker?"
"Is it really that surprising, considering everything else I've done?" Raven responded in her expressionless tone.
"I guess not," Cyborg answered after a moment, "but all of your other jobs were never really…"
"Illegal," Raven finished. "Only if you abuse the power it gives you. Anyway, it's still useful. Last night, I was able to break through the security on the locked file. It was a saved e-mail, foolishly forwarded." She brought it up on the screen. "The message itself only contains numbers, and I don't know what they mean, yet. But I ran a search on all of the e-mail addresses, and they are located throughout the country, though most are from border states. Several are around here," she paused. "And several are from Michigan."
"Are you saying…?" Terra began, uncertain she wanted to know the answer.
Raven nodded, closing the e-mail so the monitor once again displayed some of the decoded documents. "These confirm it. The ninjas are somehow linked with the kidnappings."
After a short silence, Robin inquired. "Do you find out anything else?"
Coming out of her own musings, Raven nodded. "I think the leader is someone named Eldas. So far, without a last name, all I've been able to get is a location based on the e-mail address."
"Where is it?" Terra pressed, thinking of Leyna.
"Near a small city in north-western Michigan."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Not yet," Robin commanded authoritatively. "Let's go check out the building from yesterday, first. Then let's see if we can't find anything else about this Eldas before we leave."
Terra sighed but relented. "We'll find her," Raven said assuredly.
Terra blinked as the others asked, "Who?"
"The young girl Terra met who was stolen," Raven replied.
Before anyone else could interrupt with another question, Robin decided they should leave to search the building the ninjas had occupied.
During the drive, Raven briefly described the contents of the deciphered documents. Most were orders of items to procure or headquarters to move or create. A few contained training instructions and how to use certain technologies or weapons. The most interesting, and the most scarce, were the texts that contained mention of them, the Teen Titans. Apparently, Eldas had had knowledge of them for some time.
When they arrived, the trucks were gone and the building all but bare.
Beast Boy turned into a dog in search of any useful scents. His sharp ears picked up Raven's whispered, "Just like before."
Changing back, he walked up to her. "Raven?"
She looked at him slightly surprised. When she realized he had heard her, her eyes moved away from his to skim the room. "In Michigan, sometimes we would have enough information to move in on a place where kidnapped children were being held. But we didn't always get there soon enough. Those times, it would be just like this."
Beast Boy laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You helped a lot of kids, Raven. Like Jeffry." Raven smiled at the name. "And we'll get this Eldas guy, and save the rest of them."
"Hey, Raven!" Terra called as she ran up to the two. "I wanted to ask how you knew about Leyna."
"I asked for a copy of all missing children's reports. There were a lot, but forgetting them is not easy," she said with a sad smile. "I read about Leyna, and your part in trying to help her, a while after I resigned from Lamont & Son. I still get updates." Before Terra could ask, Raven continued, "She hasn't been found yet. I would have told you, if she had."
"Thanks, Rae," Terra said.
"You guys aren't helping by just standing there!" Cyborg yelled from across the room.
The three nodded and split up.
Raven returned to the basement to examine the gap she remembered finding. Closer inspection only reinforced her belief that it was a hidden door. Finding no switch or handle to open it, she leaned her weight against it and tried to push it open.
"I'll take care of it." Raven looked up to see Cyborg. She moved out of the way, and his arm transformed into his sonic cannon. A single blast later, they were stepping through the clouds of dust and onto a platform next to the large tunnel of a subway.
The other Titans, hearing the noise, soon joined them.
"It looks abandoned," Terra commented.
Raven stepped forward and looked into the window of a booth she spotted. "Not anymore," she said.
She opened the door, which slid open smoothly and silently despite the rusted appearance of its surroundings. Inside, advanced technological controls were active with lights and movement on monitors.
Raven glided into the small area and her eyes darted amongst the screens.
"Can you read it?" Robin asked.
"There is a whole underground system in use," was her answer.
"Do you know where the ninjas are heading?"
Her eyes scrutinize the displays again before she found a keypad and touched a few keys. "Michigan. The same location as before."
"Can we leave now?" Terra begged.
Robin nodded.
"Are we going to be on the big, white flying creature again?" Starfire asked.
"Airplane, Star. And I don't think we have any other choice," Robin replied.
"But what if they don't have a flight going to that airport? It's not some big city."
"Don't worry about it," Raven said absently. "I have a plane, and the airport owes me a favor."
"Yes! That's so cool, Rae!" Terra exclaimed. "Let's get going!"
As the left the secret channel, Raven lagged behind, lost in her thoughts.
"Raven?" Raven looked up to see Robin waiting for her on the stairs that led up to the ground floor. The others were already ahead of them. "Is something wrong?"
Raven stopped and glanced back at the control booth. "They knew I found the door. They had to have known that we would come back. The equipment told us exactly where they are going…" she stopped and looked at Robin. "It's too easy."
"I thought so, too. But what else can we do? We have to find out what they're up to and stop them." After a long pause, Raven sighed and nodded. "Cheer up. Now that you're back, I'm sure we'll be fine. Now come on, they're waiting for us."
Raven followed him out of the building and to the waiting car. One question still plagued her mind. Why do they want us to find them?
A/N: Who knows how I got the name Eldas?
Raven of the Night676: My sentiments exactly. Lol. I am glad you liked the last chapter and I hope this one was nice, too. Thank you for reviewing!
Broken Outcast: Thanks! I am happy to hear that.
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Skye: Chapter 4 is the only chapter that contains a dream. The five 'X's near the end of that chapter signify where the scene changes back to reality. Everything that happened since Raven's dream has actually happened. I hope that clarifies everything. If not, let me know.
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