"Okay, Raven. Explain," Terra said. They were inside the hanger where Raven's aircraft was kept. Staff was running about to make final preparations.
"Yeah. Why do you have your own plane?" Beast Boy demanded.
Raven's shoulders rose slightly in a shrug. "I enjoyed flying, and some of my jobs brought in a lot of money. This was something I treated myself to."
"If you made that much, where did it all go? And how did you make that much?" Robin asked.
"Most of it went into a bank account. I didn't spend much, so eventually I began donating about half of it. Once I read about stocks, I put some into that. I did well enough that I could get this," she indicated the sleek jet before them.
"You didn't make it, did you?" Cyborg inquired, meaning the plane.
Raven shook her head. "I found a competent manufacturer and told them what I wanted. I had the money, so they did what I asked."
"Friend Raven, are you now a 'zillionaire'?" Starfire questioned innocently.
The corners of Raven's mouth twitched upwards at the term. "No, Starfire."
A worker gave a signal to Raven, who nodded in acknowledgement before motioning to her friends to follow her. Terra looked at Raven as they walked up the stairs. "How much do you have?"
Raven's small smile became somewhat more perceptible. "Plenty."
Before another word was spoken, they entered the body of the plane, and some of them gasped.
"Take a seat and fasten your seatbelts," Raven told her friends. "I'll let you know when you can take them off." She then disappeared into the cockpit, the door closing behind her.
The cabin was not large, yet placement of the seats and accessories made it appear spacious. On each side ran a long wooden desk. A comfortable chair, including cup holders in the armrests, faced each of the eight windows, four on each side. The backs of the seats could be leaned back without blocking the wide aisle. A thin, decent sized screen was attached to the wall next to the window; a keyboard with a touch sensitive mouse pad could be slid out from beneath the desk for each monitor, though a lock currently held the movable shelves in place.
As the plane fired up, the Titans quickly took their seats.
The take off was smoother than they expected, and soon Raven announced that they could stand if they wished.
Terra was the first to remove her seatbelt. She moved to the doors she saw at the back of the cabin and was followed by Starfire. Opening one door, Terra informed the others it was a bathroom, and larger than the one on the last plane they had been on. Starfire discovered the next door was an oversized cabinet to hold belongings. Blankets and pillows already occupied some of the compartments.
The third and final door had a deadbolt to unlock first. They found the door to be thick and heavy, but once the two girls opened it, they were met with cool air and two more doors. Starfire opened the thinner of the two, and Terra pulled open the other, which was just as heavy as the first. "Snacks!" the two cried together. Beast Boy and Cyborg immediately joined them.
Robin sighed as the four explored the food stock. He had been eyeing the computer in front of him, wondering if he could use it. He stood and walked to the cockpit door, where he knocked lightly. "Raven?"
The door slid open and he stepped though. He was met with a multitude of buttons and levers, some of which were alight with various colors. He also recognized a radar and global positioning system. Raven sat with her headset around her neck, which trapped her violet hair against her neck. Her eyes moved to acknowledge his presence before returning to watch the sky and the control board. Robin sat in the vacant copilot seat. The view was amazing.
"They found your food," he informed her with a smile.
She returned it. "So I heard."
"You did?"
"The intercom is two-way."
"Oh." He paused, watching her for a moment. "You really like flying, don't you?" She nodded. "But you quit."
"Nothing could replace being a Teen Titan," she said quietly.
Robin gave her a reassuring smile before changing the topic. "So do those computers work?"
"I've never tested them while in the air, but you can try if you want to."
"I'll see if I can find anything on Eldas."
Raven reached over and flipped a switch upwards. "There's a button the side of the monitor to turn the screen on," she informed him.
"Thanks." He began to leave but then turned his head back to face her. "How long until we're there?"
"About an hour. I'll let you know when we're closer."
As Robin exited, Beast Boy brushed past with his mouth stuffed, followed by the others.
"Hey, Raven, want some?" Robin barely understood Beast Boy's words as he spoke around his food.
"Uh, no thanks." Raven's reply was clearer, and beneath the monotonous tone, he heard a smile in her voice.
A little more than an hour later, Raven ordered them to their seats and she landed the aircraft. Robin had had no luck in his search.
Raven had set the jet down on a beach because no airports were nearby.
"Where to now?" Cyborg asked.
Raven pointed at a large concrete building in the distance.
They flew the rest of the way. Beast Boy, in his pterodactyl form, carried Cyborg and Starfire carried Robin. Terra surfed on a boulder she unearthed and Raven hovered alongside the others.
Upon reaching their destination, they alighted to find the building appeared deserted. They only became more wary.
The six cautiously stepped though a door that was open and into almost complete darkness.
Starfire let her hands glow green and Cyborg activated the beam on his shoulder, but their light did little to illuminate the shadows.
Raven was about to speak a spell to bring light when she heard a sound behind her. She turned too late, and a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. A pair of hands grabbed each of her arms, indicating multiple assailants. Only a muffled sound escaped her, but it was enough to alert her friends. They turned to her, but the room abruptly brightened as many lights were turned on.
The Titans were momentarily blinded. When their vision cleared, they found themselves surrounded by scores of black-clad ninjas.
A voice sounded loudly, but they could not define its origin. "Welcome, Teen Titans."
"Who are you?" Robin demanded, very aware that Raven was in the hands of the enemy. They had realized she needed to speak or make a motion with her hands to use her magic and so had taken precautions to prevent her from doing so.
"How rude of me. I am Eldas."
"Where are you? What do you want?" Robin called out.
"Come and find me…if you can. Get them."
The ninjas seemed to all attack at once.
Raven watched helplessly as her friends valiantly defended themselves against the unspeakable odds. A small growl sounded from her throat.
Her heel came down sharply just above the kneecap of the ninja who held one of her arms. His grip slackened enough for her to yank her arm against the thumbs, breaking the hold of the weaker fingers. With one arm free, she jabbed her elbow into the man behind her, who held his hand over her mouth and dagger at her throat, and brought her heel to the instep of his foot. Escaping from his grasp, she propelled her body weight into her third foe, landing with her elbow in the ninja's gut.
As Raven removed herself from the winded warrior, she made a move with her hand that swept the feet out from under those around her. Suddenly Raven heard Terra cry out and saw the blonde fall from the rock she had been standing on, a short dagger in her shoulder. Beast Boy turned into a large bird and caught her, making him a vulnerable target in the process. Countless deadly weapons flew at the changeling.
"Zinthos Metrion Azerath!" Black magic encased the weapons, and their progress halted before they dropped heavily to the ground. The ninjas attempted to retrieve their weaponry but found they could not move them.
Raven created a shield that widened, forcing the ninjas against the walls while passing harmlessly over her friends. She ran to where Beast Boy had set Terra, and did her best to remove the dagger without causing more pain. Raven used her green restoring magic to heal Terra as well as the others, who were not as seriously injured.
"Now what?" Beast Boy asked. "We can't hide out in Raven's shield."
"We need to get to Eldas," Robin said determinedly. "We defeat him, the rest will fall."
"But do we know where he is?" Starfire inquired.
"I think we should head down that hallway. That's where most of the ninjas seem to be trying to keep us away from. Just remember to stick together. Now," Robin looked at them all. "Are we ready?"
"Yes!" Starfire exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's do it," Terra added.
The others agreed.
Robin nodded to Raven, and with a flick of her head, the shield dissipated. "Titans, go!"
Together, the six of the battled their way down hallway after room after hallway, following Robin's lead.
Finally, they arrived in a more luxurious room than the others. More ninjas appeared, forming a barrier between the Titans and the figure hidden in shadow on a raised dais. The figure, undoubtedly Eldas, was clad in a black cape with an orange interior. All they could see of his face was the right eye—the rest was hidden behind a mask, the right half orange, and the left pitch black.
"Slade?" Robin said, both surprised and confused.
"No." The figure stepped forward slowly. Malice laced the words. "You, Teen Titans, killed Slade." As the figure stepped more into the light, they could see that beneath the cloak was the formfitting attire of the ninjas. The figure before them was female. "I am Eldas, Slade's elder sister."
A/N: Yes, yes. I know in the show that Slade is not dead, but I had this planned before I knew about that. And as some people discovered, 'Eldas' is 'Slade' jumbled.
Broken Outcast: Well, I wrote more, so you won't have to do anything now. Lol. Thanks for reviewing!
Lexi The Writer: Sorry I was slower this time. I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for the review!
teenRAVENtitan: This is an even worse cliffhanger, isn't it? I hope it is just as exciting. Thanks for the review!
mysti-eyed: I am glad you liked the last chapter. I know there wasn't really much happening. More action in this one, so I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reviewing!
GS Dragono: Yes, I agree with you. I think Raven is very smart. And congratulations on guessing correctly about the computer program. Very astute of you. Thanks very much for the review!
crystal phoenix: Correct! Nicely done, and thanks for reviewing!
DarkSin: I am pleased you like my story that much. I hope you continue to enjoy it. I will try and update faster, but no promises I'm afraid. Thank you for the review!
DelofDani: I had planned on explaining about the plane in this chapter, but I do see your point. I will try to keep what you said in mind. I do appreciate your critique. How else does one improve one's writing? Thanks so much for the review! And thank you for e-mailing me your story. I am very much enjoying it! I look forward to the next installment. It just keeps getting more and more interesting.
moo: I know this is not very soon, but I hope the wait was worth it. I am very glad you like the story so much. Thank you for reviewing!
The Last: Very perceptive of you, nicely done. I am glad you are still happy with the story. Thank you for the review!
Blood of the Wolf: Pink and fuzzy? Scary. I updated, thankfully. Lol. I am glad you are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so. Thank you for reviewing!
Claire: You are right! Well done, and thank you!
GoRaven: Thank you so much! I am honored you think so highly of my story. I hope it continues to meet with your expectations.