IMPORTANT: Throughout my story the characters will sometimes speak in foreign languages, the subtitles are provided in parentheses following the dialogue.

Chapter Ten

The Gap Widens

Starfire flew quickly through the trees, hoping the direction she was taking would lead her back to RM 111. As weird as it would sound to anyone else Starfire indeed intended to return to the place of never ending torture. The reason was plain and obvious enough, she had to find Robin. The more she thought about it the more she decided that she should have disobeyed Robin's instructions and stayed with him no matter the outcome. She dodged the many branches and large tree trunks until she finally breached the tree line and was bathed in sunlight. She turned her head and covered her eyes from the sudden blast of light and waited a moment for her eyes to refocus. When she re opened them she saw the unmistakable dark and sinister fortress that was RM 111. She turned around excitedly and called back into the forest.

"FRIEND'S COME QUICKLY!" Cyborg and Lee emerged from the trees behind her and walked up on either side of their alien friend. Raven had chosen to remain behind and tend to Beast Boy as he was still in the process of recovering.

"Good job Star," said Cyborg. She beamed at him and looked up at the same window she looked at when they left. Wasting no time she took flight and headed straight for the complex. The other Titans followed closely behind her. They moved swiftly and silently along the side of the building looking for the way in. Starfire turned a corner and when they turned it she was no where in sight. Cyborg and Lee stopped in confusion, she couldn't have gone far. Lee then heard a ruffling noise behind him and spun around to see Starfire.

"YO how'd you get behind us you only just now turned that corner," asked Cyborg both confused and impressed.

"One does not spend two weeks with someone as skilled as Robin and not learn something," replied Starfire running her hand against the smooth wall. "There is a hidden passage here." They took a closer look and indeed brushed away loose dirt to reveal the outline of a doorway. Starfire and Cyborg stood on either side of the door and readied themselves. They gave Lee a nod and he removed his sword, with two quick slashes he burst down the door and the other two Titans stormed through. Starfire and Cyborg let out loud battle cries and………fought nothing. They dropped their battle stances and frowned in wonder as they saw dozens of Osiris zealots lying sprawled on the floor. Starfire gazed at the sight before with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Cyborg," said Lee who took a look around the room. Cyborg gave him a nod and put up his other arm and scanned the fallen members.

"They're all alive, just really unconscious." It was then that Starfire spotted one that was sitting against the wall and breathing rhythmically. She ran over to him and assumed his membership had been canceled.

"Are you okay," she asked quietly. He slowly turned his gaze to her and sighed in relief that it wasn't someone there to finish him.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"Of course not, please do you know where Robin is?" His eyes widened and he grabbed her arm.

"He was here! He said he would not stop until we were all dead." Starfire looked up at Cyborg and Lee.

"Well everyone's still alive so I guess he didn't go through with it," said Cyborg looking around. Starfire turned back to the young boy.

"Do you know where he went?

"No, he only went down that hall and I never saw him again." He pointed down a long corridor to his left. Starfire got to her feet and motioned for the others to follow her. He watched them leave and finally stood up and ran out of the building as fast as he could. Starfire, Cyborg, and Lee on the other hand made their way down the hall and toward the Arbiter's study. They moved aside the broken doors and found a room in shambles. Books and weapons alike were thrown about here and there. They each veered off in a different direction hoping to find some clue as to what happened here.

"Well somebody defiantly went a few rounds, tore the place apart real good to," remarked Cyborg kicking over a large shredded book. Starfire gazed around at the various instruments of death and at the many doors that lead in and out of the room. She laid eyes on a door with the picture of a light bulb on it. Without thinking she began walking toward it.

"Starfire?" Lee watched her walk like a robot over to the door and stop right in front of it. He approached her and took her shoulder; she startled somewhat but calmed down afterwards. "I think it would be wise if we did as little exploring as possible," suggested her samurai friend. She nodded and turned toward the exit. Starfire couldn't explain it but she felt oddly vulnerable at that moment, as if the room itself had command over her senses.

She, Cyborg, and Lee promptly left to go back to Raven and Beast Boy. Starfire was growing more and more glum by the minuet. After weeks of recapping what had happened to them in Robin's absence, he was gone once again. Once again Starfire was separated from the one who brought her comfort in the darkest hours. She often felt various signs of her connection with Robin. Whenever he was gone for prolonged periods of time, it was as if a piece of her was missing. It is sometimes a misunderstood feeling, and only recognized by those of a humble and moral stature. Though Raven was not bound to show it at all, she was afraid that Beast Boy would succumb to his ailment before she had a chance to save him. Starfire then made up her mind; she would devote herself to following Robin's map and find him wherever he may be. Wasting not time in finding her other two friends Starfire took flight and headed back into the woods, Cyborg and Lee quickly following behind.

JOINING ROBIN………………….

His vision was foggy; all he could see was a vague image of Dalton on a small TV screen. He shifted his gaze from left to right causing himself to see things in a blur. "You have failed your mission Mr. Grayson!" Dalton's voice echoed throughout Robin's mind. "They are suspicious, and she knows something." Robin leaned down on the TV screen.

"NO! Sh-She doesn't know anything, please leave her alone!"

"You have your orders Mr. Grayson, they are all expendable, now do your job or I will get someone else who will!" Robin's vision was suddenly engulfed in a flash and he was running in slow motion down the hallway at Titan's Tower. He rounded each corner with a skid racing toward a certain Titan's room. As he approached the end of a corridor he saw someone move up ahead and toward his destination. Robin's eyes widened and he kicked into a high sprint. He turned the corner and saw the figure had opened the door and was pointing a gun inside the room.

"STARRRFIRE!" Robin tackled the man forcing him to double over. The two struggled for a moment a single shot went off.

Robin suddenly jostled awake in his seat on a speeding train. A conductor stood in his doorway and had his hand out.

"M'avez-vous entendu? Votre billet et passeport svp." (Did you hear me? Your ticket and passport please.) Robin looked around for a moment and went through his pockets. He finally produced a small ticket and a blue passport.

"Desole' a' ce sujet, ici ils sont." (Sorry about that, here they are.) He handed the man his ID and ticket. The conductor opened the passport and saw a picture of Robin who was currently Jon Luc Pierre.

"Merci Monsieur Pierre, ont un beau jour." (Thank-you Mr. Pierre, have a nice day.) He handed back the two items and Robin pocketed them after the man left. He then sat and thought to himself about who the past events had come to pass. He hated leaving Starfire again, leaving all of his best friends in the dark just like before. Robin was hoping, nay, he was praying they would figure out at least the first marker location and meet up with him there. Robin had memorized the first marker clue just in case anything like this was to happen. He wasn't sure if Starfire really felt the same intimate feeling he had always felt. Some of Starfire's rather intimate acts were merely out of friendship and meant as nothing more, but he often hoped otherwise. He never felt closer to her or the need to be closer to her than when they were locked up together in RM 111. Even with his highest training to resist most forms of torture and brainwashing, he felt he would have gone absolutely nuts without her. He had been told that she had been killed in the escape, but deep inside he knew better; that and Meric's sudden appearance gave Robin the impression that she was still very much alive. Perhaps that was why he could never really bring death to each and every member of the Order of Osiris; she wouldn't have wanted that from him.

Robin stepped out of his compartment for a moment; small spaces seemed to get under his skin these days. He took a step into the small bathroom and washed his face in cold water. He dried his face with a small towel and gazed into the mirror, he hadn't looked at himself in a long time. Perhaps it was the stress of being a full time crime fighter, full time 'cloak and dagger' operative, and a full time best friend. He always beat himself up for not putting in so many hours to the last title. The next time he saw his friends again it was going to be for good! No longer would he be running off and leaving them in the wake of uncertainty and danger. No longer would he procrastinate the time he knew he should be spending with Starfire. He nodded to his reflection and left the bathroom. As he closed the door on his way out he looked to his left. From down the hall he spotted two men in black coats coming his way, they each had a strange medallion around their necks. "Shit!" Muttered Robin, and he took off down the other end. They saw him run and one pulled out his AK, he let loose his rapid fire weapon causing Robin to hit the deck. As the wall of bullets passed by Robin stood back up and threw a well shot bird-a-rang directly at his enemy. The point stuck in the barrel and the gun exploded in the man's hands. The hopped over his downed comrade and took up the chase. Robin moved from car to car hoping to loose the pursuing zealot. Robin burst through another door and found he had reached the end of the train. Looking desperately around for a way out of the situation Robin spotted another train coming from the opposite direction. He turned to the door leading out of the train and as he reached for the handle it was blown off. He looked to his left and saw his pursuer standing not far from him and pointing his gun at Robin's head.

"Give up zis' chase Grayson, zer' is nowhere left for you to go." Robin nodded and began walking toward him with his hands up. Robin was but five feet from the man when he grew tenser and refocused his weapon. "Zat' is close enough!" Robin stopped abruptly and stayed in place. " Your weapon," said the zealot nodding to Robin's belt.

"I don't have a gun," he replied. "It's not my style!" Quick as lighting Robin reached forward and grabbed the man's arm. In another swift movement Robin twisted his arm and sent his gun falling to the floor. He then shoved him backwards ten feet and kicked the door open just as the other train was about to pass them by. Taking a deep breath Robin stepped back a bit then leapt forward and successfully landed on the other train as it passed them by. All the zealot could do was watch his enemy speed away from him, and worry about the price for his failure.

After and hour of getting his heart to stop racing Robin finally got off the train at the nearest station. He walked briskly through the station wanting more than anything to get out before somebody recognized him. 'Don't worry guys, don't Starfire; just figure our where the first marker is and we'll see each other again.' He walked out into the open street and as a bus and a group of people passed by Robin was gone.

BACK WITH THE OTHER TITANS……………..

The Titans had managed to make it out of the woods and found a paved road to follow, hopefully to a city or town. Thanks to Raven's powers, and her knowledge of horticultural remedies, Beast Boy could now walk with the kind assistance of one of his friends. Raven had volunteered to give Beast Boy a hand and thus far had not expressed anything to suggest that she wanted to stop. They met someone along the road who told them of a small inn not far from where they were. Within another hour of walking they caught sight of a minor city and greeting them was the inn. They signed for five individual rooms (Raven adjoined hers with Beast Boy incase he needed help during the night). Once they were settled down they gathered in Cyborg's room, intent on getting down to business.

"AWWW MAN! This place doesn't have pay-per-view movies," whined Beast Boy. He flipped through the channels on the small television.

"I'm glad to see your getting better," said Raven rolling her eyes. She set down her medicinals and joined Starfire in the small kitchen. She was currently working with a pair of tweezers trying to gently pull the stamps off of the envelope. "How's it coming Star?" She managed to peel a corner and looked up at her friend.

"I am managing well friend Raven thank you."

"Dooo you need any help?"

"Well, an alternative means of extracting the map would be most helpful," she said almost ripping one down the middle. Raven put her hand over the stamps. Streams of black energy came from her fingertips and laced around the stamps. Within moments the stamps came free completely undamaged. She handed them to Starfire who took them eagerly. "Wonderful friend Raven! I thank you for your assistance. Now all that needs doing is to enlarge the encryption." They walked over to Cyborg who at that moment was lying on the bed. Starfire shook him awake and he sat up with a grunt. "Forgive my intrusion friend Cyborg, but we require your assistance." She handed the small pieces of paper to Cyborg. He took the stamps and inserted them into a section of his arm. Cyborg brought out his shoulder light and used it as a projector, shining an enlarged image of the halves on the wall.

"Wow would you look at that," he said eyeing the pictures. They were painted markings of people doubling over in what looked like pain and agony, a city dying. At the top of the city stood a one figure holding up his hand. Starfire got closer to the image and saw what looked like light coming from his hand.

"It is him," she breathed.

"What's that," asked Beast Boy. Starfire paused for a moment and turned to her friends.

"Robin told me that the former owner of the Eye of Osiris inadvertently destroyed his entire city, I believe this is a depiction of that final moment." She turned back to the picture and studied the man's hand. "We were wrong, the Arbiter, Robin, all of us."

"Come again," this time it was Raven who was confused.

"If I am understanding this depiction correctly, it means that the eye was not meant to be worn around the neck as was foretold, but on one's hand……on the palm." She gazed up at the drawing until Lee cleared his throat rather loudly. Starfire shook her head. "Sorry." She traced her hand over some text, which surrounded a picture of a tower. "Friend Raven I believe this is the Latin language, could you please translate it." Raven nodded and took Starfire's place at the image. She ran her finger along the text and nodded.

"Well Rae," prompted Cyborg. "What's it say?" Raven studied it for a moment more and turned back around.

"It says 'To whom it so pertains; the first of many paths stands tall at the peak of the Fleur De Lis.' Lee bit his lip for a moment then began to pace around the room.

"The three major contents during World War II were America, Europe, and Asia; it must be referring to one of those contents." Starfire lightly pounded her head in thought. She had taken to studying a good deal of Earth's history in some of her spare time and was hoping she would remember something that would help. She finally came across what she was searching for and smiled when she thought of it.

"If memory serves me correctly, the Fleur De Lis was a royal symbol used by rulers of the French province."

"France! So its in France," said Cyborg snapping his fingers. "But where in France?" They all gave it some thought, going through the verse over and over again in their heads. Then it was as if the answer came simultaneously to all of them. They all smiled and gave each other nods of success.

So sorry but I must stop there for now. I'll update as soon as I get around to it. Thanks for reading so far, Laters.

Niki Dee: Lee is a character i have always wanted to use in anything, not jsut Teen Titans. Samurai and their way is one of my biggest interests, I thought it would be cool if i incorporated that in stories (whether it be Teen Titans or somthing else). Now as for the story itself; no one would ever believe me (and i dont expect you to either) but i actually came up with a story line about two months before the National Treasure trailer appeared. At firstI thought my idea wasscrapped, theni just thought "Screw it." AndI put it out anyway. I know the stories seem similar and that's because they are,I just didn't know somthing like that movie was coming.Thanks again for reading anyway.