THANKS for all the reviews, everyone! You know who you are!

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But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles, wanna hold him...maybe I'll just sing about it

-Anna Nalick, Breathe

Chapter 10

Where am I...

drip

What happened?

drip

Is everyone alright?

Speedy's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, gasping. He reached around to grab his bow and arrows...they had taken them. He was in a cage, suspended above a large metal hall. It had a leak.

drip

That was going to get annoying quickly.

drip

Where were the rest of the Titans? The redhead glance around and noticed that his was the only cage in that room. Everyone must have been spread out. He wasn't the only one in the cage though.

He turned around and looked back at the sleeping brunette. He sighed and figured that now was as good a time as any to apologize for his words. But first, maybe he could escape...Speedy reached out a hand toward the lock on the door, but pulled back sharply when he felt the spark. It would electrocute him for sure. Luckily, the other bars weren't that dangerous. He settled back and waited for Lora to wake up.

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"We have captured them all, sir."

"Thank you." An older looking Heringard drummed his fingers on the edge of his lavish chair. He looked to his left, where on a crystal table sat the Clock. The Clock, his key to success.

A door opened and Slade walked in with Heringard behind him. And then another Slade followed, carrying over his shoulder a yellow belt, and holding a bow and arrow.

"Our past selves have taken care of some of the more...pesky prisoners," said the first Slade. The two younger villains nodded.

"Good," said Heringard. "Then we have finally won."

"Aren't you going to kill them?" asked the older Slade as he settled himself in another lavish chair. "It wouldn't do if they escaped."

"We have our past selves, a castle filled to the brim with traps and soldiers, we are rulers of this future, and we have the clock, and still you think they are a threat!" Heringard yelled.

The younger Slade gave a bow to the tall and regal Heringard, though mostly for flattery, and said,"I have delt with them before, and Robin has gotten out of worse scrapes. Do not underestimate these Titans."

"I know," replied Slade.

The old Heringard just chuckled. "Why should I fear them,"he said," When I have Titans of my own?"

Four pairs of sinister red eyes looked out from the shadows.

It seemed that Mas y Menos were not dead...and the evil Tamaranian outcast had enlisted Beast Boy and Lann as well.

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His utility belt was taken. That thought alone infuriated Robin. And he didn't know where Starfire was. The Boy Wonder was in the same predicament as Speedy, only he ws stuck inside with Aqualad, who was sitting quietly in the corner with his eyes shut.

Robin growled and kicked the cage, causing it to swing wildly back and forth. This broke Aqualad from his little 'trance' and Robin turned and flopped down on the cage bottom beside him.

drip

Aqualad closed his eyes once more.

drip

Robin finally got up again and paced in the little space they had. "Are you going to just sit there!" he snarled. Robin did not do imprisonment well.

Aqualad just looked back at him, and a rush of water flowed over the cage, and most helpfully over the now not-so-electric lock.

"There are pipes everywhere in here," Aqualad said with a small grin.

"Um. thanks," Robin replied abashedly. "Let's go find the others." He smashed the door and the two scaled the wall to the floor.

"Yeah," the Atlantian replied. He was just as eager to find Raven as Robin was to find Starfire.

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Terra and Raven weren't in a cage; they were in a steel basement, and every once in awhile some guards would clatter over the grate ten feet above them with their steel boots.

They had tried standing on top of each other; and Raven tried to use her powers, but neither worked. Both of them were wearing bracelets that nullified their powers. Raven's arm was numb from trying to bang it against the wall, to try and break it. Terra had given up earlier than she had and was slumped against a wall.

"Raven.." she finally said."I remember everything now."

The goth looked questioningly at her blonde cellmate.

"I just know what i did now, and I'm really really sorry," Terra finished quickly. "I feel so guilty, and I almost hurt you all..."

Raven went over and did something not normally Raven. She gave Terra a hug. "Hey," she said,"That'll be something that you'll always feel guilty about, but I know we've already forgiven you."

Terra gave her a grin, but it faded when they looked at the grate above them. "If only we could get out of here..."

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Little princess...wake up...your time is near...you have the key, use it...

Starfire sat up quickly and almost banged heads with Cyborg. "Whoa, Starfire," he said. "Save your energy, we're stuck in here." She looked down at the bracelet on her arm, then around their prison cell. She kicked the wall, but it was thick and her foot simply bounced off- it would be sore for quite awhile.

"Hyahh!" She punched the bars again, and again, but they wouldn't budge. She smashed them, trying to get rid of the bracelet on her arm, but that didn't work either. Starfire sighed. There was a reason this particular cell was for her and Cyborg. It was absolutely indestructible! Bottom line was no escape.

"Someone will get us out, Starfire," Cyborg said encouragingly. "Trust me, we've been in worse positions."

'Thank you, friend," replied the alien princess," but I really need to get out."

"Is it Heringard? What did he do to you?" asked Cyborg.

Starfire turned away. "He killed my cousins, and my uncles, everyone but my immediate family, trying to break my father and steal the throne. My father banished him, but the damage still stays," she said sadly.

Cyborg let out a soft whistle. "I'm so sorry," he said. He punched the ground in frustration. "Someone will come," he repeated, and they both fell silent, wondering where the others were and how they were faring.

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The final cage of Teen Titans was silent. Bumblebee sat in there with Sarasim, and had no clue what to say to the girl across from her staring out into space. What could she say? Congratulations, you have my former crush's heart. So what's it like in the past? The winged girl rolled her eyes at herself. that was all water under the bridge. Bumblebee cleared her throat.

"We'll get out of here soon," she said. Empty words for empty conversation. But this time Sarasim nodded.

"I am not glad to be stuck here...Bumblebee...but if I had to be stuck here, I'm glad it was with you." Her words, though she almost forgot Bumblebee's name, meant alot.

"Thank you", Bumblebee replied. "Um...if it's easier for you to remember, just call me Bee." The two smiled at each other, and were about to say more, but they heard footsteps down the hallway.

"This way," one of them said.

"No, wait, what if there are some beneath us?"

Robin and Aqualad.

"Robin," Bumblebee hissed.

"Over here," Sarasim whispered as well. The two escaped Titans poked their head in the room and looked up at the cage, hanging from the high ceiling.
Aqualad waved an arm, and another pipe broke, nullifying the electric lock. Bumblebee kicked it open and she flew down with Sarasim.

"Have you guys found anyone else?" she immediately asked.

"Does it look like we have?" Robin retorted. Aqualad rolled his eyes and carefully glanced back in the hallway. His face immediately grew pale.

"Guys...you won't believe this.."

The four gathered behind him watched as Mas y Menos walked by, Beast Boy and Lann in tow. Bumblebee gasped, and tried to reach out to her supposedly dead teamates, but Robin grabbed her arm.

"Their eyes," he said grimly. "They're under mind control."

Sarasim studied the back of the newly discovered Titans. "There is a strange object on the back of their heads," she finally said after they were gone.

"It must be a chip then," said Aqualad. "We need to find the others before we try to take them on."

"Well, if we could at least get Lann by himself...?" Bumblebee stated questioningly.

"His sister can see the future and heal people," replied Robin. "He may have some sort of power as well. Let's just stick to finding the others."

They heard a crash from the hallway, and Aqualad peeked out again. The hall was empty. Then they heard a yell.

"It's from...beneath us!" exclaimed Robin.

The four of them made their way to the grate, where familiar voices were soon heard.

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"It's no use," Raven mumbled. "We have no powers, and we're both short." They would never reach the grate. They would never get out.

Terra let out a frustrated growl. "If we had our powers, we could blow this place to smithereens!"

"That won't be needed," said a voice that immediately made Raven grin. The grate was therefore lifted off the floor.

"I'm coming down!" said Bumblebee. She flew down and landed with a comical pose. "Bumblebee to the rescue!" she giggled. Terra laughed too. Raven even cracked a smirk, until they heard Robin's voice calling," Stay down there!"

Some Sladebots had found them.

Robin took out the first one with a powerful kick to the head, and Sarasim punched and kicked along with him. Aqualad took out a few guards with the water in the pipes, and was turning around to kick one in the face but instead ran into Raven.

"I thought we told you guys to stay down there," he exclaimed. Raven just shook her head.

'We're not Titans for nothing," she said, and she elbowed a guard-HARD- in the side. Unfortunately, she didn't have her powers, and the Sladebot rounded on her. Raven was backed into a wall quickly. But then the guard was knocked out and washed away, and in it's place stood Aqualad with an angry look on his face.

Aqualad's angry face was replaced by a smile that made Raven feel very safe and warm. It was an unusual feeling...

"He definitely interrupted our conversation," said the Atlantian.

Raven nodded in agreement, and ripped the mask off of a fallen Bot. "Here," she said to Aqualad. "Can you break the bracelet on my wrist?" She looked over at the others- they had made quick work of the remaining guards, and Terra was already freed from her own bracelet. Aqualad smashed the bracelet and she was freed as well.

"Good," Robin said to the group with authority. "Now all we need are Starfire, Cyborg, Speedy, and Lora."

"What about Beast Boy and that kid?" Terra asked.

"Well,..." Robin proceeded to fill in the newly freed prisoners.

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"And so I guess I shouldn't have said what I said." Speedy said. Lora rolled her eyes.

"What!"

"You just went into a long winded apology and never once uttered the words, 'I'm sorry'," she pointed out. Then she grinned. Speedy crossed his arms and, on impulse, stuck out his tongue at her.

"And you didn't need to take it so personally," he retorted.

"So what if I did?" Lora shot back. "I can take whatever I want personally whenever I want to."

"Did I say you could talk?" Speedy asked sarcastically.

"You never said I couldn't!"

It seemed that Lora was not the quiet girl Speedy thought she was.

"Look," he said,"we may as well be civil while we're stuck in here."

Her chocolate eyes stared unblinkingly at him. "Speedy..." she said softy. It was a voice that made Speedy's pulse do odd things, much to Speedy's own surprise.

"Yes?" he said back.

"I do believe that's the most sense you've made this whole day."

"ARGH!" The archer reached out his hand towards her as though her were going to grab her. Lora stuck her tongue out in return and pretended like she was going to bite his hand.

It was in that moment that Speedy decided he wanted to kiss her. Of course, kissing willy nilly wasn't exactly the best way to kiss someone, in case they didn't want one, so the redhead simply satisfied himself with staring at her for a few moments. They started what appeared to be a no-blink contest.

Lora blinked.

"I win," Speedy declared. He leaned back against the iron bars in the cage, elbows resting casually on his knees.

It was in that moment when Lora realized she wanted to kiss him. But instead she satisfied herself with letting out a soft giggle, reaching across the cage, and poking him. And again. And agai-

"ARE WE NOT SEVENTEEN HERE!" exploded Speedy. Lora laughed.

"I don't think we're suited as cell mates," she said between giggles. "It brings out the child in us."

Speedy hmphed and scooted nearer...trying to be sneaky about it. Lora looked around at the bare room they were stuck hanging above.

'I wonder where Lann is?" she asked softly. "I hope he's alright..." She changed from a child to a worried sister in an instant, Speedy noticed. He poked her.

"I'm sure he's alright," he said encouragingly.

Lora smiled at him. "Thank you."

Speedy laughed. "And I'm sorry too," he said.

Lora laughed along with him.

drip

The leaky pipe was back.

drip

Speedy was now officially annoyed. He stood up suddenly and stepped forward, trying to look for the source of the infernal noise.

"Watch it, you'll make the cage-AH!" Lora fell on top of him as their cage rocked from his sudden movement.

With Lora on top of him, Speedy was surrounded by that flowery scent. Roses? Speedy sniffed, trying to guess.

"Got a cold?" Lora asked, chuckling and trying not to blush. Blushing didn't seem to be an issue for Speedy, and he only grinned back at her widely. Lora froze. It wasn't helping her blush any to have him grin like that. Wow...

They both leaned forward almost simultaneously, and soon their noses were touching, and then-

"Hey guys, I found them!" yelled an enthusiastic Terra.

"Good job!" said Bumblebee.

The two in the cage scrambled off of each other, Lora blushing like mad.

Speedy was annoyed once more, but this time not at the leaky pipe, but at the blonde sprite beneath him...but he couldn't think of things like that rght now, not when Slade and Heringard were still around.

And not, he thought when he heard the surprised yelps, when there were at least twenty Sladebots surrounding their fellow Titans...and...Mas y Menos?

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(various items thrown at writer for the cliffy and the ruined fluff scene)
muahahahah...toodles, y'all

-Silver Miracles