Chapter Two:

Where Do I Hide?

The museum curator, Mr. Clower, was nice enough to let us do a little "after hours" exploration. Old man owed us a favor anyway after saving an entire display of artifacts from The Hive. He graciously opened the door and ushered us inside.

Robin turned to the old curator and asked, "Mr. Clower, where are the sword displays? Have you checked them all today?"

Mr. Clower fumbled for a minute, "Sword collections? Which one? Medieval, Ancient…?"

"That's the problem," I said. "We don't know which one it would be. If we describe it, could you possibly tell us?"

"Why yes, yes of course," he said, adjusting his glasses.

"It's about… what, I don't know, six to seven feet long?"

Starfire agreed, "Yes, it is very long and slender. It scares me."

Mr. Clower began to pace back and forward, "Very long, very slender… what about the hilt? Was there any descriptive markings on it or ribbons attached to it?"

"I didn't see any," I said.

"It was like nothing we've ever seen before," Robin said. "Whoever has it is going to have to have superb upper-body strength."

Mr. Clower stopped pacing as a thought crossed his wrinkled faced.

"I believe I know which one you're in search of," he said. "Come this way."

The aging curator led us deeper into the museum. The only lights available were the display lights and fresh moonlight through the skylights. Starfire had handed me my cape and cowl back in the car; now seemed like a perfect time to reattach them. I pulled my hood up over my head as we walked, our footsteps echoing throughout the prestige collection of history. Too bad this wasn't Beast Boy's and Cyborg's forte: being typical men, they preferred Ripley's Believe It or Not. Beast Boy kept commenting on some of the interesting artifacts, saying, "Dude! Check this out! Totally sweet!" I rolled my eyes into the back of my head.

Deeper and deeper into the museum we went until I could swear we needed a map to get back. Mr. Clower flipped a switch to turn on some of the overhead fluorescent lights. Surrounding us were a special collection of rare and interesting swords from all around the world.

Beast Boy piped in, "Dude! Check it out! He-man's sword!"

Cyborg bopped him on the head to pay attention. Silently, I expressed my appreciation. Mr. Clower approached the back wall of the three wall display. On the wall hung the very sword that I witnessed Slade bearing. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of it, as it was at least six feet long.

"This is the Masamune," Mr. Clower said. "There are conflicting stories on the story of this mighty sword: one story states back in feudal Japan there were two sword makers named Masamune and Murasame. Their swords were identical, only Murasame's sword was bloodthirsty while Masamune's was not. Another suggests that the Masamune blade itself is that made specifically by Goro Nyudo Masamune back during the late 1200's and early 1300's. Whichever the case, its power is awesome and can only be wielded by those who are trained for it."

Something inside me urged me to touch it, to grasp the hilt in my hands and wield it. Sweat began to pour from my brow.

"Is this the only Masamune you have?" Robin asked.

Mr. Clower nodded, "Yes, the Masamune blades are extremely rare and very valuable. Although you don't see them being used today because of this; most owners are merely collectors of ancient weaponry."

Beast Boy looked up and pointed, "Hey! Why are there some holes in the handle?"

Mr. Clower turned and looked, saying, "Well, they're not entirely holes; more like small depressions. To be quite frank, I don't really know. There has been no documentation or scriptures on why they are there. These were excavated from sites that were preserved for thousands of years."

Robin turned back to the team, "We should head back to the tower and try to figure out what Slade's up to. If he could do all that to the people at the science facility…"

"…I would hate to see what he'd do in a more crowded place. Yeah, I agree, we better get moving," Cyborg said.

Everyone began to walk away, but I kept staring at the sword. It was a few moments before Starfire realized that I wasn't behind them. I felt her hand touch my shoulder, breaking me out of my trance from the Masamune.

"Raven?" she asked innocently.

I fluttered my eyelids and got back to reality.

I jumped and turned to her, saying, "Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry…"

"No, it is okay friend," she smiled sweetly. "I was astounded by the sword, too."

"It's not that, Starfire; it's… something else…"

Starfire tilted her head, her giant emerald eyes filled with questions.

"I don't know what it is… but something is pulling me towards it," I said, taking one last glance at the sword as we walked away. "It scares me."

Starfire put her arms around as we walked.

"There is no need to be afraid, Raven," she said. "I will help you with whatever it is."

As far and few between as I did, I smiled at her. Starfire smiled back. Together, we walked back to Cyborg's car.

I looked through every book I had, looking for any reference or note about the majestic sword known as the Masamune. As I looked, I kept my eyes out for any passages on the strange creatures that attacked me earlier at the laboratories. They were nothing like I'd ever seen; which is pretty bad considering the usual lineup of villains we face on a weekly basis.

My determined searches turned up nothing. Not that I was expecting to find anything on it. I'm not pessimistic: just realistic. I put the tattered, leather-bound book back onto my bookcase. I picked up the dirty silverware and china that had held my dinner: spaghetti. To help ease my mind, I had decided to experiment with something that was less lethal than my pancakes were. I hid the mustard so Starfire could give me an honest reaction as everyone else did. Everyone lived, so all was good.

I flopped onto my bed with my legs hanging over the side. Staring up at my ceiling, I pondered on the idea of wielding the Masamune myself. Then Slade's words came back: "The greatest weapons are right under our feet." That statement alone worried the hell out of me. I got up off the bed and walked over to my window, overlooking Jump City. The city lights illuminated the waters below, making it the ideal Windows desktop wallpaper.

The flash of bright, white light occurred again. What felt like a vice tightened its grip on my head. I grabbed the sides of my skull and collapsed to my knees. Her voice charged into my ears, "Can you hear me! Hello!"

Through my clenched teeth, I snarled, "What… do you want with me… ?"

"He's coming…! They're coming…! Oh God… look out!"

With that, the light disappeared and my vision returned. The pain stopped but my body went limp. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was my head falling towards the window at an accelerated rate.

The depths of my mind… they're quite astounding…

I could feel a warm hand cradling the back of my head and neck. Another hand was stroking my hair and face. As I regained consciousness, I let out a small groan. My eyelids parted, and Starfire slid into vision. I could feel blood stained to my face and some of my hair.

"Raven!" Starfire whispered loudly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded a little, "Head hurts…"

"What happened?"

Starfire lifted me up a little more until I was sitting angled. She kept her arms around me and supported me. I looked over at my window: a giant shatter mark had made its imprint where my head made contact. Blood had run down from it. I tried to reach up to touch my wound but Starfire grabbed my hand.

"No, do not touch it," she ordered. "I dressed the wound and picked out what glass shards were stuck. Now, are you able to tell me what happened?"

"I… I was looking out my window… and she got me… she talked to me… said they're coming.' Who 'they' are, I don't know…"

"It is alright, Raven."

I shifted, "What time is it…?"

"It is four in the morning. I discovered you about midnight when I came to tell you goodnight. When you did not come to the door, I entered, and there you were."

"Why didn't you get the others?"

Starfire blinked, "I… I do not know. Something strange came over me, like I was not myself anymore. I went to the first aid kit, and I healed you. I did well, yes?"

I smiled at her, "Yes, Star, you did very well."

Concerned, the Tamaranian girl said, "You must stay awake, or else you'll get shocked."

"That's 'going into shock,' Starfire, not getting shocked," I rolled my eyes into the back of my head.

She blushed, "Oh… I am sorry, forgive me."

"It's okay. Help me over to the bed."

Starfire lifted me up to my feet. I staggered a little as blood began to make its way back to my brain. Starfire put my arm over her neck and helped me back to the bed where she sat me upright and covered me up. I made myself comfortable and felt the gauze and tape affixed to my wound.

Starfire took a seat beside me and held my hand. I looked at her and asked, "Did the team discover anything new?"

She nodded her head, "Yes: Cyborg found a discovery was made at a 'Star Labs?' He says that some sort of creature was excavated a few weeks ago."

"Creature?" I leaned my head back into a pillow behind my neck. "Did he find out what kind of creature?"

Slade's voice sounded loudly and sternly: "An organism that was apparently dead, found in a 2000 year old geological stratum…"

Starfire and I shot up just in time to see Slade grab Starfire's collar and toss her across the room. She slammed into the wall and down onto the floor. As she tried to get up, a bookcase topped down on top of her. I gasped and started to use my powers. Slade grabbed my arms and threw me into the nearby wall. My head slammed into one of the steel studs before I slid down to the floor. Slade approached slowly. I looked up at him, pain shooting through every inch of my being.

Slade continued, "On another world, it was originally thought to be the last of an itinerant race known as the Cetra."

He picked me up by one of my arms and threw me to the other side of the room. I slammed into the wall sideways, hitting about three of the steel studs imbedded beneath the sheetrock. Starfire threw the bookcase aside and charged at Slade. He turned to her, grabbed her first punch, and tossed her towards the window. Screaming, Starfire crashed out the window into the night. I prayed that the other Titans would hurry the hell up in assisting me. On my knees, Slade approached again.

"A project was initiated to try and revive this thought-to-be-extinct race. From it, cells from an alien – the organism found in the geological stratum – were injected into the womb of a woman and child."

Slade grabbed the back of my leotard and flung me into the door to my room. It let out a loud reverberated clang as I collapsed on the floor once more.

"The product of this experiment went mad after he discovered who he thought he was. The experiment was attempted over and over again, but it could never be duplicated. No matter how hard they tried, none could be identical to the original. However, these 'failures' littered the planet, only to be called up in the 'Reunion.' The creature summoned all who carried her cells. Nothing but mindless puppets, they were. As it seemed, the organism was a virus that affected the world. The stratum that she was discovered in was actually a crater from a meteor, a meteor summoned by the ultimate form of black magic. To protect itself from lesser threats, the planet itself produced giant creatures to combat those who meant it harm. Unfortunately, this included the inhabitants.

"History is unique in a way that it repeats itself, or encourages other dimensions to mimic itself. After I discovered this, and 'their' world, I found my apprentice. I will make him into my own personal warrior, one so magnificent that he will surpass his own expectations. His mind, his body, his soul, will belong to me…

"I have acquired the means necessary to give back to this miserable planet just exactly what it has given me. I will summon the weapons buried below the surface: together, they will serve me. The Teen Titans do not stand a chance against them, but in the event that you do, I shall have my apprentice waiting. Should that fail, well, you might as well say that the sky is falling."

I coughed and looked up at the bronze-plated mask of Slade's.

"What about the alien? The discovery? What does she have to do with this?" I demanded.

Slade laughed, "The power that she offers, the control that I can obtain… you will just have to wait, and if you live long enough, maybe you can get a glimpse of what a true mindless society is."

Slade turned and began to walk towards the broken window. Starfire shot up into it and was flying at him with blinding speed. Around Slade appeared pulsing green energy as he called out: "Demi!" Suddenly, Starfire was pushed to the floor in an instant, a giant black ball of energy on top of her. She coughed and gagged as her lungs couldn't expand. Slade turned to me once more, "Oh, and Raven, it's a warm night, might want to get cool."

With that, the green energy reappeared as Slade cast his next spell. My entire body was encased in ice before it broke apart and disappeared. Immediately, I began shivering uncontrollably. I curled into a ball and tried to regain my body heat. Slade stepped up to the pane and jumped out. The black gravity ball disappeared, allowing Starfire to get back to her feet and over to me. She grabbed nearby blankets and quilts and began to wrap me in them as I fought hard to bring back up my internal body temperature. Cyborg kicked down the door to my room, allowing everyone to rush in.

Robin immediately surveyed the room and asked, "Raven! Starfire! Are you okay?"

Cyborg scanned my body, "Her temperature is down, way down. If we don't warm her up quick she could get hypothermia. Beast Boy, go get some more blankets, fast!"

Beast Boy nodded and ran out of the room. Robin knelt beside Starfire and me.

"What happened? Where were you?" Starfire asked.

Robin shook his head, "The second we heard the first crash, we tried making to your room. But suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a clock appeared in front of us and brought us to a stop. It was like magic I've never seen before, and it sure as hell didn't seem like yours."

"Slade, he was here," Starfire said. "He said that giant creatures from under the surface are going to be summoned! He also said that he's going to have a new apprentice! Oh… this is bad, very, very bad!"

Through my unstoppable chattering, I managed to ask, "What's… at… Star… Labs…?"

"Remains of a creature found in a 2000 year-old geological stratum on the North Pole. The reports say it's head is missing, but the rest of it's body' is still in tact. They said that the head was sent to the local university research facility for further examination," Cyborg said.

I pulled the blankets tighter, "Fuck… we've got to get over there… stop him…"

Beast Boy arrived back with a load of blankets and quilts. After unloading the fabric, Beast Boy noticed something across the room. He walked over and picked up a small, green colored orb.

"Hey, what the heck is this thing?" asked Beast Boy.

"The answer to how we can beat that asshole," I said.

I hoped.