HIVE MIND
Part Five
His headache had taken over the entire right side of his face. Under her fingers, Raven could feel the fever building under his skin. Her fingers twirled gently along his temples, easing the stress with a tender massage. She knew why Robin was suffering and it was nothing that could be healed with her powers. Yesterday Robin realized the origin of the new Red X and, once again, it was born at the call of Slade: this time not as a lure, but as a weapon… and once again Robin's plans had backfired.
Slade owned X.
Now they knew for the most part what X was and what they were up against. It should have relieved the Titans leader, but instead it made him more uneased. They knew that they weren't dealing with a new generation of genius or pathology; they were dealing with Robin… some twisted incomplete genesis of the Boy Wonder in his darkest moment.
Raven sighed, letting her fingers trace against Robin's cheeks. She hunched over slightly, putting herself at the perfect position to lean her head across his shoulder, arms wrapping around his arms and chest, wrists locked together. Robin turned his head into the embrace, rubbing his check against hers.
"You should sleep." Robin said, closing his network down.
"You first." Raven whispered. Robin raised a hand, catching both of hers. She let him extract himself from her hold and sat on his lap as he directed her. Her head fitted comfortable under his chin, every exhale moved warm air over her forehead.
"He made X." Robin said finally. Raven didn't have to think about who he was. "He made X because he lost me… he created another human being because he desires control over me so much."
"Robin, it isn't your fault. There was no way you could have known all the terrible things Slade is capable of… every time he appears the circumstances are worse and worse."
"Its not just hurting others to get what he wants… Its making sure that everything falls into place… whether we notice our not. Every sat back, every back step, he's three moves ahead of me… of us."
"He failed." Raven stated sharply. She pulled back from him, letting Robin watch her eyes waver. "Slade can't beat us, because we won't let him… even with all his plans, he can't. Red X is flawed. Celine said so herself. Red Hawk was built to perfection with Brother Blood knowing her mind… Slade messed up. Red X isn't like you, because Slade doesn't know you…"
"Raven…"
"Red X was built to copy you, but all it has is your DNA, your weapons and the vision Slade had of you… X doesn't have your heart… Slade doesn't have you."
Robin kissed her. He pulled back gently, resting their foreheads against each others. Robin took in the scent of her, the feel of her heat against him. He doesn't know my heart… because you have it all locked up to yourself… please… keep it safe…
"You're beautiful." Robin whispered. Raven felt the words more than heard them, Robin's lips danced against her cheek, his breath a smooth warm wind. Raven stood slowly and gave Robin her hand. She walked him to his bedroom, sealing his goodnight with a kiss, and then returned to her own.
…
Cyborg worked diligently in the three hours that Celine slept. Beast Boy and Terra had tried to stay up and help, but they crashed against the furniture, hanging off it in ways that would leave them sore in the morning.
Cyborg's red eye scanned the running data, the holo-projector displaying the specifics of Red Hawk's Bowie knife. The output on materials was going rather slow, Cyborg leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head. His wrists crossed as he pulled his shoulders back. He was starting to feel drained, but he had work to do.
When it came to Blood, Cyborg could be as thorough and tunnel-visioned as Celine was, or Robin was when it came to Slade. Brother Blood had seen through him like a slither of glass. Blood knew what he wanted from Cyborg and had a million different methods for getting his way. Brother Blood represented his greatest fear: being seen as machine not man.
A hand touched the apex of Cyborg's crossed wrists. He tilted his head back and met Celine's gaze. The bright light from the console contrasted against the shadow of the night, throwing light and dark patterns across her face. Her hair was down, her eyes were soft, and her gaze was as breathtaking as ever. She was beautiful.
What a strange mess he'd made.
Celine pulled up a chair beside Cyborg, pulling herself within inches of him. "What are you doing?" She asked.
Cyborg flipped a few switches on the board. "I'm doing a diagnostic scan of the major components of Red Hawk's knife. I figure she isn't going to try and steal it back, I bet she's going to replace it… knowing where the materials that made the knife came from will lead us to where she's going."
"I could have told you that… I already know where the materials came from. I made Red Hawk remember… You could have asked me." Cyborg said nothing. Celine pressed on. "But you're right… she won't be trying to steal it back… she threw it at me like a gauntlet… Brother Blood wants me… and Red Hawk is how he gets me…"
"Why does Blood want you?" Cyborg asked.
"Why does he want you?" Celine replied, there was a harshness in her voice that Cyborg had never heard before.
"I don't know… sometimes he wants the man and sometimes he wants the machine. He's like…"
"Like me?¹" Celine sneered, turning her head to look at him. Her eyes were sharp; the brown irises were narrow and nearly black. It was the look of Red Hawk. When Celine had told the Titans the story of Red Hawk, all her powers and character, Cyborg almost didn't believe her. He knew Celine, as well as any person could know another person, she wasn't capable of such hatred or viciousness, even as an act. But then again… I've been wrong about her all along… I keep seeing her as a fourteen year old girl… because I want to be a sixteen year old boy again.
"Celine---"
Before he could throw his words and caution to the wind, a sharp beep was emitted for the communication center. It was an incoming call. Celine and Cyborg both raced to the interceptor unit, turning knobs and flipping levers. Both of their hands reached for the same switch at the same moment. Cyborg's hand slipped over it, Celine's falling on his. He turned his eyes to her briefly. She continued to look down. She brushed his hand away and flipped the final lever. The screen burst to life. Dark colors showered the display… the nighttime looked dangerous in the way only the landscape of Bludhaven could.
X and Red Hawk stood nearly side by side. Red Hawk's arms crossed over her chest. Red X leaned against the girl's right shoulder, his left hand tapping the black disk against her collar bone. Even through the concealing mask Cyborg knew he was smirking.
"And here I thought we'd get the machine…"
Red Hawk snorted. "We did…"
The sneer ran from Cyborg's face to Celine's. Red Hawk crossed her hands over her chest. "I want my knife back."
"You'll get what's coming to you!" Celine replied.
"I believe we will all get what we want…"
Cyborg and Celine's eyes widened at the new voice. X and Red Hawk separated, revealing a new body. His figure was imposing as ever. His robes dropped around his slim figure. The deep reds and black fit in perfectly with his companions.
"Blood!"
"It is so very good to see you again Cyborg. A mentor does enjoy seeing his best and worst students…"
"What are you up to?"
"I am simply planning a reunion. A friendly get together… for old time's sake." Blood's voice was convincing, it was perhaps his most valuable weapon.
"There are no old times Blood! Your game is through! Tell us what you're planning!" Celine demanded.
"My my. My dear Armed Guardsman, such a bad temper." Blood turned his head to look at Red Hawk. "I knew you got that from somewhere."
"Don't play games Blood! We know that you made Red Hawk to lure us out! What are you planning?" Cyborg demanded.
"But Cyborg, I've already told you. I want us to have a little reunion. Just the three of us."
Celine turned to Cyborg who looked back at her. She nodded and they both turned back to the screen. "Where do you want to do this?" Cyborg asked.
"Come to Bludhaven. The night sky is particularly warm tonight, so feel free to leave your jackets behind. I think finding the warehouse will be easy enough… if not, I'm sure Red Hawk could love to show you the way." The communications cut. The room went nearly black.
Without saying a word the pair fled the room. The automatic door slammed shut. A few seconds later Terra's foot shot out striking Beast Boy in the shin. "Beast Boy, did you hear that?"
Beast Boy rose groggily. "Yeah… most of it."
"They're going to fight that Blood guy and those doppelganger things all by themselves."
"No, they're not." Beast Boy replied. Terra narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Go wake up Raven. I'll get Robin." Beast Boy commanded.
…
Celine rode shotgun in the T-car in total silence. She had just enough spare concentration to change her clothes into an outfit more appropriate for the upcoming battle. Her AGU uniform was a rather short purple dress, a black jacket and tall black boots. She had only thought to pull her hair up at the last moment. It wasn't beyond Red Hawk to pull hair.²
The warehouse was nearly dead silent. Broken mechanical parts littered the floor, shined on by the light seeping in from weak light bulbs and holes in the roof.
"Be careful… I wouldn't put it past any of them to sneak attack." Cyborg shifted his optical scanner to dark light, allowing him to see further into the darkness. Celine raised the scouter above her eye; the thin glass amplified her viewing field.
"All three of them are here… My scanners picked them up. But the cloaking technology is throwing the signal uphm!" Celine's sentence was interrupted when a knee slammed into her back, knocking the AGU agent to the ground. Over her head her assailant rolled, regaining her footing. Celine had barely pulled herself to her hands and knees when she felt the cool tip of metal under her chin. Red Hawk sneered down at her.
Cyborg exposed his beam cannon with Hawk in his sights. "Don't even think about it."
"Such hostilities amongst good friends. It isn't fitting." Blood emerged from the shadows, taking in the scene before him. He flicked his head at Red Hawk. She drew back her sword, tumbling backwards until she stood to Blood's right. Red X emerged and waited at Blood's left. Cyborg helped Celine up, keeping one eye on the triangle of villainy before him.
"Now that's better. You both are such a sight for old eyes. But you always were." Cyborg could feel Blood's influence spilling into the air around him. He breathed steadily. He'd have to keep control of himself if he was going to make sure that Blood didn't.
"You went through a lot of work to draw us out Blood and I know it wasn't for pleasantries… what do you want?" Cyborg asked.
"You." Blood stated. "I want you to stand by my side as I take over three cities and then the rest of the world."
That cold snap of power swept along Celine's bones. Cyborg felt his blood, flesh and blood, pumping with his heartbeat. "Stop it. That's not going to work Blood. There's nothing you could give me to make me fight for you."
"Yes there is." A sharp pain flashed in Celine's head. She dropped to her knees. "I can give you both what you want." Cyborg felt that terrible and beautiful rush of blood reach his ears, the pace throbbed and banged his circuits. "You both came to me of your own design… to have me remake you in my design."
…
The R-cycle sped fiercely along the cracked roads of south Bludhaven. The helmet protected Robin's eyes from the kicked up pebbles that exploded from the cement in his path. Above his head Raven and Beast Boy soared: Raven's hood was pulled up, Beast Boy's pterodactyl wings flapped fiercely. A few feet lower, Terra rode a slab of the earth, her flux of energy carving her path in the pavement. Robin tightened his grimace. His engine revved as he continued his breakneck ride.
…
"You both came to me… fragile… vulnerable… looking for answers to your place in the universe… And I gave you the answers. I also gave you change. You were weak, but now you're strong. I can make you even stronger."
Red Hawk stepped forward. Blood took her chin under his fingers, regarding her dark eyes. "Cyborg came with a practically flawless design. So close to the ideal that it nearly frightened me. I wanted it… I wanted lots of it. But making it… taking that design and exposing it to all of mankind… I needed a power unlike my own. I needed a source that could build with science rather than imagination. And what luck that I came across the resources to get that science."
"The disk." Cyborg gritted out.
"What is on it?" Celine asked.
"What? The disk? Who knows? I don't even want it. I needed a lure and he said he knew of one that would get your attention."
Red Hawk slipped the disk from Red X's hand as if it were her play thing. "If you want it… you know where to find it." Hawk taunted. Red X stared her down but said nothing.
"You can do what you want with it³… it's served its purpose. The resource I meant was our dear Armed Guardsmen. She delivered herself, exposing the darkest part of her mind to me. She had tried so hard to keep her deepest desires locked behind her mask… You're Ori-Daga was well crafted."
Celine gritted her teeth. "How did you get past my runes?"
"Your rune was designed to keep out Bad Blood⁴. Very clever… but not nearly strong enough. I could see everything you wanted to hide. I could see him… but you had no idea just how beautiful his design really was."
"Him?" Cyborg asked.
"You." Celine replied. "He saw my last memory of you."
"And in that memory I saw perfection… and I came to love you… nearly as much as she did. I want to spread that love across the land like a scourge. Your design and her engineering will make millions of Cyborgs to march across the globe."
"NO!"
"Yes." Blood replied, stepping back between X and Hawk.
"We won't do it!"
"Yes you will… but if my argument isn't persuasive enough… maybe Red Hawk will be."
The red haired fighter smirked and sprung forward.
The warehouse door crumpled easily against the force of Robin's front wheel. The slab of metal collapsed and four Titans spilled into the fray. For a moment they watched Cyborg and Celine fighting off the charges of Red Hawk. The sword fighter leapt into the air, sword flaming red, ready to throw her might at her opponents.
The black shield rebounded the attack; slicing the energy and dispersing it into the warm air. Red Hawk recovered, tumbling back to the side of Brother Blood. Celine and Cyborg turned their heads and watched the four Titans' approach, Raven floating in the air, one black-shrouded hand extended in front of her.
Red X stepped forward. "Sunshine. Didn't expect to see you again…" Raven dropped to the ground. The barrier faded freeing Celine and Cyborg to charge into an attack. Red X and Red Hawk sprung forward, weapons drawn for battle. Robin met Red X head on. The acrobatic fighter swung his bo-staff, knocking away an X-bomb. Red Hawk dodged and parried attacks by both Celine and Cyborg, challenging them both in short combat.
In the fray of the fight, Blood exerted his power, creating a headache in Celine, unbalancing her enough to leave her open to Red Hawk's punch. Celine fell to the ground. Red Hawk pressed her advantage. She stabbed the tip of her blade into the ground and used it as a pivot, swinging her legs in a full circle, her feet colliding with Cyborg. The robotic teen stumbled back, his orientation allowed him to see Blood… he was enjoying himself.
Red Hawk removed her blade from the ground and stalked Celine, her blade ready to strike. Before she could unleash her attack two metal slabs, cloaked in a dark aura, flew at her. She turned quickly, her sword sliced through them both. She could block the metal. The swinging fists of the Beast Within were a different story.
As Red Hawk dashed and dodged, Red X was on the offensive, his kicks and punches flew at Robin, keeping the Titans' leader moving. X swung a back hand chop at Robin's waist. Robin countered, gripping his arm and using it as a lever to throw X to the floor. Red Hawk slipped under Beast Boy, sending her flaming energy into his body, throwing him several stories into the air.
"Beast Boy!" Terra yelled running to his aid. Terra yelped as a frenzy of sonic beams dashed by her as she pulled a stunned Beast Boy from the fray. Red Hawk tumbled right past her, not even noticing her.
Two separate beams flew at her; she tumbled out of the way and fell victim to Raven's talon. The hold kept Hawk still long enough for Cyborg's uppercut. Red Hawk fell to the ground, sliding across the pavement until she skid to a stop at Blood's feet. A sharp kick from Robin delivered X in a similar fashion. Both doppelgangers climbed to their feet swiftly. Blood regarded the scene before him. Six against three wasn't fair… he needed to equalize the battle field.
The sharp mental wave threw Raven backwards. The wave scrambled her concentration, sweeping her into unconsciousness. Her falling body slammed into Robin. As the two dangled helpless in mid-air, a fierce X struck out, binding the two Titans together. Their imbalance pulled them to the floor. Terra gulped as the pair landed only a few feet away from her, bringing her into Red X's line of vision.
"You guys make this way to easy." X prepared to advance when a sharp buzzer erupted from his arm. He flicked his hand over, observing something on his wrist. "Huh… you guys are lucky… looks like I'm needed elsewhere. It's been fun Sunshine." X leapt backwards and vanished into thin air.
"Raven! Raven!" The unconscious girl remained slack against the Boy Wonder. He could feel her skin burning up.
"She'll be fine. I promise you. I don't like to break other people's toys… But now the fight is a bit more even wouldn't you think? Two on two… yes, I like those odds very much."
Blood and Red Hawk advanced. The visual onslaught of the fight captivated both Robin and Terra, the only two not directly involved who were able to see it. The way Cyborg swung his arm, how Celine twisted the Fire Fly to act as a shield, Blood's stunning kicks, Red Hawk's dancing sword: the four of them parried and struck in a pivoting square, moving with each other and against, keeping their eyes on three other fighters at all times.
The two Titans moved together, shifting positions, slipping in attacks to advance the other. Cyborg jabbed Red Hawk in the side, Celine smashed the barrel of the Fire Fly into Blood's skull. The two stunned fighters were thrown back, shuffling to keep their footing. In perfect unison Cyborg unleashed his beam cannon as Celine pulled the Fire Fly to her shoulder. Blood and Red Hawk watched in shock as the blue energy pooled from the barrels. The energy escaped at the same time, Celine's lighter spiral of energy wrapped around Cyborg's, the two beams amplified the magnitude of the attack.
"BOOYAH!" The beam hit dead on. A massive cloud of dust and dirt billowed and fumed, hiding the struck villains from their sights. A sharp clank of metal on metal resounded sharply, echoing from the center of the fog. Celine dropped her weapon to her side and watched Red Hawk fall forward, the speed of her decent cleared away the rest of the dust. Brother Blood had gotten away in time… Red Hawk had not.
Cyborg dropped his arm. He and Celine approached Red Hawk cautiously. Celine kicked the sword away. Cyborg produced a pair of cuffs and locked up the unconscious girl.
"We'll return the armor and weapons to the AGU… what are we going to do with her?"
"What do you mean?" Celine asked.
"She isn't really bad… she was doing what her creator made her… can we punish her for that?" Cyborg asked.
Celine nodded. "Even if she was born from someone else's malfeasance, she was a criminal. She's my clone, but she's her own person. She's like me… and just like I did, she had the capacity to choose… she chose crime."
"Under what name will we jail her?"
"Precis Anderson."⁵
"Hey… looks like Red X forgot something." Beast Boy said. Underneath the fallen Precis Anderson was the black disk. Terra picked it up and brought it over towards the group.
"We can return it to the Embassy…" Cyborg said, "After we find out what's on it."
Raven was roused awake and Celine unleashed the trap X. The sextet delivered Precis Anderson to the Bludhaven Special Forces. The trip back to Jump City was quiet, except for the rev of the R-cycle, compensating for the extra weight of Raven, who rode behind the Boy Wonder. Her body had cooled, but Robin didn't want to take any risks. He wasn't letting her out of his sight.
Celine slid the disk into her minicomputer, analyzing the contents. "Hmm… it looks like it's in an ancient, possibly alien, language. My scanner doesn't recognize it. I wonder what it could be that Slade would want it but not Blood."
"Let's just make sure he doesn't get it." Beast Boy turned his eyes to Terra, she eyed the disk fretfully. Beast Boy's green eyes wavered. Just saying his name can make her fret like that… what would she have done if Slade came close? Beast Boy placed a hand over Terra's. The blue eyed girl looked at him in a nervous shock. Beast Boy smiled at her sadly. Terra returned it.
The Embassy was still empty when the Titans returned to it. Celine accessed an AGU trove and stored Red Hawk's armor and weapon into the trove, securing a new password.
"You're going to use that?" Cyborg asked as she keyed in six character password.
"It's appropriate… don't you think?" Cyborg nodded and helped the red haired girl to her feet.⁶
In the backroom where the disk was stored, Terra slammed the empty vault closed, dusting her hands. She pushed a lock of hair from falling into her eye. She yawned silently, making her way to Beast Boy. Beast Boy yawned, trying to blink the sleep out of his eye. The pair returned to the group, meeting the four other titans. Beast Boy rubbed his eye. "Man, I'm tired. What time is it anyway?"
"Just before five A.M."
"They make a five A.M. now? I need to go to bed, or I'll sleep through the new Mega Monkeys Ultimate Throwdown Challenge!"
"The what?" Celine asked.
"It's the latest Mega Monkey's animated movie! It came straight from Japan and is airing at noon! I'll need at least eight hours of sleep to be rested enough to appreciate it. That means I'll need to go to bed…" Beast Boy counted backwards on his fingers. "An hour ago!"
The other Titans dropped their heads in aspiration. After a quick spot check they returned to the tower. Terra and Beast Boy went their separate ways. Celine and Cyborg watched Robin guide Raven to her room. The red haired girl gazed up at the taller titan.
"We didn't defeat Blood, but at least we know what we're up against. I think it will be a while before he resurfaces again." Celine stated.
"Now that we know what he wants, we'll just have to be cautious and not let him get it."
"Red Hawk was a failure…" Celine stated.
"That's what Robin said about X."⁷
Celine narrowed her eyes, taking in the deeper meaning of his words. "I think now that I've collected my data on Blood's objectives… and knowing what we know… maybe it would be best if I returned to the AGU… The control system is functional without me. I'm sure you can handle it… besides Bee is probably going stir crazy without someone her age to work with."
Celine turned to walk away, but Cyborg's hand on her wrist stopped her. Her long hair spilled over her shoulder as her eyes took in his.
"I can't beat Blood without you." He said simply.
Celine let her eyes wander to the floor. She nodded, but didn't meet his eyes when she turned and went to bed.
…
Robin held Raven's waist as she leaned back against the door to her bedroom.
"How are you feeling?" Robin asked.
"Like a mile and a half of unpaved road." Raven replied, rubbing at her temple with the heel of her hand. Robin narrowed his eyes. He placed his fingers under her chin, his masked eyes scanning her face.
"That doesn't sound like something you'd say. Are you sure you're okay?" Robin asked.
"I… I don't know. When Blood blasted me, I felt him in my mind. He came in and left something behind…"
"What?"
"No… not a device or anything… I just feel a trace of him and Slade… they are working together. I could feel the seed of Slade's power and something else… something I can't define. I think I just need to mediate to clear it out."
"Maybe you should sleep first." Robin said.
"I think I'd sleep better if I got this feeling out of me."
Robin stepped closer to Raven, his chest pressed against hers. Both their hearts were beating too quickly so early in the morning. He leaned forward, his mouth only a few millimeters from her ear. "Do you want me to stay… just in case it's something out of your control?"
Raven tilted her head, pressing her cheek against his. "I don't know if it will be so severe… but I would like you to stay with me…"
Robin nodded and followed her into her room. Raven mediated in the center of her room while Robin arranged the floor beside Raven's bed for him to sleep. After a few minutes Raven shook her head clear. Robin waited until her orientation cleared and fell asleep. Raven climbed into her bed, giving her boyfriend one last gentle look before she laid herself down to sleep.
…
Washu seethed where he stood. His dark robes floundered behind him; the expulsion of his rage changed the pattern of the wind.
Slade held a hand under his chin as he regarded the swirls of golden energy. His head tilted to the side, his eye shifting from the energy weave to the kneeling Red X and finally back to the energy weave. "Everything is going according to plan." Slade said.
"We have already lost the scroll, the final piece… "
Slade ignored him. Red X stood and dismissed himself at Slade's gesture. "You are severely short sided in your assessments: a rather poor habit, dear boy that you should consider getting rid of. You act in fear and with far too much caution. The best executed plans are those with enough space for flexibility and reevaluation."
"My prophecy--"
"Your prophecy is incomplete." Slade interrupted.
"I know my task. The scroll will only verify my vision." Washu replied. "We must secure the gem. Remember, if my plan fails… so does yours."
"Did you know that tomorrow is my birthday?" Slade said nonchalantly as he watched the gold energy thrive and magnify every second. "I suppose paying her a visit will constitute a gift… should I consider it from me or your master?"
"Do whatever you wish. Just acquire her before she becomes worthless!"
…
In the earliest hours of the morning, without a conscious effort on either of their parts, Raven moved from her bed to the makeshift futon on the floor. Robin's arms wrapped around her automatically, rolling him onto his side. His chin rested smoothly across her shoulder, above their heads Raven's hair fanned out like a dark ocean.
They slept silently, completely unaware of the plot against their love.
End of Chapter Eight
A/N
¹ This whole time Cyborg has been accusing Celine (though not to her face) of seeing him the way Brother Blood sees him. Seeing as Brother Blood causes Cyborg discomfort, getting that same regard from someone close to him must be even more unsettling.
²Go to photobucket to see what I'm talking about. The account is lankree
³No honor amongst thieves apparently.
⁴Get it?
⁵That name has absolutely no relevance to anything in the Titans' Universe. I made it up.
⁶ F-L-A-W-E-D
⁷No he didn't. He said he was a mistake… (make of that what you will)