a.n. Karusu-hime- Army of penguins? -screeches- I love/hate penguins! For some reason, I've had this crazy obsession with them for years- I am so not joking. I got this idea that they were all evil and bent on world domination. Way before Madagascar and March of the Penguins and that little Wallace and Gromit episode. ...yeah. So an army of penguins would be welcomed. :3 raex18- Don't mean to disappoint you, but that was the last of X you may see in this chapter. :( I dunno, the end's not worked out yet. Maybe I can squeeze him in. If he does make an appearance, it'll be all for you. LoL. Lai-Ku- Longer review? Should I be frightened? j/k Yes, school is a bane. I can't believe how long it's making the week anymore. And this is my senior year. Bah. x.x;; But I shall look forward to any review/critique/rants you send. LoL. gracefulraven- I'm glad you like it. And yes, I've been waiting to see what happens next in your story. After that ending... wahawow. X3; psycicflower- I was surprised that you reviewed so early this time. Hehe. A possible rash from sterile dressings... that's actually quite freaky. I mean, that's all they really have at doctor's offices and if you're allergic or something... dang. o.o; Hope the hand check-up goes well! And yes, the robots count for everything. XD; It's all about them. raven717- Woo, reread all 26 chapters and the prologue? Now that's ambitious. LoL. Maybe I can make a cliff's notes version... XD; hehe, anyway, glad you like it! Here's the next chapter... hope you don't mind it's kinda shorter than ususal. :( ShadowDevil- Hey, I could just have that for chap. 27 "Raven went back to Slade and turned evil." I mean, seriously... that would really cut down on words. X3; But, that captures the gist of the ending. LoL. The Morrow- Glad you're liking the way it's going. And if a week is slightly too long... then you won't like the next wait. o.o; Moon's Darkness- Yay, you like it. :3 I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Raven + Slade forever. XD; nevermore199- Ooh, someone who agrees with me. Cool. LoL. If you want, you can just think of these next two or three chapters as a sequel. hehe. When I finally do end it (in '08 or something), hopefully you'll like how it goes. :) If not, I would request a good headstart before you hunt me down. Thank you. LoL. Artemis- Is that Artemis as in the Greek goddess or Artemis from Sailor Moon? Just curious. Anyway, glad you like it. Keep readin'. :) lolopixie- Yes, exactly! The mystery! I like some endings where not everything is resolved. Leaves stuff to the imagination. But most people think differently than I do. XD; I just have a problem sometimes of never stopping a story and it just drags on and thins out and isn't fun anymore. If that happens, please stop me. X3; Kendra Chetnova- You want more? What about all your voices? Don't they get a vote? LoL j/k. ...I'm just in a happy mood 'cause it's the start of the weekend right now. :3 And yes, here's more! Tritium- You're late. :p And by happy... do you mean that Slade conquers all and the city is far worse off than ever and the Titans are short a member and despair reigns? Then yes, it will be a happy ending. XD;; paprika90- You read the prologue and all 26 chapters in one sitting... O.O; Holy. Crap. I am so envious. So many readers have way more attention spans than I do. X3; I would've gotten bored by chapter 4 or something. LoL, anyway, I am really really glad that there was enough attention-grabbing stuff to keep all the chapters interesting and stuff. Hope you'll like this one as well. :D And just like I'm ignoring the Titans East, season 4 doesn't really happen here. Or rather, my story doesn't fit in with the regular shows. It's in a universe all its own. How speical. LoL. /kl3x/- I must say, that is the oddest s/n I have seen here at FF. Anyway, never saw any of the Digimon movies... just the 1st and 2nd seasons. As for the sequel... not planning one for this story. :( Dang, this thing is nearly 30 chapters... if I make another one, I might never be able to stop. XD; darkraven5192- Family interruptions... I so know what that's like. x.x; Heh. I'm glad you like the story so much. I'm so into Raven/Slade... and at least I'm not alone. X3; You might not need to find too much time to read this... it's short. I apologize for that. LoL.

Chapter 27

Several months had passed since the Titans' return. Blackfire had been flown back to Tamaran and left with their police when the Titans went to fetch the T-ship. The Master of Games had been sent back to his own dimension after Gizmo's invention had been confiscated, and the rest of the Titans enemies had been locked up in the local high-security prison.

When word had spread that the rest of the Titans were back, Johnny Rancid returned, challenging Robin. The team leader went out alone while the rest watched from the tower. Johnny was swiftly put back in prison.

Life slowly returned to normal- as normal as it had ever been before the Titans departure. Starfire and Beast Boy finally stopped being overly-nice to Raven and Robin's and Cyborg's overly-critical moods finally subsided. Raven was less defensive when the team invited her along. However, she avoided them more now than before, mostly by staying in her room.

Slade hadn't contacted anyone, even Raven, once she recovered, and that only made Robin hunt him harder. The team leader was seen as much as Raven anymore, because he was always somewhere else in the tower, searching through files or logs or anything.

Finally, Starfire convinced him to come to the living room for a card game with the rest of the group. Somehow she had even gotten Raven to leave her room and interact with everyone else.

Beast Boy expertly cut and shuffled the deck, casting cool glances at everyone else. He appeared exactly like a poker dealer- especially because he wore a colored plastic visor. "Okay, five cards each, no trade backs. The name of the game:" Beast Boy paused, looking at each teammate once more. "Go Fish." He began firing cards in a rhythmic fashion at them.

"Okay, man, but don't go turning into a fish every time like that incident last month," said Cyborg, collecting his cards. Beast Boy's ears drooped.

"Aw, not even a dolphin?"

"If it doesn't have opposable thumbs, forget it, dude." Starfire giggled at that as she spread her cards out in a fanlike shape in front of her face.

"Whose turn?" Raven questioned boredly, lazily studying her cards. Beast Boy was busy arranging his hand, so Cyborg volunteered himself.

"Okay, lessee here. Robin, got any nines?"

The team leader browsed through his cards, but before he could answer, a voice hissed behind him, "Go fish."

Everyone turned to the large screen to see Slade looming there with a perfect view of Robin's hand. The boy dropped his cards immediately and jumped up.

"So, you've finally come back," Robin growled.

"Come back? I never left. I've been in the city this whole time."

"Hiding."

"Planning. And I've fashioned what I think is our best game yet. I admit, I've been neglecting your team since your triumphant return, so this is to make up for it," replied the man, obviously gloating.

Robin's eyes narrowed. "What did you do, Slade?"

"Nothing yet," he said with a wide shrug; his right shoulder appeared healed. "That is... if you're fast enough. You see, two very important buildings are set to detonate, and as we speak, two more bombs are being sent out ot two more destinations. It will be a simultaneous blast... in twenty minutes."

Robin neared the screen, an enraged expression contorting his face. "Why? Why are you going to blow up city buildings?"

"How else should you be welcomed back except with a bang? And all the bigger since it's so belated. ...Looks like you've about lost a minute already. Better hurry, Robin."

Growling, the boy spun to face his team. "Okay, Starfire, go to the city bank. Raven, check out the block of office buildings down the street. Cyborg- the mall parking garage--" He was cut off by Slade's chuckling.

"But Robin, whoever said they were all in this city?" The team leader ran up to the computer controls and terminated the link.

"All right, here's a new plan," he announced, looking back at the Titans, who were now all out of their seats as well. "Starfire, fly Cyborg to the city bank. There's sure to be one there. Cyborg will analyze it, get its signal and track the rest of them. Then he'll tell the rest of us the coordinates. If any bombs are outside the city, they'll most likely be in Gotham. If they are, Raven, be ready to fly there. Everyone got it?" The team nodded, Beast Boy pulling off his visor and giving a salute. "Okay, Titans, go!"

Starfire picked Cyborg up and flew out of the room while Robin headed for the garage. Raven ascended to the tower roof and stood gazing out over the water. It was a peaceful sight... until Beast Boy joined her.

"So, when Cy calls, how about you take east, I'll take south?" he suggested, stretching his arms in preparation for flight.

"It doesn't matter." Raven wouldn't look at him; she continued to gaze at the bobbing waves. Beast Boy didn't pick up on her unsociable tone.

"I say whoever finds a bomb last buys everyone pizza," he added. "I bet we'll all stop Slade's plan before the clock reaches ten minutes." The boy began erratic toe touches.

"Last I heard, betting wasn't your strong suit," mumbled the dark girl, casting a glance over her shoulder at Beast Boy.

"Aw, c'mon," he said, straightening and shrugging, "with the team all together, our odds gotta improve."

As he proceeded to do more spasmic stretching, Raven's communicator began beeping. She pulled it off her belt, opened it, and started. Slade was staring back at her. He said nothing; he knew she wasn't alone. The man merely gave a beckoning gesture before the compact screen went blank.

Raven nonchalantly returned the device to her jeweled belt, her expression as cold as if she had just been informed of a friend's death.

"Our odds should improve greatly if we went to the source," the dark girl mumbled to herself. As Beast Boy started doing jumping jacks, he didn't notice his teammate being engulfed by a giant, black raven and flying off. By the time he did spot her, she was far off in the distance.

"Okay!" he called with hands cupped around his mouth. "You take south, I'll take east!"

Several minutes later, Beast Boy's communicator was called as well. "'Bout time," he told Cyborg. "How long does it take ya to find the third bomb, dude?"

"What are you talking about, man? Star and I just dismantled the bomb. I found the rest simultaneously. Now stop blabberin', this is important. Robin, one' down by the docks; Beast Boy, one's heading down the interstate- crossin' the bridge now. And I can't get a hold of Raven. BB, tell her one's headed for Gotham."

The green boy let out a shaky laugh. "Uh... Raven's been gone awhile now." Immediately, Robin's face appeared on the screen.

"WHAT?" his muffled scream came through his bike helmet. "You just let her go?" Beast Boy reeled back from the screen as if Robin could reach through the communicator and smack him.

"Hey, I thought she had gotten coordinates from Cy and went to get a bomb!"

"Okay, okay, forget it," the team leader said. "Star, go after the Gotham bomb, Cyborg, take the one at the docks."

"And what'll you be doin'?" questioned Cyborg.

Robin started the R-cycle. "I'm going after Raven."

-

Down the long stretch of pipe, right into the smaller tube, right again when it dead ended- following the flow of water- over the wide pool to the ledge on the wall with the door. Raven couldn't believe she remembered the way. It had been forever since she had come this way, partly with X.

"What took you so long?" the familiar voice demanded. However, she couldn't see Slade because there were so many robots around the entrance.

"How much time is left?" questioned Raven quickly. She pushed past all the droids and found Slade sitting in front of the screen. He was viewing a map tracking all four bombs. One of the four dots was a different color and Raven figured that was the dismantled one. In each corner of the screen was a video stream of each bomb. She saw no Titans anywhere near the remaining three.

"Oh, about seven minutes."

"Well... turn them off already," the girl said, stopping right next to the chair.

Slade chuckled. "No."

"What? But I thought those were all just a distraction so I could..." Raven's voice faded. "Weren't all those just a diversion?"

"I told you it was a game. And the bombs will be turned off... if the Titans are fast enough."

Suddenly they were aware of a beeping sound. Another screen popped up with a map of the sewer and one lone dot progression further down the entrance pipe.

"Looks like you lead one of your teammates here," Slade said, standing up. When it appeared that she would protest, the man slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. She was knocked to the ground as the harsh echo ricocheted off the far walls.

"Careless," Slade spat before stalking ot the middle of the large room. He ordered the androids to the shadowed walkways in the level above. It was surprising that they all fit up there, but in another minute, he and Raven were the only ones on the floor.

Slade whipped out his fighting staff and stood under the middle hanging light, waiting. Raven staggered to her feet. Grasping her stinging cheek, she stayed off to the side, in the shadows.

Minutes later, the steel door opened and Robin entered. He was drenched from head to toe.

"Well, well," Slade said, "tired of the game already?"

"Where's Raven?" demanded the boy. His opponent rushed forward and pushed Robin back through the doorway, letting him fall into the pool many feet below.

"She's here. And I don't expect she'll leave with you."

--
Next Update: Haha... crap. I have no clue. Really. With so much school (I've got this new World Myth class and the teacher's giving us an assignment about every class... it's insane), I haven't written much into the 28th chapter to know when it'll be ready. I'll get it finished asap.

However, I don't really like ending stories, so maybe a little procrastination has played into the delay of writing... hehe. My bad.

I just noticed- short chapter. x.x; 28 will be longer! I shall try my best! Ganbarimasu!