Chap. 20

Revelations of Desperation

"You really think that my friends and my parents are going to let you get away with this?" Raven asked, hoping she sounded confident while she said it. Unfortunately, she knew that Rorek wasn't bluffing with his words. If he was able to merge with the dragon's magic, then there would be a magical backlash from the absorption of such a powerful creature of magic. A shockwave of magic would spread out from Rorek, destroying everything within a five-mile radius, which would be most of Jump City. But more than that, the shockwave would also take the life force of all it encountered and then return it to Rorek, to solidify the new merge of man and magic. The idea of losing her powers was bad enough, but being responsible for so many deaths was something that Raven could not even comprehend. The only chance for the city and for Raven's absolution from all of this was the others finding her and stopping Rorek before he could go through with his plan.

But apparently, that wasn't going to happen. Rorek's response to Raven's threat was to mockingly put his hand to his chin, as if he was considering this information for the first time. "Why Raven, you are correct." He said in a mocking tone. "I had not thought of your pathetic friends coming for you. And with their technical ability and your parents' magic, it should be mere child's plat for them to do so. Unless….., oh wait, unless I had placed a spell on this place that not only hid our presence from magical forces, but also from the tracking ability of your Tower." Rorek's eyes lit up then, as he watched Raven's face crumble under this new weight. "Sorry Raven, but they can't even track your communicator. Not even that lovesick green dog of yours will be coming for you." At that, the HIVE Five burst into laughter. "Aw man, you and Greenie are actually…. You guys are even more pathetic then we thought." Gizmo spat out. "Shut up!" Raven snapped back, her anger at the situation and her confusion towards Beast Boy coming out. "Oh, I doubt that you've actually gotten that far, have you?" Rorek's voice said, as the HIVE continued to laugh. But Raven noticed that none of them noticed the words of their new leader. It was then she realized that his words were meant for her alone, and that Rorek had insured that by sending them directly into her mind.

"Did you actually know about that? What a fine match you two are. An insecure little boy, and a girl who runs from everything that could hurt her. But it is kind of sad. After all, you seemed to bring out such devotion in him. Who knows where it could have gone. You see Raven, when I was dealing with the HIVE before, I had originally placed them in a spell designed to kill them. But that little green fool interrupted it before I could finish, and they merely went into that sleep. He accused me of murder; knowing that I could put him under my thumb, I admitted it. He tried to attack me, but then you and the others began to arrive. I told him to keep quiet, or I would kill each of you in your sleep, but that I would kill you right in front of him. That was what drove him to secrecy, you know. And it was so obvious Raven. The way he acted when we were together, it told me everything. A pity it didn't for you. I'd say live and learn, but now that's not going to happen.

"Enough. We have much work to do." Rorek said aloud, destroying the HIVE's laughter. "It will take some time to properly align the spell components, and I will need all your talents to do so." "What about her?" See-More asked, gesturing back at Raven. "I know she's powerless, but the Titans can be crafty." "You raise a good point." Rorek said, nodding in agreement. "Jinx! Stay here and guard Raven until she is needed for the spell." "Huh? Oh sure." Jinx said, almost absent-mindedly. Rorek took no notice however, as he left the room with the rest of the HIVE. Yet as the door shut, and Jinx took a seat nearby, Raven began to consider the young witch's attitude deeply. Rorek's words had hurt, but Raven no longer respected the wizard enough to let them hurt for long. She had been able to focus on other things, specifically that Jinx hadn't laughed a bit when Rorek had brought up Beast Boy. And she had seemed very surprised when Rorek had mentioned the destruction that would result from the spell. He didn't tell them, and the results actually mattered to her. Raven thought. And maybe talking about Beast Boy reminded her of Cyborg. If that's true, maybe I can reach her, get her to realize what's going to happen if she doesn't act to stop it. It's a long shot, but what other options do I have?

"If you're trying to reach out to your friends, don't bother." Jinx said suddenly. "That field around you blocks all kinds of magic, even telepathy. Rorek thinks of everything." "But apparently, he didn't think of you." Raven answered. "You didn't know about what the spell would do, did you?" "So what? We're protected." Jinx shot back. "But what about all those people out there? They're going to be killed!" "Do you really think I care? Those people cast me out years ago. Everybody hated me because of my powers. If you can cause bad luck, then you have to be evil. They threw me into this life; I don't owe them a thing." "Maybe, but that doesn't mean that you have to stay with it. People can change; I know that better then most." "Don't bother with that speech ok? I heard it from enough goodie-goodies in my life, and it doesn't mean shit. Nobody cares about what you do now , they care about where you come from. They'd never accept me now, and I say good riddance." "Oh please, I'm a half-demon. I brought Trigon into the world and people were still willing to die to save me. If that can happen, don't you think that maybe there are people who will care about you?" Jinx started to say something, but then shook her head and turned away angrily. Raven saw her chance though, and asked, "You don't think Cyborg still cares?"

Jinx's head whirled around, her eyes filled with rage and amazement. "How in the hell did you…" "He told me." Raven said. "It doesn't matter, it's bullshit! If he cared about me, then he wouldn't have lied. He would have chosen me, not you losers!" "It hurt him as much as it did you Jinx. He's got your picture in his room, hidden underneath his bed. He spends most of his time looking it over, trying to think about how to win you back." Jinx's mouth worked, as her face ran the full gauntlet of emotions. "H-Heshouldn't have….. he knew better…… It just can't happen!" "Why? Because he won't come to you? If you feel the same back, shouldn't you be willing to go to him?" "I told you, I can't. You would never take me in, and I'd be out of both circles." "You don't know that." "Yes I do. Now shut UP!" Jinx practically screamed, as she leapt out of her chair. Raven started to say something else, but then Billy Numerous walked into the room. "Rorek says he needs you fer some doohickey with the spell." He announced. "I'll watch the little lady for you." "Fine. Don't listen to her little speeches though." Jinx said, as she stomped out, leaving Raven without any chance of escape.

"Anything yet?" Beast Boy asked, as he leaned over Martin's computer. "For the last time no! I'll tell you when I find something." The young boy snapped as he pushed Beast Boy away. Sighing, the green one looked around at the scene in front of him. Since Raven's capture, the Titans and WILDB.R.A.T.S had spent all their energy trying to find her. Robin, Martin, and Cyborg were manning the scanners, searching the city for any sign of Raven, from her bios to her communicator signal. Brett and Sara were using magic to do the same on the Tower roof. Starfire and the remaining WILDB.R.A.T.S were scanning the city by air, trying to locate the HIVE. But so far, all of them were coming up empty.

Beast Boy moved back to his station, his anxiety apparent to all. He had elected to stay in the Tower, manning the communication array, in case Raven was able to send word back to the Tower. But nothing had come through on that front either, and Beast Boy was swiftly losing his mind from all of it. His words to say to Raven still hovered on his tongue, all but exploding out of his mouth. He desperately needed and wanted to tell Raven about it, and now he was terrified he wouldn't get the chance. I swear Rorek, when we find you, I will destroy you. The green one thought, as he continued to fruitlessly watch the screen.

Suddenly there was a blip from his screen. Eyes widening, Beast Boy's hands flew over the keyboard, trying to isolate the signal. But whatever it was, it was an extremely weak signal, disappearing just as Beast Boy was able to lock onto it. But whatever the signal was, it had remained long enough for the computer to latch onto something. "Guys, I GOT IT!" Beast Boy screamed out in joy. "Are you sure?" Cyborg asked, as he came out of her chair and walked over. Bending down over the screen, the bionic Titan began to look the readings over. "Looks like it came from the west end of the city. But it's too weak to figure out where exactly." "It's going to have to do." Robin said. "We don't have anything else to go on at this point." "Wait a minute, how do we know this isn't a trap?" Martin asked. "What if they put out a fake signal to screw us up?" "What are you talking about? This is the only sign we've gotten. It has to be them!" Beast Boy argued. "But what if it isn't?" Martin shot back. "What if they end up putting us on the wrong side of the city while they finish up the spell?" "And what if this is the break we need?" "Enough!" Robin said. "Look, you both have good points. Here's what we'll do; you two head to the west end and search. If you find something, send word and we'll come help." Both Beast Boy and Martin nodded their agreement and promptly left for the door.