The sun broke over the early morning horizon, signaling the start of another day of suffering. This day only added one more to the already weeks of recuperation the four of them spent. Fall had seen its days, them healing their wounds the entire time, signaling the start of Winter of the first snowfall, the temperature dropping to a record low, low enough to freeze the bay over. The winter wonderland the engulfed the city was enjoyed by some, loathed by just as many, but the inhabitants of the Tower had other things to worry about. Crime was on the rise due to their absence, at an alarming rate at that, the police unable to keep up with the work that had been delivered upon them due to the Titans' down time. All of them were close to being back on their feet again, all except for one, Robin. He was conscious and aware of his surroundings, but he wasn't the same. Being confined to a wheelchair affected him psychologically in these past few weeks. Even with encouragement, he deteriorated, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Robin only ate enough to stay alive, causing his body to wither away, almost to nothing. Starfire's continual worrying didn't help much for either of them, causing her to lose much needed rest many a nights, only prolonging her overall healing. Cyborg attempted to help out in any way he could, but Robin was too stubborn, no matter what he did for him, Robin would only resent it. He, as well as the others, grew tired of him just sitting, staring off into space, as if he had lost the will to live, but yet, he continued going, because the only thing he had left to live for was Starfire, and she wasn't about to let him leave her side, especially like this. Robin found out the hard way that no matter what good you do, no matter how good or dedicated to your purpose you are, that darkness and evils dwell inside of you. Cyborg finally stepped in, fed up with this, watching Robin slowly kill himself by giving up. It was a trying time, but in the end, they all managed to overcome it, Robin finally convinced himself that there was the small, minute chance that he might walk again. Cyborg decided to lead the team in Robin's impairment, and one of them would have to take turns watching Robin as soon as they started protecting the city once more. Beast Boy, on the other hand, had been praying, praying ever since Raven's redemption. He knew that no matter what, she was still his friend, their friend, a Titan, and nothing, even after the events that had transpired will prove this to be true. This may be the most difficult thing the team had ever faced, and he, and probably the others, vowed that they would overcome this, one way or another. Cyborg was up first, as usual, Starfire not far behind, pushing Robin into the main room, where Beast Boy was going over some research on Slade and Raven.
"So," he stated, looking up, some dressing still covering some of his most serious wounds that were still healing, "we are almost ready to get back to work, in a sense, so how are we doing this?"
"I know Slade," Robin stated, drumming his fingers together, "he is going to lead us into a trap, but there isn't exactly a choice in how we are to find him, so I suggest take the bait."
"I know your right, man," Cyborg added, "but remember what Raven said to B.B., we can't go in there by ourselves, it's suicide. We need help, and a lot of it."
"Well," Robin stated, "what do you suggest then?"
Cyborg held up his communicator, flipping it open, and prepared to push a small grey button that sat next to the large red one.
"We give these things to every single hero that we have ran into around the world, right?" Cyborg inquired. "So, isn't about time we actually use them?"
A smile curled across Robin's face.
"You know, you're right, Cyborg," Robin agreed, "I see where you are going with this."
"You see," Cyborg explained, mainly because B.B. looked a little confused, "Slade is expecting us, and only us, so if we bring along a few friends, oh let's say, Titans East, uh, and all the honorary Titans we have dubbed, which is well over a hundred by the way. If there is an army of those things, then we will be able to even the numbers up so we will stand a chance, get Raven out of there, and stop Slade once and for all."
"Since we did remove the nerve gas unit from the central air system," Beast Boy added, "as well as the ones around the city, Slade hasn't any threat against Raven anymore, and when we tell her, she will surely listen to reason, I guarantee it."
"The police are good for something after all," Cyborg attempted to joke, in absence of good spirits lately, only getting a slight chuckle out of B.B.
"So we will be inviting friends over, Cyborg?" Starfire asked, looking as innocent as ever.
"Let's find out," Cyborg replied, pushing the button, the very same one that called all other communicators.
One by one, the Honorary Titans, as well as the members of Titans East, began to appear on the large screen. Robin managed to stand up, only to fall down, but Starfire caught him, holding him up, as well as moving the wheelchair out of view, not wanting to let them know what had happened.
"Hey Cy, what's up?" Speedy asked, running his hand through his hair as if he were looking into a mirror.
"No time for small talk," Cyborg replied, waiting for the others to come on line. "All right, now, give me a comms check, can you hear me, if so, click the communicator's relay button."
They did so, an audible noise from each of them gave him the sign that they could indeed hear him.
"Now that I have your attention," Cyborg started, "I am putting these things to good use for once. I understand that all of you have your own little part of the world to protect and whatnot, but I come to you, well, requesting help."
"What kind of help, Comrade Cyborg?" Red Star questioned in his heavy Russian accent.
"Those of you that are interested, I am issuing a emergency calling all Titans. I understand about the whole different timezone thing," he commented, noticing that a few of them were in their pajamas, "but the sooner that you can come the better. The more of us, the better. I will brief you as soon as you arrive in Jump City, we will be waiting, Cyborg out."
The screen faded to black as each and everyone of them nodded, shutting their connection off.
"Starfire," Cyborg beckoned.
"Yes, friend Cyborg?" she answered.
"Get out the sleeping bags, we gotta have a place for them to stay after all," he said with a smile, "in the meantime, B.B. and I will be getting this place ready for their arrival."
She exclaimed with joy, a first in several weeks.
"We will be having the slumbering of the party!"
The three guys only laughed, lightening the mood somewhat in the Tower.
"The time of reckoning has arrived," Slade commented, Raven standing before him, turning off the feed to the Tower's surveillance system, seeing that the Titans were nearly ready to fight once more.
"Your machines are no match for them," Raven stated, not fearing him at all.
Slade looked at Raven with intent.
"You don't know what they are capable of, child," he hissed.
Raven looked right back at him, narrowing her eyes.
"You are dense, you know that?" she taunted.
"What did you say to me!" Slade questioned, enraged, rising to his feet.
"I said that you are dense, I have trained, fought, and lived beside them, so I do believe I know what they are capable of," Raven calmly informed, acting like him more than he wished.
"I don't know what has gotten into you lately, Raven, but you are testing my patience at every turn. If-"
"Are you always like this?" Raven interrupted, making him that much more irritated with her, "Tense, distraught, almost paranoid, as if something is after you all the time and you cannot escape it. My, My, how low have we sunk?"
"Stow your mouth!" he yelled, advancing to Raven from his platform leaning down into her face, holding himself back from striking her.
"What are you going to do about it?" she flatly stated, staring him right in the eye, his face nearly touching hers, "Just a friendly tidbit of information, you might want to try a breathmint, especially if all you do is talk shit."
Slade drew his fist back, Raven only standing there as if nothing were happening around her. He swung forward with all his might, Raven throwing her arm up and easily blocking it, as if nothing had happened at all. Slade's eye jumped open with surprise.
"Are you done throwing your fit, because I have grown tired of it," she questioned, pushing his fist aside with ease.
Slade's expression only hardened in her insolence towards him.
"As I said," Slade managed, trying to retain his calm, "you had better come off of it by the time the Titans show their faces again and perform as needed, otherwise..." he trailed off.
"Otherwise what?" Raven boldly questioned, only to hear the sound of his blade being drawn and the feeling of cold steel touching her throat within the same timeframe.
"Otherwise," Slade hissed in his usual manner, "I will have to kill you, as well as your friends."
Raven's dark energy engulfed the blade and shattered it to nothing more than metallic slivers, all dropping to the floor.
"You and I both know that you are nothing compared to me, I only stay in order to get what I want, after that, well, you had better watch out," Raven threatened, Slade's eye still showing the sign of surprise watching his prized katana be destroyed and reduced to nothing. He reacht out quickly, faster than the boastful Raven could see, gripping her by the throat, squeezing with all his might, dropping her to he knees.
"If you so much as speak in a manner that I dislike, child," he angrily whispered into her ear, "I will kill you in such a way that your friends will beg for death themselves, well, I can grant that as well. You see, Raven, I'm not as stupid as you take me. I know that you are attempting to rebel against me, I know all about your interaction with the green one, and I know that they are going to be looking for us in order to free you, but I will save them the trouble of doing so."
He used his free hand to take out her Titans' communicator from his belt, opening it, turning it on. Raven struggled at his hand at her throat, but his grasp was too great for her to escape from. He only eyed her, depressing the button that allowed the speaker to contact another communicator. After a moment, Robin's face appeared on the screen, him thinking it was Starfire or somebody else, not even looking up from what he was working on.
"Robin here, who am I speaking to?"
"Nothing more than a couple of long lost friends, Robin," Slade eerily hissed, causing him to look up at the communicator with fright.
"Where are you hiding!" he yelled, picking it up, "I swear to God, as soon as we find you, you will pay."
"I'm saving you the trouble of playing hide-and-go-seek with me," Slade informed, "track this and you will find us, won't he Raven?"
He moved the communicator down to her face, her still struggling against him.
"Why don't you say hello Raven, I'm sure Robin would like to hear from the very person that ended his career as a hero, wouldn't he?"
She managed to loosen his grip, allowing her to speak. Before she could say anything, tears started forming in her eyes, giving the shimmering effect off of them.
"Robin," she softly stated, him still glaring at her, unable to say anything in her presence.
"Get her out of my face," Robin demanded, out of being mad at her, as well as keeping it believable in order for their rescue plan to succeed.
"Seems as if things have went south for your friendship, has it not?" Slade asked Robin, letting Raven go, but she remained on her knees, too ashamed to climb to her feet.
"I'm not worried about that, the past is the past," he replied out of rage, "all I do know is that you had better be ready, because as soon as we run into yo-"
"Enough, Robin, you are boring me, besides, you aren't going to be doing anything being confined to that wheelchair, now are you?" Slade taunted with a slight chuckle.
Robin ended the conversation by closing his communicator, the room silent once more.
"Now," Slade stated, tossing the communicator at Raven's knees, "the fun shall begin. You so much as show a hint of rebellion, I will end millions of lives with the push of a single button, I know you don't want me to do that, but if I must, I will. Now go to your quarters and prepare yourself, the next time I summon you, it will almost be guaranteed that you will begin the endgame that will take place."
Raven slowly scooped up the communicator in her hands, caressing it, feeling all of the emotion of her life that she wished to return to dwell inside of it. Her misty, amethyst eyes watched the locator signal light blink red, on and off, showing that it was allowing the Titans to track it.
"If anyone is going to end your life," she managed, him starting to walk away, stopping, turning his head at the sound of her voice, "it will be me, you will die by my hand and no one else's."
Slade chuckled, staring at Raven as she rose to her knees, putting the communicator in one of her own pouches on her belt.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Raven" he mocked, "and hypothetically, if anyone were to have a marginal chance of completing such a task, it would be you, but again, I have taught you everything you know, so you had best watch yourself."
She started making her way to her room, mentally preparing herself for what laid ahead of her.
"I will strike without hesitation at the first chance I get, I won't if there are innocent lives at hand, but if they managed to find those devices," she thought, passing numerous robots in the corridor, all of them preparing for the battle that was destined to take place, marching in single file, all glancing at Raven as she passed them.
Raven smirked as she activated the keypad on her door that opened it.
"Actually," she quietly commented out loud, "Slade hasn't taught me everything."
She gripped her hand into a fist, allowing her dark energy to surge over it, a smile creeping across her face.
"He will regret pissing me off, he should know better," she thought, "he did the same to my father, but he won't do it to me, I will not go down like this. Also, the sooner this all ends, the better, the better chance I have of going back to what I once was, loved, and enjoyed being. Besides, I'm sick of seeing black and orange all the time, I really wish I had my own clothing still, the only clothes I actually liked, seeing how I can't wear anything blue."
