Nametags.

I approached the intimidating front entrance of the Tower. I felt an unsettling sense of closure now that I was covered in nothing but darkness, and the moon's spooky light seemed to completely avoid this particular building and its surrounding premises altogether. I raised a fist and knocked, once twice, three times, and stepped back cautiously. I heard the echo of my hard rapping on the titanium door reverberate through the hollow interior, but no movement ensued.

I waited patiently for a few moments whilst my mind ran over tonight's bizarre string of events. Before I had a chance to mill over my current situation however, the doors in front of me opened slowly inwards and there in front of me stood an abomination.

"Yeah? What is it?" It asked tiredly, its one human eye blinking rapidly in order to stave away sleep whilst its other, robotic red eye simply stared emotionlessly at my still form. I tilted my head upwards in order to meet the stare of this half-man, half-machine creature, with titanium swirls of blue and white molded with slaps of gray that were seen in sporadic intervals. If he were fully human, he would be of African-American descent, however the only skin I managed to spot were on a small section of his skull and face.

"Uh… I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour, but…" I faltered. What the HELL was I going to say? The robotic individual raised a human eyebrow impatiently. "…but I was sent here by an associate who said that you could help me with a problem I've been having." The hulking mass didn't reply, instead he/it nodded calmly and stepped to one side, allowing me sufficient room to pass. I entered, and the doors shut behind me.

"You caught me at a bad time, Mr…?" The towering man spoke as he stooped down to pick up a discarded glass from the dusty carpet.

I tore my gaze from the obviously trashed foyer of the building and faced the metal-man once more. "That is my problem, I don't know, and I was hoping you or the others would." The titanium mass broke the glass that he clutched, and I feared for my life.

He sighed and continued to walk. "There are no others." I halted in mid-progress.

"I do not understand. I was under the impression that there were more then just one."

The man proceeded through the doorway, but I noticed that he carried a heavy heart beneath his steel armor. He didn't bother turning around to address me, only spoke over his shoulder in a manner that could only suggest that he did not wish for me to see his face. The next two words would strike a blow to my heart the likes of which would take an age or more to recover from. My final lead, my last hope at finding out who I really am, who I was, who I shall become, was torn away from me by the cruel hands of fate.

Lady Luck's a bitch.

"They're dead."

I experienced tunnel vision. I experienced euphoria, deep depression, sadness, happiness, and they all co-mingled to create one single emotion that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

I felt despair. Clear and utter despair. Why? I didn't know these people. Did I? This cannot be, they can't be dead, the fates can't be that cruel to me, can they? Did I perhaps do something in a past life that led me to suffer the consequences now, when I am at my most vulnerable state? Why must I ask these questions, when all I really need to find out was my name?

"How?"

The one question I could tell the sad lump of metal and bones did not wish to hear. Perhaps he was fed up recalling that fateful moment, perhaps he simply did not believe himself when he recollected those memories from a dark corner of his circuitry. "If you're suffering from amnesia, then I suggest you go to the police or the hospital, I'm sure they could help you." He said in a low, melancholic tone. I fell to my knees and cradled my head in my hands.

My final lead… except for The Smiling Assassin…

"You don't understand." I began, fighting brutally hard to keep my voice steady. "I have nowhere else to go. I have no home, or at least, none that I know of, no family, and only a note in my pocket directing me here. To top this night off, the one woman who seemed like she had the capability to help me was killed by the police, and in her dying breath she directed me here. What do you suppose I do now?"

"Go to someone else. Find someone else, I don't care. I haven't cared in a while now. Just leave." He said so coldly, I could almost see his lips turn blue.

"I can't leave. I have come so far, you don't under-." I attempted to finish, but the man I was addressing, who I would later come to know as Victor, snapped in anger at that point. "No, you don't understand. We have spent our whole lives helping the down-trodden, the weak, the pathetic, like you, only to have ourselves spat on, sneered at, for reasons even to this day I still don't know. But we persevered, we continued fighting the good fight, wasting away our teenage years doing something that we knew deep down wouldn't last. And then one of us decided to leave and return to us in a casket, and that was the end of that. I can't help you, only the proper authorities can, now get out of my house."

I finally admitted defeat. There was no bargaining with him, he was beyond reasoning. "Very well then. I can see that I wasted my time in coming here." I sighed in utter hopelessness. "I'll go now." I spun on my heel and began to walk towards the exit of the building, only to hear the only remaining Titan, Victor, call for me to halt. I did so, and turned around once again. The thunder rumbled in deep baritones across the sinister black sky. "Look, I haven't, you know, 'been a Titan' for a couple of years now, and you caught me just when I was about to leave this place for good, as you can see-." He waved his white titanium hand carelessly around him "but I might be able to help you out." He sighed sadly and sat roughly down upon a lounge-room sofa, which squeaked loudly beneath his substantial bulk. It's just that, I've been living here, by myself, for six months now. The rest of the Titans are long gone, and if they're not dead then obviously they simply don't care about being a Titan anymore." He turned to me with a cold as stone face and continued "Tell you what, come in, get yourself a good sleep, because I can tell that you've been through a lot, and tomorrow we'll figure this mess out. However, if we're not able to sort it all by the end of this week, then I can't help you anymore, because I'm leaving interstate. Do we have a deal?"

For the second time tonight, I smiled in true appreciation of my change in luck. "Deal." I grinned, and extended my hand. He took it, and thus our friendship was formed.

However, I was perplexed by something, and I decided to voice it. "If your airplane leaves at the end of this week, then how come you were leaving tonight?"

Victor smiled grimly. "This house holds too many memories, each more painful then the last. Besides, it's simply too much house for one robot to handle."

I nodded silently. "Thank you, er…?"

"Victor. Victor Stone. Don't mention it. Just go upstairs and take any room you want apart from the ones with the name-tags, got it?"

"Understood. I guess I'll see you in the morning then?" Victor nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah. Then we can get a start on finding out who you are."

I picked myself up and proceeded towards the stairway. Each step I took upwards reminded me how of much my body had been through, and with each foot after another that I placed, I felt myself getting heavier, and my knees bent more sharply after each step. I eventually reached the next level without fainting from exhaustion, and literally dragged my feet to a spare bedroom. I spotted one room on the left wall, and quickly headed towards it, but my heart sank slightly once I noticed a name-tag on it. It read 'Robin', and as I drew closer I also noticed that the door was slightly ajar, so sparing a quick glance up and down the hallway, I stuck my head through the opening. The room was dead, and not a sigh emanated from its dark depths. I could tell that the occupant, this Robin, was a perfectionist of sorts, from the way the bed was immaculately done and not a speck of mess or dirt lay on the ground. I stepped in cautiously and ran my finger over a bedside cabinet. It was thick with dust, and my finger left a shaky trail in the deep grey blanket.

No-one had used this room, nor even stepped in for quite a while. The air was thick with lingering particles, and I could feel the secrets it held. I closed my eyes and opened my mind, allowing lost thoughts from a happier time, a time not so long ago in fact, to seep in.

The True Master…

Training here wasn't enough…

Four people amusing themselves with his costume…

I smirked slightly, but then I was struck with a heavy arrow laden with sadness and despair. These people had definitely seen easier times, and now they're gone. Their shouts of joy, their laughter, their smart remarks, nothing more then a fleeting memory, an echo within an echo, a gleam in a certain member's eye…

I bowed my head and walked out, my heart even heavier then when I had entered.

I took a few more steps and noticed another door, with yet another nametag. This tag was labeled 'Beast-B-.' I was unable to make out the rest, as someone had attempted to tear it off in an obvious fit of rage. Ignoring this, I slid open the door and walked in, only to be confronted with the polar opposite of what I had witnessed before. To call it a pigsty would be to insult our curly-tailed barnyard animals. Clothes and electronics scattered in a haphazard fashion, placed in areas that simply defied gravity. I simply gazed in meek wonder upon this bold outcry against modern conservatism. The thoughts in this room however, were even more tumultuous then the state of the room itself.

Laughter, happiness…

Enjoyment, fulfillment…

Sadness? Heartbreak…

Betrayal.

Yes, this room has been through plenty. As I attempted to pry more into the history of the bedroom, my conscious mind kicked in, and I found myself running one question through my head: "How can I tell all this?"

I don't know! I acted on reflex, almost as if it was a sixth sense. I exited the room sadly. This member was betrayed. I know that much. I also know that it scarred him for life. Is that why he has gone?

I found my way to another room. I placed my palm on the gunmetal-gray door, only to retract it quickly as though I had been scalded. I read the nametag. 'Raven'

This door was harder to open then the others, but with some prying and pulling I managed to widen the gap large enough for me to slip through. One word simply crossed my mind as I lay my eyes upon this room. 'Wow'. A bookcase groaning with the combined weight of ancient tomes stood dauntingly to my left, adorned with pieces of abstract art and a curious pair of theatrical masks. The bed was circular and neatly covered in purple bed sheets as it rested in the center of the room. I swung my head around me. Everywhere I looked I saw depressing shades, darkened colours and a saddened soul. This room was haunted…

I approached a large vanity bench with a large mirror that enabled me to gaze upon my gaunt face once more, and noticed a beauty mirror lying on the floor just beside it.

Depression…

Fear… Sadness…

Love?

Heartbreak…

I lowered my hand slowly and reached for it.

Bravery… Sadness…Anger…Intelligence…

"Stop…"

I bolted upright, my eyes flicking to every corner of the room in order to spot the source of the mysterious voice.

"What are you doing… Get out of my room…"

Get. Out. I clutched my head, which felt as if it was being fed daggers through openings that shouldn't exist. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth in order to dull the pain. It was not enough.

"Get out of my room! Now!"

I lost my composure, along with my balance, and fell flat on my back. The room was no longer standing eerily still, but rather swirling madly, dancing like a drunken jester during Christmas Eve. It was anything but cheerful though. I felt the heat get sucked out of every single cell in my body, and I shivered instinctively. I managed to get back on my feet and with a silent cry I stumbled out of the room, clutching my heart with the same vigor as I was my head. I took a deep breath, but it felt as if the air had been chilled as well, and my lungs felt constricted. I shut the door wildly behind me and attempted to make my way to an empty room.

Two doors down, I found one, and I collapsed on the bed in utter exhaustion. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.