Chapter Seven: Truth and Reconciliation
Raven stormed down the passageway and then up the staircase, brushing by several passengers on the way. At 'A' deck, she went outside, put up her hood, and walked toward the stern. She had to get her bearings again to get to where she wanted to be; on the fantail.
After some confusion, going down several flights of stairs both in and outside of the skin of the ship, she finally found her way aft. Several other passengers stepped clear of her, startled by her rather frightening appearance.
When she finally arrived at the fantail, she finally rested her arms on the railing. She focused her eyes on the ship's frothy wake, while trying to clear her mind. She sighed heavily.
Raven's entire stay had been one, massive headache. The trip back in time hadn't agreed with her at all. Even by staying in the past had given her a sense of unease: her powers gave her a set of 'oneness' with her environment. Now that she was no longer in her own time (much less her own clothes), she felt a nagging sensation that she was out of place.
She also was annoyed at being something of a tour guide for the Titans on the ship. Compounding that, of course, was having to share a room with Terra. Not only did she feel uneasy with her, but she and Starfire could strike up seemingly endless conversations, as well as their combined snoring at night.
And now Robin was proposing on changing history. Raven saw it not only as preposterous, but dangerous as well. It was amongst her teachings when she lived in Azarath; that things happen for a reason, regardless whether they occurred in the past, present, or future. Such a fundamental belief was part of her meditation. It amongst the reasons she was rather submissive to her fate of ending the world. Fortunately, she was able to bring about a new story for herself. It didn't include changing history, however.
Just thinking about it upset her; she practically growled in anger. How was she going to get through this while her friends cavorted around the ship, trying to prevent the oncoming disaster? Could she stop them, in order to preserve history? It hardly seemed feasible; they would never forgive her. Nor perhaps would they forgive her if she merely stood by and did nothing. She sighed. Perhaps she ought to return to Azarath and live with her mother.
She began to consider that option, when something caught her attention. A child and his father were playing a few yards from her. They appeared to be from the third, or steerage, class; poor immigrants looking for a better life in America. They seemed so full of promise, so hopeful, obviously unaware of the possible fate that awaited them in the near future. Her gaze concentrated on the child. He looked so innocent and happy as he played with his father. He was so vibrant, more so than she could remember being. Then, she noticed a group of children playing some other game elsewhere. She watched them for several minutes as well. A wave of sadness now passed over her.
She began to walk to the bow. As she did, she noticed other families, other children in other classes. They all were enjoying themselves in some fashion, showing promise for whatever the future might hold.
A feeling of guilt began to build in Raven's mind. Soon, it was a physical sensation. Eventually, it became too much for her, so she ran! It was frustrating trying to find her way, but she managed to make her way to the forecastle. She ran to the railing overlooking the prow. Once there, she collapsed onto the deck and started crying.
'Terra was right.' she thought. 'I betrayed my friends, betrayed everything they stand for! I was such a fool!' Raven could not believe how selfish she had acted! It was not in her character, so way did she act that way?
'Could it just be all the stress? All the aggravation?' Raven considered that thought. Perhaps she was so disoriented, she couldn't think straight. She chuckled at that thought and wiped her tears away. She stood up and was about to go back to the cabin, but hesitated. She stood at the railing again, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back, catching the full sea breeze. She breathed deeply, letting her frustrations fade.
Meanwhile, in the cabin, the Titans sat down in disbelief.
"Tell me I imagined all that." said Robin. "Tell me a member of my team didn't actually refuse to help save people and just walked out the door."
Terra sighed. "I'm afraid it happened, Robin. Raven's a traitor to our cause."
Cyborg glared at her. "You're one to talk!" he snapped.
"Don't go there with her, Cy!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Why don't you come and say it to my face, tin man?" Terra challenged, getting to her feet.
Starfire had had enough of this. "Sit down, friends!" she exclaimed, standing between them. "I am getting frustrated with the fighting between us! Such behavior invites the Rekmus!"
Terra was confused. "Huh?" she asked.
"That is when friends drift apart and their friendship dies." Starfire explained. "I have seen such a happening once with us, and that one time was enough. I have no desire to see it again!" She sat down again and sighed.
"Why not explain all that to Raven?" Beast Boy asked. "She's being a real brat now."
Starfire thought for a moment. "Raven is obviously troubled by something. We must give her time to work out her troubles."
Robin stood up. "In the meantime," he began. "We need to figure out a plan for saving the ship." The others nodded. Cyborg spoke next.
"You know, Raven does have a point. History is going to change somehow from what we do here."
"You're not considering doing what she's suggesting, are you?" Beast Boy interjected.
"No, of course not!" Cyborg replied. "I'm just saying we have to be careful about how we're going to do this."
"Cyborg's right." said Robin, taking his seat again. "We have to think of something that will work without making too big an impression."
"How do you mean?" Starfire asked.
"We can't make it obvious that we, the Teen Titans, were here in 1912. We have to have as little impact on history as possible, aside from saving the ship."
"So, a mass evacuation in my mouth won't work, huh?" Beast Boy asked. The others glared at him. "Just a thought!" he smiled back.
"If only Raven was here, she could help us." Terra said.
"How's that?" Beast Boy asked her.
"She knows the ship better then us, thanks to her mind meld or whatever that was she did." the geomancer replied. "I just hope she'll lighten up enough to at least help us with that."
"I hope so, too." Starfire said. "She is very helpful when things are at their worst."
Beast Boy sighed. "Yeah, she has that knack, doesn't she?"
He still was upset at the mystic for her bit of fun with him earlier. He tried to get it out of his head. After all, he once did a similar thing to Starfire. 'But that was an accident.' he thought. 'What Raven did was on purpose.' He rubbed his temples. 'God, I wonder if Terra's attitude toward Raven is coming on to me!' He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.
"Alright guys, we don't have time to worry about Raven now." Robin said. "Let's look at our options here and see what can be done." The others agreed and began their discussions.
Not surprisingly to Cyborg, none of Beast Boy's suggestions were practical, ranging from becoming a giant squid and forcing the ship to change course, to giving the whole ship food poisoning, to stopping up the toilets. Cyborg's suggestions included somehow cutting off the power, sending some sort of distress signal on the ship's radio, and jamming the ship's engines. None were entirely subtle enough for Robin, plus they wouldn't even know how to do those things. Terra suggested making a new island with her powers to block the ship, but that could have greater consequences for history. Plus, the water was very deep where at, so Terra wasn't even sure if her powers would even work. Robin could not think of anything that might be useful. He knew almost nothing about the ship, and was unwilling to try anything drastic.
A suggestion by Starfire seemed the best; on the night of the disaster, she could push the ship away from the iceberg. It was the best they had, though it would require good timing, not to mention a risk of damaging the hull. After all, the Titanic was nearly 900 feet long (882 feet and 9 inches to be exact), and with the force of Starfire pushing on one point of the great structure, there was a good chance she could put great stress on the mid-section and crack the hull.
"Your idea seems the best, Star." Robin said. He sighed. "I wish Raven was here. She might think of a better option, or just agree with this plan."
Starfire walked to Robin and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be okay, Robin."
He held her hand. "Thanks."
Watching the exchange between them, Beast Boy walked over to Terra and did the same. She looked at him and smiled, taking his hand and kissing it.
Cyborg scoffed. 'Feel like I'm in some chick flick!' he thought.
Just then, the door opened; Raven had returned.
"Well, look who's back!" Cyborg exclaimed.
Terra snickered. "Yep, back again! Raven's back!"
She glared at her. "Shut up." she snapped, closing the door. Terra nodded, both she and Beast Boy chuckling. Raven sat down.
"So, you feeling better?" Robin asked.
She nodded. "I changed my mind."
"Does it work better now?" Beast Boy asked.
Robin had enough of his jokes. "Beast Boy, just shut the fuck up, okay?" The changeling nodded, a bit embarrassed.
"Thank you, Robin." said Raven, smiling.
"Now," Robin began. "You're okay now with helping us?"
"Yes." she replied. "I was out of hand and out of character. I haven't quite been myself since we got here."
"But now you are, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now, we've been thinking of various ways we can help save the ship." He told her of the various plans they thought of (except for Beast Boy's ideas), laying emphasis on Starfire's suggestion. Raven nodded.
"Her plan seems the best." she said. "But I agree about the risk of damage." She sighed, thinking of a plan of her own. She then snapped her fingers. "Wait! Instead of pushing the ship, we could push the iceberg away!"
"Of course!" exclaimed Robin. "That'll work!"
"You sure about that?" Cyborg said.
"Why not?" asked Raven.
"Well," he replied, "Most of an iceberg is underwater, right? So, if Star pushes it from the top, she could wind up pushing it off balance, capsizing it and have it smash into the ship."
Starfire gasped. "That would be awful!" she said.
Raven sighed. Then, her expression brightened. "Well, if that's the case, we push the whole thing, not just the top."
Robin stared at her. "What do you mean?"
"Simple." she replied. "I use my powers to shove it aside."
"Can you do that?" Beast Boy asked.
"I moved buildings with my powers. And once, I had to lift the Titan's Tower island."
"But you had help." Terra said.
"True." Raven snapped her fingers again. "Say Terra, think you can help me with the thing?"
"What? How?"
"Well, an iceberg is as hard as a rock, so do you think that your powers might be able to affect it?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't see why not. Sure, let's try it!"
Robin stood up. "All right now, looks like we have a plan, Titans!"
"Finally!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "What do you say we go out and have some fun on this thing, huh? I'm bored!"
Robin laughed. "Sure, I don't see why not." He turned to face Raven. "Lead the way, Miss Roth!"
She glared at him. "Follow me, Drake the snake!" Robin stared at her, wide eyed.
"I meant it as a compliment!" the mystic said, snickering.
Terra laughed aloud. "Raven, for someone so cynical, you sure do have a dirty mind!"