DISCLAIMER: I don't own the titans, nor do I own anything affiliated with them. I do, however, retain the right to call any unique characters I create my intellectual property. That about sums up the disclaimer. Have fun reading the story!
If you're reading this, than you must have read the previous chapter, too! I'm glad my fanfic has kept your interest so far. Did you remember to leave a comment? I really would appreciate it!
Now, on with the story.
"My car!" The vehicle had hardly come to a stop before Cyborg was on his hands and knees, inspecting the front suspension for damage.
"Cracked axle, loose bumper, and two broken headlights. Oh, someone's gonna pay dearly for- WHAT?" Raven jabbed him a second time with her elbow, motioning to the spectacle that lay before them. At the sight, the robotic young man's expression went from agitated to grim in a heartbeat.
Confused and disorientated, the titans took a few seconds to adjust to everything that had just happened. Taking in the scene revealed a wide-eyed figure, looking on to the group with both admiration and relief. A glance to the side showed some forty men in biohazard outfits situated at various points along the walkway, each holding some weapon which alternatively pointed first at the youth, and then at these new intruders.
As usual, Beast Boy was the first to break the silence, though his voice was much more somber than the other titans were accustomed to.
"Dude, he just tore up the road like it was nothing." Casting a frown at the green boy, Robin shook his head.
"No, he didn't. He used some kind of power. Did you see his eyes right before we overtook him? They were glowing gold, just like…" Unable to finish his thought, the Boy Wonder fell silent. It was Starfire who spoke the words everyone was thinking. Her voice was tinged with sorrow and amazement all at the same time.
"Like Terra."
That single thought raced through all five of their minds. Raven and Cyborg exchanged glances, unsure what to make of the situation. At the sound of their leader's voice, both looked back to see what was going on.
Keeping a close eye on the weapon toting figures off to the side, Robin addressed the young man still crouched down low behind the earthen slope.
"Who are you?" Getting up slowly, the battered youth locked two piercing hazel eyes on the figure before him. His face held a grave expression, and his answer was set in a low voice, almost as if he were fearful of his own words.
"You have to help me. If they take me back, I'll be killed." The masked boy gave the young man a surprised look. Before he could ask anything else, the youth continued on, a bit more hurried than before. He gestured towards the swarm of HAZMAT suits lining the street.
"These…things are called 'seekers'. They're from an institute deep within the city where people like me are experimented on and subjected to horrible things." His voice was beginning to take on a tinge of fear as he continued, his eyes widening with such intensity that Robin casually placed one hand on a bird-a-rang, just in case.
"They want me back for their research; I'm no more than an animal to them!" His features darkened suddenly, and it was as if he went into a trance as his mouth moved without sound. The inner struggle lasted only a few moments, and it was with large, wet eyes that the youth once again regarded the small group before him.
"Help me, please." Each titan regarded the young man with a sense of compassion, but what surprised them all was when Raven stepped forward, placing a hand on the masked boy's shoulder and offered a hopeful nod.
Robin regarded the gifted teen seriously. He still was unsure what exactly had led up to this point, and he was definitely not going to take any chances where his team's safety was at stake. Slowly, he nodded his head, and the young man visibly relaxed.
"Ahem." All heads turned towards the heart of the seeker swarm. From the center of the crowd stepped a tall, thin man wearing a pure black, form fitting bio-containment suit. His features were almost entirely hidden behind the heavily tinted faceplate built into the headgear, though a set of piercing blue eyes could be seen nonetheless. As he made his way towards the cluster of teens, Robin happened to glance over to his side.
The youth had blanched white, obviously recognizing the approaching figure. His hands were shaking, and it looked as if it was everything he could do just to stay standing.
To say the least, Robin had a bad feeling about this whole situation. The best he could do right now was move to intercept the figure so that he placed himself between the leader and the terrified youth. His other thoughts would have to wait, though, for the man was now standing right in front of him, bowing low.
"I apologize for any inconvenience this young man might have caused you. Of course, I would be more than happy to reimburse you for any damages sustained by your vehicle due to his actions. If you would simply step aside, I will gladly remove him from your presence." He was already moving forward, and when Robin did not budge, there was no choice left for the man but to take a reluctant step back. Suspicion began to creep into the masked teen's mind.
"First, I want to know who you are." The figure before him seemed distressed by the question, but quickly put on a more pleasing expression.
"Where are my manners? I am Doctor Morgan Wraith, at you service." With his words came another deep bow before he continued.
"Now, as for the matter of that young lad behind you…" Still skeptical of this whole ordeal, the Boy Wonder stole a glance over his shoulder. The mysterious youth had regained most of his color, as well as his spirit. Both hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his glare burning a hole through the man some fifteen feet away.
Unperturbed, the doctor looked over Robin's shoulder, gave a cold smile, and waved. That was more than enough to ignite the fire building within the young man. He regarded the figure before him through gritted teeth.
"Stop this." An amused expression played itself across the doctor's face as he ignored Robin for the moment and instead set his full attention on the figure before him.
-
At the same time, the remaining titans regarded these newcomers with trepidation and scrutiny.
"I am uncertain what the intention of this 'Doctor Morgan Wraith' is, but I do not think that it is good." A skeptical Beast Boy regarded the Tameranian girl with a doubtful look.
"I dunno Star, we don't know anything about him. He could be on our side."
"Say what! Did you not see the look on that kid's face when Dr. Wrath or whatever walked over to Robin? He was totally freakin' out." Cyborg crossed his arms over his huge metallic chest and shook his head.
"There is definitely something wrong with this guy." At that, the conversation stopped for a few seconds before all eyes eventually turned towards Raven, who currently had her face hidden beneath the shadow of her hood. Ignoring them at first, she eventually sighed and responded in her usual monotone voice.
"What?" Beast Boy regarded her curiously; as if he was surprised she had even had to ask.
"C'mon Raven, don't you have anything to say?" The pale young woman looked at each titan in turn, her features staying as emotionless as ever.
"We don't know any more than what we see before us. There may be something going on here that we have no way of understanding right now. I'd rather not make any judgments until Robin can get some more information." Unconvinced, Cyborg raised the question as to whether or not she could use her powers to read the minds of the two people in question. Thinking it over for a few seconds, the young woman eventually nodded her head and began to chant.
She directed her attention at the youth, sending her mind over the short distance between their bodies and seeking admittance into his innermost thoughts. Immediately, she felt heavy resistance to her probing, and was very surprised when the young man whirled around and looked directly at her. When it was understood that she was not threatening him, he lowered his defenses and even went so far as to direct a warm smile her way.
Even with her emotional barrier in place, she still couldn't fully deflect the feelings that heartwarming grin stirred deep inside her. Focusing herself, she cast any such thoughts aside in an instant and set her mind to the task at hand.
What she had said before had been correct. They truly had no idea what was going on here, and it was with a shudder that Raven physically recoiled from the horrible memories swelling up within the handsome youth. Chambers deep underground, experiments running night and day, the near constant pain. The amount of suffering he had gone through was unbearable, and it was with an inadvertant tear running down her cheek that she silently wondered how he had survived, not physically, but mentally. His ability to smile at all was a wonder, as was his emotional control over the torrential river of thoughts and emotions running just below his calm exterior.
She withdrew from his mind slowly, so as not to cause him any discomfort. When she regained her senses, Raven looked back to the youth, wishing to confirm that he had been unhurt by her probing. The expression that met her was that of yet another smile, though unlike before, his features were now full of tenderness and compassion.
When she had scoured his mind, he had likewise been admitted into hers. What he had seen undoubtedly frightened him, though he did a phenomenal job at hiding it. Instead, he only gazed into her eyes, something present in his expression that she could not quite explain…
With a start, it became clear to her.
It was not a look of pity that met her own, nor was it even sympathy. Rather, the young man bestowed an undeniable sense of friendship, as if he was expressing his appreciation that they were, at least in some way, kindred spirits. At her understanding, his features brightened and took on the form of a large grin. Her mind was taken away in thoughts she had never known before, and it was with the greatest of ease that she returned his smile, however slight it may have been, with a slight sparkle now evident in her eyes.
All of a sudden, a hand dropped down on her shoulder, conveying a heavy grip both gentle and firm. Turning, Raven pulled her cowl even closer about her face in an effort to conceal the gentle blush that had enveloped her cheeks.
At least I put some dialogue in this one, huh? Again, not a lot of action, so I'll be sure to have the next chapter consist mostly of a big brawl, so to speak. Also, it might interest you to know that I have the mainstream idea for this whole fanfic already planned out in my head, so don't worry about there being any lull points that don't add anything to the story.(I'll be sure to eradicate any of those). Also, I just wanted to mention the fact that I have been told the first chapter was confusing.
Good, it should be right now. I promise to make everything clear as the story goes on,but until then I fully intend to keep you in the dark on several aspects of the young elementalist and Dr. Morgan Wraith,(Don't ya just love that name? I know I do.) as well as the mystery girl, Theresa.
I hope you've enjoyed the first two chapters so far. Don't forget to review, too! (I feed off incentive)
