T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T
Wayne Industries
February 6, 2006
11:38 pm
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The dark blanket of night had fallen on Jump City.
From the rooftops to the alleyways, shadow squelched all but the brightest of light. The only guide for the night owls of the city were the streetlights and luminated windows of the tall skyscrapers.
Near the very center of the city stood the tower for Wayne Industries' Jump City branch. The massive words shined like a beacon at the very top of the huge building.
Down below, the low rumble of a red motorcycle could be heard...
Slowly, Robin was circling the block of the tower, his eyes scanning the area for anything suspicious. So far he had seen nothing except the passing of cars in nighttime traffic and the occasional senior citizen.
Occasionally he would glance up to see Superboy and Starfire patrolling the dark sky above.
'Where are you hiding Slade,' his mind and heart raced at the thought of finally catching the villain, however he, nor his apprentice "The Ravager" had made a move.
Little did the terrorist know that the Titans had set a trap for him. The tower was crawling with JCPD, and the Titans had taken positions all around and inside the building. No one was getting in without them knowing, and no one would be escaping without a fight.
At least, that was what he had planned.
His gloved tightened on the handlebars of his vehicle as he circled the block once more.
"This is Robin. Everyone, check in and report your status."
A response came quickly, "This is Nightstar, nothing to report here on the roof-"
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"-Everything is clear," she finished, taking quick looks back and forth between the rooftops and her communicator. She was crouched on top of the letter "A", the highest vantage point she could find. The soft wind comforted her. Despite her inability to fly, being close to the sky did bring her a sense of peace.
It also granted her a complete view of the city below, and yet after close to four and a half hours of waiting, she had seen nothing.
Starfire's voice sounded from the yellow communicator, "This is Starfire, the sky is vacant of any evildoers."
Nightstar's cyan eyes caught sight of her mother, flying circles around the top of the tower. The two hadn't said a word to each other since the garden, and the half-Tamaranean felt a pang of guilt at that moment.
She hated it when she felt guilty about something, and in the back of her mind she resolved to make it up to the cheerful alien when she could. Such thoughts of reconciliation didn't ease her heavy heart however.
"Okay, what in the hell are we looking for again," Superboy complained over the line for possibly the tenth time that night. She smirked a bit. Leave it to Superboy to help her take her mind off of things in his own..."unique"... way.
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"Anything suspicious," Robin replied over the communicator. Superboy held the yellow device to his chin, soaring in the night sky in between a line of buildings.
"Listen bird-brain. Where I come from astral demons NOT roaming the streets is suspicious, so a definition would be appreciated," he commented.
"Check for anyone leaping rooftops or trying to gain access to the sewer systems below. Also look out for zip-lines," Robin responded. It sounded like he was gritting his teeth inbetween words.
"And if I see anything suspicious?"
"Shoot first, ask questions later."
The red and blue clad teen grinned as he increased his altitude, flying high to get a could view of the main roads, "I like the way you think Rob, but this is getting old quick. This is like...the fifth bug I've swallowed."
Sounds of disgust and nausea swept over the communicator from multiple frequencies.
Robin ignored the comment, although he inwardly swore he would get the Boy of Steel back for that one.
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"That goes double for everyone else. Slade is too dangerous to take lightly," Robin's voice could be heard on Sentinel's wrist communicator. Menagerie was close by, listening in.
The two had taken their position inside of a long white hall, the fluorescent light buzzing above their heads. They were blocking a set of huge steel doors with a large combination lock. Inside the room behind them was the Neutron Pulse Warhead.
Simply put, it was like a miniature nuclear device, capable of taking out several city blocks. A dangerous weapon that the Titans were determined not to let Slade get his hands on.
"Understood Robin. If they get this far, we'll know what to do," Sentinel said, his deep voice filled with an almost zen-like calm. It was a sharp contrast to Menagerie's slightly pitched breathing. It was the waiting that was getting to her. The tension of not knowing when the hammer would fall.
Menagerie looked at the doors on the other side of the hall, remembering that a whole squad of JCPD officers were lying in wait, ready to spring the trap.
"What if this Ravager person doesn't show up?" she asked him.
"The Ravager will appear. I have faith in Robin's skills. One way or another we will be squaring off with him tonight," he admitted.
Her ears drooped a little, "...I was afraid of that."
"Don't worry," Sentinel's voice fell to a more gentler tone, and his more empathic side showed a little, "Your still new to this team. In the four months you've been with us I've seen you improve greatly. This stakeout will be easy."
"You...You've been watching me?" she asked, a hint of anticipation in her voice.
"Of course. How else can I train you?" he blinked, unsure of what she meant.
Menagerie sighed, "Your a dummy..."
"What?"
"Dummy..."
"What'd I say?"
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Sergeant Miller's voice arose on the communicator, "Don't worry guys. We're right behind you. We've got a barricade set up in the holding room, and patrols all through the building. No one's getting past us without a fight."
Cyborg smirked, slapping the Sergeant on the back, "And you've got us, in case you forgot." The mechanical man grinned down at Geoforce.
The blond teen nodded with a smile, "Yeah...we're professionals!"
The white suited police officer cocked his head to the side, "Really now? How many operations like this have YOU done?"
A pause.
"Okay...," he pointed to Cyborg, "HE'S a professional." Geoforce sheepishly admitted.
Another guard turned to the smaller Titan, "And what does that make you?"
"...A newbie."
A third guard chuckled, "I was thinking mascot but newbie works."
Another guard shook his head, "Nah, that's the green one."
"The young girl in the hallway ahead?"
"No, not her...Man. She was cute though. If I was in High School again I'd so go for it."
"You still can, just say your sixteen with ten years experience."
"Oh that's wrong!"
The large Titan cracked up laughing. It was a good way to take their minds off of how dangerous their situation was. If all other Titans failed, it would be up to them to keep Slade's apprentice, and possibly even the madman himself at bay.
Cyborg's laughter subsided as that notion filled his thoughts, for he knew if that happened, they would be as good as dead.
"It's all good in here Robin," he soberly reported.
"Same here. They alleyway leading to the Tower's secret entrance is also clear-"
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"Nothing but the rats and Beast Boy for company," Raven remarked, checking in. The sorceress' gaze noticed that her teammate was leaning up against a stone wall, his communicator still on his belt. His green eyes were hidden from her as he watched the cars passing by in the street beyond.
"Alright Titans. I want radio silence from here on out. No contact unless you catch something suspicious. This is Robin, over and out."
She closed the communicator in her pale fingers and slid it back onto her belt. Her eyes never left Beast Boy who was as silent and still as a statue. A small shiver went up Raven's spine, before she eased herself towards him.
"It's too quiet...," the green teen commented. Raven couldn't help but be amused at his choice of words, "I agree. Silence doesn't suit you."
He snorted, almost disdainfully, "I meant the Tower. Slade should have shown up by now. The sadistic bastard is toying with us."
Lavender eyes went wide at the young boy, "Beast Boy..."
She could hear the leather of his gloves tightening, "When I get my hands on him. I'll make him wish he'd never come to this town."
"Garfield...," she pleaded, using his real name this time. His left ear twitched and he turned his head to her, "What?"
Raven jumped. She had only seen Beast Boy this angry twice since she had known him, "Your not yourself right now. You need to focus." He blinked and tried to breath some of the fire out of his lungs.
Whenever his adrenaline got this high, the Beast sometimes arose within him. He would go from being the Titan's resident clown and prankster into a ravenous monster. Luckily he had thus far been able to control it.
"All those people Rae," she listened almost forgetting she hated that nickname. "They never did anything to him and he slaughtered them all. And for what? It isn't fair..."
"Gar...This is Slade we're talking about," she pointed out, trying to subdue her almost instinctive sarcasm.
His voice fell to a low shudder, "He took her from me..."
It hit Raven like a ton of bricks. The pure emotions she felt burning within him. Terra. How long had it been? Even she couldn't really remember. It was a memory all of the Titans had tried to put behind them. Then there was his recent spell with the ex-superheroine.
"Garfield, she chose her own path."
"You think I don't know that? Rae...I want Slade. I want him to pay for what he did to us," he seethed, his eyes tightly shut.
Cool fingers ran along the edge of his neck, as Raven brought him into a slow embrace. They held each other for what felt like an eternity.
"Revenge won't change anything Beast Boy. It won't bring her back and it can't heal the pain in your heart. Such feelings are a mask to hide your pain. Don't hide from it. Become stronger from it," she told him in a soft voice that betrayed her usual monotone.
The elf contemplated on her words, slowly sliding away from her. A small smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Thanks Rae..."
She would have told him more, if not for the interruption of her communicator, beeping out the Titan's theme. To this day she still wondered why Cyborg chose such an annoying ringtone.
"This is Ra-"
"I SAW SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS!"
"...Good for you Superboy."
"No, I mean it! On top of the roof. Someone was running on the roofs!"
Robin intervened on the commlink, "Did you stop them?"
"Not quite. He kind of...poofed."
An irritated Robin was forced to beg the question, "Poofed?"
"Poofed! Vanished! Disappeared!"
Raven looked up and saw Superboy flying above them, pointing incessantly at the rooftop of a building nearby.
"Robin...Beast Boy and I will check it out. If nothing more than to shut him up."
"Very well. Everyone else, hold your positions."
Raven closed her communicator once more and began to float up into the sky, while Beast Boy transformed into an Pterodactyl. With a mighty flap of it's large wings it followed close behind.
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Officer Oliver opened his wide mouth and yawned, staring boredly at the multitude of television feeds in the security room. It was like something out of Star Wars. Computers and stations everywhere, with black uniformed security officers and a few white clad JCPD.
"Christ, they don't pay me enough to do this...," he muttered to himself when a female officer leaned over to his console.
"Oliver...What's that on your infrared feed?" she asked, pointing at what appeared to be a faint sliver of sharp bright colors on an otherwise bland gray background of a hallway.
He groaned, "Not now Sharon, I'm really tired of your jokes."
"Would you just look!" she barked.
With a sigh he glanced at the small screen to his right and immediately did a double-take, "What the-?" he typed a few keystrokes on his computer and zoomed in.
"What unit is closest to Sector Six?" he asked in his headset microphone.
"This is JCPD Unit 421. I'm near the stairwell that leads to the 20th Floor," a voice answered back.
"Yeah, this is Security Command. I'm getting some strange readings from the entrance to the pulse grenade wing. Could you check it out?"
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"I'm on it," The armored police officer said as he walked down the fluorescent lit hallway. The only sound that could be heard was the echo of his boots on the linoleum.
Through his red visored helmet he glanced around, looking for any intruders as he made his way to the lobby and vacant reception desk.
He spoke into his headset, "Sector Six. The check-in lobby right?"
"Right...I see you on the monitor. It should be right there in front of you!"
The policeman turned from side to side, raising his red and gray rifle, "I don't see a thing! There's no one in here!" He took his helmet off to get a better look, but his eyes still saw nothing.
But his ears heard it...The sound of heavy breathing, like someone was breathing in a mask.
It dawned on the officer, too little too late.
"HE'S CLOAKED!" he managed to scream, before an invisible fist drove itself into his nose and silenced him.
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BREEEE-BREEEE-BREEEE!
"Warning! Perimeter Breach. 20th Floor has been infiltrated! Intruder has a cloaking device. Use extreme caution!"
Six armored police officers ran through the hallway, guns raised and at the ready at they rushed to get to their fallen comrade.
SLAM!
A loud thud caused the officers to halt and turn to their rear. One of the six had been tripped and was sprawled out on the floor. A second later his helmet shattered beneath an invisible blow.
The remaining guards aimed their guns and fired into the air, hoping to hit the unseen target. Two gun barrels fell to the floor almost instantly, sliced off. Their users were brought down just as quickly, their chestplates buckling under covert strikes.
One of the officers cried out, feeling his arm being grabbed from behind and twisted back, putting him into an arm lock. Joints cracked and bones broke under the strong grip of his unknown assailant. His two fellow officers aimed their guns at him.
"No! Don't shoot!" he pleaded. The guards hesitated, unsure of what to do. It was all the time their "ghost" needed, shoving the incapacitated officer into them.
A red blast followed, and the officers found themselves trapped in a strange net.
A strange net shaped like an "X"...
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The loud sounds of gunshots cold be heard behind the entrance to the lab hallway.
"Robin, did you get that?" Sentinel spoke into his communicator, a glowing metal fist pointing to the doorway in front of them.
"I heard. All Titans, proceed with the plan! Converge on the 20th floor and find the intruder! Sentinel. Menagerie. Hold him off until we get there! Cyborg. Geoforce. Stay in position until called for!"
"Understood," the dark-skinned teen said in a low voice, putting his communicator away. He whipped his arms to his sides, unsheathing two glowing wrist-blades. His eyes remained steady on the entrance of the hallway.
"But...If we can't see him, how can we fight him?" Menagerie asked, getting into an uncertain ready stance.
"Use your sense of smell...I, on the other hand, can see him just fine," his metallic eyes seemed to shift, pupils turning to change into a bright blue.
The gunshots got louder and more frantic as whatever it was came closer and closer.
"Get Ready. And remember," Sentinel's voice dropped to almost a whisper, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Menagerie nodded, a little bolder thanks to his words.
BLAM!
The door flew open with a loud crash, an officer flying through it. The loud footsteps of a person sprinting could be heard. Sentinel's eyes didn't have to worry, seeing the faint outline of a humanoid figure in red and orange colors.
The Titan charged, swinging his blades together like a pair of scissors, just barely missing the figure's invisible neck. The attacker managed to grab both of his arms before he could bring them back to bear and sent a fist into the teen's face.
Sentinel staggered back but recovered, bringing a blade in a downward slash. His blade whistled, hitting nothing. The person he was fighting was quick. VERY quick. With each swing the mysterious man dodged and swerved like a martial arts expert.
To Menagerie, it looked like Sentinel was fighting by himself, and was unsure of where to strike, although her black soul claws were ready at a moment's notice.
The dreadlocked teen spun like a top swinging both blades wildly. The loud clang of clashing metal rang out in the corridor. A hit.
Sentinel sent out a forward kick, managing to catch the figure in what appeared to be his stomach. The Infrared image double over a little, and came at him in a furious rage. The future Titan raised both blades to guard as a the figure struck.
He was just barely able to hold the intruder back, locked in combat. Menagerie raised her claws to strike when the figure spoke.
"You've trained with HIM, haven't you?"
Sentinel gritted his teeth and shoved the invisible stalker away with both arms, "What are you talking about?"
"You...You've trained with The Bat."
This caught the teen off guard, giving the attacker the split second it needed, catching Sentinel in the chin with a sharp heel. The dreadlocked hero fell back, stunned from the blow.
Menagerie gasped and backed away from the scene. She could definitely smell him, but it was of no use if she couldn't see where she was supposed to strike. Her purple eyes nervously shifted in front of her. She couldn't hear him either.
A moment, and she felt it, a pair of arms wrap around her petite body, hugging her arms to her sides. She could hear him breathing, hoarse and sharp like he was wearing a mask.
"Well now...aren't you a cute little thing. I'm liking those ears," the voice whispered, as Menagerie felt a hand caress her cheek.
The green girl blushed angrily as black energy swirled onto her back, unleashing rows and rows of spines, not unlike that of a porcupine. She felt his arms loosen and scrambled from his grasp, "My cloaking device!"
The figure's outline suddenly came into view like a silhouette, then darken, taking on color and detail. The cloaking aura quickly fell, revealing a boy not much taller than Robin in a dark suit and shredded cape. He did indeed wear a mask that resembled a skull with a sharp red "X" on the brow. Unfortunately he was uninjured from the girl's attack.
The dark-haired girl took a few more steps back, enveloping her hands in black claws once more, "Who are you? Slade's new apprentice?"
The teen chuckled, "You wish cutie. The name's X...Red X." He charged, extending a pair of "X" shaped blades from his wrists. Menagerie did a quick back flip to escape his sharp weapons, crouching as she landed. She leaped forward with her right foot, slashing at his chest with one of her claws. Like her spines it did make contact, but did no real damage to the person underneath.
Red X sent a hand out in a quick burst of speed, grabbing the girl's wrist and twisting it sharply into a wrist lock. Menagerie could feel her joint cracking, despite the soul-self covering her limbs. A foot shot out, kicking her square in the face.
The girl's knees buckled, but she didn't go down. Red X mercilessly sent out another kick. And another. And another. Each blow caused the girl to drop down just a little farther, until she was on her knees. As long as he held her wrist tightly in his lock, she was at his mercy.
ZAAAP!
A sonic blast landed right in Red X's face, causing the villain to shuffle back as sound waves assaulted his cranium. He clutched the sides of his mask in pain, but glared straight ahead at a now standing and VERY angry Sentinel. The teen rushed forward with a burst of speed that seemed to defy physics itself, grabbing the masked thief by his face and slamming him into a wall.
The push was so intense that it left a huge dent where the helmet struck the metal wall. Red X struggled under the strong grip of the tall boy, but to no avail.
"Let me-!"
"SHUT UP!" Sentinel commanded, raising a wrist blade to the villain's throat. "Menagerie. Call Robin."
"No need," Robin said, entering the corridor with Raven and Beast Boy at either side. Superboy eventually followed, staying in the doorway in case X tried to escape. The Boy of Steel couldn't help but admire the thief for a moment, "Cool costume."
Red X gave a sarcastic, "Thanks."
Beast Boy smirked, noting the capture of Robin's second arch-nemesis, "Way to go new-!"
Sentinel's glare cut the elf's compliment short, "Eeep!"
Robin closed in on Red X. The Boy Wonder reached down to his belt and unclipped it, the suit powering down. The thief was now almost completely defenseless and Robin knew it.
"Alright X...Or should I say, Ravager." Robin accused grabbing X by his throat.
The villainous teen chuckled once more, in that dark mocking laughter, "Your out of your mind..."
Robin tightened his grip, "THIS IS NOT JOKE! PEOPLE ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"Hey Hey Hey!" Red X protested, "I may be a thief and crook, but I'm no murderer!"
Raven tapped Robin's shoulder, "He's telling the truth Robin. He's not the Ravager." The masked teen blinked, but didn't let go, "Wait...He isn't the one Superboy saw on the rooftops?"
Red X answered, "Heck no! I was polite! I used the front door."
Superboy shrugged, "I saw someone...I was a little too far up to see any details. It COULD have been him...Although the figure was kind of thin. And girlish," He looked at Red X with a very careful eye, 'It COULD have been him." The teen couldn't help but take an opportunity to tease the prisoner.
"Not funny," X grumbled.
Beast Boy and Menagerie shared looks of confusion and then worry as a stunned silence filled the corridor.
Sentinel lowered his wrist-blade, his mind going to work to find a solution, "Then if he wasn't the one on the roof, then who was it?"
BOOM!
The loud explosion from the laboratory vault caught everyone's attention.
Beast Boy's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, "That's not good."
"Understatement of the century!" Superboy grumbled, heading to open the door. He grabbed both sides of the vault's lock and pulled to open it. However, he only succeeded in ripping the dial off of its hinge and leaving the door permanently locked.
"Whoops!"
"Understatement of the century...," Raven said with a smirk, raising her hand gracefully towards the door, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted, dark energy pushing the huge metal door forward in an attempt to open it. The vault entrance groaned and squealed, before finally being thrown forward and onto the floor inside the huge room.
Smoke issued forth from the room, along with the sounds of a few guards groaning in pain. As the smoke began to clear a little, one could see the inside of the vault. Its walls resembled something like a computer chip.
Geoforce came stumbling out, coughing profusely, "Got away! She got away!"
Menagerie rushed to her friend's side, helping him to his feet, "What happened?"
"She got the drop on us! That's what happened!" Cyborg growled, his armor covered in thin scratches from some kind of blade. "She stole the grenade and escaped through the ventilation shaft!"
Robin stared at his friend in disbelief, "Who...?"
Cyborg's tone was deadly serious, "Who do you think?"
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At the top of Wayne Tower a figure slowly slipped out of a grate in the roof. With snake-like grace she slipped from the ventilation shaft and eased into a crouch. The shadow crept silently along the rooftop, eager to make it to the zip line at the edge of the building.
Whizzz!
A bird-a-rang sliced the rope before she could make it, and the figure shot up to see who the owner of the boomerang like weapon was.
Nightstar gave a confident smirk as she hopped down from her perch, extending a bo-staff, "Your good, very good...Ravager."
The light of the tower illuminated the figure; a girl of average height and slender weight. She wore an orange and black uniform, just like the mask M'ari and Robin had found in the JC Lab. Her face was covered with a cowl, and two rapiers rested at her sides.
The figure didn't answer Nightstar, flinching at the name. She instead reached for her utility belt, but a green light from behind caught her attention.
Starfire was floating in the sky behind her, starbolts waiting in her hands, "I would not do that if I were you. Come peacefully and stand down Ravager. If you do, we promise no harm will come to you." The Tamaranean closed in, landing on the roof, "Please...Enough blood has been shed today."
Quicker than either of the Titans could respond, the girl's hands dug two discs from her belt and hurled them at both of the teens. The discs exploded in green nets that latched onto the ground, holding both heroes tightly to the roof.
The masked girl smirked as she pulled out a grapple gun, "Be glad it's not your blood..." she commented, launching the hook and escaping with a leap off of the tower.
Nightstar growled, using the sharp edge of her bird-a-rang to slice open the net. She was not letting her target escape, running to the edge of the building.
Starfire's eyes went wide as she saw her daughter gave chase, "No, M'ari! Don't!"
Ignoring her mother she reached for her own grappling gun and fired, diving off of the roof.
The feeling was always the same, like her guts were rising inside of her stomach. Her heart almost seemed to stop as she fall.
She free-fell for what felt like minutes, the wind whipping at her short hair, before the line went taut and swung her to the street below. The half-Tamaranean let go of the gun and down into a roll, landing roughly on the ground.
A bright light and the sound of a roaring engine came from behind, and she dove to her right just in time to see Ravager fleeing on a black motorcycle, already one step ahead of the Titan.
Nightstar silently cursed, looking around for something...Anything. Her cyan eyes fell on the sleek red R-cycle.
The Teen Titan flashed a devil-may-care grin.
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"What do you mean she took my R-cycle?" Robin was fuming inside the corridor, his communicator tight in his grasp.
"Nightstar "borrowed" your vehicle to chase the Ravager that was fleeing with the pulse grenade," Starfire said mournfully.
Red X whistled beneath his mask, still at the mercy of the Titans in the room, "She's got some serious guts to be chasing someone like that..."
Robin glared at the thief, "What do you know about it?"
"Chasing down a big, three-hundred pound mass of walking death isn't my idea of a fun time," Red X stated, matter-of-factly. The rest of the Titans looked at him with a confused expression, unsure of how to take his comment.
Cyborg shook his head, "Last time I checked, teen aged girls don't weigh three-hundred pounds."
It was Red X's turn to be confused, "What are you talking about? The Ravager is one of the most feared bounty hunters in the underground! Some people aren't even sure he exists, but those of us that do stay out of his way. Unless they want to become a corpse."
Sentinel shot him a dirty look, "Come on...You expect us to fall for such an obvious trick? You were right here, along with whoever it is on the roof! You two were working together!"
The villain shook his head vigorously, or at least as vigorously as anyone could with fingers around their throat, "No way! I came for the grenade myself. Do you know how much that thing is worth?"
Robin raised a hand to his chin, trying to put the puzzle together, despite all the things going on at once. Sentinel's words struck a chord in the masked crime fighter, and it all suddenly made sense.
"We've all been duped!"
Everyone in the hallway turned to Robin, eager to hear what he had to say.
"The Ravager...the REAL Ravager set us up. Stole the blaster. Killed the scientists, and planted the evidence. I KNEW something was off! It wasn't Slade's style. The Ravager wanted us to come here. To hunt down Slade ourselves and save him the trouble!"
Red X cocked his head to the side, "Well done Boy Wonder. You figured it out. And I didn't even have to spell it out for you."
"You knew?"
"Of course. I just felt like playing the "not-so-innocent thief" until you guys figured it out for yourselves. Besides, it's none of my business if you guys get wiped out. All I want is the pulse grenade. My prize. You guys can play detective."
Robin's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, "But why? Why would the Ravager want Slade?"
Red X shook his head in disappointment, "Come on Robin, isn't it obvious? He wants revenge. Anyone who would go to this kind of trouble without any hope of reward obviously wants vengeance. Just one problem. Slade sent his new pet instead..."
"Which means..."
"Which means your little friend is as good as dead."
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Amidst the light traffic of Jump City's streets two motorcycles clashed. Like knights jousting for their honor the two females fought viciously.
Nightstar's staff dragged on the ground, creating sparks as she turned sharply to the right, closing in on her adversary. The masked girl held a thin rapier firmly in her grasp, thrusting the blade out to her left in order to stop the Titan from closing in on her. A quick sweeping block deflected the attack.
The girl wasn't through, spinning her blade in a circle to get through Nightstar's guard. She almost succeeded as the point of the blade slipped past the staff, aimed straight for the half-Tamaranean's heart. It unfortunately also left Slade's apprentice wide open, as the tip of the staff struck her straight in the chin. The girl recoiled from the blow, easing her motorcycle away as quickly as she could.
"Ravager" realized that the length of the staff gave her a huge disadvantage, and knew she had to come up with a different strategy.
The apprentice decreased the speed on her bike in an attempt to get behind Nightstar. The Titan mimicked her perfectly, lowering her speed as well while swinging her staff in a backwards swing in the hopes of catching the girl across the face. The cowled girl saw the attack coming though, and ducked her head against the bike and threw a smoke grenade in retaliation.
The smoke bomb exploded in Nightstar's face, causing her to lose vision of the road.
BRRRRREEEP!
A city bus blared its horn, and as she regained her vision Nightstar realized she was heading straight for it. She shifted her weight on the bike to the left, swerving out of the way a split-second before the large vehicle hit her. Passing the large bus she saw her rival on the other side of the street.
The masked teen turned sharply to the right, heading down a less crowded road. Nightstar hit the brakes on her bike while leaning to the left, doing a tight turn that almost put her in a 360 but stopping her about 90 degrees short. She aimed her bike down the right road and hit the gas as far as it would go, shooting after the "Ravager" like a bullet.
The apprentice glanced back and seeing that Nightstar was still on her tail did a sharp 180, before increasing her speed as well. She straightened up on her bike, sword poised for a side swipe attack. Nightstar held her bo-staff firm and lined herself up with her opponent's bike.
They were going to play "Chicken".
The two steeled themselves, neither one of them backing down as the two bikes came straight at each other. The sweat, the nervous tension of the two riders was apparent, but they were determined to bring each other down.
The motorcycles passed each other, and both riders swung their weapons. It wasn't obvious who connected, as both came to a stop on opposite ends of the street. Nightstar suddenly felt it. The sting on her cheek. A thin surface cut. She was glad she had a longer weapon or the "Ravager" might have sliced her head off.
Her opponent grinned devilishly, before heading down an alleyway. For her it was victory enough to have drawn blood. Nightstar followed in hot pursuit. The walls of the buildings were very close, but as far as the half-Tamaranean could see, it was a straight line.
The Titan was right on the heels of the black motorcycle, dodging trash cans and dumpsters as best she could. Her eyes could make out the apprentice reaching for her belt once more, throwing a sphere-like object skyward.
A Bomb.
It exploded with a deafening boom, causing the sides of two buildings to cave in, a pile of brick, glass, and metal coming down on Nightstar. The girl turned down an alleyway to the left just in time, dodging the pile of debris. Another tight turn, and she was parallel to her target. Between gaps in the buildings she could see the girl on her bike. They were side-by-side.
Nightstar retracted her bo-staff and prepared a starbolt in a gloved hand. It seems her opponent had the same idea, for as they passed the next gap, she saw a small grenade launcher in the apprentice's hand. The Titan quick hit the brakes before the following gap as the grenade crossed her path, exploding a few buildings farther down.
'If I didn't know better I'd say she wants me to stop chasing her.'
She twisted the throttle and sped up once more. Nightstar knew enough about old weapons to know that the "Ravager's" grenade launcher had only one round in it, and it would take time to reload.
The two finally cleared the buildings and almost in a synchronized fashion turned to the left. This time Nightstar was ahead of her prey, and sped up, letting her opponent chase her for a change.
She could see "Ravager" reloading her grenade launcher out of the corner of her eye and hit the brakes once more, doing a quick 180 and throwing a starbolt just as the grenade left the barrel of the launcher. The two projectiles met between the riders, exploding in a loud burst of smoke and fire. Nightstar swerved around the apprentice and did another sharp 180. This time "Ravager" did not follow along, instead making a beeline for an exit.
They were quickly making their way to a more dilapidated section of Jump city, where trash was everywhere and buildings were falling to pieces from old age.
Nightstar hurled another starbolt at "Ravager", managing to land a hit on her rear tire. The rubber melted quickly and went flat, causing the girl to lose control and fall off of her bike.
She rolled onto the ground rather ungracefully, screeching in anger at the half-alien. M'ari was hardly threatened, picking up speed on her motorcycle. She was going to finish this quickly, drawing her bo-staff once again. One blow and it would all be over.
The apprentice reached into her belt once more and drew what appeared to be a retractable boomerang shaped like an "S". Nightstar ducked her head behind the plastic shield of the bike and increased her speed.
Sadly she fell right into the "Ravager's" trap.
As Nightstar came close, the girl dove to the side and threw the boomerang right into the spokes of the vehicle. Metal grinded as the explosive inside the boomerang detonated, causing the bike to jump and go into a mid-air roll. The Titans was flung helplessly from the thing, landing hard on the concrete.
Her ears rang and her head was swimming from the attack. Slowly she got back on her feet, facing her attacker once more. She had no idea where her bo-staff was, and drew another bird-a-rang instead, holding it like a dagger.
Slade's apprentice smirked, drawing her other rapier. "Do you want me to finish her Daddy?" she asked. Nightstar raised an eyebrow at her, before realizing she was talking into a headset in her cowl. "Oh Daddy can I? A Titan? A real one? Are you sure?...Oh yes. I will Daddy."
The way she kept on using the word "Daddy" was almost creepy and sent a shiver down Nightstar's spine.
The masked girl giggled, "Daddy says it's time for you to die. We can't let you find out our new home." She flicked a trigger on the rapiers, and the blades collapsed like rope, extending into what could only be described as whip-blades.
"I'm going to enjoy this...," she said with a bloodthirsty purr in her throat.
Nightstar felt a deep hallow in the pit of her stomach. Despite all of her training, she realized she was in deep trouble.
The apprentice came down on her with unbridled fury, spinning her whips with both arms like an experienced dancer. The strikes from the blades came so quick they were almost invisible, a deep slice appearing on Nightstar's bare shoulder. The girl winced, backing away from the deadly whips.
Nightstar managed to duck and roll under a horizontal slice, and threw her bird-a-rang. The boomerang weapon came close, managing to make a small cut on the side of the girl's exposed neck.
"Ravager" growled like a wild animal, ducking low and spinning like a top. The barbed whip wrapped around the ankle of Nightstar's boot, painfully sending her butt-first to the ground. Sadistically the apprentice ran backwards, dragging the half-Tamaranean back. The barbs only tightened, digging deep into the flesh of Nightstar's leg.
Out of reflex, she threw a starbolt, but it swerved off target, missing her captor completely. "Ravager" grinned like a child who was torturing a fly. She gave another sharp tug with her whip, causing Nightstar to cry out in pain.
Slade's apprentice laughed maniacally, her free whip still spinning in her other hand. A flick of her wrist sent the whip-blade out, slashing at Nightstar with a loud roar. The half-alien closed her eyes, waiting for the whip to slice her to ribbons.
ZAP ZAP ZAP!
Three well timed starbolts slammed into the girl, before two green beams struck her in the stomach, knocking the "Ravager" back and into the pavement. Nightstar opened her eyes to a welcome sight as the soul-self of Raven dissipated, revealing the rest of the Titans. Red X however was not with them, having been left to the authorities in Wayne Tower.
Cyborg smirked, "Someone in need of a rescue?" he asked, before unleashing sonic fury on her assailant.
Starfire leaned down to Nightstar's leg, gently pulling the barbed whip from the girl's leg, "Are you alright?"
Nightstar shakily nodded, "You came for me..."
"Do not be foolish. You are my daughter, of course I came for you," Starfire said, smiling brightly. The future Titan was at a loss for words. It was strange how such simple statements could stir such emotion in two people.
Just as "Ravager" was about to get off of her back, a green wolf pounced on top of her, growling viciously. Raven came up, petting the canine form of Beast Boy on the head, "Good boy..." she smirked.
Robin helped Nightstar to her feet, "Don't you ever do that again!"
"I know...I shouldn't have gone off after an untested enemy without backup...It was foolish of me."
"Wrong...First rule of being a Teen Titan. Don't ever touch my R-Cycle. EVER."
Nightstar couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, "It's over then. We got her. We got the Ravager."
The grave look that her fellow Titans gave her said otherwise and caused M'ari's stomach to churn, "Oh no..."
A dark laughter filled the empty street, deep and foreboding. It was the sound of the real trap being sprung.
The Titans looked for the source of the sound. It was echoing from the end of the street corner. Slowly, a large figure stepped out; dressed in red and blue. Bandoleers of ammunition formed an X across his chest and weapons lined his many belts. In one hand he held a huge claymore blade, and in the other, a massive machine gun.
He still hadn't stopped laughing as he walked towards the Titans and his prize, "Oh yes..."
Slade's apprentice screamed, scrambling out from under Beast Boy, backing away.
"Ahh...You recognize me. It's been a long time Rose."
"Go to hell DeFarge!" she yelled.
"Heh heh heh," he chuckled, "I have more important things to do. Now tell your Uncle Wade, where Slade is. Your father and I have a LOT of catching up to do..."
