Raven was not used to peaceful sleep. Normally the depths of her dreams held darkness, guilt, and sheer terror. However, with the defeat of her father a few months ago, the young sorceress suddenly found her slumber deliciously absent of malice or discord. She could truly "enjoy a good night's sleep" for the first time in her life.
And it was wonderful.
So when her mystic defenses awoke her in the middle of the night, Raven was worried. Was Trigon back? Had his defeat been merely a ruse to lull her into a false sense of security?
Heart pounding furiously, she gestured absently and her robes and cloak enveloped her as she floated above her bed.
She muttered the magic words she knew so well as she sent her mind forth to determine what had violated the magical wards she had set up throughout the Tower. They were there both to backup and complement the technological defenses Cyborg was so proud of. And tonight, they had done their job.
Someone was in the Tower.
As she exited her room to wake the others, she couldn't help but sigh in relief that it hadn't been Trigon after all. At the same time, she realized she apparently wasn't as free of her father's shadow as she had thought.
Will he haunt me the rest of my life?
Raven arrived in front of Robin's room and was about to knock when her empathic abilities picked up the strong emotions emanating from within. Sadness and concern radiated forth so intensely that the teen-ager actually flinched and floated back a few feet despite herself.
Starfire's in there with him.
And apparently they're in the middle of something quite profound.
Normally, Robin's emotions were under lock and key, although Raven could still detect them underneath, seething and writhing, especially during combat or when he was trying to figure out what the bad guys were up to. But right now, his careful defenses seemed to have collapsed. Long suppressed feelings were erupting forth like a geyser. Painful memories that had scarred him long ago had been brought to the surface.
And Starfire was there to console him.
Raven wondered why that bothered her.
She hesitated by the door a moment longer and then flew on down the hallway towards Cyborg's and Beast Boy's quarters. After all, her wards told her it was only one intruder and he didn't even have any mystical abilities.
Surely, the three of them could handle it.
-----
"Are you sure, Raven?" Beast Boy yawned, rubbing his eyes wearily.
"My wards have been tripped," she said impatiently, "The Tower's been infiltrated."
"And I say no way!" Cyborg retorted, typing furiously into the mini-computer on his forearm, "I've run a Level Four system's diagnostic and it's telling me everything is fine."
She glared at the large, half-human Titan.
"Okay, okay," he sighed, looking away, "We'll go check it out."
"Hey . . ." Beast Boy said suspiciously, "Where's Robin and Starfire? How come you didn't wake them up, too?"
"Let's go," she took off down the corridor.
Cyborg and the green Titan exchanged looks and shrugged.
"Come on, BB, the sooner we scout the Tower, the sooner we can go back to bed."
-----
They were onto him by now, he was certain of it. He knew he hadn't tripped any alarms, and yet at least three of the Titans were on the move. He watched them via the security cameras he had hacked into and wondered just how they had known.
Still no sign of his quarry, however.
He brought up schematics of the Tower and quickly decided on the best location for an ambush. It would have been easier if they had separated from each other, but they weren't novices at this game despite their young age. He'd have to be quick and ruthless. Metahumans could be extremely dangerous if one underestimated them.
Fortunately, he had come prepared.
-----
"Dude, this is stupid!"
"Why don't you stop complaining and turn into something useful?" Raven retorted, hovering about ten feet in front of them.
Cyborg panned his spotlight around the main lounge as his two companions continued to bicker. The main windows flickered in the darkness beyond his light as the storm continued its fury outside. The yellow circle crawled lazily over the far wall and ceiling, coming to rest on a dark form crouched on a ledge.
"Wait a minute---"
The form darted away and something metallic flashed in the light for an instant.
Then his spotlight shattered and the entire room went black.
"What's going on?" Beast Boy shouted.
"Azarath! Metrion! Zin—Agh!" the incantation was cut short as brilliant light suddenly blinded the three of them.
Cyborg's ocular implant recovered in seconds from the flash grenade, but his teammates weren't so lucky. As he activated his sonic blaster and began to take aim at the intruder, he saw their opponent drop on top of Raven and drive her back into Beast Boy's staggering form. The man punched Raven across the face as he reached down and hauled the jade Titan up roughly.
"Let's see how you like this, tough guy!" Cyborg fired.
The caped intruder pivoted gracefully, interposing Beast Boy's body between him and the oncoming blast. Cyborg watched helplessly as his best friend took the brunt of the attack. His foe tossed his unconscious teammate aside and charged.
Cyborg threw a punch, but the man ducked underneath, grabbed his arm, and used his own momentum to flip him onto his back. Before he could react, the heel of his opponent's boot smashed into his artificial eye, shattering the lens.
Now he was as blind as his comrades.
Roaring in anger, Cyborg fired a wide burst, hoping to tag his foe, but to no avail. Something was attached to his chest.
Two seconds later, all his artificial systems shut down.
A blow to the face took care of the rest.
-----
He quickly took stock.
The changeling should be out for several minutes. The electro-magnetic pulse would keep the cyborg down for several more. That only left the mage. She was potentially the most dangerous, so he had better make sure she wasn't getting up anytime soon.
He had just bent over to check on the cloaked girl when a bolt of greenish energy nearly took his head off.
He jumped back, only to see several bladed weapons slicing through the air at him. His hands dove into his belt and he threw several of his own weapons to intercept them. They were deflected, although one came perilously close to his face.
He's gotten better.
"Get away for our friends!" The alien female shouted, eyes glowing. It was hard to take her seriously while dressed in pink pajamas, but her power was undeniable. Bolts of energy rained down upon him as she arced up into the air, temporarily putting him on the defensive and forcing him away from her downed teammates.
"Starfire! See if they're okay!" Robin called out, closing in for hand-to-hand combat, "I'll handle our guest."
He's decisive in combat. Excellent.
The teen led with a flying kick. He blocked it and countered with a quick blow to the stomach. Robin exhaled sharply, but grabbed his arm and attempted a judo toss.
He let him throw him and rolled to feet.
Robin attacked again, this time with a series of kicks and blows. He parried them and launched a few strikes of his own, pleased to see them blocked in turn.
He's picked up some new techniques. Interesting.
"Who are you?" Robin demanded, becoming frustrated with his inability to land a solid punch, "Why have you attacked us?"
He decided to end the charade. The other Titans would be recovering soon enough, and he had more important things to do than continue to fight them.
He took a few steps back and assumed a defensive stance.
"Starfire, get the lights," Robin said, not taking his eyes off him, "How are they?"
"I think they will be okay. Raven is waking up."
The alien reached out and flipped a switch, illuminating the room.
Robin stood there in shock.
"Batman?"
"Hello, Robin." The Dark Knight said, standing calmly, "It's been a long time."
"What are you doing here?"
Batman locked eyes with his ward.
"It's time to come back home."
