32 Productions Presents…

A HIVE Team Story

The HIVE Team In…

"The Return"

Chapter One

Titan H.Q.: Raven's Room

Shade kicked a little and whimpered softly. Raven slept soundly, unaware of her companion's distress.

Nightmare

Shade struggled to his feet only to be hit again. His attacked raised the metal rod above her head and brought it down again.

Shade: (it's a dream, he can talk) Please…stop. Not this again…

Attacker: You foul little wretch! Imitating our speech, but you are not one of us! Disgusting beast!

The shadows didn't respond to his commands nor his pleas. No, instead they seemed to laugh at him. Mocking his pain and terror. With no other choice available, Shade tried to flee. He didn't get far before he found he could go no further. Something was preventing him from moving…something around his neck…

Shade: No…no, no, no…

There was a collar around his neck, chained to a giant dead tree with a distorted grinning face on its bark. There was no way out. She was coming for him. This time he wouldn't survive. Nobody would help him…

Raven's Room

Raven frowned and shook Shade harder. He usually wasn't this difficult to awaken. Annoyed, Raven pulled her hand back and slapped him. He bolted upright, sweat dripping from his face. Raven folded her arms.

Raven: How nice of you to join me in the waking world, Shade.

She noticed his current state and raised an eyebrow.

Raven: Nightmare?

Shade nodded. She sighed and patted his head. If it was an attempt at comforting, her heart wasn't in it.

Raven: It wasn't real. You're safe now. Blah, blah, blah. Let's go eat, I'm starving. I knew I shouldn't have skipped dinner…

Raven turned and left the room. Shade hopped off the bed and followed, shivering slightly.

: CUE THEME :

Main Room

Now that Raven had food in front of her she was able to notice Shade's condition better. Studying him as she chewed her cereal, she noted how he was shivering and looking around nervously. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how strangely he had been acting lately. It started about a week after they ditched the crazed doctor on the docks. Raven thought hard, but couldn't exactly put her finger on the oddities in his actions…but it was there. The door opened with a hiss. Shade jumped at the sudden noise, shaking. Raven was getting concerned. It must have been a hell of a nightmare. Changeling and Cyborg entered, talking about stuff that held absolutely no interest to Raven.

Changeling: So this makes it…what, eleven e-mails?

Cyborg: Thirteen. I don't know who this girl is…

Changeling: If it is one. A lot of sick people on the net, dude.

Cyborg shuddered. There was a scary thought.

Cyborg: Anyway, they all say the same thing.

Changeling: "Help me, Victor", right?

Cyborg: Yeah. What do I look like? A "superhero"?

Okay, maybe it did interest Raven.

Raven: What in the nine hells are you talking about?

Changeling opened the refrigerator and pulled out a big package of sliced ham. He took a bunch of slices and shoved them into his mouth, chewing noisily. Raven sighed.

Cyborg: I've been getting these e-mails from some girl named PerfectAim23.

Changeling: (mouthful) SAYS she's a girl.

Cyborg shook his head.

Cyborg: For the sake of my sanity, I'm going to keep thinking she's a girl.

Changeling: And that's what those bald forty year old perverts sitting in their underwear want, pal.

Raven: While I'm delighted to be taking in Cyborg's revolution, I hardly want that image in my mind.

Changeling shrugged and pointed to the shivering Shade.

Changeling: He cold or something?

Raven regarded Shade for a moment. He was staring at the floor.

Raven: …or something.

Training Room: A few hours later

Shade seemed to be finally recovering. He dodged Starfire's attack and came up behind her, slamming her down to the ground. Starfire grit her teeth and pushed down on the ground. The result was enough to send her high into the air, directly upward. …it also left dents in the shape of her hands on the floor, but that wasn't important.

Starfire: Remove yourself from my back!

Shade responded by digging his nails into her. She growled and forced herself up even higher. Let's see if Shade hung on after slamming against the ceiling. Faster and faster she rose. At the last second, Shade disappeared into the shadows on the ceiling. Starfire hit the solid metal hard and winced in pain.

Starfire: (Tamaranian) Damn it! (English) You will pay for that, Shade! …Shade?

Starfire let out a cry of surprise as Shade dropped down from the ceiling hard, like he had just jumped twenty feet above her first. Starfire plummeted toward the ground. Caught off guard, it took her a moment to attempt flight and force herself back up. The hesitation cost her. She slammed into the floor, groaning. Raven smirked as she blocked Terra's fist with a shield. The shield then wrapped around Terra and flung her across the room. Shade was being a little brutal today, but otherwise he was himself. He must have just been having nightmares and needed time to recover. That theory didn't last as Shade turned to see Robin raising his bo staff to strike him. Suddenly it wasn't Robin anymore. In that instant everything went to Hell. The shadows quivered for a moment before swirling around everywhere. Raven had to pull her cloak off and throw it aside to save herself from the darkness inside it. Formless due to Shade's utter inability to concentrate on a shape at the moment, but still deadly due to the panic he was in, the shadows flailed about wildly. The Titans dodged what they could, but there were so many of them. Finally Shade regained control.

Terra: What the hell was that!

Robin: Shade, have you lost your mind! You could have killed all of…us…

Shade wasn't listening. He was curled up in a ball, tears running down his face. His friends gathered around him, but he didn't seem to notice.

Changeling: …I don't think he meant to do that.

Starfire: …serves the clorbag right for his assault upon me. That was uncalled for.

Raven knelt down next to him.

Raven: Fear…pain…he's not with us right now. He's in his own private Hell.

Robin: Can you bring him out of it?

Raven: Not exactly…but I can help him work through it. I'll take him back to my room. You guys can finish training if you want.

Raven held out her hand and her cloak came to her. She fastened it around her neck and raised her hood.

Raven: I'll make up for it some other time.

Raven took Shade and left.

Robin: …okay, let's keep go…

Robin was interrupted as Cyborg swung at him. He flipped back before jumping forward and planting his foot in the mechanically enhanced man.

Raven's Room

Raven lowered Shade onto her bed, her arms folded. She was mentally kicking herself for not doing something about this sooner. How could she have missed the onset of a nervous breakdown? Shade whimpered and curled up tighter. Raven sighed and levitated into a mediation position. Time to get to the bottom of this. Her crimson eyed soul self flowed from her body and into Shade. A few minutes later it reemerged and returned to her body. Shade sat up and wiped his eyes. He sent a "thank you" to Raven with his mind but she didn't respond. Instead she stayed in her meditative position, her fists clenched so tightly that she began to bleed.

Raven: Who…was…that…WOMAN!

Not sure if Raven was upset at him or what she had seen, Shade barely managed an answer before hopping off the bed and ducking behind it. Raven almost fell out of the air in shock.

Raven: THAT was your mother! That…that bitch! How DARE she…?

Raven took a deep breath and let it out. There were better ways to handle this rage.

Raven: Shade…tell me…if we wanted to go to your home planet…could you take us there?

Raven grinned slowly. Shade wasn't sure what she was smiling about, but he had a distinct feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy it. He nodded.

Main Room

Cyborg stared at Raven incredulously. He must have heard her wrong.

Cyborg: A spaceship?

Raven nodded from her spot on the couch, running her fingers through Shade's hair.

Raven: Yes. A spaceship. Build one.

Changeling raised his hand.

Changeling: Question. Why do we suddenly need a spaceship?

Raven pushed Shade away gently. It was that time again. Terra stepped in between them as Raven floated toward Changeling, frowning.

Terra: Don't. Touch. My. Gar.

Raven: Don't be so possessive, Terra. I don't want his heart. Just to make him squirm a little.

Raven winked at Changeling and blew him a kiss. Terra clenched her fists.

Terra: Raven, I swear I'll break every bone in your body if you don't stop flirting with my boyfriend!

Raven put her face in front of Terra's, grinning.

Raven: You'll try, Terra. Until then I'll enjoy your outrage.

Terra sputtered. Raven snickered before sitting back down.

Raven: We're going on a field trip. Someone has a serious crime to pay for…

Raven scratched Shade under his chin.

Raven: And we're going to see that she pays in spades.

Jump City Central Mall: Several Days Later

Red X sighed and continued walking with arms folded. Krystal walked ahead of her, whistling happily. Now that everyone knew she was a girl, Krystal insisted they buy her some "street wear". Despite explaining she would never take her mask off in front of them, Krystal kept asking. Krystal had a way of being persuasive. If the constant badgering didn't work, she'd hold her breath until she passed out. When she woke up she'd ask again. If that failed, she'd hold her breath until she passed out all over again. What choice did she have? To her credit, she lasted a day, but Blackfire was starting to worry that she'd hit something as she passed out.

Krystal: Okay, Reddy Set Go, first we need to get you a dress. Something pretty, you know?

Red X: Why?

Krystal stopped walking and turned, putting an arm around Red X. She poked the masked girl on the nose with each word she spoke.

Krystal: 'cause I know how to shop.

Red X squirmed out of her grasp.

Krystal: Trust me on this, Reddo. First order of business for you is to show the world the body you've been hiding.

Red X: I'm fine the way I am, thanks.

Krystal smacked herself in the forehead.

Krystal: Look, as nice as you look in your costume, you can't go on dates dressed like that!

Red X: Aren't we getting a head of ourselves?

Krystal grinned and nudged her a few times with her elbow.

Krystal: Come on…you can't tell me you don't get jealous sometimes. Jinx and Sonic looking soooooo happy.

Red X sighed and shook her head.

Red X: I'm fine the way I am.

Krystal: FINE! Be that way. We'll just get you something more casual and leave! Is that what you want?

Red X nodded. Krystal sighed.

Krystal: Reverse psychology fails me. Let's just go.

Red X smiled under her mask. While she hadn't planned on it, that seemed to work. Her smile faded as she thought about what Krystal said. It was true…Sonic and Jinx DID look happy together. For that matter so did Krystal and Blackfire. Even the psychopaths seemed to be happy together. Terra went so gaga over Changeling she became a killer to join him…at least that was Red X's theory. What were her choices? Mammoth? He smelled awful. Some girls may like the manly muscular type, but not her. Gizmo? Physical problems aside, he was more then a bit of a jerk. She suddenly felt a blow to the side of her head. Not a hard one, but something hit her.

Krystal: HEY!

Red X: Huh? What?

Krystal: I SAID, "What do you think of these shorts?"

Red X sweatdropped, trying to find the right words.

Red X: …they're a little…short.

Krystal: Hence the name.

Red X: Don't they have anything longer?

Krystal rolled her eyes.

Krystal: Yeah, if you want to be boring. Do you want to be boring?

Red X shrugged. Krystal pinched the bridge of her nose.

Krystal: Work with me here.

Red X: Sorry.

After making a few unenthusiastic purchases, Krystal was ready to do some shopping for herself when the communicator went off. Krystal answered in her usual fashion…like a goof.

Krystal: Mmmmmyes?

Gizmo: Get home now. We got a problem.

Krystal: On our way, Commissioner!

Krystal turned her communicator off.

Krystal: Come, old chum! Our Ultra Buddies need us!

Red X: You mean Super Fr…

Krystal put her hand over Red X's mouth.

Krystal: You want to get us sued?

HIVE Tower: Main Room

Krystal wasn't smiling anymore. A craft just left the planet…and it was launched near the city. Krystal closed her eyes.

Krystal: He's on that ship. I know it.

Blackfire: They could be going to Tamaran! I have to go, now!

Gizmo stopped her.

Gizmo: Hate to tell you this, but you'd get your ass kicked fighting all of them.

Blackfire: Move! Maybe if I damage the ship, I can at least stop them from getting there.

Gizmo: …or we could all go in the space craft I built.

The others stared at him.

Sonic: (slowly) Why did you build a spaceship?

Gizmo shrugged casually.

Gizmo: Wanted to see if I could.

Krystal: We can't let them relocate…if they do…I can't come back here.

Blackfire: What? What are you saying?

Krystal looked at Blackfire sadly.

Krystal: I will go wherever Shade goes. No matter what the cost to me. But…

Krystal turned to Blackfire, her eyes hopeful.

Krystal: You'd stay with me, wouldn't you? I mean, you have to go after Starfire, don't you?

Blackfire was silent.

Jinx: …let's concentrate on getting there, okay? I want us in space yesterday, understand?

Gizmo: Right, right. Not a problem.

END PART ONE