Chapter 6

Red X went over to Cyborg's chair. "You okay?" he asked offering a hand.

"Yeah, thanks."

They went over to Beast Boy.

"No more landings like that or I am walking."

"Go ahead. Next time you land a space craft underfire, with high risk manuvers to lose our pursuers, and land with a few holes in our b-"

"Come on. Lets get moving, they won't be far behind us." Red X interupted.

Red X offered a hand to Raven to help her up.

She wobbled slightly, but nodded in gratitude.

They ran off into the night of Tameran.

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A patrol of Tameranians flew overhead at the base of the palace at the top of the mountain.

"This is going to be a long climb." Red X said looking up.

"No it won't." Raven said her eyes glowing white.

A black raven shape overshadowed the Titans and they all vanished just as another patrol passed by a lot lower to the base of the mountain.

The raven shadow appeared in a deserted hallway and the Titans stepped out into the light.

"Whoa." Cyborg whispered.

"You said it." Beast Boyy agreed.

Red X was already heading up the hall. "Look, you guys stay out of sight, I am going to go find this empress. If I get into trouble, I will call."

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven looked at each other. Raven shook her head.

"I'll go with you, be your shadow, but Beast Boy and Cyborg will keep out of sight unless we need back up."

"I understand, its hard to hide this." Pointing a thumb at his chest.

"Or being green" Beast Boy added.

"Be careful, Rae." Cyborg said.

They watched as Raven became a shadow and Red X vanished from view.

"Hey Cyborg, look at this." Beast Boy said opening a door.

Cyborg turned around and smiled.

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Red X dragged the unconscious guards out of sight. He rubbed his hand absently. Their strength almost overwhelmed him, but he had learned to deal with it when battling them on earth.

Red X did not know if Raven followed him, since he cloaked himself. Either way those guards were at this door for a reason and time was running out.

He opened the door a crack.

"Sister, sister come in. It has been two hours since your last report."

He slipped inside.

Her dress was elegant, but alien. However it was an outfit a warrior Queen would wear.

She looked lost in thought when she turned her eyes glowing green.

Beams shot from them nearly hitting where he once stood.

"Show yourself coward."

Her hands glowed with green energy.

"That would be unwise in your current temper." Red X said still cloaked.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"An Earthman, from the planet you are invading, I have come to demand you stop now and leave us alone."

"Who are you to demand such a thing? One who cowers in the shadows." she challenged.

She thought she saw movement and threw a ball of green energy. It hit nothing, but left a smoking hole in the wall.

"Either you stop your invasion, or I will make life every uncomfortable here and now for you."

He fired a red X from the shadows at her, but her eye beams insinerated his attempt to bind her.

Dodging to the right, she guest left and had more smoking holes in her floor.

Her rage seemed to grow as he kept clear of her power.

"Why are you attacking us, what did we do to you?" Red X demanded.

"It is not what you did, it is what he will do." she revealed.

"He who?" Red X asked standing still.

"You don't know about the prophecy?" she said stunned herself at his ignorance.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

She continued to hunt for him circling her room. "The Gordanians came to us trembling in fear. He had once invaded their world, mastered it, overthrew it. But their fierceness pleased him so he made them disciples. Until he was imprisoned and the last of the followers of Scathe were hunted by our alliance."

She paused listening to any movement. "Let me guess, they came to Earth." Red X guessed.

She fired again, but he was not there, but on the other side of the room, unknown to her.

"Yes, and the last of their kind was made to disclose the location of your world."

"I can tell you this; he is not there, this Scathe."

An evil smile played on her lips.

"Oh, he is not there now, but he will be."

"Then why not just tell us, why invade?"

"We could not take the chance that your world was not corrupted by Scathe."

"We aren't!"

"It seems to me that for one who hides in darkness, you are a poor representative to convince me otherwise."

Red X came out of the darkness, his hands raised.

The Empress was ready to fire, but hesitated taking in his appearance.

"Nice costume."

"I have come out of the shadows, stop your invasion, we maybe able to help you find this Scathe."

"You don't even know what to look for, you do not even know the prophecy."

"Tell me. Tell me what to look for and I will help you stop this prophecy."

She appeared to consider.

"Fine, I will tell you the prophecy, listen carefully."

The Gem was born of evils fire,
The Gem shall be his portal,
He comes to claim,
He comes to sire,
The end of all things Mortal.

"That is it?" Red X asked.

"Yes, the mark of Scathe has yet to appear on your world. We intend to stop that from happening. In the meantime we are searching for the Gem. It is on your world. We know the mother, and we know she is a princess. Now, do you know where the Gem is?"

"No." Red X declared.

"You wouldn't be lying to me would you."

"Listen carefully earthman, surrender to me now, surrender and serve me. My rewards are great, you can rule all of earth. Find this Gem, and save your world."

"You aren't offering to save it, but enslavement. I would never do that."

"The Gordanian/Tameranian Alliance is never denied. We are a power in the universe, respected. Those TROQs that defied us, Val-yor, the Lacians, and others now bow before me. Think about what you are refusing."

"I already have."

Starfire fired a blast at Red X.

Red X returned fire.

But the blast knocked him off balance and out onto a balcony.

He tried to recloak, but could not.

"Great." he whispered.

With a cry she flew at him and he dodged, but tripped on some rubble.

"Know this earthman, you could have had everything and saved your world, now despair that your world is doomed to be destroyed."

Her eyes burned with green fire and triumph.

She fired.