Raven's eyes fly open.

She's frozen in mid-meditation, levitating in a lotus position a few feet away before the morning light of the Main Room windows.

I see her sudden, glazed look from several feet away where I am eating a bowl of oatmeal at the kitchen counter.

I try to shrug it off, after all—I know very little about Raven's powers. Or her methodology. Or her… ..erm.. ….'trance' stuff.

I don't know whether to be creeped out or concerned.

Nevertheless, there is a slight shudder that runs through me as I dig back into my oatmeal and helplessly give ear to the ramblings of my fellow compatriots—

"Banana man! Ba da da da da daaaaaa!" Beast Boy runs around the room with fake 'biplane wings' stretched out emeraldly at either side.

Terra giggles, sitting at the counter beside me with a bowl of Cheerios and strawberries. At least she eats something. "B.B., do you ever run out of the goofiness?"

"Alas, I am not B.B.!" Beast Boy turns part-squid and matches the banana peels with tentacles as he 'rises' menacingly from the blind horizon of the kitchen counter. "I am one of the Old Ones… …and I have lurked back from the depths to CONSUME THE SOULS OF MAN!" His eyes brim with the usual elven magic once more. "Th-Then I'll make everyone make this a nation of truth, justice, and tofu!"

"Egads, B.B.," Terra speaks in mid-munch. "Mmmmf—Enough with the tofu stuff-mmfff."

I smirk.

"Terra! You surprise me!" Beast Boy hops up onto the counter and twirls the banana peels like nunchaka. "You're my girlfriend, support me on this! Everyone should be a vegetarian!"

"Pffft!" Terra spits milk and little wheaty O's. "SNkkkt—Ahem. Two things. One: I'm not anyone's girlfriend. Your statement, sir, is suggestive of misogynist possession and patriarchal arrogance—"

"Whoah! Tone down the feminism!" Beast Boy squats down and winks. "When the room's estrogen goes faster than eighty-eight miles per hour, my intestines get sent back to the time of dinosaurs and methane gas."

I chuckle breathily.

Terra rolls her eyes. "Beast Boy.. … .."

"I'm serious! I start laying eggs and farting the room back to the Jurassic!"

"Hehehehehe," Terra fights not to giggle, but fails. "Heehehehe—And SECOND—Vegetarianism is just a fad."

I nod with a smile.

"Plblblblb!" Beast Boy nearly tongue-spits on our breakfast with his juvenile protest. "Vegetarianism is the way of the future!" He again waves the 'tentacle'-peels. "SO SAITH THE OLD ONE!"

Terra grabs the squishy peels and tosses them over her golden head with a playful frown. "And just what makes eating plants so very different from animal meat?"

"Whatsa—HUH?.?.?" Beast Boy recoils as if he's been sniped from a schoolbook depository. "Terra! Have you been secretly forming cracks in the Earth to smoke yourself up some funky sulfur, girl?"

"Just answer the question! How's meat and veggies so different?"

"I wouldn't pretend to know much about meat off the bone until I grew some of it first," Beast Boy winks with a thumb's up.

Terra shoves him. "Cut it out! This is soooo going somewhere!"

"Prove it!"

I munch on some oatmeal and lean in, listening….

"L-Like… …animals are living things, right?"

"Right."

"And plants are living things," Terra says. "Right?"

"Heh…Right."

"… ….see what I mean?"

"… … …what?" Beast Boy blinks blankly.

Terra sighs. "Never mind—"

"You mean to say that animals and plants are the same because they are both alive?"

"Don't you ever think that?"

"But…pfft….They are sooooo different, dudette!"

"Like how?"

"Well… …L-Like a dog for instance!"

"What about it?"

"It…like…walks around n'stuff!"

"And?"

"…. ….and it has feelings!"

"How do you know that?"

"Ever pet a puppy, Terra?" Beast Boy winks and shrinks into an infantile canine to proof it. Bow! Bow wow!

I sip on some orange juice to keep from choking.

"Hehehe…but Beast Boy," Terra smirks. "You might be in the shape of a dog, but you're still the same old elf."

SCHLUMP! He squats on the stool once more. "Don't you know it, babe."

"Hehe—But just because a dog looks like it has feelings doesn't prove it actually has or has not feelings, right?"

"Well.. …Yeah. Who's to know?"

"Isn't the same way with plants?"

"Well…..H-Huh?"

"What if plants also have their own feelings? Culture? Emotions?"

"Pfft—Terra, now you're over complicating things—"

"What if?"

"I dunno! Who's to know!"

Terra brings a strawberry to her lips and slowly, ravenously chews its gooey guts out in the open air before swallowing and winking. "Mmmmf—Exactly….. …"

"…. .. ….," Beast Boy blinks. "… … …." Beast Boy sweats.

"Hehehe—Awwwww.. ….what have I donnnne to your poor widdle headdddd?" Terra leans over to hug Beast Boy.

"Watch it! Don't spill the tofu!"

"Hehehe—Hey!" Terra looks over with a grin. "What do you think about this debate?"

TH-THWOMP! Raven plunges to the carpet.

I cough, hacking on oatmeal.

"R-Raven!" Terra gasps.

"Whoah!" Beast Boy shouts and leaps into cheetah form. "Houston, the witch is down!"

We all run to the fainted sorceress.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Robin?.?.?"

Static wanders into a utility closet.

"Robin?.?.?.?.?"

Static wanders into a plumbing network.

"Robin?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?"

Static wanders down a shadowed, first-floor hallway.

"Robin?.?—THERE you are! Friggin' finally…"

Static wanders inside a large room normally sealed off with thick, metal doors with multiple security locks. Inside he finds Robin crawled under huge, dormant coils illuminated by snake-light electric lanterns clipped to random wireframes and aimed at the instrument panels that the Boy Wonder is frantically working at.

The Titan Leader looks hardened. Chiseled with hours of wakefulness. Greased and sweated and mattded with endless toil. He huffs and puffs and wrenches at the instrument panel with very little fortune and very little patience.

"Nnnngh.. ..wh-what do you want, Static?"

"Whew! I think I want a glass of water and some Tylenol from just lookin' at you, Robbie!"

"Don't call me Robbie… …"

"Oh, and you can call me 'Virgil' anyday. Yeah, I gotcha," he winks.

"Static, don't push it. Luggage stores have outrageous prices these days."

Static blinks. "The Hell is that supposed to---" He pauses, then nods. "Ohhhhh, I get it---God, you're a jerk aren't you?"

"What did you need?"

"Dude, how long have you been at this?"

"It is.. …very important… ..that we get… ..the power to this.. … ..Tower back on….," Robin grumbles and grunts amid his work. "I have no clue what cooked the fuse last night, but something did and it's ticking me off."

Static sweats. "Erm…y-yeah…," he adjusts his goggles and collar---then smiles coolly again. "So… ….You know what I mean, right?"

"What?"

"How long have you been doing this godawful 'stay-up-all-night-and-be-pissed-off-at-the-world-thing'?" Static asks. He blinks. Half winces and utters: "All night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about.. …."

"Beast Boy and Cyborg have warned me about this. Raven too, as much as she's willing to talk to nerdy rookies such as myself," Static paces about the dimly lit room and rambles: "You have this thing for letting stuff get to your head. Heh…I'm not one to dictate to Batman's protégé, but shouldn't you have sufficient training to 'get over stuff'."

"Static, I could endure a psychiatric evaluation anytime and anyplace, but right now I have more important things to do."

"Like---?"

"What are you--Dense?" Robin grumbles and sweats. "Are you retarded? I've got to fix the goddam Tower!"

Static smirks.

Static flexes a gloved hand.

Static sends a single bolt of bright-white lightning into the Tower's energy banks.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzt!

VROMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!-HMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Lights flicker on.

Motors move.

Coils churn and sparkle.

The entire Tower charges up from the ground skyward.

"……. …….. …..," Robin's eyemask deflates as he lies underneath the now-lit instrument panel. "… .. …nnngh.. …." He slides out and squats besides the arms-folded Static. He wipes his brow with a loose glove. "Maybe sleep would be a good thing."

"Yeah, all well and fine, dawg," Static slumps down into a sitting position besides him. "But I think you've got something—or someone to attend to first."

"The Titans can take care of themselves by now," Robin mutters, slipping his gloves back on. "They've learned to be self-sufficient emotionally."

Static raises an eyebrow. "Oh really? Since when was this the latest dictation?"

"Before your inception, Virgil."

"Heh. Now THAT's a cop-out."

"Look, what do you want from me—"

"You notice how Starfire's down all of the sudden?"

"What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Wow, you really don't give a crap, do you?" Static frowns. "That's kinda surprising! And real sick too, man! Low and sick—I thought from what I've been told that you were a bit more understanding than that!"

"Look, I'm busy—"

"Bull! You're just in a lousy mood. And I bet you a million bucks it ain't for any better a reason for what's got lovely 'ol Starfire in the dumps as we speak!"

Robin's fists clench. Fuming, he jumps up to his feet and heads for the door. "This is a waste of my time. I can't bother with such trivial conversations when—"

"When what, 'boss'?" Static jumps up after him.

Robin twirls around with a fist raised. "I'm not going to screw more things up that I'm supposed to be responsible for! Starfire's business is her own! And my business is my own! And Red X--… …."

"… … …," Static leans his head to the side curiously. Hands on his hips.

Robin pauses…. …sighs.. …and rubs the back of his neck. "… … ….You're right, Static. I haven't slept at all since yesterday."

The Dakota hero nods. "Since the battle with Chang?"

Robin faces the corner. ".. …. ….what is the dividing line between good and evil, Static?"

"… …uhm… …eheh…that's one for Kant, Robin. Not for me."

Robin merely goes on: "What's more evil? Someone who hurts someone out of selfish gain? Or someone who causes someone harm by being totally negligent?"

"Depends on the situation, I guess."

"Heh…that's anyone's answer."

"Robin? What's wrong?" Static walks over and shrugs. "Consider it a man-to-man beertime chat—only without the beer and picket fences."

"…. …nnngh….," Robin runs a finger across his temple. "I have always been and shall always be concerned about Starfire, Static. And don't think I've been blind to her concerns as of late. "

"You could at least tell her that."

"I guess I'm preoccupied with a greater plight…"

"Like whose? Earlier you said—"

"Red X… ..right," Robin nods. "The only reason he ever got into this mess is because I made the suit that he stole. That's the source of all his Xenothium addiction. My influence was the ultimate bait into his suffering. Not any of Chang's work."

"Erm…what are you saying, Robin?"

The hero looks at the hero.

"It's my fault. It's my fault that whoever's in that suit… .. …may be horrifically suffering right now.. …. …"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Smelling salts! Do we have any smelling salts?" Terra pants.

"Dudette! That only works in the movies! Noir! Maybe your fart powers can wake her up!"

I do a double-take at Beast Boy and all but shove him.

What do I know about resuscitating fallen sorceresses?

I'm only a superhero---…. ….dang it!

"Well we gotta do something!" Terra squeaks. "OmigodOmigodOmigod—I-I-I've never seen something like this happen to Raven!"

"Well at least she doesn't have all the freaky red tattoo stuff all over her like that one time."

"….Huh?"

Right then and there, the doors to the Main Room swish open. I barely notice, I'm so panicky.

"Hey, y'all! How'd Robin get the power turned on—WHOAH DAMN!" A padding of heavy metal feet, and Cyborg is soon kneeling beside us. "What in the Sam Hell happened?"

"I.. …erm….she…."

"And for that matter, what in the Jane Shit and Mary Crap happened? Like—Raven's eyes are lifeless as suction cups!"

"We dunno! She just fell over in the middle of meditating!"

"Meditating?"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Damn…," Cyborg sweats. "Who knows what sort of astral wyrdness could be bothering her if it happened during meditation!"

I bite my lip.

I am scared… …

For the first time since I met these new friends of mine—

"WAIT!" Beast Boy hops up. "If it's all about her psyche and stuff, then maybe one of her magic chants would work!"

"B.B.! We don't know jack about her magic—"

"What about that book of Azarath thingy? Ya know, the big leathery book with lots of moth parts dangling loosely from the dusty edges?"

"Ewwwww," Terra make a face. "Really?"

"Yeah, and this one day, a big spider came out and vomited tiny babies all over my thumb when I was trying to find a spell to crossbreed flowers and farts—"

"B.B.! If we're gonna be serious about this, then we'd better go and get this book!"

"Quickly!" Terra panted. "Raven may not have long!"

"It's in her room!" Beast Boy jumps up.

Cyborg also stands. "Can you get there fast enough?"

"Uhhhhh---" Beast Boy sweatdrops. "Erm….No." He brightens and hoists me up by the arm. "But Noir can!"

H-Hey!

"Noir!" Cyborg leans forward. "You know where Raven's room is, right?"

I bite my lip and nod.

I guess I do.

Laundry duty… …eheh—

"Smoke-run or something to there and fetch the largest, leather-bound book you can find!"

"And bring it here extra pronto!"

"Raven's well-being may depend on it! And don't worry about going into her room without asking. Kick the damn door down if you have to!"

I nod desperately, spin about, and blur in a denim-streak of desperation.

I have to get to Raven's room!

As quickly as possible.

For her sake.. ….

After all that's happened, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?