So, new chapter update on this story…by the way (PLEASE READ THIS!): For all the readers, would you please email Dlsky after you finish this chapter? She wants to know which of the challenge stories are the most entertaining for you guys to read and review on. Well, I gotta go. See you around!
Chapter Three:
Cyborg ducked and whirled through his battle gracefully, alternating between shots from his arm cannon, and blows from his fists. All around him were enemies—they surrounded him, laughing, jeering, fighting.
No escape. No escape.
The half-human, half-machine gave a small groan of anger, as his mismatched eyes scanned the scene hurriedly; there wasn't a gap in the circle anywhere, and the criminals were drawing closer to him, ever closer.
Oddly enough, he hadn't really planned on winning; when he'd first plunged into the brawl, he'd only had one thought in mind: To distract them while Raven got away. It might have seemed a little strange—but Cyborg had the feeling that something bad had happened to the rest of the Titans. And, despite his mechanical abilities, he didn't have the telepathic powers that his Gothic friend possessed—she would be better equipped to seek out the others…then, maybe later, she'd come back for him.
He also had to admit, even though he'd sacrificed his own well-being for the girl, he'd had thought that he'd be able to handle the invaders; now, looking back, he cursed himself for being over-confident. Heroes were supposed to expect the unexpected at all times.
Maybe Robin was right to be worried…
Cyborg noticed that some of the villains were eyeing the mess of rubble and debris he'd made when he'd been forcing Raven to run. If they headed in that direction, they were bound to catch up with her—and she wasn't in the best condition for a struggle.
Without stopping to think of the consequences, Cy shot out a miniature grappling hook from his arm and directed it at the nearest office building roof…and, just like he had anticipated, his adversaries swamped him as soon as his feet lifted up from the ground.
Hands dragged him down to the concrete—it took their entire number, since he made sure to try and escape as much as he could. Fists swung, heels stamped onto his face and body, blows that would definitely leave bruises and dents. Slowly, they pinned his arms and legs down, eliminating all of his capability to move or thrash.
As the leader of that particular team moved towards him, while producing some sort of electrical shocker from under his bullet-proof vest, Cyborg closed his eyes and allowed them to beat and blast him into unconsciousness.
For my friends…
-partners-
Raven inched her way down the alley, cloak covered in dust and rubble; the side of her head was already soaked in her own blood, and her short hair was stuck together in bedraggled clumps. She'd made considerable progress since Cyborg had shoved her away, but the doomed cries that she'd turned her back on continued to follow her, ringing shrilly in her ears.
"There was nothing I could do," she murmured to the night air. But the lie that she uttered left a sour taste on the tip of her tongue.
'What are you doing?' Courage ranted insanely from inside her head. You should go back and help Cyborg fight!
"I would only have been in the way," Raven countered; however, she loathed herself for the false reasoning she was using as her excuse.
'You are a hero!' The green-hooded girl snarled contemptuously. 'It's your duty to protect people, and stand by your friends! And yet you left Cy to battle by himself!'
The girl sighed, limbs growing as heavy with every forward step she took. It was hard to keep going, with her incredible exhaustion and guilt pulling her back.
If any of her new assailants found her, she was as good as dead.
All she wanted was to sit down, curl up into a tight ball, and fall fast asleep.
"No…have to…must find the others," she informed herself, trying to sound as adamant as she wished she did.
…The demon had no idea where to start searching for them with her mind…she had no energy left to think clearly, much less continue her trudging, and every step she took felt as if her feet had been chained down to one-hundred pound weights…
Her dizziness might have been affected by the amount of blood she'd lost from her head wound…not to mention the red that kept seeping from the cut.
The Goth girl raised a hand to her scalp and let blue magic mend the brief gash.
I should have used this to help people who really needed it.
The laceration stung and burned as it was cleansed by her powers, and Raven slumped against the alley wall for support, breathing coming heavy to resist the pain; for now, all she wanted to do was rest for the moment…and then later…
-partners-
Robin ground his teeth, incensed, as he stormed down the streets in a black mood. Damn Slade, with his tall tales, and conniving manner—while he'd been detained, listening to a bunch of crap, his friends were probably wondering where the heck he'd gone. He hoped they were doing okay, fending for the citizens…
The Boy Wonder paused at a intersection of two alleyways and blinked in disconcertion. The screaming that he'd heard in the distance had dwindled away, leaving him lost in the maze of winding back alleys.
"Darn it," he grumbled. His current predicament was not improving his mood in the slightest, and his hands balled into fists.
What was he supposed to do now?
You could always turn back…see if Slade is still—
No.
Robin glared at the space before him and began to march, unsure of where exactly he was going.
"Cyborg?" He called softly, so as not to attract too much attention, or cause too much noise. "Cy? Starfire? Beast Boy—Raven? Can any of you hear me?"
There wasn't a response.
He took a deep breath and tried again, a bit louder this time.
"Star? Beast Boy?"
As he shouted for them, he carefully tiptoed around corners, ready for any surprise attacks that were lurking about, waiting for him.
"Raven?"
Robin retraced his steps as best as he was able, following the path that he'd used to escape from Slade. If he kept going, he might just come across the site where the invaders had first dropped in.
He began hailing anybody in general, not just his team, but any stray human being that might have avoided the explosion; every time, he was greeted with silence, and a heavier feeling closing around his heart.
Where is everyone? What happened while I was gone…?
"Cyborg? …Raven?"
"R—Robin…? Is that you?" The voice was far off, but there was no doubt on who it belonged to. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes widened in a combination of shock and relief, as he tore down one last street to kneel beside a huddled Raven; she looked up at him, expression emotionless, but her gaze held a disturbing power about them.
"You…you're okay?" She mumbled, sentence almost incomprehensible. Robin smiled weakly, and embraced her gently.
"Yeah, Rae. I'm fine. Where is everyone?" He added, as he helped her stand. "I've been trying to find somebody, but no one's around—Raven, you're bleeding!"
The Goth demon appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"They're gone."
-partners-
Wade DeFarge surveyed the three prisoners critically, one eyebrow raised to show that he wasn't impressed in the least. Some of his team, who had returned when they'd retrieved the Titans. He paced the perimeter of the cargo area in the jet where he was keeping the teenagers trapped, then turned on the nearest bounty hunter—a thick-muscled, grim man named Boris.
"Well done," Wade started, in a mild tone, and Boris gave a small, swift smile. "I honestly couldn't have done better myself…yet—"
DeFarge examined the limp heroes and single heroine with an ugly sneer, before going on.
"—Unless I am mistaken, there are five Titans? I see only three…"
Boris and the rest of his team exchanged worried, hesitant glances.
"Uh, yes," the bounty hunter ventured in a light, German accent. "We, err, failed to capture the other two."
"Ah," Wade observed. "I see…"
An uncomfortable silence stretched between the mass of villains, interrupted only when DeFarge announced loudly:
"I seem to distinctly remember ordering all of you inefficient morons to grab all of the Titans, but especially their leader. So," he snapped, leaning into Boris's face, "would you care to explain why he's not here?"
Boris stammered, obviously lacking a good enough reason to 'excuse their incompetence.' In the meanwhile, though, Wade had regained his composure and drawn back calmly.
"Never mind," DeFarge sighed, waving for the criminal to fall silent. "If they haven't been caught now, they soon will. I have teams that have infiltrated almost the entire city. The other two can't hide for long…prepare half your team to descend."
Boris nodded obediently, and made to leave, but Wade cleared his throat.
"Oh, and Boris?"
The thug stopped, and, crossing over in three broad stride, DeFarge drove his thumb into the bounty-hunter's left eye.
Ignoring the appalled expression on the rest of the men's faces and the suffering screams of his victim, Wade wiped his finger clean of the mess and said pleasantly:
"You've got something in your eye."
-partners-
Slade watched attentively as Robin made his way to the celebration had been taking place earlier, one of the boy's arms slung around Raven's shoulders to help her walk; the child probably considered himself quite fortunate by finding her, but he had no idea how badly she would slow him down.
That was where he came in.
Even though the Boy Wonder had more than explained his passionate hatred for Slade, and had declined the man's attempts to help, he had no idea what he was getting into. Wade would kill the teen as soon as look at him, but he was hoping to use Batman's brat as bait.
Slade didn't care, really, about what would happen to the boy; after all, there was his own agenda to keep in mind. However, Wade had made the mistaken of coming after him, and he would pay for that.
So here he was: Posing, rather, as Robin's guardian angel, watching and waiting…
For now.
To be Continued…
Sorry that it was short, and that the ending was kind of stupid, but I've really gotta run! Anyway, please don't forget to email Dlsky, and I'll see you around!
Later—
Rebel