Hey there. Guys: realfanficts brought up a piece of rather unfortunate information. He said that Teen Titans is going to be canceled after the end of the fifth season—and while the description of the last episode seems to be the perfect way to tie things up for good, I'd prefer it if the show hung in there for more seasons, like three more…or a million more…but, he suggested writing to the producers. If you guys want to write and protest (or if you have more information on the topic) could you mention it in your review? I'll send you an email or a review with Cartoon Network's address if you ask for it. Thanks.
Chapter Four:
"Not to worry, Rae," Robin said, panting slightly, as the both of them laboriously turned another corner, only to be greeted with the bitter sight of a dead-end. Unlike her friend, who strove his best to conceal it, Raven's utter disappoint was evident on her pale gray face, and in her sullen violet eyes.
"Once we figure out exactly where everyone else has gone, it won't be to difficult to go from there and—" The Goth's feet left the ground momentarily, as the Boy Wonder swung her around to continue onwards. "—Clean the city out."
Raven sighed, the sound a mixture of melancholy and tiredness.
"I already told you, Robin. They're gone. Cyborg, strong as he is, can't hold off the number of people I foresaw arriving. And if Starfire and Beast Boy were still safe, they would have contacted us on their communicators by now."
She hated to be the logical, pessimistic one of the pair, but it was more important to note the cruel hand that reality often dealt people like them. Robin, catching the hopelessness edge in her normally glum tone, gave her a small shake, as if he were waking her from a dream; perhaps he was hoping that the action would allow her mind to emerge from the sedentary, sluggish thought of a deep sleep—but he was the one that needed to leave the fantasy. Despite the fact that he usually attempted to maintain a cheerful disposition when times seemed rougher than they typically were, it was starting to grind on her last nerves; he needed to face the unfortunate—and more truthful—side of the situation.
"Like I said, Raven. Don't get yourself down. Everything's gonna turn out fine."
The girl was tempted to respond with a dry remark to this repeated phrase of his, and decided against it.
Robin, secretly however, was beginning to feel exhaustion slide into his limbs and pump through his veins like the contents of a syringe, designed to send him flying into unconsciousness; his heart was also starting to give out, sinking lower as their prospects grew dimmer and dimmer. He didn't want to concur with Raven's reasoning, depressing as it was, but his brain was telling him that it was the wisest thing to do right about now…
Damn it, why was it so hard to tell where they were going! After years of serving the city and patrolling its streets to keep the crime to a minimum, he would have thought he'd known the place like the back of his hand! Maybe the explosion had knocked down architecture that would have otherwise triggered a mental map of Jump—or it could have been caused by the fog, which seemed to have settled itself in a comfortable lair over the entire civilization (he could only assume that the invaders had set off smoke bombs, or something of the like—the cover of white just wasn't natural).
He had considered, many more times than he felt was necessary, of stopping for a moment and leaving Raven quickly to swing up onto the rooftops and check their position, plus the current status of the city and its people—but it wasn't safe. Not when he knew that the new villains could swoop in at any given time and attack his friend. One didn't have to be a doctor to see that Raven was in no state to fight; besides, she was depending on him to help her walk, for crying out loud! Who knew what could happen to her, even in the few minutes that he was absent? And, to add salt to the guilty wound, he was her friend and leader: It was his job to stay with his injured team members, to help them pull through if they ever wanted to have a shred of hope at winning the battle that they were about to face.
Sometimes he honestly hated having the irritation of responsibility as an extra burden on his shoulders.
Raven's terse and grating voice suddenly cut through the debate he was holding with himself:
"We're being watched."
Robin stiffened and glanced behind, but there was nothing waiting to meet his harsh gaze, other than the seemingly innocent, rolling mist that lingered between them and the previous dead-end.
"Foe?" He murmured under his breath, while one of the hands supporting the demoness' body strayed to his utility belt; dark power glimmered faintly in Raven's palms, as she squinted wildly at their surroundings.
"It's hard to tell," She growled, pupils reduced to keen slivers. "I can feel a presence, and there's traces of an aura nearby, but…" The Goth appeared indecisive whether to keep her guard up, or relax the tension that lined the muscles of her rigid form.
"I don't know if they're good or bad."
"Must be a normal human being, then?" Robin offered, but he withdrew his bo-staff, all the same. Raven looked doubtful.
"No…the emotions that they're generating are too powerful to belong to an average citizen. Besides," she added wryly, as her vision swung upward to the rooftops that were conveniently blocked by the smog. "What would a regular person be doing on top of buildings?" She shot her masked compatriot a knowing stare. "Or 'stalking' us, for that matter? When something goes wrong, the majority of the population tends to run to us when they first see us, thinking that we will be able to protect them, even if we are in the midst of a battle."
Robin shrugged in agreement; she had more than a point.
"What do you think we should do?" His voice was very low now, and his lips barely moved when he spoke. Raven didn't answer, but her steady focus guided him to a drain pipe that lead up into the above; her answer was apparent. The Boy Wonder remained unclear.
"I don't think—" He started, the volume of his words growing instead of maintaining its more muffled version, but the Goth silenced him, pressing two fingers to his lips.
"Shh. Just do it," she ordered, and, pushing off from his body, she latched onto a few stray garbage cans that were set close to the pipe. "'I'll be fine,' remember?"
Her last sentence was snotty, she admitted that much, but it touched on a sensitive area—Robin's angry self-defense—and, movements uncertain and cautious, he made his way up the drain, slowly disappearing into the mist. Raven watched him until the last possible second, making sure that he was far away enough, and then collapsed between the two cans in solemn meditation.
-partners-
A headache brought her about, as it throbbed, keeping time with her heartbeat; the pain felt like someone had taken a knife and split her head open. Stirring groggily, and her movements similar to the speed of a snail, Starfire's lovely eyes cracked open to peer feebly at her peculiar surroundings; the room appeared to be a dull, damaged gray, and mountains of supply crates were stacked all about her. Cold metal seared against her skin and the exposed areas of her back—a faint, unwilling groan slipped out from between her dry, parted lips, and a deep chuckle followed.
"Hey, check it out: One of the freaks is up."
Freaks? she thought, instantly confused.
More laughter, louder and cruder than the first, rang in her sore ears.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," a coarse, male voice called to her. Starfire's eyebrows knitted together in a small frown, and her eyelids fluttered fully open. Two strangers sat in front of her, seated at a small table; a deck of cards, and a collection of assorted objects littered the surface. The men—clothing filthy, faces caked with dirt, and beards tangled and knotted—had been previously fixated on their cards, but they lay down the hands they'd been dealt and came over to examine her.
"She's a pretty one," the second—and ruder—one observed with a somewhat lecherous grin; Starfire recoiled in her disgust as best as she could, struggling against the chains—in her weakened state, though, her extra strength wasn't quite as powerful as usual. The first man made a face at her struggles, before explaining in a matter-of-fact manner:
"It's no good wriggling around, dearie. If you put up too much of a fuss, the boss will just give you a shot to decrease your little abilities, or—" He gestured carelessly to the side. "—take his exasperation out on the other two."
For the first time, the alien noticed the limp, dangling figures of Beast Boy and Cyborg beside her own; she failed to repress a gasp of shock.
"What have you done to them!" She screeched, hardly caring that her voice broke at the start of her rant. "If you have damaged them, you shall—"
She was cut off in the middle by a sharp backhand, and her own piercing cry, triggered by the pain and surprise of the hit. The first man glared at her as he took a few steps backward.
"And that's just a taste of what'll happen to you if you start shooting your mouth off again, girlie. I advise you shut up."
Starfire couldn't even spit out one of her long-winded insults, too occupied by the burning sting that was spreading over her right cheek.
"Now that you've calmed down," her attacker explained, and he rummaged about in a suitcase placed next to their table. Star, even though she felt overcome with a rush of humility, managed to squeak out:
"Who are you? What do you want with us? What have you done to the city?"
The second man raised his fist, preparing to punch her again, and she curled up defensively—it made him snigger disrespectfully.
"You're in fine position to be making demands," the first mumbled absently, at his return; he was fondly rubbing a cloth over a large knife. A feeling of apprehension reared up somewhere inside Starfire's chest.
"But actually, we'll be the only ones doing the interrogating here."
With a sweeping movement, the knife whistling as it passed through the air, the sharp edge of the blade came to rest at Beast Boy's throat. Starfire's pure eyes widened unbelievingly.
"NO! If you harm him—"
A broad hand whipped out of nowhere and struck her once more.
"We warned you about talking," the first said carelessly, and then moved on.
"Our boss would be here to carry out this little task with you brats, except that he had a small dispute with his boss earlier on—"
"'It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye…'" The second man grumbled darkly.
"—So at his request, we're here." He gave her a false, toothy smile, of which she pretended not to acknowledge.
"Now, our leader had a little assignment: He was supposed to capture you, and the rest of your pesky friends, but two of them managed to slip through his fingers. You're going to help bring them to the teams we have back down on the ground."
Starfire's expression said plainly that she would have preferred to decapitate herself, than turn Robin and Raven in; the guy with the knife smirked.
"Of course, if you don't want to speak, we can just simply—" He nicked the green changeling's neck with the exact tip, and a line of blood trickled from the cut.
"Don't!" The Tameranean found herself blurting. "Please, do not hurt him, or I—"
The second man covered her mouth with one of his hands, and she listened as his companion chortle cruelly.
"Sweetheart, you don't need to panic. All you've gotta do is use that nifty little gadget—" He pointed at belt, where her communicator hung. "—to call up your leader and the last kid that escaped, tell them you're free and in a certain part of the city where one of our recovery teams are."
Starfire shook her head as violently as her captor's grip would permit. She couldn't betray her friends! Not to these ruthless, cold criminals; she would never be able to forgive herself. But at the same time, Beast Boy's life was bordering on the thin line between living and dying…
Feebly, the alien writhed against the bonds that restrained her, in a last—and useless— attempt to avoid the inevitable decision. If she brought Robin and Raven into a trap, she and the other two would lose all ideas of being rescued, yet Beast Boy's fate was the one in immediate danger. And, she half-heartedly suggested, perhaps Robin and Raven would manage to slip through the clutches of their enemies; after all, there was always a chance…no matter how slim…
With eyes that quivered with tears of regret and wrath, Starfire nodded her compliance, and the second man retrieved the canary yellow communicator and flipped it open for her to call Raven.
The first man smiled in smug victory, and put the knife away.
-partners-
Robin's bare fingers were torn and bleeding—he'd been forced to remove his gloves, because the fabric had been shredded all too easily as he scaled—as concealed bits of outward jutting metal dug crevices into his flesh. Even as he traveled upward, he kept his ears strained for sounds of a problem beneath him; so far, everything had been relatively peaceful.
With a final heave, the Boy Wonder latched onto the roof, arms shaking with the effort, and pulled his body over the top. The climb, would have been easier under different conditions, had weakened him to a certain extent, and he wished mentally, as he got to his feet, that whoever was up here was willing to assist them.
He briefly surveyed the view—no one in sight, and the short ascent had proven to be beneficial; he now also had a more than vague conception of where they were headed, and, selecting the path that would be easiest for them to travel, headed back towards the edge to call down to Raven. A voice, though, stopped him in his tracks.
"Leaving so soon?"
Robin whirled on the ball of his left foot, intending to lash out with a kick, but Slade caught his heel almost lazily, as he looked down condescendingly at the thrashing child. The boy, in the meantime, was trying his best to keep himself balanced, or he'd go plummeting over the side; on the other hand, he refused to let Slade help him in any way, shape, or form. Talking softly and quickly, so as not to worry Raven, he whispered:
"What the hell are you doing here?"
He may have sounded hushed and a bit mild, but his eyes held all the venom.
"How did you find me? Were you following us?"
Slade's fingertips bit into Robin's foot, and he replied, in his typical, unperturbed way:
"But of course, my boy. You didn't think I'd given up, just because you ordered me to? Besides—you're one to know about disobedience."
Robin twisted his leg violently, taking brief gaps in the struggle to glimpse at the ground, where Raven remained patiently.
"Get away from me," he commanded murderously. "I swear to God, if you don't leave us alone, I'll—"
"Robin?"
His Gothic companion was calling to him, no doubt curious if he was all right and required backup or not. Both men exchanged looks—Robin's one of fury, and Slade's amused glint—when suddenly the villain released his imprisoned foot, spinning the kid around so fast, he had no time to react as Slade traded his vice grip for the Boy Wonder's arm and twisted the limb behind his back.
"Tell her you're fine," the criminal demanded, "or I'll break her neck."
He flexed the fingers of his free hand in front of Robin's face, as if demonstrating how simple it would be.
There was hesitation below, and then Raven shouted:
"Robin, are you okay? I'm coming up…"
"No!" The masked teenager blurted, giving Slade a sweeping look of hatred in the process. "You shouldn't waste your energy with flying. I'm good, I'll be right down…"
"Good boy," the invisible lips breathed from behind the grate in the orange and black mask. The muscles in the arm tensed, if it was possible, even more—
"Gotcha!" The young father cried in mock success, bursting forth with the last of his speed and grabbing the boy he'd been chasing. The child yelped, and backtracked to avoid yanking his arm out of his socket, then let out an exhale of disappointment.
"No fair," he contradicted and pouted at his father, though his eyes still glimmered with the thrill of the game and the heat of the chase. "You cheated!"
The older man let out a bellow of laughter, right as his son leapt at him, and the two tumbled over backwards, landing with a muffled thump on the grassy lawn. The boy was giggling so hard, he looked on the verge of tears…
—Slade felt the sharpened curve of a birdarang press against his neck, and saw the tiny smirk Robin wore. Raven was still speaking from where she stood at the foot of the structure.
"I just got a call from Starfire. She sounds fair, a little weak, but otherwise good. Beast Boy's with her; they're in the northeast area of downtown. I've been meditating, and I've gathered some strength to help me along if something comes up, so I'm going to go check it out…um…is that all right by you?"
Robin grimaced at the option of letting Raven go off by herself, but once Slade was taken care of…
"Sure. Just keep your communicator on; I'll track your movement and meet up with you in a couple of minutes. Stay on your guard."
"No problem."
The two waited until the Gothic demon's tread had faded into the distance, and then rounded on one another.
"How's this sound to you? You release my arm, and I won't cut your throat—deal?"
Slade shook his head, the picture of reluctance, and consented.
"I do feel sorry for the girl," he commented lightly, as Robin massaged feeling back into his bicep, birdarang still clutched near to him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your two little team mates, Starfire and Beast Boy—they didn't call her. She's walking into a trap."
-partners-
Naomi reclined listlessly against the stump that was the remains of the otherwise obliterated podium where the false mayor had stood a few hours earlier, her black gaze tracking her boss as he paced restlessly, muttering foul words beneath his breath.
"Something wrong, Boris?" She finally wondered aloud. "You seem a bit uptight."
The bounty-hunter froze and swiveled his head to lock his new, single eye on her face. A white handkerchief was knotted in his fist, though the cloth was stained a vibrant red from his tries at stifling the flow of blood that poured out of his left socket.
Naomi's cat-like smile widened, and her tongue darted out to moisten her pure crimson lips at the sight of the injury, adding to the eerie atmosphere that surrounded her; her boss had always been arrogant, and DeFarge had finally taken time to drop Boris' ego a few notches. The German opened his mouth to curse at her, then thought better of it, and resumed his marching, now throwing evil expressions at her when he found it convenient. She only waved and smiled back, her strangely white teeth looking like a vampire's in the evening. Truth be told, Naomi had actually had her incisors sharpened to points, to add to the ferocity of her appearance during a job—and Lord, did it freak out the people of this place!
"Did one of the Titans make the call?" She asked again, after giving him some time to simmer down at her last comment. Boris eyed her suspiciously.
"Yes. David and Carl dropped a line earlier—the red-head convinced the other two to swing by."
His female assistance chuckled.
"Perfect. I can't wait to see what these snots are made of."
"Don't get cocky," Boris warned her, sounding surprisingly distressed for a moment there. Naomi shot him a sidelong look, and he explained:
"These 'snots,' as you say, are a lot stronger than other targets we've handled in our careers. You may just want to take some more caution with them—especially these two."
"Why?"
"The boy's rumored to be a ruthless psychotic, and the girl that's accompanying him is an empath. So, just…watch your back at all times."
Naomi yawned, unconcerned.
"Don't I always?" She mocked, and Boris groaned in his annoyance.
"Get yourself killed, then. What do I care? It'd be one less bother, following my damned missing—"
The woman was no longer listening to his complaints, and held up her palm for silence, ears risen slightly to catch the faintest of sounds.
"What is it?"
Naomi couldn't contain her wolfish glee as she motioned for her partner to take to his hiding place and prepare for the ambush.
-partners-
Raven, much to her displeasure, found herself chewing on her bottom lip in anticipation as she arrived at the scene of the explosion. Although she trusted Starfire, she still felt that precaution was necessary when it came to delicate circumstances like this.
The demoness inched her path around the scattered and the mutilated bodies, while an awful sensation—as if a giant fist had clenched around her midriff—grew in her gut. All kinds of people…teenagers, no older than her, elderly folks, men and women, little children…all of them stared up at her with glazed, accusing eyes, as if knowing that she could have healed them, saved them, and instead chose to flee. The putrid guilt was like poison, and it made her want to be sick.
Raven moaned and swayed on the spot.
"Starfire? Beast Boy? Can either of you hear me?" She yelled as loudly as she could, for once not regarding the dangers that she might attract—all she was interested in at the moment was leaving behind this death-plagued nightmare that she stood directly in the center of.
"Are you guys there? Hello?"
The sound of her voice in the empty space sounded so lonely, so mournful, like a spirit that had lost their way, and Raven hated it.
"STARFIRE! BEAST BOY! Is anybody out there!"
Nothing.
Uneasiness and puzzlement made her head spin, colors and scenery beginning to run together like wet paint on an artist's canvas; where was Star? She'd called, said she'd be right about this area—
A footstep fell somewhere ahead, or so her senses alerted her; it was too heavy to belong to either of her friend's, and since Robin hadn't come yet…
"Crap," she mumbled frantically, and started to back away toward whence she came. Gosh, how could she have been so stupid, as to fall for something as unsubtle as this? It was no surprise that Starfire hadn't seemed quite right: If she'd fallen into the arms of the invaders, she would definitely be weak and afraid.
"Are you going already?" A sneering tone rang out at her, and a second or so later a woman dropped from her perch on the shadowy eaves of a small office building; the new opponent had dirty blond hair, but thick, black eye mascara provided a contrast, and her upper lip curled back to reveal animalistic teeth.
"We haven't even had time to properly introduce ourselves," came another call, this one male. A muscular man trailed out, blocking the only road out that wasn't cluttered with wreckage; his voice was tinted with the tiniest bit of a German accent, and a bloody white cloth had been tied about one of his eyes. Both of them regarded her as a predator might its prey…and as she couldn't fly, there was no way out that would not result in a brawl.
-partners-
"What are you talking about? Starfire wouldn't betray us if her life depended on it!"
"Are you so naïve that you would fail to consider what she would do if someone else's life were jeopardized?" Slade snapped, stalking over to stand on the opposite side of the rooftop where he disdainfully observed Robin from a distance. "Think, boy!"
Robin gritted his teeth as he considered the painful stakes.
"If what you're saying isn't a lie," he muttered slowly, walking in the direction that Raven had headed, "then I see no reason for me to stay here any longer."
As if to finalize his resolve, he removed a jumpcord from his belt. Slade said not a word, letting him turn in preparation to begin his traveling over the jungle of buildings that awaited him, then said flatly:
"Exactly what match do you think you are against trained professionals, men and women who make their living off of the destruction and kidnapping of people much more important and effective than you or your compatriots?"
Robin didn't react, and instead shot off his jumpcord and glided into the night. The mastermind watched him go, then slipped over edge himself and followed.
-partners-
Purple and green bruises were already blossoming on Raven's flesh amidst a collection of cuts and scrapes, all gifts from her antagonists. If she were well-rested and better fit for the present challenge, she might have been able to put up a more successful front, but from their combined efforts over the last five or so minutes, they were already wearing her out at an impossible rate.
Raven did notice that both man and woman alike carried lethal weapons in concealed compartments in their clothing, though they refrained from using them, giving her the impression that they were almost testing her skills.
With a roar of exertion, the empath lifted the remains of a truck with her mind and sent it hurtling through the air at the two; they seemed unfazed by the oncoming collision, and in a second, Raven knew why—the "people" she thought she was seeing were mere holograms; the copy of the man waved at her from where he stood, even as the image flickered from contact with the truck and called scornfully:
"Watch your back!"
The mocking advice came too late, and the Goth screamed in agony as she felt the first inch of a blade bury itself into her shoulder; cold-blooded laughter rang in her ears, as she dropped, groping for the handle to try and yank it out.
The man and woman came up stealthily behind her—she could see them in her mind, smirking at her kneeling form. What she didn't see coming was the blow…
Whap!
Naomi snickered as the young teenage girl slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, her thin, spidery fingers twirling the lead pipe that had knocked the kid into next Tuesday. Boris, however, knelt down professionally and checked the Gothic looking girl's pulse.
"She's still alive," he remarked dryly, "despite the fact that you seemed intent on bashing her head in with that thing."
Naomi gave him another one of her infamous grins and bent over to pick up the girl's limp form—
At the exact same time, a blazing red boomerang slashed through the air, stopping beside the psychic Goth's body, as well as staying the female bounty-hunter's hand.
"The next time you try and touch her, it'll hit its mark," an impetuous young voice snarled at her, and Naomi and Boris noticed an ebony-haired young man crouching atop a ruined structure, one of his bleeding hands cradling another one of the red objects.
Boris' eyebrows flew into the deep brown mass that was his hair.
"'Robin,' I presume?"
The boy inclined his head, mask narrowing along with his eyes.
"Now: Leave her alone."
Naomi glanced back and forth between the imperious figure of Robin, and the sprawled, thin frame of Raven across the concrete; then she licked her lips, and called in a sly manner:
"Well then…bring it on."
A small half-smile curved Robin's mouth, as he obliged.
To be Continued…
(Lets out a deep breath) Well, I think that's the longest chapter I've done for this story yet! (See, I was kind of noticing that I wasn't putting forth my best effort, and I seriously regretted it—so now, here I am, making up for it. My sincerest apologies.) Anyway, so hope you liked this, please review, and psychicflower? Dlsky's email address is if you still need it.
Catch you all later!
Rebel