Chapter XI: Samuel

Cyborg quickly made his way over to the control panel to free the remaining Titans. He briefly surveyed the panel to make sure the Professor hadn't left any nasty surprises for him. When he was convinced that nothing looked out of place he released the others from their containment fields.

The Logans quickly rejoined each other in a firm family hug. Robin and Starfire ran to their struggling daughter as she continued to stare at Daniel's dark sword that remained clutched in her trembling hand.

"Come on guys," Cyborg quickly chided the group. "We need to secure the area and make sure there isn't anything else here to worry about. Aimee, you need to gather up all of the rifles before our guests wake up."

Aimee, her parents and Starfire made their way over to the fallen Gato henchmen and began gathering their weapons. Robin remained with his daughter as she continued to struggle with Darien's dark sword.

"Haley, are you OK?" Robin softly spoke to her in a reassuring voice as he knelt next to his blood-stained daughter. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.

Haley continued to struggle to maintain control. The sword was tearing at her mind trying to assert itself. Her father's voice and soft touch were a welcome relief.

"The sword," she gasped in terror. "It's trying to possess me."

"It's a vorpal blade, a soul stealer," Raven's calm voice explained. She and her son slowly made their way over to Haley. Daniel held on to his mother's wounded hand that was still covered by her blood-soaked cape. Raven felt her son's reassuring touch as it began to slowly heal her shattered hand and subdue its throbbing pain.

"What happened," Darien slowly sat up as his head spun. He looked over and noticed the bleeding bodies of his former attackers. "WHOA, who did that?!"

"Haley," Raven answered her son in a calm voice that disguised her anger. "You should thank her because she saved your life."

Darien looked over and noticed Haley gasping for breath. "Damn I missed it," he said slightly disappointed and oblivious to her ongoing struggle. "That's a vorpal blade. I bet you've never seen one before. Hephaestus made it for me, cool isn't it?"

"I think Haley would like nothing more that to be rid of it," Raven interrupted. "Daniel can you please help her." Raven looked up and spotted Darien's Nightmare sulking in the shadows. "I want both of you to stay here; I need to talk to someone. I will speak with both of you when I'm done."

Raven gave both of her sons a disapproving look before she made her way towards the cowering Nightmare. As she approached the beast it immediately dropped to its knees and bowed its head in a submissive stance. Raven talked in a low hideous voice as it cowered in front of her.

"Mom's mad at you," Daniel said to his brother as he wiped his hands on his white tunic smearing it with his mother's blood. When he was satisfied his hands were clean he gently laid them on Haley's arm. She felt instant relief from her struggles. Darien's sword fell clanging dully on the cement floor.

Darien bent over and reclaimed his sword, calmly wiping the blood off with his shirt and sheathing it. "Hey I took almost all of them out by myself," he countered.

Robin watched his daughter sigh in relief then rub her hand and smile at Daniel. He could hear Raven continue to talk to the Nightmare in some unknown language. "What's she saying?" he asked Raven's sons

Daniel and Darien looked over and listened intently to their Mother's discussion. Darien cringed as he heard his Mother continue to hiss and snarl. "She's speaking in demon tongue. I don't think there is an adequate translation for what she's saying," Darien tried to tell Robin.

"There are over one hundred ways to tell someone to go fornicate themselves in demon tongue," Daniel calmly explained. Robin nodded, understanding that no further explanation was needed.

Raven finished her banter with the offending beast then turned her attention to her sons. "Darien and Daniel come here please." She was going to keep her discussion with them as private as possible. Both of her sons hung their heads and slowly strode towards their mother knowing a thorough tongue lashing was coming.

Robin turned his attention to his kneeling daughter. "Are you OK now Haley," he gently said to her.

He looked into his daughter's tear swollen eyes. A warm smile washed over her face just as she spoke. "The birds, where did they go?" she said to him distantly. "There were blue and orange birds all around me."

Robin looked curiously at his shaken daughter. It was then that he felt the cold barrel of a gun slowly press against the back of his neck. He froze knowing there was nothing he could do.

"All right," a familiar voice began, "I don't know who you are but you're in big trouble if you've hurt my sister. You OK Haley?"

Haley looked up then smiled slyly as her brother continued to fix his rifle on his father. "What took you so long," she chided him.

"Next time you call for help give me a full address," he quickly countered as he kept his gun pushed against Robin's neck.

"Well let's see how fast you can type with percussion grenades and gas canisters going off all around you," she shot back defiantly.

"Excuse me," Robin interrupted. "Do you two have to keep arguing while I've got a gun pointed at my head?"

"Who the hell is this character?" Samuel said in disgust.

Haley let out a short laugh, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Samuel gave his younger sister a confused look. She could be very annoying sometimes. He was glad he didn't have to work with her everyday.

"All right, stand up slowly and turn around." Samuel stepped back but kept his rifle trained on the person kneeling before him.

Robin slowly stood up then turned around smiling at his son who still did not seem to recognize him.

Samuel was a tall thin-framed man. He had short cropped orange hair and dancing green eyes very much like his mother. From a young age he had shown an uncanny accuracy with any type of firing weapon. If he could see it, he could shot it. Surprisingly he had shown no interest in becoming a hero, his first love was the police force. He bragged that he would be the top cop in the city before his thirtieth birthday; he had reached lieutenant by his twenty-second.

"OK masked man," Samuel said with a snarl, "What say you?"

There was a brief pause. "So what do ya know Sammy Joe?" Robin said with a slight laugh.

Samuel slowly lowered his rifle as his jaw dropped. There was only one person who had ever greeted him consistently with those words; his father.

"No fucking way," he said slightly perplexed as he realized the boy standing in front of him was his Dad.

"Samuel Joseph Grayson," a familiar voice rang out, "don't talk that way in front of your mother."

Samuel turned towards his mother's voice. Starfire stood giggling to herself. She strode towards her startled son and gathered him into her arms in a warm motherly embrace. Her all-to familiar bear-hug convinced Samuel his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

"All right Sam," Robin gently interrupted, "let go of your mother."

Samuel released his mother's warm embrace and stepped back still flabbergasted at what had happened. His eyes wandered up and down his scantily clad mother. He never knew how beautiful she was when she was young.

"You shouldn't leer at someone else's wife that way unless you want a fight," Robin glared at his son in jest. He quickly wrapped his arm around Starfire's waist and pulled her to him then planted a quick kiss on her cheek as she smiled at her still startled son.

"Take my word," Haley dryly added, "you don't want to fight him in his current condition." She nudged her older brother from behind then smiled at him. Samuel turned towards his younger sister and continued to look confused. For all their differences she genuinely loved her older brother, regardless of how clueless he might be.

"Hello Jane," Starfire said to her son's partner who had stood to the side and remained silent throughout their exchange. Jane was several years older than her son. She had a small athletic build with long brunette hair that was pulled back into a neat ponytail. Starfire sighed lightly to herself. Her son was as clueless as his father when it came to the opposite sex. It was painfully obvious to everyone but Samuel what Jane's feelings were towards him.

"Hello Mrs. Grayson," she politely answered in a soft voice. She lowered her rifle and turned on the safety. Jane smiled realizing the strange predicament her partner was in.

"I see you've found your mother and father Samuel," Cyborg's voice called out as he approached the group. He laughed as Samuel did a double take on his father's old friend.

"Cyborg?" he said slightly perplexed. "Can someone please tell me who discovered the fountain of youth?"

"There's no time for that right now," Cyborg continued. "Gato's up to something big. I downloaded some of their drives from the consul over there." Cyborg held up a small disk containing the material he had downloaded. "We need to get the rest of these minions out of here and get back to the Tower to disinfect this stuff before we can figure out what they're up to."

Samuel turned to his partner, "Jane can you get backup in here? I'll go with the Titan's and see what's up. Let the captain know where I'll be and that I'll brief him when we figure out what Gato is up to."

"Yes lieutenant," Jane responded. She quickly headed for the door to radio in to headquarters.

Samuel turned to his parents still perplexed with the situation. "Can either of you please fill me in on what happened to you?"

"Sure," Robin answered. "It's a bit complicated though."

"I'm sure it is," he replied.

"Why don't you save it for lunch," Cyborg interrupted. "A good story should always be told over good food."