Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

The sound of the sliding door opening and shutting echoed throughout the prison cell block, allowing stray beams of the late afternoon sunlight to sneak into the otherwise dark and lugubrious section of the Tower.

The prisoner had once again been given a massive dose of inhibitol and his powers were completely disabled. He remained unconscious and had a large bump on his head as Raven transported him to his cell.

"Raven, I really ought to check out that bump on his head in the infirmary, he might have a concussion." Cyborg reminded her.

"I'll take care of him." She snarled back at her teammate. She had a scowl on her face as she dragged the unconscious changeling by the collar of his costume instead of using her dark energy to move him.

She reached the cell and dragged him in; dropping him on the floor with what for her was uncharacteristic disdain. She kneeled down next to him and placed her hand next to his head, her blue light made its appearance and after a minute she stopped. As the changeling began to stir she walked out of the cell and paused in front of a keypad. She entered her multi-digit code and the cell's force field came to life, sealing the victim inside as its signature hum filled the room.

Raven felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw that it was Robin. Cyborg and Starfire had already returned to the basement to catch up on the status of the dimensional search algorithm they had put together and set running earlier that day.

"Are you OK Raven?" He asked. "You didn't seem like yourself out there."

"I know." She replied. "This creep just got on my nerves. It's hard to believe that he has so much in common with Gar, and yet he's so different."

"I suppose that all our counterparts in that universe are like that. It's a sobering thought. I can't help but wonder why it is that way." Robin commented.

Raven shuddered. She couldn't even begin to imagine what her counterpart was like and the changeling's words kept ringing in her mind.

I know that Raptor is probably having her way with your boyfriend.

Raven silently promised herself that if this so called 'Raptor' had even laid a single finger on her boyfriend that she would pay for it dearly.

"I don't know Robin; I suppose it's just the natural order of things. Maybe the universes balance each other out…"

Raven's speculative rambling was interrupted by her communicator which began to chirp. She flipped it open and saw Starfire's smiling face on the display.

"What is it Starfire?"

The princess's grin grew even wider.

"I have glorious news dear friend. Our new algorithm has collided with the paid for soil."

"What?"

Cyborg stepped into the screen's view area.

"She's saying that we found the dimension."

Raven pumped her arm in an uncharacteristic display of exuberance, which did not go unnoticed by Robin, who smiled at the good news.

"We'll be right down!" Raven shouted into her communicator. She grabbed Robin's hand and the two birds phased into the floor, reappearing in the basement.

Starfire and Cyborg were grinning from ear to ear as Raven ran towards them.

"So how soon can you fire that machine up and bring him back?" She asked breathlessly. Suddenly their expressions changed.

"There's a slight problem." Cyborg muttered.

"A problem? What kind of problem?" She snarled.

"It's the portal machine in the other universe. It's offline, and we need both machines working together to do the exchange."

"Why is it offline? Can't you activate it from here?"

"We do not know why it is offline Raven." Starfire replied. "And we cannot activate it remotely."

Raven closed her eyes and crossed her arms in an unhappy gesture.

"So we're no better off than before." She said bitterly.

"Raven, can't you open a portal to that dimension with your magic?" Robin asked innocently.

Raven's mouth fell open wide followed by her smacking her face with her palm.

"Of course! I never thought of that. A parallel universe isn't really another dimension, but there's no reason why I can't open a portal to one!"

Suddenly her expression changed. Robin thought that she looked like a child on Christmas Day, dying to open her present.

"Meet me at his cell." Were her only words as she phased into the ground. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire knew what she was up to and hastily made their way to the cell block.

As the three Titans burst into the prison level they saw that Raven was already there making preparations. She was inside a circle she had drawn on the floor using a potion she had in a round blue bottle making some final preparations as the changeling watched silently from his cell. When she was done she picked up a small knapsack from the floor which contained the supplies she would need for the trip home and walked over to the cell. She deftly entered her code on the panel and the force field along with its ubiquitous hum disappeared.

"You're coming with me." She ordered the changeling in a no nonsense tone that implied that declining her command was not an option. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding that he was ready to go home after all. She grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him into the circle.

"I'll be back as soon as possible." She informed her teammates.

Cyborg stepped into the circle.

"You think we're letting you go alone? Ain't gonna happen, girl. We're going with you to bring him back."

"It could be dangerous." She warned them.

"We laugh at danger." Starfire replied as she stepped into the circle.

"And we're a team Raven." Robin added as he stepped into the circle. "We're in this together."

Evil Gar finally spoke up.

"Oh give me a break." He moaned as he rolled his eyes. "You guys make me …"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The 4 Titans thundered at him. The now powerless changeling recoiled at their rebuke and said no more.

"Whenever you're ready Raven." Robin announced.

Raven nodded and began the spell. She handed evil Gar over to Robin who secured him so that he would not bolt as they were transported to the other universe. She assumed the lotus position and began to levitate. Her eyes glowed black and she began a strange chant none of them were familiar with or had ever heard before. The circle on the floor began to shimmer and a windy vortex began to rise from it and form around them. Cyborg likened the experience to being inside the eye of a tornado as the cell block around them began to vanish and it slowly faded away until it was gone. Soon all that surrounded them was an eerie void. Robin didn't say anything but he understood that at the moment they were in some sort of limbo, a place of non existence between the universes. Stepping through the vortex at this point would have guaranteed certain and instantaneous death. Suddenly they were able to see something forming outside of the circle. It quickly took shape and began to look familiar. Within a few more seconds the vortex disappeared.

They were in the Tower's common room.

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

Beast Boy and Terra were the second group to arrive at the scene as Gizmo used his rocket pack to fly to the LuthorCorp facility. Jinx, Mammoth and See-more were on their way in the "Titan mobile" which Gizmo had designed. Beast Boy thought Gizmo's car was ugly, especially when compared to Cyborg's T-Car back home, but had wisely kept that opinion to himself. Terra and Beast Boy were still holding hands as they arrived and Gizmo noticed, giving them a mocking love struck look on his face.

"Stuff it Gizmo!" The geomancer barked at him. "You wait here while BB and I go inside to check things out! Once the others arrive join us immediately."

The couple entered the facility while Gizmo grumbled to himself.

"More like they're going to check each other out." He complained out loud. "I had Terra eating out of my hand before that green interloper showed up." He deluded himself. "What does he have that I don't?"

Meanwhile Terra and Beast Boy carefully made their way into the building. They knew they would find the Hive in the weapons R&D lab. As they hurried into the bowels of the building they encountered two security guards. One was limping and had his wounded comrades arm draped over his shoulder.

"Are you OK? Do you need help?" Beast Boy asked.

The healthier guard shook his head.

"We'll be OK, but you have to get to the weapons lab. The quantum blasters aren't there and the Hive is tearing the place apart." He responded.

The super heroes acknowledged his report with a nod and continued to make their way to the lab. As they arrived they saw that things were as the guard had reported as the Hive was trashing the lab as they vented their frustration upon finding the blasters missing. Evil Cyborg was the first to notice their arrival.

"Well, look who came to our party!" He shouted. "It's Goody Two Shoes Terra and Broccoli boy."

Raptor ceased her destructive rampage and turned in time to see the two Titans, as did Blackfire and Nightwing.

"Get them!" Blackfire shouted as she began to hurl her purple starbolts at the heroes, who separated to dodge the Tamaranian's barrage. Terra struck back at Blackfire with a volley of flying bits of concrete which the former Empress dodged with ease. At the same time Cyborg aimed both of his thermal blasters at the geomancer and fired while Nightwing threw some of his freezing disks at her. Beast Boy stared at the battle, wondering why no one was targeting him when Raptor phased out of the floor in front of him holding her hands up in front of her in a submissive gesture.

"Gar, I just want to talk about what happened at the island."

"There's nothing to talk about … Raptor." His voice dripped with contempt.

The sorceress's heart sank.

"You used to call me Raven."

"You aren't Raven, you whore."

She dropped to her knees.

"Gar, please forgive me. I panicked …"

"And you ditched me. Raven would never have ditched me …"

He was interrupted by a woman's scream.

"I got her!" Blackfire shouted triumphantly.

Beast Boy saw the geomancer on her knees, wincing in pain as she clutched her side.

"Let's finish her off!" Cyborg shouted.

Raptor turned around as Nightwing grabbed Terra by her scalp pulling her head back to expose her neck, brandishing an evil blade in his other hand ready to slit her throat.

"Nightwing, standby!" She ordered him. She turned back to Beast Boy.

"Come back with me and she'll be spared."

Something snapped in Beast Boy's mind at that moment and without willing it he began to morph. The Hive stared dumbfounded as he transformed into a creature they had never seen before yet knew that it was to be feared. The Beast had been unleashed.

It roared as it leaped with inhuman speed at Nightwing, batting him aside. It gently picked Terra up while Cyborg, Blackfire and Nightwing regrouped as they strategized on how best to engage The Beast. Their Garfield never had that fateful encounter with Adonis in the research lab and had never been exposed to the chemicals that had released the Beast in Beast Boy's home universe, so the mighty creature in front of them was an enigma.

"Get him!" Nightwing shouted. Curiously Raptor did not join the battle.

The three criminals attacked at once, each using their weapons simultaneously. Cyborg used his thermal blasters and his sonic cannons while Blackfire used her eye beams and Starbolts. The Beast recognized the strategy, which his own friends back home had once used to subdue him in the sewer. It would not work this time.

The Beast easily dodged their attacks even though he was still cradling Terra's form and took advantage of the first opportunity that presented itself. Nightwing had deployed his bo staff and tried to engage The Beast directly, mano a mano. Unlike the time he had engaged Robin, Cyborg and Starfire in the Tower's infirmary The Beast did not hold back and knocked Nightwing out with a lightning fast jab.

Terra summoned a boulder and shouted at The Beast.

"BB! I'm OK; you don't have to protect me! Let me get out of your way."

The Beast nodded and released her. She jumped onto the rock and flew away to a safe distance. Blackfire was at Nightwing's side while Cyborg eyed The Beast warily. Blackfire picked up her unconscious mate bridal style.

"Let's get out of here!" She shouted and promptly flew off, followed by Cyborg who ran as fast as he could.

The Beast turned its focus on Raptor who stood impassively. In a single leap he landed in front of her as Terra, who was still clutching her side, joined him. He lowered his face to her own and growled at her.

Raptor threw her arms around him.

"Please forgive me Gar, I'm so sorry! You have to believe me! I love you! I love you Gar!"

"Prove it, traitor!" Terra hissed.

Raptor and Terra locked eyes and the sorceress fell to her knees.

"I surrender."

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

Raptor had been fitted with a power cancelling neck brace that Gizmo had designed and they were interrogating her in the common room. So far she had refused to share any details of where the Hive's lair was currently hidden.

"We should just ship her to Arkham." Jinx volunteered.

Raptor turned her pleading eyes to Beast Boy.

"Gar you know I can't betray them."

"What do you expect us to do? Turn you loose?" Terra complained. "Turn the Hive in and we might make a deal with you."

"You mean I can stay with Gar?"

"We're through Raptor, don't even think of it!" Beast Boy snapped at her as he took Terra's hand. "I'm with Terra now, so forget it. There is no 'us', that ended when you ditched me on the …"

Beast Boy's diatribe was interrupted by a vortex that suddenly formed in the common room.

"What is that?" See-more shouted as he cycled through his various forms of vision in a vain attempt to decipher the mysterious whirlwind.

Raptor gasped, as she recognized the nature of the vortex, but said nothing. Terra released Beast Boy's hand as she adopted her fighting stance.

"Titans! Prepare to fight!" She shouted.

As the vortex vanished it left a circular mark on the floor. The Titans collectively shrieked in surprise when they could finally discern who was standing inside the circle. A figure familiar to them all bolted from the circle and ran to Beast Boy. She wrapped her arms around him and then in an unheard of public display of affection she kissed him.

"Thank Azar you're OK Gar!" She blubbered as she hugged him again.

Meanwhile Terra cursed her rotten luck.

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

Just 4 reviews for chapter 9! I guess that's what happens when you go away for a month.