The jet's flaming wreckage fell into the ocean, where a series of explosions followed the impact. The scene was observed from the shore on a nearby island. The crew stared as the fiery remains of the Gulfstream jet slowly began to sink into the tropical waters, and soon all that was left were a few flames that danced on the ocean's surface.

In addition to saving the pilot and copilot, Raven snatched the flight attendant from her parachute and brought everyone down to small cove on the island, where they hid in the foliage that bordered the beach. Her spectral black raven went undetected by the fighter pilot and upon landing on the sandy beach she resumed her human form, her eyes glowing white and spread her arms, lifting her cape after which everyone egressed from the void that formed in front of her,

The fighter jet, which had no markings of any kind and was of unknown manufacture, made several passes over the wreckage and once its pilot was satisfied that there were no survivors in the ocean the jet banked to its right and after firing up its afterburners it rocketed away, leaving a sonic boom in its wake.

The crew appeared to be stunned and shell shocked, still unable to process what had just transpired.

"What the hell was that?" The copilot finally spoke up. "Who was that, and why did they shoot us down?"

Lisa Ashmore raised a satchel so all could see it.

"I grabbed the survival bag before I jumped. There should be a rescue beacon in there; I can turn it on and…"

"You'll do no such thing." Raven ordered her. "It would give away that we survived the attack as well as our position to the Brotherhood of Evil. There's no telling what they would hit us with. I wouldn't put it past them to nuke the entire island."

Gar was studying the display on his old Titans communicator.

"The GPS says we crashed onto Isla Poblada. It's 30 kilometers wide and 60 long … hmmm … it says here that there should be a small town on the other side of the island, it's called San Ramon. We can either cross through the jungle or go around the island to get there. Either way it's gonna be a tough hike."

"I thought you were superheroes. Can't you fly us there?" The flight attendant asked.

"It's too risky. I expect the enemy will be sending someone to inspect the wreckage more closely, if they see us flying they could send a squadron after us. If it was just the two of us it wouldn't be a problem, but we would be hard pressed to protect you if we have to fight them off. You'd be sitting ducks." Raven replied.

"We aren't dressed for this. Do you really expect us to go hiking in that jungle?" The pilot, who was dressed in a navy blue suit and loafers, complained as he gazed into the jungle. A small mountain, a dormant volcano actually, stood in the middle of the island.

"I'm sorry. What we could also do is separate. Gar and I can cut across the jungle more quickly while remaining out of sight. The rest of you could stay here and hide. Once we get to the village we can send someone to pick you up."

"I think that's a good idea, Miss Raven." The middle aged pilot agreed. "We would only slow you down."

Gar sniffed the air.

"I'll be right back." He announced before darting into the jungle. He reemerged a minute later, carrying some mangos.

"These ones are ripe. There's also a spring a 100 yards that way, just follow that trickle of water, it should be safe to drink right at the spring head."

"Thank you Titans, we should be OK until help arrives."

"We'll be as quick as possible, but be patient while you wait. And remain hidden." Raven replied as she picked up Nightstar. Then she and Gar ran into the jungle and disappeared.

-( scene break )-

"What do you mean the jet disappeared?!"

The head pilot of Wayne Corps private jet fleet tensed up as his imposing boss thundered at him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne; according to the San Benito airport they lost radar contact with the jet at 1:37 PM local time when it was near Isla Poblada, which was about 2 hours ago. I'm afraid that we have to assume the worst. The San Benito authorities sent out a Coast Guard cruiser but it won't reach the crash site for several hours, Isla Poblada is somewhat remote. I'm sorry Mr. Wayne, I really am. I can't explain what happened … it's a brand new jet and we inspected every system on it before releasing it for the flight … it was 100% airworthy …"

"It's OK McKenna, just stay on top of things and let me know when there is any news."

"Yes sir, I'll be taking Wayne #2 out myself and will fly straight to Isla Poblada to personally supervise the rescue operation. There were no landings or sightings on the island, but the aircraft's route was on the uninhabited side. Once I land in San Ramon I'll organize search parties. We'll find them sir."

"Thank you captain, do your best."

Bruce Wayne hung up the speaker phone in the Batcave. Alfred was standing next to him, with a very determined expression on his face.

"Do you suspect foul play sir?"

"What else could it be? If McKenna said it was airworthy then it was."

"Do you believe they are alright?"

"I don't know. If it was shot down Raven and Changeling could have evacuated everyone before it crashed, in which case they are probably somewhere on Isla Poblada, doing their best to avoid whoever attacked them. But if it was hit by a missile … then all bets are off … I don't know … it's possible that they could have survived a missile hit, but it would be a long shot."

Alfred nodded his understanding.

"The Batwing is being prepared sir." He replied as he typed on the computer and read the output on the screen. "At Mach 3.8 you should be able to get there in 1.5 hours."

"Where's Kal-El when I need him?" Bruce grumbled as he pulled his cowl over his head.

"Is he off world again sir?"

"Yes, along with the Green Lantern, Diana, The Flash and anyone else who could get there quickly."

Batman paused for a moment.

"I have an idea."

He opened a drawer in a file cabinet and briefly rummaged through it. When he turned around Alfred saw that he had an old Titans communicator in his hand. The Dark Knight fidgeted with it until a yellow masked face appeared on the display.

"Mr. West I presume?"

"Batman?" The young speedster stammered. "Where are Raven and Beast Boy?" Their jet never arrived …"

"That's right Mr. West, I need you to do me a favor."

"A favor? Sure!"

"I need you to go to Isla Poblada. How soon can you get there … discretely."

"Discretely?"

"I have reason to believe that Raven, Changeling and Nightstar are hiding there."

"You mean they got them too?"

"I don't know, which is why I need you to be my eyes and ears there. You need to be undercover as much as possible, since you too are a target of whomever is after all former Titans, that means you can't use your communicator on the island, it would give your presence away."

"I understand sir. I found it on the map; it's about 2000 miles from here. I'd have to travel slower than my top speed to not get noticed, it'll take about 20 minutes at that speed."

"Good enough. Wait for me to arrive before using the communicator; I should be there in 90 minutes."

"I'm on my way. Kid Flash out."

Batman flipped the communicator shut and without saying another word he climbed into the Batwing's cockpit.

-( scene break )-

"My apologies gentlemen, believe me, it was nothing personal. But I couldn't let you warn them now, could I?"

The pilot and copilot were lying dead on the beach, their now unseeing eyes staring into infinity. Lisa Ashmore gave them one last look before darting off into the jungle.

-( scene break)-

The jungle was suffocating. It was a hot, humid, bug infested inferno. Howler monkeys screeched from the tree tops that formed an emerald canopy overhead. Giant cockroaches hissed their displeasure at being interrupted from whatever a 4 inch long bug did to keep itself entertained. There were also birds with bright plumage, which sang out in high pitched and exotic voices. And the terrain was naturally an obstacle course.

None of this bothered the green Indian elephant who almost appeared to be enjoying itself as it made its way through the vegetation. There actually was a path that it following, which was had been cleared by machetes in the past. The jungle of course was reclaiming the path as its rightful owner, but the elephant was more than happy to use the path as it was.

Raven and Nightstar sat in top of the green pachyderm, surrounded by one of Raven's dark bubbles which kept the native flora and fauna away from them. The gray sorceress heard a thundering roar and looked up, frowning when she recognized the model of fighter jet that shot down their Gulfstream without any warning. Gar's green dermis was the perfect camouflage as it allowed him to blend into the foliage like a chameleon, and they remained undetected for the time being.

They had been on the go for two hours and according to the GPS in Raven's communicator they had covered just 15 miles during that time in spite of Gar's best efforts to rush through the jungle. Raven was beginning to worry that the Brotherhood of Evil would be waiting for them in the small town of San Ramon and was brainstorming on what to do if that was the case. Their first duty was to protect Nightstar from harm and she would be damned if they would allow the Brotherhood of Evil to capture the Royal Princess.

Raven noticed that Gar switched to a rather steep path and understood that he was trying to get them to higher ground, hopefully to a spot from where they could inspect the village of San Ramon and determine if it was actually safe to enter the town.

After about 15 minutes of marching uphill they reached a clearing, from where they could see the bay and town of San Ramon. Raven reached for her jeweled belt and produced a pair of collapsible binoculars from it. She popped them open and began to scan the town, looking for signs of the Brotherhood. She didn't find any trace of them in the town but also noticed that there were no townsfolk out and about, not a single one.

"Dammit." She cursed under her breath and hopped off Gar's back while still holding Nightstar in her arms.

Gar reverted back to his human form. Raven looked at him and could tell he was tired.

"So they're already there, huh?"

"I think so. I haven't seen them, but the village is quiet, way too quiet. I'll bet the place is crawling with General Immortus' robots."

"So what do we do? Wait in the jungle until help arrives? We don't have any supplies, Raven."

She sighed wearily.

"Maybe we should just head back and rejoin the others. There's no hurry Gar, why don't you rest for a bit before we go back? You've been doing all the work." She replied as she continued scanning the town with her binoculars.

Gar nodded as he took a deep breath. This was discouraging to say the least. He had spent 2 hours trudging through the jungle and would now have to hike back for at least two more hours while carrying Raven and Nightstar on his back. He didn't really mind carrying them, he actually enjoyed it, rather it was the hike that he was dreading.

He turned around to look back at path he had previously climbed and gasped. Standing at the entrance to the clearing was none other than Lisa Ashmore, the flight attendant.

-( scene break )-

The Batwing was just 10 minutes into its flight when the Batwave began to buzz. The Dark Knight frowned as he doubted it was good news. He pressed on the hands free button.

"What is it Alfred?"

"I'm afraid it's more bad news sir. A Wayne Corp employee was found murdered in her apartment."

Batman growled his displeasure.

"Something tells me that this is related to our missing Gulfstream."

"It is sir; the woman's name is Lisa Ashmore."

"Ashmore? Wait … she's one of our flight attendants."

"That is correct sir. I also learned from the crew scheduler that she was assigned to the crew of our missing jet."

"I see, so who took her place?"

Alfred sighed.

"No one sir. According to witnesses she showed up for work this morning and was on board the jet when it left. The coroner says that Miss Ashmore was murdered last night, in a most gruesome manner."

Bruce glanced at the chronograph on Batwing's control panel. He was still 75 minutes away from Isla Poblada.

-( scene break )-

Raven heard Gar gasp and also turned around.

"Miss Ashmore? Is something wrong? Why didn't you stay at the rendezvous point?"

The flight attendant grinned.

"There is nothing wrong demoness, at least not for me." She replied in a French accent.

She raised her arms in Raven's direction and they shot out like rubber bands. Raven flew straight up into the air, still carrying Nightstar in her arms as she dodged the attack.

"Madam Rouge!" Gar snarled at her.

"Congratulations on your doctorate, Changeling, the Brain is very impressed." She laughed derisively at him. "I know that you are searching for your friends. I would be more than happy to take you to them."

"What have you done with them?" Raven howled. "If you've hurt them, there'll be hell to pay!"

"Relax darling, we haven't done anything to any of the Titans we've captured … at least not yet."

"You guys don't learn, do you? You tried capturing us before and it back fired on you."

"Do not worry changeling, we most definitely learn from our mistakes."

"What do you want?" He challenged her.

The foliage around them began to shake and hundreds of robots emerged from the jungle, pointing their laser rifles at them, while Mallah himself came up the path and stood next to Madam Rouge, who had now abandoned her disguise as the late Lisa Ashmore.

"What do we want, little green one? We want revenge, revenge against the Titans and your now defunct network of heroes. You did us a great favor when you disbanded your team; it made it much easier to capture all of you. And today is a great day, for we now have captured the 5 original Titans and their offspring." The giant gorilla boomed.

"Aren't you counting your eggs before they hatch Mallah?" Raven snarled at him. "Do you really think it's going to be that easy?"

"Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now and I promise your end will be painless." Rouge sneered back at her.

Gar looked around and assessed the situation. Rouge wasn't exaggerating; their situation was bad, very bad. He turned to Raven and shouted.

"Rae! Run! Get out of here! Protect Nightstar! I'll hold them back!"

Raven froze. She knew he was right, they had promised to protect the girl. But she couldn't just leave him behind. She couldn't abandon him to a certain death. Her heart began to beat faster and faster, in response to the panic that was engulfing her.

She couldn't leave him. He was hers, even if he didn't know it.

"No Gar! I'm staying! I'm not leaving you here to face them alone."

"Dammit Rae! Just go before it's too late!"

"No!" She screamed. "I can't!"

"Why?" He shouted back.

Raven felt her heart in her throat and felt as if her very soul was being ripped in half. She couldn't leave, not even to protect Nightstar.

"Because … I … I love you."

-( scene break )-

Another cliffhanger! Don't say you don't love them, because you know that you do!

The mailbag was lighter today.

Apollo - "Can't wait for the next chapter!"

Thanks!

JOHNXgambit - "one of great things about raven is her interaction with her emotions it gives writer's infinite options and never gets old. BTW anybody eise ticked that bb and starfire didn't make it on the injustice video game"

In the "New 52" comics Starfire has been turned into a slut who sleeps with both Jason Todd (The Red Hood) and Roy Harper (Speedy/Arsenal). BB is now RED and is back with Terra.

Anoymous136 - "I remember the first version pretty well so I can theorize the 1st part. But it's still good. You haven't lost your touch."

Thanks! Sometimes I doubt myself.

DeeThom - "I definitely remember the fighter jets. I just honestly wish I could fast forward the story because I'm absolutely loving it right now."

Funny how some things stick in one's mind.

LSUABW - "Ah! The suspense! I noticed that Nightstar was never mentioned in the [spoiler] scene at the end! You're too good!"

Nah, I just forgot to mention her.

TheThoughtsofKarasu - "Oooohhh the Brotherhood of Evil is the major antagonist group? Awesome! I love stories with them, because usually it unites a lot of the Titans. From the stories I've read from you, you seem to like to have Slade as the main villain, but it's nice to see a change here."

I use the Brotherhood on occasion. I've never used Brother Blood, as I dislike him in both Cartoon and Comic Book incarnations. I think he's boring.

krostovikraven1 - "Nightstar seems like a young Starfire. a half tamarenean with blue eyes. Are her eyes like Starfire's Green on green or blue on blue in her case? And how does that work, Raven being able to interact with Nighstar's memories. that would be then like manipulating her answers somehow."

In this story I gave her Grayson's blue eyes, but in the comics she has Starfire's green eyes (in the comics Blackfire has green eyes too)

titanfan45 - "I can see Garfield in awe in the Batcave. He might be a doctor, but he is still a young Beast Boy at heart."

BB the fanboy!

Bluedog197 - "WHOA awesome who knew raven could do that with her cape. wow so the brotherhood of evil is after them who knew. any way love this story and your work keep it up.

Thanks!

Maddielove95 - "Can't wait for the next chapter.. I wonder how epic the battle's gonna be! Lol. I'm getting too far ahead.. I *think* I read the original story.. But I can't remember so its all good! How do you feel about the new piece of doodoo they call a show?"

As I mentioned to you before, I think the new show is an intentional parody of the original show. In the new show Raven finally appeared without her hood ... and her hair is black just like in the comics. She does still have the A-line haircut she wore in the first show. What is interesting is that some early promo artwork shows her with violet hair (and her face also looks different than what appeared in the episode)