The floor felt as cold as it was hard and even though he was still recovering from the knock out gas that suddenly flooded his cell he knew he had been moved and that a non trivial amount of time had elapsed. He opened his eyes and his vision was blurry, he tried blinking but it didn't help bring clarity. His sense of smell was fully functional however and his nostrils were assaulted by the pungent aroma of antiseptic. Without moving he listened carefully. He was able to discern the faint hum of a ventilation system and after listening more carefully he could hear the sound of fluids being pumped as well at the distinctive drone of computer fans in the background.
It was obvious now; he knew where he had been moved. He was in a lab.
Withholding a groan of pain that tried to escape his lips he tried to slowly and quietly get up, only to discover that he was shackled and chained to the floor like a wild beast, all four of his extremities were bound. His motor skills still not fully recovered he stumbled and fell as the chains pulled back on his still aching body. He fell on the floor with a dull thud and his chains clattered as they tattled that he was now awake.
"Well, well, you have finally awakened." Madam Rouge's disembodied voice taunted the still disabled and trapped Nightwing.
"Where am I?" He groaned as he continued to blink.
"The specifics are not important, and even if you knew them, your friends will not be able to rescue you anyway. You are our prisoner."
Nightwing jerked his head, still trying to shake away the cobwebs that clouded his mind.
"What have you done with the others? And where is my wife? If you've harmed her …"
"Don't make threats you can't make good on, Robin of the Teen Titans. We hold all the cards."
"The name is Nightwing." He growled.
"A rose is a rose by any other name, Robin. And we have dethorned you, you are now harmless, you are no longer a threat, boy blunder. As for your wife, she's here with us. The others? Let's just say that they are somewhere else."
"Starfire!" He called out. There was no response.
Nightwing blinked again and his vision began to improve, as his surroundings were slowly coming into focus. He began to survey his location desperately seeking his wife. What he found was something else, and it made him gasp.
The room was full of giant glass tubes which rose from the floor; there were at least one hundred of them. They were filled with a bluish fluid, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Each tube contained what appeared to be a human fetus. He stared at the tubes in abject horror, finally realizing that the fetuses were all dead. Looking more closely at the dead babies he noticed that there were only half human, their other half was … Tamaranian.
Even in his groggy mental state he quickly understood whose children they were.
"What is this?" He asked in a stunned voice.
It was then that he finally located Starfire in the room. She was wearing shackles similar to the ones she wore when she was a Gordanian prisoner. She also wore a mask that covered her eyes, one that was coated with reflectant on the inside, which rendered her eye beams useless.
"STARFIRE!"
The princess jerked upon hearing his voice and shouted back at him in Tamaranian.
"Star, are you OK?"
She shouted back in her native tongue. Nightwing turned angrily at Rouge, who had a macabre grin on her face.
"What did you do to her? Why can't she speak English?" He snarled at the shape shifter.
"It is but a little experiment, on the workings of the Tamaranian brain, which is so different from our own human minds. Our Master was intrigued by their ability to quickly learn new knowledge via lip contact. The experiment was a success but unfortunately there was a side effect for the Tamaranian. The portion of her brain that is used in these rapid downloads was … damaged. She lost her ability to speak English and cannot relearn it, or anything else for that matter, via lip contact I'm afraid. If she is ever to speak in Shakespeare's language again, she will have to learn the traditional way, not that she will ever get that opportunity."
"But why? Why did you do that to her?"
Monsieur Mallah stepped out of the shadows.
"Isn't it obvious, Nightwing? We want to breed an army of human and Tamaranian hybrids … not unlike your daughter … a 'best of both worlds' combination. We do need to modify their brains so that they will obey us, and that involves rapid downloading of both training and indoctrination."
Nightwing exploded in fury as the state of the situation dawned on him.
"Those are our children! You took our children and maimed their brains so they would be your slaves."
Mallah chuckled.
"You learn quickly Nightwing. Yes, we used your and the princess' genetic material, plus some of our custom DNA strands to create these embryos. Unfortunately there was a flaw in their hybrid genome and they all perished. It is but a minor setback. It was a minor setback as we already have a new design ready to try out."
Nightwing lashed out, stopped as he was still held back by his chains.
"You monsters! Have you no sense of decency?!"
"Decency. Is. A. Flaw. Of. The. Weak." The Brain chimed in as his artificial body rolled into the room. "In. The. End. Evil. Prevails. Because. It. Is. Unencumbered. By. Artificial. Moral. Constructs."
Starfire lashed at her titanium alloy chains, which held firm. She began to scream in her alien tongue.
Nightwing closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in frustration. He then called out to his wife in the little Tamaranian he knew:
"Koriand'r … no fear … escape … we shall"
She replied slowly and though he missed part of what she said, he did understand a portion of it:
"First they will pay for what they have done to us."
-( scene break )-
A black portal opened up in front of a house in an upper middle class neighborhood. Mariana Butte wasn't the most posh neighborhood in Metropolis, but its homes were large and stylish and the lawns and landscaping were professionally cared for. The driveways along Lookout Drive were lined with luxury cars and exotic roadsters. There was no doubt about it; this was a neighborhood of privilege.
Victor emerged from the portal, which vanished immediately. As he stood at the curb he gazed upon the house where he grew up as a child. His youth had been a special one, as he was what his classmates at Skyline High School called "a winner".
Victor was one of the top students at Skyline and that was no small feat as there was plenty of competition at the upper middle class school. Unlike other public schools in Metropolis, Skyline was well funded by the ample property tax its base paid on their McMansions. The school had a top of the line teaching staff and funding for advanced programs was never an issue. After all, 99% of Skyline's students attended college after graduation. For a while, when he was Cyborg, Victor was one of the few who didn't attend college. Then again he never graduated from Skyline either.
The other facet of Victor's collegiate life was that he was also a gifted athlete. Not only was he a shoo in for an American Football scholarship at the University of Metropolis, he also had scouts from schools across the country trying to recruit him to play basketball, soccer and baseball as well, also with full ride scholarships. They were wasting their time of course; American Football was his true love.
Life of course has a way of surprising us, of throwing a curveball when we are expecting a fastball. In Victor's case it was the accident.
Accidents. Those were supposed to happen to other people. The ones you saw on the TV news. And more often than not, they brought those tragedies upon themselves.
The truth is that Victor wasn't even supposed to be at STAR Labs that fateful day. He was supposed to be having lunch with the head coach at the university to discuss his role as a freshman on the varsity football team. But he passed that up to watch the transdimensional experiment his father was conducting. It was Nobel Prize material and he wanted to be there when he father made history.
The portal worked flawlessly. What no one had anticipated was that a monster would emerge from it, kill his mother and maim him before his father and the security team could force the creature back into the void from where it came.
And that was how Cyborg was born. He was kept on life support for days until it became clear that he would not be able to recover from his gruesome wounds. That savage alien creature destroyed all his limbs and inflicted life threatening wounds on his torso and head.
After many months the team at STAR Labs created the white and blue prosthetics that later became synonymous with the Teen Titan known simply as Cyborg. He of course found them to be hideous at first. He wasn't the only one to feel that way, as his friends shunned him. The athletic scholarships were history of course as NCAA rules did not permit bionic enhancements.
Victor fell into a state of depression and dropped out of high school. He moped around the house for months, doing nothing beyond playing GameStation and eating junk food. His father, who was still mourning the loss of his wife at first gave him his space. Victor wore nothing but bulky fleece wear to conceal his new bionic body and even wore his hood up when at home.
Eventually Silas began to prod his son into moving forward, insisting that he still had a life to live. Victor lashed out, angrily insisting that he was a monster and that there was nothing left for him to do in his life. Silas kept trying to get Victor to come out of his shell, but it was hopeless. After talking with a counselor, Silas decided that perhaps a change of scenery would do his son some good. He owned a condo in Jump City and hoped that maybe a fresh start would help his son. Little did he know that just 3 months later his son would meet the infamous Robin and three other teenagers on the streets of Jump City and that history would be made.
Victor found himself standing at the front door and realizing that he didn't have his key he rang the doorbell. He heard footsteps and a moment later the door swung open.
"Victor! They found you! Are you OK? You look terrible!"
It was then that Victor realized he had been wearing the same change of clothes for 3 weeks.
"I'm OK dad." He replied as he entered the house.
"What happened?"
Victor sighed.
"I ran into the Brotherhood of Evil."
"What happened to Miranda?"
"I don't know. I found out later that she was working for them. I never saw her again." He replied in a dejected voice.
"I told you she was bad news."
"Yes dad … I know … you don't need to remind me that I was played for a chump … OK?"
Silas backed away and looking contrite he replied.
"I'm just glad you're safe."
Victor snorted in reply.
"I wish I could say the same for Nightwing and Starfire. The Brotherhood still has them."
"What about Dr. Roth and Dr. Logan, are they OK? Why aren't they with you? Where are they?"
"They're fine dad. They're back at Titans Tower East, with everyone else. I came alone for a reason dad."
"You did? Why?"
Victor wandered into the spacious living room in the house and walked up to the grand piano that was the room's centerpiece. A portrait of his mother was on it. He picked it up a looked at it, lingering before putting it back.
"It was a mistake, dad."
"What was mistake? I don't understand."
Victor pinched the fake flesh in his forearm.
"This dad! I thought I could be normal again, but it was a lie. Why do you think I fell for Miranda? I had false hopes dad. I might look normal, but once women figure out who I am really am … I'm still a monster dad. But now I'm a weak monster, I couldn't fight back against the Brotherhood like this. I'm going back to my old tech. As soon as I clean up I'm going to STAR Labs. You don't have to come. I should be ready tomorrow morning."
"Victor! Are you sure about this?"
"Yes dad, I am. Victor Stone died a long time ago. I'm Cyborg now. It's time to stop living a lie."
Silas nodded.
"Very well, I see there is no stopping you. I'll call ahead and drive you there. Now go get ready."
Victor nodded and headed off to his bedroom while Silas picked up the phone and called the lab so they would be ready for them. After he hung up he heard the sound of shower running.
He walked into his private office and closed the door behind him. With no warning a small lid opened on his head and an antenna emerged. His eyes glowed red and within a moment Madam Rouge's voice was heard.
"Report, robot X1-J."
"Tell the master that Victor Stone is here and that he is going to resume his old Cyborg form."
"Do not allow that to happen. Terminate him if necessary. Is there anything else?"
"The Titans are congregated at Titans Tower in Steel City."
"Excellent. Now proceed with your orders. Under no circumstance should Victor Stone once again become Cyborg."
"Yes Master, it will be as you order."
-( scene break )-
The mood in common room was somber as the fact that Nightwing and Starfire were still missing sunk in, like a creature stuck in quicksand, unable to escape. Raven and Gar had rejoined their teammates upon concluding their make out session and neither gave away any hint of what had transpired in the privacy of their room.
The found out that Kid Flash dashed out to bring something to eat as the pantry in the Tower East was empty and had been that way for years. Within minutes he returned loaded with pizza boxes and assorted cold drinks. The assembled heroes quickly ate the food. Once they were done Gar spoke up.
"Any luck with the tracking device?"
Kid Flash shook his head.
"It's no longer working, sorry."
Gar leaned over the table, clutching his head in his hands.
"How are we ever going to find them? The Brotherhood's always been good at hiding."
Nightstar wrapped her arms around Raven's neck and the sorceress drew her into a hug.
"Don't worry dear, we're going to find your parents, it's just taking longer than we thought."
"Did the monkey man take them away, Aunt Raven?"
"Yes dear, but don't worry, we'll find them."
A blond teenage girl approached them.
"Don't worry Nightstar, if Aunt Raven says they're gonna be OK, then they will be."
"Melvin's right." Timmy added. "Aunt Raven saved us from him a long time ago."
Raven smiled. "With a little help from Bobby."
"The Brotherhood's no match for us if we work together." Teether agreed.
Raven marveled at "her kids" who were now approaching adulthood themselves. Yet another reminder that time continued to slip away.
"We still have to find them first." Gar complained weakly. "We sure could use some help right now."
The old mission console, which was turned back on just minutes earlier, began to chirp. Mystified at who might be calling them, Gar flipped a switch and the giant screen came to life.
"Mento! Are you a sight for sore eyes!"
"We're on our way to Steele City, Beast Boy."
"Changeling." He corrected him.
Rita's smiling face appeared on the screen.
"You'll always be my little boy, Garfield."
Gar sighed. This was going to be an uphill battle. And not just getting them to think of him as an adult.
"I'm not so little anymore, and just so you know, I'm engaged."
Rita's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Garfield, that's wonderful! So tell us, who's the lucky girl?"
Raven stepped into the camera.
"That would be me." She announced in her monotone.
Steve and Rita were unable to hide their disappointment from their faces, even though it was present for only a split second.
"Well … that's … nice!" Rita replied unconvincingly. "We've been wondering if you would ever find that special girl."
Mento forced an approving nod.
"It's about time you settled down with a nice girl. Congratulations … Changeling. Switching gears, how is your team?"
"We rescued everyone but Nightwing and Starfire. Over half the team is injured and recovering in the infirmary. Tower defenses are somewhat out of date, but have been reactivated. Cyborg's in Metropolis and will be back tomorrow."
"Have your team recover, and get a good night's rest. We should be there first thing in the morning. I think I know where the Brotherhood is hiding, but we'll need every Titan to take them down."
"We'll be ready when you arrive."
"See you tomorrow. Doom Patrol out."
The image on the screen was replaced by the Titans logo.
"OK everyone; we have a rescue mission tomorrow. Everyone get some rest. Wally, is there any grub for breakfast?"
"No, but I'll head out right now to get some … uh … does anyone have any money? I'm out of cash."
Raven opened her coin purse and extracted a thick wad of 100 dollar bills, which she handed to the speedster, who after thanking her was gone in a flash.
The remaining Titans exchanged good nights and headed off to their rooms. Raven and Gar were assigned the room where he was healed.
"They sure seemed excited at the news." Raven remarked sarcastically. "I should have known they wouldn't approve."
"Well, I approve, and that's what matters. And if they ever want to see their grandchildren, they'd better be nice to you."
Children? Raven hadn't even thought about that yet. Would she be a good mother? Could she even be a mother? She knew that as a human/demon hybrid there was a good chance she was sterile.
"I can sleep on the couch, Rave." He told her as they entered the room.
"It's OK Gar, we've already been, as you Americans would say, to second base. We can share the bed. But I need to meditate first, so you go on ahead and get some sleep."
Gar agreed with her and after stripping to his boxer shorts he kissed her goodnight and climbed into the bed. Within minutes he was asleep. Raven smiled as he began to snore softly.
Some things never change. He really is the king of naps. She thought to herself.
Raven sat down on the floor and after adopting the lotus position she began to levitate, whispering her signature mantra. She was drawn deeper and deeper into her self-hypnotic trance and the room around her began to vanish, replaced by a dark starry sky.
The day had been an emotionally powerful one for her and even though she was thrilled with her personal outcome Nightwing and Starfire remained at large. And to top it all off the brief but erotic make out session she shared with her fiancé had almost sent her over the edge. She needed to bring order to her psyche and that meant but one thing: another trip to Nevermore.
Her years at school were emotionally unchallenging as she didn't form any new relationships or friendships. Sure, during her undergrad days she tried to "fit in" and be a "normal" student. She dressed like her peers and worked on projects with her fellow students, who always welcomed a fine scholar like Raven on their team projects, but it didn't take long for her to read between the lines: they weren't interested in being her friends. It really wasn't surprising. She dressed like them and tried to show interest in their lives. But she still spoke in her monotone and her gray complexion and violet hair only served to remind the others that she was Raven, the former Teen Titan who was known for being mysterious if not outright scary. Sure, they were polite to her and always invited her to their social events, but Raven knew she fit in there like a square peg in a round hole as she was invariably ignored at those social gatherings. She eventually began to decline their socializing offers and kept to herself.
Her life became very predictable once she started grad school and opened Azarathia. She was too busy to have any emotions to deal with and did not once visit Nevermore during the following years as there simply was no need to do so.
Her meditation mirror was still back in her apartment in Jump City, so it took her a little longer to reach her destination. Soon enough the alien like terrain appeared below her and she guided her mental self down towards it. As she approached the ground she saw dozens of her emotions gathered below, milling around impatiently. She also saw a contingent of her virtues gathered as well, and they were congregating around Wisdom and another virtue she did not recognize, but who had an annoyed look on her face.
Raven sighed. If it was already this bad now, what was it going to be like after she and Gar consummated their marriage? Would she blow a fuse and have a mental breakdown?
Raven alighted next to the virtues. The annoyed virtue was not wearing a leotard and instead was attired in a long dress like the one Raven wore at the store. The girl crossed her arms and frowned at her master.
"OK, who are you supposed to be?" Raven asked in an impatient tone.
"Apparently someone you forgot about." She replied. "And why? Just because the green hunk came back you start acting like a hussy. What the hell is wrong with you? We weren't raised that way Raven! You actually told him he could have his way with you!"
"And he didn't!" Raven snarled at her.
"He didn't? He had his big green mittens all over our breasts! You even removed your bra! Just because it feels good doesn't mean it's right, Raven."
"He did it because I invited him, he is my betrothed after all, in case you have forgotten, I have that right by our Azarathian traditions. And just who the Trigon are you anyway?"
The angry virtue shook her head, in disapproval. She glared at Raven
"How quickly we forget Raven. My name is … Chastity."
-( scene break )-
OK, we have a lot of things happening at once. How will this all come together?
Anyone notice what a dbag BB is in the new show's latest episode? He laughs when his teammates all die and become ghosts.
And now, it's time for the mail bag.
Guest - "Currency you say? ... Maybe I can help you by making a whole ton of reviews to help? I can make it look like Im a different person each time.."
But that would be counterfeit currency, and no one wants r\to be paid with that!
Hairul The Nightrage Beast -"Wow, Gar's a lucky bastard eh getting to feel Rae's bosom."
He still restrained himself.
JOHNXgambit - "once again bb has shown himself as a prime leader. considering everything that happened on the mission the only downside other than not finding nw and ss he got shot in the ass which led to a makeout session that a good day in my book"
Funny how things can turn out that way!
CBB - "I really enjoy this story and your writing style is just perfect for the tone of it. Please continue the good work, can't wait to read more!"
Thanks!
Anoymous136 - "At first I was like 'Did I write that?' Then I was like' Nope, grammer's wrong.' Plus always good as usual. I'll try to remember to review everytime but if I forget, please don't kill me. I do have a new job and all."
Congrats on the job! They're tough to get these days. You don't have to review every time. It's just that the overwhelming majority of readers NEVER review.
Bluedog197 - "OMGOSH really funny dude and i knew lust and bravery came in somehow but poor night star she sad the brotherhood will pay for that great story thought keep it up."
Poor Star is brain damaged.
Glacier - "Oops, forgot to review for a few chapters there, force. 'Scuse my absence. This is.. Well, better the second time around, to put it simply. I've somehow managed to keep up with this story, and write a history paper, so.. Still, nice story, force, and good luck with the eyelid surgery. I'd look up pitosis, since it has an interesting sounding name, but I do have finals, after all. Anyway, keep up the good work!"
The surgery went well. I'm staying home from work for a few days, so I figured I'd get another chapter out for the long holiday weekend.
tron0311 - "Great story so far keep up the good work and keep writing. Can't wait to see how this all ends."
You're probably wondering if the Fab Five will reunite?
bbLover - "Loved it! wonder how bb will continue to react ... Will the Beast show up?"
Ever notice how in the show the Beast shows up to protect Raven?
Shadico - "Welp, the BBRae in this story is flippin fantastic. This story is quickly becoming one of my favs. Though my heart does go out to Nightstar :( So sad. Hope they find Rob and Star soon."
Stay tuned.
Manga154 - "I feel Raven's powers may become a problem again huh? Great story, and I can't wait for more!"
Her powers are always an issue. In the comics she has different powers, but has to be mindful of her emotions nonetheless.
invisibletiara09 - "Please, continue it! I'm reading it religiously and I want to keep reading. And on that las chapter, its so sweet that they're waiting for their honeymoon. Its the first time I read that on a fanfic, hah!"
They're pretty old fashioned in this fanfic. 28 years old and they're both still virgins.
RavenOfObsidian - "Poor Nightstar, she was looking so forward to seeing her parents and then they weren't there! :( But at the same time I'm so happy for Raven and Gar, the ending was just the right amount of fluff and lust to make it perfectly bombastic! :) A my dear! And my sympathies for your surgery, I hope it goes well and you have a fast recovery."
So far the recovery is on track. Thanks!
Dragonkyng - "Still as awesome as i remember. Please continue"
Will do.
TheThoughtsofKarasu - "Ooohh great chapter. I wonder where Nightwing and Starfire are. Their poor daughter, she's so young. I feel the same way with reviews. And once again, good luck on your surgery! Hope all goes well!"
Now you know where they are … well, sort of.
Anna - "Great story! I just found it and read all 9 chapters. I can't wait for more!"
I'll keep them coming.
TW - "Good rescue mission. I wonder what was going through those Nazi robots heads seeing a Soviet soldier attacking them."
In the show they really downplayed that Red Star was of Soviet origin.
Guest - "I remember reading this story before. I enjoyed it then and I enjoy it now. I look forward to all your updates."
As I promised, the ending will be different.
DeeThom - "Great chapter. Keep it up! And (again) good luck on your surgery as I have no idea what it is and don't know how serious a condition it is."
Since so many don't know what ptosis is, I'm copying the description from wikipedia:
"Ptosis occurs when the muscles that raise the eyelid (levator and superior tarsal muscles) are not strong enough to do so properly. It can affect one eye or both eyes and is more common in the elderly, as muscles in the eyelids may begin to deteriorate."