PART ll
The room is bright again, and Starfire had been waiting in the sofa for a couple of hours already. Robin has been at no sight since the night before. This is the morning in which she was supposed to travel to New York to meet Donna, Robin's contact. He had been missing for almost two nights.
At first, she thought that it was normal for him to go out all day. She had spent the day before cooking for herself and exploring the apartment, secretly hoping that he was going to go home that night, but when she woke up this morning, things around the place where exactly where she had left them the day before. An uncomfortable feeling was starting to invade her.
He has said that he was going to patrol the city again, so he went out pretty late that night in which they stayed up together talking. There were still a couple of hours of darkness left, which motivated him to still go out unnoticed. Starfire had thought that it was too late for him to stay awake and suggested to go to sleep, and since she didn't really need to sleep, this didn't affect her, but she had noticed that Robin does. He had been trying to ignore some police reports his alerts were announcing for the last couple of hours as they were talking. Starfire has caught him looking anxiously at his phone and the laptop once in a while in the middle of some phrases, but he also didn't want to leave their conversation. A sudden robbery report coming from the last hours of the night shift at a factory on the outskirts of the city called his attention, and he decided to leave. They hadn't said anything for a couple of minutes before that anyway.
She was uncertain weather to call him, it was half past seven. Even though the communication systems on her planet differ from the ones on Earth, she knew that her call could put them both in a difficult position if he was in troubles. Someone could find out that they had been in contact. She decided to call Cyborg instead with the phone Robin have given her. She pressed through all the buttons on the screen as she has seen him doing until she found the names of the people she met a few days before on her contact list. When she found him, she pressed the call button following the instructions shown on the screen and explained him that she had no idea where he was and that she couldn't easily go out and look for him.
He agreed to help and wanted to go to the apartment, and since she didn't exactly know where the location was, she tried to give him the most details as possible that could lead him to find her, like the skyscrapers she saw and the stores they have passed by. He was also going to contact Raven and was already taking Beast Boy with him.
A while after she had finished talking to Cyborg and having send him a picture of the view from the apartment, she heard a noise coming from the door. It was being lock and an alert sounded inside, someone outside had put in the wrong code. There was no peephole, but the intercom showed a brown hair woman. She instinctively tried pressing the buttons, but stopped thinking it could let the stranger in.
–Dick, are you there? —Shouted the woman outside. Starfire remained hesitant behind the door. She knew Robin's name, that was good, she thought. The door lock opened, the stranger has tried another code, and as soon as the door opened, Starfire assumed a defensive position, which surprised the woman on the hall.
–Who are you? —Asked Starfire defiant.
–Who are you? —Replied the woman with eager, for which Starfire reacted by growing two green start bolts in both of her hands. — Oh, I see. I'm Donna.
–How can I be sure? —Starfire replied hesitantly.
–Well, I guessed the door's password, so predictable of him by the way, and I know that the person who lives here likes to go after criminals wearing a funny custom. Where is he?
–I don't know. — Answered Starfire with sudden sadness. She moved to a side, so that Donna could enter but kept her arms on guard. Donna closed the door behind her, she was carrying a small backpack. — The last time I saw him was two nights ago.
–Starfire, right? —Donna inquired after letting the backpack on the floor, for which Starfire nodded. — He does this kind of stuff all the times, disappears for days or weeks, and comes back again. He is not good for goodbyes.
–What are you doing here? —Starfire replied after thinking for a moment.
–Dick was going to confirm your trip to New York. He told me two days ago that you might stay here. Since he didn't reply, I came here to convince you not to stay with him.
–What? Why not? —Starfire replied surprised.
–I'll just make it simple, he's not good at keeping people close. The League has accepted that you have helped the city in the end, and they will be responsible for the damages you caused, but we are all afraid that if you stay with Dick, you guys will try to play hero. They are not okay with Robin doing that anymore.
–I never said that I wasn't going to New York. —Starfire commented after a while. Before Donna could reply, the doorbell rang. Starfire was the first one to check the intercom, she saw Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven through the camera.
–Who are they? —asked Donna.
–Friends.
–You make friends quickly. —said Donna as she opened the door and spoke through the speaker. — Twelve floor.
–Something tells me that he is not okay. We need to help him. —said Starfire decisively.
–Look, it's your choice to stay here now, but you need to remain undercover. No hero playing. Robin can take care of himself. — she grabbed the backpack she had left on the floor and went back to the front door.
–Why would he leave me here alone without saying anything? —said Starfire trying to convince her.
–Didn't he want you to leave on the first place, to go with me? — Replied Donna indifferent, which made Starfire sad. It was true. — Probably he thought you were leaving on your own. Isn't the bus ticket due to this afternoon?
Starfire couldn't say anything else, and she only nodded in agreement. She then opened the door and waited until the elevator doors opened as well.
–Greetings. —Starfire said indifferently.
–Hi. —Said Cyborg on a cheerful way. —Who is she?
–Leaving. Listen, don't go after him. Whatever it is, he has it under control. —said Donna at the corridor.
–No, it's not. Something is odd, I can sense it. —Said Raven calmly.
–The robbery at the factory… The place is called Secur-Corp. —Commented Cyborg, which called Donna's attention.
–Damn it. — Reacted Donna throwing the backpack back to the floor. — Do you know whom it belongs to?
–Yes. —answered Cyborg confidently.
–What, to whom? —interrupted Beast Boy cluelessly.
–LexCorp. —Replied Donna with a serious look towards Starfire. — They are primarily looking for you. Not good people.
–Please, assist us. It seems that you know them better that we could do. —implored Starfire.
–No, I don't wish to get involved. Di...Robin always gets involved in these kinds of troubles. —Answered Donna impatiently.— This company has infrastructure all over the city, if they are still keeping on this one, it will take days to find him.
–My radars can only detect him when he is around. Raven could try to sense him to, but we'll have to go around the city for hours. — Commented Cyborg unsure.
–What if Starfire causes a distraction in the city so at least we would know who is after her? —Beast Boy asked looking at Donna.
–They are not the only ones after her. —Replied Donna. — Even the authorities want her out.
–It's true. The other day we went to the city, and I got captured by a couple of civilians. —commented Starfire.
–You got what? How did it happen with him around? —Asked Donna in clearly disagreement. — Enough. I'll help you, but you have to follow what I say. We cannot cause any more damages. You guys still made a mess trying to help her.
Donna closed the front door and lead everyone to the small studio. She knew the place very well since she had used it before while accompanying Robin with some missions on this city. She tried to unlock the computer but the password she wrote was wrong. For Donna's surprise, Starfire typed in the code she saw Robin writing down when he showed her information.
–We can starting by tracing all the buildings that belong to the company and subsidiaries. —Commented Donna while she started typing Secur-Corp, among other names. Many results were filling the screen. — Of course these ones would be the official list, but usually they own many other buildings around them. And I'm certain that if they captured him, they won't exactly keep him at the reception. He can be at any warehouse, small room or cellar.
Donna had placed on the second monitor a map of city, which started highlighting many buildings according to the search results. A huge percentage of the city was being marked. On the first one, she had placed the photographs of the many criminals that were after Starfire. Many of the frames had no actual picture of the suspects, only their names.
–Geez. —Said Beast Boy. — Cannot we find him through a tracking device on his suit or something?
–He used to have one when he was still with Batman… He got rid of it when he left. —answered Donna.
–What about these phones that you guys made? —Asked Starfire, showing Cyborg the cellphone Robin had given her.
–Can you trace that? — Donna questioned him.
–I can try. —Cyborg replied and started to type in on his arm' screen. — What? It says that is in here.
–He must have it left in here then, Cyborg. —Commented Raven. — Is there any way that we can start by checking the security cameras of the place instead of trying to drop the number of suspects of the people who could have taken him?
–Can you try to get into their system? —Donna asked Cyborg. — They have a closed circuit system, and I can't do it from here.
–Let's go to see that factory. —Cyborg replied. Starfire remained hesitant.
–I'm afraid I might put you guys in danger again if I leave this place. —Commented Starfire with sadness.
–It's okay. I think it's better that we all stay in this together. We can look better after each other. —added Cyborg trying to comfort her.
–I think he's right. We might need your help. —Donna said after considering the magnitude of the problem Robin had might been into. — We also don't know if this place has been compromised. You can't stay here for so long.
–How are we exactly going all out undercover? It's quite bright outside full of police officers looking for her. —Raven commented with doubt.
–We'll separate. Once we get there, one of us will create a distraction so that Cyborg can get into their system. We will also look for clues. It seems that the factory is running again. —explained Donna.
–Can't you just teleport us there? —Beast Boy asked Raven.
–Not really Beast Boy. I can just go to places I've been, or I see ahead of me. —Raven replied quietly.
–I see. Well, I can fly there. —Commented Beast Boy confidently.
–No, you can easily be detected. —Reprimanded Donna before Beast Boy turned into a bird in front of everyone to turn back again after a couple of seconds. — Oh I see. We'll you can go ahead like that then.
They started going to the living room. Best Boy opened a window, and Donna put out some things out of her backpack.
–Walking will take us a while, stay in touch with your phones. Let's go. —added Cyborg looking at Raven. Before Beast Boy could jump out of the window to fly away, he saw that Donna was putting a rope aside.
–A rope? —He asked with curiosity, Donna just looked at him with discomfort. —Hey, I know who you are. You are Wonder Girl.
–Was. It's just Donna now. —she said.
–Left them same as Robin? —Starfire asked her shyly.
–Sort of. —Donna's cheeks turned red and replied somehow with embarrassment. — And it's a lasso. Let's all go.
Beast Boy turned into a green pigeon, jumped out the window and flew away. Starfire went close to see him disappearing through the buildings, then she closed the window and went to the kitchen bar to grab her fake ID, the beanie and the sunglasses Robin had lend her before, to eventually follow the others leaving the apartment and closing the doors behind. The group split as soon as they reached the lobby. Raven and Cyborg have agreed going there on different directions than Starfire, since they couldn't be seen together. Donna and Starfire started walking west.
Since it was a working day, the streets were quite busy. There were many cars and pedestrians. Everyone was walking in different directions. The shops were crowded and the car horns didn't stop for a minute. Donna had tried to hide her lasso under her clothes, but keeping it close in case of being necessary. She didn't trust Starfire as Robin did to act wisely on the street, when facing a problem.
As they were walking by, they both were harassed by a couple of guys outside of a shop. What they said, wasn't comprehensible for Starfire, so she walked back to them.
–Excuse me, what did you say? —asked Starfire naively.
–Let's go. —Donna grabbed her arm, which caused another reaction from the guys. —They are just being jerks.
–Is that bad? You seem upset. —questioned Starfire ingeniously again, which made Donna laugh. She didn't know that those words can also be used offensively.
–Yes. I'm sorry, you'll learn. —Said Donna more patiently. She checked the direction of the factory, and they still had to walk for another forty minutes, so she decided to step out. —So another planet, huh?
–Yes. —Answered Starfire while being distracted by some neon ads. — It's called Tamaran.
–Are you planning to go back? — asked Donna trying to do some small talk.
–Not for a while. It's complicated there. —Starfire replied with sadness, thinking about the constant war and regime her planet was facing.
–And do you like it here? I found this kind of places, cities, still quite amusing.
–Yes. People are nice and friendly. —Starfire felt warmth going through her cheeks, she remembered the explanation to these words her new friends have told her a few days ago.
–I see. —Exclaimed Donna, suspecting a deeper meaning to her blush. — It will take time for you to adapt here, but it'll be okay if you go away from them. Robin is not the best person to be with when you want to see this new world, you see.
–He helps people. He helped me too… without asking. I also don't wish to remain undercover. I want to learn how to assist others properly, and he said that I might do it with you.
–Me? Oh no. I try not to do that anymore. I mean, I do, but differently. I'm working, taking photographs of bad guys that could lead police officers to arrest them. But not the same as Robin tries to do. Sometimes he is not… that cautious.
–The same police officers that try to take me in? —asked Starfire.
–Yes. —Replied Donna laughing. — Usually it takes more than just blasting people in the middle of the street to really get rid of them.
–I understand. —Answered Starfire thinking about her home planet and the difficulties she and her sisters have been through trying vainly to bring peace for them.
–But I can try to help you, that's true. But we will do it my way, no fancy green start bolts like the ones you showed me before. —proposed Donna nicely.
–I would like that. —answered Starfire smiling. Soon they were walking through another crossing and when they turned left, the people on the street were paralyzed since they all were being controlled by police officers. They were checking mostly on the girls, but also men that could fit into the description of Robin, Cyborg or Beast Boy. Someone that could lead them to find Starfire. Donna thought that Bruce would have arranged something at this point, but it seemed that it was going to take a little bit extra to convince authorities that Starfire, the alien who attacked the city days before, was going to be a good member of the society, under an ex League Member's care, herself.
–Did you guys go to visit Mario? —continued Donna.
–What do you mean? —replied Starfire unaware, which made Donna smirked.
–The grumpy old guy with the ID. —answered Donna cheerfully.
–Oh, yes. He sent you his greetings.
–He's nice. Once he doesn't want to kill you, of course. Hey, can you let me see your phone? I need to get the contacts of the other guys in case we lose this one. —continued Donna.
–I don't know what you mean but take it. —Starfire replied and gave her the phone.
–Who gave you this? —asked Donna while she was trying to get the contact of Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy. She hesitated about getting Robin's number for this line, but saved it too.
–Robin. He said that he and Cyborg had encrypted them. —answered Starfire.
–I see. —Replied Donna. —Do you know how to use it?
–Not really, but we have something similar on my planet. —Starfire commented.
Soon it was going to be their turn in the queue, both of them were scared stiff, internally hoping that the fake ID Starfire had would work. "They have always worked", thought Donna. Her green scleras could be really problematic, though, if they ask her to take off her sunglasses to compare to the photo on one of the IDs. Donna whispered to Starfire "only show one" before being checked, the officers saw no problems, and she just smiled. They told her to go forward, after the barriers behind them. She could feel her face being slowly covered by sweat.
–Name? —Donna could hear one officer asking Starfire.
–Kory Anders —She replied.
–Where do you live? —inquired the policeman.
–Thompson st. 27 —She had memorized every possible data from all of the cards the day before. She posses a very good memory.
–What do you do for living? —The man seemed persistent.
–I study… photography —Donna though it was a joke from Mario directed to her. — I have my student ID here if you want to see it.
–Miss, could you please take off your glasses? —Asked the man firmly. Starfire glanced at Donna with dismay. She took them off, but before the officers could give her a full look, someone in the middle of the crowd yelled. Some man has touched some woman inappropriately, and she tried to alert the police officers. The policeman who was asking Starfire and holding her ID shouted at the man that tried to run in the middle of the street, when cars were still passing by. This made the other officers to quickly leave their positions to stop the traffic and go after him. The police officer gave Starfire her ID without further attention and tried using his whistle to control the crowd. People started moving forward, and Starfire took this as an opportunity to quickly pass through their barriers and continue moving with Donna in the opposite direction.
–Shouldn't we go after the jerk? —asked Starfire.
–Another time.
They continued walking through small streets, alleys and avenues until they reached the location. Donna have thought about starting a fire in order to evacuate the building pretty quickly. Cyborg would only have about eight minutes to get to the surveillance room and steal their data. She had checked where it was, so she needed to go in with him without destroying any door or window to get in, since it would cause people's attention.
The factory was a large area with warehouses, and they had to move around really carefully to avoid being notice. Luckily for them, there was also a bus stop outside of the facilities, and she thought about getting an employee card from the people who were waiting. She was thinking how to do it without being noticed, when Beat Boy transformed next to them from a wasp to himself.
–What did it take you guys so long? —He exclaimed.
–Beast Boy! —Starfire said with surprise.
–Hey, do you see that man over there? The one with the coffee, flirting with those women. —Commented Donna.
–Uh, yes. —Replied Beast Boy oblivious.
–We need his employee card. He looks like a security guard, and he must have access to many parts of the building. Do you think you can steal it somehow? —asked Donna energetically.
–No problemo. —He answered while snapping his fingers and turned into a squirrel. Donna and Starfire saw how Beast Boy was running towards the crowd and then jumped on everyone at the bus stop really quickly, spilling the man's coffee and lastly stealing his card more discreetly. He then run away under the bus that has just arrived, while everyone was getting in, he crossed to the other side without being noticed by the employees. The man, whose card was stolen, was unaware of this, and he just complained trying to get rid of the coffee on the shirt. He got in the bus with the rest. As soon as the bus left, he sneaked to the girl's position with the card on his mouth.
–Wow, pretty impressive. —Donna commented smiling. — A little bit chaotic, but still.
–Thanks. —answered Beast Boy pleased.
–Well-done Beastie! —said Cyborg while joining them. He had been following his radar to find them. Raven was next to him, with her hoodie on.
–Cyborg, we need to sneak in to go to the surveillance room, it's on the first building to the left. Guys, you have to cause a big distraction at the warehouses, but make sure everyone is out unharmed. Once you start the distraction, we have a couple of minutes to make sure everyone is out. Okay?
–Got it. Let's move on. —exclaimed Cyborg and left with Donna towards the first building. Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy went precautiously to the next one.
–Why don't we just active the fire alarms without causing a real fire? —proposed Beast Boy.
–It's actually a good idea. Is there a way you can release small amounts of your energy, Starfire? —asked Raven.
–I can try. —Starfire commented. Since they couldn't get in, they found a small window on the back part of the warehouse. They all flew to its height.
–You see those metal pieces on the ceiling? —Explained Raven to Starfire, for which she okayed. — Good. I'll open a small portal so that you can threw one of your starbolts at it. It will activate the alarm.
Raven opened a small black portal next to them, and Starfire put her hand through it. She then threw a small green start bolt and it worked to activate the alarm. Soon the alarm made a noise but the fire sprinkles did not started working. Some employees who seemed to be in charge of management started telling people to go out. But after a couple of seconds the alarm stop making noise and one employee shouted the others to go back to work. "It's false alarm!" they heard him yelling.
–It seems that we are going to need more than that. —commented Beast Boy.
–Let's try to get in Raven. There must be something that we can burn. What about the containers over there? —said Starfire while pointing at some metal containers to their right on the floor.
–It's too dangerous. We don't know what it could be inside and we can hurt people. —replied Raven.
–Look, someone just leaves their desk. I can try to start a fire out of it. —proposed Starfire.
–Let's go. —commanded Raven.—Beast Boy, stay up here to watch that everyone leaves.
She then opened a portal and dragged Starfire into it. They appeared seconds after next to the empty desk. Starfire grabbed the computer with both of her hands, and it started melting, which caused a short circuit. She then used one star bolt on the chair, which provocated the chair to start burning. Soon, the smoke reached the ceiling, and the alarm went on again. This time the fire sprinklers were activated. Raven opened a new portal and dragged Starfire into it once again to go back next to the upper window.
People were leaving in a disorganized way, some employees were running from the back of the warehouse. Raven suggested to Starfire to go together to check if employees were also leaving the other one. When they got to the entrance, she placed some containers at the entrance to cause distress to open the doors for the people inside, but enough to be removed easily by the group. Some other employees of the warehouse, came to assist the people on the second warehouse so that they could go out. Many were outside already and from both of them, they could heard many arguing and yelling at each other. The rest of the employees from the first house started going out at the sound of the alarms.
Raven and Starfire went back next to Beast Boy through another portal and Beast Boy warned them about one guy that had just came in again towards the burning desk. Raven meditated weather to save him or not with a portal, since it was going to be a significant detail for the employee. Seconds after seeing him running inside, Raven disappeared and appeared behind the man and made him dropped with her powers. She then created a portal where the man was about to fall and made him appear next to the warehouse outside. Some people tried to get in again, and she decided to keep the entrance blocked on the inside with her powers. She will have to wait for the firemen on this position.
Inside the first building, Donna and Cyborg were using the employee card to go through the many doors to reach the surveillance room. Many people were going outside, including guards, but they still needed to be quick. Once they arrived there, Donna noticed that there were two men going back inside that room. Almost as soon as they closed the door, one left again on the opposite direction. Donna has heard him talking, and since she is very good at imitating voice, she tricked him to go out.
–Hey, come with me. You have to see this! —she shouted.
–It better be good. —said the man as he went out, closed the door, and went down the hall.
Quickly Cyborg and Donna went in. They didn't know when the men were coming back. Cyborg decided to get a copy of all their hard disk to avoid looking through every file, but it was going to take him some minutes.
–We don't have that much time! —shouted Donna.
–I know, but do you have a better idea? —Cyborg replied. She sat at the computer and started looking for the files from two days before.
–It's odd. Why would they delete them if they reported a robbery to the police on the first place? —commented Donna.
–See? There is not such a thing as "delete" everything. We'll get it eventually. —commented Cyborg as one of his arms modified as a keyword and connected a wire to the computer.
The transfer was being process when they heard one of the security guards coming back. Donna held the door, but when the man tried to open the door and realized that it wasn't possible. He started shouting outside for help.
–We have to get out of here. —whispered Donna.
–There are no windows big enough for me. —Answered Cyborg on the same tone of voice. He called Raven. — We need you to get us out of here.
–It doesn't work that way Cyborg. I told you. I need to know where I'm going, otherwise we could ended up trap at a wall or a piece of furniture. It's too dangerous. —replied Raven, who was still holding the doors of one of the warehouses. They could hear the siren of the fire truck announcing their arrival to the place.
–Fine. Well, is it done Cyborg? I didn't want to hurt anyone, but it seems that we don't have any other choice. —commented Donna.
–I need two more minutes. —answered Cyborg.
–Make it one. —said Donna, and when one man continued forcing the door to open it, Donna opened it a little bit but push it back immediately to hit the man's head with it. She went out and started hitting the men, who were attacking her. Once she had knocked them all out, she dragged them back inside and yelled at Cyborg.
–Let's go. NOW.
Then they tried to leave the building who was empty of the rest of the employees through the front door, but they saw that some firemen were at the entrance with some other employees. It took them a couple of minutes to find another exit, but this one activated the alarm when then push the door. Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire heard the alarm, and they all regrouped. Raven created a portal and they were displaced to Robin's studio in seconds.
–Wow, that's really interesting. —Commented Donna after experiencing for Raven's power for the first time. Raven only covered herself with her hoodie and said nothing, she seemed tired. — Well, let's see what we got. They will be after us.
–Nah ah. —Replied Cyborg in denial. — I also hacked their system. If they report us, they won't have an image of us. I froze the cameras as soon as I got in.
–Cool! —exclaimed Beast Boy and highed five him.
–Let's see. —said Cyborg cheerfully and started typing on the computer, trying to recover the deleted files.— It might take a while.
–Aren't you guys like...hungry? —said Beast Boy.
–I can feed you. —Answered Starfire. Raven and Beast Boy followed her to the kitchen.— I have just recently learned how to cook the hotcakes.
–Can you make them without eggs and milk? —asked Beast Boy nicely.
–How? —Inquired Raven with a disgusted look. — Just try those fruits over there. Beast Boy then grabbed an apple and went walking around the apartment.
–So this is the Rob-cave, huh? Cool. —He commented while grabbing some things around. —It's so boring. Is there something else?
–Well, uh, there is this place where you can train. —Starfire replied hesitantly, and lead them to the gym. The place has mirrors in one side of the wall, dumbbells and a couple of training machines. Starfire gave a towel to Raven, since she was soaked from the fire sprinklers.
–This? —Asked Beast Boy with clearly disappointment as he was walking around. He then started hitting a punching bag that was hanging close to one corner and when the bag moved on his direction, he tried to back up and hit the wall. His movement opened a fake door and while opening it completely, he saw many sorts of weapons. — Cool!
Beast Boy then started playing with a collapsible metal staff, and his foolish movements made Starfire laughed. He then grabbed a disc and threw it from the distance towards the punching bag. The disc turned out to be an ammunition one and exploited when it touched the bag. Raven managed to contain the explosion with her dark energy pretty fast.
–Okay, it's enough. —shouted Raven upset. Beast Boy only smiled embarrassed.
They went back to the studio and Cyborg and Donna had just started watching the video of the night in which Robin followed the robbery report. They speeded the video up and soon saw how the two original thieves he went after attacked the security guards at the first warehouse. The thieves started collecting some small boxes from the inside and put it on a truck they had parked next to the entrance. Around ten minutes after that, Robin arrived on the video and quickly knocked the thieves out. He checked on the guards and was then soon surrounded by many people wearing masks. They could see him surrender, and one of the men attacked him with a staff that produced red resin and covered half of his body. The men took him out of the facilities in black vans without registration plates, taking the security guards with them.
–I can't believe the factory just reopened activities when their employees were taken. I don't see any police reports about them. —Commented Cyborg. — Do you recognize any of these guys?
–No. But it seems that we'll have to go back to the warehouse. That resin could give us a clue. —said Donna.
–I was standing there, probably we could get some sample from my shoes. Although It was pretty wet in there and probably they cleaned it. —replied Raven hesitant in her lower voice.
–We could give it a shot. Do you guys have any place where we could examine it? —asked Donna.
They all moved their heads in denial.
–Wait, I might know a place… where we can do it. —commented Starfire with sadness. Everyone gave her an expectant look. She continued in clearly discomfort. — The ship has a laboratory. It's been cleared out.
–Can you take us there? —asked Donna to Raven. She nodded and they were all displaced to the Gordonian ship.
When the dark energy disappeared, Starfire crossed her arms towards her buddy. She dislikes the idea of having to come back to the ship that kept her captive for so long, even though there was no trace of the previous enemies. Beast Boy went closer to her, and put his right hand on her back, smiling at her, trying to comfort her. She timidly smiled back.
–Where is it? — asked Cyborg.
–Follow me. —Starfire answered. She then led them from the big control room in which they were and could see the whole city, to a corridor to the left. Once they reached some stairs, they started descending for a couple of minutes. They then turned left until the end of the hall. The door was really damaged, and the lab was a huge place with a lot of strange equipment for the group. There was an operation table in the middle of the room, with a huge equipment of light on top of it. Raven usually feels things when she touches them, but this time, the touch of this table provocated a sort of a migraine. She couldn't really sense anything coming from Starfire, but everyone understood the discomfort of the room for her. Reason why they didn't insist on telling Starfire to go inside, she waited for them at the door, with Beast Boy by her side.
Raven took of her boots and gave them to Donna, which was already sitting in front of a computer. Cyborg found a microscope and lancets, next to one another table equipped with a sink. He had grabbed some tongs and other instruments that look ready for dissecting and started scraping the soles delicately, whose samples divided in a couple of lancets. Once he finished one, he gave it to Donna, who put it under the microscope lent, and connected it to the computer. The comparison and results were shown on a different language for Donna's discomfort.
–Is there a way to connect yourself and make readable results? —cried Donna to Cyborg.
–Get the rest of the samples. Can you understand this thing? —asked Cyborg referring to Starfire. She came closer to him with slow moves.
–What do you need? —questioned Starfire with a low voice.
–I need you to help me get control of the computer so that I can use it in English. —explained Cyborg. He connected one of the computer's wires to his left arm and started typing on his keyword. He started leading Starfire, who translated many of the things that were on the screen. Soon was Cyborg able to have complete access to the computer and turned the language from unintelligible characters to English.
–I got it. Let's start processing the parts you already amplified. —Commented Cyborg. Donna had amplified with the microscope certain particles. They needed to find matches of other materials according to categories, including their structure. They started getting anxious since they didn't find anything other than dirt, glass and typical soil components on the first two lancets, which has already taken a couple of hours. They found a small trace of a red resin on the third one when they were thinking how to go back to the warehouse and get more samples.
–It seems like a sort of Dragon blood resin. —explained Cyborg in surprise.
–A what? —asked Beast Boy ingeniously.
–Oh, not like that. It's a planted based resin. It's a pretty ancient technique, even Romans used it. —Said Donna.
–The problem is that the plants can be from anywhere, Spain, Indonesia, Greece… —Added Cyborg. — The same with the toxic cinnabar is combined with, which is pretty toxic.
–Huh? —reacted Beast Boy.
–It contains mercury and causes shaking, loss of sense, and even...death. —added Raven.
–Let's try to compare it with a couple of plants that could give that bright red color. —suggested Donna. She searched possible plants that could offer the matching color and started comparing the structure of it to them. The process lasted another hour. They were all seating in the few chairs and floor when the computer found the matched.
–"Daemonorops margaritae." —Read Starfire out loud. — It says it's harvested in southern China and the Himalayans. Is this China close? Do you guys think Robin could have been taken there?
–No, but I know someone from that region who could be dealing with criminals, and smart enough to construct illegal science-based equipment. —Answered Donna, while typing in the computer trying to access in the police database — Professor Chang. To access to the computer will take a while, but we can gather information about him. Since he must be looking for Starfire, he might still be in the city.
–At least we know whom are we looking for… But we still have the whole city for it. He could be anywhere. —commented Raven.
–How can we downsize the area? —Starfire questioned.
–We can't do it just from the computer like that. Guys, I need you to go back to the warehouse and try to find a tire track on the place while we get full access to cameras and the police system from here. We can then try to find who bought it and track them down. — Said Donna. — I hope we can get something apart from the firetruck and the people.
–And how can we get the marks? —asked Beast Boy.
–A photo will do. There is no time for a print. Try not to get caught. The place might be still packed with police officers.
–Can we get some food in our way back? —questioned Beast Boy with a desperate look.
–Yes, please! —shouted Cyborg. Raven grabbed her boots back, put them on and Beast Boy and Starfire went next to her. Soon were cover on Raven's black energy and reappeared at the factory, behind some containers Raven had seen the first time. The place seemed less busy than hours before, but there were still some employees checking on the warehouses and moving things from one place to another.
–Beast Boy, try to transform into something to look around. We would hide but stay here for back up. —suggested Raven.
–Got it! I'll turn into a bird to let you know when I have found something. —He said and turned into an iguana, then moved around the place where Robin had been taken, in the directions he had seen in the video. When he was seeing some marks, he turned into bigger animals, like cats and dogs, and returning to back to be an iguana to continue moving. After fifteen minutes of moving around, he went back to the girls who were still hiding.
–There are so many marks of everything. —He commented once turned into a human. —I couldn't say which ones belong to the trucks they have hire, the fire truck and the ones from the video.
–The street only goes in one direction, look. —Explained Starfire pointing south. — We can probably find something after the bus stop.
–Good idea. We can't go Beast Boy. It's to clear. —added Raven.
He immediately turned into an eagle and flew around the street. He started producing a weak-sound call and flew in circles around a specific area. Raven glanced at Starfire and disappear in front of her eyes, she then saw her in the middle of the street giving a couple of steps to finally stop in the middle of the street. Raven then displaced herself back to the containers, she had found some black tire tracks on the ground next to a pothole, took a picture and waited until Beast Boy rejoined them to create another portal and disappear.
–We got it! —said Beast Boy.
–Good. We found the number of black vans like the ones in the video registered in the city. There are a little bit more than 2,000. —Explained Donna. — We can try to find the wheel brand and downsize the number of vehicles.
–And then what? What if they are registered to LexCorp? Wouldn't it take us to the know nothing again? —Asked Beast Boy.
–Not if we found who has given it maintenance. —Commented Cyborg. — They hit that pothole really badly. Most likely, they needed to repair the wheel. Let's see.
Cyborg asked Raven for her phone, which she has used to take the picture, then he copied it to the computer and accessed the police database for car parts and the companies who sold it.
–What if they repaired it themselves? —asked Raven uncertain.
–They still need to buy it from someone. —Replied Donna. —Could you and Beast Boy go to get food? It will take a while to get results.
–Okay. —said Raven monotonously.
–Can we just fly somewhere? I know the perfect place for it. —they could hear Beast Boy when they were leaving the room. Cyborg and Donna sat nearby the computer, Starfire stood standing next to the window and saw that it wasn't that bright outside anymore. The place seemed to discomfort her. The Gordonians have taken her to the same room to examine her body and do some test on her many more times than she could remember. She was deeply absorbed in her thoughts, and didn't notice how long it took Beast Boy and Raven come back with a few bags. She was offered her first vegetarian burger on Earth, but she was too sorrowful and worried to eat it.
–We got a match. The tires belong to a company named "Beaters & Bezel." Let's see how many of those vans have it. —Cyborg said while typing in the computer.— It's two hundred thirty.
–It's still a lot. —Commented Beast Boy.
–Try the authorized repair shops. —Suggested Donna. Cyborg typed in again, and showed a map of the city, highlighting the shops.
–We have twenty-two in the city. —Cyborg commented. — Still many.
–Well, it's better than nothing. —Assured Donna. — We have already tried to follow their route outside of the factory, but at the avenue they shot down the police camera, It's impossible to know where they were heading, without checking every camera and recording in the city for that night. By the time we get them, Robin could be...could have been moved or else.
–No. —Whispered Starfire with sadness. — We need to find him. What do we do now?
–We establish a profile. Who is more likely to drive those vans? —Asked Donna determined. — Let's get a list with information of all the owners of those vans. Once we reduce it, we can go to the shops and see if there have been any reparations or sales lately and follow the ones that could takes us to them.
Cyborg started typing and got a list with the name and registered address of the owners.
–Now try to find the ones with any police record, even with a traffic ticket. —required Donna. Cyborg continued typing and the list still showed over two hundred results.
–Two hundred eight. —Starfire read out loud.
–Assuming people over sixty couldn't have taken him, we got one hundred ninety. —Cyborg said. — Does any of the guys in the video look like a woman to you?
–No, but what if they just use someone's name? —Raven replied. — This isn't going anywhere. Even if we just get all the addresses of all these people right, they could've still taken him somewhere else.
–Let's just go to the repair shops and try to get info on the new purchases and recent reparations. Maybe we find someone and if it's not our guy, we can just disregard their address. Got it? —Cyborg proposed.
–Okay. We'll focus on their agendas, if they don't have one, let's try to get some files. —Donna said.
–Files? Girl, you want a fax too? —Laughed Cyborg making Donna grimaced. — Let me try to create something to have full access to their computers. I'm sure this ship have many pieces I can use. But you will have to connect it to them manually. I'll go and check out what I can find.
He left the room and Donna started making screenshots of the repair shops addresses and send them to the rest of the guys. Cyborg came back with a sheet the size of a piece of paper that look like a big circuit component and put it over the table in the middle of the room.
–Can you help me make twenty-two pieces? —He asked Raven.
–"Azarath metrion zinthos." —She exclaimed and covered the sheet with her dark energy cutting it into smaller pieces.
–Thanks. —Cyborg said calmly, took some wire he had found on one of the drawers, put out a small blowtorch from one of his fingers and started to work on every small piece. The rest just waited. Around two hours later, he had finished the hacking devices they need to plug in, he explained them how, making sure they could leave the computers on, and when they were ready, they went out to check on the shops through a portal that Raven had made to go in the middle of the city.
Cyborg and Raven went together to investigate one half, and Starfire, Beast Boy and Donna the other one. Since it was already late, Donna thought it was safe for Starfire to fly once in a while helping her to move faster among locations. Beast Boy accompanied them turned into an owl. Both groups, once in a while had to avoid some security guards, but Donna and Cyborg were able to deactivate robbery alarms for their groups unnoticed.
It was passed midnight when they regrouped back on the ship. They all had brought sales and reports files with them, as well as agendas and calendars they found at the offices. Cyborg and Donna started checking the information on the computers seeking for recent sales and tire reparations of the size the vans needed. Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire went through the papers.
–There is nothing like that recently, just sales from days before Robin disappeared. —exclaimed Cyborg frustrated a while later.
–Nothing on the files too. Just big shipments of different auto parts but not those tires exactly. —said Beast Boy when he was browsing through some papers with a "Freacrosystems" logo, the name of the repair shop.
–I think I got something. —Said Starfire holding a black planner.
–Have they changed some tires? —asked Donna impatiently walking through the room towards Starfire.
–No...but they will today. —Starfire commented. Donna took a look to the calendar where it was marked an appointment on the name of Michael Cole for a tire replacement on a black van at 13 o'clock. Cyborg confirmed actually two vans registered under that name. The address wasn't in Jump City and there was no photo of the owner as well.
–Huh… And you thought paper wasn't useful. —Said Donna sarcastically to Cyborg, who grimaced this time. — Okay. This is something. I hate to break this to you guys, but we need to put all these files back. We can't call more attention by keeping them. Do you think you two guys can do it?
She continued asking Raven and Beast Boy, who was the only one from them both to nod in agreement.
–We'll deactivate their systems from here. I'm already on deleting the footages from their security cameras. —Assured Cyborg. — We need to hurry Donna. One shop opens in half an hour.
Starfire helped separate all the files from the company names and stayed to specify them the address for each, after Beast Boy's explanation on how to use the map on her phone. Raven started meditating by levitating on one part of the room, and she started creating a portal for each of all the places she had been with Cyborg the night before. Beast Boy was the one crossing them and trying to arrange the files after Raven's directions. She did not remember exactly the places from they had taken them, but one by one Beast Boy tried to find the most obvious ones for them over desk and file cabinets.
–I can't do it with the shops I haven't been at. —Raven explained when Beast Boy had came back from the last shop of Raven's and Cyborg's half.
–What if you concentrate with the security cameras? That way you can see where I'm going. —Recommended Beast Boy. — Can you do that, Cy?
–Yes. —Cyborg replied and split the screen on three this time to continue working with Donna. He had placed the security videos on the right part. — Which one is the next one?
–"Starlight Navigations." —Answered Starfire, and Cyborg found the closed security system of it to show the office rooms, which split this part of the screen in six parts. He then continued typing on his arm's keyboard to delete footages on the middle side.
–I don't know if I can do this. What if I send you somewhere bad? —Answered Raven worried.
–Trust yourself. —Commented Beast Boy smiling at her. — Besides, Starfire can see if some portal opens up on the screen, right?
Starfire nodded and Raven remained hesitant. A few seconds afterwards, they heard her repeating her mantra. Beast Boy grabbed the files and planners for this company and waited in front of the portal.
–It was the last one to the left. —He indicated to Raven. Soon, Starfire and Beast Boy saw how a black portal was opening on the right wall, next to a desk, on the room at the screen. — Great!
He entered to the portal and went back a few seconds after that. He had remembered from where they have taken the files. They continued with the same procedure for another hour. Cyborg had even blocked and activated a couple of alarms at the shops since employees were already arriving, so that Beast Boy could finish leaving all the files back. In the end, Raven seemed exhausted and commented that needed to rest and meditate, for which she sat in the corner with her hoodie on, whispering nonstop. This type of power, required a lot of energy from her. It was already nine in the morning when they finished cleaning out the footages too.
–What next? —Asked Beast Boy. — Wait for the appointment and follow them?
–Yes. There is nothing else we can do now. Well, we can create a tracking device Cyborg, for the van. —Commented Donna.
–Okay. I'll need to charge my batteries after that. —Replied Cyborg.
–Is there a place here in which we can sleep? —Beast questioned Starfire.
–I don't know. —She replied with sadness. — I was kept only on a cell.
–Let's try to look for something. —Commented Donna to Starfire trying to break the silence. — Let's go. Also you Beast Boy.
Starfire stopped by the end of the hall.
–I only know the way from the laboratory to my cell… I wish to go in another direction, please. —She implored.
–This way seems okay. —Said Beast Boy with a fake smile and pointing to a hall on the left side. They continued walking and tried opening the doors they found on the way, which were marked by yellow barricade tapes. Some parts of the walls had scratches of the fight against the Gordonians, and many other things seemed to be missing, probably having been taken by the authorities while exploring the ship. The continued going through the many rooms, until the end of the hall, in which there was a very large room, full of hypersleep chambers. Many of the tubes were opened, and some had some parts missing, like the lids.
–Okay. It seems that this will do. We just won't close them or start them. —Donna said trying to cheer Starfire up.
Hesitant from the chambers' look, Beast Boy went for Raven and Cyborg, who said wouldn't join since he has found a place to charge his battery somewhere else on the ship. When Beast Boy was back with Raven, Donna set one clock alarm that could allow them to sleep three hours. Each of them went to take their own chamber and tried to sleep.
Starfire stood standing, but after a couple of minutes she went to lay down. She was uneasy inside the ship, any part of it, but she was also afflicted by Robin's disappearance and the difficulty to find him and help. She knew what it was like to be held captive and being tortured with no scape. She closed her eyes, thought about the events she had experienced on Earth since she got free, and just waited until the others were awake.
Cyborg had loaded his batteries and told them that they could monitor the mission from the ship. They only would need Beast Boy to sneak into the "Starlight Navigation's" office to hide the tracker in the van if there was one at 13 o'clock, with Raven's help. They all went to the lab with the main computer.
Cyborg set up on one half of the screen a connection with the closed circuit of the company's system and they could see the rooms alive including the entrance and reception, he then made the warehouse in which they assumed the cars went in to have a better look. Donna had had established some access to the police cameras to watch over the streets and follow the movements of the incoming cars. It was already time but they didn't see any customers coming in, the employees look busy with various activities. They were starting to lose hope, when Donna saw a black van appearing on the screen moving towards the shop.
–Don't forget to make a picture of the tire, so that we can compare it to the marks we found at the factory. —Explained Donna to Beast Boy, who nodded in agreement.
There were two men getting out of the van once they passed through the warehouse. Then they went to the reception to check in. At the same time, Raven opened up a portal and Beast Boy turned into a squirrel, grabbed the tracker and went through the black opening in the air. The rest soon saw him appearing on the screen, next to the van. He went under it and appeared behind it. He quickly took his human form and made some pictures of all the wheels. Cyborg had also interfered and freeze the image, so that security guards couldn't detect him. He was taking a photo of the last wheel when one of the employees went to the warehouse, but he moved around the van to avoid being seen. Raven created a second portal and he then went through it.
When he was back at the ship, they all waited for the tire to be repair and the van to leave so that they could track their location, but Donna noticed that the men that arrived with the van, were leaving the store. Cyborg started tracking them by using the security cameras of the state, but it wasn't that fast to change from one to another one, since many of them weren't working properly and their system is slow.
–We're going to lose them. I have to make a call. —Donna broke the silence and walked away from the computer. She started typing on her phone looking through her contact's list. — Mario? It's Donna...I need you to track on some guys in Jump City. They are 6'9", dark haired, caucasian, jeans and grey shirts. They are over Brook Lane and Grace Street now, direction Dove Way. I'll go to pay in cash later.
She waited for a confirmation and hung up.
–What was that? —asked Beast Boy with curiosity. — How do you plan to track them?
–With homeless. There are everywhere and yet remain unseen. —Explained Donna. — They will let us know where they are heading to.
The continued watching over the security cameras and saw how the employees changed one of the back tires, including the rim. When it was ready, they moved the van aside in the garage. They continued working normally.
About twenty minutes later, Donna received a called. The person said that his name was Joe, and he has seen two men that fit her description going inside a Chinese restaurant named "Zhan Jin's Kitchen" in North Lane 27. Donna thanked him and asked him to keep watching the place to know who goes in and out.
–Let's go. —said Starfire impulsively.
–We can't. We need to watch over to see how many people are we fighting. —Said Donna trying to calm her down. — We don't know anything about them. We're not even sure they are the ones having him or if they just went there to eat.
–I don't think they would walk twenty minutes to go there to eat, but let's check them out. —Said Cyborg, who tried to connect to the nearest security camera to that address and examined the photographs in the computer. — The wheels of the van really match the ones we got from the factory. This is odd, but the restaurant is also registered on the same name as the vans.
–Michael Cole? —asked Donna.
–That doesn't sound too Chinese to me. —Commented Beast Boy. — I mean, like it would own that kind of restaurant.
–It might be our place, but we need to watch over. —Donna said trying to comfort Starfire. — Everyone can run any restaurant. It doesn't necessarily mean anything.
–There are no cameras outside the place. They have been damaged. —Noted Cyborg. — We'll get information from your friends then.
Around an hour after the two men arrived to the restaurant, Donna got a called from one of her watchmen. He announced that the men were leaving the restaurant and were heading west.
–They might be turning back to the repair shop. —remarked Raven.
–Okay, don't lose sight of them. Keep in touch.—Added Donna over the phone and hung up. She then starting getting messages on her phone with the streets the men were seeing at, and then indicating them on the map on the computer's screen with her right index finger. — They are going back to the shop.
–I'll have the tracker ready to follow them. —announced Cyborg. Around twenty more minutes later, the men were seen on the security cameras of the repair shop. They went to the reception desk, got the keys and went inside the garage to get their van. Cyborg had prepared a map on the screen and this time they could see a moving red dot on it. They all follow it moving attentively, and after thirty minutes Cyborg guessed where they were heading to.
–They are going to the old planetarium. That road takes nowhere else. —he deduced. The van had stopped a couple of meters at the end of the road, then moved forward into the hill, where the planetarium is located.
–So are we gonna crash both places? — asked Beast Boy.
–We need to watch over this one too. —Exclaimed Donna and continued. — I'll alert the guys nearby the area.
–How long do we need to do that? —asked Starfire anxiously.
–A couple of hours. Just to see how many cars do they have, people to see any weapons maybe. —explained Donna while texting directions on her phone. Starfire bit her lip and looked away with sorrow. Waiting uncertainly was breaking her, she felt guilty as well.
–I only found cameras for the road before the planetarium. That place has been closed for ages. —commented Cyborg.
–The van hasn't gone out of there according to one guy. —Explained Donna. — Why would they go there? Can you get information of this place, Cyborg? We'll need blueprints of both of the buildings.
Cyborg started typing on the computer for a couple of minutes. The searches showed nothing.
–There are no files online. —he grumbled.
–I guess it's old school then. — said Donna preparing to leave.
–I can try to go to the public library and the archive office to get them. —suggested Raven.
–Do you want me to go with you? —proposed Beast Boy and she disappeared on a black portal.
–Okay, the guys say that it's too risky to watch over the planetarium from themselves. It's kind of an empty area. Beast Boy, do you mind to go with me? A bird or something will be pretty handy. —said Donna.
–Do you mind if I go too? —asked Starfire.
–I think it's better if you remain unseen. —replied Donna dejected.
–Don't worry. I'll stay with you here. —said Cyborg to Starfire smiling, after he had placed his hand on her shoulder in support.
Beast Boy and Donna went to check the planetarium. Donna was surprised that he could transform into any animal that could even lift her to fly, since she has asked him to try to turned into a bird and just fly around her while she finds a way to get there. He transformed into a pterosaur and took her up. She then asked him to take her flying the highest as possible to avoid detection. Walking would have taken them around six hours, and she couldn't risk taking a cab.
After an hour, Beast Boy descended before the bottom of the hill to sneak out walking to it. There was a high fence, but it was no problem for Donna to climb it. Beast Boy had turned into a woodpecker and announced Donna how many people he has seen by hitting trunks with his peak.
After flying around as a bird, he found a window and decided to go to have a look from the outside. It looked like a big warehouse, and the lighting wasn't that bright and there was a huge telescope in the middle of the room pointing to the sky. The ceiling looked like a sphere, which was closed and couldn't allow anyone to see something through the telescope. He could see more people moving around wearing masks and something similar to lab coats, many of them were moving containers from one side to another one, but there was no sight of Robin or something really suspicious. He then regrouped with Donna and turned into his human form again to explain everything he saw.
–I also saw two black vans on the back, but there is nothing really weird going inside. — he commented while gasping.
–It might be that they are using this place only as a warehouse. Let's go back to the ship—suggested Donna.
They could see the ship in the middle of the bay from the planetarium, which look like a short way, but Beast Boy still decided to transform into a big pterosaur again and carry Donna. It took them another hour to get back to the ship.
–You're gonna like this Donna. —Said Cyborg. — Michael Cole has owned the planetarium since a couple of years. There is no record of having any permission to build anything new or for any business. Raven also found the planetarium blueprints. There is no way the keep Robin there without you guys having notice it.
–What if they built something recently? —asked Donna.
–There is no way to know it from here. —said Cyborg.
–Well, some men seemed to have a sort of staff. Do you guys think they may be weapons? —asked Beast Boy.
–They looked a lot that the one on the video when they took Robin. It might be similar, but they might do something else. —Explained Donna. — What about the other place, the Chinese restaurant? Anything interesting on the blueprints?
–Not really. It's just a restaurant. There is a small kitchen and some space from tables. —explained Raven.
–Uh… what you can get for a couple of dollars at the library. —said Beast Boy smiling at Raven, who smirked back.
–It looks like a front. —Suggested Cyborg. Starfire looked at him unaware of the meaning of front. — Something to cover up their illegal activities. Probably they launder money there, although there is no report on this place.
–My guys haven't reported any unusual activity there. We need a plan to get inside both of them. —said Donna.
–Let's go to the planetarium first. I can feel things when they are really close. If Robin is there, I will know. —suggested Raven.
–Let's find out everything about the building, exits, windows, apartments up there too, including ventilation ducts. — required Donna.
–I'm on it. — Answered Cyborg while typing again in the computer. — Some apartments up there are supposed to be rented out, but they could always be empty or belong to these guys too.
–What about the buildings behind? Don't they all connect to this place? I also brought their blueprints. —commented Raven.
–It seems that someone has been remodeling one apartment, from the building behind at Copper Street. In case we need to get in, it seems like a good place to do it. Don't you think? —said Cyborg to Donna while checking some of the results on the screen.
–Yes. What do we know about the planetarium? Have you checked every duct? —Asked Donna to Raven, Beast Boy and Starfire who were checking on the blueprints. — My guys just texted me. They estimate at least twelve people inside the Chinese restaurant who didn't out in the last hours. Many more from the buildings but many might actually live there.
–There are some ducts I can go through, but I don't think there are many ways for you guys to be unseen. —commented Beast Boy.
–What about this window, Raven? — Said Starfire and pointed at some small window at an area that seemed to be a cellar. — If we get to this point, probably you could look through it and take us all inside.
–That could work. — Raven said.
–You can fly there, right Raven? — Asked Donna to Raven. — I have seen the videos of you guys on the internet.
–Yes. But not as high as Beast Boy or Starfire do. I'll try the highest, though. —confirmed Raven.
–I can take you Cyborg. — said Starfire.
–Let's go then. — said Donna, taking the blueprints on her hands.
–Wait, let me scan them for all of us, just in case. —said Cyborg by holding Donna. e then opened the files she had rolled and he scanned them with his robotic eye. Soon all of the others got a message on their phones with images of the prints.
–Nice. But I'm still taking them. —commented Donna.
They all left the ship and went to the planetarium flying. Beast Boy turned into a dinosaur again and took Donna with him, Starfire carried Cyborg and Raven went flying underneath. They went slowly but steady, and it was already dark.
Once they arrived to the path that goes to the old planetarium, Donna noticed more movement than in the afternoon. They didn't want to move drastically and being detected, so Raven and Beast Boy went together to check out the window Starfire had seen on the blueprints. Raven went inside through a portal after having had a look at the room and was moving slowly behind some boxers and containers. Beast Boy, on the other hand, had turned into a mouse and went inside a ventilation duct. He sneaked out as a small snake through one of the ducts in which he thought there could be a room.
Outside Cyborg, Starfire and Donna were waiting behind some bushes for them to come back as soon as Raven felt Robin's presence, and were ready to assist them as backup. On the meanwhile, Cyborg was monitoring movement on the place with his right arm. He had place a radar and they could see tiny red dots that represented people, who were moving back and forth in the area.
After around thirty minutes, Raven and Beast Boy came back to regroup. Raven informed that sadly she hasn't felt Robin's presence on the area. Beast Boy also explained that he has been through many rooms turned into a mouse and a rat and hasn't seen any trace of him. They both didn't see any person resembling Professor Chang, after the photo Donna has showed them early.
–Let's go to the restaurant. Are you ready? —suggested Donna, they all nodded in agreement. They took of flying together as before until the direction indicated on the map has told them to stop. As they descended, Donna asked them to hide behind some containers, at an alley.
–Beast Boy and Raven can you guys sneak in again? —asked Donna.
–Try to get food or something. —Said Cyborg as he gave Raven some money. — As soon as you feel something, you guys go back and we will try to go in. There are supposed to be with other men that might be their back up. We'll try to break in the apartment in the building behind, it's at the ground floor. Let's meet up there.
Raven and Beast Boy agreed and went directly to the restaurant. Before entering, Beast Boy turned into a mouse and went behind Raven's steps as she went in. She sat at the bar, where an old Chinese looking man welcomed her. There were a couple of chairs and tables around the restaurant, most of them empty. The place did not seem busy as to have as many men as the homeless described going in.
Once Raven placed an order, the man yelled something in Chinese at the kitchen staff and stocked the paper in which he has written it on a stick on a wooden piece. The man sat behind the register and observed Raven, but someone she didn't feel intimidated by him.
Beast Boy went around, sneaking into the kitchen, and he found a small closed door on the floor. He decided to go back to the front, and inspected the rest of the restaurant, which consisted only in bathrooms and the dining tables. He went to the toilet, and he transformed into a human to check on his phone where a pipe that could lead him downstairs was. After browsing through the blueprints, he realized that he could only get access to it through the kitchen, since there was no record of a cellar or something else being built down there.
He transformed again into a snake and serpentined until reaching Raven's right leg and wrapped himself around it. For instant, Raven felt fear and nervousness, but then felt no need to be scared of him. She had felt a slight hit of Robin's presence somewhere, she waited for her order to be ready, paid and went out making sure no one was following or noticing her going to the building on the back.
The door at the entrance was locked, and she waited until someone got in to go behind before it closed again. The empty apartment was the last one of the hall and opened the wooden door very slowly. She had felt the presence of the others inside. It was dark, but as soon as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that there was no furniture, and some parts of the floor had a plastic layer and a few painting buckets and other materials were laying around too. Cyborg, Donna and Starfire were inside the small room next to the kitchen in silence.
–How did it go? —whispered Donna.
–He's in there. —Raven answered. — I can feel it. They don't have more than six people as guest at the restaurant.
Beast Boy unwrapped himself from Raven's leg and turned back into a human.
–They don't have anything suspicious up there, but I saw a small door in the kitchen's floor. If someone else is inside, they might be down there. —Beast Boy commented and pulled out his phone to show them the blueprints of the restaurant and pointed the location of the door. — I checked the pipes and ventilation ducts and there is nothing that could take me there.
–There is no cellar on this building, but we found a pipe here, at this room. — Commented Cyborg while pointing with his shoulder's lantern at small metal square down in the wall. — This room is just behind that kitchen and this duct could lead down there, there is no information on the rest of the sketches where it could go.
Cyborg then went down on his knees and turned his index finger into a screwdriver and proceeded to remove the screws of the metal cover. When he finished, he put his fingers inside it.
–Yes, there is a hole. Beastie, you will have to go in there. —said Cyborg, whispering as everyone else.
–There is no way he can go down there on his own. —exclaimed Starfire with worry.
–He can go there and explore and if he sees something, we will try to cause a distraction to make everyone go out of the kitchen and go there ourselves. They won't close the restaurant. It's opened 24/7. —commented Donna.
–I can go first and we figure out later, okay? —answered Beast Boy, trying to relieve the others.
–Don't try anything rush. You need to verify how many people are down there and find ways to get out. Come back to let us know. —pleaded Donna.
–Is there a way we can help you out to go back? — asked Cyborg thinking about offering him a tracker, a rope or just to whisper through the duct.
–Please, animals have better senses that you might guess. I'll go back with no problems. —said Beast Boy confidently before turning into a hamster and jumped through the pipe. The rest stayed worried at the room in the empty and cold apartment. It was almost midnight, and they ate the food Raven have bought quietly. They didn't see anything suspicious about it.
Beast Boy went along the duct for around five minutes, then he needed to go down which he started downing steadily. After a little bit he reached the bottom of the duct and continued going ahead until he found another metal piece covering the exit. This one had small holes and decided to pass it through turned into a fly. Since the vision of a fly is limited, he decided to turn into a tiny chameleon to walk along the walls without being detected, although now he was limited by speed. He found a long hall and followed it until he needed to turn right.
There was some movement, and he could hear people walking through the corridor, which made him change his form into a dragonfly to investigate faster. He found a couple of doors along the hall, and there was a table with a couple of boxes at the end of it. Two men went out of one door to the left and before he could see where they were heading, he noticed that the door needed a pin to get in, so he flew inside before it could close to see the room.
It was a big well lit room with something that Beast Boy thought it was machinery. Two other men were filling cylinders out with the red like wax liquid that was running out of the machines and placing them in shelves on the right. The cylinders were similar to the ones he has seen attached to the staff that the men used to attacked Robin on the video. He flew to the back of the room, and he saw eight more men doing the same with different materials but also filling cylinders. He went back to the door and waited for around fifteen minutes until someone went out again.
This time he decided to follow the man who was going out, which went in the direction he had come from. At the end of the corridor, the man went upstairs for a couple of minutes through a ladder. Beast Boy could see the small square door and heard voices on the other side. It must be the door at the kitchen, he thought.
He went back to the area with the many doors, waiting for one of them to be opened but nothing occur for a while. He then transformed into a moth and place himself behind one door, in which he could hear a couple of men speaking Chinese. Since the doors could seal, he could neither get in or get a proper understanding of the whole conversation, even if they swatch to English. He could do nothing else but wait until someone opens one entry, so he observed that there were no windows and also had noticed a couple of cameras in the ceiling, covering up different points.
One old man went out of the door to the left, and he crossed the hall to go to a door on the right. Beast Boy couldn't see the code he typed, but he hurried to fly inside the room. Once inside, the man walked in until the corner to the left and got on his knees. There was someone else on the floor, and Beast Boy couldn't see his face, but the other man was giving him an injection. As soon as he finished, the man stood up and left.
Beast Boy flew to the other side of the room, and he saw his face. It was Robin, even though he didn't have his mask on anymore. He had been beaten and seemed unconscious. Beast Boy flew directly under his nostrils and posed there as a fly and waited. Seconds later, that for Beast Boy seemed an eternity, he felt a breath.