Chapter 2
"WAFFLES!" Beast boy claps happily outside the diner and it brings a slight smirk to Raven's face.
"Ray, this is the best idea you've ever had," Cyborg says as they enter.
"Good to know how low the bar is set for my ideas," she says with her version of a chuckle.
The Titans walk to a their usual corner booth and the cook grumbles to himself as he recognizes him. He calls for extra ingredients from the back, knowing Cyborg and Beast Boy alone could clear the entire menu. It's worth it though. Whatever it takes to get Beast Boy's mind off Terra and the Titans in a good mood. That's what is important. Raven crosses her arms and legs and leans back in the seat. She watches the others, observing each of them to see if her suggestion of a late night breakfast explosion was solving their "sulking" problem. For most everyone, it seems to work. Most everyone. Robin however matches Raven's position. He slouches in his seat, arms crossed, and a blank stare on his face.
"Hey, Robin," Raven says. "Can you lighten up? It's dinner not an exam."
"Huh? Oh." He sits up a bit, but his mind is still on Slade.
"Dude, you gotta start adding more protein to your diet." Beast Boy says, back to his usual, perky self.
"Says the Titan who eats no meat."
"Hey, it's all about the veggies man."
"Well, at least you're back to your positive self."
"Oh Yes!" Starfire inturrpts. "It is so wonderful that all of us are being positive."
"Does that mean we can talk about the amusement park now without you sulking, Beast Boy?" Robin asks.
"Aw, C'mon Robin. We finally were in a good mood," Cyborg moans.
The green changeling shrinks in his seat. "Oh. You haven't forgotten about that, huh?"
"Forgotten that a member of the Teen Titans demolished an entire roller coaster in a fight with a robot?"
"Dude! I thought it was really Slade! My T-Rex was the biggest animal I could think of to face him."
"Well tomorrow your gorilla is going to help clean up the debree."
"Fine..." he mutters as the food is delivered to the table.
"Wait what?" Raven looks confused. "We haven't even ordered yet."
Cyborg holds up a hand to her and grins. "No worries, Ray ray. We have a usual order here... and a running tab."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Just then an alarm sounds on their communicators. "Oh come on," Cyborg groans.
"Who is is this time?" Raven asks, already sounding exhausted.
"Hold on," Cyborg says after taking a bite of bacon. "I've got a visual coming up on the new T-cameras I installed around the city." He lifts his bionic arm and a holographic screen flickers.
"What's with all the static?"
"It's an interference. Could be anything messing with the signal." He adjusts the screen a bit with his fingertip. "Hold on... here it comes... there! I see someone there. Stopping traffic. W-wait... is that..."
"Slade." Beast Boy says sternly as the video flickers off.
Everyone looks up to Robin but his seat is empty. They hear the bell over the door ring and see Robin running out towards the T-car.
"Aw man," Cyborg grumbles and jumps up. Everyone follows and chases after Robin.
"Just put it on our bill, Jay!" Beast Boy shouts over his shoulder as the Teen Titans hurried to the car.
"Turn left here!" Robin shouts from the passenger seat.
"Thanks, Rob, I know how to drive," The bionic boy insists. He looks in the rear view to Raven. "Anything Ray?"
"No," she says as she shakes her head, her fingers are pressed to her temples and eyes closed. "I cant seem to locate him. He was obviously near the bank in that video right?"
"Yea, but maybe he moved."
"I'm not sensing him anywhere."
"Then he's using a shield of some kind!" Robin insists. "Cyborg, you should let me drive."
"Nobody. Drives. My Car!"
"There!" Robin shouts as he spots the area of the road near the bank. The pile-up of traffic is still there, but they cant spot what is causing it. The T-car swerves to a halt as the Titans emerge. Robin jumps the hood of the car then does the same to a few others, receiving honks from the drivers.
"Dude! Wait for us!" Beast Boy shouts before changing into an eagle and flying overhead.
The drivers in the backed up traffic lay on their horns and demand to know the hold-up. As each Titan nears Robin, they scann the area for the villain who taunts them so often. What they find is unexpected. Robin is standing still, looking down, ignoring the livid drivers behind him. On the pavement before him... is a turtle.
The eagle flies beside Robin then changes back to Beast Boy and falls to his feet. "That's not Slade."
"I can see that, Beast Boy."
The green teen notices Robin's tone and decides not to anger him any more. He just leans down to the turtle and carefully picks it up. "Come on little guy. Let's get you out of the way. Don't you know the joke is 'why did the chicken cross the road'?"
The Raven, Starfire and Cyborg joins him on the sidewalk with Robin in tow who has his eyes narrowed. The traffic picks up again and soon becomes steady.
"Cyborg," Raven says with a sideways glance to him. "Any reason your cameras turned this turtle into Slade?"
"Don't look at me! Maybe someone was messing with it. I'll have to take a closer look at the footage."
"Even if someone was messing with it," she responds, "Why would they? It's not like we had big plans tonight? Unless they wanted to keep us from eating a bunch of greasy waffles."
"But who would do something so pointless?" Starfire asks. "What reason would they have for preventing our gluttony?"
"I don't know." Robin rubs his chin as he thinks it over. He looks at the little turtle as it makes it's way into the grass. "But I intend to find out. Titans, let's get back to the tower."
Everyone nods to their frustrated team captain and makes their way back to the car, save for one. "Raven?" Starfire calls to her teammate. "Are you coming?"
"No," Raven is staring at Cyborg's T-camera which is mounted to the building. There is no sign it had been tampered with, but she still feels there is more to this odd situation than meets the eye. "I need some space for a bit. I think I'll take a lap around the block then meet you guys back home."
"Are you sure Raven?" Beast Boy's voice sounds uncertain but caring.
"Yea. I'll be fine." She nods to them and after hesitating a moment, they leave her. Raven watches as the T-car pulls away before levitating into the air. "Alright, Slade... if it's really you. What are you up to?" With her mind concentrating on all of her surroundings, she takes off through the city, retracing the steps of the Titans. Someone had gone to length to make sure they were in that spot tonight. Why, she didn't know. But she has a feeling it was just to keep them from somewhere else. Her greatest fear hits her. What if it was a plan to keep them out of the tower? What danger could her friends be driving home to right now? She shakes the thought away, determined to concentrate on one problem at a time, when she makes it back to the diner. The "open" sign flickers off as the owner closes for the night. Raven turns to fly back to the tower when she hears the bell jingle over the diner's door. She looks back and her eyes slightly widen at the patron departing the establishment. It was a young girl, dressed in jeans and a graphic t-shirt, blonde hair tucked out of her face revealing a sad expression. Raven watches as the girl heaves a heavy sigh as if disappointed, then notices her examining her surroundings carefully. She walks to a bike mounted on the stand outside the diner, climbs on and pedals away. Raven watches the entire time, mind racing, and only manages to mutter the name of the girl she thought she had just seen. "Terra?"
"Robin! I think I got something," Cyborg calls as he focuses on the Titan's main computer. He has been focusing on the security footage of Slade since they returned to the tower. "I think I know where the interference came from."
Robin walks up behind Cyborn and rests his hands on the back of the couch in front of him, leaning over Cyborg's shoulder to see the screen. "What have you got?"
"Well the footage of the city is original, but it had an alternate signal laying footage over the screen."
"Like a hologram?"
"On a much smaller scale. That's why there was so much static. Now watch what happens when I remove all interfierance." He presses a button causing Slade and the static to vanish from the screen, leaving only a pile up of traffic and a small turtle. "Someone inserted footage of Slade into this camera to make it look like he was the one causing problems instead of our amphibious friend.
Just as he said that, Beast Boy enters from the hall. He sees the video and, hearing Cyborg's last statement, says, "Sorry to break it to you, dude, but turtles are reptiles."
"Nooooo, they're amphibians. They live on land and water."
"Yea but that doesn't mean they can only be amphibians. I'm telling you. They are reptiles."
"No, BB. You're wrong. Out of the two of us, who has more of an education?"
"Out of the two of us, who has actually been a turtle?"
Robin just looks down and gives his head a shake. When Cyborg and Beast Boy got into a pointless argument, it was hard to pull them out. As he turns, the doors to the main room slide open and Raven steps in. "Raven. Did you enjoy your walk?"
"As much as one can enjoy it, I guess." She sees the argument taking place and raises an eyebrow. "What's their problem?"
"Don't ask." He sighs and steps by her and instantly she feels that she should share what she saw about Terra.
"Robin? I need to tell you something. I-" but before she can continue, Robin is looking behind her at something. Turning, she sees that it's Beast Boy proudly marching up to them, clearly having won the argument.
"Well goodnight me friendos." He sees Raven and stops to face her. "Hey um... about earlier." He rubs the back of his neck shyly. "It wasn't cool of me to shut you out of my room like that."
"Beast Boy," Robing says, "You thought you had seen Terra and you were close to her. Nobody can blame you for being a little upset."
"More than a little," the green boy sighs then glances down. "Anyway. I guess if it really had been Terra... she would have remembered."
Raven stays silent. Here was Beast Boy, clearly over his encounter with Terra and Raven was about to bring him back to a bad mood again by bring her up? She knows mentioning her sighting of Terra at the diner would cause problems and wanting to spare her friend any more grief... she stays silent.
"Anyway... goodnight guys." Beast Boy says as he walks out.
"Goodnight," Robin says. "I better get back to this video with Cyborg and see who made that fake Slade. Oh. What were you going to say, Raven?"
The girl looks at him, the foresight flashing through her mind of what most likely would happen if she said Terra had been at the diner. Assumptions would be made. Beast Boy would obsess over it. And once again, Terra would claim the attention of the Teen Titans without even trying. She sighs and gives a slight shrug. "Nothing. It's not important."