Chapter 9 – The Search Continues
Slade paused, observing his apprentice, his daughter, for a moment. She was coming along nicely, having already learned the fundamentals of karate, Tai Kwan Do (sp?), kickboxing, wrestling, and several other lesser known styles of martial arts. He would have to thank Robin for this at a later date. She was also an expert shot with a boomerang (or a birdarang as the Boy Blunder called them) and was adept at fighting with a bo-staff. Another thing to thank her incompetent 'father' for.
He would also have to thank her mother. Because of her training, Rosefire could accurately shoot lasers from her eyes, starbolts, and could fly tirelessly. Her strength was to be commended. Rosefire was a force to be reckoned with. Hmm… Rosefire. She'd have to get another name soon. He smirked.
Maybe he could get his darling wife to help with that…after her memories were restored. And after that, maybe they could get to work on a second apprentice, a brother for Rosefire. Speaking of memories…
To say she was ticked would be the understatement of the century. Raven moved quickly through the streets of Jump City, a silent phantom on a quest which would continue until the end of time if that was what it took to find her friend. Her dark powers stretched to their limits, seeking out any clue. Meditating had calmed her somewhat but her emotions were still at their breaking point. She moved into the darkest corners of the darkest buildings of the darkest neighborhoods in hopes that someone had heard something…and now, maybe she had.
Dr. Light sat alone at the corner of a bar, one of many on the outskirts of the city. He was mumbling to himself, cursing the very Titan who now sought him out.
"…and I woulda got it too if it weren't for that interfering little dark girl and her mangy little friends…'
He stopped quickly however, when the door blew off its hinges in an explosion of dark magic. Civilians scattered as a floating demon seemingly entered the room, snarling fiercely at anything that got in its way. Upon closer inspection, Dr. Light discovered that it was Raven, the dark Titan, in a fit of rage that rivaled Trigon's. He stood dumbly, paralyzed, as her glowing eyes moved forward and her black powers snaked their way about his body.
"Let's see how bright you are Light. I have questions and you have answers, right?"
Shaking at the barely controlled rage in her voice, he nodded weakly, barely squeaking out a yes.
"Good, I thought so. Now, what do you know about Slade?"
Light paused, then he smirked, not realizing just how close to death he was walking at that moment.
"I've heard of him. He always used to be a problem for you Titans, 'till he was killed by that blonde traitor. Then, he was brought back to life by your daddy dearest. Why you asking? Need him to give dad a message?"
He laughed, then gasped as a thin strand of ebony wrapped itself around his neck, tightening just enough to cut off some air. He paled when he saw that Raven's eyes were glowing red. It reminded him of that time when he had been forced into a pit of darkness by the furious girl before him. He did not care to repeat the experience.
"I ASK BECAUSE THE BASTARD KIDNAPPED MY BEST FRIEND AND HER DAUGHTER AND IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW, THEN YOU"LL BEAT HIM TO THE INNERMOST CIRCLES OF HELL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
Dr. Light wisely sputtered out every last piece of information on the man he could think of.
Cyborg cursed lightly under his breath. He had been searching for the past five hours and had come up with nothing. Star's communicator had either been destroyed or the locater had been deactivated. He couldn't detect her or Rosefire's power signatures and he desperately needed to recharge his batteries, human and robotic alike.
When he heard the signature beeping of an incoming communication, he quickly pressed a button, watching grimly as Raven's face appeared. She was paler than normal and her eyes were tinged red around the edges, as though she fighting off her inner demon…and she probably was.
"Hey Raven. Any luck?" His voice sounded tired, even to his own ears, and he wondered how long he was going to be able to keep going.
"You could say that. I ran into Dr. Light. He told me everything he knows after some…friendly persuasion."
Cyborg smirked, knowing that Ravens idea of friendly probably consisted of a very dark torture chamber.
"All right. Here's what I know…"
Rosefire sat in her new room, a small chamber with a bed, a dresser, a small vanity, and an adjoining bathroom. She yearned for her cozy room back at the tower but understood that because of the traitorous Titans, this was the best her father could get.
She began humming a light hearted tune that Starfire had taught her, one of the more bearable Tamaranian songs according to Raven. She smiled when she recalled the day she'd learned it. Beast Boy and Cyborg had been playing Game station (as usual) and had ticked Raven off. They ended up hanging a hundred feet over the water pleading for their lives.
Rosefire frowned, realizing that she'd been daydreaming again. Her father had warned her about that, saying that it might cause a critical mistake when it came time to return retribution to the Titans.
She was so into her musings that she visibly flinched when her father walked into the room.
He smiled.
"It's time."
Beast Boy sat for a moment, panting. Sweat ran down his green face, turning it as dark as his hair.
Then, suddenly, he began to cry. He didn't normally cry. The last time was almost nine years ago…when Slade…
The tears came faster, rolling down his cheeks like tiny green emeralds. He sobbed for a good ten minutes and his brain barely registered the stray's howl…but it did. Something clicked inside his tired mind and he quickly transformed into a dog himself.
He leaped to the alleyway and began interrogated his animal companions.
The brick wall broke under the Boy Wonder's relentless pounding. He too, felt like crying, though he resorted to taking out his frustrations on the nearest building.
"Damn it!"
This search was taking too long. The bastard had mentioned getting memories back and he prayed to every god he knew of that he hadn't already employed some psychotic experiment to give Star false memories.
He began running again, hoping against hope that he could find her. He skidded to a halt a moment later when his communicator beeped. He flipped open the screen to see Beast Boy's boyish face.
"Robin. I found out…"