I can't believe how much angst is in this chapter and creepiness fades because it's figure out WTF is going on time. At least we got things rolling. Finally, I can get this plot rolling! And yes, yes we do go back in time in this chapter to catch up with Danny's POV. Oh, and the Titans use their real names with each other, but not with other people. Sorry for not responding with PM before.

Thank you VampireFrootloops Rule, book phan44, and Riqis Inna Sunja for reviewing.

Chapter 2: Titans

.

About halfway through the day, Danny had a great system going. He had managed to stay quiet, stay unknown, and stay isolated for maybe a good hour. He still couldn't figure out much more about this place from looking around than it being a prison. But, something was wrong with this place, it didn't seem remotely the same. Maybe the static 20s music that echoed through the cells was getting to him. He had been in a ghost prison for a while, but there he wasn't ever let out of his cell and the only "social visit" was from the Guys in White when they felt like having interrogation sessions or when they had a social hour and he was dodging ghost he had made enemies with left and right. Danny cringed at the memory. It was funny thinking of this prison in particular as weird following that. Even when he was fourteen he was in a ghost jail made by ghosts, but that wasn't nearly as bad. Somehow he preferred Walker's jail to this. He did only spent maybe half an hour in there before figuring out how to break out, but still. At least, no one he knew was here. With no one he knew being here, that ment no one could possibly hate him already.

And then, his luck ran out and he found himself getting sized up by a guy who had to at least be seven feet tall and growing red hair like a yeti only after asking what this place was. There was nothing but muscle on this dude, and that wasn't a pretty site when it was looming over Danny in an extremely unfriendly fashion. "Mammoth doesn't like newcomers wandering around without paying the fee." To top it all off, he talked in third person. It was just like high school all over again. Whoop-de-do.

"Fee? What's going on here?" Danny asked already lost enough as it was. Danny wished he could turn invisible, intangible, summon ghost energy, super strength, anything that was useful, but no. His powers had to be shot while this guy was all steroids with no need for powers. Danny of course knew how to fight, but it was easy to tell that for now, that was out of the question. How did he used to handle this in high school when he had no advantage? Well, there was no locker for him to be shut in.

"All your goods for the week, dumbo. You didn't meet the terms yet," said a high-pitched squeaky voice behind the giant. "That means you owe us any newcomer perks in your cell including, your sheets, the meds, the radio control, the schedule, any money you got, and all other requirements."

Danny thought back to his cell. He hadn't really looked around. He had looked at it, but he didn't go through everything. He didn't see any meds or a radio control, and what was a schedule? Well, it was pretty important to these guys. Apparently Danny had waited too long to say anything, because Danny heard the snap of someone's fingers.

"Mammoth," said the high-pitched voice.

The giant guy cracked his knuckles suggestively and a cynical grin spread across his face. A big tough guy just like Skulker and Danny had nothing to use in defense. Danny dodged Mammoth's first hulking hand and then his other. At least his reflexes were still of some use as he moved. "Listen…would you just…Can I say something…I am trying to tell you…"

He danced around every jab that Mammoth tried to land. But, when Danny actually tried to get out of this fight and took a few steps back, he was grabbed by his right arm and hoisted up off the floor. Mammoth tightened his grip on Danny's hand. Agonizing pain sprouted from the experience. Danny couldn't focus. He squirmed but no thoughts of kicking or punching came across his mind.

"Listen here, newbie. This is how things work around here," the voice said. Bones were grinding together and bending where they shouldn't in Danny's hand. He couldn't think about anything other than twisted discomfort. "We provide our service; you pay up with the goods. You sit there looking at us with that stupid expression on your face instead of a pleasant 'yes'; we can do this to you."

Danny heard the crack before he felt the snap. He was dropped to the floor and wreathed in pain on the cold ground, cradling his hand in his chest. What the hell was going on? He had to get up and get out. It wasn't like he had a chance against this guy without powers. Well, he wasn't going to lay on the ground. He set his teeth and pushed off the cold floor.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," Danny said calmly.

"Too late for that," said Mammoth in a voice that was too deep to be fully human as he drew back his fist.

"Dude, seriously!" Danny was starting to get angry. "Just tell me what's going on and I'll be-"

"Shut up!"

Danny was ready to leap lamely out of the way as the fist started towards him when some guy stepped in front of him and caught the blow. That was pretty surprising considering how small the guy was to begin with. He was a tall guy, sure, but skinny. Basically, this kid was a string bean compared to Mammoth.

"He said he didn't want any trouble," he said in a slightly cracked voice.

"What do you care, snot-picker?"

"Get outta here, Gizmo. This isn't just your place."

"It's not yours either. Come on Mammoth."

Danny had to blink a few times as he watched the giant boulder of a guy turn around because some skinny green kid told him off. How did that just happen? The weirdest part was that there was some bald kid on Mammoth's back that glared menacingly towards them. If Danny saw one more thing today that made no sense, his head was going to explode!

The guy turned around with his chest puffed up looking rather proud of himself. It was kind of the same expression Tucker had whenever he got a new techno-gadget. This kid's smirk was interrupted by a single tooth from his bottom lip. The only word Danny could think of to really describe him was "green." Green hair, green eyes, green skin: an entire matching set. This guy was probably in his late teens. Danny was still trying to get past the fact that he was all green and not a ghost. He wasn't hovering, glowing, or saying some overly dramatic speech. He couldn't be a ghost. Still, it was a weird sight to see a green guy who was still alive.

"Uh…thanks?" Danny said.

"Don't worry about them. They're real fast to get to demands. They want first dibs on everyone around here," he said jabbing his thumb in the Mammoth's direction.

"First dibs? What are you talking about?" Danny asked. He winced when he instinctively moved his hand. He said between his teeth, trying to distract himself from the pain. "What kind of prison is this?"

"Do you know anything?"

Frustration was seething through Danny. It wasn't like someone gave him a pamphlet or even a briefing! No, it was just him by himself. How was he supposed to know anything? It's not like he was a mind reader and the first question this guy has is if he knew anything? OF. COURSE. NOT. "No! No, I don't! I wake up to a creepy radio after having the weirdest dream in my life! Then I'm listening to this annoying music all day! I get approached by some dude I've never met in my life demanding whatever! On top of everything, my hand's busted! Will someone please explain to me what is going on without any other comments?"

Danny was expecting the guy to be surprised, angry, weirded out, or have some sort of reaction to him lashing out in a burst of rage. The only reaction that came from him was a slight laugh and him saying with a grin, "Not your best day, huh?"

"Not at all!" Danny said not caring if that was ment to be humor.

The green guy started walking straight past Danny. "Come on," he said.

Danny turned around and suddenly was aware of how many people had dropped what they were doing to stare at him. When he glared back menacingly, they all turned back to their own business. The way Danny was feeling right now, he was probably ready to wring someone's neck…no. No, that was an expression. Danny blinked away a terrible feeling that was starting to wrench its way into his system. Just an expression. Just an expression. He had to relax. Take a breath. Better. Figure this out calmly and sanely. Maybe he'd be out of here just as fast as the last time.

"You want your hand fixed or what?" the green guy said a few feet away by the steps. The pain in Danny's hand instantly answered for him. Danny tried to trigger something in his system to calm the burning pain. Ice powers were a negative on chilling his skin as he touched his injured hand. Advanced healing…he wasn't even sure if he had that. The kid didn't look like a medic, but Danny wasn't going to question a guy that just saved him from being pummeled. But, when something was too good to be true, it usually was. Danny scanned the kid. The clothes were too bulky to really tell if he had some sort of weapon on him. Pain was rushing through Danny's hand and quickly clouding clear judgment. Keep a guard on, but follow, he told himself. He followed slowly with his hand still stinging in pain. "The name's Beast Boy." Beast Boy? Isn't that a superhero name or something? "You are?" he asked starting to walk up the steps up to the balcony. To lie or not to lie. That was the question. He'd probably figure it out anyway. Why start on shaky ground? Already, Danny was looking behind him to make sure this guy was alone. Shaky enough as it was.

"Danny."

"No title or something?"

"What do you mean by title?"

"Hero title."

Danny shook his head. Hero title? Okay so he expected me to have one. I'm in a prison for people who think they're heroes. Well that's stupid. Prison for heroes sounds a little better. Prison for heroes? That made no sense. Villains. Villain prison made more sense.

"No. But, I assume you are. So, what are you doing in a prison?"

"Well, technically the official name is "Jump City Correctional Testing Facility" founded by some guy that I can't remember. Robin's the one that does most of the research. I just sit back and wait for the road trip. But, for all intensive purposes, yeah, a prison."

"Do you have a power or something?" Danny asked trying to confirm what he already was piecing together.

"It's a requirement, isn't it?" Beast Boy laughed lightly. "I think it's almost a good thing we can't use powers here. If that happened, it wouldn't be pretty. Mammoth would have definitely pummeled me. I don't really know what you can do, so I can't say the same."

"Can't?" Danny was suddenly thrown into a panic. They took away his powers? How was that possible? Wait- over reaction. He just had his powers yesterday. Don't make assumptions and freak yourself out. Danny stumbled desperately with his words, "W-what do you mean by can't use powers?"

"The chip in your shoulder," Beast Boy touched a hand to his right shoulder. Danny mimicked and felt the place that was burning when he had woken up. That's what that thing was. A chip? "I don't know how they do it, but it kind of shuts down everyone's powers. Right now, you're a regular teenager. I'm not really sure why I'm still green since I thought that came with the package, but no one can do anything here unless those guys," he pointed at the brick wall on the other side of the balcony. Danny didn't see anyone or anything besides a brick wall. "want you to. They can even control which ones you're allowed to use in the testing rooms - you know what the testing rooms are, right?"

"No," Danny said.

"Oh…um…basically, there's this doctor who's all like 'experiment!' and we're all like 'no way' and he's all like 'zap!' so most people are all like 'experiment!' and then next thing you know someone gets majorly wounded and dumped in here or just killed."

"Wait…experiment?" Begin experiment in 3…2…1… "You mean, when they put me in that warehouse and made me fight some girl? That wasn't a dream? That was normal? They actually made me fight in a box!" Danny was completely outraged. The Halfa! Known through the ghost and human world as someone to be reckoned with fought a demon Sam-look-alike…in a box…while being monitored…and probably lost…

"Sorry dude, they make us do that…often," he scratched the side of his head not looking towards Danny when he said that. Often? No. no. no. no. no. Not going through that again! I'll be lucky if I never see the evil demon girl again in my life! I am not going to fight another one of those! "It's kind of why no one really likes anybody around here. We all have to deal with some crazy science guy in the black room. And, it's not like this place in general provides a lot. Most people steal from newcomers pretty often since you guys come fresh out of the scientist's testing table," Beast Boy said. He looked down at the circle of people. Danny caught the pitiful look he gave them like they were poor souls lost and he knew a way out. Way too good to be true.

"Why'd you help me then?"

" 'Cuz it's not like you ever did anything to them. I may be in this place, but I still have a sense of justice," he relayed proudly. "Hasn't really worked out very often for me, though, hehe. I guess it's mostly my fault," Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck. Nervous tick.

Danny just noticed a fresh scar on the back Beast Boy's hand that ran from the base of the pinky down past his wrist. It could make anyone wince wondering what could have caused that.

.

.

"Good morning Jump City. It's 5:00 am on a beautiful Sunday on July 8th. It's currently 55 degrees and we're expecting showers later today. Pack the umbrellas and don't wear those nice shoes. If you're going jogging we suggest using that gym membership card you probably abandoned..."

Static muffled the announcer's words. Bright light was dimmed behind sunglasses as the main power was switched on for the day.

"Jump City is looking a little gloomy today, but we've got plenty of songs to keep you going. Before that, we'd like to take some time to give you the daily report. Recently, a man in a top hat has been seen robbing most of Jump City's banks. Police have tried to detain the criminal, but he has yet again managed to evade…"

Static cut in. The bars of the hundreds of cells screeched open in a horrifyingly loud moan. The shuffle of footsteps passed by in the same pitiable beat they always moved in. The melancholy murmur of gossip made its way into the cells. The irritating buzz of a radiator started to pick up.

"Police have managed to arrest leaders of the gang fights that have been taking place under the west-side bridges. When asked to comment the four teenagers said they'd thought the law had run off. Ain't that entertaining, folks?"

Agitation burned through his system. They hadn't run off. They hadn't done this on purpose!

"It's also been reported that…or your daily traffic report. The expressway is jammed again with the morning rush hour. We predict at least hour delays if you're not already on the road. There are no accidents this morning so keep your fingers crossed and hope everyone is a sober driver at 5 am…"

"Can't they leave that thing off for one day?" asked the former Robin slowly moving up from his cot. He didn't make it more than halfway before the pain was too great.

"Afraid not," said the teenage empath at the door of his jail cell.

Dick tried to push himself to a sitting position to talk a little clearer. There was no success. "It's like they're driven to torture me with those stupid reports."

"They haven't tortured us enough already?"

"I can deal with being a stupid 'control subject,'" Dick said trying to sit up. This time the empath made him stay down. "What I can't deal with is hearing how our city gets worse and worse every day while we're stuck here doing nothing but stupid test for this doctor's sick game. Jump City's not going to last long once word gets out that we've been gone four months."

"It already has," Raven said walking towards the cot. Four months in this place, and every day, on the radio, they heard every crime report of every villain they had thought they'd driven away. Every day the radio had more news on more crimes followed by a cheesy commercial or sports news. Of course the police had to be completely incompetent and leave Dick grinding his teeth as he listened to each injustice that had been easily carried out. Raven lifted his shirt slightly to see the purple, black and yellow bruises and minor cuts scattered along his chest and stomach. Raven winced as she dropped his shirt back. He was hurt, but not hurt enough for the physicians to bother. At least, that meant Dick had no internal damage. "Who'd you face-off this time?"

"Mammoth," Dick said bitterly. Raven sat down on the floor with a book in her hand. Her little 'reward' for winning a fight once. She probably read it three times. The plot was predictable, descriptions were vague, the characters were flat, and the circumstances were ridiculous. The only reason she kept re-reading it was to stay sane. "I don't see what the doc. has to learn by making people fight against one another. There's no logical explanation for why I'm here, either. Everyone else has powers but me, and I think I've been through the most fights. We have to find out who's behind all of this."

"That's how we got here in the first place," Raven said allowing a shred of annoyance to line her tone.

"Have you seen Kory yet?" he asked suddenly. Raven shook her head. "Dammit. Do you think she's still mad?"

Raven didn't say anything. There was nothing to say that would be remotely comforting. All Dick needed was a lie to fix the contorted expression on his face. But, then learning the truth would make it worse. She repeated her chant quietly as she tried to calm her sudden emotion down, "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos. Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos. Azarath. Metrion. Zinth-"

"You two, out of the cell!" one of the guards said.

Raven flashed her eyes open glaring at the guard, but she dared not disobey him. Slowly, she rose and walked out of the cell.

"You too," the guard banged a few more times on the cell door.

"He's recuperating," Raven said.

"I don't give a damn. Take your friend out of there."

Raven learned how to let things go early on in life, if she didn't she wouldn't be able to keep control of the delicate balance of emotions she had inside of her. Taking in a breath, she ignored the guard and helped Dick to his feet with every wince of pain. Dick was a tough guy that hardly ever acknowledged when was in pain. For him to wince ment it was pretty bad. It probably didn't help that Raven was at least half a foot shorter than Dick. He and all the other Titians had shot up and she had pretty much remained the same height, so she wasn't a great support system. Garfield was usually the one to lug him around. The guard was impatient and kept banging on the cell door.

Dick wasn't as patient as Raven and grabbed the stick he kept banging as he passed it. "We're out," he snarled.

The guard cringed and slowly lifted his club away as if it were a useless rag. For dignity's sake, he cleared his throat and moved to the next cell. Raven looked down at the floor level. Mammoth was picking out some kid in the crowd. Raven could sense intimidation all the way from up here from the people around Mammoth. Something was going to go wrong. It didn't take very long to get to the bottom level. There, Garfield finally emerged from the crowd. Raven passed Dick to him, figuring he was a better support. Gar and Kory were too social in this place. Kory was somewhere, but most people got lost in the crowd as guards made them go in single file.

They flinched as food was slapped onto their plates in the routine rhythm. The same humdrum…mush. It didn't even have a taste and the only one who seemed to think it was good was Starfire. Dick couldn't stop looking around for her as they left the bottom floor and ate quietly at their own worn table for the scheduled half hour. There were so many heroes and villains here. Somehow, in the mess, both sides had begun to mix for survival purposes. The former Jinx and Kid Flash were a close pairing that hardly interacted with anyone else. Former Aquaman, Speedy, and Bumblebee were never in the same area as one another. All three former heroes were bruised and battered keeping themselves at a good distance. Dick had never seen them closer than a forty yard radius of each other. Former Mas y Menos were the only ones that had stuck together. That was more out of requirement than anything else.

Villains, who had years to cope with living in a place like this, were just as broken. Teams wouldn't look at each other, save former Gizmo and Mammoth. Even they had an underlying agreement and were on edge for turning against one another. There were villains from far out of Jump City that were put here. The former Robin had only faced one or two of them. A woman with scales for skin was faster, stronger, and more flexible than an average human. On top of all of that, she was great with mind tricks. She and a few other girls had formed their own group which was conspicuously avoided. Garfield had a hard time recently when his former team, the Doom Patrol, was stationed in here. Things crumbled in the same pattern they always did. Stick together for a few days, then people start going through "experiments" and when you're unlucky enough, you fight against someone you care about. After that…nothing's the same. That happened to Garfield and Rita. After that and a few more fights between members of the Doom Patrol, everyone stopped talking out of shame in less than a week and formed circles with people they hadn't had to hurt yet. It was almost like the doctor in charge of all these tests made a point to have teams separate.

It was a miracle that Dick and the rest of the team had managed to at least stay on shaky terms with one another. Raven took it hardest. Although her powers were locked inside of her, years of practice had made it easy for her to spot the tiniest of emotions, even without empath abilities. She could tell exactly how ashamed they were of themselves. Shame. That was the main thing that people had to deal with here. It was an easy breaker. If you're ashamed of yourself, what's the point in making life better? You're helping a person who doesn't deserve it. Who would have thought so much of that could happen in a few months?

Garfield was the only one of the group to keep his cheery demeanor. Even Kory had flipped a switch on the bad days. Of course, the small victories were still worth celebrating to her. Getting fresh sheets, seeing everyone unharmed, getting their supply pack for the week, and basically anything that included provisions was worthy of her smile. But, she hadn't talked to Dick for three days after she had to fight him. They knew she was around though. She had inevitably won. When Dick was patched up and sent out yesterday, Kory had made it known that she was alive to the team, but still had an unfamiliar gloom on her face. This wasn't exactly a place where you could go on living unchanged.

The bell rang indicating it was the end of breakfast and they had half an hour of free time. Garfield walked Dick up to his cell and started going through a metal box every cell had with basic supplies. They gave more stuff to new people, but after a week even something as minor as toothpaste was a hard thing to come by. Dick, unfortunately took most of the beatings. He and Gizmo were "control subjects" and they never came out of a fight unscathed.

"Dude, where's your first aid kit?" Garfield asked going through the box. All he could find was a few scraps of paper with scribbled notes, a rough map of the prison that wasn't providing any useful or unknown information, a worn and blunt file that was useless now, and all the standard stuff that was actually given to them: toiletries, toothpaste, dental floss, what have you. Hair gel was not included so the team was getting used to seeing their leader without the spiky jet-black hair. Instead it just fell around his eyes, which were always covered by those cheap sunglasses. One of the standard things in the box should have been a first aid kit, but there was none. They used to search his cell every day and those paper scraps were taken just as fast as a file. But, since the team had kept a low profile, none of the guards were nearly as strict.

"Used it all up," Dick said.

"Dude, we only get that thing once a month," Garfield said with annoyance obviously in his tone. He caught the glare from Raven and instantly lowered his eyes. "Never mind. Listen, I'm going to get my assignment before that place gets crowded. Get better," Garfield said leaving the cell.

"Have you heard anything about Victor?" the former Robin asked before Garfield was out of earshot. Their robotic friend had gone missing four days ago and there wasn't a single word of him since. Whenever someone was gone longer than a day, it either ment that they were hurt badly in an experiment and were being fixed up in the official medical rooms. But, more often than not, it ment there was a body and it sure as hell wasn't going to stop off here.

Garfield visibly tensed and said with bitter distaste, "No." He walked so fast he was practically jogging to the bottom of the steps.

Raven looked over at Dick who seemed completely unaware, or uncaring about Garfield's reaction. Being Vic's best friend, Garfield took his disappearance hardest. Raven knew they were able to keep it that way in here since there was never a fight scheduled between the two of them. "Would you like to ask him if he's seen a dead puppy while you're at it?" Raven asked with bitterness running through her system.

"It was just a question," Dick said.

Raven knew it was. She was on edge today, mostly from coming back from a fight against a demon boy. There was so much energy she had to invest in making fields of energy and that exhaustion carried over to this morning. "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos," she said under her breath, trying to calm herself down. She was never this tense, but that creature almost got the better of her. What if that demon boy had killed her? He could have easily done so. She'd be lucky if she never saw him again.

She stood and announced quietly, "I'll get what I have."

It was tedious walking four floors up to her cell and back down with the black bag. It was usually only a few aspirin pills, bandages, and then some. Nothing sharp or metal. If anyone ever felt suicidal, they could give it a shot, but most of the time people found life more precious than anything.

As Raven started to at least clean up the cuts and patch up Dick the best she could, he started to explain himself halfway through.

"I just need to know the facts," Dick said. "Victor's been missing for four days. Kory's been gone ever since - she's been gone. You at least came back unscathed. Gar is doing fine as usual." Raven wasn't so sure about that. "This place is directed by Doctor Hillsberg. There are approximately six hundred guards working in total. 932 prisoners have to be kept under surveillance. Each paycheck comes from the doctor. There's no clear record of how many actual scientists are here, but that has to be another fifty-grand at least. Hillsberg only works here and has a few investments in the stock market, nothing that could support this kind of place. There are three buildings here and the wall. Our cells have to cost at least a hundred grand. The testing rooms even more. The service building maybe fifty grand to get it started. Metal shops aren't that expensive these days. If they're funding the supply warehouse just outside the wall, that's another fifty. It's all funded by someone's personal account, but we still don't know who that is. We have only thirty minutes a day where we could possibly go missing. In that time we've hardly gotten a number or a first name. If we want to-"

"Stop," Raven snapped. Her voice was uncharacteristically tense. She instantly dropped what she was doing and stood still for a moment. "I think we have more problems than a headcount and figuring out who's in charge."

Raven never liked to tell people about her own issues. Primary reason for that were the emotions involved, but now her emotions were causing a problem for her despite that. Anger was a particular nuisance and an eventual danger. Victor was always struggling to keep himself breathing since, in order to keep him "at human level," they found a way to rig his circuits and take away power from his weapons and strength, draining a few major functions in the process. Kory was still trying to get used to her weight and her dismal strength. Garfield wasn't always able to stand being human and locking away animals inside of him. Everyone was trying to find a way to cope with the limited time they had with their powers. It was like breaking off an addiction, interrupting a way of life. Quickly, that cut off made the testing rooms hallow. All of the prisoners had to adjust and try to gain control of their new limits. All except for Dick.

"Done," she said between her teeth.

"Raven," Dick said straightening his posture a little. He never took off his sunglasses, but Raven could from other ticks Dick had that he was frustrated too. The muscles in his jaw working, his tighter hold on the cot, the sudden warning laced in his tone. In a flash all of that disappeared with a sigh and a shake of the head, "What else are we supposed to think about?"

Raven shook her head. She stood up and looked over at the camera that was monitoring their every movement. There was one in almost every cell. Raven stared at it for a long while as the black screen shifted ever so slightly. It wasn't like the radio was bad enough. They couldn't give anyone a single second of privacy. She packed up the kit and sat down on the floor again. Raven played with the pages of the book in her hand as she watched the camera's black screen stare her down like a hawk. There was a sudden shout that caught Raven's attention. She moved towards the balcony and saw Mammoth holding some kid up by one hand. Mammoth's strength had been reduced a little, but that didn't mean his bulking muscles were useless.

Raven's first instinct was to go down there and stop it, but how could she? No powers. Probably one of the shortest girls here. Hand-to-hand wasn't her specialty. She was useless as ever. Dick had inched his way to the edge of the bed. "What's happening?" he asked.

"Mammoth," Raven said.

At that point, Dick tried to stand up, but he couldn't go very far in his condition. He was just on the border of being sent to the infirmary. Maybe the place was full because the former Robin could hardly stand by himself. He did manage to hobble over towards the railing by the time the kid was dropped. Raven spotted a flash of green as Garfield pushed his way through the crowd. Just before Mammoth could punch the guy, Garfield was in between it.

"He's crazy," Dick breathed out.

Raven didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on Mammoth and Garfield. It was like comparing a piece of paper to a rock. Rock always won, doesn't matter what the stupid game said. Raven knew that if Dick was the one down there, which he probably would gladly be, he wouldn't have an issue actually knowing how to work without any powers. Hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly Garfield's strong suit. Mammoth was still a man on steroids and he wasn't famous for his good temper. Raven felt her stomach twist and her chest got heavier as she watched them stand there for a moment. Why did Garfield have to be such an idiot? When Mammoth stocked away, Raven let out a breath and turned back around. Where was Kori when you needed her? She'd be all glass is half full, 'nothing would ever possibly happen to one of us,' and actually make Raven feel less tense. She figured the worst of it was over and moved back to grab her book from where she had dropped it on the floor.

She skimmed a page. Still the same boring melodrama she was not willing to dedicate her time to. In less than a few minutes, they'd be out to the yard for morning fresh air and a 9:30 head count. At least there it was mildly peaceful and she could find some place to meditate. She needed to clear her head. Her emotions were already acting up more than they should. Control. She needed to keep that.

She re-read chapter 13 where the ridiculous plot twist is revealed. By the time she finished, footsteps were coming their way. Raven saw a flash of green out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, Rae, can you give Danny a hand here? His kind of got crushed," Garfield joked. It wasn't remotely funny. Every time some poor soul was thrown in here, Raven ended up playing nurse since she had an understanding of the human anatomy. Vic was better at it, but somehow anyone that Garfield found was given to her.

Raven snapped her book closed and turned back towards Garfield to see the 'friend.' A boy with messy black hair was looking down at a bruised hand that he cradled. He was taller than Garfield and well-built. When he looked up, she recognized the ice-blue eyes and every last feature. This was the boy that she had fought just yesterday. Her eyes widened. When he recognized her, he jumped back and would have fallen if Garfield didn't catch him.

"You have to be kidding me! Her?" the kid called. That was just about what Raven was thinking.

"No," Raven said decisively. That thing had fought her and tried to kill her when it wasn't mandatory. The scary part was that he had nearly done it. She started walking away.

"Rea, come on," Garfield called.

"There's a kit right there, have fun," Raven said already down the walk-way and climbing down the steps.

Garfield looked from Danny's hand back to the first-aid-kit. He didn't notice Danny's wild-eyed expression as he stared at Raven going down the steps. He was following every movement, every flinch, every step. Garfield looked towards Dick. "Do you know how to fix a hand?" he asked.

"No," he said. Dick's glasses flashed in the artificial light as he moved his head up. "Who's the new guy?"

"Danny," the teen introduced himself offering his good left hand after a moment of silence.

"Robin," he extended his own left hand in an awkward shake. The two sized each other up whilst mentioning the cities they were from. Amity Park. Jump City. Both locations were slowly and reluctantly disclosed. Dick was shorter, as usual, but Danny didn't look like much of a threat to him.

"Jump City?" Danny was basically sounding out the name. His eyes darted around Dick's cell looking at every detail as he spoke. "I guess that means this prison is in your hometown."

"What makes you figure that?"

Danny motioned to the speakers overhead but his eyes didn't stop darting, "20's music radio. Please tell me you guys don't actually like that stuff." Dick caught on to what he was doing.

"Not in the slightest. I think our grandparents do," Garfield joked going through the first-aid-kit. Garfield remained oblivious.

Garfield wasn't a great medic, but at least he managed to patch up Danny's hand so that it was a little relieved of pain. Danny wasn't one to complain. Dick was the one asking all the questions while Garfield would joke whenever things got tense. That mostly came up whenever Dick started asking about criminal record and Danny kept joking instead of giving a straight-forward answer. Even Garfield could catch that. Powers, or lack of, was also a secret between the two of them. Somehow, they mostly talked about the terrible 20s music over their heads.

Danny's hand was temporarily patched up with plenty of time to spare before the 8:30 bell cut through the radio and buzzed signaling it was time for fresh air. Whoever had gone back for an hour of sleep would be pulled out of their beds. Danny watched everyone moving down stairs. Garfield told him he had to be down there for count or he'd be in trouble. Danny gave them an awkward wave before leaving. He still checked over his shoulder once or twice with a glance that could have been easily missed.

"Nice guy," Garfield commented.

"I don't trust him," Dick said. "He seemed too dodgy. Raven didn't seem to like him either."

"When does Raven like anyone?" Garfield asked light-heartedly. He helped Dick to his feet and they started walking down to the lower levels. "Besides, it's not like we have to talk to him again. I just figured the new guy could use some help on the first day."

"I think he might turn into one of those snitches we'll have to watch out for," Dick said looking down at the mob of people that were being lined up by guards.

Garfield was instantly sent into confusion. It's not like they had any plans whatsoever that would be against the rules. They had been following the same routine for four months with only a couple of exceptions. "Snitch? What would we be doing that would require a snitch to bust us?"

Dick shrugged, "I've been taking a few walks lately. Found something pretty interesting."

Not my favorite chapter, but I got the points across. Tell me what you think. Is it good? Is it dreadful? Favorite part? Criticism? Praises? You invested your time so type in a comment and tell me what you think.