*Hello dear readers! Thanks for following-faving-reviewing! It means the world to me to know what you're thinking! I'm a sodding mess today and didn't go to Uni, so I figured I could write this chapter while I linger in my bed… I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading!*
CHAPTER TWO
Robin swiftly stood up, pushing his chair back and banging his fists on the table, giving Starfire a small heart-beat-skip.
"You're all ridiculous! You can't blame me for your failure to follow simple orders! I would have given you more details afterwards, if you hadn't gone all berserk and did whatever popped up in your heads!"
"Please remain tranquil, Robin…" Starfire pleaded lowly, but was ignored, as Beast Boy stood up as well and pointed a finger at Robin.
"At least we didn't jeopardize the lives of five hundred people for the sake of some…whatever weapons!"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand their importance, Beast Boy!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Cyborg intervened. "Hold on a sec, 'cause if we didn't know their 'importance', it was because you didn't feel like sharing!"
"And even if they were important," Raven asked, "were the lives we luckily saved less significant than them?"
"We could have saved both! That's what I'm trying to tell you but you just won't listen!" Robin shouted. "I had a plan, I had it all thought through and you ruined it!"
"A plan with a strategy we've never rehearsed before, remember?" Cyborg said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Was that reason enough for you to be so random in the battlefield, instead of drawing the guys' attention to you?"
"You say it like it was easy!" Beast Boy said. "They were to terrorize and shoot at the bystanders, for crying out loud! There was no time to do that!"
"We could have pulled it off if Raven, for starters, hadn't turned one of them into a messy mix of blood and flesh!" Robin said, shooting a mean look at the sorceress.
Raven pursed her lips and spoke through her teeth. "I bet the little girl who saw the gun pointing at her appreciated me being between her and the gun's ray!"
"Ra-"
"Robin, I was angry, and you all sure as hell know what I'm capable of while I'm angry, so at least acknowledge the fact that I left that prick alive!"
"When I had specifically told you I needed him to look alright!"
"What for?!" Raven said, growing more agitated. "So he can look pretty while you put your Batman-inspired interrogation techniques to use?"
"We could have used his body to manipulate the other two!"
"Unless you got master-of-puppet skills, Boy Wonder," Cyborg said, "that would have never worked."
"They were in freaking masks! They wouldn't have noticed his closed eyes. Some telekinesis on his hands and there you have him, moving the way we want him to!"
"You wanted me to move him around?!" Raven said, finally getting up as well, as the cloth of her cloak shook around by some stray magic currents.
"I've seen you throw barrels around, I bet you can keep him standing for some meters!"
"Barrels and a moving human are two completely different things! And if you had come up with that ingenious strategy before, why on Earth didn't you ask me to practice it?"
"I didn't have the time to plan the exercise round properly."
"You don't seem to have enough time for many Titan stuff recently." Cyborg said.
"That's unfair!" Robin cried.
"Unfair how?!" Beast Boy said. "You're our leader and the last time we practiced battle strategies was half a month ago! Your Gotham shifts are a bit too important, I suppose."
"At least my Gotham shifts are done with people that can follow orders and not question them!"
"Maybe you should go with those people, then!"
"Yeah!" Cyborg agreed. "Us, uncoordinated rebels, must be quite a pain for you, uh?"
"Friends!" Starfire yelled, loud enough to be heard all around the Tower, and everyone went quiet. "Be seated and let us talk this problem out in peace!"
Robin sighed deeply and they all sat down, frowns decorating their faces. Some moments of silence passed until Cyborg spoke.
"Let's try talkin' it out, then. Why don't we all say what's botherin' us right now?"
For some reason, Starfire spoke first. "It is annoying me that Robin hadn't disclosed that new knowledge of his and that he appeared to disregard some lives, even though I want to believe he didn't."
"I didn't!" Robin said. "Why would you think I wanted those people to get hurt?"
"I didn't use the word 'want', Robin. The way you acted though gave me that impression. I am also annoyed at how easily you, friends, seem to put the blame on everyone else and not try to identify your own faults."
"She's right." Raven said, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever. "I'll try to be honest here. I was a bit worked-up before we went, about…something"-Beast Boy looked at his lap-"and I thought it was a great opportunity to channel my frustration. Thus my…kind-of-a berserker mode. What bothers me more, though, is that the orders I was given seemed unreasonable and so I couldn't follow them, especially when there were innocents involved. Now I'm…disappointed with Robin, because of his secrecy –intended or not- and with others a bit too."
"How come?" Starfire asked.
"I don't wish to be unfair, but when we were fighting and I… yes, I kind of massacred the guy, I was left alone. I had no team member support for some reason and I had to go all-out, though I overdid it, I admit. That is all."
"That's my bad." Beast Boy. "I got carried away with the other one and didn't come assist you when he aimed for the crowd, sorry. But, yes, the main thing for me is the weird orders and the whole chaos there! I mean, how could we let it get so messy?"
"If I may say," Cyborg said, "you did some pretty immature things, Beastie. And I don't mean to excuse myself, but that monkey stunt you tried to pull off really messed my line of action, man."
"How was I supposed to know you wanted to echo-blast him?" Beast Boy said.
"You saw me reading my arm!"
"Guys." Raven said. "Peacefully, please."
"Alright." Beast Boy said. "Sorry if I messed up, then, but I was lost as well."
"I told you what was botherin' me." Cyborg said. "The whacko orders and the fact that I couldn't get a clear shot. Then I got into a ray duel with the third one and it really messed my canon arm up, damn it."
Robin sighed once again and gathered his teammates' looks. "I am so very confused right now. I see how there are much more issues than I thought and…I don't know what to do and what really is to blame for this situation. I think… I think we might need a break."
Starfire squealed. "Oh, no! You can't possibly mean it!"
Robin shrugged. "I think we should all sort out our priorities and see if we really want and need to be in this team, if it isn't working like it was supposed to."
"Yeah…" Beast Boy agreed sadly. "I mean, this isn't just about a mission almost gone wrong. We all have some issues with each other, apparently. Perhaps we do need that break, I don't know…"
They exchanged some skeptic looks with each other until Robin finally took the word. "I don't see anyone objecting too much. I suppose this is it, then."
Cyborg gloomily got up, followed by Raven and Beast Boy. Starfire in sad awe, watched them, trying to find any signs of…something that said they weren't going to leave but found none. Cyborg took some steps forward and turned his head back for a moment.
"Come on, Raven. Let's go." Beast Boy said, taking Raven's hand but she snatched it away with a jerking movement and glided in front, exiting and followed by Cyborg's eyes. Beast Boy and Cyborg left as well, leaving Starfire to cup the brooding Robin's hand.
OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO
Around a year later…
Wearing a huge black hoodie over his torso, Cyborg walked around the dark alleys, paying attention to everything his bionic vision caught. The sound of his feet stepping into paddles of murky water echoed around the cold, stone and cement walls, giving away his presence. He thought it would have been another uneventful patrolling night around the city's notorious neighborhoods, until something caught his fancy some meters away. Speeding up, he stood before a street corner and watched as a familiar figure with black orbs over where the hands should be, telepathetically stacked a pile of knocked-out thugs in the middle of the street. As the figure moved under the street lamp's light, he saw the signature purple hair and the pale, almost grey skin.
"Well, well…" He said, stepping into sight. "If this isn't Raven…"
"Cyborg?" Raven asked and Cyborg grinned. He had to admit that he had missed that husky voice of hers.
"Yup! What are you doing around here?"
Raven shrugged. "Cleaning up."
"Well, it sure seems spotless around here!" Raven tried to half-smile. "So, fancy meeting you, uh?"
"I suppose."
"What do you say, then? You'd like to do some proper catching-up?"
"Why not?"
OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO
"I didn't know you were continuing crime-fighting." Cyborg said, scanning the typical diner's catalogue.
"A girl's got to keep herself busy somehow…"
"I suppose we were all itching for some action! I've met Robin out and I even worked with Beast Boy a couple of months ago on a particular case!"
"That's good. I haven't met with anyone other than Starfire who came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?!"
"Yes."
"Why?!"
That moment, the middle-aged waitress approached their table, with a stained order notebook and an old pen in her hands. "What youdcha like t'have?" She asked, wiping her left wrist on her checkered apron.
"I'll be havin'… the extra large cheese bacon burger, with extra fries please. A lot of extra fries and ketchup. Lots of it too." The waitress gave him a weird, bored look and noted down his order.
"A simple pancake with honey." Raven said.
"A'right." With that, she left.
"So, why?!" Cyborg asked again.
"Didn't Robin tell you?"
"No, we didn't really get to speak…"
"They broke up and she left for Tamaran." Raven said coldly.
"Tamaran? Her planet Tamaran?"
"Yes, where else?"
"Oh, man, that sucks."
"She didn't have anything left to do here on Earth after, you know, we…"
"Yes, I know… So how have you been holdin' on?"
Raven shrugged. "Well."
"Well?" Cyborg asked, squinting his eyes. He knew there was more to that 'well', of course. Raven gave him an examining look and sighed.
"I've been having a few troubles but nothing I can't handle."
"Troubles like?"
Raven pondered not sharing anything but…it was so long since she last had a talk with someone. And this someone now was Cyborg, one of the most trustworthy people she knew. Somewhere deep inside, she knew she longed to share her feelings for a change. "The usual; controlling my emotions, handling anger, some other fights, you know…"
Cyborg nodded deeply. "I'm sad to hear that."
"Don't be, I'm still fine."
"Didn't say you weren't."
"You?"
"I've been better but… I manage."
A loud sound of glass shattering outside stopped Raven from answering. Instinctively, both of them got up and ran outside, disregarding the waitress bringing their meals.
"Oh, boy…" Raven mumbled upon seeing the tall, robotic being marching through the city square. Its appearance reminded them of something.
"Let's go, Rae!" Cyborg said, starting to run towards the thing. Raven followed, flying by his side.
"Seen anything like this before?" She asked and Cyborg shook his head.
"It is mechanical, something like a moving armor, though. It must have a weak spot somewhere."
"Can you find it?"
"If I get close enough."
Raven nodded and scanned the armor from head to toe. "I'll stall it, you do your thing and find the spot."
"Go from the front, I'll try to remain unseen."
Raven sped up and reached the armor, as Cyborg ran to the left to get behind it. Its red eyes caught on to Raven and his hands were lifted, as some red lines on them shone.
"Uh-oh." Raven mumbled, lifting some trashcans up and throwing them to the incoming orange rays of the armor. She recalled exactly what these rays reminded her of, and it wasn't pleasant. With one swift twirl, she turned into her crow-like form and shot towards the left arm, managing to dismantle whatever was powering up the canon. The beast aimed its right canon at her, as she heard the sound of it preparing a big, solid ray. She didn't know if she had enough time to dodge it, but she tried anyway, with diving down. A hit at its back though, messed his balance up, and the shot missed by a few centimeters. The armor turned around and Raven noticed Cyborg with his canon arm up. Quickly, she joined him.
"Found the spot?"
"Yes!" He replied, as they jumped to avoid an incoming ray.
"It's just beneath its 'neck', from the back side. I can't hit it effectively from down here though!"
"Leave it to me!" Raven said, firing some black rays at the mechanical giant.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She called and flew upwards. A black magical tray emerged beneath Cyborg's footing, as he was lifted up behind her. Raven was good at piloting them and soon they had managed to reach its neck. She looked at Cyborg and he nodded. His tray disappeared and Raven was able to focus her magic to shoot the spot, as Cyborg did as well, falling down but hitting it at the same time.
By the moment Cyborg landed with a big 'thud', the armor's head was blown off and Raven landed gracefully next to him too. The rest of the robot fell on the ground.
"Think we should…gather some samples of this big boy?" Raven asked.
"Yes…" Cyborg replied. "Thanks for the lift over there."
"Don't mention it."
As Cyborg grabbed a piece of the armor's canon and ripped it out, he spoke. "Hey, Raven, where do you live?"
"Somewhere at the East Side." She replied, trying to find a decent piece from its blown-up 'brain'.
"That's…quite far." Raven shrugged. "Wheareas me, I live just five minutes from here. Would you like to…crash at my place tonight?"
Raven gave him a good look. Though the lighting was dim, an honest smile was on his face and, without much thought, she found herself nodding in agreement.
*That was the second chapter, dears! The next one is going to be a bit more…sentimental. I hope you liked this and, as always, leave a review or favorite/follow so I can know that you liked it! Thanks for reading so far and sorry for any typos!*