To Miss Geek (Guest): Worth the wait? THANKS! I'm glad you liked the BBRae moment! It took me a while to actually allow this plot to go that far, but it did! Starfire isn't weak, that's the main point I'm trying to make in this story, so no she's not going to let Rick just have her. He has to REALLY want it, like more than he wants his membership with Batman. It's intense! I'm not worried about people bashing me; I deal with it every day at school. I will eventually write a book, but I'll need the support of ALL my reviewers (like you). Thanks for having such confidence in me, I really appreciate the support. Enjoy this chapter.

A/N: 100 reviews OMG; I love you all so much. Thank you for your continuous support and love. My confidence level just sky rockets when you all write such nice things. The plot is thickening in this story so for your own sakes, BUCKLE UP. Sorry if my writing is off, I recently spiraled into this depression phase…It's really bad and at times I feel like giving up on everything. Enjoy this next chapter.

"You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, and I don't want to go home right now." –Cookie points to whoever guesses where this quote is from.

January 19

Argentina Bowels

Raven POV

It's dark…and dank…and moist…where am I? I peel open my eyelids and my eyes painstakingly adjust to my surroundings. I look around to what seems like a rocky jail cell? I sniff the air, sulfur and methane? Fear suddenly encrusts over me and I realize those two smells, I've read enough books and seen enough on TV. I'm in a mine, meaning I'm underground deep. I stand up but my arms and legs lurch. I fall to my knees and wince, my body is weakened. "Hello?" I croak, my throat is dry and raspy, papery and parched.

I look around, across the small cell a small metal door is imbedded into the rocky stalagmite walls. Its tiny barred window shines blue light into the cell; I look around and notice something moving in the corner. "Hello?" I croak again.

The object moves into the slither of light and I gasp, Beast Boy. He has a black eye that is sealed shut, his skin is torn in places, and his breathing is shallower and labored. "Rae…" He whispers.

I crawl to him and wrap him in my arms, I try to reach for my powers to heal him but they're somehow sealed. "Rae…They beat me up…" He whispers again.

I hold his face in my hands, his green eyes look into mine. "Shh, we'll be okay." I lie reassuringly.

He touches my face and kisses my cheek. "I'm so sorry."

I shake my head. "We're going to find a way out." I look around once more but Beast Boy clamps a hand down on my cheek.

His eyes show so many emotions, so much sadness, and so much depth I nearly cry out. "There's no way out." He says through a shaggy breath. "This mine is the same one he took me to after we left Africa, this is where he experiments, and we're deep underground." The lack of hope in his voice makes me feel weak, almost final…

I put my hand on top of his. "We have to escape."

A tear slips from his eye. "I won't let him hurt you, I promise."

"I won't let him hurt you." I repeat and kiss him on the lips, it's soft and sweet and I feel more of his tears.

"I'm dying Rae…I'm going to fight until the end, but whatever happens just know that I'll always love you. Forever in my heart, deep down you'll always be there." He says as he puts his forehead on mine.

I shudder with emotion and let it all go; my powers can't do any harm here so I cry with him. "Nightwing, and Starfire…They'll save us, we'll escape." I add through silent tears.

He shakes his head again. "Tesla's getting the tools ready, its experiment time unless I give in." He kisses my nose and sighs.

I pull him closer. "What is it that you have to give in to?" I'm scared for the answer, but I have to understand, I have to know.

"He's going to experiment on me; he's going to cut me open. Tesla wasn't this evil before; he was like an uncle to me before. He's changed somehow. He needs payment to heal me. That payment is seeing the ones I love suffer; he'll want to see you suffer." Beast Boy chokes on a sob and begins to cough violently. "Just like my parents…" He breaks off with a shrieking cough; he vomits blood onto the jagged rock floor.

Before I can ask how Tesla will make me suffer the metal door unlocks. The blue lights from the rocky walled hallway shines in the room, increasing the headache I already have. A guard steps in accompanied with five others; they have large artillery guns and knives. I stand up, so much pain, and shield Beast Boy with my body. "Don't touch him." I growl.

The guard laughs loudly and the others step into the room with large smiles plastered to their faces. "Tesla will see you now, whether you like it or not." The leader says brusquely.

I jump forward suddenly and ram my body into the guard, just as Nightwing taught me. I swiftly take him out with a kick to his jaw. My movements are slower because my body is fatigued, but I will fight to the death for Beast Boy. Another guard tries to flank me but I kick him in the groin, sending him sprawling. The three guards surround me and Beast Boy shouts angrily from behind me, I ignore it and fight for him. I punch two of the guards swiftly in their mouths; the jabs from my punches knock them over. They slam their heads on the rocky floor. The last guard suddenly cocks his gun, its barrel aimed directly for me.

Beast Boy unexpectedly stands up, pushing me out the way. "NO! We'll go to Tesla!" He shouts. I can tell by the way he's hunched over that standing is painful for him.

The guards that I knocked down start to stand up wobbly, one grabs me from behind and another punches Beast Boy in the jaw. "Stupid mutants, always ruining the fun." One mumbles.

The one that has me lowers his lips to my ear. "I'm sure you'd love to have some fun, wouldn't you?" His hot breath sends angry revulsions through me and I resist the urge to gag.

Beast Boy stands up shakily pretending that the punch he received didn't hurt. "Leave her alone!" He screams, another guard grabs him and ties his hands in cuffs.

The same type of cuffs snap around my wrists and the guard purposely swipes his hand across my bottom. The leader of the guard group snickers and they lead us into the blue lit hallway. It smells like even more sulfur and my nose twitches with an ache. After trudging through multiple rocky hallways we reach a large rocky clearing. The floor is surprisingly smooth, stainless steel tables line the walls and multiple testing supplies and weapons line the walls. Light fixtures are nailed into the rock-strewn walls, the glow stinging my eyes.

Tesla grins at us as we walk in, his hands are gloved and he snaps his fingers. The guards throw me and Beast Boy to the ground, my knees bang into the smooth rock and I wince again. "What do you want with us?" I ask angrily.

He ignores me and looks toward the doorway. "Bring in the others." He says.

Within seconds Starfire and Nightwing walk in. Starfire's face is adorned with a large scratch stretching from her chin to her ear. Nightwing is in worse shape, he's limping and his arm is hanging from its socket. Half his face is bloody, and a large purple bruise covers his cheek. I guess it's safe to say we weren't the only ones trying to fight. The guards throw them to the ground next to us and we cast each other worried glances. I can tell Nightwing is trying to come up with a plan, but he doesn't look too confident.

Tesla chuckles and adjusts his long stained white lab coat. "I have a proposition." He says as he pulls out his remote control, I mentally beg that he doesn't press a button.

Beast Boy spits blood towards Tesla's feet; it lands with a sickening schwin sound. "I don't give a damn about what you have to say, let us go." He threatens.

Tesla cracks another craggily smile. His leg just out and connects with Beast Boy's gut, Beast Boy doubles over and lands on his stomach, he makes a horrible gurgling sound. I wince. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I scream.

Tesla presses his button and my body lurches forward, I'm eye level with Beast Boy now, he tries to send me a reassuring look but it fails. Blood trickles from his mouth and onto the floor, I blink away more tears. I feel so weak! How is Tesla doing this? My body literally convulses beneath me, my blood turning into thick oatmeal.

Starfire's eyes glow, I see the green color refract off the walls. "Leave my friends alone!" She says menacingly.

Tesla approaches her with a smile and Beast Boy and I struggle to sit up. Once we do Tesla presses his finger into the button. Starfire's body slumps to the ground, her skull smacking on the hard floor. She grunts and curses in Tamaranian. Tesla smiles back at us suddenly. "You have no control here." He grins.

Starfire lets out an agonizing scream, she moves her body to stand and it shudders with pain. Tesla presses the button again but Starfire doesn't slump, her body continues to shake uncontrollably but she's fighting it somehow. "Hell hath no fury!" She yells. She breaks her cuffs and stands up strongly; her entire face is in a glow of green. "Give me the cure!" She screams.

Tesla backs up; the look of shock on his face brings me so much happiness. "How?" He asks angrily to no one in particular. He casts irritated glances at his remote.

Starfire lights up her starbolts, she aims one glowing fist at him and the other at the swarming guards. "Where is the cure?" She yells.

Tesla sighs. "I can give him the cure, but I need payment." He says through clenched teeth.

Starfire stomps her foot, it shakes the mine around us and we shudder. Nightwing looks from Tesla to Starfire, his mind probably going a million miles per second…I hope. "Starfire, don't shoot him yet." He says urgently.

Tesla presses the button and the three of us go down hard, we smack onto the ground and I see stars for a second. "STOP!" Starfire screams and aims a starbolt for him; it misses and knocks over a desk.

A gunshot suddenly goes off, Nightwing shouts and Starfire's bright green energy fades. Her eyes lose its energy and she falls to the floor. Her eyes are still open, her mouth hanging open with a surprised 'O'.

"NO!" Beast Boy and Nightwing shout, I try to break free of my constraints but my body goes limp as the button is pressed again, my blood feels slushy and I shake uncontrollably. The guards snicker cheerfully, as if shooting Starfire was jubilant for them.

"P-please, s-s-stop!" Beast Boy stutters through the pain.

Tesla approaches him. "I wanted to make a proposition, but you left me NO choice!" He yells. He grabs Beast Boy and drags him over to one of the stainless steel desks. Beast Boy looks at me and I try to follow, a guard grabs my body and forces me to stand, his arms wrap painfully around my body.

"NO, take me instead! Please, leave him alone!" I scream at Tesla and urge my powers to lash out at him. I kick at the guard, no luck.

Tesla smiles once again, and lays Beast Boy down on the table. Gar looks to me, tears forming in his eyes. "Rae, remember what I said!" He yells.

I nod and suck in my sadness; I will not give Tesla the satisfaction of seeing me cry. "PLEASE TESLA, if you have any decency at least cure him! Experiment on me!" I plead.

Tesla shakes his head and Beast Boy shouts 'no'. "Guards remove them; I will work on this specimen alone." He slowly smiles and my stomach twists in knots.

The guard begins to shove me backwards but I fight back. I kick my legs and put up the strongest fight I can summon, I fall to my hands and knees and crawl towards Beast Boy. He stumbles off the table, Tesla attempting to grab at him. He clutches onto me and kisses me deeply, I savor this kiss. It feels so definite, so final. It's so strong and so powerful I nearly forget where I am. His hands pull on me tightly and I never want to let go. We're pulled away from each other and Beast Boy is injected with some type of yellow fluid from a syringe. "NO!"

Beast Boy falls limp, his eyes still on me. "I love you! Don't EVER forget that!" He shouts above the noise of the room. "Forever in my HEART!" Tesla punches him square in the face and his eyes close, his body stops struggling and mine does too. Blood dribbles from his nose and mouth, it collects on the stone floor.

It feels like every ounce of air has left my lungs. The guards drag me towards the hall and my mind can't stop replaying his words, that last kiss. NO, it can't be our last kiss, I won't let it. I try to struggle in the arms of the guard again but he jams me in the head with the butt of his rifle. My head swirls and my eyes water with the pain. The last thing I see before blacking out is the blood pooling around Starfire and Nightwing reaching for her as the guards attempt to drag him away. My eyes close as Tesla pulls out a bone saw…

Jason POV

I wake with a jolt, my body tingling all over and my heart racing. I sit up too fast and my head spins along with the room. "HELP!" I croak through my cracked voice. I look to my left and on the other bed is Babs, her red hair is fanned out around her on her pillow and her face is sunken in with hunger.

The door busts open and Alfred walks in with his signature tray. "Master Jason! We thought you would never wake!" He says alarmingly. He reaches over to the bed side table and hands me a cold glass of water.

I greedily drink it down. "What happened?" I ask him in between gulps.

Alfred avoids my gaze momentarily. "You were injected with the Fear Serum; Batman could not contact you via earpiece so he had to go gather your remains from the warehouse district." Alfred eyes the door cautiously. "Master Bruce will be in momentarily, he is very upset." He warns me.

I hand the glass to him. "Thanks Alfred…" I rub my eyes and the memories all shudder back. My attempt fight with Scarecrow, the shots fired at Babs and the nightmares. The nightmares were so realistic; it felt like I was there. The pain was real.

Alfred leaves and Bruce walks in, his face twisted in anger. "What the hell were you thinking?" He booms.

I look over at Babs' unconscious form. "Shh, you're going to wake her!" I say haughtily.

Bruce's face turns even angrier and he grabs the collar of my shirt, he hoists me up to his eye level. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" He booms.

I try to scrabble away from him but his iron grip is stronger than a thousand men. "B-Bruce, I had t-to avenge my father." That's partly true; in reality I have bigger, better plans. Scarecrow's words echo in my head 'Where was the Bat family when your parents died?' I shudder and Bruce let's go. "You of all people understand what I'm feeling." I persuade him.

He gives me a long look. "I understand, when my parents died I wanted so much revenge." He answers calmly.

"Exactly, see we're in the same boat!" I exclaim.

He shakes his head grimly, his gaze flickering over a squirming Babs in the other bed. "The difference between me and you is that I have control."

That hits me deep, who is he to criticize me? He barely can keep a City safe! "Fuck you Bruce." I mumble.

He ignores it and sighs. "Scarecrow is only going to become stronger now; he won't back down until he finds me."

"What makes you so special?" I snap immaturely.

Bruce hangs his head low. "Scarecrow never feels fear, ever. The only time he actually begins to feel it is when I'm in his presence. When I fight him the fear he's feeling is something that is satisfying for him. He loves it." Babs mumbles and tosses off her covers, still sleeping. I wonder what her nightmares are like.

Bruce frowns deeply; he knows I'm not paying attention. "I'm done talking to you; times like this make me feel like you're a lost cause. I took you in because I thought I could make you a hero, not a screw-up."

That's like a punch in my gut, a screw-up? Bruce may not be my father but he sounds a lot like him. Bruce doesn't glance back at me and he leaves the room. The door slams and Babs wakes up suddenly, her body jolts and she screams. Alfred zooms into the room with water and a plate of sandwiches.

"Miss Gordon, please wake up." He pats her cheek gently and her eyes snap open. Tears begin spilling and she collapses into Alfred's embrace. Her fears must be more intense than I thought.

"W-where is e-ev-everyone?" She hiccups.

I get out of bed and sit next to her, she folds into my arms weakly and Alfred gives me a kind smile, rare. "Calm down Babs…" I whisper and she cries for another fifteen minutes, when she's done she looks at me with red eyes. She slaps my cheek hard, snapping my head to the side.

"I believe it is time to leave you two be." Alfred says quickly and leaves the room.

I keep my head where it is, I probably deserved that. She touches my chin and forces me to look at her, my cheek is hot where he slap reverberated but I avoid thinking about it. "You are an irrational asshole." Her still wet eyes shimmer in sadness.

I smirk at her. "I know."

She sighs and makes more room for me on her bed. I grab the plate of sandwiches and waters and we eat clumsily. She glares at me a few times but the silence deepens. At some moments she shudders and sniffles, but soon she's back to her placid self. I try to avoid thinking of the nightmares and the serum; I'll be able to accomplish more if I do. "So…" I say as I burp and finish off another sandwich.

She looks out the window, the cloudy Gotham sky gives us little light but her face glows with the nimble amount of sunlight. "That was awful…" She whispers.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her.

She looks at me as if considering, her eyes close and she inhales deeply. "Some things are better left unsaid." She sighs as she exhales and I feel momentarily sad, why?

"Well, I know what we're going to do today." I say.

Her face twists with a question but I put a finger to her lips. "Don't talk." She slaps my hand away and I laugh. "We're going on patrol tonight, secretly. We're going to the Warehouse District again."

Babs slaps me again in the same spot and I yell out some swears. She glares at me. "What is WRONG with you? Did you have a great time on that fear serum stuff? Was it enjoyable for you?" She huffs and gazes out the window again. "You are so stupid." She finishes.

I hold my cheek and frown, her response makes me twist in anguish, why? "Can I finish?" I ask. When she says nothing I grab her hand tightly. "Your nightmares, they were bad but so were mine. We need to go on patrol tonight to avenge ourselves and destroy Scarecrow for good." I prepare for the slap but it doesn't come, good sign. "I want revenge, but I also want payback."

I don't give her the real reason why but she looks deeply at me. "I hate you so much right now." After a few moments of glaring at me she sighs. "Fine, I'm in…But this time I call the shots."

I am shocked for multiple reasons, she agreed with me! This is perfect, my plan will work! I might be able to pull this off without dying! I pull her into a hug and she squeezes me back. For a moment I linger there, not wanting to let go but I do. She wipes her eyes again and slithers off the bed. "Let's go suit up and practice until Patrol time starts."

I smile at her. "That's the Babs I know."

She tosses me a glare but we exit the infirmary room. As we exit into the hallway a fluttering sound stops me in my tracks. I look to see what it is and I notice Bumblebee racing down the hall towards us. "Where's the fire?" I ask her sarcastically.

The alarmed look on her face makes the joke die in my throat. Babs and she momentarily hug. "Where are you heading off to?" She asks hurriedly.

I shrug. "We're going on patrol tonight, but keep it a secret." I chuckle but her eyes glaze over in fear.

"No, no patrol tonight. Jinx and Flash called, Cyborg is missing." Babs and Bee jump into an elaborate conversation of a way to get to Jump City tonight. The panic is obvious in her voice.

There's always someone in the way of my plans.

Outside Jump City

Cyborg POV

I can't believe I was so stupid, I can't believe I was this stupid. As I sit in a small white painted room, my head throbs. I fix my gaze to my smashed cybernetic limbs; I can never turn around from this mistake. I relive it over and over, thinking how I let it go so wrong…

Days ago…

I walked into the lab, the happy receptionist handing the scientist before me a clipboard with some white papers. I stare at the scientist, his familiar face haunting my memories. "Hey Dad…" I say shakily. I pull down the grey hood to my sweatshirt and his eyes trail over my cybernetic material. I swallow unevenly, slightly intimidated.

"Hello Son, I've missed you." His eyes flicker towards one of the lab tables, he also seems somewhat nervous…

"So, I know you called me here…And I know that the time is right, but I don't want to do this. I only came here to say goodbye." I say confidently, even though I'm having trouble holding his gaze.

His eyes widen considerably and he takes a tentative step forward. "We made a plan, you told me that if I could make enough synthetic skin and organs to call you. You begged me to bring you back!" He yells angrily.

My fists clench. "No, I told you that YEARS ago! Maybe if you bothered to call me, or look me up you would KNOW where I stand now." I yell back. "I'm a Titan; I have responsibilities, so I'm deciding not to go through with this."

His face darkens and the air suddenly feels dangerous. "I didn't call you because you are NOT my son. You are some metal contraption, and EXPERIMENT. I can fix you."

I take a step back, something isn't right. My dad would never say that to me, what's going on? "Dad, why did you really call me here?" I ask nervously.

He smirks, which scares me even more. "I called you here for an upgrade, one that you will like." I hear footsteps behind me and I swivel around. Something slams me down onto the floor and my vision blurs considerably. I hear a scuffle of shoes and boots and a hand clamps over my mouth harshly. "Take him to the lab, let's start the process." My dad says before I black out.

Now…

Now I just sit here, thinking and replaying it all over and over in my mind. Something's going to happen to me, something bad, I feel it. They've kept me in this room for what seems like an eternity. Most of my technology is down; I can't even call out to the Titans.

The door to the room suddenly opens and I stand up so fast the chair falls back and smashes on the white linoleum floor. Two masked guardsmen walk in accompanied by a grey faced doctor and my father. They're all carrying some type of weapon and medical bags. If they think I'm going down without a fight they have another thing coming. "Let me out of here, NOW!"

They ignore me and pull out giant syringes. The red fluid inside of them winks malevolently at me. "What is that?" I ask accusingly.

My father approaches me, a sad look on his face. "It's time to say goodbye."

He's never looked this sad before, and that cares me even more than the syringes. They open my hardware and I stupidly try to fight back, it all happens in a blur and within moments my vision turns red. I'm gone, swimming in a sea of endless red. I try to talk but nothing comes out, flashes of red, nothing but red.

The last thing I hear is my father. "Call them, it's done."

Raven POV

His screams, ohmyazar, his screams are terrifying. They echo off the walls, and drift into my tired mind, I don't know how much more I can handle.

I cross my legs and try to summon my powers once again, it doesn't work. Beast Boy screams again and his choking fills the air. I woke up in another prison cell hours ago, the smell of sulfur in this mine still making my head feel fuzzy and dizzy. There is no sign of Starfire or Nightwing, I like believing they're in the cell next to mine, but I can't rely on hope anymore. I need to take action.

His screams get louder and my head throbs in anger. Why is Tesla doing this? What is his purpose?

I need to access my powers, how did Starfire do it? Starfire. I have no idea of her condition, is she okay? Is she still alive? Where was she shot?

"Nightwing?" I yell towards the door of my cell. "NIGHTWING?"

A guard bangs on the door. "Shut the hell up in there!" He shouts.

"Make me!" I scream back defiantly.

I hear his keys jingle and he slips into my cell, my heart beats erratically, that was so stupid of me. I stand up and get into a fighting stance. "The bitch wants a fight?" He coos. "I can show you how real a fight can get, you're in here crying about a guy, let me show you a man." His grin creeps me out and he moves slowly towards me.

I back up instinctively, there's absolutely nothing in this cell I can use as a weapon. I try to summon my powers again, no luck. "Leave me alone!" I yell.

He jumps for me and I dodge, as I do I slam my fists down on his back. He crumples into the ground and I stomp his head into the rock floor. Blood pours out the guards' nose and I kick his ribcage. After his movement stops I grab his keys an escape. My mind is a rush with adrenaline; I feel it in my veins, and blood.

I run into the hall, the sulfur smell is even more intense here. I run as fast as I can to the next cell I see, I bang on the door. "Nightwing, STAR! Are you in there?"

"Raven! Open the door, Starfire's hurt!" Nightwing yells.

I unlock the door and immediately smell the blood. It's coated on Nightwing's mask, it's all over the floor and Starfire is covered in it. "Where was she shot?" I ask him hurriedly. I rush into the cell and kneel next to her.

"Right in the thigh, her main artery literally ruptured. I don't know what to do, please do something!" I've never heard Nightwing sound so urgent, ever.

I notice that he's already tied down the wound. I place my hands on the wound, and once again try to summon my powers. It doesn't work, I feel the tears of frustration and helplessness pour. The blood that slips in between my fingers makes me panic. The door behind me suddenly shuts and locks; I grab my key and race to it, but the guard just smiles at me from inside. "Sorry girly, you're staying in here until experiment time."

I frown and slump to the ground. I still hear Beast Boy's screaming, and it kills me inside that he's being tortured. There is too much happening, I have NO control! My head begins to pound harshly and my back presses into the cold steel of the door. I hear Nightwing calling my name but the loudest thing I hear is Gar's screaming.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" The room and the world around me freezes. My eyes adjust to the slight blurriness and I realize that I've probably unleashed something dreadful; I've opened up a source of power that is not supposed to be used. My vision flashes red and I suddenly know that my demonic side has joined this fight. There's no turning back now. My chest suddenly burns; a dull ache thrums beneath my skin and a small orb of white light fizzes out of my chest cavity. It grows within seconds and soon covers the entire room, Nightwing's bloodied face is in awe and the frothy blood that was on the floor begins to sizzle. Starfire twitches and the light continues to grow, soon it reaches the hallway and I hear the guard's screams and fumbling movements for weapons.

A large rumble alarms me but the white light continues, a few explosions come from beneath us and the white light vanishes. Nightwing looks at me and I levitate off the ground. "Time to go." I say in my demonic voice.

He scoops up Starfire and the rocky ceiling above us begins to leak, sulfuric fluids leak down on us and the poisonous smell of methane leaks into our nostrils. I finally realize what that white light did; I just destroyed the mine, with us in it.

A/N: So I shortened the chapter by two thousand words, please don't hate me. I felt like the next big scene was meant for part 3, so you guys will have to wait. Sorry…Anyways, I'm sorry about the late update. My declining health hasn't allowed me too much time to write and focus. I'm going color blind and they've found something on my brain that looks ominous… I won't say too much but all I know is that I could be in critical condition in a few months.

I'm not even going to ask for reviews this chapter…Do what you want…

Next Chapter: Shit hits the fan, in all sorts of ways. Thanks for reading.