Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans? Don't panic! JUST KEEP CALM AND BAZINGA.

A/N: YAY! CAMEOS!

This chapter got pretty dang long, so I actually cut part of it out and put it into the next chapter. So I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 14: Investigations

-CK-

9:14am.

Metropolis.

The Daily Planet.

Clark Kent typed furiously as people around him worked just as hard to get the next batch of articles out. The big news had already been told about the Gordanian invasion on Tamaran. Just as the Chief expected phone calls were rushing in about the alien invasion.

Clark didn't understand why it was such a big deal, especially why it made the front page this morning. Of course, the Justice League's exploits always made the front page, but an alien invasion happening light years away? Didn't even concern them.

After asking John Wyatt, that new hotshot journalist who wrote that article in the first place, Clark learned that one of Robin's teammates was from Tamaran. Two years back a fleet of Gordanians attacked Jump City, but Robin and his team successfully drove them out.

"Kent!" The Chief yelled. "That article better be done soon!"

"Of course, Chief!" Clark shouted back, his fingers typing faster. "Jimmy, you got some photos for me!"

The redheaded youth looked up at the sound of his name and grinned.

"Yeah! Right away, sir!"

How could the kid be so chipper this early in the morning? Clark paused to sip a cup of coffee to wake himself up a little. The past few missions with the Justice League over the past week had really worn them all thin.

His phone rang.

"The Daily Planet, this is Clark Kent speaking," Clark said, propping the phone on his shoulder as he continued typing. "How may I help you?"

"Clark," a young male voice said, sounding afraid, "I need to talk to you."

Clark's blood ran cold as he recognized the voice. His fingers slowed to a stop as he looked around the room. Lois smiled as he gazed in her direction. He forced himself to smile back.

"Hold on a sec, Dick."

He put a hand over the mouthpiece and let out a breath. He may be the Man of Steel, but that didn't mean he couldn't experience fear. It was just that Dick sounded so frightened. More frightened than Clark had ever heard him speak.

"Excuse me, Chief, I have to take this call," Clark said. "Family business."

Perry must have sensed Clark's urgent undertone, for his face softened a bit.

"Of course, Kent."

His heart pounded as he went into a back room for some privacy. He thought of a thousand things that could be wrong. Like everyone else in the Justice League he had heard about the incident with the dust in Deathstroke's mask. Clark shook his head. Deathstroke the Terminator was a challenge for the Justice League. He wondered vaguely how the Teen Titans managed to handle him when he was alive.

"What's wrong, Dick?"

"Clark, someone's attacking the Titans. I mean someone's attacking us…personally."

Clark looked out of the small window in the door and saw Lois. She was talking on the phone with someone. If anyone wanted to attack him personally all they had to do was…Clark forced those thoughts away as he focused his attention back to Dick.

"Do you know who?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out. Who wrote that front page article in the Planet?"

"John Wyatt—but why do you want to know?"

"Starfire, one of my teammates, is second-in-line for the Tamaranean throne. When she heard the news she flipped out and tried to leave Earth. I think that article's fake."

"That's a big accusation to make."

Considering the reputation of the Daily Planet, it really was. Then again, Clark knew that Dick wouldn't make such a huge assumption without a good reason to. Clark used his x-ray vision to make sure that no one outside of the room was listening in on this conversation. Everyone else was doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

"I know, Clark, but there's a conspiracy. This is too much of a coincidence."

"Why did you call me?"

"There's a pattern in these attacks: they're personal. We're not sure if Tamaran has been invaded, but you could please confirm the validity of the article?"

He pressed the phone closer to his ear, his lips thinning as his baby-blue eyes looked anywhere but the floor. This was the one thing he himself had always been afraid of. Even the Justice League—professionals by nature—slipped up sometimes. People died. Friends were hurt. Clark wouldn't berate the kid for failing to prevent this from happening. Instead, he would do everything he could to help him.

After all, Dick would do the same for him.

"I'll help you," Clark said. "I'll do everything I can to help."

"Thanks, Clark."

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Clark said this carefully. Like Bruce and the rest of the Justice League he was worried about the kid. Deathstroke might not have been as psychotic as the other Bat-villains, but that didn't mean he wasn't any less dangerous. Sometimes Clark felt as though he should have gone to Jump City himself and stopped it from happening. He was sure Bruce felt the same way.

"I…." He heard Dick breathe into the phone, as though considering whether or not to talk. "No."

Perhaps, then, another time.

"Stay safe, okay kiddo?"

"I'll try."

Before Clark could respond Dick hung up. Clark didn't like this at all. He heard John Wyatt's loud voice shout to Jimmy for photos. He took off his glasses and wiped them clean on his shirt.

He needed to call Bruce.

-BW-

9:49am.

Gotham City.

Wayne Manor.

"Master Bruce…"

Bruce rolled over and placed a pillow over his head. It was still too early for him to get up. After last night's particularly brutal fight with Clayface he was more than exhausted. Sighing, Alfred opened the curtains to fill the room with light.

"The press conference isn't until noon, Alfred," he mumbled. "Just a couple more hours…"

"Normally I would, sir, but Mr. Kent is on the line. He wishes to speak with you." Alfred paused. "He says it's about Dick."

His eyes shot open at these words. Bruce sat up straight and stretched out his hand for the phone.

"What is it, Clark?" he asked.

"Have you seen the Planet's front page article?"

"No. I just woke up."

Wordlessly, Alfred handed Bruce a copy of the Daily Planet and the Gotham Globe. Both newspapers had front page articles about an intergalactic war in the Vega system.

"I have a copy of the Planet in front of me. What about it?"

"Dick called to ask who wrote the article."

"Why?"

"Did you know that one of his teammates is second-in-line to the Tamaranean throne?"

"I think he mentioned it once…"

Bruce really should pay more attention to these things. He had gone over Robin's teammates once or twice just to do a quick background check, but he didn't know who they were by heart.

"He says that each member of his team is being attacked. Now three of them have been personally attacked. He claims that it began with the dust."

"What?" Bruce snapped. "When did this start happening?"

"Thursday night, when Robin was infected with the dust. A day later Tara Markov's tomb is vandalized. He's scared, Bruce. I can tell."

Was that why Dick didn't call him? Surely he knew that if he called Clark then Clark would call Bruce. The boy's logic, sometimes…

"Why did he call you?"

"He wanted to know who wrote the article—"

"Yes, but why you?"

Bruce did feel a little put-out that Dick didn't tell him these things. True, he didn't even fully trust Clark. He always carried a bit of Kryptonite with him, just in case the Kryptonian turned on him. Clark's tone became somewhat annoyed.

"Look, Bruce, something happened during his time with Deathstroke. Maybe something happened between them. Maybe…I don't know…Deathstroke threatened to kill you?"

"What?"

Bruce never even considered that possibility. Clark continued to speak.

"Deathstroke blackmailed him by threatening to kill the Titans, right? Well, what if he threatened to kill you too? Or what if Deathstroke had another motive for taking him on as an apprentice?"

"Are you saying that he wanted to get my attention?"

"It did, didn't it?"

Supes had a point. Back in those good old days when he worked with Robin, the poor kid always got kidnapped or held at gun point by the bad guys to get Batman's attention. Now as a teenager Dick could obviously take care of himself, but that still didn't mean that villains wouldn't target him because of his affiliation with Batman.

"It's just a theory, Bruce. You told me that he broke into Wayne Enterprises. Maybe Dick doesn't want to talk to you because of that. Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you because he's ashamed of the things he had to do to so that Deathstroke wouldn't kill his friends…or you."

He hadn't even considered that possibility. It didn't make sense to target Batman, who lived across the continent. Bruce shook his head, as though shaking those thoughts away, and began a different topic.

"So what did he want you to do?"

"I'm going to talk to John Wyatt about the article," Clark said, "he was the one who pushed it to the front page. The Titans are working on leads in California. They're still not sure if Tamaran has been invaded."

"I'm going to help."

"Try to be subtle about it, Bruce."

Bruce set the phone back in the receiver and sat in silence. Why didn't Dick call me first? He thought.

He tried to get Barry to ask him about his time as Deathstroke's apprentice. Truthfully, Bruce only half-expected that to work. Barry was a great guy, sure, but Alfred could pry more out of the boy than Flash could.

Why wouldn't Dick open up about that incident? What was he so afraid of? Was he afraid that Bruce would be angry that he worked for someone else? Bruce rubbed his unshaven chin. He was far from angry. Why should he be angry? If anything, Bruce felt more anger towards Deathstroke for coercing Robin into that situation in the first place.

Bruce pulled on a bathrobe and left his bedroom. He ran a hair through his messy hair and rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes. Alfred was already back downstairs in the kitchen.

He went into Dick's room.

Thanks to Alfred, the furniture here wasn't covered in dust. If Dick happened to hop on a plane for Gotham this morning then Alfred would be sure to keep this room ready. Dick had left the majority of his stuff here, including a large poster of the Flying Graysons hanging on the wall.

The little bird hadn't really left the nest.

Legally, Dick was still a minor and still financially dependant upon Bruce. By all means Dick should still be in Gotham under his care, but Bruce let him go to California. After their infighting they needed a little time away from each other.

Both Bruce and Gotham missed Robin the Boy Wonder. He missed the light-hearted ten-year-old and his witty—if somewhat cringing—puns and catchphrases. Now at sixteen Dick felt that he had to drop the catchphrases and act just as seriously as Bruce. After the brief apprenticeship with Deathstroke he seemed to have withdrawn within himself even more.

Yes, Bruce was worried. He felt as though there was something Dick didn't tell him. The detective in him was itching to find out what. More than once he considered flying out to Jump City, especially during that harrowing time Dick had disappeared, but the Joker pulled his attention away from Dick. He remembered coming home late one night to disturbing news.

Batman slowed to a stop in the batcave. It was nearly four in the morning. He had a conference meeting in five hours. Why did the Joker pick this night to terrorize Gotham?

He pulled off the cowl and stepped out of the Batmobile. As always, Alfred was there waiting for him with a first-aid kit. Bruce moved a little more slowly than usual, his side aching from his fight with one of the Joker's goons.

"What a night, Alfred," Bruce muttered as he peeled off his uniform. "I'll have to talk to Dr. Arkham about how the Joker escap—"

"Sir," Alfred said, "there's something you have to see—"

For the first time Bruce noticed that Alfred's face was dead white. His heart sank as he thought of a thousand things that could have gone wrong. Alfred gestured towards the computer screen.

"Your Head of Security called about twenty minutes ago," Alfred said, "to report a break-in at your branch in Jump City."

A break-in? In Jump City? He turned towards the computer screen, where live security footage from his branch in Jump City played. Bruce watched the footage carefully.

A young man dressed in a black-and-tan uniform entered the room, his back to the security camera. His hand reached for the prototype, but he paused as the Titans burst into the room. Bruce's eyes narrowed as he counted four Titans. Where was…

"Robin…" He breathed, his eyes widening as the young man turned around.

Bruce was stunned.

Despite the change in uniform it was obvious who it was. What the hell was Dick doing dressed like that? What the hell was he doing stealing from Wayne Enterprises? He watched Robin turn away from the prototype, face the Titans, and then escape from the room through the air vents in the ceiling.

Bruce slumped into his chair and watched in stunned silence. A silver metal "S" glinted in the place where his "R" usually was. A modified version of a thermal blaster was strapped to his wrist, which mystified him. He had taught Robin never to use guns of any kind, so why would he be carrying around one now?

The security footage switched to cameras outside of the buildings. Robin raced across the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises as the Teen Titans scurried after him. Bruce and Alfred watched in silence as Robin began to fight the Titans.

"Can we get audio?" Alfred asked.

Bruce twiddled the controls on the computer. In addition to learning American Sign Language, he had also learned how to read lips. It was a useful technique to use for listening in on faraway conversations.

He rewound the security footage and watched Robin closely. Robin held a thermal blaster to the Tamaranean's face, but never shot her.

"Robin," she said, "I cannot live in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil then go ahead. Do what you must."

At these words Robin lowered his arm.

"Starfire…no…I—"

His entire body jerked as he shot a hand up to his ear.

Someone was speaking to him, giving him orders through a com-link.

The alien began to twitch violently. Robin caught her falling body and began to shout into the night, to whoever was speaking to him on the other end.

"Stop!" Robin shouted. "Please stop!"

An expression of pure terror came over Robin's face. Even with the mask on Dick's face Bruce recognized that expression. Right when he watched his parents fall to their deaths a similar expression had crossed his face.

Someone was going to die.

Bruce found his own heart pounding as he watched Robin struggling to comprehend the orders being fed into his ear. Robin set the alien girl gently down.

"I'm sorry," Robin said.

Robin lifted the thermal blaster and shot her.

The tray that Alfred had been holding dropped to the floor.

"My God…" Alfred said. "What has happened?"

For once Bruce said nothing as he pondered the meaning of this. In the security footage Robin stood still, his head cocked to the side as he listened to the voice on the other end. His arm shook and his lips trembled.

Several different ideas ran through his head. He could cancel that conference with Lucius and hop on a plane to Jump City. He could call Titans Tower. He could assemble the Justice League. He could do many things.

He stood up.

"Sir, it would look strange for Batman to be concerned about what happens in Jump City—"

"Not when it concerns Robin."

"Master Bruce, don't do anything rash."

"SOMEONE IS BLACKMAILNG HIM!" Bruce roared. "How can you possibly think that I'm going to leave him like that?"

Alfred looked shocked at this outburst.

"No, sir, I know you well enough that you won't leave this alone." Alfred picked up the fallen tray. "Remember, sir, that you are not the only one who cares for Master Dick."

He found his hands curling into fists. Whoever was behind this was going to pay.

"Master Bruce, you need your rest."

"How can I rest, Alfred?"

Although he didn't want to admit it, Bruce was shaken. Someone had taken his ward, his son, and turned all of his training against him.

"I'm sure that there is a good explanation for all of this," Alfred said, "besides, Gotham needs Batman."

Despite his best efforts, the Joker was not behind bars. Tonight was only the beginning of another merry chase of death and destruction.

He went downstairs towards the grandfather cloak. He turned the hands to 10:45 and walked down into the bat cave. Bruce could still remember the shock he felt at Dick's apparent betrayal. Yet at the same time he knew something was wrong. Dick wouldn't just turn on him. At least, not without good reason.

Only after the Titans defeated Deathstroke and Robin escaped did Bruce hear anything more about what happened. Even that information was filtered through Alfred. It infuriated him to learn that Dick lived with the psycho for nearly a month before the break-in at Wayne Enterprises. At Alfred's insistence, Bruce never mentioned it directly to Dick the few times they spoke afterwards.

If Dick had died or gone insane, Bruce would never stop blaming himself.

"Master Bruce, your breakfast."

"Thanks, Alfred."

He took the breakfast tray and set it down on the counter.

"What did Mr. Kent say?"

Bruce stared at the computer screens. He thought of calling Dick himself, but then decided against it.

"Dick needs help."

He thought seriously about what Clark said to him. Bruce always thought that Deathstroke made Robin steal from Wayne Enterprises because it represented Gotham…but what if it meant more? What if Deathstroke wanted Bruce Wayne's attention? What if…

Bruce shook his head. He shouldn't be prying into the history dead villains. Even if Deathstroke did threaten Bruce the case was closed. He was dead. Markov killed him.

"With what, sir?"

"His team."

He spread the two newspapers in front of him and began to study the articles carefully. Even if Dick didn't want his help that didn't mean Bruce wouldn't. If his memory served, this was the third attack on the Teen Titans. If these attacks continued then he would hop on the next flight to California.

Why would whoever's attacking them to go the trouble of pushing this to the Planet? Bruce thought. The Gotham Globe? It's as if he wants the whole world to know he's attacking the Titans. In fact…

Taking out his Justice League signal device, Bruce decided to call Ollie. Barry maybe as well, just to see what was happening across the country.

"Ollie," Bruce said, "what's the news in Star City?"

"Nothing much," Ollie replied, "Why?"

"Did you hear about the Tamaranean-Gordanian War?"

"We heard about that alien war. Are we going to stop it?"

"No…" Bruce paused. "That's all I wanted to know. Take care, Ollie."

He shut off his communicator. He knew that if he called the others they would all say the same thing.

Who benefits?

Bruce thought long and hard about this. Of course, he didn't know all of the details. Perhaps if he called Dick—no, the kid wouldn't talk to him. Perhaps he had been a bit hard last time they talked.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said, "perhaps I should call him."

Bruce rubbed his temple with two fingers.

"No, you don't have to."

There was still a little time before he had to prepare for that press conference. He pushed his files on Clayface to the side. Those could wait. Instead he went to a cabinet on the far side of the room and opened it. Inside were old papers and files, but also a few other things. Bruce didn't know why, but he pulled out an old video tape labeled "Batman and Robin special."

Was he feeling nostalgic? No, but he honestly cared for Dick.

The computer screen flickered as the tape began to play. It was an old TV special about Batman and Robin that occasionally ran on television once in a while. Alfred taped it for them while they were away. He watched his younger self and a ten-year-old Robin sprint across the rooftops after some crook. A natural aerialist, Robin seemed to fly through the air as he leapt gracefully from rooftop-to-rooftop. He really did make Batman look clumsy sometimes.

"Holy atomic pile, Batman!" Robin said, his voice young and excited. "What are we going to do now?"

Bruce smiled.

-C-

7:36am.

Jump City, California.

Jump City Maximum Security Prison

Passing through the metal detectors wasn't really an option for him.

The Head of Security was at a loss as to what to do about the "no weapons" policy, since all of Cyborg's weapons were embedded within his system. They had probably expected Robin to show up. It would have been much easier if Robin came instead of him. But no…he had to make another phone call.

"Follow me, please," said the Head of Security. "And…uh…try not to pay attention to the other prisoners."

Who was he calling all the time? Cyborg figured he probably called Batman a few days ago, so who was he calling now? If he needed to call Batman he could have used the main computer, but it was obvious that he wasn't calling Batman this time.

Although Robin didn't talk about it much, did he have a family in Gotham? Was he calling them? How did he become Batman's sidekick in the first place? How did his family take it…unless…unless Batman was his father?

Cyborg had never thought of that before. No one knew who Batman was, so it was very possible that they could be father and son. Maybe that's why their relationship was a little testy.

"So, where's the rest of your team?" The head of security asked. "Why only you?"

"All working on different leads." Cyborg looked at him. "It's serious."

"Hmm."

Prisoners dressed in bright orange jumpsuits pressed themselves against the bars of their cells as they passed by. Some old villains began to shout catcalls and jeers at Cyborg. He did his best to ignore them, but they reminded him of one important fact: the two villains who should be behind these bars were Brother Blood and whoever triggered the dust.

"This is Cinderblock's cell."

Initial cleanup had already begun, but there was a still a wide gaping hole in the side of the cell. Several guards dressed in their black, white, and red uniforms mulled about. Cyborg felt a little uneasy about having so many of the guards congregated in one area

The security guards looked up at Cyborg with curiosity. They've seen him before, of course, but never interacted except when someone big broke out of prison.

"I need to know how Cinderblock escaped from prison."

They exchanged uneasy glances. Cyborg rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if they were the ones who had to pick up the bad guys every time there was a prison break.

"Come on, guys, this is the third time he's escaped from prison."

"Well, technically, Slade let him out the first two times."

"Then how did he get out this time?"

The lights dimmed as a schematic of the prison was projected onto the wall. The Head of Security used a laser pointer to highlight different areas of the prison.

"Some of the circuits tripped at about 12:13 Friday morning," he said, "which allowed Cinderblock to break through the electric barrier in his cell. We determined the cause to be the storm."

"But it didn't start raining until around one—"

"The lightening storm turned into a thunderstorm. It caused a minor blackout that lasted for about ten minutes. It was enough time for Cinderblock to escape."

A plausible explanation. But it still didn't make sense: after escaping from prison, why would Cinderblock immediately wreck havoc? Of course, he was a stupid brick, but even a stupid brick wouldn't be that stupid.

"That's it?"

"Indeed it is."

"Can't I take a look at the security cameras or—"

"You got a search warrant?"

Cyborg was taken aback by this statement.

"Look, kid," the head of security said, "I appreciate what you and the Titans do. But I can't let you have access to all of our information. We've given you enough information to assist you."

If he wasn't allowed the view the security cameras, then how could Cyborg figure out who released Cinderblock. It seemed as though the Head of Security was adamant about the lightening storm being the cause of Cinderblock's escape.

Seething, Cyborg turned to leave. Maybe if he could get Robin's butt over here the Head of Security would listen. Because Robin was the only Titan to appear "normal" civilians always seemed to prefer talking to him.

"Cyborg?"

One of the guards approached him. He had his helmet off. Cyborg looked down at this mousy-haired man.

"Um…" the man began, but trailed off. "I…I do have information…"

"What's your name?"

"Bill Menville."

"Talk."

"I let out Cinderblock."

Cyborg stared. He had suspected that someone did it, but he didn't expect the perpetrator to say it so bluntly.

"Why didn't you come forward before?"

"I was scared." He looked down at the floor. "No one paid me to do it! I'm not a dirty Gotham cop!"

"Then why did you let Cinderblock escape?"

"Blackmail."

Robin's apprenticeship was the first thing that popped to Cyborg's mind at that word. He himself had never been the victim of blackmail. He looked down at Menville, a man probably in his early to mid thirties.

"The lightening storm didn't cause the wires to trip. During one of my breaks I went in and messed with the circuits. I disabled the alarm system and allowed Cinderblock to escape."

"Were you told to do it at a specific time?"

"Yes." He held up a cheap, disposable cell phone. "When I received a message on this phone I was told to release Cinderblock."

Before Cyborg could say anything Menville leaned in close and lowered his voice.

"Listen, kid," Menville said, "I hope you catch whoever's doing this. I got several phone calls from some guy threatening me and my family. When I refused he blew up a bomb on my porch and said that next time it'll go off in my kids' rooms."

An expression of acute anxiety crossed Menville's face.

"I thought you guys could handle it. You've beaten Cinderblock before." Menville's face scrunched in anguish. "Unless…have I done something terrible?"

Cyborg looked down at the guard. Menville's anxiety seemed genuine, but if Cyborg doubted he could always get some background information on the guy.

"No, you did what you had to do. It's fine. You've already helped."

Cyborg turned to leave the vicinity.

A breakout from the Jump City Maximum Security Prison certainly caught their attention. If Cinderblock was the first signal, then what happened thereafter? He tried to think through the events of the past few days logically.

On Thursday night Robin went to the basement and took out Slade's mask. Cyborg came down just in time to see him cough as the dust settled into his nervous system. Menville released Cinderblock from prison. Robin goes crazy. What was the signal after that for the next agent? Friday afternoon Robin stays home. Mark Wolfman vandalizes Terra's tomb. Saturday morning, Beast Boy goes nuts. Monday morning the front page article on the Daily Planet states that Tamaran has been invaded. Starfire tries to leave Earth.

Whoever coordinated these attacks knew exactly how each Titan would respond to the situation. Cyborg's lips thinned. He himself was yet to be attacked. It was just a flip of the coin to determine whether he or Raven would be next.

Of course, he didn't know what was going to happen next. For the others it was fairly obvious what to attack, but Raven…Raven was a wild card. Cyborg mentally steeled himself for whatever was going to come his way. He wouldn't let whatever was planned for him get to his head.

He just wouldn't.

-Rae-

8:08am.

Northwestern California Observatory.

Dr. Cipes' office.

The Northwestern California Observatory was nestled in between the wedge of a mountain range. The great white dome contrasted against the dark green hues of the surrounding trees, the metal tip of the telescope glinting as it peeked out to study the sun.

"Why did Robin send us all the way up here?" Beast Boy asked, stopping to rest against a tree. "Maybe if I had a moped, I wouldn't have had to fly the whole way."

The real question, Raven thought, scowling, is why Robin paired me up with Beast Boy. As they walked along the road leading up to the observatory Raven looked at her notes again. Unlike Beast Boy, who complained the entire way, Raven had done her homework before going.

"Already this Dr. Cipes seems sketchy," Raven said, "just looking at his history."

"Why?"

"He has a Masters degree in astrophysics. His area of specialization is globular star clusters. Why would he be studying exoplanets like Tamaran?"

"Umm…"

Raven shook her head and rolled her eyes. Scientific jargon aside, Beast Boy should have at least gotten the gist of what she was talking about.

"He's not the person to go to for something like this. This is a thin disguise. This won't hold for long."

They continued on their way. Raven felt some good vibes from this place. Here were honest workers who hadn't the faintest clue about the Tamaranean-Gordanian war. They walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Oh!" the astronomer said. "The Teen Titans. What do I owe this…uh…pleasure?"

He seemed genuinely surprised to see them there. Beast Boy and Raven hadn't wasted any time calling ahead of time. If Dr. Cipes was one of the bad guys, then he would haul butt the moment he knew the Teen Titans were after him.

"We need to talk to one of your researchers. Is Dr. Glen Cipes around?"

"Yeah, he's here." The astronomer gestured for them to follow him. "Right this way, Titans."

He led them down a long hallway and past the room where the telescope was located.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, glancing up at the huge telescope, "it's not nighttime, why is the telescope out?"

"The stars are still out, Beast Boy," the astronomer replied, "the sun's light is just blocking them. Right now we are monitoring sunspots on the surface of the sun."

"Oh…"

"This is his office," the astronomer said.

Raven knocked on Dr. Cipes office. A middle-aged man opened the door. He stepped back at the sight of the two Titans. His eyes widened behind his thick glasses, but then returned to their normal size in an instant.

"I suppose you're here to ask about that article in the Daily Planet," Dr. Cipes said. "Please, sit down."

He gestured towards two chairs opposite of his desk. They sat down.

"So, where's Robin?" Dr. Cipes asked. "Where is the rest of your team, for that matter?"

"Does it matter?" Raven asked.

Her tone suggested that he should leave the matter at rest. Beast Boy looked around the room with a bored expression on his face. As Raven expected, she would be the one who would have to do all of the talking.

"It says here that you specialize in globular star clusters," Raven said, taking out her notes. "There are few in the Vegan system, Dr. Cipes."

"Yeah…what she said," Beast Boy said, trailing off lamely.

For a few moments Dr. Cipes simply stared at them, his eyes shifting quickly from one Titan to the other.

"Okay!" Cipes said, holding up his hands. "Look, I know nothing about the Vega System or the Tamaranean-Gordanian War."

"Then why were you listed as a source for that Daily Planet article?" Raven asked.

"Because I was the one who called the Daily Planet to inform them of the invasion."

"Why?"

The astronomer looked annoyed. Again, Raven wondered why Robin sent them to investigate this man. While Beast Boy loved to hear the sound of his own voice Raven wasn't much of a talker. She disliked interrogating people.

And this was the second time in two days she was doing this.

"Unless you want to be arrested for fraud, you're going to have to talk."

"Fraud?"

"Yes, fraud. So unless you have solid proof that there is an invasion you're going to jail for fraud."

"Fine." Dr. Cipes said, uncrossing his arms. "My research is toast. I'm losing my funding. This guy offers me money to keep my project going. How could I refuse? I've got to bring the bacon home."

"Who?" Beast Boy asked.

"Who? I don't know who. I didn't know that this was going to hurt the Titans."

Raven sensed that Dr. Cipes was telling the truth.

"Where did the money come from?" Raven asked. "How did you get it?"

"The money was electronically transferred from a Swiss Bank account to mine."

Of course, it just had to be a Swiss Bank account. It was probably untraceable as well.

"We're not going to call the police," Raven said, "not until we know who your boss is."

Dr. Cipes looked from Beast Boy to Raven.

"So, does this mean that I won't go to prison?"

"You accepted a bribe and participated in fraud. If we don't call the police one of your colleagues is bound to notice the same connection we made."

"So either way," Beast Boy said, "you're in deep doodoo."

Beast Boy and Raven's communicators rang. They exchanged glances and left the room. They stood out in the empty hallway just outside of Dr. Cipes' office and snapped open their communicators. Everyone was on their communicators, ready to discuss the fruits of their investigations.

"Listen up," Robin said, "I've got a lead within the Daily Planet. He's going to help us."

"Really?" Beast Boy asked. "Who?"

"That's not important."

"But how do you know we can trust him?" Cyborg asked.

"Trust me, he's reliable."

Robin's tone was final.

"We've got a problem," Cyborg said, "not all of the agents are paid bricks. One of the security guards was blackmailed into releasing Cinderblock."

"So what does that mean" Beast Boy demanded. "We can still track this guy down, right?"

"Of course," Robin said, "but now the game's afoot. We now know that whoever's behind this is willing to use anyone as a delivery boy."

"Now we have to be more careful," Raven said.

"The article in the Daily Planet is obviously the next signal," Robin said, "Raven, Cyborg, I want you to think of anything or anyone that can be attacked to hurt you."

Fear, intimidation, bribery—slowly but surely the puzzles pieces were falling into place. Raven bristled as a feeling of foreboding overcame her. Were they too late? Only after three of them were attacked could they discern any sort of pattern in these attacks. Or perhaps they might be able to solve it backwards like an algebra equation. What was the unknown "x"? The person who triggered the dust.

Although she didn't want to say it out loud, Raven felt as though there was nothing they could do but face the challenges thrown into their faces.

Even if it hurt them.

A/N: AW BRUCIE! YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!

I actually looked up some Batman and Robin quotes from the old Adam West TV show for that scene. Robin's lines are pretty hysterical.

Also, how would Batman not notice that his branch was…well…pretty much destroyed? I don't know, I've always wondered how Batman reacted…

I tried something a little different with this chapter: writing the time, city, and place of each character. Now I only did this because Clark and Bruce are across the continent and I thought that, since I did it with those two, that I should continue with the Titans.

And…um…I'm sort of an amateur astronomer…I had to let out my inner geek somehow…

I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon since I'm going on vacation soon. Now I will still be writing, but I'm going to be 9,000 feet above sea level. I might not have Internet.

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