(Author's Note: Hello guys! Here's the next chapter, featuring Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero! I apologize if this chapter seems uninspired, I just kind of struggled compressing it.
A thing to take note that I haven't addressed is that Trouble in Tokyo DOES NOT happen in this fanfic! So yeah, some RobStar here!
And finally, but most importantly, thank you to Nkcandygirl for the review and ASwaggDancer & blueyzangel for favoriting and anazoy23 for putting my fanfic on alert! I really really appreciate it! Makes me happy!)
"Or, at least, it believably seems like it," Robin added. He saw Beast Boy's bewildered and concerned face, and Robin reassured, "He hasn't done anything to her. Yet. But he has sent us a message while you were away."
"We've called Cyborg and Starfire to get her ASAP if you can wait until they are-"
"I'd want to watch it now, better sooner than later," Beast Boy interrupted Raven, which Raven did not completely take lightly but completely understood his situation and feelings that had caused him to be especially impatient.
With a sigh, Robin nodded in understanding and, with a press of a button, a video of Slade appeared at the platinum screen.
"Hello, Titans," Slade's voice echoed across the common room. "I would like to spend some time giving you the juices of my latest wrongdoings that I'm sure you all would love to hear, but I'm sorry to disappoint. Well, actually, I'm not. I'm here to disappoint, so I'll cut straight to the chase."
In just the introductory speech, Beast Boy had made his way from the door to the front of the screen, an unhealthy distance from his eyes, but that didn't matter to anyone at that moment.
Slade, or more accurately Slade in that video, continued, "Terra's with me. Not by force, but, as usual, by persuasion. At the moment of taking this message, we are en route to a destination highly likely unknown to you but very, very familiar to Terra."
"Where are you taking her?!" Beast Boy shouted, forgetting that it was a video.
The video seemed to have heard Beast Boy, for Slade answered, "I am allowed to, however, hint you on our destination. But that is only if you think she is brought to trouble, which I can assure you right now that it's not my intention in any shape or form. She is not my apprentice anymore and, truthfully, I could've cared less about her if there wasn't something else in store for me.
"So, I have planted three clues throughout Jump City. I planned on making it hard for you all because I want to see how much you are willing to give up for this girl who declares that she does not want anything to do with all of you anymore. You better be as strong as Hercules, as wise as a person of devoted faith, and as willed as a white knight if you want to get all three clues and find out our destination, though. So, for the first time in my life, and, well, post-afterlife, I wish you good luck."
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
"There's no clue to where the... first clue is?" Beast Boy asked, facing his two present teammates. Both shook their heads. "It's gotta be somewhere, though."
"That's why we're waiting for Cyborg," Raven explained. "Perhaps he can check the hardware of which we were given that contained Slade's message for any signs of a clue."
"And you have no idea on how to decode it?" Beast Boy asked, indicating Robin.
"Nope. I'm not even sure what there is to decode. I know I may have busied myself before, deciphering newspapers and evidences for any signs of Slade, but I've been taught better that it's an irrational method," Robin replied. "The hard way."
"Not that I don't know the consensus, but I'm guessing we're going after Terra," Raven said.
"Yeah. There's a villain and a potential victim somewhere. A hero is needed," Beast Boy said.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the
Cyborg was the first between the two absent Titans to meet the three in the Main Ops room. He was told of the message and was given the disk. He inspected it, searching for any thing out of an ordinary floppy disk.
"Bingo," Cyborg said, effectively capturing the three's attention. "There are some nanotechnologically induced strings of inscriptions on the disk. It's very hard to make out, though. I'm not even sure if they make out any words."
"What do you see?" Beast Boy asked.
"Relax, man, I'm trying my best!" Cyborg snapped a bit before properly answering to the question, "The letter S, then a string of things, then I, then a string of things, then X, then a third string of things."
"How did you make out S, I and X?" Raven asked.
"They pop out. Somehow. And that spells 'six'. Does that have any significance to Slade or Terra or us?"
"Not that I can think of that's sufficiently significant," Beast Boy shrugged.
"As a person of conspiracies, I can, but I have to agree with Beast Boy on this one," Robin added, to their disappointment. "A single digit number is too abstract for a hint. There's got to be more! Maybe it's an abbreviation."
"Hello, friends! I regretfully apologize for my tardiness!" Starfire bashed into the room and apologized frantically, before halting and peacefully setting Silkie on the couch where he lay comfortably and fell asleep. Her tone and expression clearly read concern and seriousness.
"You're not that late, Star," Robin assured her. "We're just having trouble finding Slade's first clue." They then told her about what Cyborg had discovered.
"May I watch the video? Perhaps there is something there," Starfire suggested.
"Good idea, Starfire," Cyborg agreed as he had not watched it either. The team decided to play the video again.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than life
"She is not my apprentice anymore and, truthfully, I could've cared less..."
Beast Boy, Raven and Robin heard Slade's voice for another time while Starfire and Cyborg were watching the message for the first time, but all of them were paying attention for any clues.
"Have you guys got anything so far?" Beast Boy interrupted and was immediately shushed by Raven, giving Beast Boy the message that no one had found anything more interesting than the message itself.
"So, I have planted three clues throughout -"
"There!" Starfire yelled. The rest of the team raised their eyebrows at the alien. She had found something they hadn't.
"Listen carefully," she told them. Cyborg replayed the part before Starfire noted something.
Slade's voice repeated, "- three clues throughout -"
And sure enough, there were almost inaudible sound effects playing. Only Cyborg and Starfire could hear it, Robin could almost hear it, but Raven and Beast Boy were dumbfounded.
"Sounds like seagulls," Cyborg pointed out.
Robin rubbed his chin in thought, "Where could that point to?"
"Harbor 6!" Starfire shouted in excitement. "That would explain the 'six' on the disk and the sound of the gulls of the seas in the video!"
Robin seemed stunned, commenting, "I must say, Starfire, you're following the deductive likes of the people who taught me. Impressive," he wanted to add that he found it attractive, but thought that was too far.
"So are we going there or not?" Beast Boy asked rhetorically.
Robin nodded and in one swift motion, declared, "Titans, go!"
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasies
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
The team made their way to Harbor 6 just at the coast of Jump City, and where they could see their home. They split up and scoured the area for a second clue.
"Any ideas what we're looking for?" Raven asked as she hovered above boats.
"Nope," Cyborg said, his scan of any bombs turning up no results.
"My sensitive nose is picking up something that reeks, though," a disgusted Beast Boy remarked.
"Track it down," Robin suggested in a commanding tone, and Beast Boy obliged. He turned into a green retriever and sniffed away.
The rest of the team had their eyes on the green dog as Beast Boy's nose led him to the edge of the waterfront.
Beast Boy resumed human form and notified the team of his discovery.
"It's underwater. I think I recognize the smell as algae or some not-so-tasty seaweed," Beast Boy said.
"Is that our next clue?" Starfire wondered out loud.
Robin shook his head, "It can't be. It's too ambiguous. Beast Boy, maybe try diving in and seeing if there's more to it than just a sea plant with powerful odor."
Beast Boy followed the order. He jumped towards the water, and transformed into a bottlenose dolphin before streamlining into the blue-green seawater.
Beast Boy as a dolphin dived down until he saw a bed of kelp. But he felt something odd about it. It seemed to be meshed together in some form, and seemed to be having controlled movements that opposed the water currents.
It was then he realized that there was more to the so called bed of kelp than just kelp. He saw it form into a monstrous figure, and spotted an eye before he got smacked by its weedy arm.
Dolphin Beast Boy recovered from the impact and swam up to warn the Titans, but the kelp sea monster was chasing after him. Fortunately, Beast Boy reached the dry surface first and resumed human form albeit panting heavily.
"What's wrong?" Cyborg asked at the sight of the tired Beast Boy.
"We got a big dude to fight coming up!" he warned.
Robin took it as a signal to prepare for battle, "Stay strong, guys. We're in for a fight."
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
The rest of the team followed suit in Robin's battle stance with their positions. In less than a minute, the kelp sea monster surfaced and landed in front of the heroes with a gurgling roar.
"Do we have a name for this Plasmus 2.0?" Raven asked sarcastically.
"I have one; Putrid, cause he stinks," Beast Boy suggested.
Robin, implying that he had no problem with the name, added, "And he's going down! Titans, fight!"
Newly named Putrid, regardless if it understood Robin, seemed to take the command as a signal to make the first swipe. It flung its arm at his first target - Starfire - by tangling the princess in vines of seaweed.
Taken by surprised, Starfire screamed while Robin instantly jumped to try and rescue her.
"Ahhh!"
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Robin aimed and threw a bird-a-rang to cut off the vines, and Starfire blasted the part she had been wrapped in, freeing herself.
Beast Boy went on and charged at Putrid, bashing the monster with his dinosaur head, causing Putrid to make a low loud bellow as it tumbled down and collided with an empty cargo ship.
Robin jumped and glided, leveling himself with Starfire.
"Are you fine?" he quickly asked.
"Yes, Robin, thank you for your saving," Starfire thanked, and they quickly shared a small but somehow motivating smile before returning to the fight.
Beast Boy, as a pteranodon, seemed to be annoying Putrid as he used his talons to pull its tangling head to try to take it down one more time. Unfortunately for him, it did not work as well, and Putrid managed to smack Beast Boy out of the way with one of its kelp vines.
Raven then magically appeared in front of it.
"You like to rumble, I see," she said, before revealing Cyborg underneath her cloak, who blasted Putrid with his updated sonic cannon. The shot connected, and the giant villain fell down once again, this time falling to unconsciousness.
"Booyah!"
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
Raven then used her telekinesis to break off large scraps of metal from a ship, bent them, and placed them on Putrid as if it were being stapled.
"We need a way to hold it off until we can figure out what kind of clue it's holding!" Raven suggested out loud.
"Gotcha!" Starfire assured, blasting starbolts at the four giant staples, hardening and tightening them so that Putrid could only struggle to get out of them if it were to wake.
"Great thinking, Starfire," Robin complimented, while his thoughts wanted to say more.
"What now?" Cyborg asked. "Do we - uh - dissect it?"
"I would rather hope not," an icked Starfire said, "it's slimy enough, please."
Then, before anyone could think of and bring up another suggestion, the strings of seaweed gradually shortened and shrunk until only a body of a man remained.
Beast Boy scratched his head in utter confusion.
"Is he our next clue?"
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I could swear that there's someone somewhere watching me
"Should we take him to our tower's infirmary?" Cyborg asked.
Raven had pulled up her hood and turned around while Starfire covered her eyes, blushing.
"Why is he not in menswear?" Starfire asked.
Then, something underneath the unconscious naked man began to float, carrying him along. There was a large circular metal plate that the Titans had not realized until that moment.
It hovered high enough for the five superheroes to see that there was a screen at the bottom of the disk, showing a video of Slade.
"Slade," Robin growled.
"I see you have figured out your first clue and have defeated one of the new friends of mine," Slade began, as calmly cruel as he had always been. "I don't doubt that you want the next clue right away so I will waste no time. Here it is; Sorcerer's Stone. It's more related to you than you think."
Then, before anyone could do anything, the metal disk sped up and away from the Teen Titans, until it couldn't be seen.
"Sorcerer's Stone?" Robin repeated. "Nicholas Flamel?"
"Unless there's an alchemy laboratory nearby," Cyborg disagreed. "Anyway, none of us are related to alchemists, so I highly doubt it. Any other ideas?"
Robin had his fingers under his chin. "I'm not sure. The person who's most related to Sorcerer's Stone is our very own sorceress Raven."
"Mhm," Raven nodded in agreement. "So we start looking at all the places that concern me?"
"Those are good places to be searching at," Robin said. "I say we split up and contact if there's anything out of the ordinary."
The four subordinates nodded in agreement. They were to split up so that they could search at five places at once.
Robin shouted, before they parted ways, "Titans, split!"
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood
The team searched in numerous places around Jump City; the ancient library where Raven took part in her father's ritual as the portal, the factory where she was sent her 'birthday present', the new library, the cafes, and her other favorite hangout or work spots. The search went on for hours, with no luck.
"Robin, do you think we ought to call it a day?" Beast Boy suggested via communicator.
"Yes, Robin, I agree. I am feeling most exhausted," Starfire added.
Robin had to agree with his teammates. It seemed like they were getting nowhere. "I'll meet you all back in the tower."
In a few minutes, the group reunited in the Main Ops room, sharing with one another the places they had checked and justifying how none of them had anything fishy worth noting.
It was nearing midnight, and Beast Boy was lazily making his way to his room after a warm shower.
"Beast Boy," he heard Raven's voice.
"Oh, what's up, Raven?" he asked. He noticed that Raven was not putting on her usual dull face. That meant she was feeling something different, and it was obvious to Beast Boy that it was not in a good way.
"I just want to say that I'm sorry our date yesterday didn't go as planned," she said. "We were just starting our relationship and already there's trouble as personal as Terra."
Beast Boy gave a small laugh, and replied, "It's totally fine, Raven."
"No, it's totally not fine. I'm not disappointed at our cancelled date, but more of the fact that our relationship can't develop smoothly because of this."
Beast Boy held Raven's hand, and gripped them firmly and protectively.
"Hey, don't overthink it! It's gonna be alright! Our relationship is gonna be alright!"
"But now we have to focus on Terra again," Raven said. Beast Boy took note that it was in a kind of whiny tone, and he didn't like the sound of that. It just made him feel so sad for her.
"I know, that sucks," he said in a comforting tone. "But we're going to go through it together, as we will always be from this point onward."
He pecked Raven's cheek before releasing his grip on her hands.
"I mostly want to find out how on Earth did Terra resurrect herself from stone," Beast Boy said, keeping eye contact intact.
"Right," Raven then had a thought, letting them out through her mouth.
"She resurrected from stone. Terra can control stone. I'm a sorceress. Sorcerer's Stone," Raven articulated, making mental connections. "Sorcerer's Stone. Slade may be referring to me and Terra!"
Both people were wide-eyed at the epiphany. That left two key locations to the whereabouts of the second clue.
"It's either in that underground place where you and Terra built your trust for each other for the first time," Beast Boy concluded, "or in that place where you and Terra fought when she was Slade's apprentice! Raven, by George, Raven, I think that's it!"
Beast Boy pulled Raven into a tight hug that Raven didn't mind at all. In fact, she enjoyed their cute moment together. Perhaps they were going to go through all this together after all.
"Alright, let's tell them!"
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
"Wonderful idea, friends Raven and Beast Boy!" Starfire squealed in excitement despite the time at that moment.
"Who knew Beast Boy had a brain?" Cyborg said sarcastically.
"Wow, I must be losing my skills," Robin said jokingly before quickly returning seriousness. "So we have to split up into two. Beast Boy, Raven, check the mechanical facility."
"Gotcha!" Beast Boy said and soon, the two groups were off and out again.
Minutes later, Beast Boy and Raven arrived at their destination.
"Maybe this time we'll meet Overload 2.0," Raven noted sarcastically, but not excluding the possibility of it.
Then, as if on cue, wires started to bind themselves together until another monster is formed.
Raven dully glanced at Beast Boy and said, "You got the water for Sparky here?"
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
"Raven! Beast Boy! Did you find anything useful?"
Robin had called the couple half an hour since they encountered Sparky while the other found nothing.
"We're fine," Raven answered, "We'll meet you at the tower. We got some evidence here."
"So you guys have been fighting some bad guy?" Cyborg asked in a sub-screen on the communicators.
"We've been fighting Sparky here," Raven answered. "No harm done. Actually, no harm at all."
"It would be fruitful to rendez-vous with you two and see what you have discovered!" Starfire chirped excitedly.
Beast Boy's face was the last to appear in the communicator screen.
"It's time."
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero