Aki- So, new chapter. And it is the first chapter thatI have written and am uploading on my first and brand new laptop!! No more sharing a computer with my little brother, woohoo!! Now that that is done, hope you like this chapter, not so much action as last time, but some...uh, findings are, uh, found?...Anyway, thanx to Tenshi my counterpart in crime for betaing this chapter and belated thanx to her on last chapter where she gave my fight sequence a face lift.

Now, on with the show, er, story...

Chapter 17: Findings

In three separate sleeping bags on the gym floor slept three teenagers who had superpowers. That sentence contains a lie. Yes, there were three teens, and yes, there were three sleeping bags. The teens eve had superpowers. No, the lie was that none of them were a sleep, but instead were just laying there, pretending, or hoping, that sleep would release them from the stress of the day prior.

Alex had much too much on his mind to even think about getting any shut-eye. He kicked Kaden through his sleeping bag.

The boy groaned. "What?"

"I want to ask you something," said Alex.

Halle propped herself up on her elbow on the other side of Alex. "Ask him what?"

"Yeah, ask me what?"

"It's something that I've been wondering about for a while now. And our parents never told us, I didn't even think to ask at the time. It was all so new…"

"Get on with it," Halle said, nudging her brother.

"Why did the Titans break up? Kay, do you know."

Kaden sighed. "No."

"No? But you've know that your parents had been superheroes your whole life."

"I know, Al, but…I was surprisingly slow on…all the Titans stuff. I mean, even In my earliest memories I knew my parents had powers and were out there fighting the 'bad guys'…but it was only when I grew older that I started wondering about their pasts and learned of the Titans and then, started wondering why the Titans were no longer Titans or at least people who caught up with each other every now and then…"

"But all those stories you knew…Cyborg's nicknames…?" said Halle In question.

"Of course, I got curious. I asked questions and my parents told me stories. About missions and villains and falling in love and roommate problems…but never what happened to make it all stop. I asked once…I didn't get an answer. I don't think I could have handled one. They felt so sad…"

Alex and Halle glanced at each other unsure.

"So you don't know anything at all?"

"Calm down on the superlatives. I know a lot of stuff…just not anything about this particular subject…"

"Get off of the technicalities and just say that you don't know squat."

"Actually I do know Squat. He has an excellent sense of humor."

"Sorry, I didn't know that. He never mentioned you before."

"That's Squat for you."

At this point Alex and Kaden broke into quiet peals of laughter.

"I don't know what is going on," said Halle. "But you guys are giving me a headache. I'm going to try to go back to sleep."

"Me too," piped up Kaden.

"Wait a minute, I still haven't gotten the answer to my question," said Alex, indignant.

"Just ask Cyborg in the morning," said Halle, her voice obscured by her pillow. "And if he doesn't want to tell…we are three annoying and persistent teenagers."

"Annoyingly persistent or persistently annoying?" question Kaden, flat on his back staring at the ceiling.

"Does it matter? We still have the upper hand either way."

…

Cyborg's sensors detected three human bodies approaching from behind. Hishuman ear could tell it was the footsteps of the three teenagers who had taken resident with him for about a week so far. They hovered behind him without a word.

"Do you guys need something?" he finally asked, turning his head towards them.

The twins nudged Kaden forward as he wondered how he was bamboozled into doing this as this was Alex's question anyway. "Um, Scrap—, I mean, Cyborg…We have a question."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. If Kaden was using his real name, it had to be serious.

"Question away, Kay."

"Um," Kayden shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. "We were wondering if you could tell us why the Titans…y'know, broke up."

"You don't know, any of you?" asked Cyborg with surprise.

All three shook there heads to the negative.

Cyborg wiped a hand over his face. "I don't know if it my story to tell."

"It is as much your story as our parents," said Halle.

"Plus, it's not like we can ask them right now if we wanted to," added Alex.

Cyborg sighed in resignation. "Okay, I'll tell you. But it's not going to be what you expect. It didn't happen in one moment. It wasn't one word or one fight or one argument…it was more like…a slow deterioration.

"I can't pinpoint where it started. Maybe sometimes when we stopped being 'Teen Titans' and just became 'Titans'. We started growing up, and even though we were living in the same building, growing apart. I mean, think about it, when we were teenagers, living in that tower was any kid's dream. Large bedrooms, a giant entertainment system, a great garage, top of the line computers and whatever technology we needed, and none of it being a cent out of our own pockets…But we grew up and started forming lives outside of that tower, outside of being one team, the Titans, we formed closer relationships, that divided us. Star and Rob got married. BB and Rae's odd little relationship started turning into something romantic. The expansion of the sheer number of Titans opened us up top a whole lot of other friendships other than the ones formed between us, the original five…"

"What does that have to do with the team breaking up?" asked Halle. "Just because they weren't best friends anymore…It doesn't make sense."

"I know it doesn't, but it's what happened. We weren't as close as we used to be and, I guess, maybe that it was a little easier to sever the ties of friendship that way…No, that's a lie, after knowing people for that long, being friends with them, working with them, saving their lives and them saving yours…it wasn't easier."

"Okay, okay," interrupted Halle. "I'm confused. I get that the team was 'deteriorating' or whatever, but when did people actually, you know, leave?"

"I know it's confusing," Cyborg replied. "I told it wasn't going to be what you expected. We were fighting a villain…Doctor Light. He's kind of a joke, but anyone can be dangerous when you're caught off guard. Starfire, your mother, got hurt in the fight. It was minor, especially with her alien psychology, but…it made Robin very anxious and upset. And they left, without any real explanation except they were done being Titans, they were done being superheroes, because it wasn't worth the risk. It didn't sound like Robin at all. Then, eight months later, you two were born."

"So, our parents left to protect us," said Halle.

"As much as they were willing to put themselves in the line of fire, they weren't willing to put you two."

For some reason Alex felt uneasy at the revelation of this fact.

"BB, Raven, and I were able to handle Jump okay without them for a while, but crime increased just because the criminals thought it the city would be easier now that two of its protectors were no-shows. We were forced to bring in reinforcements, and we had plenty of new young heroes and honorary Titans to choose from and who were excited for the job. So we brought in some new blood, took 'em under our wings, trained them how to worked on a team. They were good kids…but it wasn't the same. Over time a few more younger heroes joined the team. It was then that Gar and Rae decided that the abundance of teenagers was having a damper on their personal relationship and they moved out of the tower. They stayed in the city and promised to be there to help whenever the Titans needed it…, but most of the time they followed their own leads…which eventually lead out of Jump City. They stayed in contact…for a while.

"God, I know I've made myself seem innocent in this whole break up, but I wasn't. I got really upset when Robin and Starfire left. My temper, which is not the best at times, was on the edge. But when Beast Boy and Raven left too, that was too much. Beast Boy was my best friend, I guess I felt it was a personal insult when the two of them left. I wasn't exactly open to asking them to help with the Titans and wasn't exactly congenial when they tried to be sociable. And the new team of Titans didn't last long after all of that…"

"That just seems so…," started Kaden, pausing in search for a word, "…lame."

"I know. But sometimes people just grow apart…and it hurts just as much as if we had said the wrong things and everything blew apart. Because at least then there would have been a semblance of a reason, instead we were good friends that just…drifted apart."

"That sucks," announced Alex.

"I know," agreed Cyborg.

…

"How much do you three know about computers?"

"I can hold my own."

"Ha, everything."

"Does email count?"

Cyborg surveyed the three teens, considering their varied answers.

"Halle," he said directing her to a seat in front of many monitors and screens. "I need you on monitor duty. Look out for suspicious activity, the Strike or otherwise. We can't neglect the rest of the city just because we have a vendetta." Halle nodded in understanding, her face getting stern.

"Kaden, if you can hold your own, then I need you check the records of any incoming flights, buses, trains…whatever. Find anything that doesn't match up or seems to be marked by the Strike. You can probably identify them best seeing as you've followed them the longest."

"Can do."

"Alex, what did you mean by everything?"

"Do you want to know what's in Area 51?"

"You and me areteaming up on the main computer," said Cyborg, pointing to the big screen and computer consoles on the wall adjacent to where Halle and Kaden were situated. "Our task is three fold. One, we field any of the leads those two give us. Two, we need to hack into highly protected frequencies, to try and find how the Strike is communicating."

Alex stood there for a moment. "Um, isn't there a third thing…?"

"Yeah, uh," Cyborg lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "Can you, maybe, update my protection…you hacked it so easily."

Alex interlaced his fingers and cracked his knuckles. "Let's get to work."

A few tireless hours passed. Halle rubbed her eyes, worn from monitoring screens incessantly.

"How's it going?" said Cyborg on one of his routine check-ups.

"Nothing but some street crime. I contacted the police like you said," answered Halle.

"How is it with you and the police anyway?" asked Kaden.

"Well…"

"That didn't sound very confident."

"Let's just stay my presence in this city sort of steps on the ego of the police force."

"What does that mean?" questioned Kaden.

"They are not exactly happy that they need a cape (1) in their city, because they have this pride that they can handle it without intervention from a 'vigilante.' I sort of have their grudging respect. We don't work together and they certainly don't field me any work, but their not trying to stop me either."

Kaden pursed his lips while contemplating the situation. "It works."

"Yeah, but it's different from being on the Titans, in the spotlight all the time."

"A big 'T' in the middle of ocean isn't exactly subtle."

"Yeah, yeah…get back to work, kid."

"Oh, yeah, just so you know…someone just came back to life," added Kaden, very blasé.

"What?" said Cyborg and Halle simultaneously. Alex would have joined them if he had heard, but he was too consumed with monitoring highly graded radio frequencies with headphones over his ears.

"There was a flight that came in from Canada several months ago into the local airport. The dude on the passport…I looked it up, he died over ten years ago."

"What tipped you off to looking on the lifespan of this passport out of the millions of people with passports?" asked Cyborg.

"Because of this," said Kaden, typing a few keys on the keyboard and a scan of the passport showed on the screen."

"Isn't that—?" began Halle, but she was interrupted by Cyborg growl, "Adonis."

"That robot-suit guy from the break-in," said Kaden. "I thought I recognized him."

"His passport was a forgery using a dead man's identity," said Cyborg. "He must have been hiding in Canada to evade the law."

"Uh, I get the impression that you knew him…"

"He was an old foe of the Titans. Not a giant threat, but annoying…Kaden, can you send this to my computer? I need to try something."

"Will do."

"How's it going?" Cyborg asked Alex as he passed where the boy was seated on the way to his computer. Alex grunted in response.

The files from Kaden's computer popped up on Cyborg's screen. His finger began typing furiously. Kaden, instead of returning to work, stood behind Cyborg's chair, mouth agape at the speed of the half-robot's work. Halle glanced over her shoulder a couple times and Alex was still oblivious.

"Look at the travel plans of our dead guy," said Cyborg as a list of dates and airports for Adonis's acquired idenity played out on the screen. "Look familiar?"

"Jump City, Steele City, Central City, Metropolis, Gotham…Those are where the Strike, um, struck."

"Yup, and he's been back in this city, but we already knew that. The question is why did he fly to this city to start with. Does that mean the Strike met here?" Cyborg questioned aloud.

"I thought their HQ was in Gotham, seeing as everywhere else was hit and run to gain attention. That's the only place they laid low for a little while," reasoned Kaden.

"Think about it," said Halle from across the room, garnering Cyborg's and Kaden's attentions. "They have to have a set up here. Their henchman are here. Our parents are here. And the means to controlling our parents are here. I doubt whoever the mastermind of this project will let the cards in their hands being hundreds of miles away from himself and their headquarters…so the headquarters has to be in this city…or at least one of them."

"Are you saying they have two?"

"Yeah, one in Gotham and one here. Where my parents lived and where Cyborg lives."

"What about my parents?"

"You're parents move around, so they just lured to them where they had already set up shop," explained Halle with a shrug.

"Hal," said Cyborg, speaking for the first time since Halle began her dissertation, "That's really smart."

"Just because I don't know computer doesn't mean I don't got brains."

"Have," said Alex, making them all jump because they were used to his obliviousness to their conversation. "I don't have brains," he corrected.

"I know you don't," retorted Halle swiftly.

Alex scowled.

Kaden sighed. "But this doesn't get us anywhere closer to our parents. We already knew they were being held captive nearby somewhere."

"And we still don't know where somewhere is," added Halle. Alex had already returned to his work.

Kaden returned dejectedly to his computer seat. "All that work and still nothing…"

"Don't give up hope," lectured Cyborg from across the room. "We now know that the Strike is getting sloppy, or at least some of their members are. There have to be more concrete trails to the Strike yet."

A relieved look overtook Kaden face and he returned frantically back to work.

Alex looked askew at the metal man beside him. He lowered his headphones a few inches off his ear. "You really believe that?" he said in a skeptical whisper.

Cyborg glanced at Kaden and then back to Alex and replied quietly. "He has to."

A few more hours tireless hours passed. Halle was resting her head on her folded arms on the desk, half asleep, staring at the screen. Kaden rubbed his eyes, weary and glazed, before idly typing a few keys. Alex face, usually pinched in concentration, was interrupted with a yawn. Even Cyborg's human half was feeling strain.

"Maybe we should call it a night. We're not going to find anything useful half asleep," suggested Cyborg, more for the kids' sakes than his.

"More like two-thirds asleep," suggested Halle.

"Na," disagreed Kaden, "Three-fourths."

"Nine-tenths."

"Ninety eight-one hundredths."

"Ninety eight?"

"Well, ninety-nine seemed a little extreme."

The crew was getting up from their seats and stretching, ready to move to their respective sleeping areas, all except Alex.

"Time for sleep, Al," said Cyborg, placing a hand on the young teen's shoulder, realizing he probably hadn't heard their conversation due to still having headphones on.

Alex lifted one earpiece up. "Huh?"

"We're going to sleep."

Alex shook his head to the negative. "I'm getting close to something. I can feel it."

"Its call delusions brought on from lack of shut-eye," said Kaden snarkily.

Not even trying for sarcastic reply, Alex turned back to the computer. "I'm serious. I'm on the edge of something. Trust me. Here." Alex pulled his headphones wire out of the console and turned the volume that everyone could here.

"It's…static," said Halle, less than impressed.

Alex rolled his eyes and tweaked a few of the sound controls. "I've been tuning this frequency for over an hour. It's been tricky. Listen now."

All three were surprised to hear snippets of conversation coming in through white noise.

"Is that the Strike?"

"Owing to how difficult it was to get to this frequency, it has to be…or it could be someone's ancient ham radio…"

"Why couldn't it be the government?" asked Halle.

"I accessed all those this morning."

Kaden and Halle shared a glance. Sometimes it was freaky how talented Alex was with computers.

"I just need to get it coming in stronger. Then it won't even matter what they say if we know it's them. All that matters if they stay on the line long enough for me to track them. But I need it stronger for that too."

Cyborg had already taken his seat again and had plugged a metal-plated wire from his arm into the console. The voices came in clearer and the static vanished completely.

Alex looked at the man next to him appraisingly. "You're good."

"I know."
"…so boring."

"Where are you on guard duty?"

"The cells."

"With the Titans down there, that's boring?"

Halle, Kaden, Alex, and Cyborg jumped a little at the mention. Cyborg and Alex began working on their computers frantically.

"There so drugged up I can't even taunt them. Some revenge."

One man chuckled. "Don't let her here you say that…"

"Who knew someone so hot could be so menacing."

"She is a nice piece of ass."

"Now you don't let her hear you say that." Both men laughed and the transmission cut off.

"Did you trace it?" asked Halle with batted breath.

Alex nodded, his hands where shaking a bit.

"Where?"

…

The Strike members, from the muscle to the brains, were assembled in Rouge's large "throne room" as most of them called it. Mostly because it was where their leader sat on a throne-like chair all of the time, well, all of the time they ever saw here. They were having a "meeting", but Rouge knew it was a joke. She allowed them because it gave them a belief in a semblance of control in the revenge plans, although she easily manipulated them to her will. Plus, the meetings proved to keep up morale and push thoughts of mutiny far away.

However, the group was assembled and the majority of them seemed less interested in getting there opinions heard then flexing their muscles and bragging about their recent conquests. Rogue through an irritated look at the man standing next to her seat.

"Everyone…Quiet!" The talking in the room slowly settled to a hush and the eyes settled to the front of the room.

Rogue cleared her throat in a dignified, assured way. " 'Owr, ah, scheme is coming along nicely. Soon all zee Titans will be in our clutches and our revenge will be complete."

There was some muted muttering throughout the crowd.

Madam Rogue raised a slender eyebrow in a beautiful yet dangerous way. "Is zere a probleme?"

The assembly shuffled uneasily.

"Non?"

One of the henchman was shoved forward by the others, unofficially elected the speaker of their complaint. Once in front of companions he stood straight and said defiantly, "The men were wonderin' what was taking so long. We was supposed to have all the Titans weeks ago."

"It sounds like you are blaming me for the cyborg not taking zee bait zee first time. Do I need to remind you that you would hav none of zee Titans if it were not me for organizing you and devizing zis operation."

By this time, the lackey's spokesperson was staring nervously at his feet. Rogue had a way of sounding menacing without even making a single threat. "It's just that..."
"Yes?" said in a tone that should have been accompanied with rolling eyes.

"That we could have had Cyborg by now if we went with a direct attack. We out-muscle him easily, even with those brats with him. Why haven't we brought him in yet?"

Rogue laughed in an offhand way, like at the words of an overcurious toddler. "Ow much you still have to learn, my dear companion. Why should we go to them when zey will come to us?"

Her second-in-command standing by her throne, lets face it, it wasn't just a throne-like chair, it was a throne, gave her a shocked look. Wasn't the base supposed to be secret? And wasn't it kept that way with the most stringent of precautions?

"I have recently dropped several fake identities of some of our members into travel records around the world. Plus a loop of recorded social conversations off that took place on our missions-only communicators…" The crowd was uneasy again. "Yes, I am …familiar with what you say about moi…I suspect the cyborg and zee, what did vous say, brats, will be here within a day or dou."

…

(1) cape—in DC comics "cape" or "capes" (plural) are slang terms that are thrown around referring to superheroes, the reason, I think, is obvious.