Prologue 2: Questioning

She looked so fragile in his arms.

That was one of the thoughts that went through Cyborg's mind as he carried the girl – which they had finally captured – through the Tower.

After that whole ordeal, the five teenagers were dirty and exhausted. They were all ready to ditch this girl in a holding cell, take extremely-needed showers, and get the heck to bed.

Especially Beast Boy. The whole way back, he had been sure to let the team and whatever creatures that may have been lurking in the empty streets know that if he didn't go to bed before sunrise, it would seriously mess with his afternoon nap that day.

At this rate, Cyborg had thought, we'll all be sleeping 'til noon anyway.

As it was, Beast Boy getting to sleep didn't take long at all. When they had gotten into the Tower, Beast Boy had been dragging his feet, head hanging low.

The perfect show of being dog-tired. Literally.

Barely a few steps into the door, Beast Boy had plopped down right there on the floor and curled up as a puppy cockapoo. Starfire, ever the kind one, came up behind him and scooped up the fast asleep green puppy, looking down at him with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

Cyborg totally agreed with the little guy.

Robin had sighed. "Let's just get her in a holding cell. It's been a long night. We can deal with her in the morning." The masked teenage hero must've been really tired to say that. They all knew how he got when it came to anything associated with Slade.

And so now Cyborg was carrying the girl down the halls of the Tower, on his way to putting her in a holding cell for the night.

Now that all the running and chasing and fighting and being pummeled by trash was over, and they were in a place that actually had proper lighting, the gears in his brain could slow down a bit and take in things with clear detail.

Going back to that first thought.

Now that he got a good look at her, it was hard to believe the girl could be so powerful.

Well, dynamite did come in small packages.

The girl was small, very small – even smaller than Beast Boy, and that was really saying something, considering the size of the little grass stain. And while from the first time they'd known about her, they'd all figured she was a teenager like them, now Cyborg wasn't so sure. She looked no older than 11 or 12.

Her standard brownish-orange jail uniform was just a little bit too big for her, and was ripped and tattered in several places. Not to mention filthy – covered in soot, dirt, and who knows what else. Her brown, curly, shoulder-length hair probably would've been longer, and prettier, too, if it weren't such a grimy rat's nest, so full of tangles and knots. Like she had been running around in a trash heap.

Oh, wait. They had been running around in a trash heap.

The girl had light tan skin, of which could be seen wherever it wasn't covered in dirt or soot.

…or injuries. Small, scabbed-over cuts could be seen on her arms, which were littered with bruises as well, and a few small blood stains were on her sleeves.

Maybe I could get Raven to look at those in the morning, Cyborg thought. It wouldn't do to let her get an infection; her being a criminal was no excuse for that.

And now here she was, sleeping all but cradled in his arms, looking more like a child rescued off the street than the criminal she was.

So vulnerable, so helpless.

But looks could be deceiving. Someone who could fly and disappear and shoot fire from her hands for crying out loud certainly wasn't helpless.

But still.

He knew that the girl was associated with Slade, but other than that, he didn't know what to make of her.

Neither did a few other members of his team.

Raven really didn't know what to make of this girl.

There was something odd – off, almost, even – about her. And that was saying something, considering they were a band of misfits themselves – in the highest sense of the word.

There were still so many questions.

What was she? A flyer, yes –like her; a teleporter, perhaps; and a flame-thrower. But those were all just abilities.

They could just be a result of something else. Like with herself; Raven could fly, and teleport, and use magic. But that didn't make her label "Flying-Teleporter-Magic-Girl".

The only reason she had powers was because she was a half-demon. That's what she was.

So, just what was this mysterious girl?

She could be human.

Or she could be…something else.

And then was another thing. Something that Raven also found unsettling. The girl appeared to have strong mental powers. Mental blocking powers, to be more precise. Most of the time, people, even super-powered people, didn't automatically have strong mental barriers. Especially not ones that could throw her off. Things like that had to be built up.

Which led to something else. Building up mental barriers wasn't exactly something one did as a hobby. There had to be a reason for it.

And Raven didn't like it. The only reason someone would deliberately build up mental barriers was to keep something, or someone, out. To cope under a large amount of stress…or to hide from trauma.

Raven blinked at that last thought, and sighed as she laid her now sour-cream-free head down on her pillow.

She could think more about that in the morning.

But still…

What had happened to that girl?

Robin was itching to question this girl, now that they had finally caught her, and get the answers he so desperately wanted.

But they were all so tired, including him – and the girl was unconscious, so they wouldn't be getting anything out of her right now, anyway – so he'd sensibly decided to wait until the morning. After they'd all gotten good night's rest.

But seriously, who was this girl? And how did Slade get another apprentice so quickly? Robin couldn't help a slight bit of guilt pass through him. If he'd stayed as Slade's apprentice, maybe this girl would have been spared.

That was a huge maybe.

But it was a foolish notion, anyway. The way the girl had attacked Beast Boy…she would have gone with Slade anyway.

Slade. The very name made him bristle. Oh, how he hated that man.

And now that this girl had shown up, he really needed to get more information. He needed to know where he was – no doubt his hideout had been relocated – and what he was planning. He certainly was up to something –

Slade was always up to something –

– and the public appearance of his new apprentice proved it.

But…a small doubt prickled in his mind, flickering like a small version of the mystery girl's flames.

There was a small possibility that she wasn't with Slade. Emphasis on small. Villains didn't just appear out of nowhere like that. Not without trying to make a name for themselves. And this girl certainly hadn't been trying.

Then, why was she with Slade? Robin thought back to when he'd been Slade's apprentice, and even convinced his friends for a short amount of time that he'd gone and turned bad guy. He hadn't though – not willingly. He'd only done it because he'd had to, to keep his friends safe.

Could that be the case here? Was this girl in trouble like he had been, forced to serve him through blackmail?

There was only one way to be sure.

And either way, Robin needed to know what Slade was up to, and where he was. To put that evil man in jail once and for all.

And it began with this girl.

Fear. It consumed her and choked her at the same time. Smothered her like a thick blanket, like exceedingly dense smoke. Pressed hotly against her skin, pushing itself down her throat and roiling inside her body.

Fire. Heat. Too much heat. It was so hot hot HOT. Too hot. It was burning, BURNING, BURNING.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. And it hurt, it hurt, IT HURT.

Wait. No. That wasn't right. Heat wasn't supposed to bother her.

But it did.

The Fear pressed into her again, demanding to be paid attention to, exponentially escalating into panic. Panic. PANIC. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. What was happening?!

All she knew was the searing heat, coursing down her veins. She could swear her blood was boiling, her skin being charred and peeling like wood.

Hot tears escaped her eyes, only adding to the pain as she gasped and choked, desperate for air.

Make it stop, make it stop, MAKE IT STOP.

And then….

Cold.

The heat was gone, just like that. As if it had never been. Replaced with a chill that came out of nowhere.

Now suddenly everything was cold. She could swear that if she was able to see, she would be able to see her breath.

The coldness felt so good after the blazing, burning heat. The refreshing wave soothed her scorched body. Her eyes slowly started working again. An image blurred in front of her, tinted a light, water blue, then became clear.

She instantly wished she'd remained blind.

She was in a cavern. Stone colored so dark it was almost black, but not quite black. The walls curved high above her, coming together to form a ceiling ascending at least a hundred feet. Lava, magma, molten rock – shining bright red, orange, through black liquid stone – bubbled below in a moat just underneath the walls. The moat completely circled the edges of the room.

A figure. Then another: two figures in all. She recognized them both, though she could only see the inky black silhouettes of their shapes. They were on the far side of the room, illuminated by the fiery glow cast by the molten lava.

Her heart leaped when she saw one of the figures. She wanted to go to him, but she could not move. No matter how hard she tried, her muscles would not obey her. She was fixed in place in the middle of the room. Like a statue.

Then the figure fell. Down, down, down, into the deep pit at the edge of the wall. Down, down, down, into the consumingmeltingscorchingdeadlyHUNGRY lava. A surreal muffled-sounding scream came from the figure that was falling, falling, falling, to his death.

Above him, safely on solid ground. The other figure laughed, loudly, maniacally, the sound echoing through the large chamber.

A second scream, higher pitched. The fallen figure was consumed, no more.

Then red and orange filled her vision. Everything exploded, and all was fire and anger and pain and RAGE.

"NO!"

She jerked awake with a gasp, flying into a sitting position. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. Her heart beat finally slowed. She let herself gently fall back onto the bed she was laying on, the pillow and sheets slightly damp with sweat.

This wasn't the first time she'd had that dream. But it never got any less frightening. A major reason for that was because, well…it wasn't just a dream.

Nightmares that included memories were the worst kind.

The girl rolled over on her side. She glanced around the room, taking in her surroundings. She was in a small, white room about half the size of her small-ish bedroom back home.

There was a wooden door, also white, right in front of her, toward the top of which was a window. However, she couldn't see out of it. The only furniture the room had was a small table scooted up against the wall and the bed she was lying on.

They must've put me in a holding cell, she thought.

She glanced down at her arm and noticed that her bruises and cuts were gone. Apparently one of them had healed her during the night. That was nice.

Then it registered. She was in a holding cell.

She had been captured.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no.

This couldn't be happening. This was what she had been trying to avoid all along. She turned her faced into her pillow.

If they had caught her, then…

Oh, this is bad, this is bad, this is so bad!

But maybe this was a good thing. Maybe, just maybe, this could help her.

But probably not.

Her thoughts turned to him. She fingered a bracelet hidden in a fold under her sleeve. At least he was safe. At least, she prayed he was. Hopefully he was far away from here, or at least well hidden. He'd been so kind to her. She couldn't bear the thought of him being captured by them.

Them. She shivered.

First, she'd only heard about them. Known enough to know that she needed to run, to not let them find her.

And then, she experienced it. Met them first hand.

Though she was loathe to admit it, she knew she had to, at least to herself.

She was scared.

The rolled over on the bed to face the wall. She had no idea what time it was. Though, if she had to guess, she'd say it was still night.

No doubt they'd come for her first thing in the morning. She wondered what they'd do.

Her stomach filling with dread, she forced herself to try and go back to sleep.

No point in making yourself sleep deprived worrying over something that was going to happen either way.

Best be as well prepared for it as you can.

Slowly, but surely, the girl fell back asleep.

"I'll ask you one more time, who are you?"

At 9:00 in the morning, Robin had shot out of bed, having quickly recovered with no traces of exhaustion from the night before.

Of course, the newly captured apprentice of Slade probably had a lot to do with it.

After a quick breakfast, he and a few others – Beast Boy was still in bed, having threatened to turn into a goat and eat all their socks if they made him get up before 10:00 a.m. – dragged the girl out of her holding cell and into the interrogation room.

Not before putting some fire-proof handlocks on her, of course.

Now the young girl sat in the metal chair, fireproof cuffs securing her arms to the armrests. Cyborg had no idea how hot her fire could get, so he took extra precautions and got the most heat-resistant material known to mankind.

Robin was in front of her on the other side of the table. He'd been at it for at least two hours now, grilling the girl with questions – who are you, what is your mission, what is your association with Slade, where is he hiding, what is he planning next, why are you here.

So far, he'd gotten nothing. Not a word, not even her name; just the occasional flinch when his voice rose.

Her silence was really grating on his nerves. Robin was getting more and more frustrated with this girl, and he was just about to lose his patience.

The girl still gave no answer to his question.

"What is your mission here?"

The girl glanced down, tense. The only sound coming from her mouth was her slightly labored breathing.

"Who sent you?" Robin's voice was rising now. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her bonds. "Was it Slade?"

The girl let out a soft, shaky breath.

"Where. Is. He?" Robin's patience was wearing thinner than paper. This had gone on long enough. The young hero slammed his hands down on the table with a bang!, making the whole thing vibrate.

"What is he planning?! TELL ME!" He roared.

The girl flinched, yet still set nothing. She slightly shook in her chair. A small whimper escaped from her lips, and tears leaked out from her eyes.

Robin sighed. Great. Just great. Now he definitely wasn't going to get anywhere with her right now. She let out a tiny, hiccuping sound – a restrained sob.

A low, feminine voice piped up from somewhere behind him. As she was practically his right hand, Raven had been there, mostly concealed, watching the whole thing. She wasn't exactly thrilled about their prisoner's uncooperativeness either. At one point she'd even considered frightening the girl into answering, but from the girl's demeanor, she figured that would only make things worse.

The whole thing was seriously frustrating.

"Greeeeat, Robin." She drawled, irritated and exasperated. "Is this how you interrogate? Making little girls cry?" Cause seriously, the girl could be no more than, like, eleven. Besides – criticizing Robin made her feel better.

The bound girl shook, gave another quiet sob, and continued to cry.

Sky: Aaaaaaand that's a wrap!

Mystery Girl: I want to tell the next chapter

Sky: Uh, no. I'm telling this story.

Mystery Girl: Hey, this is MY story you're telling. And besides, you forgot the disclaimer.

Sky: I was just about to do the disclaimer.

Mystery Girl: Nope. I'm doing it.

Sky: No, you're not. I'm doing it!

Mystery Girl: No. I'm doing the disclaimer this time. And narrating the next chapter. And that's final. You have no say.

Sky: What? How...How DARE you?! I AM YOUR MASTER, YOUR CREATOR! YOU EXIST ONLY TO SERVE - .

Mystery Girl: Um, Sky?

Sky: WHAT?!

Mystery Girl: Eat a Snickers.

Sky: ...what? Why?

Mystery Girl: 'Cause you kinda act like a four-eyed demon when you're hungry.

Sky: Oh...

Mystery Girl: Better?

Sky: Yes, much. Thanks.

Mystery Girl: You're welcome.

Sky: Wait a minute...did I just do a commercial?!

Mystery Girl: *wisely ignores* Skyfireflight16 does not condone, endorse, or otherwise partake in any acts of piracy, plagiarism, or copyright infringement.

Sky: Yeah, what she said. 'Til next time! Wait...you just mimicked another commercial, didn't you?

Mystery Girl: *smiles sheepishly* Review, please!