Chapter 25: … And your Enemies Closer

When you made a living giving false testimonies, you usually ended up with the less than lawful as your clients. Usually, that worked out nicely, because they could pay a good price for a really good testimony. But lately, business had not been going so well for poor old Fred Johnson, exemplified by his current living arrangements.

A dirty and worn down apartment, consisting of a bathroom the size of a closet, a living room and a bedroom was the place he now called hom. Nor was this a very well ended home. Garbage and food lay strewn around the floor, with their owner currently slouching in his half rotten couch in just a beer stained t-shirt and underwear.

Hardly the image of beauty, eh?

Fred had expected the day to be another quiet one, with him just lazing about with nothing to do, just the way he liked it. That idea went out the window when someone knocked on his door.

"Who the fuck can that be?" Fred asked himself as he was dragged out of his blissful stupor. With a string of mumbling words that would make a sailor blush, he crawled out of his couch and wobbled over to the door. Swinging it open, he was greeted by a sight that he never would have expected to see.

After all, it was not every day that a smokin' hot girl stood outside his door. A curvaceous body dressed in tight fitting clothes, bare legs that went on forever and an impishly smiling face.

Most men would be wondering what deity they had pleased to be rewarded like this. Fred merely asked himself what deity he had angered to be cursed like this. For this was no ordinary girl knocking on his door.

"Hi there, Fred. I've heard sooo much about you," Raven said teasingly, that impish smile of hers still in place. Fred was honestly considering throwing himself out a window.

"R-R-Raven…" he stammered fearfully. And he had good reason to be afraid. You did not make it far in Jump City's criminal world without hearing about this infamous mercenary.

"Aw, so you've heard of me before. Good to know my reputation gets around," Raven commented smugly before leaning in closer towards Fred. "What's the matter? Aren't you going to invite us in? You know it's highly rude to have a girl standing out in the cold like this,"

Fred instantly took note of the dangerous gleam in her eyes, and the way one of her hands had come to rest uncomfortably close to one of her holstered guns. He swiftly took the hint.

"C-come i-in, please," he managed to get out of his throat as he stepped aside. Raven confidently sauntered in like she owned the place, followed by a strange fellow in sunglasses and white trenchcoat. Fred was instantly suspicious of him.

"Don't mind my sidekick here, he's house trained," Raven added over her shoulder, as if reading Fred's thoughts. He completely missed the heated glare said sidekick threw at Raven's back.

"Cozy little place you've got here," she commented as she strolled around the living room. Fred just numbly nodded his head in agreement, unsure of what else to do in the presence of this notorious mercenary.

"Now, onto the reason why we're here," Raven began as she strolled up to a refrigerator and began rooting around in it. "We heard that you gave a testimony to the police about a certain local bird boy," by that point, Fred was sweating profusely, and he was casting glances at the still open door.

The "sidekick" seemed to have noticed where his eyes kept wandering, because he placed himself right in his path. 'Damn,'

"Y-yes, I did just that. But I don't see how…"

"Aha!" Raven interrupted him as she emerged from the refrigerator with a can of beer in hand, which she promptly opened and began to drink. Fred was too terrified to protest.

"Here's the deal, I've got some business to do with whoever paid you, and I need to find him. And of course, you're going to tell me where he is," she continued. If Fred had been nervous before, it was nothing compared to his near panic he was feeling.

"I-I don't k-know what you're t-talking about," he tried to protest. Of course, Raven did not believe a single word.

"Come now, we both know that your testimony is false and that someone paid you to spin your little lie. All I need to know is who it was, and I'll be on my merry way," she said with a friendly smile on her face as she began to slowly advance on Fred.

Both males present got the distinct feeling that there was a predatory edge to her moves.

"And what exactly is your business with him?" Fred found himself asking. By now, Raven was right in front of him, and a delicate hand reached out to caress his cheek.

"That really isn't important for you to know," she purred. "Now, are you going to be a good boy and tell me?" the question was asked innocently enough, but Fred was not about to break the one rule he lived by.

"Sorry, I don't sell out clients like that," he responded, managing to put on an image of confidence. It crumbled the moment that Raven's smile dropped from her face.

"Too bad for then, because now I'll just have to convince you to tell me," at that moment, he knew he had dug his own grave. And there was only one appropriate word he could come up with saying.

"Help,"

What none of the three were aware of was that their entire interaction had been observed by a shadowy figure standing atop the roof of the building standing on the opposite side of the road. Shrouded in darkness, he had been presented with a first-hand view of the events through the living room's only window.

Outwardly, he made no reaction to this development. Inwardly, he was concerned. He had never expected Robin to become so desperate so as to hire Raven of all people to clear his name. It certainly complicated things.

"Well, I guess it's time for some improvisation," he murmured to himself before he brought out a cellphone and dialed a number.

"I know the whereabouts of two criminals wanted by the police," he spoke the moment someone answered on the other end.

"So… Ready to talk yet, or do I need to get a bit more creative?" Raven asked with a wicked grin in place as she towered over the quivering Fred.

"Alright, you win! I'll talk! I'll tell whatever you want, just stop!" he screamed in horror. On the sidelines, Robin stood there wide-eyed and slack-jawed. 'Who knew that Raven had that in her,' he thought to himself.

He probably should have stopped her at some point, but as she had reminded him, "They needed the information". So he had kept his mouth shut and simply observed. Now he was silently praying that Raven never got her hands on him like that.

"Feeling a bit jealous, are we?" Raven suddenly asked of Robin, having noticed his stunned silence. "If you're so eager for my ministrations, all you had to do was ask," she proceeded to laugh wickedly as he blushed like mad.

"Just get the information we came for," he grumbled at her, embarrassed at how she constantly gets him like that. Raven playfully pouted at him.

"Killjoy," she said before turning her attention back to the quivering Fred. "But he does have a point, so why don't you tell me who your customer is?"

"I don't know who he is, honestly. All I know is that he hangs around at pier 36 for some reason," Fred hastily explained, praying that they would be satisfied and leave him alone. Raven smiled in a deceivingly friendly manner and patted his head like he was a pet.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked mockingly before walking away. "Alright, we got what we wanted. Let's go already," but before she and Robin could leave, police sirens went off outside as multiple search light ignited.

"This is the police! We've got the whole building surrounded! Come out with your hands behind your back!" someone shouted from outside with a megaphone.

"Great, party crashers," Raven said irritably as she drew her Desert Eagles. "Oh well, guess I have to give them the bad news that this party is off limits," she was just about to walk out of the apartment and confront the policemen when Robin stopped her with a warning glare on his face.

"I won't let you kill anyone, Raven," he warned her, receiving a glare from her in return.

"Excuse me? Those clowns are here to arrest you, and you're still gonna protect their asses? You seriously need to get your priorities straight, bird boy," she said in disbelief. 'Damn heroes. I'll never truly understand their weird mindset,'

"They're just doing their duty, and I'm doing mine here. No killing, or no money," he threatened. Raven kept up a furious staring contest with Robin before she finally broke contact and groaned in irritation.

"Sure, just go and make my work even harder, why don't you," she complained as she threw her arms up in the air in resignation. Any further words were put on hold as they heard multiple footsteps running up the staircase.

"Company," Raven warned as she made ready for a fight alongside Robin, who drew his trusted Bo staff. Then, three SWAT officers came into their line of sight. Raven reacted first as she raised her guns and opened fire. They swiftly fell to the ground clutching bleeding arms and legs. Faster than she thought possible, Robin had whirled on her with a downright murderous look.

"What the hell did I tell you?!" he screamed in anger. Raven just scoffed at him as she fired another burst to keep the rest of the SWAT team pinned in place.

"They'll live, now move it, bird boy!" she shouted at him as she gave him a rough shove towards the stairs. The roof was their only escape now. With one last disgruntled look at her, Robin complied and rushed up the stairs. Raven meanwhile emptied the last of her bullets before following after.

"I have to say, you're quite popular!" Raven shouted to Robin as they could hear well over a dozen SWAT operatives following after them.

"Shut up and keep running!" he shouted back. They finally emerged on the rooftop, but found a helicopter waiting for them with a sharpshooter on board.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Raven muttered as she and Robin dove for cover behind a ventilation shaft, bullets ricocheting off its surface.

"Still want to keep them alive?" Raven asked snidely while reloading her Desert Eagles. Robin chose to ignore her as he peered around the corner, watching as well over twenty SWAT officers streamed out on the roof.

Robin would had preferred it if they could have made it out of this without fighting the police, but it seemed now like they were out of options.

"Alright, we're gonna have to take them out, but no killing," he added that last part when he found Raven's facial expression to be a bit too thrilled. That thrilled expression swiftly crumbled.

"Damn," she simply said before she leaped out of cover and opened fire. Her bullets struck legs, hands and guns, but never struck a killing blow. Robin meanwhile, once safely assured that Raven would hold her word, charged right at them with his Bo staff.

With a war cry on his lips, he leaped into their midst, striking down one officer after the other. No longer having a clear shot, Raven holstered her guns and joined Robin in the melee with a delighted cackle.

Together, they utterly decimated the opposition. Robin knocked one unconscious while Raven tripped one that tried to sneak up on him. He returned the favor by throwing his Bo staff like a spear and struck an officer in the head as he tried ganging up on Raven with a friend.

"You know what, bird boy? This is actually fun!" Raven shouted gleefully as she sidestepped the officer's clumsy swing before ramming a knee into his crotch and then swung a leg straight into his head.

"Criminals," Robin muttered under his breath as he ducked under a swung fist and came back up with an uppercut that knocked his opponent out.

"You're such a sourpuss, you know that?" Raven spoke as she nonchalantly dodged an officer's attempts to hit her. She was not even trying to hit back, she just kept on dancing around his attacks with an infuriating smile on her face.

"Your point?" Robin asked gruffly as he threw an officer over his shoulder and into another. Raven meanwhile leaped over her opponent's shoulder, swept him off his feet and slammed a heel into his stomach.

"You need to lighten up some, learn to have some real fun, break a few rules for the kick of it," she explained jovially. Robin meanwhile had finished up yet another opponent and now turned to face Raven, apparently unaware of the last officer sneaking up on him from behind.

"I don't break rules, Raven, I uphold them," he stated with gruff finality, just as the enemy behind him attacked. Robin then proceeded to carry out the ever classical action comedy move of slamming his head over his shoulder and knock his attacker unconscious, all without ever even looking at him.

"Your loss," Raven said nonchalantly as she drew one of her guns and fired three bullets at the sharpshooter on the helicopter, who had been unable to provide support with his two targets in the midst of his comrades. One bullet struck him in his left hand, the second in his right, and the last destroyed the scope on the gun.

"Now or never, bird boy," Raven warned before she took off sprinting towards the roof's edge, Robin reluctantly following. The two of them leaped from rooftop to rooftop, managing to lose their pursuing helicopter with a few warning shots through the cockpit.

They were about a city block away from the crime scene when a familiar white and blue car sped past them on the road below them.

"Never thought I'd see you running from the very crime the Titans pan on investigating, eh?" Raven commented humorously. Predictably, Robin did not find it funny, not that he bothered to retort as he stared longingly at the departing car.

He should be down there with his friends, fighting crime and saving lives. Instead he was running from the very law he had sworn to defend, with only a notorious mercenary who he hated with a passion as a companion. The world could really be a cruel place sometimes.

"Hey, you finished daydreaming or what? We still got work to do," Raven reminded him impatiently. Reluctantly, he tore his gaze from his friends and got moving again.

"I don't know, this feels a bit too easy," Robin commented suspiciously as he glared at the warehouse standing at pier 36.

"What? You would have preferred if there was an entire army waiting for us or what?" Raven asked sarcastically from where she was standing next to him. Robin scowled at her.

"Aren't you the least bit suspicious about this? It seems way too easy, as if our target isn't even trying to hide from us," he voiced his worries, but Raven merely shrugged her shoulders.

"So what if he isn't? We're still gonna need to get in there and whoop his ass," she pointed out. Even though he detested the very notion, Robin would have to concede that she had a point. There was nothing else but walk into the lion's den.

"Alright, I'll go in there. You stay out here and keep watch," he eventually ordered, receiving a pout from Raven.

"Awww, why do I have to do the boring work here? I want to kick some ass," she whined like a ten year old, receiving an annoyed glare from Robin.

"Just do it, Raven. I'm paying you to listen to my orders," he ground out before silently moving towards the warehouse, leaving a disgruntled Raven behind. There was no visible activity from outside, So Robin swiftly made his way inside.

The place was completely empty on the inside, nothing but steel pillars occupying the interior. As he advanced deeper into the warehouse, constantly on the lookout for danger, he began to wonder whether that Fred fellow had sent them on a wild goose chase. He was proven wrong when his instincts screamed at him to dodge.

Those instincts once again saved his life, as multiple shurikens flew through the space previously occupied by his throat and head. Jumping back on his feet, Robin spun around and threw an exploding disc to where those shurikens came from. A dark shape swiftly jumped out of the shadows before his former hiding place went up in flames.

"It seems like I have to do this the hard way," the mysterious attacker commented before he stepped into the light offered by the full moon shining through the windows up on the roof.

"So you're the one who's been framing me," Robin snarled out once he saw a stranger dressed in an exact replica of his own costume. The bastard had even copied his hairstyle.

"What gave me away?" the duplicate asked sarcastically as e cracked his neck in preparation for a fight.

"Who are you even? What is it you want?" Robin asked furiously. His duplicate answered by withdrawing an extendable Bo staff.

"Tell you what; beat me, and I'll tell you whatever you want," he challenged before leaping to attack. Robin sidestepped the first swing an then jumped back to avoid the second.

"Fine by me," Robin answered as he drew his own Bo staff, ready for battle.

Guard duty? Seriously? Could there be anything more boring than this? Raven was meant for action, not standing around like a watch dog. Once again, Raven let out a tired groan as she kept juggling a knife between her hands as a way to pass the time.

"Had I known I would have to endure this crap, I would have demanded more money," she complained to herself. "Why must that bird boy always ruin my fun?" she kept on complaining to herself like that for over twenty minutes when she found something else to pass the time.

"Well hello there," she murmured with a feral grin on her face when she saw the Titans approach the warehouse. "Seems like I'll get some action after all," with that said, she leaped down from her perch and landed in front of the startled Titans.

"Evening, ladies and gents. What brings you to these neighborhoods?" she asked innocently as her opponents slipped into fighting stances.

"Out of our way, Raven. This doesn't concern you," Cyborg snarled as he aimed a sonic cannon at her. Raven meanwhile looked completely calm and untroubled as she thrust a hip out and place a hand on it.

"I beg to differ, Cyborg. You see, someone's paid me a pretty nice sum to keep you goody two-shoes out of this warehouse," she countered while pointing a thumb at the aforementioned warehouse.

"So you're working for whoever framed Robin," Argent suddenly burst out in fury. Raven almost burst out laughing at that one. Oh, you're so far off the mark there that you probably hit someone over in Europe,' she thought to herself in amusement.

"Whatever floats your boat," was all she said on the matter. The Titans had still not attacked, but Raven could easily see that they were very close to snapping now.

"We don't have time to waste on you, Raven. So last chance, step out of our way. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice," Cyborg threatened. Raven meanwhile stroked her chin in apparent thought, while her other hand discreetly crept into her belt.

"How about the fun way," she suddenly announced before she threw a flash bang straight at them. The whole team became blinded by the following bang, and Cyborg was the first to suffer the consequences as Raven came at him with a spinning kick that knocked him to the ground.

"Let's dance!" she loudly proclaimed before striking again.

Back inside the warehouse, Robin and his imposter were locked in a frenetic fight. The imposter swung his staff at Robin's legs, Robin jumped over and brought his own staff down. The imposter rolled clear of the attack and threw a trio of shurikens that Robin deflected.

"Shurikens? If you were out to copy me, at least have the decency to use the correct weapon," he chastised as he threw a birdarang at him, which was easily deflected.

"At least my tools serve a practical purpose, while yours just look silly," the imposter countered as he attacked with a wide swing that Robin parried. The imposter suddenly reversed grip and struck with the opposite end of the staff, landing a hit on Robin's shoulder.

He staggered back from the blow, but managed to dodge a follow-up swing before sidestepping a knee strike to his stomach. He counterattacked with and elbow to the imposter's head that was dodged.

But it forced the imposter back and gave Robin enough room to strike back again. He came at the imposter, swinging his Bo staff over his head like a propeller before bringing it down with all his strength.

The imposter sidestepped the attack, but was not prepared for Robin swinging it sideways, nailing him in the side. He fell back, clutching his bruised side in pain.

"And here I thought you would be a push-over," the imposter commented as he threw a smoke bomb to the ground, obscuring them both from sight. Robin remained unmoving, silently waiting for his opponent to make the first move.

He was not disappointed, as he felt a strike coming at him from behind. He swiftly ducked under it before ramming his staff backwards, forcing his attacker to back off.

"Glad to disappoint," Robin answered before striking back. A low swing was deflected, a thrust was sidestepped, a counter strike was dodged, a return blow was parried, a strike at the legs was jumped over, and a kick was blocked.

Then Robin was on the defensive again as the imposter attacked with a flurry of staff strikes and kicks.

"But don't think that will be enough to save you," the imposter taunted as he leaped over Robin and tried struck him in the back. Robin swiftly blocked the attack and pushed the imposter back.

"Wanna bet?" he challenged before he attacked with a war cry.

Outside, Raven backflipped to avoid a barrage of starbolts before forcing Starfire into cover with a burst from her guns. A roar from behind alerted her of Beast Boy's attack, and so she ducked under him as he leaped at her as a tiger, slamming a knee into his stomach along the way.

A sonic blast nearly hit her, had she not managed to leap clear. But the moment she landed on solid ground again, two massive crimson fists tried to grab her, and she was forced to weave back and forth to avoid them.

But she did manage to spot Argent, and she took advantage of that by firing a single shot that grazed her arm. It was only a flesh wound, but it broke her concentration and left her vulnerable.

Sadly, Raven never had the chance to exploit that vulnerability as Cyborg charged at her, fists wildly swinging at her. Alas, though far stronger than any normal human, he was far too slow to be able to hit someone like Raven.

"Seriously, that's the best you got? Birdy boy would be ashamed if he could see you now," she taunted as she kept dodging Cyborg's attacks. That only infuriated him further and made him attack with increased vigor.

Finally, Raven had had enough and so ducked under the nest swing and swept him off his feet. As he lay on his back in bewilderment, Raven aimed her gun at his head.

"End of the line for you," she said, right before she was forced to leap aside to avoid a tackle from Starfire. Though missing her target, Starfire was not discourage and came in for a second attack.

"Oh, you wanna play as well?" Raven questioned teasingly as Starfire came at her with a furious war cry. Raven sidestepped a dropkick that shattered the ground before landing a spinning kick to Starfire's face.

But Beast Boy had recovered now and attacked like a gorilla. Raven was forced to backpedal like crazy to avoid getting pummeled, but she was too slow to dodge a blast of crimson energy that struck her in the back.

She went down hard, but she turned her fall into a roll and came back up on her feet, a grenade held in each hand. She drew the pins out with her teeth before lobbing the grenades at her opponents, forcing them to scatter from the explosion.

Not that they were done fighting, not by a longshot. Beast Boy was already coming after her again, this time as a wolf. Once again, Raven evaded his lunge. But this time, he was more prepared and came at her again.

"Normally, I admire persistence in a boy when coming after me," Raven commented as she narrowly dodged Beast Bo. "But you're honestly not my type," with that comment, Raven pistol whipped Beast Boy across the face, causing him to revert to human form and fall back.

Starfire was more than happy to resume the attack, bombarding Raven with starbolt after starbolt. She narrowly kept dodging the attempts but one finally struck true and knocked Raven over.

"Okay, enough's enough, Raven announced from where she lay on the ground. She proceeded to jump back up on her feet, dodging a barrage of missiles from Cyborg in the process.

"It's been fun seeing you all again, but I gotta run now! See ya!" she called out happily before popping a smoke bomb. When it cleared, Raven was gone.

And back once again inside the warehouse, Robin and the imposter were still going at it with full force. Both were breathing heavily, and both were covered in bruises from head to toe, but neither was willing to back down just yet.

Robin blocked an overhead swing before striking out with a kick that forced him back. the imposter was then forced even further back as Robin attacked again and again with a flurry of strikes. But he accidentally overextended himself, and the imposter took quick advantage of that.

He reached out and grasped Robin's arm and yanked him forward, straight into a waiting knee that slammed into his stomach. He doubled over from the blow, but managed to land his own blow with his Bo staff that cracked the imposter's nose. They both ended up falling back to recover.

"I must admit, I never expected this much of a fight. No matter, as it stands right now, I will still win," the imposter arrogantly boasted, even as blood freely gushed out of his broken nose. At that Robin actually smiled.

"Maybe so, but who said I came here to face you alone?" he questioned as he looked at something behind the imposter. Naturally, he reacted by twirling around, ready to face whoever was trying to sneak up on him.

But as it turned out, there was no one there. Too late did he realize what had happened. 'I've been duped!' he turned back to face Robin as fast as he could, but he was not fast enough. All he saw was a boot getting bigger and bigger before it impacted against his face.

He flew back and slammed into a steel pillar, but Robin was not done just yet. He came at him with a knee to the stomach, causing him to double over with an audible gasp, before he slammed an elbow into his spine.

Needless to say, he went down after that and did not bother getting up again. With his opponent finally subdued, Robin hoisted him back up on his feet and slammed him back against the steel pillar.

"Alright, talk! Why have you been framing me?" he demanded from the dazed imposter. A slurred sentence was what he first received, as he was still trying to put his brain back in right order.

"Answer me!" Robin repeated forcefully, giving the imposter a bit of a shake for good measure.

"I was hired to do so," the imposter finally answered. It threw Robin for a loop.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"I was contacted by someone, who told me I would be paid handsomely to frame you for various crimes. I was even provided with a copy of your uniform and identical equipment, though I did skip on using those silly birdarangs of yours,"

During this whole explanation, Robin had been struck speechless. Someone had hired him for this? Who could possibly want that? Sure, he had plenty of enemies due to his status as a hero, but no one he knew of would be willing or able to go this far to get him.

"Who hired you then?" Robin questioned harshly, already going over likely suspects in his head.

"It was someone named…" that was as far as he got in his explanation, because it was then that a bullet went sailing straight through his skull. Robin jumped back in shock while the body fell lifelessly over.

Robin's frantic eyes went over every nook and cranny of the place, searching for the mysterious shooter, but he found none. Whoever had taken the shot was long gone by now. With no threat in sight, Robin's eyes found themselves wandering back to the imposter lying on the floor.

Whatever secrets he knew, he had taken with him to the grave.

A new day dawned on Jump City, and Robin stood in front of the huge windows of Titans Tower's living room to greet it. Once again adorned in his usual costume, he had retaken he place on the team now that his name had been cleared.

They had managed to squeeze enough of the truth out of that slimy Fred, and the dead imposter had been more than enough evidence to clear Robin of all charges. But despite that, he could not put the whole thing behind him.

That imposter had only been a pawn, a tool to be used. The real mastermind behind the whole plot was still out there, doing who knows what.

"Robin? Are you well?" the ever concerned Starfire asked softly as she came to stand next to him.

"Someone wanted me framed for these crimes, and he's still out there. He knows about me, yet I know nothing about him," Robin said disgruntledly as he glared out at the city beyond the water. A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder.

"But it's over now, yes? Your name has been cleared" she tried to encourage him. A resigned sigh came from Robin at that moment.

"I know, Star. But I just don't like the feeling of having to wait for this mysterious new enemy to come to me," he admitted.

"And next time he comes, we'll be ready for him, and we'll be with you the whole way," Starfire assured him, which brought out a grateful smile from Robin.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, bringing a small blush to Starfire's cheeks. They then proceeded to walk back to the kitchen, where the rest of the team was already gathered. Robin walked towards the fridge, intending to grab something to eat for himself, and finding Cyborg already there making a sandwich.

"Hey Rob, you never did tell us where you were" Cyborg suddenly said, the rest of the team not hearing his words from where they sat around the table.

"What?" Robin asked in confusion, clearly having no idea what Cyborg was talking about.

"When this whole mess started, you did not want to tell us where you'd been the whole time the imposter ran around tarnishing your name," Cyborg elaborated. Once Robin realized what exactly Cyborg was referring to, his cheeks gained a distinct red color to them.

"That's personal stuff," he tried to explain, but Cyborg would have none of that.

"Come on, man. After all the trouble we went through to save your sorry ass, the least you can do is tell us," he pressed on. For once, Robin admitted himself defeated.

"Alright. I was…" the rest of his sentence was mumbled so quietly that Cyborg could not hear it.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he requested, now greatly intrigued as to what it might be. Face growing redder every minute, Robin gestured for Cyborg to come closer before whispering the truth in his ear.

A few moments of silence followed, as Cyborg stood there with wide eyes. Then, he burst out laughing, like he had heard the funniest joke in existence.

"Hey guys, guess what Robin's been up to?" he called out to the rest of the team. Once he told them what Robin had just said, they all stared wide-eyed at their leader before they too burst out laughing at him. Well, except Starfire, who looked completely clueless.

Face now red as a tomato, Robin swiftly fled the field, his friends' laughter following him all the way out of the living room.

In hindsight, that small moment of humiliation proved to be the perfect excuse to temporarily leave Titans Tower without having one of his friends following him. don't get him wrong, he cared for them deeply, and trusted them with his life. But this was a business best left between him and the one he was meeting.

So there he was, standing on the roof of some rundown apartment complex in the less than stellar neighborhoods of Jump City with a briefcase in hand.

"You know, for a while there, I thought you wouldn't show up," the unmistakable voice of Raven commented as she stepped into the open.

"You disappeared during the fight down at the docks," Robin accused with an angry glare, receiving an uncaring shrug.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but that little team of yours was getting a bit too much for me to handle alone. So I decided I had bought you enough time to do whatever the hell you did and scrammed," she explained unapologetically.

"Shouldn't have expected anything less from a mercenary," Robin said before he threw the briefcase he was carrying at Raven, who easily caught it.

"30 000, as agreed upon," he stated sourly as Raven opened the briefcase to inspect the money within. Her face split into a wide grin at the sight of the neatly stacked wads of bills.

"Well hello there, beautiful," she coed before closing the briefcase and facing Robin. "And you'll keep the rest of our agreement as well?" a tense silence passed between them, one which caused Raven's hands to gravitate towards her holstered guns.

"You know, I would love nothing more than to beat you up right now, slap you in handcuffs and lock you up in the deepest hole I can find before throwing the keys away," Robin admitted, further increasing the tension between them.

"Will you then?" Raven questioned with narrowed eyes. Once again, silence passed between them.

"No, I won't. Not this time, at least," he grudgingly assured her, bringing back the wide smile to her face.

"And whoever said chivalry was dead?" she asked in amusement before picking up the briefcase. "Well, it's been fun making business with you, bird boy. do call me again if you ever feel the fancy to do this again," with that cheeky comment, she turned and walked away.

"One last thing, Raven," Robin suddenly stopped her in her tracks with his words. "I find it a little odd that just as my imposter was about to reveal who hired him, he gets shot in the head," that statement was accompanied by an accusing glare directed at Raven, one she easily spotted.

"Are you trying to accuse me of something here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, but Robin never once let up on his accusing glare.

"Did you happen to see anyone else at the docks, one who happened to carry a gun or two?" he asked of her. They ended up staring each other down for a few moments before Raven shrugged her shoulders.

"Can't say that I did. Sorry," she answered nonchalantly before leaping off the roof and disappearing into the alleys beneath. Robin meanwhile remained where he was, still glaring accusingly at where Raven had been standing.

Then, he too left, heading back to Titans Tower.

Meanwhile, Raven did not get overly far before she ran into someone else. It was as she was strolling through a particularly dark alley that she suddenly halted in her steps. Faster than you cold blink, she had spun around and drawn one of her guns.

"Step into the light," she ordered firmly as she aimed at a particularly dark shadow.

"No reason for that, young lady, I'm not here to fight you," a smooth and cultural voice answered before owner of said voice stepped into view. It was an elderly man, dressed in white robes and bearing a charming smile on his lips. Raven was not so easily fooled.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously, still aiming her gun at him. If he was bothered by that gesture, he gave no indication of it.

"Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Brother Blood, and I'm the new headmaster at H.I.V.E. Academy," he answered with a polite bow. It caused Rave to raise a skeptic eyebrow.

"H.I.V.E.? What the hell would you guys want with me? In case you haven't got the memo, I graduated months ago, I no longer have any ties or obligations to the Academy," she pointed out, still not lowering his gun.

"Yes, I am quite aware of that, Raven. However, after the untimely demise of Slade, I've heard that you're out of a job. And as it so happens, I'm in need of someone with your set of skills," Blood revealed. But Raven was not all that convinced just yet.

"I don't know, I happen to do fine on my own here," she answered dubiously, not fully trusting this Blood fellow.

"Come now, won't you reconsider? I can assure you, you won't regret it," as he said his honeyed words, his eyes began to glow red, and Raven suddenly felt the urge to comply with his requests.

"Well, I guess I don't have anything better to do, anyway," Raven found herself saying as she lowered her gun and holstered it. A satisfied smile promptly split Brother Blood's face.

"Excellent. Now if you'll come with me, we can sort the details out," he announced before turning around and walking away. The moment his back was turned, Raven managed to wrench herself free from whatever control she had been put under.

'What the hell was that?' she asked herself as she glared at Brother Blood's back. the bastard had tried to control her mind! 'Alright pal, I don't know who you think you are and I don't even care, NO ONE messes with my head,' she thought with fury.

Nevertheless, she followed after the headmaster, pretending to still be a good little brainwashed servant. 'Don't know what your endgame here is, but I'll find out. Better watch your back from now on, 'cause i don't forget easily, nor forgive,'