Volte-Face

For the record, a volte-face is a "reversal" or "sudden turnaround," and oui, it's French. (Nice job, Ghostie!)

lumpster the dumpster
BipolarPenguins- Haha, Vol-tee-Fah-say? :D I think we decided it was "volt fahs"...
APurpleAvacado- Nope, no smooching. Yet.
Xment2bursX- I love your reviews. (Just putting it out there.) They make me so happy... And y'know, I tried to make some joke about the thermometer, but it just wouldn't work no matter what I did! Which was a letdown, obviously. But I'm glad you caught the innuendo on your own... Thermometers are extremely sexual objects, that's all it is.
FREAKSHOW1- Haha, "knave"...
Arwen16
GoldenMerlin- I'm glad you're beginning to like reading complicated, long stories... because I love writing them. ;)
A Forgotten Ghost- The denial kills me too... but I thrive on it. And I love how you reviewed 3 times... You're adorable. xD
Mutou Yasu- Michael is Kegan's boyfriend. :D See the "Previously, on Volte-Face" section below...
meurchan
Symmetrical
Mizaz
Black Ice- I'll try to keep Kegan and Michael safe, then. :)
des-ka
Yun-Ah
D Willims
Only Forever- Where to even begin! "Thank you" can't cover it... I'm sorry I distracted you from your English book (How long did it take you to read 15 chapters and write a monster-sized review?!) but I'm glad you fully enjoyed yourself, at least! And then you succinctly showered me with ridiculous amounts of praise, and made my day, and... Well, I guess I just hope the rest of the chapters will be just as pleasing (and updated a little faster)!

(Thanking nobody just doesn't work out for me. 8D)

I'm incredibly sorry for the wait. July to December is far too long… And I'm especially sorry it wasn't up by November 23rd. I feel really bad about that (it was my intention… but my intentions were forgotten amidst my schoolwork). The fact is, I write most of a chapter, and then the last 500 words can't seem to make it into a Word document, and then the chapter gets lost completely, and… But five months is absurd. I'll try to do better, okay? Don't let me not update!!!

Previously, on Volte-Face: Kegan is the ex-Red X and, to clear up the confusion, Michael is Kegan's boyfriend. (I didn't mention that earlier, so your stupefaction was warranted. I assumed the conversation about "love" and "Michael" and "Robin's problem with gays" would be clear enough.) Raven had a vision, which Karen and Robin are informed of. Roy (who currently has a cold) and Garth don't know very much. Raven said she'd tell Roy about the vision if Robin couldn't find a link between Slade and Roy. Kegan (Red X) put cameras in Roy's room because Slade threatened him into it, but he purposely got himself caught on the security cameras, because he's a sweetheart. (I hope that helps all you senile young people. :D)

On one last note (I swear I'm almost done!), the quote is 90% foreshadowing, so wait until the end of the chapter to think about it. The connection is not subtle.

Let's begin!

"The smallest fact is a window through which the infinite may be seen."
—Aldous Huxley

Speedy wasn't quite as put-together as he normally was when Robin came into the conference room, but the Boy Wonder quickly noticed the red nose and sniffling, and ignored the difference in appearance. There were more important things to discuss, like Roy's sudden arrival at the West Tower.

"Raven said you brought a video of some kind?" Robin asked. He sat at the head of the table as Roy took a tiny silver cassette from his pocket.

"I brought this," Roy muttered, putting the tape into the machine, "but I don't know what it means. No one has seen it but me, and now you. Karen wouldn't let me out of the Tower if she knew."

"Knew what? Why wouldn't…" Robin quieted when the tape started. "Wait—what does your room have to—"

"Look at the time stamp," Roy directed. The screen twitched black for a moment, and the clock in the corner jumped forward a few minutes when the room returned to normal.

"It was just a glitch," Robin shrugged. "It happens."

He rewound the tape. "Now watch my bed." During the blackout, the crumpled covers and splayed pillows became abruptly pristine. Roy paused the tape and pointed profoundly at the screen. "See?"

"Am I supposed to be shocked you made your bed?" Robin laughed. "Bravo?"

"You're a dumbass," the archer groaned, playing the tape. "I was at breakfast while this was happening. Now look"—a man appeared on the screen—"right there."

"Stop the tape," Robin murmured, standing to move closer to the image. He squinted at the waving person. "Give me the remote," he ordered, and Roy complied. The leader zoomed on the man's face with a sigh.

"D'you know who he is?"

Robin nodded, mouth agape. "But what is he doing in your room? Especially since he's…" He shook his head. "I can't believe this."

The door opened behind them, and Raven appeared in it. Robin shut off the screen and turned toward her, but Raven threw him a dark look.

"What was that?" she asked, leaning in the doorway to get a better look at them both. "Why can't I see what you were just—"

"Not yet," Robin told her, holding up a hand. "Can you take Roy for a while? Make him some tea or something—he's sick—while I make some calls."

"I don't need her to babysit me," Roy argued. "You aren't even going to tell me what you know?"

"I need to make some calls," Robin repeated with more emphasis. "But Raven? I may have found our link."

"What the hell does that mean?" Roy asked, but Raven had already begun to tug him into the hallway. "Hey—no—wait a second—"

Robin turned back to the screen after the door closed, taking one last look at the man on it before he ejected the tape and got out his phone.

—

Kegan should've known better than to go out in public after doing a favor for Slade, but Michael had stayed at his apartment until late in the afternoon, when Kegan was supposed to get dressed and leave for his job at a little French eatery downtown. There was no way for him to tell Michael he wasn't going into work without explaining something—even after being a criminal for so many years, Kegan couldn't lie to people who knew him—and so there he was at four o'clock sharp, in his white shirt and black pants, a tray of steaming appetizers balanced on his palm.

Trouble didn't surface at the restaurant until half an hour later, when one of his coworkers said someone had asked for him at table 12—a real creep, apparently, all incognito in sunglasses and a dark jacket.

Kegan swept toward the table, hoping that it wasn't one of Slade's minions, hoping that maybe the minion wouldn't have the audacity to kill in such a public location. But when he saw the supposed 'creep' in the booth, he started laughing, and sunk into a seat across the table.

"Wow," Kegan grinned. "If it isn't little Dickie Grayson… It's been too long, kid."

"Do I still qualify as a kid?" the Boy Wonder asked. "I mean, it was okay when I was 14, but now…"

Kegan chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

Robin took the cassette from his pocket and slid it across the table. His expression was serious again. "You can tell me what you were doing in one of my teammate's rooms this morning, or why you blatantly waved at the camera, or made his bed. Aren't you retired?"

"Ah, the Harper kid…" Kegan shrugged. "It was a plant job—for bugs, cameras, whatever."

"Who sent you?"

Kegan rolled his eyes. "Who else would want a plant job, Grayson? It was Slade."

"But you're retired, aren't you?"

Kegan played with the button on his sleeve and shook his head, meeting Robin's gaze only after a long minute. "When the bastard wants something done, he makes sure it gets done. I had to keep my new life separate from my old life. You wouldn't get it."

Robin snorted. "You wanted to keep your new life separate, so you jumped right back into your old one?"

Kegan's expression hardened, a rare glimpse of his solemn self. "I wanted to keep my new life safe," he explained slowly. "When you're having a nice dinner and he has a bomb planted under the seat of your date's chair, you do what he tells you. It's never black and white, kid. Never."

Robin sighed, taking off his sunglasses to rub his eyes. "So Michael knows everything about you?"

Kegan went abruptly still. "How—"

"I did a background check before I came here, just to make sure you weren't completely in league with Slade. The name came up, I looked into it, but it's not like I hunted him down."

"Oh." The blonde wasn't entirely assuaged, but it was better than the answer he was expecting. "And the answer is no, he doesn't know anything. That's what I meant by keeping my new life separate. He doesn't know, and I have no intention of telling him. So don't get any ideas, got it?"

"Got it," Robin said with the slightest laugh. "And I don't suppose Slade gave a reason for the job…"

"None, sorry." Kegan ran his hands through his hair, mussed it a little. "He gave me the Harper kid's file, but it was gone as soon as I got back home. It just had his history, police record—which is impressive, for a Titan!—height, weight, news articles… Anyone with a brain could get that info."

"You can't think of a reason why? At all?"

Kegan sighed. "Grayson, I'm thinking the same thing you are. He probably wants a new apprentice. I don't suppose the Harper kid is making waves among the team, is he? You know that Slade can smell team conflict a continent away…"

Robin frowned. He had had that thought himself, but hearing someone else confirm it as a possibility made the situation seem worse. "He's not making waves, exactly…"

"But…? You think he will," Kegan guessed. "You found a seer that had a vision, right?"

"It was Raven. And I think it might turn bad, really ba—"

Kegan slammed a hand on the table. "Don't you dare tell me anything," he said quickly. "If you tell me, that bastard Slade will find out, and then he'll do things—"

"Michael will be in danger and you'll have to tell Slade what I said. I understand." Robin nodded grimly. "Love is a weakness."

Kegan laughed. "Not when you have a warrior princess like Starfire, it isn't. But I have a lawyer—not exactly the fighting type." He thought for a second, and gave a crooked grin. "Since when are you so cool with gays, Grayson? Last time I checked, the Bat raised you straight as an arrow. Have you been toeing the line, kid? Trying out the greener side of the fence? Coming outside the closet for some—"

"No," Robin said firmly. "There's just been… interesting developments on the team recently."

"You already flipped your shit about it, then." Kegan picked up the tape and began yanking out the film. "Am I right?"

Robin had to chuckle. "I admit," he said agreeably, "there may have been a little bit of shit-flipping. What are you doing with that tape?"

"Getting rid of it." Kegan ripped the last of the brown film from the cassette and piled it neatly inside an ashtray, setting it on fire with the lighter from his pocket. "That okay with you?"

"Sure. A little warning might be nice though, if—"

"Hey Kegan," a voice called from a few steps away. It was a waiter with a tray full of drinks, and he didn't look happy. "If you don't mind, could you maybe work a little, not just chat? Your friend can come back during break."

"Yeah, sorry," Kegan said, sarcasm hidden in his sincerity. He turned back to Robin once the waiter was gone. "New guy, complete asswipe, but he's right. You know how to find me, Grayson."

Robin stood, shook the hand Kegan had extended. "But I hope I won't need to." He sighed, replacing his sunglasses before disappearing into the street.

—

Karen froze in the doorway of the main room, spotting the crouching twins as soon as she stepped through the hydraulic doors. Mas beckoned her over while Menos held a finger to his lips, keeping her silent.

"What're you doing?" she whispered, and then something fluttered by the couch. Karen jerked upright to see the Atlantean perched on the sofa, magazine in hand, staring her down with a black gaze. The twins scampered into the hallway, giggling to themselves.

"What were they doing?" Garth asked, sitting straight.

She shrugged and went toward the refrigerator. "Being little weirdoes? Watching you? I have no idea. D'you want a soda?"

"No."

The tension in that single syllable was apparent; Karen closed the fridge and sighed. "What now?"

Garth looked surprised. "What?"

"Boys," she muttered to herself, taking a seat by him on the couch. "What's wrong with you now? What did Speedy do?"

"What makes you think he did something?" His voice was laden with stress, and he knew it as soon as the words left his mouth. Karen shot him a dark look. "Fine," he conceded, "I'm frustrated, but I don't know why. Maybe it has to do with Speedy, maybe it doesn't. It's just…" He shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Karen's lips drew into a tight line. "Well he's sick, so if he's being weird, it's only temporary." Or it could be because he likes you too much, or because he's about to betray the team. Either way.

Garth nodded a little, unconvinced.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered.

"I don't know what to say." He tossed his magazine onto the coffee table and wandered to the enormous windows, looking out over the bay. "By Poseidon, I just want to know what's happening to everyone. Speedy's in love with someone, and that's somehow a problem—but I don't know who or why—and Raven keeps intervening, and you all know something I don't." He looked over his shoulder. "Why can't I know?"

Karen's expression was soft with sympathy, her tone gentle. "We're just taking orders from Robin. It's… it's his department, you could say."

"Is it Slade?" Aqualad turned around fully, surprised. "Slade's back?"

"No," she said, but then after a moment, "Kind of. We don't know. Raven had a vision."

"About Roy? That's why he keeps going to see her," he said without waiting for affirmation. "Slade's… after him? What did Roy do?"

Karen frowned a little, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry we're keeping things from you," she said after a long minute. "But I really can't talk about this with you, at least not yet."

"So you'll tell me eventually?" Garth asked.

His question seemed optimistic, and Karen had to nod. Truthfully, she didn't know when eventually would come, or when Robin and Raven would figure this all out… or even if the vision would come true. It was the least she could do to keep her team sated. "When Speedy gets back," she said abruptly, when Garth started to leave the room, "try not to pressure him… He's sick, he's lost, and he needs friends, not interrogations. Which, unfortunately, is all the Westers are doing."

"I'll play nice—but why are Robin and the gang taking this that seriously?"

Bee had to think, and to censor, before she said anything. "They have to, if Raven's vision is really coming true."

"So it's b—"

"Aqualad, I really can't…" Karen got up from the couch, shaking her head. "If I could tell you—"

"By the gods, I understand," Garth laughed, holding up his hands, turning back toward the hallway. "No use alarming the peanut gallery when you guys don't know anything. I'll lay off Speedy, all right?"

Karen watched his retreating back until the doors closed behind it, nodding slightly to herself. And yet there was a feeling nagging at the back of her mind, trying to tell her that there was something more to the story, that something was about to go completely wrong. Maybe it was because she lied to Garth—but maybe it was because she had told the Atlantean that small amount of info, even when the Westers had expressly told her not, under any circumstances, to give out information regarding Roy. Still, what harm could such insignificant facts do?

It's just guilt, she surmised. Nothing to be anxious about…

So I know Kegan's just getting into this story, and you don't know him/Michael very well, but I'll just say now that 1. he's going to be a big part of this story, 2. you'll end up loving him (because I do!), 3. he will have his own troubles, and lastly 4. I might end up writing an entire story about him once Volte-Face is over. (Of course, V-F won't be over for a long time…) It would start way back when Kegan was 17 and show how he met Michael (which I know, and you don't :P), etcetera etcetera. The only difference would be their ages… because I liked them better when Kegan was the jailbait teen that Michael fell in love with while on a court case. (Which, once again, I know about, and you're just waiting for me to stop rambling.) Ah well.

Actually, you know what? I just remembered that "Kagan" was Rayne's father in Bloodrayne. Maybe that's where I heard the name... (Huhhh.)

For this chapter, I highly recommend "Torchwood" as a TV show. It's a spinoff of Dr. Who (which I've never seen), but John Barrowman is the sweetest, funniest, most endearing man on the planet. And he goes both ways, so that's always fun. (Insert plug for Jack/Ianto here…) I would honestly move to the UK just to watch season three in 2009…

The Volte-Face formula:
Carnifax PLUS reviews EQUALS happy Carnifax! EQUALS chapter 17!