59. Full Circle part 6

"Please. Stop defending him! It is obvious that the one called 'Noir' has converted over to Slade's side. I for one believe that you should have stuck to your past resolves in pointing out the possible malevolence in that young man as a Titan!"

' "But you don't understand where I'm coming from, Mr. Bringham! What I'm trying to tell you and the audience right now is that the issue is not that simple!! If you were to see these teenagers fighting crime up close and personal, you would understand that there are many complex…intense elements at play in their lives! I saw Noir defend an innocent citizen before! It was not pretty, but he got the job done. He forced himself into a harrowing situation and proved himself worthy."


" Then consider yourself one of the many betrayed citizens of this City suffering from the shock of the running-rampant Wyldecarde in our midst!! We once believed in Noir as a Titan ourselves, but our trust was ripped asunder by the actions that—as seen plainly on camera—he has chosen to do! You, Mr. Glover, were one of the rarities to publicly try and denounce the Titans! I do not see how your pain is equal to that of every other citizen in this City who—from the very beginning—did nothing but believe whole-heartedly in the goodness of the Titans' hearts!"

"When I speak out concerning Noir now, it is not to emphasize an opinion solely of my own like I used to in the old days. Please believe me, Bringham, I'm just saying that we—as a City—need to sit back and think. 'Why is Noir doing this'? 'Why is he doing this to his friends and the people he once protected'? Tell me just what good could come out of Noir's assistance of Slade?"

"The same good that could have come out of Terra's betrayal. Complete wastefulness and absurdity."

"Gentlemen…I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrupt you. Time is almost up. Ladies and gentlemen, please join us tomorrow as we continue this heated debate. 'Wyldecarde: Bitter Traitor or Villain from the Beginning?' Some added details concerning the next debate will be broadcasted tomorrow on the radio at 8. pm. Thanks for watching 'The Weekly Table'. I'm Phill Garrison. Good night."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Blake Glover and his coworker stepped out of the elevator and walked briskly through the parking garage that evening. Glover tugged a suitcase by his side. He was in a hurry…not necessarily out of impatience but rather preoccupation. His coworker struggled to catch up.

"I haven't seen you this irate since before your vacation," the man addressed him. "If I may ask, sir…why the constant obsession over Wyldecarde? Even when he was 'Noir' with the Teen Titans, you couldn't stop talking about him on the air."

"You wouldn't understand, Avery…," Glover huffed. "Nobody would understand. Not unless you were there to see what true heroism is."

"I hate to hear myself say this, sir," Avery blinked. "But isn't your point of view rather biased? I-I mean it almost sounds like you're admitting it!"

They stopped at Glover's car.

The old journalist looked at his partner as he fumbled for keys and spoke: "Then maybe I'm biased. My days as a journalist are coming to a wicked close, Avery. I don't know if you've heard…but the latest tests from my lung doctor are in. I frankly can't afford to spend too much time being cynical anymore…"

Avery glanced down solemnly. "I hear you, sir…"

"Do me a favor…"

"Anything, Mr. Glover."

"As soon as you catch any sign of Wyldecarde's appearances….ANY….," Glover opened the car door, leaned over, and pointed. "You contact me, you here? Contact me and I'll round up the boys and we'll see if we can get up close and personal to Wyldecarde again so that everyone will have the footage to see and turn biased themselves!"

"What do you hope to find in that fiend, sir?" Avery asked as Glover stepped into his car, started it up, and rolled the window down. "What can possibly be more sensational than a traitor?"

Glover glanced at the man as he gripped the wheel. His mouth hung open…and he smirked slightly. "What's more sensational than a traitor? How about a 'mock' traitor?"

"Sir??"

"I have a hunch, Avery…," Glover checked the rear view mirror. "And though I may be a dying journalist, I am an experienced one. And a journalist always follows a hunch…"

He backed up into the main avenue of the parking garage, shifted gears, and cruised downhill.

Avery watched silently.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Flip!

Clip! Snap!

Flip! Clip!

Snap!!

Flip!

Clip! Snap!

Jinx sat on the edge of the frigate in mysterious waters. Her feet dangled over the side of the hull as she absent-mindedly opened, closed, and reopened the locket featuring her happy sisters' faces.

Her tired cat eyes wandered the glossy surface of the photo. She took a deep breath and closed it one last time. Her lips pursed as she slowly turned around and stared at the sealed cabin.

She wondered what type of conversation was taking place inside….

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"I can see what he is trying to do now….," Slade uttered as he paced across the black room.

Dagger's face rested on a nearby t.v. screen. Deadpan….listening…

"After all this time we spent tricking the Titans into putting the blame on him…Wyldecarde is attempting to reverse the spell. He's trying to rehex the hex and slam it in our faces."

"Seemed like he did a good job of it too," Dagger said.

"I implore you to cease in taking his side, Dagger," Slade came to a stop and glared at him with his mask's one eye. "At this point in time I would greatly need your cooperation."

"By all means…go on," the criminal lord nodded.

"Yes…my apprentice and I were unprepared," Slade said. He clenched his fist. "But I count it all as merely learning. I have always known and will always know more about this situation and the Experiment than Wyldecarde. It is the nature of constantly being one step ahead of him that makes us powerful. The fact of the matter is…I know where I will strike next. Such a future revelation is not up to him. Even if he were to catch up, he'd still be bound by the mechanics of karma. Now…Wyldecarde's one strength in this situation is that he's as much of an enemy in the Titans' eyes as I am now. When Noir was banished, I expected him to leave. From what you told me about him, it seemed only his natural choice to go back to life on his own. But apparently a friendship with the Titans polluted his mind. He is much more…extroverted than we give him credit for. Thus he's decided to do the foolish act of playing masked criminal to throw off the Titans into a greater level of suspicion than either you or I have anticipated."

"Do you always talk this much when facing an obstacle?" Dagger gestured.

Slade glared. "This is not an obstacle, my friend. I assure you. It is merely an annoyance."

"Why not send the Titans a transmission? Deny all involvement with Wyldecarde. Set them on the path to pursue you more than him?"

"You are missing the point, Dagger," Slade replied. "As far as I wanted the Titans to know, Wyldecarde IS my Third Apprentice! It is his betrayal alone that blinds them! And I need the Titans blinded so that I can draw them into my trap!"

"Just one more exposure to carbonite……"

Slade's helmet nodded. "Just one more exposure to carbonite and they'll be mine once more. All of them will be mine. To publicly oppose Noir would be to undo the prime component of my deceit. The Titans would collapse in on themselves, start over, and get nowhere near to becoming parts of the Experiment. I rely on Jinx because—like Wyldecarde—she can perform under the shroud of stealth. But—unlike Wyldecarde—her powers allow her to bend karma and leave the scene of a crime without a trace. Her very finger of intervention is nothing more than a coincidence or a product of cause and effect in the Titans' narrowed vision. To reveal her as the Third Apprentice would be just about as damaging as revealing Wyldecarde to NOT be the Third Apprentice. You see…there is an ounce of risk involved…but something clearly defined for us to avoid, at least."

"I am concerned over what you plan to do now…," Dagger remarked. "What steps are you going to take next to finally ensnare the Titans? And what assurance do you have that Wyldecarde will not intervene again?"

"Honestly, I have no such assurance, Dagger…," Slade calmly stated. "Which is why I must raise the stakes. I only have so much carbonite left, and I must devise a way to make a threat so urgent that the Titans will forego all other actions—including a battle with Wyldecarde—and pursue me foremost." Slade extended his hand and whipped out a communicator. He spoke into it. "Jinx…please come in and join us."

"On my way, Master."

Slade pocketed the communicator and spoke at Dagger without looking. "And…if worse comes to worse…I will be needing your assistance, Dagger."

"My assistance? Again? Slade…what more do you want from me?"

Slade turned and glanced over his shoulder. "You know where the boy is, don't you? You always know where the boy is."

"Both you and I know that."

"Why can't you relay that information to me on a regular basis?"

"The boy's not yours to monitor twenty four/seven. If such is what you desire, attempt getting to know him at least four years in advance like I have."

"Regardless…your expertise in surveillance and……criminal organization would be most helpful in the heat of things," Slade's eye narrowed.

"You are on your own on this one, Slade. Just as you most like it."

"Tis a pity…," Slade muttered. "I was hoping our friendship would persist indefinitely…"

The hatch opened. A sliver of light cut through the shadow of Jinx as the sorceress girl-stepped in and stood before Slade. "Y-You needed to see me, sir?"

"Jinx…you've had a long and tiring day," Slade held his hands up and spoke gently. "I feel you deserve a break from giving Dagger's men more of your hex for their vials. How about resting earlier this evening?"

Jinx gasped. She happily clasped her hands together. "You mean….I-I don't have to go into the machine tonight?"

"Not at all. You are free to retire and rest up for tomorrow's plans…," Slade looked at Dagger as he spoke to the girl. "In fact…I think Dagger has had enough of his……..jarred goods. Perhaps you don't need to step into that machine ever again, apprentice…."

At hearing that, Jinx blinked. She knew this was all just a bluff being called. She stared up at Dagger's face alongside Slade with her round, cat eyes.

Dagger stared. He actually blinked. He sighed. "I see where this is going, Slade…"

"That's good to know…," the terrorist slurred. "Care to inform me how you would rather see it instead?"

A beat.

"Allright…," Dagger consented. "Tell me exactly what you need and how much of it…"

"Just what I thought," Slade nodded. "Now that's a good friend…."

"Um…..," Jinx meekly blushed. "D-Do I really have to go into the machine tonight M-Master?"

Slade looked down at her. A pause. "No," he consented. "Not this night, Apprentice. That word…I can give you."

She nodded, sighed depressingly, and walked off.

"Oh Jinx…"

The Third Apprenticed stopped, swiveled, and looked up.

Slade stared at her. "Tomorrow we broadcast to the Titans. We will threaten to use three more of our missiles. I have every reason to believe now that Wyldecarde will be most interested in intervening. Can I trust on you to be there to squash him out?"

A beat.

Jinx suddenly brightened again. She jerked a hand and bore a girlish grin. "Squashed like a grape!"

"Sweet dreams, Apprentice," Slade uttered. "Tomorrow morning, you wake up to create a nightmare…."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The tangled up bits of radio crackled forth a column of snow through the speakers as everything got distorted. A loud hissing sound emanated from the mangled gadget.

I winced…shut the radio off…and placed it down on the table, silent. I took a deep breath and slumped back…sitting on the cot with my back to the wall in the rear of Renee's and Daniel's pawn shop. I hugged myself while black eyes circled the scenery. The night was still and disheartening.

I couldn't sleep.

I got up and stepped over towards a table on the far side of the tiny place where I was staying. In candlelight, I observed two days of my handiwork. Mesh of metal and wiring and electronic equipment were all jumbled together in various tools and fashions indiscernible to the casual eye, and yet they still served mysterious purposes to me in a couple of different ways. They needed some tweaking. I picked up what looked like a tiny satellite dish made out of blender blades and started screwing on another attachment.

Halfway through this task, my black eyes spotted a green glow reflecting off the metal of the instruments I was working on.

My brow furrowed.

I grabbed a baseball bat off the table, charged it with murk, and spun around with it held high.

The Messenger stood still. His almond eyes squinted from across the room. "Look…I know it's baseball season…but try using something less homo sapien as the ball, please? For my sake?"

I blinked. I glanced at the rear door. I glanced towards the front. I looked at him again.

"Don't ask…," he mumbled. "Lord knows I don't."

I dropped the bat with a clank!, sighed, and waved tiredly at him.

"Yes, 'greetings'," he waved back. "Salutations. Good tidings of joy and 'peace be unto you'." He took a firm step forward, his eyes knotting. "Now that the introduction is once again over with, how about I sit back and let you tell me what in the bloody virgin mary Hell you think you're up to?!?!?!"

I smirked sarcastically, turned around, and went back to work on tweaking my 'devices'.

"Hey!! I'm serious!!" he barked from behind me. "I've told you a bunch of absurd koans in our time of talking to each other, but what you're doing now defies all manners of friggin' logic!! I know I suggested that you be the one wildcard to break Slade's cycle, Noir, but it wasn't my intent for you to turn around and beat your friends up about it!! For the love of all that is holy and carbonated and graduated with the PHD of 'Pepper!'" He cackled and stepped up towards my back. "What are you trying to do with this 'Third Apprentice' bit?! What are you trying to prove?!"

I sighed frustratingly and ignored him. I focused on my work.

"Hey! Noir! Remember me?! Ya know…mysterious asian guy who smiles too much and appears out of nowhere to set things straight in that discombobulated skull of yours?! I'm talking to you here!! What you're doing is nuts!! It's like schizophrenic suicide!! Won't you reconsider?!"

I didn't think he honestly read any of my sign language. So, without looking, I gave him one gesture that he would understand.

The Messenger frowned. He marched over, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me around. "Quit your clowning!"

I gritted my teeth. With a blurred arm I tossed him back, clenched my fists, and stood threateningly above him.

The Messenger's brown eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, breathing in a frightened manner.

I glared at him…but slowly my black eyes narrowed and I looked depressingly down to the side. I fumed.

"So…..Noir is dead….what a shame….," the Messenger said breathily. "He was a young man I truly…truly believed in. Always there for his friends. Selfless. Caring. Always a great swordsman in battle who defended his teammates and sacrificed himself for the innocent at all costs. But you wouldn't have liked him, Wyldecarde."

Seething, I glared up at him as he spoke.

"You wouldn't have liked his boundless love," Messenger spoke to 'Wyldecarde'. "You would have scoffed at him for giving his all for his friends. Friends…who—in spite of all the things he did to prove himself—rejected him in an emotional heartbeat. Friends whom he loves dearly, even though they treated him like shit for things even they know—deep down in their shadowed hearts—he didn't do."

I breathed heavier and heavier. My fists shook. I tried not to look at him.

But the Messenger's face washed over with a sort of awe and revelation as he continued in spite of himself: "You would have hated Noir for being so foolish. It's because you're different, Wyldecarde. You….you hate those Titans, don't you?"

I glared at him.

I shook.

"You hate those Titans for what they did to you….and what you're doing now is nothing short of cold, hateful revenge."

WHUMP!!

I exhaled. My black eyes blinked. I hadn't realized until I heard the sound that I had rushed over and slammed the Messenger up against the wall by the collar. I was sweating.

He calmly looked up at me. "Did I hit a sour note, Wyldecarde? If what I said was the truth…you wouldn't be shoving me around like this. Because you're evil. And evil people don't deny that which they want to be." His almond eyes narrowed and he whispered: "Noir is still alive, isn't he? Still selfless. Still ticking inside that mesh of metal and rust you call an 'apprentice of Slade' outfit everynight. And that ghost of Noir…he still loves his friends. And that's why you're always hurting and being hurt, isn't it, Wyldecarde? Because Noir won't admit that—no matter how much he loves his friends—they betrayed him. They betrayed him cold-heartedly….ignorantly…and selfishly…"

I let go of him. My skin was pale. I wandered sickly across the room. Panting.

The Messenger swallowed. "I don't know where you're going with this. As long as you get some place. And at this point….you know…what good would it be to win back the love of the Titans which has always…always…been so shallow."

My body shook again.

I just couldn't believe that….

"Are they worth it….Wyldecarde?"

I grabbed a toaster off a rack of backstock, flung around, and tossed it at the Messenger in a superheated, silent growl.

CLANG!!!

The apparatus struck the wall hard, fell apart, and clattered to the floor.

The Messenger was gone.

I panted…sweating…shaking.

A soreness spread through my empty throat. I gripped it. I felt the scar. But that was only a mask.

There were more scars…..so…so many more.

I fell to my knees and my whole body quivered. My black eyes clenched shut as hot streams of tears screamed their way out. I hiccupped and shook. Wilting into myself.

The Titans……the Titans……I could not stop thinking about the Titans…

I was oblivious to the light in the rest of the building turning on and a soft set of footsteps coming down.

"Noir??" Renee's voice softly said as she entered the back room. "We heard a crashing noise. Was th-there someone here?"

She froze as she saw me.

I slitted my moist eyes open and looked weakly at her. I must have looked wretched, for the reaction she had was heart-wrenching.

"N-Noir…," she swallowed and stepped over with a hand outstretched. "Do you need to talk about something?"

I shook my head furiously. Sniffling, I stood up…gathered all the metal tools in two massive sweeps into my canvass bag…grabbed my shades this time…and rushed out into the darkness of the City streets at night. I wouldn't need the Wyldecarde garb for that specific moment in time.

Renee looked at the open door with forlorn eyes. Daniel stumbled down the stairs and walked up to her side.

"What's the matter?"

Renee sighed. "I don't know, Daniel. I don't know….."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Inside the Tower, the Main Room glowed faintly in the corner where a candle had been lit in the kitchen area. There, Raven sat. Her blue form almost matched the dark windows behind her as she gently lifted a mug of herbal tea to her lips, sipped, and held it out at bay again. She was silent…staring off into some forbidden space set apart for her mind alone.

Thus she was totally oblivious in the microcosm of her 'bliss' to take notice that Cyborg had walked into the room.

"Nice party you're having here…," the android Titan mused.

Raven inhaled. "Yeah…….."

"I'm sorry, are you—"

"Meditating? Now. Not now."

"Okay. Just checking. You're always so quiet, it's hard to tell sometimes," Cyborg said, wandering over to the bar of the kitchen unit. "I just came out for a snack. I'll leave you alone."

"Well…um….," Raven began…but didn't finish.

A question mark popped over Cyborg's head. He smirked and leaned forward. "Wanted to talk?"

"Whatever…," was the best she could reply with.

"I can take a hint," he chuckled. He sat on a stool a few feet away from Raven and leaned on the bar. "So…got a lot on your mind? Heh…never thought how funny it'd be to ask you that."

Raven glared at him. She calmly sipped some more tea, swallowed, and said: "Are you the only one perplexed by how….well the day went today?"

"Today went well?" Cyborg bore a perplexed expression. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were fond of being beaten up by a former teammate and crashing inside my wrecked Baby to boot!"

"That's not what I meant," she shook her head and sighed. She looked at him. "Were we almost annihilated in an explosion today?"

"No."

"Pinned to the ground by metal ceiling rafters?"

"No."

"Swarmed by an impregnable force of Slade's robot henchmen?"

"Nope," Cyborg shook his head. "Some days rain more or less than others is what I think."

"But why??"

Cyborg raised a human eyebrow. "Why??"

Raven looked up at him with blue eyes.

The android rubbed his head. He sighed. "Well…….most people who know me think that I'm an atheist. They think that I see life as nothing but a bunch of cause and effect circumstances. Kinda like the ones and zeroes in my body's programming, right?"

Raven nodded.

"But……..," Cyborg exhaled and bore a drunken smile as he looked through the candle and softly uttered: "I'm convinced---no, I know. I know that I love life more than anyone else here. More than Robin. More than Beast Boy. Yes, more than Starfire." He looked over and performed a mock gasp. "I even love life more than you, Raven!! Oh my gawd!!"

She honestly smirked.

"Just because I'm half metal and circuitry doesn't mean I can't appreciate a warm sunny day or a cool breeze or a pleasant dip in the lake," Cyborg said. "Similarly, just because I'm half machine doesn't mean I don't believe in Destiny or a Loving Creator or a….a 'Forgiving Karma'." He looked directly at her and gestured. "We've been through some tough, tough times over the past two weeks. I think God, Buddha, Big Bird or whoever's in charge Up There is starting to spin things back into our favor. You know…a payment for our diligence and hard work through all the toughness."

Raven leaned her blue head to the side. "Do you believe in sacrifices, Cyborg?"

"Kinda like Atonement? Christ dying on the cross and all that jazz?"

"Do you believe that—if there is indeed a 'Forgiving Karma'—good things come at the same time as bad things? Do you believe sacrifices must be exchanged for prosperity?"

Cyborg looked at her. He leaned forward on his titanium knuckles and breathed. A beat. "Wyldecarde is our enemy now. Just today…he attacked us—"

"And when we got to the crime scene," Raven finished, "…there was no trap. No ambush. No….'toughness'."

Cyborg swallowed. "Well….," he looked aside at her. "…it's certainly bad for all of us. Ya know…what Noir became. Heh, perhaps what he always was." A beat. "You know what I think, Raven?"

"Hmmm?"

"I would gladly take all that toughness and bad karma each and every day…if it meant sacrificing the pain of having Noir become a traitor."

She nodded.

Silence.

The candle fire danced.

"I….I keep thinking about the same thing over and over again…," Raven finally admitted.

"What's that, Rae?"

"It's…..s-something my father said," she bit her lip.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow.

"He told me….on a few occasions since Mumbo Jumbo's camera screwed with my emotions….h-he told me that I should have destroyed Noir."

"When he was in Noir's body?"

"Kinda…," Raven took a deep breath. "But…it went beyond that. He wanted Noir destroyed completely. As odd as it sounds….I-I think my father was actually trying to protect me from Noir…"

"Your dad, Rae?" Cyborg smirked. "Are we talking about the same guy who's over ten feet tall, has four glowing eyes, fangs, and—oh yeah—he's a demon!!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes…the same one. My father. Trigon."

"What're you doing listening to him for, Raven? He's bad!"

"Do I tell you how to or not to listen to your father?" she glared.

Cyborg merely stared at her.

Raven clutched her forehead and shook it. "S-Sorry…Cyborg. That was uncalled for."

"It's okay," he smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We all have our sensitive parts. Sorry if I overstepped yours."

"I….I just don't know what to think anymore," she moaned. "At one time, I thought I did." A beat. "Can I tell you something, Cyborg?"

"Why not?"

"It's sort of like a confession."

"Uh oh."

"Just sit still," she sighed. A beat. "Soon after Trigon's……'warning', I did a bit of investigation."

"Investigation?"

"In my head."

"Ahhh."

"I found that I had residual memories from Noir's mind itself. They were carried over with Trigon when rage returned to my psyche."

"Okay…."

Raven continued: "And what I found……..was this vision……..this dark and frightening vision."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Not really…."

"That's fine."

"Just know that it…..was very disturbing," she said, rubbing her eyes. "And…it definitely had to do something with Noir."

"You sure your father didn't make it up?"

"Quite sure," she nodded. "My father may be evil…but he's seldom dishonest."

"I see…"

"And…..based on that vision alone…..I asked Robin to continue the search."

Cyborg blinked. "The search?"

"Of the Pacific Coast," Raven blurted. "Since day one of Noir's stay here…Robin and I have been………er…….investigating his past." She blushed slightly.

Cyborg took a few seconds to digest that. He slowly nodded. "That's perfectly understandable, Raven."

"Is it?"

"Why do you ask? I just said it was!" Cyborg chuckled a bit. He squinted his human eye. "Do you feel……regretful, Raven?"

She placed her mug down onto the counter and rested her hands in her lap. Her eyes gazed straight into the woodwork of the bar. She was silent.

"Raven," Cyborg said. "What you and Robin did was right. Wyldecarde is a villain because he chose to be. Anything we did or once did to offend him in the past is not something we should feel bad for. Remember, he betrayed us. Not the other way around."

Raven bit her lip. "But is it really that simple?"

Cyborg leaned back.

Raven looked at him. "I….I do feel bad, Cyborg. I feel bad because—as soon as I suspected him of his wrongdoing—I pursued a way to bring him to justice immediately. I was honestly surprised when you and Robin found those data transmissions of Noir's to Slade. Up till then, I was just obsessed. Now…….now…"

"You're hurt."

Raven glared at him. "I don't do 'hurt'."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just say ten seconds ago that you 'feel bad'?"

Raven winced.

"And don't try and make me forget the breakdown 'Raven' had when she was stripped of all need to repress her emotions. God, you should have seen yourself, Raven. You were beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"In a bitter-sweet…emotional fashion. Admit it. It felt good to collapse once it was all over and you decided to have us face on Trigon."

Raven was befuddled. She subconsciously nodded her head.

"Raven…we've all been hurt by Wyldecarde. And bringing him down in the coming days will be a challenge. Not so much because of his fighting expertise and all the physical weaknesses he's learned about us through training. But because he was once someone we trusted. And it took us a denial of our friendship to root out treachery he was performing under our very eyes."

"I just can't believe that he's doing this….," Raven breathlessly stammered. "And I also can't believe that—Trigon warned me about him—and he was right. I was right. We were all right….i-in distrusting Noir…"

"Well, Raven," Cyborg breathed. "It's gotta be doubly tough for you."

Raven glanced at him funny. "Why me?"

"Because you two were close."

Her eyes bugged. She frowned. "We were not!"

Cyborg chuckled. "Sure you were!! What….you think the Titans and I couldn't see it??"

Raven folded her arms, and looked away. "Noir and I were not close…"

"Hell yeah, you were!! There're many definitions of the term 'close', Rae. And it need not mean the innuendo that's probably going through your head right now. The innuendo which would be truly threatening to your fragile psyche. You and Noir were close…in that you respected each other. Robin and I both talked about how—after a battle or during an investigation—we would casually look over and there you and Noir would be. Just sharing a glance or a chat or something. You both had a connection. You were distanced by your state of mind. Noir was distanced by his state of silence. You were both very…mature people. It's only natural that you hung out together so much."

Raven took a deep breath. "But it was all so fake……"

Cyborg stared. "That's what's truly on your mind, isn't it…Raven?"

She was silent. Still as a statue.

"It's not Trigon's words circling your head or our distrust of Noir bothering you. You're bothered by the constant realization that you got really, really close to someone for once. And that someone turned out to not be that someone in the first place. That someone is Wyldecarde. A villain. A traitor. And the first moment he swung his sword at us…all those memories of your time together. The looks exchanged. The silent respect. The maturity. It all went down the tubes in a bloody rag of the metaphorical sense, didn't it?"

Raven swiveled out of her bar, stood up, and adjusted her robe. "I-It's late…," she uttered. "I've b-been sitting here too long. I should go to bed and r-rest for whatever we must face t-tomorrow and the next day." She walked off. "Good night, Cyborg…"

Cyborg moaned. He shook his head, then spun around and waved at Raven. "Rae! Rae, come on! Sit tight! Don't walk away like that! I'm only trying to bring things to the surface so that you can get them off your chest! It was you who hinted that we should talk! This is what you wanted, right? To talk about it?"

Raven slowly turned around. Her face looked so wounded. She breathed: "You know what I want, Cyborg? Do you really know what I want? I-I can't have what I want. Because if I did….Wyldecarde would be dead by now." She turned around, and was gone.

Cyborg watched her leave.

He sighed and swiveled around. The candle glow flickered off his titanium skin.

"'Forgiving Karma….'," he muttered, eyeing the fire. "Someone on the opposite side of the universe must be feeling very…very happy on account of her."

He licked his metal fingers, then reached them out and closed them over the candle's flame.

The light went out.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

CRIIINK! CRIIINK! CRIIINK!!

I finished.

I stepped back with the wrench and wiped a few beads of sweat off of my brow.

I had attached three metal apparatuses in strategic locations around the rod in the center of a huge satellite dish.

Wind kicked at me hard and hot.

I turned around, my black hair wavering in front of my shades.

The sun was starting to rise against the myriad of buildings below.

Another day…another mission.

I placed all my tools back into my canvass bag and slung them over my shoulder. I glanced back at the satellite dishes.

Hopefully…my machines would do their job…

Sunlight was increasing. I had to get back to the pawn shop before anyone could see me. I had a disemboweled radio waiting for me.

I took a breath, blurred, and ran down the height of the Kobayashi Tower. My work there was finished….for now.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Later that morning…

As the commute rushed into full spring and filled the main streets of the City with the hustle and bustle of capitalist life…

Commissioner Decker marched along the busy sidewalk towards the distant entrance to the Police Department. He had a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Flanking his side and keeping up with the pace was his lieutenant.

"Thankfully, nothing valuable was destroyed at the freighter yesterday. The final reports show an empty trailer had blown up somehow, and there was some burnt marks and debris scattered around the main deck. But no commercial shipment was trashed."

"Well, that's a good thing for once," Decker nodded in mid-walk. "Barely any collateral damage in the fight against Slade's bomb threats! I commend the Titans on that!"

"Actually, sir, the Titans weren't at the scene when that destruction happened."

Decker laughed. "HA! Well, that explains it then! Who was there, lieutenant?"

"We don't know, sir."

He looked back at him. "'We don't know'?"

"Correct."

"Well…shit! Doesn't that beat all!"

"The Titans were busy fighting off Wyldecarde at the time."

"Really now…how fascinating," Decker took a puff from his cigarette. "Slade's apprentice was rather distracting. He must be new to the whole 'badass' deal."

"Beats me, sir."

They passed a huge banner spread across a street's fence advertising the Independence Fireworks Show.

Decker glared at it as they walked by. "Tell me, lieutenant. Is our Mayor insane?"

"It's not my place to judge, sir."

"Neither is it mine. But I'll judge anyways," Decker faced the lieutenant. "That son of a bitch has a screw loose! I can't believe he's allowing the fireworks show to go on as scheduled amidst all this mess!"

"It's our duty to ensure to the event's security, sir."

"Don't need to remind me of that, lieutenant," Decker moaned. They reached the entrance to the police department and he tossed the cigarette down to the sidewalk. "My only consolation about this lunacy is that—with a huge public event about to go underway—perhaps the Titans will be a teensy bit more careful in how they handle themselves in taking down Slade and his little card-throwing monkey. I have my limits, lieutenant. I swear to God, Allah, whoever….if people get hurt this July Fourth on account of the Titans or their former has-been Wyldecarde….I might just have to take the Vigilante Accord and wipe my ass with it!"

The lieutenant chuckled. "Spoken like a true poet, sir."

"I hate poets," the commissioner grumbled. "Come on…I want to have a closer look at those reports."

They both went up the steps and through the department's entrance.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"What do you mean the Titans weren't on the freighter when all Hell broke loose?" Blake Glover exclaimed into his cell phone. He sat in the back of his limousine as it went stop-and-go through morning traffic down the main streets that morning. "If they weren't there, then who was?!"

"Heck if I know, sir. Whoever was there, the place saw a lot of explosions. Workers found burnt pieces of Slade's robots, singes from fire on the main deck, Robin's charred R-Cycle---"

"Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait," Glover gestured and stared into his cell phone as his mouth hung open and he uttered: "The R-Cycle was there?"

"In pieces…yeah…"

"But Avery, I thought you said the Titans weren't there at the scene!"

"They weren't!"

"Then how come Robin's R-Cycle was??"

"Beats me! Last time the Boy Wonder saw it, he and the other Titans had just been distracted by an attack of Wyldecarde's!"

Glover blinked. He paused for a moment.

"Sir??"

"I'll call you back, Avery. Remember what I said last night? Keep your eyes open."

"Yes, sir. As soon as Wyldecarde shows up, we'll be there with bells on."

"And cameras too, right?"

"Yes sir…," Avery's voice chuckled on the other end. "Cameras and bells."

"Splendind. Over and out."

Click.

Glover pocketed the cell phone away.

He wheezed and slumped back into the chair of the limousine seat.

A beat.

"Why would the R-Cycle be there if the Titans weren't?" he thought aloud. His aged eyes narrowed. "For that matter…who besides the Titans knows how to pilot that thing??"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Against the black wall of the inside of Slade's frigate…

Eight separate t.v. screens flickered and flashed forth the image of an abandoned building top from separate angles. Atop the worn down roof, a dozen robot henchmen were seen setting up three titanium missile launchers that glistened in the Sun. Thankfully, they were nowhere near a populated zone. The operation was going on completely unchecked. Once the third and last missile was loaded, two or three robots walked over and faced the camera broadcasting the largest of the t.v. screens. They looked straight at the recorder and saluted.

Slade nodded. He whipped out his communicator. "Apprentice, come in."

"Snnnkkk—Jinx here!"

"Have you gotten a good position?"

"I can see most of the City from here. I also have a viewfinder if I need help spotting Wyldecarde if he makes his move."

"Don't stress those rare eyes of yours too much, apprentice," Slade spoke liquidly into the communicator. "If we absolutely need to know where Wyldecarde is…we have all the help we can need."

"Is Dagger really going to work with us after what you said to him last night?"

"I'm convinced that he will help us out because of what I said to him last night. But, hopefully, we won't have to resort to such means. Just wait for my signal. It only a matter of time, I will broadcast the message for the Titans to pay heed to. More than likely, I'll be needing you to help ensnare them at the missile launcher site."

"Awwww…I was hoping I'd get to see Ghost Boy again!"

"The Experiment, apprentice. Do not forget about the Experiment."

"And I assure you that I haven't, Master! But that boy……rrrrrghhh!!" Jinx's voice warbled from the other end. "He will pay for what he almost did to me yesterday!"

"I assure you…when the power shifts from the Balance of Morals…I can assure you just retribution," Slade said. His emblazoned eye narrowed. "The same is true of my promise to find your sisters. It will all be made possible one day, Jinx. You will just have to trust me."

Her voice sighed. "I know, Master. I'm sorry."

"Good girl."

"When will you broadcast the threat?"

"Any second now…"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

In the Northwest District of the City, bordering the raised highway and towering skyscrapers around it, there was Phaser Labs. It was that City's sister to Metropolis' STAR Labs. Inside Phaser, scientists were constantly working on the newest and most fantastic technologies to assist mankind. Many of them were aimed at crime fighting techniques—as people such as the JLA and the Teen Titans needed all the help they could get.

On the third floor of the futuristically curved building, scientists were huddled about various computer stations in a halo format that hugged the walls of a twenty-five feet by fifteen foot room. In the very center of the room—suspended in a cylindrical chamber—a green orb floated and glowed. It was the latest in experimental, chronotonic technology. The theory at the time was that a suspension of time separated from the rest of the known dimension by a pocket in space-time could create a mysterious form of temporal friction that generated energy and could provide juice for a power grid literally forever. The dark side of such experimental technology is that many a villain attempted to create something called a chronotonic detonator. Such a bomb would simply pierce the space-time pocket in one sudden burst, causing the suspension of time inside to seep out and merge with the rest of the continuum. The result would be a paradox which scientists and braniacs could only sum up as a 'stop' of time forever. Slade himself—once—threatened to used a chronotonic detonator. But he was merely bluffing. Even Slade knew the extremely hazardous prospects—in a universal sense—of piercing a pocket of chronotonic suspension.

Thus it was easily understood that Phaser Labs, with its chronotonic core being worked on, was a place off access to anyone except privileged and trustworthy scientists who made it the sole goal of their life to be there and experiment on utilizing the space-time pocket as a source of energy.

It was halfway through the work day. The scientists worked quietly, typing at various reports and experimental programs in an air of concentration. At some point, a worker came around and handed out cups of coffee. Someone shared a joke with them and they both pleasantly laughed.

And then…an alarm went off.

WREEEEEEE!! WREEEEEEEE!! WREEEEEE!!

All the scientists gasped and jumped up.

One rushed over and—panicked—checked the schematics of the chronotonic core. "E-Everything's stable!! It's not the core!!"

"That's not a meltdown alarm!! There's been a security breach!!"

"But who?!?!"

Suddenly, there was a loud hissing sound.

Pure white smog came filtering down through the vents in the ceiling and filled the room.

"Gas!!"

"It's flooding the whole building!!"

"Everyone out!!"

"Now!! Now!!"

"Evacuation Route Beta!"

"Go! Go!"

"Move it, people!!"

As the gas seeped into the room, everyone cleared out. The tray of coffee was knocked over and spilled hotly over the floor in the rush. Soon all the workers had exited and the doors were sealed. The gas gradually spread throughout the room. Everything was gray and milky.

And then….

CLANG!!!

One of the ceiling grates was kicked open from above. It swiveled for a second…then fell hard to the ground.

A pair of legs nimbly dropped down and a figure slipped to the ground, landing with a crouch.

I peered through a gas mask at the room. When I was certain I was alone, I got up and swiftly marched over towards a nearby computer console. My breath echoed through the mask as I clicked a few buttons and pulled a lever.

A fan started, and the fog was cleared away…slowly.

Before the fog went away, I took a deep breath into my mask and murked my whole body. I blended in with the smoke. In such fashion, I streamed my form up and around the ceiling of the building. I materialized every now and then…slashing apart the security cameras. Once all surveillance equipment was destroyed, I settled back onto solid feet and flexed my muscles. I sheathed Myrkblade and waited for all the smog to clear.

Once it had, I whipped off the gas mask and shook my long black hair out. I blinked through black goggles at the spinning, chronotonic core.

I shrugged.

I walked over towards a wide computer console and unloaded my canvass bag over a nearby table. Tools of metal, wiring, and computer chips spilled out. Haphazard electronics. I shuffled through them, found a cylindrical device, inspected it, then planted it over a lens-scanner that extended outward from the computer monitor. I pulled and twisted at two wires, and my device went to life. An electrical shock ran to a transplanted CD-Player's laser. The laser bored into the lens scanner with surgical softness and burned the device from the inside out. The scanner short circuited and died. The computer flickered and the security access screen went away. I had access to the main system. I typed away and brought up a program for Internet connection. I glanced up at a square box atop the computer mainframe. I picked up another device, clamped it over the box, and pressed a makeshift button. The device blinked to life and flashed in cadence with the lights on the box. Finally I reached over and picked up a cam corder and a bunch of wires. I set the cam corder up on the edge of the table and then went to the tiring work of syncing the wires into the actual computer system itself.

Aren't we all nerds at heart?

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Slade looked at a digital clock on one of his t.v. screens.

He nodded his helmet.

"It is time…"

He pulled out a remote and switched the screen off.

He turned around and faced a camera set up before him. One of his robot henchmen aimed the recorder at him.

Slade nodded.

The android henchmen began recording.

Slade's message was this:

"Titans…how I regret having to interrupt national broadcasting when all I need to talk to is you. After all, the people deserve their regularly scheduled brainwashing and propaganda. Especially when their lives are at stake. But let's get to the point, shall we? I know how impatient you Titans are. Sadly, it seems to be rubbing off on me."

He turned around and aimed his remote at the black wall again.

A huge screen of the rooftop of the abandoned building and its assortment of missile launchers appeared.

"This…," Slade said, "…is what's waiting for you. But not for long. Find it…before I decide to make good use of it. There are well over fifteen million people in this region alone, Titans. It would be a shame to have all of their blood on your hands. Now wouldn't it? And who knows? Maybe you'll find me this time?"

He leaned forward and glared with his mask's one eye as he said: "I've been waiting for you to be in my presence again. Waiting for a long…long time." A beat. "You have four hours."

He nodded at the android.

The robot cut the feed.

Slade's message ended.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

From the mysterious frigate, a powerful signal carrying Slade's message was sent by a satellite dish into space.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

A huge satellite spiraled over the orbit of the planet. Slade's signal reached it, bounced off, and sailed straight down to the City.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The signal flew down through the atmosphere…and struck the satellite dish of Kobayashi's Tower.

It was there that something odd happened.

Slade meant for his signal to encompass all of what the satellite dish received, all of what the wiring transferred, and eventually all of what the JCN station broadcasted. But a strange assortment of metal devices placed strategically around the body of the satellite dish changed that. They powered up the dish, adjusted to Slade's signal, and redirected it through a minor route—not at all interrupting the main broadcast of the JCN Network.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Inside the newsroom of JCN Broadcasting, an anchorwoman and an anchorman were talking to the camera about the latest developments in the Independence Fireworks show.

In a thin, dark room separated from the stage…the audio visual crew sat at a throng of chairs. Numerous screens and feeds and switchers were splayed out in front of them.

The director of operations leaned back in his chair with headsets and chewed gum.

At one moment…the video feed flickered, went static, then returned to normal. All in a split second.

The director made a face. He leaned forward and checked all the systems.

His assistant rushed over and checked as well.

"The heck was that?!?!" the director exclaimed.

The assistant checked all the systems, gestured, and shrugged "Nothing."

"Nothing here too…."

"Wyrd."

A beat.

They stared as the anchorwoman and anchorman went on unhindered.

The director operated the switcher just in time to go to a live feed of the City Hall. "Ah well…glitch in the Matrix, I guess."

"Yeah…ha ha ha!"

"Heheheheh…"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Unknown to the workers in the tower, their computers received Slade's signal.

The signal was carried into the Internet and strung—via broadband connection—into the digital crossroads of chaos.

The signal bounced around and metaphorically flew through the air, over the City, and streaked down into the Western District where Phaser Labs was presently being evacuated.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Inside the laboratory of the chronotonic core, I sat in the computer seat after having wired the cam corder into the system.

The device planted on the box blinked.

I smiled.

I typed furiously and intercepted Slade's signal.

I converted it into a sound file only and loaded it into an editing program I had quickly installed into the mainframe.

After a bit of tweaking, I was ready to record a live broadcast of Slade's message laced in with the footage from the camcorder. I quickly hacked into the satellite broadcasting program of Phaser Labs and directed an overwhelmingly powerful feed back towards Kobayashi Tower.

Before clicking the mouse one last time, I took a deep breath.

-CLICK-

I dashed over and stood in front of the camcorder…besides the chronotonic core….in my 'apprentice' outfit.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Pfft!! Why do you have the news on for, Robin??" Beast Boy remarked over a dish of tofu waffles. "Listen to me! I'm a couch potato and suddenly I could care less about what they're broadcasting!"

That morning in the Main Room, the Boy Wonder sat on the sofa facing the huge monitor. "I have a feeling we're going to be really stressing it on July Fourth," he said to Beast Boy. "It's only two days away, and people are going to need us to assist in security. We can't have Slade showing off the ultimate fireworks."

"Agreed!" Starfire smiled from a window seat. "He is neither patriotic nor Uncle the Sam!"

"But it is absurd…," Raven mumbled from the pages of her book. "Frederick Smith must have an ego problem if he's so determined to pull off the fireworks this year. It is clearly too dangerous and tense of a time in this City for such public reverie."

"Here here!" Beast Boy chanted.

"Awww…come on!" Cyborg said between bites of bacon and eggs. "Can't people have a little faith every now and then?"

"That's Cyborg…," Robin smirked as he watched the screen. "Ever religious…"

Cyborg and Raven exchanged glances.

They were silent.

Suddenly…the news feed was interrupted and the image of a floating chronotonic core flashed into view.

Robin jumped up, fists clenched. "Titans!!"

Beast Boy looked up. He dropped his soy milk. "Whoah!!"

"Good heavens!" Starfire gasped.

Raven put her book down. "Well this is interesting."

Cyborg joined the rest as they all walked forward and joined Robin in front of the monitor.

Wyldecarde clearly stood next to the core, grinning.

However, it was Slade's voice that spoke—as if behind the camera—as the live feed of interruption continued.

"Titans…how I regret having to interrupt national broadcasting when all I need to talk to is you. After all, the people deserve their regularly scheduled brainwashing and propaganda. Especially when their lives are at stake. But let's get to the point, shall we? I know how impatient you Titans are. Sadly, it seems to be rubbing off on me."

Wyldecarde waved, unsheathed Myrkblade, and held it up to the chronotonic core.

"This……is what's waiting for you. But not for long. Find it…before I decide to make good use of it."

Wyldecarde spun his blade dangerously close to the core.

The Titans gasped.

"There are well over fifteen million people in this region alone, Titans. It would be a shame to have all of their blood on your hands. Now wouldn't it? And who knows? Maybe you'll find me this time?"

Wyldecarde smirked at the camera, and gently walked off screen.

"I've been waiting for you to be in my presence again. Waiting for a long…long time. You have four hours."

SNKKKKKK!!! The feed went to snow, and suddenly flashed back to a pair of disoriented, pale anchorpeople who cleared their throats and started reading off a pile of incoming papers in an attempt to explain what was just seen.

Robin muted the screen and faced the others.

"This is not good…."

"No kidding!!" Beast Boy bounced and grabbed his hair. "I hate crouton detonators! I hate them!!"

"That was not a detonator," Starfire said. "That was an energy core."

"What's the difference?!"

"An energy core can be found in a chronotonic detonator, yes," Starfire nodded. "…but in such a circumstance, the core would not be free floating like that. It must be an experimental energy core."

"Anywhere nearby where people are experimenting with chronotonic energy?" Raven remarked.

Cyborg nodded. "Phaser Labs. In the West of Town by the highway. They've been working on it for years."

"That's okay, right?!?!" Beast Boy stammered. "N-No time stopping forever or what not?"

"If Slade orders Wyldecarde to stab into the core…it would have the same effect as a chronotonic detonator going off!" Starfire said.

Beast Boy collapsed to the ground.

Raven glared at him, then looked towards the others. "Slade and his apprentice are way over their heads now. Unless, of course, this is a bluff."

"We have four hours to act upon this and four hours alone," Robin clenched his gloved fists. "I'm not ready to treat all of this as a bluff. Wild goose chase or not…if Slade has his hands on a chronotonic core, this entire City—perhaps even this entire hemisphere—could be at risk!"

"Then we're going!!" Cyborg exclaimed.

Robin nodded. "Right away. Teen Titans! Go!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Glover sat at the desk in his office, working on an article.

Avery burst in through the door. "Sir!"

Glover looked up. His mouth opened.

"Good news or bad news?" he asked.

Avery replied. "Knowing you, both. It's him."

Glover jumped up, grabbed his briefcase, and rushed out the door.

"Did you round up the boys—"

"Yes sir."

"Cameras and everything—"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Where is he? Where're we going?"

"Phaser Labs."

"Phaser Labs?! What in God's name is going on there??"

"Word is…Slade has his hands on a Chronotonic Detonator. Or should I say…Slade has Wyldecarde's hands on it…"

"This should be worth writing about…"

"Heheheheh…"

"Heheheheh!! Come on, Avery! To the car!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I shut the power off to the camcorder and yanked out the wires with flying sparks.

I whistled a tune to myself as I got into a chair, rolled across the lab, and stopped at another computer station. I typed swiftly and dragged the mouse around. I managed to convert Slade's original signal into a movie file when I attached to an e-mail that I was sending out.

At the same time, I typed a simple message, printed it out, and slipped it into a fax machine.

All the while, the green core rotated harmlessly behind me…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Inside the City's Police Department, everything was in chaos.

Phones were ringing in.

Officers were scrambling to exit the building and get to Phaser Labs.

The place was in an uproar in response to Slade's latest, broadcasted threat.

To say the least, Decker wasn't in a good mood.

"Hell of a day to wear briefs…," he muttered. He finished signing off a sheet and shouted at a trio of officers standing in front of his desk. "What're you guys standing around for?!?! Get your asses to Phaser Labs now!! Damned costumed creeps everywhere! I swear to God….they're making this City miserable…"

Suddenly, the lieutenant rushed in with a printout. "Sir…a fax for you."

"Not now, Lieutenant…"

"I think you should see this, sir."

Decker looked up. He stood and snatched the paper away. His eyes squinted. "The hell???"

'5467 East Hardware Lane. The Slums. The condemned Vicksburg Apartment Building. Slade has missile launchers resting on the rooftop. That is where the real threat is. I suggest you go there and stop him.'

The Commissioner sighed and shook his head. "I have no time for pranks! Not when a god damn 'chrononomic thingamajig' is about to go up in smoke!"

"But sir…," the lieutenant leaned forward and whispered hoarsely above the noise in the background. "We also got a strange e-mail at the same time. And there's a movie file with it."

Decker glared. "What kind of movie file?"

Minutes later, Decker and about ten other officers huddled tightly around the lieutentant's desk. The man played a movie file from an e-mail attachment. Clearly they could all see Slade, clearly they could all hear his voice, and clearly they could see the image of the missile launchers resting on the run-down rooftop behind him.

"You know…I used to work that beat before they condemned the place…," an elderly officer said. "That's the Vicksburg Apartment all right! I'd know it as plain as day!"

"George ain't kidding!" another officer exclaimed. "I was there two weeks ago busting a drug run! East Hardware Lane! North of Town! That's the place all right!!"

The lieutenant looked up at Decker. "You think Slade would have made such a dead giveaway?"

Decker looked at his other men…then back at the video. "It's not Slade who's provided a giveaway…," he stared at the fax printout. A beat. "Any clue who sent these things?"

"No, sir. We couldn't trace it."

A beat.

"What should we do, sir?"

A beat.

Decker looked at another officer. "How many of our men are heading to Phaser Labs right now?"

"Ten squad cars...two SWAT Teams…and one bird."

A beat.

"Any news on the Titans?" Decker finally asked.

The lieutenant nodded. "They're heading to Phaser Labs right now."

"Good. Tell our men to fall back. Not all of them. Let three squad cars remain at Phaser. The rest, we're heading north. If the Titans will be at Phaser…we shouldn't have to worry about dividing our attention too much."

"Understood. Get those dispatches going through, men! On the double!"

The officers cleared out. Decker and the Lieutenant marched across the chaotic offices.

"I'm going north to the apartments," Decker said. "Come with me."

"Of course, sir. D-Do you really think Slade has missiles up there?"

"Think?? You poor young bastard," Decker shook his head, lit a cigarette and smoke. "Lieutenant, I stopped thinking on this job about ten years ago."

They both jammed into an elevator…and descended.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

From where Starfire flew high in the sky, she could see the T-Car carrying Cyborg, Raven, and Robin (R-Cycle-less) through the streets of town and westward. She glanced to her right and was surprised to see that the squad of police cars—until then going in the same direction—were suddenly swerving about and heading north.

The girl squinted her green eyes with curiosity. She held her communicator out before her face in midflight.

"Something seems to be distracting the authorities!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"They are all disembarking in another direction!"

Cyborg listened with his hands on the wheel.

Raven leaned over and looked at Robin in the backseat.

"Probably just taking a detour…," Robin replied into his communicator. "We do have to go under the Interstate's overhang to get to Phaser Labs. For a bunch of squad cars, that's quite a tight squeeze."

"I suppose you are right…"

"We'll contact Decker and his men if we need backup," Robin said. "In the meantime, we must hurry. I'm not giving Slade any time to toy with this chronotonic detonator of his!"

"Understood. Starfire out."

Robin put the communicator away.

"How long till we get there?"

"Almost passing under the interstate now," Cyborg said. "Man…how big did they need to make that thing?"

"Traffic is the least of our worries…," Raven droned.

The others nodded in silence as they cruised along.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Slade stood inside the dark cabin, eyeing varying camera angles on the Titans and their movement.

His eye narrowed with perplexity.

"West???" he remarked to the empty air. "Why are they heading west?? What are they up to?"

Suddenly, another t.v. screen blipped to life and there sat Dagger's face.

"Slade…we are all waiting."

"For what, pray tell?"

"For an explanation."

"My good friend…," Slade glared. He tried to keep the composure in his voice but slightly failed. "What do I have to explain now?!"

Dagger stared. He spoke: "You have no idea what you just broadcasted, do you?"

"Humor me…"

Dagger's hand reached to a keypad at his desk. He looked up just as another t.v. screen blipped to life next to his image. It showed the full extend of Wyldecarde's performance besides the chronotonic core.

….And Slade's voice.

Slade's eye widened. "No…."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Glover's limousine sped down the road westward.

A news van full of cameramen was tailgating them.

Inside the limousine, Glover and Avery bounced and shook with the high velocity trip.

"I know I want to make haste…," Glover grunted. "But if we are not more careful…we could be pulled over."

Avery stared out the window. "I don't think you're gonna have to worry about any cop cars spotting us. Heck, they all seem to be heading north!"

Glover made a face. "North?? But we're heading in the direction of Phaser Labs."

"I know…," Avery nodded and looked at his senior. "Wyrd, huh?"

Glover blinked. He stared out the window. "What's going on in this Town??"

The driver's voice crackled in through an intercom. "I can't go any further! They have the roads besides Phaser Labs blocked off!"

Glover slapped his hand against the door handle. "Damn it!!"

Avery blinked. He leaned towards the intercom. "How about the Interstate?"

"Word is that the highway's still open!"

Avery looked at Glover. "That'd give our cameramen the height advantage."

Glover suddenly beamed with a nod. "Yes…we could pull over on the median over the laboratory and see if we can catch anything from there!"

"What'll we catch, exactly?" Avery smirked with his arms folded.

"Young man…you never guess the fish. The fish guesses you." He then gestured towards the intercom. "Take us to the interstate on the double!"

"Yes, sir!"

"And tell the boys to follow!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

WHAM!!

Slade slammed his fist into the wall.

"Keep your cool, Slade," Dagger said. "All we need to do is redirect the Titans…"

"Not until we've gotten that worthless fool out of there!!" Slade shook. "He will not be the boss of my schemes!" He stepped towards the screen, glaring. "Dagger…I've told you that I would be needing your assistance sometime. Now is such a time…"

Dagger's head nodded. "You need not worry, Slade. I've already sent……assistance to the Phaser Labs."

Silence.

Slade's helmet tilted. "Good…," his voice sounded pleased. "If you help me out, Dagger…you can rest assured fate will be on your side more."

"I'm sure of that….'friend'," Dagger glared.

Slade whipped out his communicator. "Apprentice."

"Yes?"

"Head southwest. To Phaser Labs."

"What for?"

"You'll get to rendezvous with your 'ghost boy'."

"Finally! Thank you, sir!! He is so going to regret it…"

"Less talking and more blurring."

"Um…I-I've got a long ways to go. Will he stay at the labs that long?"

Slade glared up at the screen. Dagger's face.

"I believe so…," Slade said. "Dagger knows exactly where Wyldecarde is….and something tells me the little infidel is going to have his hands full."

"Excellent! Jinx out!"

Slade pocketed the communicator away and gestured to the screen. "How long till your assistance comes into fruition, Dagger?"

Dagger folded his hands. "In the next five seconds……if you wish."

"I wish."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I yanked all the devices off of the computers and shoved them back into my canvass bag. I tied it shut and hoisted it over my back.

I was in a hurry to leave.

I walked across the laboratory…and froze.

I glanced up at the core.

Heck…I had no idea of how I could damage that thing. All I did in front of the camera was the same thing Slade did with his message. I bluffed. But the difference between my bluff and Slade's bluff is that I was planning only on distracting the Titans. Not trapping them. As far as I knew, that's what Slade wanted to do. And that's all that Slade did….until I started to break the circle.

I smiled, adjusted my goggles, and marched straight towards the nearest door…

………which exploded.

BOOOM!!!!

I fell back with a grunt.

I looked up and gasped.

Three men in dark suits rushed in. Uzzis held high.

They weren't police.

They weren't FBI.

I'm not sure who they were.

Except for one thing.

They were firing at me.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!!