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/A/ Chapter:17, Sneaking Around In The Dark...

"Seal off all of the exits, then if you would quietly close the door behind you...thanks for coming, good bye!

Slam! The demon lord had now a palm held device, almost like a cell phone sized computer. Taking out a set of fingers from his other black leather glove the god smirked. Jay looked up. His gaze madly perplexed as ever.

Red X:

Aka...Former 2nd sidekick to the Batman? "Well, well well!"

"No longer..." X shifted his weight as he tried to stand. With the wolf gone and his powerful arms belt, all he could do was bide time for an escape.

"Oh yes, I recall Ra's telling me through his foul concluding sacrifices that you were once...one of them?" but mask-less Jason would not be exposed primarily by such promise to no one, an outcast. That's what he was, they thought he was-

DEAD. Deceased. I can read you pain, it's etched everywhere..." Was that some sort of evil drawl that left the guy's mouth, what made him think...

UGH!" Ex villain Jason only coughed up what air that he could. The god had played him right into his hands. But this...was only the beginning...

/A

There was laughter in his dreams, someone was calling to him to come back to earth...A woman with-

"Alice?" He jumped up in surprise by her tiptoeing around the med bay.

"You, was that you?..." Waiting for her answer he grasped the side of the bed with the sheets barely over him. Dressed in a ragged outfit, without shoes or socks he remembered far too little. But the windy beach in his dream was as clear as its waters. His pants were still on his body, in rags and wrapped up bandages underneath his shirt.

"You took quite a fall, I almost believed that you would be lost to us. Had it not been for the spell you wove around us." Alice's eyes turned a shade of light blue. "We wish for your recovering process to succeed." She had a heavy heart this time, she finally recognized a hero of them all. One in danger of losing to her own ex tutor.

"I, where are the others?" His dripping edge of seriousness in his voice yet sadness at having lost all memories of that night made Richard gasp and place a hand to his face. "My mask, where did you-

"You needn't worry about a thing, Rachel has the material to fix i-

I lost didn't I..." Blinking Alice only smiled and sighed. He did remember, just not here or back through the vortex.

"I think those eyes would suite you unimaginably well, if only you had changed earlier." A giggle came from in the doorway.

Calumon bounced and float over to the medical table. Introducing them to a guy in a lab coat and a set of specs, eyes focused as the moments went on. He had white long hair that reached his backside, and placed in a ponytail in the back his head. He didn't really smile as the silence continued. With those silvery eyes. Yet he hummed a tune that made Robin's eyes widen. Richard looked over to the table from his bed.

"Doctor? Oh, Kayu, you look so silly in that old thing!" Alice went over to finalize the act of curiosity. She skipped happily as if enchanted by her mind to wander. Giggling the girl paused and sat in a chair to watch the sickened boy be treated.

"I need to give Robin an injection, real doctor's orders. It'll help with the pain. You do still have stiffness in your shoulder, right?

Robin almost froze when the guy had reached his bedside. "I...gulp...I-

"Raven and Cyborg sent me, don't worry. In my past life I did this for a living." That seemed to calm the shock of fearful reflections made by Robin's mind. Only so that the deed was done quickly and as the kid winced he was able to relax afterwords.

"I cannot imagine what your mind does still possess." Kayu said- taking the thing back over to the table. " Slade isn't just in this for status..." Robin thought out loud.

"He's not?" As Kayu brought over a towel and some more bandages Alice was the one to interject.

"I remember how much time it was between being at his side and watching him visit Roku in his dungeon keep." she bit her lip, she obviously didn't want to continue.

"Eerie stuff you had to put up with huh?"

"Indeed. If ever I should step foot within those tower walls again," she paused. Robin's arms were shaking. Was he chilly? Or, maybe-

"Its kind of cold, can you turn off the air in -

The window's been unlatched!" Alice shrieked as a creature scurried out, passed the flapping arms girl and her friends then scooted by the door. "No you do not-a-aah!" Starfire had come to witness the healing of her dearest friend, not to be alarmed by some roach! Robin tried to resort to cooling both the woman's jets yet...

"I-it is getting away!" Alice began to stomp on invisible monsters, well if they were real that is...

"Who knows what evil that bug will cause for the mustard, waffles and glorka be-

Yaah!" Starfire pointed and ran after the insect blindly, not understanding that she lived with superhuman friends. Nor remembering it. Beast boy strode down the corridor without a hidden smile, he looked emotionally lost. "Terra came back, why doesn't she know that her world is still in danger...?"

"Oh, hey Vee...wazzup..." Beast boy pretended to walk faster with his hands in two pockets to his sides.

"Are you OK, little elven one? Wanna talk it out, I know how cause...heh, cause I do. Magic or no magic-

"That's the point!"

B swung around to face the fox demon. "I let go of Terra, WE were supposed to cure her! Then you know who goes and beats me up? HUH?"

"Slade?" Squeaked the guardian. Paws over his face, Beast boy took a breath and a stepped back.

"Stupid Rob would clobber me for losin' my temper like that, he's one to talk." He returned to rage had it not been for the cockroach being chased by a mad and furious alien princess.

She was swatting at it with whatever she could find from room to room. She zoomed by almost knocking the two men over. Cy was ready to help Robin, when it came to food, he'd made a hot meal for the leader to chow down on. With so many wounds he'd bounce back up in no time thanks to Cyborg's specialty home cooking!

As he walked casually whistling a tune Starfire's buggy problem almost got to his saucy side dish.

"Eee!" He squealed like the meat meal he'd prepared for his buddy. The bug bounced up and down, around the young man and his meat supper.

"Huh?" who was that in the distance, they were about to-

Aagh!" Starfire was flying right at him! "Not the meat, not the meat!" Save the dish, he thought. Over waving up a stop sign hand into her flying zone and his walking distance he had halted her attack. "Excuse me. Tee hee!" Her wave was most curious of all.

She smiled at the last second as she walked around him, then as he let out a sigh of relief, the fight was on once more!

Whoosh!

Cyborg almost dropped the meat. Seeing that the bounty had not yet fallen, he rushed to safely to retrieve the lot. Wiping a hand out to wipe off his perspiring forehead Cyborg went back to his tune and found that the med bay area was closer that to be realized.

/

"Thank goodness you are alright, I apologize for my behavior-

Squish, squiggle squiggle!

A scream from one of the Titans-except Robin, and Alice who also gave a shout out made Raven only grumpier as she picked up the buggy. "How'd she get in here!"whispered aloud the cyborg teen. Their eyes all watched in horror- not Robin-as in a few short seconds the bug flew out the window where it had been let free-

"RAAVEEEN!"

"What is it Starfire," her mood had changed for a few minutes. Seeing as Azar still watched over them she wondered whom Isis meant mainly by saving Princess Tsani? And why was everyone worked up over a bug? A bug that controlled emotions, and bounced like a kangaroo? "Hmm-

"Wizard Gregory is here!" She was out of breath as she told them. Raven sighed with a cloud over her head. Not dark just, insightful. What could he need now. The journey to save earth was over. Wasn't it?

/

Once they had escorted the Wiz inside their fortress by the bay he sat between...Malchoir who'd popped in for a quickie and Verra. Loyal as ever the dog, fox, cat thing never stopped being soo darn cute. And boy could he talk!

"How are Robin's wounds faring?"

Raven only spaced out when Mal had tried to show a side of his little used generous behavior

. ~Her eyes are possibly drowning in hatred of me...~ He thought to himself. She'd never change her ways.

"Anyway..ARE we all present?" Verra chirped delighted at such aspiring young...face...es?

"Oh, so very hungry!" Beast boy was back to goofing off again. He slouched over the side of the sofa.

"Why didn't HE get to-

Hush, all of you!" The calm wiz, clearing his throat didn't yet seem annoyed. But he noticed something else's handiwork.

"You are all in such a mood so I shall humor you with good fortune-

The team didn't see how this would help in evaluating the current condition of anyone. Raven was about to speak, Verra before her raised a hand.

"Ooh ooh! I know, It's about Slade's sudden-

"Shush!" Wiz tut tutted, his finger wagging. "Please wait until we assemble." Beast boy grouched. "But you're no Titan yet! We're all here! Can't we just start the briefing, please!" He begged. Fingers forming a clutched ball in a prayer to Wiz stance.

"Eh-em, I'd be happy to seal the deal for ya!" Verra tumbled onto the floor, he was being a silly guy yet, he soon made his appearance as another.

A white wind swirled around him and in a poof of smoke- here now standing was a man. A main business man with short brown hair, a dark freshly pressed blue suit and tie. A pair of fingers, ten and not eight or six as some animals do. He stood tall Over five foot; not too high and had at least some fighter's pecs, though he was clothed. The last thing were brown eyes instead of red and black with yellow. And he looked nothing like his true forms of the dark wolf and the warrior Veravakumu. He just looked, normal!

"Did you steal that guy's soul? Or was he so hideously ugly that you had to reshape him yourself?"

Beast boy got a look from Cyborg. "You're a shifter? Like B?" he asked.

"We call them as you do here, powerful forms in our realms can transform,or could...until it's kind died to realization."Wiz fiddled with his staff. His rucksack fell to the floor.

Also those with power could change due to need for escape. If they did not the world would be overpowered with human avarice and greed as well as fear over something they could never hope to accomplish or understand. Also the true nature was only through itself then realized! Humans could never hope to achieve that. Which they had lost long ago...

"Yet in our world, lost souls come to pray that their souls may find rest. To be at ease."

The images that flashed before wiz and Vee were not pleasing ones. Roku controlled them, to lift a curse the fire inside that dragon had to be turned to ash and smoke. Yet if he had craved the company of a right hand, why infect the Titans with fear? Did he live off of it or something? Not one of them knew how he stood back up again and again. Invincible as he was it was time for the king's reign to end, to fall from its throne. And to sink into the pit once more forever trapped in a cell.

Wiz shook his skull to rid him of evil thoughts. Verra scratched behind his ear.

"Getting to the point, you've all been affected by Roku's magic powers as well. Robin only has the way of possession, transformation, magic similar to spiritual forces' and the way of dragon kind, to fight. And know every one they meet. "To manipulate is a darn evil spirit's job not the kid's. So, that would imply that if Roku breaks a barrier down, all the walls come crashing forth..."

Verra raised a hand, "Spirit including guardian kind have a mission on all fields of the world. My past life recently was a warrior now it's this guy. Just call me Takahara, Shojii."

"Mr. Takahara it is!" Wiz smiled seeing the guardian at full strength once more. Alice walked in just as they had finished admiring the new guy. She was holding her orb gem dragon claw necklace to her chest.

Something is not at all right...

Her fire burned more insecure than the other heroes. She was of course scared of his inch by inch procedures to turn the leader of the Titan's to the darkness, ha. He'd been in hiding, but when night had fallen over Titan's tower and she'd still been a guest of honor before settling in-Ha!

He wasn't the only victim on this new plane. She'd nearly gotten hurt from scarring in the night as her crystal had tried to scorch her as she slept. He was still out there... not Slade, not Roku? Then what?

A mirror above the bathroom sink only supplied an answer. It was her, Red eyes shone in the dim light the mirror shining bright, looking likewise as the obsidian mirror of Toltec myth did thousands of years ago.

"I've become pale just watching her," As if to touch the faceless drone in the glassy misted room Alice knew who the child was. That was another like her. Nothing having to do with here and now. But of her horrid place back by his side, as Roku's...

Daughter- "NO!"

The crystal activated all by it's own power source just kneeling there. The glisten far from dead inside, Alice would not be over taken as she cried for the glow to discontinue. It did but she did not have a chance to respond.

On the bathroom floor she felt for the tiles underneath her fingers. Someone's foot- boot was in the way, her hand ran through it fazed through as if it were a hologram. It was not the enemy, it was not another specter. The fire in this picture was fuzzy. She could not see. She could however hear his voice.

"I'm sorry Arisu, you'll see." The voice was soft yet determined. Alice was making out something else from the intruder. Skillful intelligence. The goof barely had his head on right! "We will make this world well again!"

Insane. Someone had broken in by a similar field of power, thus shielding itself completely. Robin had mentioned nothing to her of this work, they'd gotten to know one another as students. Did his sense of justice involve not to trust outsiders?

If that were the case then someone should at least-

Guh!"

The newcomer wagged his finger at the half blind princess. Another?

"Sorry girly, You can't follow me." he mocked her as he left with a vivid smirk, he could not be deducted that quickly. He remembered that he was wearing a mask.

"See ya!"

Alice remained blinded by the mist that was actually a smoke disk at work, in defense of the crafty yet charming, Red X. Her conscious mind fell back into the dark, something definitely from the beginning was going to happen.

/C

"Shall we view- the tube of you- while you recover?" It had taken over an extremely paranoia filled hour to find some complete comfort during Robin's downtime . Cy had recently brought the teen leader lunch, dinner and a protein bar for 'snack time'- What was he? A senior citizen? Suure, he was in a hospital bed. That didn't mean he couldn't go back to his room. Soft sheets were layered over his frame.

"Perhaps...you are sad. The least you could say is that you do not wish to-

"It-it's fine. There's just so much I haven't been able to do in the last couple of...Wait!" Robin jolted up, his hair still plastered the only face he had. His eyes were clearing up thanks to that spark that had made him sit up.

Starfire knew he wasn't up to staying around this room forever, he had to have the feelings of freedom sometime. She scratched her cheek, curious. "What is it you-

Oh!" He pulled her to meet his eyes. That big grin across his face made her scrunched back a bit. "YOU! You could help me, say to the others that I need the exercise, maybe even some time to think-

She shook her head, her fists to her sides.

"You know of the plan to keep you safe from harm!" She said with her fingers mentally crossed. "We can do nothing until the tremors and your ma-

"Ma-

…..." Robin looked as if her actions would make him numb up again! She had referred to the strange marks made by evil cultists when this had all begun!

"Please do not worry! We are all counting on your fullest report of mental balance and physical strength. Once they have healed, you will not have to fear..." now she would cry beside him! This was not the time! "Robin. You will recover, and Roku will not win-

Just say it, Just say that I lost to him..." Rob didn't mean Roku this time. Slade, the secret he held over them all. Who could fight the inevitable. Whom was far into this cursed life, just like his former student. Why so hopeless? If they'd gotten so close before, then who was stopping them.

Beast boy didn't trust his leader anyway, Starfire would go after the king dragon or lizard...and then what? She'd be lost in some mystifying, evil all over again. The one holding them all back wasn't his team and its new pack of watchful surveying dogs from the unknown. NO-

It had to mean that he...

The lights shut down just as the alarm was about to do its rightful job. "Robin! I cannot see. Someone has-

Ugh!" she collapsed from the fateful blow to the back of her skull, Robin was in unwary panic soon enough. Someone was there, not a Titan or anyone worth negotiating with, yet.

"Lights out, kid." the voice wrung in through the night. Robin knew that voice...X. X was back and he'd hurt Starfire...

He saw her get knocked back by the thief, he'd heard her breathing softly. "Good, she's not too bad...Maybe I can-

Heh...I came all this way to fight chuckles, guess I didn't hear the news right."

"Sorry to disappoint," Robin cringed back- holding onto the metal frame of his hospital bed for support. "Don't slip up ok?" A semi curious X laughed.

"I mean it, don't you touch her!" he snapped at the face that was clearly in shadow. Why shadow? Couldn't it be something new!

"Why? That wouldn't be-

A beeping alerted the two that X had a mission, an inconspicuous one to his old friend. It was coming from the glowing X on the thief's chest. "You'd better not follow, this could get ugly-

"Yah!" Robin leapt from the safe sheets covered in nothing but sweat from sleepless nights. His top and bottoms had been replaced earlier on in the day. Still feeling cold he used the sheets to mask his presence in mid air, giving into the eventual effect of anger for this all!

/

"Wha! What's going on-

Grunting the teen struck his victim flat into the floorboards. Robin would create his own strategy from scratch. Instead of just the stomach of X getting clobbered Robin had also attempted to blind his foe senseless. Without gloves to protect his fingers the Titan only pushed so that ex villain X would push back.

His face covered by the blankets Robin found that X had managed to transport away from the kid without his enemy knowing.

Robin saw his chance to find Starfire. He tugged the layers over his head, the spot she had fallen by was clean she wasn't there. Then what about X? Robin felt shame in how he'd lost something very precious to such a-

The Titan leader was supposed to be in bed at this hour of the night, he could bet his friends were wide awake.

The window swung open from the inside. Starfire was not in the thief's clutches. Why? That wasn't a part of the bargain. The teen's job was to get into Titan's Tower to find out how well chuckles could fare against a blackout. That's all, a few comments, the girl was only in his way. His job was done here, no. No one would figure out the real plan...

~Azarath Metrion Zinthos!~

X was knocked off his feet by the witch girl Titan. Groaning as he rubbed his head from a forming bruise; this was getting old. Real fast, real soon.

"You're right Ravenna!"

The next annoying person swallowed the villain up into a bubble of blue light.

Raven ignored him with a huff. Waltzing over to the blue ball of magic the sorceress used her power to teleport him far away, or so she thought. X had used his suit for so many reasons in the past. This was his employer's work. He wasn't that strong, not strong enough to break away from the odd couple.

"How-

That wasn't me." She was finally speaking to Malchior behind her when the worst came to rear its ugly head. A scream. From Starfire. It was so loud that Raven had to hold her head mentally.

"No." Rae's reaction to this must have made the X thief plummet-

/

NO!" The worst was just to much to bear she was caught by something that crawled on the floor and-

"HEEELP!" Robin ran down the hall rushing through the smoke that had caught the team off guard. "Why smoke? What does he want!"

Robin sighed. It was only Beast Boy. Yet when the guy saw Robin he held out a hand, was the teen fighting something?

The were in the evidence room. It was dark and full of silence. The only light came from a gleam of every cabinet that held foolproof evidence similar to a detective's office.

The beams of light created a spotlight for the hero as Beast boy's present self fell away. The lights became hotter and hotter as he tried to walk over to the room's last remaining evidential piece-

It was a book in red cloth lying on top of a white pedestal. The draped piece of fabric fell to the floor as Robin's unmasked eyes widened at the sight of it's front cover. The pages spilled out onto the ground as he stepped back; someone was behind him. Was it X or the Titans?

The ground was spinning while the room's ceiling was out of his reach, he'd been knocked out cold. The last thing he remembered was being covered in a dark cloak that was musty smelling and warm.

~Bruce...~ he sighed in his mind. Feelings of panic died with that warm scent.