Hey ya'll! I hope you're ready for yet more of my awesome story, because here's the newest chapter! In this chapter, the titans make their best efforts at somehow figuring out what the information apparently worth their deaths is, and sadly fail miserably until they receive help from a most unexpected source. Here's to hoping you read, review, and enjoy!

Again, I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC universe elements.

Chapter 7:

Dead Ringer

At exactly 3:30 that afternoon, none of the Titans had made any progress whatsoever in their efforts to find any information that could even remotely qualify as a possibility for what the information that they were apparently worth getting killed for was. Raven had now gone through almost her entire repertoire of books related to demonology, but she still hadn't yet found anything that seemed like the kind of thing that might have qualified. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, likewise hadn't had any luck whatsoever on their searches on the internet. Starfire, meanwhile, had no choice but to just sit on the sofa and watch helplessly as her friends did their research. She knew that she would only be in the way as she barely understood the concept they were currently studying, not to mention wasn't exactly the poster girl for computer savviness. The Titans had only stopped once over the course of their efforts to somehow determine what it was that Slade and his as of yet unnamed compatriot had tried to have them killed for, and that had been for a lunch break. But now, even after all their hard work, they still hadn't found anything that had even the most remote chance of qualifying as potential candidates for this element.

Beast Boy yawned, stretched his arms, and then said, "Dude, research can be so exhausting."

"I hear you man," said Cyborg as he continued looking through the website he was currently on. "If I could still feel my joints, they'd probably be swelling up right now."

Robin, meanwhile, found himself feeling very irritated after the website he'd now just finished reading through turned out to be just an online newspaper report about a false doomsday prophet in Star City who'd cried wolf by shouting and raving about an impending apocalypse so that he would distract the public long enough for a gang of robbers who'd hired him to successfully rob a local bank. Slamming his fist on the desk he was using, Robin growled, "There's gotta be some way we can figure out what Slade and this other villain want to find out by having us killed."

"Let me guess," said Beast Boy. "You're not having any more luck at this then we are."

Robin growled. "I just wasted the last five minutes reading a newspaper article on a false doomsday prophet aiding bank robbers in Star City by distracting the public with false announcements of an impending apocalypse; no, I'm not having any luck!"

"Tell me about it," said Cyborg. "The link I accessed right before the one I'm currently on was for a news article about a Halloween prank gone wrong in which a group of teenage hooligans dressed up like demons and scared the bejesus out of a bunch of preschoolers. They ended up getting their cover blown when the chaperones ended up pepper spraying them and nearly beating them to death with mallets before the teenage perpetrators managed to get them to stop and reveal that it was just a prank."

Beast Boy snorted, rolled his eyes, and stated, "I'm not sure which us worse; what you guys just found, or the tabloid article on an eyewitness sighting of Lucifer I just unwittingly stumbled upon."

At this point, Robin facepalmed, groaning in irritation as he felt a horrendous headache coming on. "This is insane!" he yelled. He turned his head to Raven and said, "Raven, I know this is probably a worthless question, but have you found anything in those books that might qualify?"

Raven shook her head, closed the book she'd been looking through at that moment, and said, "Sadly, no. And I have a feeling that I'm not going to any such information in any of the ones that I still haven't yet looked through."

"I certainly wouldn't be surprised," said Beast Boy. "I mean, those demons did say that this information was one of the things that Lucifer only told his five most trusted underlings. I have a feeling that if it's that private, then it sure won't be in any random books, or websites for that matter."

Robin sighed in annoyance. "There's gotta be some way we can figure it out," he grumbled bitterly.

Starfire got up from her seat on the couch, walked up behind Robin, and placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "There, there, Robin," she said. "Don't despair. We will stop Slade and whoever this other villain who's working with him is. We will be victorious."

Robin sighed, looked gratefully at Starfire, and said, "I'm sure you're right Star. Still, I just wish that we could be on equal footing right now with Slade at the very least instead of one step behind him."

"Well I'm sure that if worst comes to worst you could always pray to God himself to help us out," Cyborg grumbled sarcastically in an almost bitter sounding tone.

The other Titans looked at Cyborg with half confused and half worried looks on their faces. "Um, Cy?" Beast Boy asked. "Are you ok?"

"What?" Cyborg asked. Then he noticed the looks on his friends' faces and remembered what he'd just said before now. "Er, sorry, that was nothing. I'm just still having a little trouble wrapping my head around the fact that the demons of Abrahamic religions, and now apparently even Satan himself, are real."

Robin's eyebrow raised, and he said, "Are you sure that's all it is Cyborg? Because you sounded awfully bitter. Is there something about this situation you aren't telling us?"

Cyborg sighed, stared blankly at the computer screen he was sitting in front of, and then exited out of the window he'd been on before turning to face the other titans and responding, "Well I'll admit, the fact that such elements of Abrahamic religion as demons, Hell, and apparently Lucifer himself are real, well now I can't help but wonder if that means that Heaven, angels, and God are real."

The other Titans looked at each other, realized that Cyborg had brought up a valid point, and then looked back at him. "What would be wrong with that?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, it certainly would be nice to know that there really is someone up there watching over the world, not to mention an afterlife apart from Hell for us to go to when we die."

Cyborg sighed, nodded his head, and said, "I know that, but still, I'm not entirely certain if whether or not God and the angels truly existing isn't just as much a bad thing as it is a good thing."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

Cyborg thought to himself, now clearly having trouble deciding just how to word what he was trying to say. "Well, how should I put this . . . well what are your religious beliefs?"

This unexpected question caught the other Titans off guard, and they looked at each other awkwardly before then calmly considering their own religious beliefs.

"Well," said Robin. "I was pretty much born and raised a Protestant by my parents. And in my time under Batman's wing, he made sure to continue my Protestant lifestyle. But I'll also admit that I've regretfully not been to church for a mass since two weeks before I left Batman and came to Jump City, and that was five years ago." Upon mentioning this, a look that appeared half sentimental and half regretful came on Robin's face as he now remembered how large a lapse he'd displayed in his loyalty to his religious faith over the last few years of his life.

Starfire thought to herself, and then stated, "While I am respectful of other religions and have witnessed proof of other religions having elements that are factually in existence, I still consider myself faithful to the native religion of Tamaran, and thus a loyal follower of X'hal."

Cyborg nodded his head in understanding, and then looked at Raven. The sorceress sighed, and responded, "Well, I'm not really overly big on religion. I am half demon after all, and my demon side tends to get a little agitated around religious elements. Still, my human side does have a religious aspect, and in that regard I don't really consider myself to be a deeply rooted follower of any one religion. After all, my mother was a Catholic before Trigon impregnated her with me, and I ended up becoming well versed in the Azarathian religion while in Azar's care. Still, every once in a while, I send a prayer to the Azarathian equivalent of God. After all, despite what my demon side says, I don't want to have to go to Hell when I die any more than you guys do, and I very much doubt you want to go to Hell." The other Titans gulped, and nodded in sympathy.

Then all eyes focused on Beast Boy. The changeling gulped, rubbed his fingers through his hair, and then said, "Well, I'm kind of indifferent to religion really; kind of on the same boat as Raven you know? I mean, my parents raised me as a Catholic, and the Doom Patrol were also devoted followers of that faith. Still, I was also exposed to the religious culture of an upper Lamumban tribe that my parents and I were acquainted with during our adventures in Africa. And with my education and all the life events I've been through ever since I got my powers, I've been exposed to so many different religions both dead and alive that I'm really not sure what faith to turn to. And it certainly doesn't help that it's been five years straight since the last time I attended mass."

Upon saying this, Beast Boy sighed, his ears drooping as he stared downward at the floor with a saddened and seemingly guilt-ridden look on his face. "Still," he then said. "I've always believed that there's at least something out there."

With Beast Boy having now answered Cyborg's original question, the Titans looked back at Cyborg, who sighed, and stated, "Well now that you've made it a little easier by telling me your beliefs, I might as well talk about mine and how they're involved with my current thoughts I've just brought up." He looked out the window at the sun, and then said, "To tell you the truth, I used to be a Catholic just like you BB."

"Used to?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg nodded his head, and then said, "Born and raised that way by my parents. But that was before . . . well . . . my accident." The Titans nodded in understanding, for they knew Cyborg well enough to understand that he was referring to the as of yet undescribed to them accident that had caused him to become the partially robotic figure he was now.

"A few days or so after the accident," Cyborg continued. "Well, to put it simply, I more or less became an atheist. And even after the experiences we had with Trigon and his followers, I still more or less remained firm in that mindset until last night and this morning. And now, having now gotten confirmation in the existence of the Abrahamic demons, the Abrahamic form of Hell, and of course now apparently Lucifer, I'm now not sure whether or not it would really be logical or truly possible for me to doubt so easily in the existence of God, Heaven, and the angels. And after all that I've been through in my life, I honestly can't really decide whether or not I should be happy about that or resentful."

"Resentful?" Robin asked.

"That's a powerful word to use," said Raven.

"No kidding," said Beast Boy.

"Please Cyborg," Starfire asked. "Why would you have any reason to possibly feel such hatred for such a joyous possibility?"

Cyborg sighed, hung his head, and then said, "I understand that in some ways it is indeed better than the alternative, and yes part of me is happy about the possibility. But you see, after my accident and the surgery I underwent afterward that allowed me to become what I am now, I more or less convinced myself that I had to believe that there was no such thing as God, or angels, or even Heaven. After all, in light of what had happened to me and my mom both in the accident and in the immediate aftermath that followed, if God and the angels truly didn't exist, then all the stuff that had happened to me would feel more like just a natural part of the chaos that would exist in their place, and less like . . . well . . . like a betrayal."

The other Titan's eyes widened at this choice of words. "Betrayal?" Beast Boy asked in shock. "What do you mean betrayal?"

Cyborg thought to himself, considering whether or not to explain any further, and then sighed. "Might as well," he thought to himself. He looked at his four friends and said, "You know how sometimes early on in life you end up waking up screaming from a nightmare and you have someone to come and comfort you afterward?"

The other Titans nodded. "When my parents were still alive," said Robin, "they comforted me. But of course, after I ended up under Batman's wing, he more or less forced me to just deal with them on my own."

"I had Galfore to comfort me," said Starfire.

"I had Azar," said Raven.

"My parents comforted me after nightmares before they died," said Beast Boy. "And when I was in the Doom Patrol, I remember that Elastigirl would always be there to comfort me after a nightmare, against Mento's orders I might add."

Cyborg nodded, and then explained, "Well before the accident, my mom was practically always the one to comfort me and help me back to sleep. And I remember that directly before she left as I was starting to really get back to sleep, she would say to me as a parting call that angels were watching over me."

The other Titans looked surprised. "Wow," said Robin. "My parents certainly never thought of saying that."

"But I don't understand," said Starfire. "What does this have to do with you feeling as if the angels and God had betrayed you after your accident?"

"Because as far as I know," Cyborg responded, "she was wrong. There was nothing watching over her on the day of the accident, much less over me."

Cyborg turned his head to face the windows again, and then continued, "And even without counting all that, over time after the accident both before and after I came here to Jump City, heck even now, I've always made note of how such terrible things have happened to me, my mom, you guys, other civilians, other heroes, heck sometimes there have even been things I've noticed happen to bad guys that sometimes I end up feeling even they didn't deserve. And with all that in mind, I just can't help but wonder; if God and the angels do exist, then why do they allow such terrible things to happen to good people? Heck, why do they allow bad things to happen, period?"

The other Titans gulped, and hung their heads as they realized how Cyborg had made a powerful point. Eventually, Robin placed his hand on Cyborg's shoulder and said, "Well Cyborg, I'm not sure how else to say this but, sometimes all you can really say is that God, if he exists, truly does work in mysterious ways. And whether or not you view God existing and not being there for you and your mom that day as a personal betrayal is your call. But I personally believe that while I do not believe in fate, God allows bad things to happen to people as his own way of testing us to see how we react. And the ways we react in the face of his tests proves to him whether or not we're worthy of going to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.

"I'm sure that it would be awesome if God or his angels were to directly intervene in the world's affairs and help maintain order that way. But I also believe just as firmly that it is specifically to preserve order that they don't directly intervene, assuming they even exist. I mean, you've got to admit, if they intervened directly, it would upset the balance of order and chaos to much in favor of order. And things have to be balanced out really in order for true peace."

Cyborg thought to himself, and then sighed as he grudgingly realized that what Robin said actually made sense. "I guess you're right," said Cyborg. The half-robot teenager sighed again, and then stated, "But boy, does the natural order suck."

Robin chuckled at Cyborg's statement, and then said, "Yes, it sucks. But it is what it is."

Beast Boy chuckled, stretched his arms, and then said, "Well man, I'm sure that whether or not God and the angels truly exist, we'll almost certainly find out what Slade and this other villain guy are after some way or another without having to wait for another set of demons to try to kill us."

All the other Titans apart from Raven laughed at this. But right at that moment, they all heard the unexpected sound of a message being intercepted on the main TV window screen of the common room. Confused, the Titans glanced at the screen in question. At the sight of the sender ID, Robin's eyes narrowed in suspicion, for the ID simply read 'Unknown Source'.

"Wonder who's calling us," said Cyborg.

"Only one way to find out," said Robin, who walked over to the screen and selected the 'accept' option.

In a flash of static, the screen revealed none other than Slade himself sitting in an otherwise empty forest clearing. "Hello Titans," he stated to the shocked teenage heroes.

"Slade," Robin growled, his fists clenched at the sight of the Titan's longtime nemesis.

"I see your thoughts on me haven't changed a bit since the last time," said Slade.

The other Titans glared at the screen alongside their leader. "What do you want, Slade?" Robin snarled.

"Yeah," said Cyborg. "Whatever you're calling us for, it ain't pleasant conservation. Whatever you want, it had better not be a gloat about another assassination attempt on us."

"Relax, tin man," Slade stated calmly. "I'm not here to gloat, much less tell you of any more demons that have been sent after you, particularly since my associate hasn't yet sent any more after you after how you both killed the first five he sent after you and summarily dismissed the rest of the squadron they were with back home."

Slade then directed a glance at Raven and said, "And on that note, very impressive work, Raven. I'll definitely have to admit that you certainly don't seem to have any qualms about exorcisms in spite of your heritage."

Raven snarled, her eyes glowing red and dangerously close to splitting into four, and then ominously growled, "Flattery won't get you anywhere."

Beast Boy snarled, positioned himself as if about to transform into a predator and lunge at the screen, and then said, "Yeah Slade, whatever you want to tell us about, I say you stop wasting time."

Slade's eyebrow seemed to rise under his mask. "All business are we? Very well. I believe you are wondering what it is that Vandal Savage considers having you killed for, am I right?"

Robin raised his hand as if to say 'hold it,' and then stated, "Did you just say Vandal Savage?"

"Why yes I did," said Slade. "For the past year or so, we've had a sort of partnership. Need I ask why you just asked me that question?"

Robin growled, slammed his right fist into his left palm, and said, "I knew that demon's description of your partner sounded familiar."

"Who is this savage vandal?" Starfire asked.

"Not savage vandal," said Beast Boy. "Vandal Savage. I remember Mento once told me about him during my time in the Doom Patrol. He's some sort of big shot cave man villain."

"He's not just a big shot cave man villain," said Robin. "Batman's told me about him. Millions of years ago, when the people of Earth were still in the stage where they hunted woolly mammoths and kept wild wolves for pets, a cave man named Vandar Adg came across a mysterious comet that had fallen from the sky and landed nearby his village. His fellow tribesmen fled from it in fear, but he slept next to it for the sake of the warmth it provided that night. But the radiation and heat from the comet must have some sort of magic in it, because after the night was over and he woke up, he later discovered that he'd both ended up becoming immortal and gained a major boost in intelligence. Ever since then, he's plagued the world at various different time periods and under numerous names in his efforts at taking over the world, but the one name that he's now known as by nearly everyone in the world nowadays is Vandal Savage, a play on his old name from before he was endowed by the comet."

"Very good Robin," said Slade. "Your mentor taught you well, and yes, he is indeed the one fully responsible for sending your earlier house guests after you."

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked. "Didn't you help?"

"Most certainly not," said Slade with a hint of derision in his voice. "Believe me, I have no idea why I should be credited by you for this, because Savage did all the work in summoning them, and I for one was not 100% on board with the idea."

Robin's eyebrows rose. "You weren't?"

Slade shook his head side to side. "No," responded the Titan's masked nemesis. "We may view each other as enemies, but unlike Savage I respect you; you have always proven worthy opponents after all. And I believe that you deserve better than being slaughtered like animals by a race of beings that serve a higher power too impatient to let the world's story unfold the way it's been planned out. And also, after my experiences with your father, attempting to unleash a second satanic figure on the world is far too despicable, even for me."

At first the Titans were confused by what Slade had said, but then Raven realized who Slade was talking about. "You mean Lucifer."

"Precisely," said Slade. "As I'm sure you might have been informed by those demons you interrogated and sent home this morning, Satan himself is at work once more in his efforts to escape from Hell earlier than foretold. And Vandal Savage has chosen to form a partnership with him in the current plot that has been decided upon. However, Lucifer is careful, and he refuses to tell Savage and I what we'd need to know in order to help him bring this current plot of his to fruition unless we first fulfill one small favor he has chosen to ask of us. And as you have now learned from your recent experiences, that favor has turned out for us to have you killed."

Starfire stepped forward, her eyes glowing green and her fists at the ready to produce star bolts, and said, "Well, what is this information that this cowardly and dishonorable monster wants us dead before he allows you to know it?!"

Slade stared at the angry Tamaranean, and calmly stated, "I cannot tell you directly what it is, for I do need to be mindful of potential eavesdroppers after all; however, I can tell you how you can find out what it is without asking me, Savage, or Lucifer."

The Titans looked at each other, clearly considering whether or not to take Slade up on his offer. Then they all came to a unanimous decision, and they turned to face Slade once more before Robin said, "Alright Slade, we'll take you up on this offer, but don't think that this will change anything between us."

Slade nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he stated before he leaned forward and said, "Seek out the Brotherhood of Dante."

The Titans raised their eyebrows. "The what?" Beast Boy asked.

"Brotherhood of Dante," Slade repeated calmly. "It is a hidden organization of knowledgeable mortals that is dedicated to dealing with demons and all other things of an Infernal, Purgatorial, or Paradisiacal nature."

Raven stared suspiciously at Slade. "I've never heard of this order," she stated.

"Not many people have," Slade responded. "That's why very few ever enter it into a search engine or attempt to actively search for it in other ways."

The masked man then looked directly at all five of the teenage heroes, and said, "But if there's anyone apart from myself, Savage, Lucifer, or one of the five knights of Hell who can tell you what it is that Savage wants to have you killed for, it's them. And right now, I'd recommend that you get to work on searching for them as soon as possible. I have a feeling that Savage will send something far more powerful than the force you exorcised this morning in the very near future."

Slade then proceeded to draw out a small sheet of paper that had what looked like an address written down on it and presented it in full view of the Titans. "This is the address of one of their local headquarters bases. This particular base is located right in Jump City. Can you memorize it?"

Cyborg gazed intently at the address Slade had written down on the piece of paper he was now showing them, almost as if he were scanning it. A few minutes later, the partially robotic teenager nodded, and said, "Got it."

Slade nodded, and then said, "Very well then. I recommend you go there straight away. Farewell Titans. I'm sure that we'll hopefully meet again under slightly less potentially apocalyptic terms."

On that ominous note, Slade ended the transmission, and the TV screen turned back to a window in a flash of static. Robin nodded, turned to face his teammates, and then said, "Alright team, let's get to work. Cyborg, you know where that address he gave us is?"

Cyborg nodded. "City Section 13."

"Same place where I get most of my supernatural artifacts and books," said Raven.

"And the place where I got that wacked out pie," said Cyborg.

"What wacked out pie?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin turned his head to look at the changeling. "Remember Mother Mae Eye?"

"Oh," said Beast Boy. "That pie."

Robin nodded, turned his head so that he was facing all four of his teammates, and then said, "Come on, let's get moving. If what Slade told us just now is to be relied upon, then we need to get there and study up as fast as we can before Savage sends another demonic hit man after us."

And just like that, another chapter wrapped up! I hope you enjoyed and that you leave a healthy batch of reviews. On another note, I apologize in advance if the scene with Slade turning out to be the unexpected source hinted at in the sneak peek I left at the end of the previous chapter seems overly unrealistic or OOC. But this was the best I could do that would make even a remote bit of sense in my opinion. Feel free to voice your own thoughts on that (as well as on other elements in this chapter, particularly the major discussion the titans had about religion). But hey, like I said, regardless of your views on the whole Slade angle in this chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter and that you leave a nice bit of reviews (and believe me, I very much would love to see you leave reviews, even if you are a guest!).

Coming up next: The titans travel to the address that Slade has given them and get straight to work in resuming their search for the information they desire, but this time with the entire database of the Brotherhood of Dante at their fingertips.