Author's Note: Once again, another story is finished, bonus points that it coincides with the end of The First Degree. Now, I know everyone is eager to find out what comes next, in which read the author's note at the bottom and check out my profile page. In the meantime, enjoy.

Disclaimer: We do not own Teen Titans

Nowhere Generation

We are the nowhere generation

We are the kids that no one wants

We are a credible threat to the rules you set

A cause to be alarmed

We are not the names that we've been given

We speak a language you don't know

We are the nowhere generation

The nowhere generation, oh-whoa

-Nowhere Generation by Rise Against

There was always a calm that followed a big fight. Silence would fall over everything, you felt antsy because after all the action you were waiting for one more thing that would not happen, and then there was the processing.

When you were in the middle of things, fighting for your life and all, you could push things to a side even if it was for a little while. There was no time then, but there was now.

Red Robin checked in with the others and found that despite the action being over, they were far from finished with this situation. For one, there was a large group of metahumans, the vast majority not even above the age of eighteen. From what Cyborg told him, all of them had been taken in through illegal means, metahuman trafficking and all. It was how this H.I.V.E. kept its operations going: the sale of people with superpowers along with renting them out on a temporary basis. Not the only source of revenue, but it brought in a lot of cash.

Many of them had been taken against their will and forced to train to become killing machines. Soldiers for a war that Immortus imagined and may have brought about had their plans gone forward without intervention. Bumblebee had been on to something, that many didn't want to be here and would prefer to be home instead.

But what would home be for them? Some had been held here for years, "the best" according to H.I.V.E.'s definition of the term. Sorting this all out would take a huge amount of time, and it was definitely above the Teen Titans' pay grade. He planned to contact the Justice League once Cyborg was finished. First and foremost, Raven was still M.I.A. and they needed to find her if only to reassure themselves.

Again, this was proving to take some time, even with Cyborg's technology. Red Robin chose to withdraw for a moment to collect his thoughts. That, and get the Justice League on his speed dial.

However, even that would need to wait a little longer. Someone who was also keeping some distance was Wonder…Cassie. She was out in the hallways, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and her legs curled in front of her, arms wrapped around her lower legs.

Seeing her like that, it was too new and it was out of character. He knew what pieces he needed to put together that puzzle, and right now, she needed a shoulder next to her, whether it was to lean against or cry on, that would be her decision.

Downcast blue eyes were staring blankly at the floor through a pair of knees. To her right, Red Robin sat down, one leg stretched out in front of him while the other was bent upright. He shifted enough to bump his shoulder against hers, letting her know he was there.

Most of her armor was gone, disappearing in that way it had that he still did not understand. She had a light version of it, nothing as heavy-looking as it had become, meaning she didn't have enough trust in this place to relax in it. He didn't blame her; this was still considered enemy territory.

There he waited, allowing Cassie the chance to speak up first. As the minutes stretched on, it became obvious that she wasn't going to. By now, he knew what he would do, let the silence remain and wait and wait until the other person acted. He was figuring out that sometimes waiting wasn't the thing to do.

"How are you feeling?" Red Robin asked. Asking if she were okay was too close-ended a question, limiting the answer to yes or no. This was more open-ended, allowing Cassie to answer however she wanted.

Though her answer was delayed, the blonde-haired girl spoke, "Like shit."

There could be a lot of reasons for that kind of answer. He doubted it had anything to do with Queen Bee. The only other matter of note was how he had come across her earlier.

"Ravager?"

"He was an asshole. After what he's done, he deserves a lot of shit coming his way." Cassie raised a hand to her head. "I don't know if he deserved to die. Suffer, yeah. But die? Why is it…why is it I'm concerned about what's going to happen to me instead of that bastard dying? Is this normal?"

"It's not wrong," he answered. "Worrying about yourself after something traumatic? Nothing wrong with that. You're worried one of the big wigs will pin it on you?"

Immediately, Red Robin felt himself wincing. That question, too closed-ended and presuming what the girl beside him was thinking. Too much boxing in there.

"Only one. I don't know if he'll believe me," Cassie sighed, her head tilting forward to rest against her knees while her arms dropped down. Coincidentally, her hand landed on his leg, resting on its side.

Red Robin knew who she was talking about. It was the only person who had really come down on her and put the fear of the Bat into her. He knew, or at least felt, that Batman wouldn't jump to conclusions and would look at all the evidence. Hell, they could find all the evidence here in this base if they had too. Maybe had it been earlier into their superhero careers, he would have doubts, but the two of them had been through too much and had changed enough that he could—no, would believe her.

It was all about the thrill. Cassie wasn't a murderer. Not yet, at any rate. Could she get lost in the here and now? Yeah. But she could be broken out of that mindset too. She had gotten so much better. She was not the same girl he had first met breaking and entering in Jump City, nor was she the same person he had borrowed a boat with to go touring Santa Prisca's finest prison, or the person who had had Batman come down hard on like a sledgehammer.

Cassie was still a little aloof, but she was quick to come to the team's defense. She was loyal to a fault with a streak of skepticism that could come out as needed. The action and excitement was what really drew her into this world, and it was the team that had her coming back.

"I'll be right beside you if that happens," Red Robin said, his head turned just enough so that he was looking at her. Cassie's head tilted enough that she was peeking at him from the corner of her eye. "If I have to, I'll fight even if I know he'll kick my ass. You're not alone, and you won't be."

"Is that a promise?" the armor-wearing blonde asked. Before he could answer that, "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Red. It's not a good look for you."

"Neither is black and blue, but I'll do it," he quipped back. Carefully, he placed his hand on hers, the same one that was resting against his leg. He gave a squeeze, then allowed his hand to slip around and to clasp against hers, intertwining his fingers with hers. "We'll find out the answers, together, and then let them all know. I know you did everything in your power to try and save Ravager, even if he was an asshole."

Cassie gave a snort, but now she was raising her head up. She faced him and he faced her. From behind the lens of his domino mask, he took in the sight of her, never breaking eye contact. Their heads leaned towards one another, their breaths starting to mix, his eyes never leaving hers…

Lips made contact. The kiss was light and ended as quickly as it began. Then Cassie leaned into the masked teen and he leaned back into her.

No more words were needed here. Just presence. Touch. Killing time and using it to regain any composure that could have been lost.

It would be some time before she was ready, but he would be there patiently waiting, knowing that when Cassie was ready, it would be the best of her that stood up with him.

Leaves and pine needles crunched under several feet. Through the tree cover, one could make out the mountain behind the small group of five. Each was carrying something, be it bags or crates containing equipment.

They had stolen out into the night…day like thieves. Then again, they had the experience. Jinx hardly cast a look at their former home, already preferring to look ahead and into the future. There were so many possibilities…provided they had the funds. Well, that could be easily changed; none of them cared where they got their next payday so long as it happened.

Her chest felt light. This was it, wasn't it? No going back. No second chances. The way things were going back there, those twerps…no, those Teen Titans were going to be dismantling that place. The Queen, Immortus, Psimon, all of them were going down. She could feel it. Who else better than someone who knew luck like she did who could predict some high and mighty assholes getting a beat down?

"Why's the air have to be so fresh?" Gizmo grumbled. "When are we gonna reach civilization again? I am not sleeping in the dirt tonight."

And Gizmo had been mouthy ever since she found them. They had been laid up, though that had been part of the plan. If everyone thought you were KOed, they wouldn't be on the lookout for you. The only problem was that you needed to get yourself KOed first. Seemed like the Titans had picked up someone along the way who could do that.

"There's a road about a couple miles from here," Jinx threw out. "We just need to snag a ride there and we'll be on our way."

"To where?" Gizmo continued to grumble.

"Some place small, you know, to count if any of our ribs are broken," the leader of this not-so-merry troupe listed off. "Bed and breakfast. Definitely small. Or a condo. Breaking and entering's not too hard. Once we get our bearings, we'll set off for one of the major cities, preferably one without any superheroes in it. We gotta build our street cred and reputation before we go seeking that excitement."

"Laying low doesn't sound too bad," Shimmer muttered, a sign that she still wasn't in her right mind—but when was she ever? Recovering from what that girl, Raven, had done was still on the list of things to do. They all needed their heads in the game.

"So we're just gonna steal? That it?" Mammoth whined, adjusting his grip on a container he held under one of his meaty arms. "So boring!"

"Everybody starts from somewhere," Jinx chided back. "We're not working for H.I.V.E. anymore, nor do we have their backing. We're free agents for the first time! The world is ours for the taking, but we gotta be smart about it! It's not only the good guys we gotta watch out for, but the turfs of the bad guys too. They are not gonna want competition, which means it's them we flex our muscles to."

Mammoth gave a sneer. "They better be tough."

"We're staying away from the east coast. Too many eyes over there." Metropolis and Gotham were no goes. There was nothing in Detroit, and hell no to Central City and Keystone because she, and they, were sick of speedsters. "But west coast has the Titans…and Gateway. Maybe we could try for Midway City…or Star City. I don't think anything's happened in Star City."

"Wouldn't that be too close to those goody-goody crudmunchers?" Gizmo wondered.

"And what are they going to do? Chase us to another city? We blend in with the elements there, heh, they won't even know we're there," she dismissed. Then solemnly, "I know this is not going to be easy. It's going to be hard as hell. Even the people on the same team as us will try to tear us down. We're all we have right now. We've got to stick together if we're going to make it."

It seemed those words were enough to silence even Gizmo. Mammoth was looking blankly, which wasn't much of a surprise. Shimmer had her gaze downwards, giving the impression she was thinking over her words. Kyd Wykkyd, well, it was hard to tell with him, what with the teleporter always being silent and stoic.

But this was her team. These were the ones she had shed blood with, fought tooth and nail with, and there was no one else she would trust with her life. They had all been through too much to let a little thing like an uncertain future keep them down.

They were free. They were free! It was time to start acting like it.

Clapping her hands together, and drawing attention to herself, Jinx spun on her heels to fully face her team. "One thing at a time, guys. We find that road and we get our ride. Once we have a roof over our heads, we figure out where we're going. Oh, and before I forget, Gizmo, I want you to get on with finding a way to remove those chips in our heads. I'm betting the Titans did something about the system itself, but I don't want to leave any of us with a weakness someone will take advantage of. You're up for that, right?"

Gizmo would have given her a mocking salute if both of his little arms weren't busy holding several bags filled to the brim with…stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. She wasn't quite sure what was in there.

A thought occurred to her. "We're gonna need a new name too. I don't think we'll be getting away with the HIVE Five for the rest of our lives. You can bet all of that back there is going to make the news, so that's going to be a little too on the nose."

"You have any ideas?" Shimmer snarked.

Jinx answered her with a smirk. "Well, I was thinking something a little more fearsome."

It had been a contingency put into place long ago, one conceived specifically for the possibility that the facility was breached and compromised. A last resort, a way out, and the embodiment of a strategic withdrawal, provided that the facility itself had its self-destruct protocol activated.

Thanks to the cyborg Titan, that was not available, but at the very least the escape routes were not connected to the central mainframe. These needed to be separate, otherwise they could be discovered.

Tunnels had been drilled downwards, not an easy task, but one that had been accomplished. Once deep enough, the tunnels led outwards from the mountains and ended with small supply depots. There one could stock up and leave unmolested, able to survive the wildness for a few days or to lay low in one of the distant communities scattered across the mountain range.

For the descent, elevators had been constructed, and in one of them stood a furious Immortus. A small unit of armed men, some of the researchers, and a few of the metahumans had fled here, the general having to be dragged in against his will. He would have preferred to fight, even if that meant his death. To go out on the battlefield, that was the only end that he would have accepted.

It was cowardice to be here while those children ruined everything. Once safety had been reached and order was restored, H.I.V.E. would need to rebuild, and while it did that, a purging of the ranks would be necessary. H.I.V.E. was suppose to possess the strongest and the smartest humanity had to offer. How were any of these cowards the best and brightest?

So far, there had been no word from the Queen. Her power was great, enough that she would be able to telepathically contact him and rescind this retreat. It was still an option, and every minute that passed without such a notification had him seething yet at the same time cooling down.

If the Titans had grown powerful enough to lay low the Queen, then they would have to change tactics down to the foundation. They were a greater threat to their ambitions and one that needed to be eliminated no matter the cost. Humanity needed H.I.V.E., needed its guidance and wisdom. Disaster lurked in its future, and only they had the foresight to recognize it.

Those children could not be reasoned with. Could never be allies. The Queen had recognized this, and now he truly did understand. This was far from over. He swore it.

He did not speak, though. Not to the cowards behind him. At the very least, they could still be used for the rebuilding, but after that, culling was their true future. That way, they could truly be useful to the cause.

The blast doors to this elevator were being sealed. All that would be left to do was activate the elevator. With its own power system and completely cut off, their escape was all but assured.

However, before Immortus could give the order, there was an echoing boom. The general frowned, eyes searching for the origin. Had those children caught up with them? The traitorous metahumans too? It was hard to tell where the boom had occurred. Above? Below? Anywhere around?

A second boom thundered, much louder than the first. That…that sounded as if it had come from the doors. Those doors were reinforced and could be classified as blast doors. Impenetrable was the intention—

The doors abruptly bulged inwards and towards the gathering. This third boom was louder than the predecessor. Whatever could have caused this?

Soldiers aimed their weapons at the warped metal. Good, they were competent enough for that. This still left the question of who or what was on the other side. Could it be the alien? The one that wore armor? The geokinetic?

The next boom was unheard, masked as the doors fell to the floor, but there was a distinct lack of flame. Something had hit it…though that did not fully explain all the smoke. Black and wafting, it spilled into the large elevator and served to mask who was responsible. Several shots were fired, the soldiers not waiting to see what was coming after them.

Yet nothing fell onto the doors. You could hear ricochet, but nothing else. Immortus held up an arm to stop the gunfire, a command that was obeyed. He needed to see what opposed him now. What was attempting to end his long lifetime.

There was a hush, everyone waiting. The smoke was so slow to dissipate. Seconds were being measured by heartbeats.

A heavy footstep focused all attention onto the smoke and the figure that began to emerge from it. This person, they were tall and all identifying characters were obscured, and each step was slow but deliberate. They wanted to amp the tension and suspense. A waste of theatrics, Immortus thought to himself.

Black was the primary color, and not remnant of the smoke. The stance became clear, arms held at the side, and swinging with each step to keep overall balance. It was clear to see that this person had military training, and an impressive type at that. Another color became noticeable, and where it was located had Immortus catching his breath.

Orange. Orange colored the gloves, the boots, but most importantly, it covered the left side of a mask. A lens eye was the only other discoloration, and it was zeroed in on the H.I.V.E. remnants. The general knew this man. Anyone in their circles would. The description was all he needed.

Stepping forward, Immortus greeted, "Deathstroke. Your arrival and timing could not be better."

This man, this was the one he had originally approached, offering a contract on those Titans' heads. Rebuff and refusal were the answers to each offer, no matter how much the monetary reward was. No explanation was ever given, though the aged general had suspected it was perhaps due to a twisted standard or code, one that forbade killing children. It was a question that had kept him awake, a question that asked why an assassin would ever care about the age of his target.

Yet, here he stood. The Terminator. One of the greatest killer-for-hire the world had ever known. With his abilities and skills, retreat may not be necessary. They could retake the facility here and now and achieved one of the Queen's aims.

He could feel the assassin's attention on him, and Immortus stood straighter, or as much as his body would allow. He endured the scrutiny, motivated to seize victory from the jaws of defeat.

"Are you Immortus?" It was a deep voice, one that was remarkably smooth. Toneless, yet hard at the same time. The dichotomy was remarkable.

"I am," Immortus answered. "Your assistance is much—"

No one saw it happen. Immortus felt nothing. The only evidence that anything had occurred was that there was a thin, red line of blood that marked some of the researchers and the wall behind them and the light that gleamed off the sword blade now parallel with the floor.

Immortus did not…could not speak. It was odd. Very…odd…

The aged man's head rolled off of the shoulders and fell, bouncing off the floor. Seconds later, the body followed, collapsing into a heap.

Standing over the decapitated man, Deathstroke the Terminator snorted and quipped, "You don't seem very immortal to me."

Lazily, but with a feline-like grace, the dual-color assassin held his sword up to the remaining gathering of H.I.V.E. personnel. The armed soldiers held their guns at the ready, but none were confident enough that it would do anything. The researchers were paralyzed with terror. The metahumans did not know what to do because of how swiftly the situation had changed on them.

Then one of the female researchers stepped forward, clad in a skintight uniform that only exposed her face. She swallowed hesitantly, opened her mouth to speak, and—

"You lot have a choice." Those words were cut off as effectively as Immortus' head had been. "You owe me a debt, and I mean to collect."

The researcher's throat dried and tightened. She had swallowed first to use some saliva to wet it up before she could ask, "What debt?"

Deathstroke stepped to a side. Behind him had been the blasted open elevator doors, scorch marks clear to see on the dented metal, and the smoke that had hidden him was fully gone now. In its place, propped up against the wall opposite of the elevator entrance was a body, one clad in a silver, black, and red outfit.

It was Ravager.

Grant Wilson.

"Because of you lot, my son is dead," Deathstroke continued, all attention, shaking and quivering, returned to him. "Everyone involved will answer for it."

"It was the Titans!" another researcher protested. "If it weren't for—"

"I will get to them in due time." This interruption was almost as lethal as the sword. "H.I.V.E. is also culpable. One way or another, you all will pay. Your options are with your life or your blood, and I care not which you choose."

The female researcher blinked her eyes, not quite understanding. "What do you mean? Your life or blood?"

"It's simple. You work for me and pay off the debt with your service. You will be paid in turn with your life. If you choose blood, I will carve you up here and now and be done with it."

Well, the option was surely obvious—

"Except for you."

There was no time to blink. The sword was thrusted right through her body, and inches away from her face was the assassin's masked one.

In a hushed tone, "I remember you. You were in the car, the same one that picked my son up the last time I saw him. The last time he successfully ran away from home. I remember your face, you were in the front passenger seat. I have a very good memory. What you put into him, it was suppose to be the same serum I got from Uncle Sam, but you didn't do quality control and injected him with a tainted batch. The more he exerted, the faster it would kill him. You knew this, you didn't care. Just another pawn for you.

"So I know your lot played a part in everything, and that is why I will dismantle you all. When I'm done, there will be no H.I.V.E., and if the rest of you choose to pay with your lives," the hushed voice became much louder as it was directed to the rest, "you'll at least have your lives."

The sword went up, through the upper torso, then the neck, and lastly the head. Blood sprayed out of the slice, coating the Terminator and anyone else too close to the new corpse. It should have been too tough to do and required an enormous degree of strength, and yet this man had done it so effortlessly.

The sword swung outwards, sending blood to splatter elsewhere in the elevator while removing some of it from the blade. The rest of the assassin's body looked to be at ease, but now it was obvious to all, even the ones who were naturally slow, that in any second, that man would act and there would be another corpse to be added to the growing body count.

"Once more, I ask you," Deathstroke said more than asked, "which do you choose?

"Your life or your blood?"

Seeing how many there were, Red Robin was once more reminded of just how big this whole thing was. So many kids, all with powers of some kind, just milling around, waiting for what happened next. They could have left, gone all exodus and everything, but no. They were still here and the question then became what was to become of them all?

How long had they been here? Months? Years? Most of their lives? Did they have anything they could go back to? Was there anything to go back to? He had to remind himself that this was a problem that people with a better pay grade needed to handle. There was a definite call to the Justice League coming up.

First, though, he needed to check in with the others. The first he caught sight of was Kid Flash zipping about. From what little he was able to overhear, it sounded like the speedster was checking in on everyone whether they liked it or not, and possibly offering to be their new best friend. Like an energetic puppy, that one.

Next was Bunker. He seemed to be doing the same thing, though at a much slower pace and with what looked like better success. Currently, he was with a dark-skinned youth, someone the teen vigilante didn't recognize…except the clothing was very similar to the one metahuman, the one whose head was on fire and he had fought at Highland Mall. Their tones were low, but they were chatting. The Hispanic male had probably elicited more words out of this guy than Red Robin ever had.

He spotted Starfire who faced a very muscular woman…though considering what looked like the average age here, it may have been another teen. The mask and leotard was an interesting choice and was that a hint of an accent? Hopefully she did not hail from Santa Prisca.

But the Tamaranean was speaking with this masked fighter, and when he listened in it sounded like…they were sharing combat tips.

"While it does sadden me you shall not experience the joy of aerial combat, I noticed your skill in close-quarter combat was exemplary. Your knowledge of joint manipulation encourages me to inquire if you know of any means to escape one?"

"Strength is good, but only if you can use it. It seems you aliens and us possess the same structural weaknesses. The best defense is to not be captured, but should you find yourself in a lock or a hold, disrupting your opponent's balance may allow you the leverage you need to break free."

"What of the use of gravitational forces? Should I use my advantage in aerial combat, could I not use my knowledge of physics to achieve that aim?"

"Remember our first match? If one has options, they can alter the hold into something else."

"I see. Mayhap a friendly spar to exhibit and test theories would be advantageous."

And now they were getting into scheduling. There was something going on there, the birth of a friendly rivalry? It was unnecessary to intervene, and perhaps Starfire would find this helpful in her pursuit of her larger goals.

Moving on and around a few clusters of metahumans, Red Robin found the last of the team. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra were clustered together along with two of their former adversaries. One was Bumblebee and the other…he had been human once, right? Unless this was some kind of transformation power…or a lot of horrible scientific experiments.

Deciding not to show any unease, the teen vigilante approached and greeted Cyborg. "Find anything yet?"

The scowl he received was a little surprising. Rage could be seen in the sole human eye and it felt like they were seconds away from a titanium fist decking anything that might attract the cybernetic teen's wrath. Red Robin bore with it; Cyborg wasn't one to truly lose his head; get caught up in emotion, sure, but to rage? No, it had to be something big.

"You're not going to believe this shit," his larger teammate started. "These assholes were running one of the largest human trafficking networks around! They practically have a monopoly on the metahumans. But the worst part? They don't kidnap all of them, people will sell to them and they buy! This is some sick shit!"

It would explain how this H.I.V.E. managed to amass so many superpowered teens without raising any alarm bells, though. You'd think there would be a lot of missing persons reports or stories on abductions. With superpowers involved, there should be a lot of scrutiny. However, there was nothing.

You'd think there'd be someone talking about it, even some random faceless conspiracy theorist. Well, maybe there was one out there but no one was paying attention.

What he said was, "They have files?" They would need some hard evidence and a lot of it.

"Oh yeah, they do. They kept files of every single person they bought, sold, and everything in between." Cyborg was getting riled up even more.

"My metal man, you need to chill," Bumblebee cautioned. "These guys have done a lot of sick shit, but getting your steel tits in a twist isn't gonna help anyone, you dig me?"

The glare was shot at the bee-themed girl, but no words were said. Whether he agreed or not, Cyborg wasn't saying.

"Aw hell." Whoops, spoke too soon. "Hey Grass Stain, you remember that Galtry guy?"

Beast Boy was looking wary. "Yeah. What about him?"

"These were the assholes he sold you to." Okay, Red Robin could agree with the growl in the cybernetic teen's voice. "And then they sold you to Blood. Damn, I think he got most of those Ravagers from here!"

Which meant that they had possibly been interfering with H.I.V.E. much longer than anyone had ever thought. A new piece of an even large puzzle was found and suddenly all sorts of connections were being put together.

Jinx and her crew, when they had first met they had been working with that nameless man with his mutated gorilla. Maybe those two weren't part of this organization but they had dealings there too. Who else had the Titans encountered that had connections to H.I.V.E.? Judging by this, a lot more.

"Terra, found a file on you too," Cyborg continued. "Got your real name and everything."

Terra stared wide eyed at the titanium Titan. "My…my real name? What is it?"

The anger in Cyborg's human eye simmered, and when he next spoke, it was with a gentler tone. "Tara Markov. Says here you come from a place call Markovia. That's where it says they bought you. Sold you to Blood because they were unsure if they could fully control your powers and decided to let someone else have it."

The thin blonde looked down, her hands clenched into fists. It was faint, but you could almost feel the tremor running through the floor. Then, she repeated, "Tara. Close enough to Terra, I guess. It doesn't mean anything. Whoever decided to sell me, I want no part of them in my life. They can go to hell!"

"Ter…Tara?" Beast Boy tried, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You…you gonna be okay?"

"I'm gonna need a few minutes," Terra said softly and pulled away, wrapping her arms around her torso. "I always thought there was…it's different when you know it for a fact."

Revelation after revelation. Maybe they needed to hold off on those for a bit. Everything was overwhelming as it was.

Still, there was one last thing, and with Cyborg's discoveries, it meant there had to be one more in there, and one that was crucial right now. "Can you check for a file on Raven?"

It would be sick if their missing friend and teammate was sold off to who knows what and where, but it was a question that needed to be considered. There had been no sign of her, not yet. Kid Flash, Bunker, and Starfire could have found out by now, but since Raven wasn't here, that meant they were either working it still or too caught up in their own conversations.

Cyborg was looking pissed, but he nodded his head. It took several minutes before he responded. "Damn it. They have one on Raven."

Red Robin narrowed his eyes. "What did they do with her?"

A large, titanium fist was clenched, the strain beginning to cause it to tremble. "They sold her. Shipped her off before we even got here."

His stomach fell. They were too late to save her. Was this what H.I.V.E. had really been planning to do with them? If not kill, then capture and sell? Or worse, force them into servitude under Queen Bee's control?

No, no, there was only one part of that which was correct. They were too late to rescue Raven in this base. That didn't mean that they still couldn't save her from who she had been sold to.

"Who bought her? Where are they?" He nearly snapped the words out, but every Titan here understood the gravity.

The scowl was back. "They don't name names. They didn't even list Galtry's name in BB's file. Looks like they're trying to keep that confidential."

"That's bullshit!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing an arm out. "We can't find her?!"

Cyborg shook his head in the negative, but before hope could be crushed, "But they do say where they go."

It was better than nothing.

"Shit. Red, you are not going to like this."

Now was not the time for any cryptic BS. "Tell it to me straight."

Cyborg made eye contact with him, his facial expression grim. "Whoever bought her is in the one city in the world you don't want to go back to."

The one city…? Oh. Oh. Do not…no, no he needed to hear this. It didn't matter if he hated the answer, Raven's life was on the line here so screw his comfort.

With finality, Cyborg revealed the identity of their next destination.

"Gotham."

Author's Note: First and foremost, I would like to give thanks to my coauthor ShadowMajin and Protocol115 for reviewing every chapter. Now, to what you've been waiting for. Yes, this story ended with a cliffhanger and it will continue in the next story titled Seventy-seven Shattered Souls which will be posted on my Anonymous Void's, account. The Teen Titans are once more heading back to the dark city on the east coast, but they aren't the same troupe they were before. This time they have a mission. I would also like to add that the plot for this next story was inspired by a conversation I had with Protocol115 some time ago, and Protocol115? I ask that you DO NOT reveal the identity of the main antagonist; we got to leave the readers with some mystery, eh? Feel free to PM, if you want. As for everyone else, feel free to speculate. There will be new faces, of course, or maybe they won't be. Like with Protocol115, I look forward to the speculation.