Chapter IV: Warehouse Rave

Night fell like a dark, comforting shade across the city. Like the day, it had come slowly and comfortably. After their meal at the café, the Titans had wandered around the city for some time. People generally tended to avoid Seth if at all possible, they knew death on two legs when they saw it. Sometimes they even crossed the street, just to be careful. He had not been here two days, and already Seth was instilling fear in those around him. He rather liked that, fear was a great kind of respect. After the endless hours of walking around places like the local mall and hanging out at a few other diners and cafes, the Titans had eventually returned to the Titan Tower. But as the twilight came and went and still nothing happened, the Titans had grown restless. Seth had holed up in his room once again, and once again Starfire came for him. It was around ten o'clock when she did so.

Seth looked up sharply from his desk as he heard soft knocks on his door,

"Enter." he said in a slightly annoyed voice. He let his red inked pin fall from his hand as the door opened up to once again reveal Starfire. "What is it this time?" Seth asked.

"Um, well, we're are heading out again. Do you wish to join us? This time we are going to a place you might find more...acceptable."

"Where?" Seth replied, his interest piqued.

"There is an abandoned warehouse down near the docks where there is a party going on and we've all decided to go." Starfire explained. Seth considered this, he'd been working on the map for two solid hours now. He looked back down at it, two hours ago Seth had asked for a detailed map of the city. He decided to be best prepared...just in case. He was studying it and marking good places to hide out and nice little escape routes.

"I'll go." Seth said finally, he gathered up his things and then followed Starfire down to not the entrance but the garage this time. Everyone was gathering around a rather souped up car, Cyborg was beaming at it.

"So, you finally finished it, huh?" Robin asked, looking the car over.

"Yeah, I did, finally. I just wish BB was hear to see it." Cyborg replied, a look of sadness fell over his face. Perhaps that was why he was falling into depression, he missed Beast Boy.

"So do I." Said Robin, but he did not really sound like he meant it. "Let me drive." he said after a moment of silence.

"I guess so." Cyborg replied. They all piled into the car, Robin in the drivers seat, Cyborg in the passengers seat and the other three sat in the back. Raven and Seth sat on either side Starfire, making for a cramped interior. Robin opened up the garage door with the push of a button, he looked round at the other Titans.

"Get ready." he said with a grin on his face, then peeled out of the garage. The door shut behind him as Robin flew down the paved roadway towards the city. He was easily going fifty and gaining speed, plowing down the road he swerved onto the main road into the city.

"Why don't you let up a little?" Cyborg asked.

"You afraid we're gonna crash? No way, we're heroes, that kind of thing happens to other people." Robin replied.

"So says you." Raven muttered. Robin continued to plow on, and it was only a God given miracle that they made it down to the docks and the warehouse party without a scratch. Robin pulled the car to a halt among the dozens of other cars. The dull, rhythmic thudding of music could be heard as much as felt as the Titans got out of Cyborg's car. Seth looked round, studying the new environment. He saw dozens of teens heading into the warehouse, it seemed that the party was just starting. He watched as a black, hatchback mustang pulled up and as the doors opened, a huge cloud of smoke that came from a drug commonly called weed came out of the car. Four teens came out, one was skinny with short black hair. Another had blonde hair and blue eyes, he was also skinny. Another wore trenchcoat much like Seth's, he had a shaved head and a dark look. The final one also wore a trenchcoat, hiding most of his features in darkness.

"Ah man! We chonged it UP!" said the skinny teen with dark hair. All the others laughed and the quartet began to head into the warehouse. Seth watched them go, on some level, he longed to be like them. To have a normal life, to be a normal teenager with friends, not allies. To live life for a purpose different than his. He sighed heavily and then turned and began to walk into the place with the others. As soon as the Titans entered, everything went to hell in a hurry. Someone yelled 'bust!' and everyone began to snatch and run, grabbing up drugs and beer and other things that were illegal. Raven suddenly spread her dark energies after muttering a strange chant and held every single person where they stood. Robin gave her thanks and then stood up on a table.

"Everyone chill out, we're not here for a bust, we're here to party." Robin said. Raven then released everyone and they all paused, looking up at Robin. There seemed to be a tenseness, and then somebody yelled "It's all good!" and then everything went back to normal. The music resumed, people kept on doing what they were doing and the general air calmed down. Cyborg and Starfire disappeared into the crowd, Robin looked like he wanted to follow but three others stopped him in his tracks.

"You're not here for a bust, prove it." one of them said, and produced a blunt. Robin looked down at it, then held out his hand. The teen handed it over, Robin put it up into his mouth and then took the lighter that the teen produced, lit it up and took a deep breath. He held it for a little while, then coughed it out. "Alright," the teen said reluctantly, "I guess you're good." he said. He ripped the blunt out of Robin's mouth and then walked off into the crowd. Seth watched as Robin moved towards Starfire, he then noticed that Raven was still standing near him. She turned and looked at him, her eyes burning into his, and then Starfire called to her. Raven's mouth twitched in anger, and she turned towards the alien girl. Seth watched Raven go, and then decided to go into the crowd, maybe get a drink. Of course, it would not matter. No matter what kind of alcohol he drank, no matter what drug he did, it would have no affect on him; that privilege had been taken from him at birth. But he still liked to do it sometimes, perhaps to show off. He spotted Robin, sitting at a makeshift bar with a few others, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand. He took a sip of it and then looked round at his admirers,

"I hold me alcohol well." he said. Time to put a stop to that, Seth stepped forward and looked the teen who was acting as bartender in the eye.

"Everclear, shotglass." He said in a monotonous voice. All eyes suddenly went to Seth, they all knew the dangers of too much everclear. The 'bartender' stared at Seth for a moment, before finally nodding and getting it out. Seth picked up the shotglass and downed it in one fluid movement.

"Another." he said, the teen refilled the glass, Seth downed it. He repeated this process six times.

"You the goddamned Devil." one of the teens said. Seth turned to look at him.

"Far from it." he said. Robin, disheartened and out drank, left the bar. Seth turned to look out over the raving teens. Something familiar was playing, a song that he had acquired a taste for sometime back. It was called 'Alone I Break' by a band called 'Korn'. He had grown to love many of their songs. Seth finally stood up and moved to a darkened corner of the warehouse to stand alone, he watched, and the party continued on.