Missing You Part Two
(Twenty Minutes later)
The sound of a jet engine filled the air of Jump City's bay as the former Titans began their approach to Titan's Tower's landing pad on the roof. With little to no grinding of gears, the Leagues iconic spacecraft landed gently on to the roof. With a hiss, the doors of the Javelin opened and the four former Titans slowly stepped out, their eyes all squinting at the sun's glare reflecting off of the water surrounding them. Each JLA member felt a wave of nostalgia wash over them as they looked over the ever familiar view of the bay and Jump City's skyscrapers standing tall in the distance.
They were home.
Raven walked over to the edge; finding a very familiar spot as she basked in the sun, a small barely perceptible smile creeping to her lips. The ocean breeze gently kissed her skin as the familiar scent of salt water hit her senses. Her eyes closed almost automatically. This was her favorite spot around the tower to meditate. This was also the spot where she was constantly interrupted by an over energetic green teen, always trying to get her to do whatever crazy idea he had at the moment. She could almost still hear his voice if she concentrated.
"Hey Rae, wanna play some Stankball with Cy and I? Star and Robin are making out in the common room and they are prime targets. Come on, it will be funnnnn!"
Her smile grew even more when she looked a little to the right, remembering how that was where he always sat. Legs hanging off the edge swinging in the air as he tried to tell her whatever came to mind at the very moment; sometimes it was a question, other times it was a request, but most times it was him telling her yet another one of his Azar awful jokes.
However, every once in a while when he was serious, he'd tell her things he never told anyone else. How he got his powers, who his parents were. How much guilt and self-hatred he felt after not being able to save his parents from their boating accident.
On those rare moments he'd tell her things he never brought up to the rest of the team. He'd tell her stories of his time with the Doom Patrol, his time in Africa, and reluctantly he even told her stories of his time in the "care" of his uncle. He told her things about himself that she already knew, like why he acted like the jester of the team all the time; he'd also tell her things she didn't know, like the severity of his condition; how he was constantly living off of borrowed time. Eventually, he didn't know when, but one day the disease he contracted as a child would take what was owed in full.
She remembered how she didn't take that news very well, slapping him hard enough on the cheek that it would later leave a bruise and she completely destroyed the volleyball net Cyborg had forgotten to put away earlier that day. He told her other secrets that he kept to himself, but that was the one that hit her the hardest. Turns out, there was a lot she didn't know about the green boy that had grown to be more than just a friend to her.
She cherished every memory she had with him on this particular spot, the last one coming to mind vividly. It was her eighteenth birthday and she had just received her invitation to join the Justice League.
(Flashback)
The sunset before her was breathtaking, oranges and pinks painting the sky and bay before her as she sat by the ledge taking it all in. At least, she'd usually be taking it all in. But at the moment her mind was far too busy concentrating on the letter in her hands for her to fully appreciate the view in front of her. Her gaze turned back down to the white envelope, the Justice Leagues logo on the top left corner.
She knew what was inside; the League was inviting her to join now that she was legally an adult. It was supposed to be a great honor and opportunity. She should be proud that they would even consider her as a member, but she didn't. She felt conflicted.
"Hey Rae, what are you doing up here? Everyone is waiting for you downstairs." She heard behind her, shaking her out of her thoughts with a slight jump. Her mind was too occupied to sense the new presence behind her. Cheeks tinged pink from her surprise, Raven looked over her shoulder to see her green teammate.
"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Raven." The empath repeated for what felt like the millionth time. Beast boy decided to ignore her comment with a dismissive hum. Sighing, she continued, looking back at the sunset. "And I know everyone is waiting for me, I just have something on my mind at the moment." From the corner of her eye, she saw her teammate take a seat next to her, a small smile on his lips as he watched her with caring eyes, an emotion glowing in those emerald irises that was only meant for her. The emotion set her cheeks aflame to a warm pinkish hue.
His gaze moved down to the envelope in her hands, his smile reshaping into a surprised grin. "They finally sent you one? That's great Rae! You're going to be a member of the Justice League!"
Letting out another sigh, she looked down at the letter once again. "Yeah" Beast boy raised an eyebrow at her more than usual lack of enthusiasm.
"You ok? You don't seem to be too excited about joining the League. Which isn't much excitement in the first place, since it's you, but you get my point. Why aren't things breaking from you suppressing your excitement?" Beast boy observed. Amethyst eyes rising to lock on emerald ones, Raven thought over her words.
"I'm fine, it's just… I have a conflicted past with the Justice League." Beast boy's second eyebrow joined the first as he looked at her with confusion.
"Conflicted past? I didn't know you even had a past with the League" Raven fidgeted in her seat.
"It's not something I like to talk about…" She pauses, mulling it over in her head if she should continue before deciding if she had to tell someone, it would be him. "When I first came to Earth, I didn't go straight to Jump City. I was the only one on Earth that knew about the prophecy regarding my father and me. I had to warn someone about Trigon's arrival."
"So you went to the Justice League." Raven nodded her head, looking at her hands.
"I heard about the League when I was wandering Metropolis. I managed to contact them and I was brought to the Watchtower. However, I didn't stay there long."
"Wow, you've already been to the Watchtower? That's amazing! What happened there?" The green hero interrupted as he seemed more and more invested in her story. Raven gave him a mild glare, never liking to be interrupted before taking a slow breath and continued.
"Like I said, I didn't stay there long. Before I could warn them about Trigon's inevitable arrival and the destruction of the Earth, Zatanna sensed my demonic heritage and turned on me. She convinced the rest of the League that I couldn't be trusted and they urged me to leave before they were forced to attack." Beast boy stared at her in disbelief.
"The League turned you away because of your heritage? Even after you tried to warn them about Trigon?" He asked. Raven nodded. "Man, that's cold, it's not like your heritage makes you who you are. I can see why you would be conflicted."
"It's all in the past and it was a long time ago before any of them truly knew who I was. My affiliation with Richard definitely helped some of the League members to trust me. But that isn't the only thing I'm conflicted about."
"What do you mean?" Raven looks out over the bay taking in the sunset.
"I know joining the League means that I can help more people around the world and that I could protect the Earth among some of the greatest heroes ever known. But, I don't think I want to leave the Titans just yet. We are all still here and we are doing just fine. I know that eventually we will have to move on, that we can't be Titans forever. But at the moment, I'm content with where I am, with all of you." A small smile formed on her lips as she looked back to her green companion; feeling her chest constrict briefly. Beast boy returned her smile with his own bashful one.
"Yeah, but you do know that everyone gets an invitation to the League once they turn eighteen, right? Everyone's got one so far. The others already accepted. You'll still be with us Rae. We just won't be Titans anymore." Raven's smile faltered as she took in his words.
"You have a point, but not everyone's received an invitation." She said, giving him a knowing look. Raven watched Beast boy's smile drop for the briefest of moments before he plastered a fake grin on his lips and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, but I'm not eighteen yet, Rae. Don't worry! I'll get an invitation once my birthday comes around."
"A day that you still have yet to tell any of us when it is. How is it that we have been on the same team for years and none of us know when your birthday is?" She asked; an old memory two years prior when the team realized that none of them knew the youngest team member's birthday.
Beast boy shrugged his shoulders as he still looked at his hands. "I just never thought of it as all that important." He looked up at her, eyes honest.
Raven gave her green friend a bored look. "I…see. But we're your friends. We would like to know when your birthday is so we can celebrate it or whatever."
"That's funny coming from the girl that literally didn't want any of her friends to know about her birthday, although you did have a good reason for keeping it a secret. I had to hack Cy's system to find your birthday." Beast Boy said with a smile. Raven rolled her eyes.
"Like you said, I had a good reason not to celebrate mine and I'm not too keen on being the center of attention unlike someone I know. Which bears the question, why would you keep your birthday a secret from us?"
Beast boy was silent for a moment, Raven sensing a wave of discomfort coming from the green hero. "When I was a kid in Africa with my parents, we never really celebrated birthdays; at least I don't really remember celebrating them. The culture in Lamumba was very different from here. No one celebrated their birthdays, except for their eighteenth when one was finally recognized as a man or a woman. My parents sort of fell in love with the culture, even following some of its customs and I was fine with it. And afterwards, when I lost my parents and was kidnapped by those two thieves at the age of eight, or whenever Galtry tried to have me killed or was beating me to a pulp at the age of nine and ten, birthdays didn't exist anymore. At one point I just grew to realize that my birthday wasn't a big deal, you know? Rita and Steve only know my birthday because they legally adopted me. But other than them, no one but me knows when it is."
Raven stared at the green man, unsure on how to react to such an open and honest response. "Oh… I didn't know about any of that, I'm sorry." Again Beast boy shrugged.
"It's not something I talk about often, but we are getting off subject." Beast boy stood, brushing off his pants. "I came up here to drag you downstairs to celebrate your birthday with your friends and I don't intend to leave this roof alone." Extending his hand, reaching out to Raven. The empath looked at the outstretched gloved hand, before deciding to take it.
With Beast boy's help, Raven pulled herself up. With one final look at the horizon, Raven began her slow descent back into the tower with her green friend by her side. "You know, I'm not going to forget that you haven't told us when your birthday is and I'm fairly certain the others haven't forgotten either." Raven stated, breaking the silence down the hall causing Beast boy to laugh.
"Tell you what? Once I get my own League invitation, you'll be the first Titan to know." Beast boy said, his smile sincere, unlike his over the top fake grins. Returning the smile, Raven nodded her head, pretending she didn't feel Beast boy's hand brushing against her fingertips.
(End flashback)
Raven was pulled from the memory with a delicate hand on her shoulder, looking over her shoulder she found Starfire giving her a knowing look.
"Friend, it is glorious to be home is it not?" Starfire asked.
"It sure is Star." Nightwing agreed, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist and looking out at the bay. "I forgot how much I missed this place. It feels like it's been years since we've been back." Cyborg walks up next to Nightwing.
"I wonder how much has changed since we've been gone. Remember the last time we were gone for a long time? Almost all our favorite stores were either closed or relocated. I just hope our favorite pizza joint is still around." The three former Titans nodded their heads in agreement.
"We can check it out and get a pizza once we are done here. Our priority is following the lead Batman gave us before the trail goes cold." Nightwing stated, getting everyone's attention.
"I agree, where do you think we should start looking?" Raven said, turning away from the edge to look at her leader.
Nightwing paused in thought, thinking over the evidence that they have; two of the photos didn't exactly give them much information. There were hundreds of alleys like the one in those photos in Jump City; it could very well be any of them. However, the last photo held promise. There was only one park in Jump like the one shown. He knew where to start.
"The park is our best lead at the moment, it's not much but it's something. Hopefully the Doom Patrol's base is somewhere close to the park and we can find out what's kept them in hiding." Nightwing summarized.
"What about the new Titans? Do you think they might have any leads for us? They must have heard something about this." Cyborg added.
"We have been on the lookout for any new sightings of the Doom Patrol since Batman debriefed us on the situation." a voice from behind the former Titans stated. Turning around they saw the new Robin slowly approaching them. "We don't have much information I'm afraid. There haven't been any new sightings since those photos were published. We were hoping they might show up each time the alarm went off but we never received any back up." Nightwing walked up to the younger hero and shook his hand.
"It's good to see you again. Things haven't been too difficult for you to handle around here has it?" The new Robin gives his older adopted brother a cocky grin.
"Are you kidding? This city is so much quieter than Gotham. My team has had no issues with the criminals lately; we all trust each other enough to know what each of us are going to do next. The villains go down easy here." He gloated. Nightwing smirked down at the young Robin.
"Batman told me your team has been doing well here. Granted you don't fight the villains we used to fight." Robin rolls his eyes under his mask.
"If you're talking about Slade, then no, we haven't. He's moved on to bigger prospects it seems, but I guess you already knew that. What with your obsession and all." He teased, causing the former Titans minus Nightwing smirk at the joke.
"I'm not obsessed with Slade, he was our greatest enemy. He was always making moves, using friends and enemies against us to ensure our destruction. He never succeeded but he was close a few times." Nightwing stated.
"What about Trigon and the Brotherhood?" Cyborg butted in with a smirk. "I think those two were pretty up there in terms of our greatest enemy, right Raven?"
"It doesn't matter who our greatest enemy was, we are wasting time here." Raven said, getting impatient.
"Yes, Friend Raven is correct. We should not stand idle for too long. The Doom Patrol never likes to stay in one place for too long as Cyborg has said back at the Watchtower. We must make haste before they decide to move away from our beloved city." Starfire explained looking at her empathic friend.
Turning away from the new Titans leader, Nightwing looked at his team and closest friends, the atmosphere around him changing from playful to serious in a matter of seconds as he went into what his friends liked to call his leader mode.
"Good point, the both of you. We are wasting time here. We need to get to the park as soon as possible and seeing as the Javelin is far too big to fly within the city limits we are going to need transportation." He looks at Raven. "I know how much portaling all of us from a far distance can be a strain on your power Raven." He turns to the new Robin. "I'd hate to ask, but we need a ride." Nightwing stated flatly. Robin smiles and crosses his arms.
"You're in luck, the old T-Car is still in the garage. We haven't used it ever since Cyborg over there built us a new one right before he left." He says walking toward the stairs down into the elevator. "Just make sure you bring it back in one piece. We don't want to be down one car."
"Me? Damage my own baby? Please, I would never do such a thing to one of my masterpieces." Cyborg gloated, following the new Titan leader down the stairs and into his old home, his teammates following not far behind him.
The hallways were the same as they always had been, lights glowing above their heads to stem back the darkness of the halls, as the team rounded the first corner the former Titans could see doorframes spread along the walls; they were nearing the living quarters. The first few doors were guest rooms, living spaces for whoever new recruit, guest or person of interest the Titans were protecting at the time could stay and live comfortably. Following the first four doors a familiar door came into view on their right, the name plaque still the same as it was all those years ago. "Terra".
"We heard the stories about Terra from other heroes and we read the reports, we thought it didn't feel right to have someone move into the room of a fallen friend." The New Robin remarked once he noticed the older heroes looking at the name plaque with surprise as they walked by.
"Terra was a friend and a hero to this city when they needed it most. We all appreciate that you kept her room as is." Nightwing said with a smile, the other four nodding their heads in agreement but not saying anything else for there wasn't much to say that hadn't already been said in the past. Terra was a friend, they miss her. But until the petrification process could be reversed there was nothing more they could do.
After Terra's room the heroes rounded another corner, Raven stopping at the doorway to her left. She stared at the nameplate, finding it odd and misplaced. Raising her hand she ran her fingers over the nameplate. "This was my room, no one is supposed to go into my room." She complained, saying the familiar words she used to always tell a certain changeling that liked to ruin her alone time. A laugh behind her pulled her away from her old room.
"That's not your room any more little lady. It looks like M'gann lives there now." Cyborg said with a smile, a look of nostalgia radiating from his human eye. "Although I do remember all the times the grass stain kept trying to get in there and snoop around. I'll never forget that little trip he and I took there when we were all just getting to know each other." A slight frown appeared on Raven's face at the memory Cyborg had just brought up. The day Beast boy and Cyborg fell into her mindscape and was nearly destroyed by her rage. She was certain that they were going to leave her alone to fight her father back then, but they hadn't. They stayed and fought beside her, helping her defeat her rage. That was the day she found out that she had real friends and wasn't just seen as a powerful ally on the team but as a friend; that she belonged with them as family.
"Yes, well I'm glad that was the only time you were dumb enough to touch something of mine. Beast boy on the other hand, he never learned." Nightwing and Starfire both look at each other with a smile while Cyborg lets out a snort as they continue down the hall.
"The grass Stain never could keep his hands off of other people's things…speaking of the grass stain..." Cyborg pauses. "This was his room" A small ounce of sadness slipped into his tone of voice as they neared the next door, the plaque now stating Blue Beetle. "I'm surprised someone was willing to live in that mess. I would have thought it would be quarantined after BB left." Cyborg tried to joke, but his words fell flat. The former Titan's all looked at the room with what Raven could sense as a feeling of melancholy, they all missed their friend and brother.
"The room was surprisingly clean when we moved in. We didn't even know whose room it originally was until we saw the blueprints. He made it spotless before he left." The new Robin interjected.
"Mento must have had something to do with that. That man is so uptight, I bet he wouldn't allow Beast Boy to leave until that room was spotless." Nightwing added staring at the door along with the others as they passed it by. The other former Titans couldn't help but agree with Nightwing's theory. They all knew how uptight and demanding Mento was of his adopted son, he'd make sure the room was spotless so there wasn't even a trace of Beast boy in that room. Almost as if Beast boy never existed within this tower.
Raven continued to stare at the door, looking at it over her shoulder, a sense of longing growing in her chest as she moved further away. She wanted to look inside, see if everything was true. Maybe, just maybe Mento had missed something. Maybe, there was something there that proved that Beast boy once occupied these halls.
The group rounded another corner, a large door coming up to their left. "We could go to the garage through the common room right now, unless you all want to finish the tour and see who has taken the rest of your rooms." Robin jokes. Nightwing, Cyborg and Starfire all looked down the hall to where their former rooms resided before looking back at the new leader of the Titans.
"I think we're ok, let's just get to the garage. The sooner we get to the park, the faster we find the Doom Patrol" Nightwing added. Robin nodded before passing through the double automatic doors and into the common room, The former Titans followed shortly all looking around at the room that they all once called theirs.
The room hadn't changed in the last eleven months. The same kitchen nook tucked in the right hand corner with the same refrigerator, dining table and stove/oven countertop, the large u shaped couch was still the centerpiece of the common room, the many single chairs and couches hugging the walls by the massive window that doubled as a the towers tv screen. Nothing had changed; the room even smelt the same from what they all remembered.
"Place still smells like Star's zorka berries after she dropped them all over the kitchen floor." Cyborg mentioned looking around at his old home before noticing something was off. "Say, where are the other Titans? Back in our day this room always had someone around."
"I had M'Gann help me with the training today while I waited for you guys to arrive. They all should be in the training room right now." The new Robin explained walking toward the elevator and stepping inside, the four heroes followed. With a press of a button the elevator began to descend down to the garage level, no one bothering to talk as they all waited for their level to come up. Within seconds the doors opened and the Titans were once again in a familiar room. Cyborg whistled his pleasure when he saw his old baby in the corner looking just as new as the day he made it.
"There she is! Aww I missed my baby" He praised opening the driver's side and starting up. "She sounds just as good as the day I made her." The three other former Titans rolled their eyes fondly at the sudden reunion, each having matching smirks.
"I know this is your mission and he's your friend, but don't hesitate to contact us once you realize you all have gotten a little out of shape on that space station." Robin jokes making Nightwing snort.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Shaking Robin's hand. "Thanks for the help. I'll keep you posted on any updates we may have." Nightwing said before piling into the T-car along with the others. the new Titans leader nods his head in acknowledgment.
"Alright, y'all ready? Let's go get our BB back" Cyborg announced as he pulled out of the garage and down the underground tunnel that brought them to Jump City's beach front. Chanting her mantra to calm her nerves Raven looked out the window and watched the lights go by as their old car sped them down the tunnel.
(Half hour later)
Other than a few people waving and taking pictures of the old team, the ride to the park was rather uneventful. The conversations in the car were light, mentions of old missions that happened on a street as they passed by; the memory of the old video game store that was now long gone left a tear in Cyborg's human eye as they passed its old location on West Main. Before they knew it they were already at the park.
"We're here. Ok Titans, I know this isn't much of a lead but it's all that we have at the moment. The Doom Patrol could be anywhere in the city but this is our best shot." Nightwing explained once everyone was out of the car. He looks at Raven. "Right now, Raven, I think you're our best bet. If that photograph is recent then you'll be able to sense Beast boy's aura, do you think you can find it?" he asked the empath. Raven gives her leader a brief nod and takes a few steps further into the park.
"No promises, but if it is recent enough and they are nearby then I should be able to sense Gar. That is if he's still in this area." Raven said floating in the air and sitting in a lotus position. A few park goers noticed the old heroes and excitedly waved or stared at the team. Starfire and Cyborg smiled and waved back at the park visitors.
"Did she just call Beast boy Gar? I knew they were close, but I didn't know BB liked being called by his first name." Cyborg whispered to Starfire who merely shrugged her shoulders, her surprise just as evident as Cyborgs.
"Azareth Metrion Zinthos" Raven chanted, hoping that she'd find a lead of her missing friend. She searched for several uninterrupted minutes not finding a single trace of her friend's aura. Feeling frustrated, she kept searching, widening her reach around the park trying to find any aura she recognized. It wasn't until something else caught her attention that brought her out of her trance. Opening her eyes in shock she looked to her team. "I think I might have found something." The three other heroes rushed to her side and waited eagerly for her to continue. "It's not Gar, but I felt a strong mental signature nearby. It felt like something was being covered up. I think that might be Mento's work" she explained.
"Do you know where in the park you sensed it?" Nightwing asked the empath. Raven briefly nods.
"It was this way, by the old oak tree where I used to read while you four played football or whatever you did." Raven said as she flew toward where she sensed the foreign anomaly. "It was right here. The Doom Patrol were here recently, could have been as recent as last night." Raven said, trying not to get her hopes up too much. Sensing the others she noticed they were feeling the same way.
"Are you sure it's them? It could be another telepath." Cyborg asked, Raven shook her head.
"No, this mental barrier isn't an ordinary one. This was created by a very strong telepath. I can think of a few but with the photographs from before it has to be Mento. He's covering their tracks, but I don't know why." Raven says looking around the area trying to find any physical evidence.
"It is strange that Mento would be covering their tracks like this. Perhaps he does not wish for them to be found?" Starfire asked, looking at her teammates.
"That could be it, but then why would they allow themselves to be photographed out in the open like that? If the Doom Patrol wanted to keep working in the shadows then they would have done what they've been doing for the last eleven months. They're professionals like us, they wouldn't let themselves get photographed unless they wanted to." Nightwing theorized.
"So what are you saying Night? That BB, Robotman and Negative man wanted to be found but Mento was against it and covered their tracks after the photos were taken? That's a bit of a reach man." Cyborg added, looking at his leader.
"It's just a possibility, we don't have enough evidence to piece anything together just yet. Let's look around, maybe there is something else they might have left us." Nightwing stated; looking around for any other clues. The others followed their leaders' lead and spread out, Raven looking around the bushes nearby, Cyborg moving toward the field and Starfire flying around the tree looking for anything that might seem suspicious. Flying up to the higher branches something caught the tameranean's eye when the sunlight reflected off whatever it was. Flying toward the object that caught her attention Starfire gently pulled the small object off the highest branch.
Smiling to herself, Starfire quickly descended from the sky and rejoined her teammates. "Friends, I believe that I have found something." She called out, catching the others' attention. The three heroes quickly regrouped with the alien girl.
"What did you find, Star?" Nightwing asked, looking down at the princess' hand. Opening her palm, Starfire held a small silver file drive with the Doom Patrol's insignia branded on it. Cyborg grinned when he recognized the symbol.
"That's definitely Doom Patrol tech, let me see that Star." Starfire slowly handed the drive to her robotic friend. Cyborg opened a console on his arm and quickly plugged the drive into the port. A moment later a screen flashed on his arm, Quickly going over the information, Cyborg looked to his teammates and grins. "There are coordinates on here, looks like it's the location to wherever the Doom Patrol are currently hiding. Whoever hid the drive wanted someone to find it." He explained. Nightwing stepped forward to take a look at the screen, eyes narrowing at the location.
"It looks like the coordinates lead to one of the warehouses by the docks on the other end of the bay. That area has to have over a hundred warehouses, most are currently empty and are used as temporary safehouses for criminals to use when they don't want to attract a lot of attention. It's a perfect place for the Doom Patrol to hide, it could also be a trap. Does it say what warehouse they might be hiding in?"
"From what I can tell it looks like it's on the eastern end. Warehouse two forty five or two forty six. The coordinates are not accurate enough to tell us which one it is. If we hurry we can be there within the hour." He looks to his leader. "We gonna check it out? If it's a trap, we spring it and fight whoever is pretending to be the Doom Patrol, hell they might even have them. And if it is the DP then it's even better; we find our little buddy and we figure out why he's been hiding for so damn long." Cyborg added.
"You have a good point, Cyborg. But if it is a trap we will have to be careful. We don't know what villain set it up. They could be extremely dangerous." Nightwing explained. Starfire tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder, getting his attention.
"Then we are going to the warehouses, yes?" Nightwing gives her a nod. "Glorious! Although, I fear Raven is already on route to the warehouses that you speak of." Starfire explained looking to the sky with mild concern. Both Cyborg and Nightwing follow Starfire's eyes, spotting the fourth member of their team rapidly flying away from the park.
"Damnit, Raven! Come back!" Nightwing shouted out trying to get her attention. "She's never this reckless."
"I don't think she's going to listen to you man. Best we can do is get there as fast as we can and hope she doesn't do anything out of character for her." Cyborg said, already getting ready to sprint back to the T-Car. Nightwing gave Raven's back one last glance before running after his cybernetic friend towards the T-Car.
"Kori, fly after Raven. Make sure she doesn't do anything too rash before we can get there. I don't think she's thinking straight." Nightwing shouted over his shoulder at his flying girlfriend. Starfire briefly nodded her head and rose higher into the sky to follow her empathic friend.
"Friend, do please be the careful!" Starfire mumbled to herself just as the T-Car peeled out of the parking lot.
(Raven)
Raven glided over the city she still called home, her course set for the warehouses. A part of the city mostly untouched by normal everyday citizens, but a thriving market for crime meetings. With the massive amount of warehouses lining up the southern end of the bay, it was the perfect spot for any criminal to lay low for a while or organize illegal trades of weapons, drugs and any other nefarious materials criminals didn't want the police to know about.
It was the perfect spot to hide, especially for a team that wanted to stay dark. Slowly descending Raven looked around in every direction for any sign of a trap or suspicious activity. Not seeing any, she reached out with her powers for anything her eyes could not find. After finding nothing too out of the ordinary she continued further down the row of warehouses until she reached the two that matched the coordinates that Beast boy had left for them.
Reaching out with her powers, Raven tried to locate anyone in the two warehouses. Warehouse two forty five was empty, no trace of a human stepping foot inside in months. Two forty six however, felt strange. Something was concealing its contents from her; an abnormal barrier was constructed around the building. This must have been the place.
Raven looked around the warehouse for any suspicious activity one last time before reaching into her cloak for her communicator. Typing the correct warehouse number to her teammates and hit send. She looked at the building in front of her one more time; steeling herself Raven reached for the handle to the large warehouse door. With a heavy tug on the handle the door started to slide open, natural sunlight now shining into the once dark warehouse. The door swung open with a large rattle and a crash. if someone was home, they'd definitely know someone was here now.
Taking a breath the Empath took a step into the warehouse, a musty smelling building with old car parts and machinery scattered about its lot. The empath scanned every corner she walked by, making sure no traps were left out for any unwanted intruders.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Raven called out, her powers being muddled by the barrier she sensed outside the building. She received no response and the foreboding feeling that maybe she was too late started to sink in.
Reaching the other end of the warehouse Raven spotted a small office room. With her pulse quickening and her steps feeling heavier, the sorceress slowly pushed open the door. The room was bare except for a few empty cots in the far corner, open shelves and its contents thrown about, gauze and medical tape lying on the counter next to a cot and a trash can. Stepping into the small room the sorceress scanned the room for any clue she may find, her eyes straining in the dark musty air.
Nothing around the room jumped out to her until she saw a stained cot and the contents of the trashcan. Gauze wrapping, soiled red with someone's blood filled more than half of the bin along with medical tape and blood stained gloves. She couldn't tell who's blood it belonged to, but it still gave her a chilling realization. Someone on the Doom Patrol was injured; injured far more than just a simple scratch in a small fight with a bad guy. Someone was hurt badly. Cautiously, she reached into the bin, rubbing the gauze between two fingers. 'The blood is dry. Whatever happened, didn't happen recently.' She thought, dropping the bin on the floor and looking around the room for more clues. When she found none a sigh escaped her lips. They were late.
"Friend Raven?" A voice called from the other end of the warehouse, Starfire had arrived.
"I'm over here Kori." Raven called, not moving from her spot. Quiet, soft steps approached her hesitantly. Without needing to look over her shoulder at her alien friend, she knew Starfire was making her own investigation of the small room. She heard her friend softly suck in a breath once she spotted the blood stained cot and the contents of the trash can.
"Someone has been injured, friend Raven, do you know who it was?" She asked her friend. Raven slowly shook her head. "That is not a little bit of blood. I fear someone may have been in dire need of help. Who could it have been?" Starfire asked, wringing her hands.
"I'm not sure, but we know it had to be either Mento, Elasti-girl or Gar. Robotman and Negativeman can't bleed. And considering there were still mental barriers in this warehouse it couldn't have been Mento. He would have lost his focus from losing so much blood." Raven commented trying to keep her composure as her mind ran through every possibility and her gut starting to form a sickening knot as she came up with a morbid conclusion. Either Beast boy was close to losing a second mother or he was the one bleeding out on the cot in front of her. Black sparks begun to twist and coyle around her fists as her emotions darkened.
Noticing her friend's distress Starfire reached for the shorter girl's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Raven."
"We were so close to finding him, Kori. They were here and we missed them! Why do we always miss them?" Raven strained, her bottom lip quivering as her frustration started to build. A cot on the far wall now encased in black magic is torn in half and thrown at the ceiling. Feeling her friends pain, Starfire gently grabs her shoulders, turning her around and giving her a gentle hug.
"I am most sorry friend Raven. I know you wanted this to be the end of it. I know you wanted to find the one that is most dearest to you. But you mustn't give up hope. We will find him and we will bring him home." Starfire assured. Feeling her eyes beginning to water, Raven returns the embrace.
"I just want to know if he's ok! I was already worried about him before, but now with all of this blood…" She trails off. "Kori, I can't keep finding dead ends. I need to know he's ok. I need to know Gar is safe."
"I know friend. You worry for him the way that I worry for Richard when he is away on a mission alone, yes?" She feels Raven nod her head as they hug. "The worry is natural, boyfriend Richard has told me he feels the same worry whenever I am away on missions as well. He will be ok, Raven. I know it."
"Are you sure? How can you be so positive about this?" Raven asks. Starfire smiles softly.
"Friend Beast boy is a hero and a warrior, if that is in fact his blood i am certain he did not succumb to his wounds. He has too much to live for and much to return to, to let something like a mission bring his demise."
Smiling a little to herself at her friends comforting words Raven slowly takes a deep breath calming herself and slowly pulling away.. "Thank you Kori, you always know what to say."
"Certainly friend, i will always help you when you are down in the dumps as you earthlings say" Starfire said with a smile.
Raven wipes away the unshed tears in her eyes and with one quick chant of her mantra, her emotionless mask returned. "What do we do now? We have no leads and there are no clues that I can find around here. We hit another dead end on this." Raven sighed.
"Perhaps. Or maybe there is something that Richard may find that we couldn't. He is a master detective after all." Starfire assured, giving her friend a smile.
"I suppose you could be right. Let's wait for Victor and Dick to get here before we call this place a complete bust. Do you mind calling Dick?"
"Certainly friend. i will make the call" Starfire announced leaving the small office space and heading back toward the entrance of the warehouse. Raven slowly followed looking back one last time at the bloody cot in the corner before heading back into the light of the bay.
Hopefully soon this search will finally come to an end.
Well, this was an unexpected return. I honestly didn't think i'd ever come back to this site as a writer, but here i am. Giving it another attempt and seeing if anyone still has any interest in my stories. i don't know if i'm officially back. just seeing where things go at the moment. Hope whoever reads this and remembers me likes it.
-Greenhatred77