Posted 2/25/19

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Change For The Better

Chapter Six: Moving Target

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May 19, 2014

Raven sighed in annoyance, slowly turning the page of her book. It had been a slow day, perhaps the most peaceful the Titans had experienced in a while. Cyborg was monitoring the city meticulously, but so far the day's crime rate was at a record low. Robin was obsessively tracking down information on Chemo, to the point that Raven was pretty sure he hadn't actually eaten anything all day. Starfire, meanwhile, had taken it upon herself to entertain their impromptu guest, taking her on an extended tour of the tower and joyfully retelling the stories of their past endeavors. It served as a good enough distraction from the stress both girls were suffering from, and Raven was thankful to see Starfire smiling again. As for Aquagirl herself, her burns were healing at a faster rate than Raven initially expected. Perhaps they would be able to leave sooner, rather than later.

Which only left Raven. There wasn't much she could do to help out, as the other Titans pretty much had everything under control. She started the day by doing what she could, soon retiring to finish reading the lengthy novel the week's events previously forced her to abandon. At first, the change of pace had been welcome. After all, it was a decent book and she was eager to reach the ending. However, the more she read, the more she could feel guilt knotting up in her stomach. Raven tried to pass it off as reading the emotions of her teammates, but as time went on it became increasingly clear that the feelings were her own.

She knew it was irrational. Sure it was the status quo for her to be the cause for Beast Boy's problems, but it genuinely wasn't her fault this time. However, guilt has a funny way of taking over regardless. She began to wonder if there was something she could have done to prevent this. Maybe if she wouldn't have argued with Beast Boy as much, he would've went to her for advice before gallivanting around the continent with a stranger. Maybe if she wasn't such a loner, she would've noticed he was gone before it was too late.

Maybe if she would've tried harder, Terra would still be alive.

Raven frowned, turning back to her book, but the image of Terra's statue standing alone in the cold was burned into her mind. Maybe she should visit. There was no evidence that Terra was aware of her surroundings in her stony prison, and Raven wasn't the sentimental type anyways, so she usually avoided reopening those wounds unless there was another spell to try. But behind the image of her friend's hollow shell she could hear Beast Boy's insistence that she had returned. The more Raven thought about it, the greater the sense of urgency grew. Biting her lip, Raven carefully replaced her bookmark. She had a cave to visit.

And then Starfire came flying into the room.

"Raven!" Aquagirl squealed, sprinting behind her fellow heroine. She leaned against the couch, panting heavily. "Quick, turn on the news!"

"Yes friend," Starfire insisted, searching for the remote in a panicked frenzy. "Please be of assistance! Robin and Cyborg shall be here soon as well!"

Sure enough, Robin and Cyborg ran into the room as Starfire turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels until the news popped up on the screen. A reporter was standing in the center of the screen, eerily calm as she discussed the details of the latest tragedy.

"-previously spotted in Jump City. Officers believe this mysterious creature to be the super villain known as Chemo."

"Wait, this report isn't coming from Jump. Chemo must be on the move."

Tula nodded. "It came from Star City. Green Arrow's sidekicks almost caught Chemo before it slipped away."

Robin frowned, moving to the computer. The news station was replaced by a screen filled with the names of heroes. While this itself wasn't unusual, as this contact list had been in their system ever since the first honorary Titan joined, there were several new members that had been added recently.

"When did we get that?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since the last time we called the watchtower," Cyborg explained. "We had to add a few new members to the system in case Chemo showed up again."

Robin hit the call button, and the remaining Titans waited anxiously. Soon, Kid Flash's face popped up on the screen.

"You know, funny story. I was just about to call- Aquagirl?"

"Surprise?" she said weakly.

Kid Flash sighed. "Okay, not even gonna ask. Look, I was talking to a friend from Star City and she says she thought she saw Beast Boy the day he disappeared."

"Which is where Chemo is now," Robin said.

Raven frowned. If it wasn't clear that there was a connection between M'yri'ah and Chemo before, it was painfully obvious now. The only questions were how and why.

"Exactly. I can handle the city for you if you need to go look around," Kid Flash offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but other than Chemo things have been pretty slow around here lately. The cops should be able to take care of the city while we're gone, but feel free to help out if they need anything."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm booked for the next hour anyways, but let me know if you change your mind. I can make an excuse. Kid Flash out!"

Biding his old friend farewell, Robin turned off the screen and turned to face his teammates.

"Sounds to me like we're going to Star City," Cyborg said. "Aquagirl, are you feeling up to it?"

The Atlantian nodded quickly. "Better than ever! Come on guys, we've got a machine to catch!"

"Okay team, lets meet at the T-Car in 15 minutes. We need to get there before Chemo has the chance to leave."

Raven nodded in agreement, but she felt her stomach knotting up at the thought of leaving. 15 minutes wasn't enough time to check the cave, either. There was clearly more to this situation than what was merely on the surface level, and as Terra herself taught them, proceeding without all the details could prove to be lethal.

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*long dramatic sigh* Hey guys. Sorry I took so dang long again. I intended to have this posted like, two weeks ago, but then I checked my planner and boom! I got slapped in the face by those horrible fiends known as deadlines. Basically, college planning hasn't slowed down as much as I hoped it would. I'm too stubborn to go on a hiatus, though. I'll make this work if it kills me!

(Well, I probably won't go that far, but you get the point. I've accepted the fact that if I go to vet school I'll have to take a hiatus during the school year, but that's still a few years away. That being said, with my track record for updating I'll post the epilogue for this story the day I get accepted, lol.)

If this chapter seemed short, it's because there was originally another Jinx POV in there. I just didn't get it finished in time to post with the rest of the chapter, and I figured I'd left you guys hanging long enough. The next chapter will probably be a long one due to this.

Quote of the day:

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Probably something stupid."

-How to Train Your Dragon 3, Astrid and Hiccup

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess