"Here we are." Raven said. "Home sweet home." Her tone was characteristically dry. She and Nightwing stood at the entrance to the tower. The door had a number of scratches and scuffs on it, but was still standing. The area around the door had more wear and tear though. Perhaps someone had attempted to break in at some point.
They had come straight from the docks, once again arriving separately. And now, they were about to enter their old home for the first time in years. Nightwing looked over at Raven and said, "Let's see what the inside looks like."
As they walked up to the door, Raven replied, "Cyborg installed a bunch of security measures years ago to keep people out. People who aren't us. They're probably still active, so I don't think we'll find any squatters inside."
"Well, its not like we're moving back in anyway." Nightwing said. Raven didn't respond. The door opened easily enough, and they went inside. When they went in, they didn't find any squatters, or any sign that anyone had been there for quite some time. The two of them looked around, briefly examining everything. It was the same entry hall, but dusty and somewhat dirty. They both walked further in, looking around at their old home. After pausing for a minute, Nightwing started heading upstairs, and Raven followed his lead.
The place was quiet, except for the sounds of their footsteps as they climbed the stairs. After a minute, they reached the ops room, where they had once spent so much time. The windows were sealed, and the room was dark as they walked in, so Nightwing hit the lights. The room lit up, showing everything in full. The old tv was still there, and even some old empty soda cans and trash was lying around on a table, as well as the floor.
"Had to be Beast Boy." Raven said, observing the old food.
"At least the lights still work." Nightwing said. He walked into the middle of the room, while Raven slowly walked around the perimeter. Her eyes moved about the room, taking it in. Her face took on a distant look, as though she were thinking about something. Her eyes looked wistful, almost sad. Meanwhile, Nightwing opened the windows. The light from outside came in, making the room feel a lot less bleak. Nightwing gazed out the large window, displaying the city outside. A cloudy day out. Nightwing now stood close to the window, his back to Raven. The city still looked like a decent place in the daytime, even if a few of the old haunts were gone. But it was different somehow.
"What are you thinking about Ro... Nightwing?" Raven said. Nightwing turned his head and half smiled at her.
"You almost called me Robin." Nightwing said.
Raven shrugged. "Old habit." Nightwing turned to face her.
"I haven't been Nightwing for long. How did you know to call me that?"
"I saw you on tv." Raven said. "There have been news reports about you for months now."
"Hmmm. I knew they talked about me on local news, but I didn't realize it was national." He said.
"You have a new name, but you still have your reputation." Raven said.
"Yeah…" Nightwing nodded. For several seconds there was silence. "You know, I saw you on the news once. A few years back."
Raven straightened her back a little. "Oh, you did?"
"Yeah. I didn't catch all the details. I was distracted with other stuff at the time. But I definitely remember you. Apparently you did some solo hero stuff."
"That wasn't the original plan…" she trailed off.
"Maybe you can tell me about it sometime." He said.
"Maybe…" Silence for what seemed like a minute.
"I… like your new outfit by the way." Raven said, changing the subject. Nightwing looked down at his hero garb. He wore a spandex black outfit with blue highlights, and a bird symbol on his chest. He still wore an eye mask, but with some blue in it now.
"Oh, yeah. I think it suits me. And your outfit… You know, I just noticed, we match."
Raven blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Our colors. Black and blue."
Raven now looked down at her own outfit. "Oh, yeah. Its weird, because your old suit was so…"
"Gaudy?" Nightwing said.
"I was going to say colorful." She said drily.
"Ah." He said. "I like your hair, by the way."
Raven blinked again, and opened her mouth. She then replied, "Thanks. I… thought it was time for a change."
"You look…" Nightwing paused. "…Good."
"…Thanks." Raven said again. They stood there for a long moment. Nightwing stepped down onto floor level.
"So…" Nightwing said. "I guess we've got to wait here until nightfall." His tone was once again serious and all business. "I just hate having to stand around and do nothing."
"Right now, that crime scene is the only lead we've got." Raven said.
"Maybe." Nightwing said. He rubbed his chin with his fingers. "But Aqualad's body has got to be in the morgue by now. They must have done an autopsy. Or will sometime today. Its usually within a day of the victim's death."
"That's true, but you know that it takes another day or two for the autopsy report to come back."
Nightwing paused, and then nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Huh."
"What?" she asked.
"I just didn't know you knew that much about autopsies. We didn't do a lot of murder investigations in the Teen Titans."
"I read a lot." Raven said in a deadpan tone. "Besides, in our line of work its good to be prepared."
Nightwing nodded. "True." He sighed. "Anyway, I guess that means we'll have to just stay here."
Raven looked at him and then over at the big screen tv across the room. It had a layer of dust on it just like many things there, but it could be cleaned. She turned back to Nightwing. "Hey, if the tv still works, do you want to watch a movie or something?"
Nightwing stretched his arms and cracked his neck. "Maybe later. If we're going to be here all day, then I might as well get a little sleep."
"…Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I guess I'll go and see what kind of shape my room is in."
"Alright. See you in a few hours." Nightwing walked away into the hall. Raven stood there alone for a moment, and then also went off to her room.
Raven stood at the doorway to her room. Or rather, what used to be her room. When she first moved into the tower, she had spent months decorating it the way she liked. Making it look a way that she found appealing, even if most other people found it weird or unsettling. But it didn't look that way now. When Raven left years earlier, she had taken many of the things inside with her, or sold them off somewhere. All that remained was the bed, likely covered in dust, the mirror on the wall, and a few lamps. Not the most inviting room, even for her.
Raven stepped inside. She turned a light on, and then shut the door behind her. Nightwing was the only other person in the tower, but it still gave her more of a sense of privacy. She looked at the empty spot where her bookcase used to be. Should've brought a book, she thought to herself. She then walked over to the mirror, looking at herself in it. The most obvious change from her younger self was her longer hair. Other than that, she didn't feel she looked that different. A little older, a little wiser, but still her.
She noticed that her hair was a little disheveled. Should've brought a brush, too, she thought. She decided to try fixing her hair with her fingers. Raven was not a vain person, but she still felt compelled.
Finally, she walked over to her old bed. It seemed smaller than she remembered it. She touched the bed, and ran her hand along it. Just as she thought, it was covered in dust.
"Great." She said aloud. She picked up the bed sheet and flipped it over to the other side, deciding that would have to do. She sighed, and sat down on the bed, and then moved herself into the middle of it. She crossed her legs, and adjusted into her meditation stance. Right now, there was a lot to think about. The murder of Aqualad, and catching whoever did it. Whether or not the rest of the team would show up. Starfire in particular. And then there was Nightwing, who… Raven shook her head. It was important that she stay focused. She needed to meditate. And she couldn't think of a better way to pass the time at that moment.
Raven closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."
Nightwing awoke after a few hours. He looked up at the ceiling as he lay there in bed. The same bed he used to sleep in years earlier. In truth, he had actually woken up a few times during the hours he slept there. The sheets and pillows were gone, but it wasn't the first time he had slept some place less than comfortable. His mind was just too active.
It felt wrong to him to just lay there sleeping. He felt they should be out there doing something constructive. Was waiting around really the only option? He didn't have most of his old team, and didn't know the city like he used to… but still.
He sat up in bed, and quickly got up. He pulled out his phone to check the time. Still too early. The sun was still up. He furrowed his brow, and then left the bedroom. He headed back to the ops room. When he arrived there, he was slightly surprised to find Raven was already there. She was sitting on one of the seats. Not reading, or meditating, or even watching tv, but just looking out the window at the city below. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, but it would still be a little while before dark. The orange rays helped to light the room.
Upon entering, Raven heard Nightwing's footfalls and turned her head. Her expression was neutral. Just like the deadpan Raven he had always known. Nightwing found it comforting to known that some things stayed the same.
"You're up." Raven said. "Get a good sleep?"
Nightwing shook his head slightly. "Not really." Raven furrowed her brow.
"Don't tell me you were up the whole time training and looking stuff up on a computer."
"That's actually not a bad idea. But no, I did sleep, just not well. It doesn't matter. How about you?"
"I meditated." Raven said matter of factly. Nightwing just nodded. He walked further into the room, and looked at the sun in the sky.
"Still a few more hours." He said. "Maybe I could go out and search for other leads."
"The crime scene is our best lead right now, and it will still be there in a couple hours." Raven said. "If we don't find anything there, then we can look for other leads."
Nightwing stood there a moment, considering. "Alright, fine. We'll wait for tonight, but after that we're going to explore anything we can find."
"Deal." She said. "In the meantime… want to watch a movie?"
"A movie?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"For old time's sake." Raven said. She looked down at the floor. "It's been a long time since we've… you know, hung out."
Nightwing looked at her a moment, and then smiled. "Ok fine, one movie." Raven displayed a small smile, barely noticeable.
"Alright, what do we watch?" she said.
"You know I like action." Nightwing said.
"And you know I like horror."
"Well, let's just see what's on tv." They flipped through channels, and eventually settled on a movie that somehow interested them both. It was an action-horror movie about vampires fighting werewolves. They sat apart from each other as they watched, but would occasionally glance at each other and make a comment. After a couple hours, the movie ended and the sun was setting.
"That was fun." Nightwing said.
"Could've been scarier." Raven said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Nightwing spoke first.
"But now its time to go." He said, looking at the time. He stood up and stretched.
"There might still be people around." Raven said.
"I'm not waiting any longer. If we run into anyone there, we'll just have to deal with it." Raven didn't reply, but just followed him out of the room.
Not long after, they were once again at the docks. This time, they were more sneaky about it. They stuck to the shadows as they moved closer to the crime scene area. By this point it was twilight, so not completely dark. But the lights were on, so they had to be careful where they walked.
As Nightwing and Raven both clung to a dark corner facing the main loading area, they saw two cops/guards patrolling the area. The guards were armed. They had to pass through that area to get to the scene. Going in from a different direction would have been harder due to the layout of the docks, and there were actually less guards in this direction.
The area in front of them was a more open area where containers were moved around. Just a little further out was the shipyard area. But they needed to get around the loading area. The section there led into an area just outside the dock that was also being guarded. They knew this because of Raven's abilities. She had been able to use her senses and astral projection to see around before they got in close. The docks were actually easier to get through than the residential area, which had more patrols.
Raven and Nightwing stood close to each other as one guard walked by just a few yards from where they stood. They were deep in shadow, and stood perfectly still. As the guard passed, Nightwing turned to Raven standing right next to him. She had her hood up, so combined with the shadow, her face was hidden in darkness.
"I think I can sneak through." Nightwing said. "You can follow my lead." His voice was a whisper, by necessity.
"You're better at the ninja thing than I am." Raven said. "I can try projecting myself again to look around that way. I can get a view from above, and maybe catch some things you can't." Raven was soft spoken by nature, so she only had to lower her voice a little.
"I don't like the idea of leaving you vulnerable here."
"Don't worry, I'll stay in shadow." She said. "Just go, trust me."
Nightwing hesitated for a second, but then nodded. He went off, sticking to the sides and walls, not going out in the open. With each passing minute, it got a little darker. But he could still be seen if he wasn't careful. One guard started walking right up to him. He was flat against a container, looking right at the guard. The guard stopped a few feet in front of him, and looked back at him. Or so it seemed. The guard turned his head, checking the other containers nearby. He then walked off in a different direction. Nightwing released his breath, and gradually but steadily moved along the sides, doing his best to avoid the lights. After a minute, he saw an opening ahead that led into the crime scene. Nightwing looked around. One guard was far away with his back turned. The other one wasn't in sight, but Nightwing could hear his footsteps nearby.
Nightwing stayed low and quickly made for the other side. Once there, he turned a corner and checked the perimeter. There was an alley, and he saw someone walk past on the other side. Once the footsteps receded, he quickly moved down the alley, keeping his steps light. Once he got to the other side, he moved out but found a guard standing right there. The man quickly reached for a weapon and started to say something, but Nightwing chopped the man's neck with an open hand, and then used a nerve hold to incapacitate him.
Nightwing looked around, and didn't see anyone else. He moved the man's unconscious body somewhere dark and out of the way. He was a little annoyed at himself for letting himself be surprised like that. Regardless, he scanned the area, trying to find the place Aqualad fought. Up ahead he saw another alley with yellow tape. That had to be it. He moved in, carefully checking around. After a minute he made it through the alley, and turned. It was a dead end. Was this where Aqualad was killed? He moved in closer, and saw some broken pipes and other damage on the walls. This seemed to be the place. He started looking around.
After checking the area for a minute, he didn't find much. Not surprising, since the police had likely cleared any evidence away, and it had rained earlier. There was definitely a fight that took place there, but there didn't seem to be any way of telling who was involved. He noticed a sewer cover nearby. He decided to check it. He entered the sewer, dropping down below. There was no one else down there. The sewer water moved by steadily, which was the only sound. Nightwing turned on a small flashlight he had to illuminate the dark and dank sewer. He shined the light along the floor. After searching for a minute, he found small but noticeable traces of blood. There also appeared to be a big chip in the floor near the blood. After examining it, he decided that it looked like Aqualad was attacked by someone wielding a weapon, probably something metal. So, the murderer didn't have powers? Or maybe they just wanted it to look that way.
He searched a little more, checking the area nearby, and even the water, as pointless as that seemed. Surprisingly, he did find something in the water. It was a small thing, red. It was caught on something in the water. Nightwing picked it up. It looked sort of like glass, but different. It was obviously broken off from something. The attacker? A robot or machine of some kind? He pocketed the clue, deciding that he would examine it later. He then searched for several more minutes, but found nothing else. He felt a little disappointed, but knew it was better than nothing. He then left the sewer the same way he came in, careful to check the area above first. Now, he just had to get back to Raven.
As Raven sat in her meditative position, cloaked in shadow, she recited her familiar mantra. She felt the power flow through her, under her control. She felt herself enveloped in darkness, but safe darkness that protects. She then felt herself, or rather her spirit, rise out of her body, and move above the ground below. She could see the docks around and beneath as she floated in the air. Then, she started passing by guards who didn't see her. She moved over containers and walls, and various equipment. She passed through the air swiftly and silently. She had to move fast, for she only had a few minutes.
Raven looked over the area below her. She saw Nightwing dragging an unconscious guard. She watched as he entered the crime scene area. Since he was on the ground, Raven decided to check the area above. She scanned the windows and rooftops of the buildings in the immediate area. She moved to the edge of the dead-end area. At one end was a large building, which looked newer than the others. It didn't appear to have any windows facing the alley. However, when Raven moved higher towards the roof, she noticed that there were several cameras along the perimeter of the roof. Most of them were facing away from the crime scene. But there was a single camera that looked like it was aimed at the area below where Aqualad was apparently killed. Raven wondered if it might have recorded the murder. Even if it had, there was no way for her to check that from out there. She floated around the building. It looked pretty secure, and also looked like the sort of place that would probably have security. Besides, she was almost out of time. She quickly headed back to her waiting body.
Nightwing made his way back to Raven, managing to go a little quicker this time. As he entered the area where he left her, he saw that a guard had found her. He was shining a flashlight at her. However, Raven herself couldn't exactly be seen. She was surrounded by a black aura, or shield. It concealed her. The guard poked the shield with his gun, but couldn't get through. He said something on his radio. Nightwing knew he had to act fast. He silently made his way towards the guard, but another one came around the corner, gun at the ready.
Nightwing threw a birdarang, distracting both men, and causing them to look away from him. Nightwing ran at the guard close to Raven and rapidly pummeled the man with his escrima sticks. The man was wearing armor, but Nightwing struck the gaps in between. The other man fired, but Nightwing ducked, and then tossed the first guard towards his friend. The gun toting guard was taken aback, and then taken out when Nightwing performed a flying kick to the man's helmet, bashing it against a container. The man slumped. Nightwing looked down at the two men on the ground. But he heard footsteps behind him. He spun around to see another guard, holding a gun aimed right at him. But the guard wasn't moving.
The man was enveloped in blacknesss, and was lifted off the ground. He was thrown several yards away, and fell out of sight. Raven was standing where the man had before.
"Thanks." Nightwing said. Raven shrugged.
"You helped me first."
"Okay, it was teamwork. But let's get out of here before more guards come."
"Good idea. Let's hope they didn't see our faces." They both exited the area, using their own methods to disappear. Within seconds they were already gone.
"That didn't go too badly." Raven said. They were back at Titan Tower, and it was fully dark out now. The ops room was lit solely by the room lights, although a few of them had burned out, giving the room a different atmosphere.
"It would have been better if we hadn't been seen at all." Nightwing said. "Hopefully they didn't get a good look at us. We don't need the police as our enemies right now."
"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it." Raven said. "The important thing is that we made it to the crime scene. You said you found something?"
Nightwing initially looked tense, and a little stressed. But hearing Raven's calm tone relaxed him a little. He took a breath and nodded. "Yeah, I did. I'm not sure what it is exactly." He held up the red thing he had found earlier. "Hopefully when we examine this it will tell us something. What I do know is that whoever killed Aqualad did it up close and personal, with a weapon."
Raven took the red object and looked at it as she listened to Nightwing. While still looking it over she said, "That narrows it down a little. Then again, we haven't been in this city for a few years, so we're not terribly familiar with the current big criminals here."
"I've occasionally looked into it." Nightwing said. "There actually aren't as many supervillains in this city as there used to be, from what I can tell. But researching something isn't the same as firsthand experience." Raven simply nodded, and handed the object back to him.
"Anyway, what did you find?" he asked.
"Well, it turns out there was a-"
Before Raven could finish, she was cut off by a sudden noise. It was their communicators. The two of them exchanged a glance. Nightwing picked up his device.
"Who is this?" he asked.
"Robin, is that you?" a voice said. Nightwing and Raven both said it at the same time.
"Cyborg?"