"Uuuugh." Beast Boy groaned. It was the only thing he had said since they brought him back. He was laying on a table face up. His eyed were closed, but he tossed and turned a little. Just a little, because it hurt to move more than that. He was sweating, and his face was swollen and red. Standing around him were Nightwing, Raven, and Bumblebee. They all looked down at him in his beaten state. The top part of his outfit had been removed so they could better examine his injuries.
Raven had resumed using her magic to heal him. Nightwing put his hands on Beast Boy's abdomen. "Can you do anything for him?" Bumblebee said.
"I'm not a doctor or anything, but I know first aid." Nightwing said. "And I can at least check to see if he has any broken bones. Hopefully not, or we'll have to take him back to the hospital." Beast Boy breathed slowly as Nightwing examined him, his chest moving up and down.
"The hospital might not be a bad idea." Bumblebee said.
"Taking him back to the same hospital we just broke into and fought outside?" Raven said. "While a killer is after him, and after the cops warned us not to get involved?"
"Hey, it was just a suggestion." Bumblebee said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Sorry, its just hard to focus right now." Raven said. "How bad is he?" She looked at Nightwing.
Nightwing probed and prodded Beast Boy's body with his fingers, which sometimes caused Beast Boy to flinch. "Well, he has cuts, bruises, and burns, but I don't feel anything broken."
"That's good news." Raven said. She put her hands over his chest as she continued healing him.
"Is there anything I can do?" Bumblebee said.
"Yeah, we have some bandages and ointments you can get." Nightwing told her where they are, and she retrieved them. She and Nightwing began preparing the bandages.
"I can't keep this up too much longer." Raven said. "And I won't be able to fully heal him anyway. But he should be able to recover more quickly now."
"That's fine, you can stop now." Nightwing said. He moved closer to Beast Boy, looking down at him. Beast Boy was breathing regularly. He appeared to be unconscious.
"I think he's asleep." Bumblebee said. She looked him over, with a mixture of concern and curiosity.
"That'll make this easier." Nightwing said. He started dressing the white gauze. "After this, we should all get some sleep. It's been a long day."
"Agreed." Raven said. As if on cue, she suddenly yawned, but covered her mouth with her hand.
"Bumblebee, you can stay the night if you want." Nightwing said. Bumblebee put her hand to her chin.
"Thanks, but I was just going to look for a hotel." She said.
"At this time of night?" Nightwing said.
"Maybe a motel?" she said.
"Its really no trouble, we've got plenty of room." Nightwing said.
Bumblebee looked up at the ceiling, as if thinking of something. She then checked the time. "Okay, I guess I can stay the night."
"Do you need more time than that?" he said.
"One night is fine." After that, they finished dressing Beast Boy's wounds. Raven and Nightwing brought him back to his own room, while Bumblebee prepared to sleep on a couch. Shortly after that, everyone went to bed for the night.
Raven sat cross-legged on a couch in the ops room. She repeated her mantra to herself, over and over. She breathed in and out slowly as she did so. It was early in the morning now, the sun just coming in through the windows. Beast Boy was lying on a different couch in the same room. Presently he was asleep, only occasionally tossing a little. He had initially been moved into his own room, but they had to keep checking on him to make sure he was okay. They decided it would be easier to keep an eye on him out here.
Bumblebee had slept in the same room, but by this point was already awake and in the bathroom. Raven and Nightwing told her it was okay for her to use the shower, which she was currently doing.
Raven's concentration was suddenly broken by a loud noise. She opened her eyes. It was Beast Boy, snoring. It was noisy and drawn out. Raven was momentarily irritated, but then decided it wasn't a big deal. She considered trying to resume meditation, but knew that she wouldn't be able to concentrate with the noise. She stood up. She couldn't meditate, and Bumblebee was using the shower, so she had to find something else to do.
Before she could decide, the door opened and Nightwing walked in. He looked decently rested, under the circumstances. He took a long look at Beast Boy, laying there snoring. And then he turned to Raven. "Good morning." He said.
"Morning." Raven said quietly.
"It sounds like he's doing okay." Nightwing said.
"If he can snore like that, yeah." She said. Nightwing looked at her, and then walked over towards the windows over at the other side of the room. Raven got the impression that he wanted her to follow him, so she did. Once there, the sounds of Beasts Boy's snores became more faint. Nightwing stood and looked out the window. The warm sun streamed into the room, chasing away the macabre air of the previous night. He squinted slightly at the light. The sun hit his face in a way that Raven considered flattering. She stood there for a moment looking at him. "It looks like a nice day." He said. Raven blinked, and then looked out the window.
"Yeah, it does." She said. "It's supposed to rain later though."
"Either way, we have to do most of our work at night, at least for now." He said. He put his arm against the window, leaning against the glass as he looked out on the city below. "We can't get the police to cooperate with us, but we need information. This would all be much easier if they could just tell us what they know."
"You think they know who did this?" she said. He turned to face her, and folded his arms.
"Probably not. But I'm sure they're a few steps ahead, and we have to play catch up."
"We are catching up though."
"Yeah… Speaking of catching up…" he said. He looked her in the eye. "What have you been doing these past few years?"
Raven stood there for a long moment, not expecting the question. She turned to look out the window, and looked off into the distance silently.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He said. He spoke softly. "I know you don't like to talk about your past."
Raven stood there in silence for a few seconds, and then spoke. "I travelled from place to place for a while." She said, turning to him. "Did I mention that before? I obviously didn't put roots down anywhere… Although I did try a couple times. I eventually met up with the kids… Melvin and the others. I was actually allowed to stay at the monastery for a little while. The monks there… helped me."
"Helped you in what way?" he asked. Raven turned her head to look out the window again.
"They helped me to control my power. Not completely, obviously. I still need to meditate. I still can't get too emotional. But it's a little easier than it was before. I'm a little more flexible with my powers. And my emotions."
Nightwing nodded. "I thought there was something different about you. Actually… there are a few things that are different about you."
A moment passed. Raven looked down at the city, and then turned her head to him. "So, what about you?" she asked. Now Nightwing was caught off guard.
"Hm, me?" he said.
"Yeah. What have you been doing? I mean, I have a general idea of where you've been. I've seen the news."
Nightwing nodded again, and then looked out at the city. The sun lit the room, but with a few clouds making shadows on their faces. He sighed. "I know that I didn't say anything when I left. I… wasn't in a good headspace. After what happened on Tamaran I… I just needed a change. The Titans didn't feel like a good fit for me anymore. So, I went back to Gotham City. Back to him…" He said this last part quietly, almost a whisper.
Raven put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "Nightwing, listen…" she started to say. Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of Beast Boy groaning on the other side of the room. Nightwing turned to Raven.
"We should check on him." he said. Raven nodded, and they both walked over to Beast Boy. He was still where they left him, but he was awake now. Nightwing and Raven both stood over him a few feet away. Beast Boy put his hand to his face, and then winced. His face was still burned, although Raven had been able to heal the worst of it. The burns that remained were more mild. He blinked his eyes a few times, squinting at the light. After a moment he noticed Raven and Nightwing standing there.
"Hey." Beast Boy said in a low voice. His eyes were bleary, and he moved a little stiffly. He started to sit up.
"Don't try to get up, just lie down." Nightwing said.
"I'm not dead." Beast Boy said. "I just feel like it."
"Where does it hurt?" Raven said.
Beast Boy looked down at his half naked body. "Everywhere above the waist. Thanks for leaving my underwear on, by the way." He looked his lower body over under the sheet.
"I can get you a painkiller if you need it." Nightwing said.
"Nah, its not that bad." Beast Boy said. "I'm mostly just sore. Except my face, that still kind of burns."
"You can thank Raven for that." Nightwing said. "Healing you, I mean. She used a lot of magic power on you."
Beast Boy slowly rubbed his head, and then glanced at Raven. "Thanks, Raven."
"You're welcome." She said. She avoided eye contact.
Just then, there was a sound coming from the comms. Nightwing reached for his. "Hello?" he said.
"Robin, its me." Cyborg's voice came over the comm.
"Cyborg, good to hear from you." Nightwing said.
"Same. I'm just calling to let you know I'll be there real soon. Like, in an hour. You're at the tower, right?"
"We all are, yeah. It'll be good to see you again."
"I'm in my car right now, so I need to go. Talk soon." He ended the call.
"Was that Cyborg?" Beast Boy said. "You should have let me say hi to him."
"You'll get your chance." Nightwing said. He put his comm away and started walking towards the door. "I'll let Bumblebee know Cyborg's coming." He left the room. Raven and Beast Boy were now alone. Raven shifted awkwardly for a moment.
"I should probably… get ready for Cyborg." She said. She started walking away.
"Raven." Beast Boy said. "Are you avoiding me?" Raven stopped, her back turned to him as he sat on the couch.
"…There are just important things to do deal with right now, that's all." She said.
"I think I know why you don't want to talk to me." He said.
"There's really nothing to talk about." Her back was still turned to him.
"But maybe we should-"
"No, we shouldn't. Just drop it." Raven took a few steps, stopped, and added, "Please." She then left the room.
An hour passed, and the titans in the tower were alerted of someone approaching the building. Cyborg had arrived just like he said. They decided to meet him in the entrance hall on the first floor. In short time, Raven and Nightwing stood beside each other, and Beast Boy sat on a chair in the lobby. They had helped him down, since he was still hurt. They waited there for a few minutes while making small talk.
They heard the front door opening, followed by heavy footsteps. Cyborg walked into the room, his towering physical presence offset by his friendly, laidback demeanor. His appearance had barely changed. His robotic body looked pretty much the same, except for a few subtle upgrades. The human part of his face looked a little more mature, but otherwise the same. The only other difference was that he had grown his hair out a little on the organic side of his head.
As Cyborg stepped into the room, he stood there a moment looking them over. He smiled and lifted his hand to greet them. "Hi guys. It's good to see you again. Man, you both look different. I remembered you being smaller."
"I remember you being bigger." Raven said with a hint of a smile.
Nightwing and Raven both approached him. "Cyborg, glad to see you." Nightwing said.
"Robin." Cyborg said. He reached out a hand.
"I go by Nightwing now." He said lightly. He grabbed Cyborg's hand, and they shook.
"Oh okay, Nightwing then. And Raven. It is still Raven, right?" He turned to her as he spoke. She nodded.
"Still Raven." She said.
"Cool and where's…" Cyborg said.
"Hey, Cyborg." Beast Boy said from further back. Cyborg looked behind Raven.
"Is that Beast Boy?" he said. Cyborg moved closer and raised a hand. "Hey Beast Boy, I… Woah, what happened to you?" Cyborg stopped, taking in Beast Boy's damaged state. Beast Boy looked better than the night before, but his face was still discolored from burns, and parts of his body were wrapped in bandages.
"Clumsy me, I slipped in the shower." Beast Boy said. Cyborg raised an eyebrow.
"Okay." Beast Boy said, raising a hand. "The truth is, I got into a fight and got my ass kicked."
"Would this be the same guy that killed Aqualad?"
"Pretty sure." Beast Boy said. "But can't we take a few minutes to catch up first?" Beast Boy started to stand. He grimaced as he did so.
"Maybe you should take it easy." Cyborg said. Beast Boy waved his hand.
"I just need a warm bath and a salad, and I'll be fine." He stuck out his hand. "Come on, shake my hand." Cyborg took his hand. He then pulled Beast Boy in for a half hug.
"Glad you're okay." Cyborg said.
"Uh, thanks dude." Beast Boy said awkwardly.
"He's a tough little guy." Someone said. Cyborg turned his head, and saw Bumblebee standing in the doorway leading up. She leaned against the doorway with her arms folded. Her goggles were resting on her head.
"Bee." Cyborg said. He paused there, surprise plainly on his face.
"Hey, Sparky." She said. "Been a while."
"What do you mean 'little'?" Beast Boy muttered.
"I didn't know you were here." Cyborg said.
"I'm here for the same reason you are, I assume." She said.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, by the way. I know you two were close."
"Thanks." Bumblebee said quietly. She said nothing else. For a minute they just stood there in silence. Finally, Nightwing stepped forward and spoke.
"We all have a lot to talk about. We should probably head back upstairs."
Cyborg nodded. Bumblebee said she would meet them up there. Raven and Nightwing started heading for the stairs.
"Great, now I got walk back up there." Beast Boy said.
"I can carry you." Cyborg said. Beast Boy held up his hands.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I can walk. But uh, maybe I could lean on you for support?"
"Sure." Cyborg said.
A short time later, they were all back up in the ops room. Beast Boy was back on the couch, but now sitting instead of laying down. Everyone else was standing in a wide but loose circle. The tv had been turned on so that they could see any relevant news reports, particularly regarding what had happened the night before. Currently the station was on a commercial break. Meanwhile, Cyborg took a look around the room, examining all the equipment. He would occasionally shake his head or make a noise, like a short grunt. He rubbed his chin as he looked at the security setup.
"Hmmm." He said.
"We didn't really know how to fix a lot of this stuff." Nightwing said. "That was always your thing."
Cyborg nodded. "Yeah. I can't believe I left so much of this here. I mean, I kind of thought I might come back someday. But some of this equipment is really worn out."
"You can look at that stuff later." Nightwing said. "Right now, we have some things to talk about." Cyborg turned to them, and nodded.
"Yeah, I know." He walked back over to the others. "Alright, so what's been happening the past few days? Seems like I missed some stuff."
"One or two things." Raven said.
"We'll catch you up." Nightwing said. He and Raven spent the next twenty minutes recounting what had happened, while glossing over a few extraneous details. When they got to the part with the hospital, Bumblebee joined in to add a few more details. Beast Boy was more quiet than usual.
"So, you have no idea who this guy is?" Cyborg asked.
"Not yet." Nightwing said. "But hopefully we will soon."
"If we can get a look at that footage from the camera I saw, we might be able to see something identifying." Raven said.
"Which would mean breaking into that building." Nightwing said.
"Couldn't Cyborg just hack the camera or something?" Beast Boy said.
"Most cameras aren't advanced enough for that." Cyborg said. "At least, not yet. And even if I could hack into the camera, I still wouldn't be able to see the archived footage from days ago. You would need to go in and get that, assuming it's even still there."
"They usually keep that stuff for a week or two, so its probably still there." Bumblebee said.
"Well, if we are going to this place, then this time I'm not staying outside." Beast Boy said. He leaned back in the chair, and adjusted his bandages.
"No offense, but you don't look like you're up for that right now." Raven said.
"Just give me a day or two to rest up." He said defensively. He folded his arms as he sat there.
"Hold it." Nightwing said. He pointed to the tv. Everyone watched as the news anchors talked about the fight the previous night. Eyewitnesses mentioned seeing superheroes fighting. But no mention was made of the hospital break in, which had apparently gone unnoticed. The news then switched to talking about sports, and Nightwing lowered the volume.
"It sounds like no one saw us in the morgue." Raven said. "That's good."
"Yeah, they just saw me getting knocked off a roof." Beast Boy said.
Nightwing started pacing, slowly. "Now we need to decide what our next move is. This killer is still out there, and we don't know where they'll turn up next."
"I'm pretty sure it's a dude." Beast Boy said.
"Either way, we've got to be more careful from now on." Nightwing said. "We're obviously targets too."
"Maybe the killer came after us because we're on the right trail." Raven said. "Maybe we're getting close."
"Then we should keep moving before the trail gets cold." Nightwing said.
Cyborg held up his hands, and walked closer to the center. "Okay, hold up. Before we go any further, I'd like a little more information on what we're dealing with. I know you recapped everything, but what about this evidence you found? Maybe me and Bee could do something with it?"
"I'll help if I can." Bumblebee shrugged.
Nightwing glanced at them both, and then jerked his head up, remembering something. "Actually, there is something else." He walked over to a drawer, and pulled out a bag. He then opened the bag, and pulled something out of it. It was the red shard he had found in the sewer.
"I found this at the crime scene." Nightwing said. "Do you have any idea what it is?" He handed it to Cyborg. "I think it might have come from something high tech. Maybe a weapon, or even a robot?"
Cyborg looked the object over. He flipped it over, looking at it from different angles. He furrowed his brow. "Hmm. It looks familiar, but I'll need to take a closer look at it. Of course, to do that I'm going to need to fix up some of this equipment. That's going to take some time. But before that, there's something I wanted to ask."
"What is it?" Nightwing said.
"Where's Starfire?" Cyborg said. "Is she around here? Is she coming?"
"Hey yeah, where is Starfire?" Bumblebee said. Raven and Nightwing exchanged a glance.
"We haven't seen her." Raven said. "We did try contacting her, but we got no response."
Cyborg nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She's probably still on Tamaran. She probably can't even hear us from all the way out there."
"Even if she could… I'm not sure she would come." Nightwing said. He looked down at the floor.
"I hope she's doing okay." Beast Boy said in a low voice.
"I'm sure she's okay, and I'm sure she would come if she knew what was happening." Cyborg said. "I think I have a way of contacting her, but its going to take some time to set up. Unless you feel like taking a trip to Tamaran."
"I really don't." Nightwing said. "And I don't think it's a good idea to leave the city right now anyway. We need to find the killer."
"We'll find him." Bumblebee said. "I ain't leaving until I do."
"Nobody has to leave." Cyborg said. "But I am going to need time to work on all this stuff. Fixing the tower up, contacting Starfire, possibly hacking cameras, and examining whatever this is." He held up the broken red piece in his hand. "Its all going to take time."
"We don't have time." Nightwing said. "The sooner we get back out there, the better."
"Nightwing." Raven said. "With Cyborg having to work on all this stuff, and Beast Boy hurt, maybe we should at least wait a day or two."
Nightwing set his jaw, and then closed his eyes. After a moment he relaxed. "We can wait one day. Tomorrow night, we have to go to that building and examine that footage."
"Okay, then I'll work on contacting Star, and fixing at least the more important tech." Cyborg said.
"I can help with that." Bumblebee said.
"We appreciate that." Nightwing said. "I don't feel like waiting around here doing nothing, so I'm going to head back out to see if I can find any more information, the old-fashioned way. I'll be back tonight, sometime." He turned and started to walk away.
"Nightwing, wait." Raven said.
Nightwing paused and looked back. "I think this is the best thing to do right now."
"I'm not arguing." Raven said. "I just… I want to come with you." Nightwing stood there for a second.
"Then let's go." He said. With that, the two of them left together.
"Okay, I guess I'll just… hold down the fort." Beast Boy said, raising his hand.
End Notes: I'm going to be taking a short break from this story. Probably about a month. Maybe a little longer. We'll see. I've been working on this story for a few months now, and I feel I need a break, but I fully intend on finishing the story. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who has been reading so far.