Disclaimer: By this means, I rightfully claim ownership to this fanfiction story and my original character within it, by my trademark signature T.M.O at the conclusion of every update. Any other characters that may appear in this work and are new, these are the rightful properties by their creators as well and cannot be reproduced, or duplicated without their individual consent. I do not own anything within the DC Universe, from Warner Brothers, or on Cartoon Network. The only original character and the name that I created for him; that I accept half ownership on is Falcon from this telling. Scififanfreak222 owns the second half of him as well, for drawing him upon a collaboration of various new designs and sketches within the year of 2010; and cannot be knowingly placed into another literary document, writing community, comic book series, and or televised broadcast without either of our written or verbal consent in front of legal consultants. TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Scififanfreak222, xSaffire55x, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose; each of these fellow writers have helped me to press onwards with this story, every-time I have come across writers block. Without their outstanding guidance, the updates would have taken me even longer to complete.
Chapter 13 is complete! A betrayal in the abandoned theme-park resumes, Raven and Starfire discuss things, Cyborg arrives at Titans Tower, while Beast Boy finds himself in a foreign place. "Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors." -Thomas H. Huxley-
Chapter 13 - Broken Oaths
Blood slowly trickled through the gaps in-between his gloved hand, as he squeezed his left shoulder. The Xenothium Bandit eventually got back to his feet, as the dizziness acted like a thick shroud over his eyes.
Slade had done the one thing Red X could not fully accept, and for what purpose would trying to murder his hired help prove? A code of honor had been violated, the core principles were left unhinged while a devastating ruse had befallen him.
He squinted his eyes in an effort to focus on the man standing less than a few feet away, while the hatred burned much hotter within his soul. The images he had seen from the communicator, were mostly of shadows and a single eye staring back at him, but to view the actual person in his famous armor was strangely refreshing.
Red X looked himself over to make himself presentable, where the smudge marks and dust coated his own black attire. The white skull of his helmet was scratched and the half that had turned away last minute, was in a better condition than the side that was covered inadequately by his left arm.
"I did what you asked, and while it would be pointless to try to uncover your motives for this, I still want to know." Red X pressed his fingers about his shoulder tightly. "Why have me go through all of these hurdles and obstacles, only for you to betray me in the end?"
Slade clasped his hands behind him, he appeared to be boasting in his firm posture, and that horrified the wandering mercenary. "The answers are never what we want to hear, lies are the only facts we choose to listen to."
"You never had the missing shipment of Xenothium, did you?"
Slade did not answer, he simply squinted his eye allowing Red X to continue.
"Pfshhh. What a waste." The infamous master thief glanced away. "There was never a point to any of this, was there?"
"There was potential in an arrangement with you, true." Slade slightly turned his body. "But, I only saw one inevitable outcome from having any dealings with you." His forbidding eye narrowed deeper. "It is in the final contract, the unstated but felt truth you became blind to for ambition alone."
"So then, you really are as twisted as they all say." Red X scoffed. "No honor, no code of beliefs but this . . . ?"
"Pity." Slade tapped the side of his mask. "Of all the possible outcomes to take your chances with, you still consciously came here."
Red X grunted from the searing sting of his wound. "Just some stupid plan, that's all this ever was? What is your ultimate motive?"
"You of all people should take into account what is going to happen." The ground shook, as two much larger shadows emerged from the blackest depths of the room. "For things to succeed, there can be no hiccups in any form, whatsoever. That, was the one thing I demanded."
"Where did I go wrong?"
Slade was an unstoppable force, he was known quiet well for pulling the strings on those he fought against, and those that worked for him. Everyone would be left in the dark about his ultimate end-game, the pieces were never totally revealed, but when things started to click into place, a great and powerful hindrance would be unleashed unto the world, unlike anything before.
"Answer me!" Red X's voice boomed.
Slade tilted his head. "Whatever I say now, it carries zero merit." He took a step forwards, where the bodyguards flanked him on both sides. "You already have your mind set on this."
The massive creature on the right was a purple blob monster, known as Plasmus. The gigantic bodyguard to the left was the deadly concrete foe Cinderblock. Red X peered his eyes ahead as his escape was now totally blocked.
"I don't care." Red X leaned forwards. "I need an explanation. I have earned that much at least, before you decide to end me."
The master deceiver circled him, sizing him up. "Persistent and quiet the thorn in anybody's hip. Hmmmm, alright then, we shall settle this the old fashioned way."
"And that would be . . . ?"
"If you defeat my loyal bodyguards, then I will reveal my motives for this morning."
Red X stepped forwards as the crimson liquid poured down his left arm, all the way to his fingertips, and it formed droplets that splashed onto the floor. His fingers tightened into fists, the stiffness in his neck had faded and he shut his eyes.
"Very well." Red X opened his eyes while bowing his head, as a fighting stance was taken. "Let's get this over with."
Slade snapped his fingers, where the two loyal servants trudged ahead. The tension was thick where all parties were anxious for the looming assault to be underway. The terrifying duo were silent and colossal in size, for the Teen Titans as a group to take on just one of them was a struggle but to do it alone, that it was a different matter entirely.
Time was felt to be slowing down, as the hormones within the young man's brain kicked up another notch. He slowed his breathing and shut his eyes, where the final image of Slade had vanished without a trace from whence he came.
Cinderblock and Plasmus were running full steam ahead, their movements and enormous physical size alone, it appeared as though they were ironclad land battleships, or mighty Tiger Tanks rolling over all opposition.
Fear was a natural reaction to have ignited within most normal people's brains at this, but Red X was not a Jump City simpleton. He was ill-prepared, wounded and cut off from escape. He was against the wall with only one option left, to fight.
Yet even with the variety of X-Gear and high tech apparatus that powered his suit, the swift thinking teenager understood completely, that he only took the mission to get his reserve Xenothium back to sustainable levels, he was running on empty now, where the famed scarlet liquid carried its own limitations.
There were other weapons and tools that were not linked by this power source, however, a brawl at close quarters with two of the deadliest bodyguards was not something he could out maneuver for very long.
He would need to end this brawl quickly, to then attack Slade his handler.
Red X opened his eyes to find the ever shrinking distance had sped back up to normal. Cinderblock threw the first punch, a heavy sledgehammer right hook as the momentum twisted the creature's entire upper body in his follow-through.
Plasmus joined in on the left, his slimy claw arm sailed in the air as a low under cut, trying to slam in the belly of the young lad.
Red X smirked beneath the mask, he timed this perfectly, down to the very second both blasts were about to crash into him, he swerved his body back to dodge Cinderblock, and he backflipped to avoid Plasmus's vile grip.
The colossal enemies smashed into each-other! They quickly backed away in a groggy fashion, the rock hard enemy snarled in contempt as the purple blob monster squealed an intangible retort of his own.
Cinderblock was showing signs of fatigue from the scuffle he had against the green shapeshifter, where the bear claws had marked his face and chest. He was no less daunting from before, where Plasmus absorbed much quicker from attacks like this do to his slime-like body.
Still it caught them off balance, and both demanded an immediate counter attack. They resumed their onslaught of swinging punches and unloading kicks, where the dark armored mercenary was nimble and quick enough to evade all of their strikes.
I haven't got much time. Red X thought as he glanced to his bleeding arm. "Time for plan b."
The famed ninja unleashed smoke pellets generating a smoke screen, and he unleashed his X-Blades to carve into his enemies. Cinderblock was blinded for just a moment from a Flashbang, and he swung his arms widely hoping to hit the now vanished target.
"Yo blockhead, this might sting a bit!" Red X jeered as he front-flipped over the creature's head, slashing the far bigger opponents shoulders and causing the blades to vibrate. "Well, that didn't work. Uh-oh."
"Grrrrrr!" Cinderblock retorted, after checking the damage to his body to observe that two long slashes had been cut into him.
Plasmus unloaded buckets of his goop, smearing the walls and floor causing the far quicker and much smaller foe to tuck and roll to safety. His black cape swayed across his shoulders while his jerky movements at not staying still, and constantly running from one advantageous position to another only constricted the scope of the battlefield.
What could be described as mind-controlled sludge, it quickly transformed into various shapes and critters, with pinchers and long arms trying to pin down Red X. The deadly wrist mounted X-Blades sliced through these abominations like butter, only for the horrid things to reform and slither back to its host.
Damn-it! Red X puffed heavily as he quietly thought. I finally had something I could use to take them down and now that approach is lost. Oops, I almost forgot about Stone Man.
A piece of the crumpled wall had been torn directly out of its frame and hurtled at Red X, who had just finished cutting a sludge monster into four equal sized pieces. The fight was only getting more dramatic while the combatants range to move, swing, throw, or evade the oncoming blows shrunk to barely inches apart.
Several sharp and dangerous ninja stars shaped as the letter X, coated in red paint spun through the air and landed directly into the forearm of Cinderblock. He roared a violent howl as the embedded weapons had somehow pierced his impenetrable skin.
The concrete behemoth did manage to land a few good shots of his own two handed nature, forming a club with his arms to smash into the backside of Red X, who tumbled and crashed against the unforgiving walls.
The fragmented mirrors sprinkled about him, the sparkling shards reflected the villains and himself hunched about the floor. Red X was enveloped in a growing nightmare where the only escape he had up his sleeve, was to run as fast as he could to his black painted street bike, and burn rubber.
Unfortunately he was locked in mortal combat with two terrifying monsters, the odds were increasingly stacked against him where he was stubborn enough, or just plain crazy to learn why Slade had betrayed him.
To uncover the truth meant that he could not flee, he would have to defeat the bodyguards that loomed closer and closer, he would need to put them into submission or worse, where his ex-handler was watching from the shadows. He would have to do all of this of course, without tapping into what little remained of his power source.
The glowing red bar across his wrist was giving him feedback that he was almost empty, implying the suit would contain no power for extra tricks or gimmicks. Red X stood alone, truly tested beyond his limits.
Cinderblock's jaw slackened while Red X squinted his eyes in defiance, and just out of the corner, a powerful bolt of lighting zig-zagged across the encirclement, and slammed into the wayward drifter! Red X tumbled to the floor, while a cloud of smoke lifted about his shoulders.
"Great." Red X jokingly said after he pushed himself up off the floor. "Three on one, now this is getting interesting."
The shrieking of Plasmus forced Red X to twist around and confront the blob-like adversary, with swift and brutal retaliation for the unfriendly assault. Wielding his X-Shaped Blades with masterful precision and tact, Red X cut low and high all over the jello-like creature.
Red X was aligning his attacks with near perfection, he could ill afford to drop his guard for any one enemy. The other two closed the gap even tighter, and Red X's instincts allowed him to dodge the swinging punches and blasts of electrical discharges with near superhuman timing.
Cinderblock howled an unearthly racket, shaking the agile counter-attacker to his bones as he completed various swift strokes implementing his deadly weaponry. The most recent mark was visible along the colossal rock figure's chest.
Stomping feet raced full throttle into Red X, who was now hemmed-in on all sides. Overload was barreling down from the right side, Plasmus was bringing up the rear, as Cinderblock had decided to swing his arms like massive pendulums directly in front, and smash the evading challenger to oblivion.
The rock hands clapped unleashing a vibrating shockwave into the air, and Red X preformed a magnificent backflip, and while holding himself up with one hand he spun his legs to smash into the head of Plasmus, who suddenly backed away.
Overload tossed five lighting bolts out of his hands, yet his fierce shooting was lacking proper aim as he hurried the assault, and only hit the background.
The bumbling errors by Slade's most fearsome bodyguards only revealed that they were uncoordinated, and not working as a cohesive unit. They were very strong yet their actions only proved brashness was a strength, yet it blinded them with ambitious greed.
"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that." Red X fired back.
The attacks continued, the barrage and fierce struggle went back and forth between the fighters. Red X had managed to destroy several more of the grotesque slime crawling critters, slicing them into multiple pieces where the material slithered back to Plasmus. Cinderblock forced his left knee into the abdomen of the gladiator, forcing him to expel air from his body.
Overload picked up the young lad, sending a shocking high voltage through his suit that continued to protect him, yet the damage was getting only more severe. Smoke rose from his back and chest, as he was tossed onto the ground.
Slade's menacing eye appeared to glitter in the dark, the struggle was revealing something he only calculated for a last resort, and he was ready to bring the final hammer of absolute domination into play.
The trickle of blood leisurely dripped to the floor, Red X panted heavily while his voice enhancer exposed his drained physical state. There were a few surprises he could unleash, where an established entertainer never revealed his best tricks at the beginning of a show.
"Surrounded, out gunned, and now I have barely any juice left in this suit." Red X set himself into another fighting stance.
"Is this your final performance then?" Slade's sinister voice reached his ears.
"Yeah." Red X sighed, then he tilted his head. "Things do end, but only for new beginnings to take their place."
"You are utterly pathetic." Slade then peered at Cinderblock who commanded the others. "End this."
The lull in the battle ceased, the fight raged on as the intensity only became more violent and close quarters bound. Cinderblock tried to grab hold of Red X as he slunk beneath the gap between his legs, yet the counter moves of slashing upwards against this deadly behemoth were not getting him anywhere, so he tossed four Flashbangs behind him blinding and deafening his far bigger opponent.
On came the other two gargantuan enemies, where the quick thinking teenager unloaded a handful of X-Shuriken's to split them apart.
"Ha! You Missed." Overload cackled.
"Did I?"
A thin pipe for the sprinklers was slashed, and the water cascaded out, spraying the back of the electrical juggernaut. The colossal creature fell to his knees as his core chip became wet.
"NO!" Overload's chagrin roared out from him, where his primary weakness at not having a solid physical form to protect his most vulnerable area was easily exposed. In a matter of seconds Red X took advantage of this and smashed various other pipes open, directing the water to short-circuit the already weakened enemy.
"That should take care of Sparkly. Whoops, heads up!" Red X ducked low, the instant a glob of slime was unleashed at him. "Now to deal with Slime-O."
He took off from a slow jog, then picked up speed as he ran in a circle around Plasmus. The creature squealed and hawked layers of his own body at the black armored thief, who leaped and spun off the walls.
My X-Wristblades will only do moderate damage. Red X thought, then he felt his left foot getting sucked into a puddle of the vile mixture, where he was unable to continue running. No! How can I attack when I am stuck like this? Wait, that gives me an idea!
Tapping onto his belt, a final batch of Adhesive Restraint was taken out from a compartment and he hurtled it across the room with a mighty heave, slamming across Plasmus and gluing his sludge body to the wall.
"Not so nice to be stuck, is it?" Red X used his sharp blades to cut himself free.
Plasmus shrieked an unearthly racket. He squirmed and flailed, yet the powerful weapon had him contained.
"Two down, now where is-"
Before Red X could complete his inquiry, a heavy shoulder from his first opponent crashed into him, forcing the young lad to tumble and roll across the floor! Then, Cinderblock thundered over and placed a few more hits while Red X tucked and rolled to safety.
"There you are." Red X squinted his eyes while he coughed from the forceful blows. There was an outlandish whirling sensation in his vision, as he struggled regaining his balance, like a sailor fighting to remain at his post on a ship in the midst of a hurricane.
"I thought by now, you would have learned your lesson brick for brains." Red X groaned while he pushed off the floor. "I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way."
Cinderblock roared.
Red X unsheathed his blades again, and they spun like propellers. Having a second to catch his breath, this time it was Red X to make the first move by charging forwards. Cinderblock wasted no time either, and in return he held his right fist behind him, as he was prepared to give the ending hit.
"Bingo." Red X spoke in his calm synthesized voice, while crossing his arms to block the punch, and using his right palm to shoot his X-Shaped Constricting Restraints over Cinderblock's legs.
This tangled the villain in mid movement, where the full weight that was sending him forwards backfired horribly; as the stone beast sailed through the air. There was nothing to stop the force of inertia behind the leviathan, sending him straight into a thick wall and out from the House of Mirrors!
This was the same tool used against Raven and Beast Boy, as the changeling turned into a rhinoceros and instead of slamming into the ninja thief, he tripped and had his rear end tied to the back of the demoness's cloaked head.
A loud and clattering noise echoed inside of the room, while obstacles were crushed and smashed to bits from the out of control freight-train. Once the disruptive noise had finally ceased, Red X returned his weapons to their compartments, and he scanned the room.
Overload was fried, his circuits could only handle so much of the water that as a self preservation method, he shut himself down so he could reboot. Plasmus was squirming in the background, where his human form was unable to break free, and so, the outer coating of slime was useless. Cinderblock was gone, the final challenger had been defeated where this brawl appeared finished.
Red X stood in the middle of the House Of Mirrors, and he looked and looked but was unable to locate his ex-handler.
Where are you? Red X thought in his head. "Come on out Slade, this battle is over."
A gust of wind swept around him during the silence, where the gaping hole of what once was a wall allowed in more light. During this lull a shiver trickled up his backside, and the feeling of victory was not right.
He could feel a trembling sensation through his bones, the unpleasant knot within his stomach twisted as he glanced left and right in sudden movements. There was still one challenger left.
"You are exceptionally skilled, however this ends tonight." Slade's words bounced across the void.
"While it was fun and all, I'm officially done with you." Red X hissed while pointing over his shoulder. "Those blundering goons were no match against me."
"I never said that you couldn't hold your own. But you are weak, vulnerable, and you have run out of options."
The manipulative client chuckled for a long moment, causing Red X to bring his arms up into a defensive position. The sinister laughter was all around him, behind him and in front.
Slade's voice drew closer. "The concept of your victory, is tragedy."
A fist cut through the air, where Red X's super quick instincts allowed him to swerve out of the path, and turn to face the destructive villain.
"Nice try, but did you really think that was going to work?" Red X said, while blocking another punch with his wrist. "Now . . . tell me the truth. Why did you betray me?"
Slade blocked the oncoming punches easily, he narrowed his eye where Red X mimicked this gesture. The ferocious brawl only intensified as they ricocheted off of one another's own blows, yet the master deceiver took advantage of his foe's already weakened shoulder, and he chopped at it with heavy knocks.
"Damn, you're aggressive." Red X hopped backwards and he soothingly rubbed his limb, then he studied the blood in his right hand.
Slade straightened his posture, allowing the teenager to ease the tightness from the joints in his neck.
"You asked me why things have come to this?" Slade reached behind him, and he pulled out his silver bo-staff, unlocking it to its full length. The crafty tool shimmered its reflective gleam in the morning sun.
Red X nodded his head and after exhaling, he unveiled the wrist-blades once more, slightly dulled and battered from the unsuccessful attempts at Cinderblock.
"Why?" Red X asked.
Slade replied; "There is no denying the truth of our nature. You are a thief, you do the things you do not out of some ill concocted scheme of harboring resentments, but because you have simpler motives."
"And you're motivation for all of this would be . . .?"
"I do this because I can."
Slade lunged in for a strike, bold and swift where Red X parried it with subsequent ease and he swiped a killing thrust of his own, leaving himself exposed and open to reprisals which Slade took full advantage of.
Stepping left and then around his target, the lucrative schemer blocked the sharp blades and dropped the back end of the staff to the hip and knees of Red X.
Red X cried in agony, stumbling when he dropped his guard but he quickly rose to be hit again.
A few sparks danced about the warring combatants from their weapons clanging loudly, their footwork was impressive yet the much taller and older fighter pressed his body weight against his crafty and nimbler opponent. The bout was clearly in favor for Slade, and he tossed the young lad around with relative ease.
The choice for the bo-staff, an ancient weapon of the Shaolin Monks from Southeast Asia proved to be very devastating. While not a murder weapon it did offer the optimum advantage of hammering your opponent into submission. Broken bones and bruises were common which may have been a reason Slade preferred this, not to finish his enemies off quickly, but to make them suffer.
The X-Wristblades were a much more lethal weapon, cutting and slicing to deal a fatal wound in the hands of an expert martial artist. The long staff had much to be desired yet in the proper hands of an experienced fighter, it was not to be trifled with.
In Slade's grip, the bo-staff was his primary weapon of choice, one that he learned to wield quiet easily and he made the heavy weapon an extension of himself. The ultimate deceiver was flexible with any number of assassins tools, of the gadgets and firearms in his prized arsenal, but the tool he held of the most high regard was the staff.
Red X tossed the last of his shurikens at the criminal mastermind, as all five crashed into the spinning weapon and were deflected. The pugnacious quarrel was raging for much longer than desired, and the skull masked mercenary, was almost out of ideas as his batch of nifty toys were practically depleted.
"Is that all?" Slade pestered him, where his tone revealed a strange sense of pleasure. "That's too bad, my turn!"
Without flinching or blinking, Slade quickly rushed into the black armored clad gladiator and he sped up his strikes. The single eye behind the cold mask appeared to be on fire, as a burst of untapped energy was expunged into the quarrel.
Slade easily detected Red X was loosing his balance, his breathing was heavy and his movements to counter the bo-staff suddenly became more sloppy. The bodyguards had proved their usefulness at expending energy and weapons from the hired-gun, just as the explosive briefcase had created a wound that only got worse.
Following a block using his right arm, the horrific new sound of his weapon being smashed only caused Red X's eyes to bulge in horror. The constant barrage from the onslaught, that drew heavier and harder hits from the bo-staff had finally broken one of the wristblades!
"You cannot win." Slade gripped the middle of his weapon even tighter, as he calmed his own heavy breathing. "It is pointless to resist when we both see it. You cannot keep this up for much longer, you cannot flee or try another venue out."
Red X's posture slumped a bit, as much as he would not like to admit defeat, his body language was a glaring giveaway. Still, something in him burned to keep on fighting. He was battered, he was barely able to raise his left arm, his weapons were failing him, his energy was lost but the courage to stand his ground was unshakable to his very core.
"It is over." Slade spoke, jolting the young mercenary back into the conversation.
Red X slowly looked up, with all the desire and rage strangely cast out of him. The two faceless combatants focused on one another, and a total concentration was met from the other's unbroken gaze.
Red X breathed in slowly before saying; "No it's not. Not yet."
"I know you mean well Starfire." Raven said while keeping her entrancing violet eyes focused onto the white enameled floor. "But this is rather . . . problematic."
"From my general understanding, it does not have to be." The Tamaranean Princess replied in a cheerful tone; giving an effort to bring a comfortable mood between the two.
After releasing a soft exhale from her lungs, the conflicting burden upon the Empath's shoulders felt a little lighter than previously. Turning her fatigued gaze back to her sister Titan's pleasing face Raven answered; "This isn't something easy to talk about. I mean for you and Robin, sure that's simple. You guys have what many try to obtain; but just look at me Starfire."
Starfire showed a bewildered expression; confused on why a teenage girl as gorgeous as the Empath, would feel so degrading about herself. The gray sorceress discharged a slight frown now, like every time she looked in the mirror as her reflection of the pale skin color, of her dark violet A-Line haircut came before her.
Raven was very stunning, but always she felt uneasy when the realization came through, that there was more to her beneath the surface. Although she resembled her beautiful mother Arella, the horrid demon lord Trigon; he was also a major part of who she was.
To the gray sorceress, she felt to be all alone in the world. There were countless others that had the same hurts, but the very understanding to be the offspring from some unholy union; it was never an easy thing to comprehend.
"I am doing of the looking as you speak; towards you Raven where I still do not see what the trouble is?"
The blue cloaked enchantress rolled her eyes swiftly; this arrangement to wait with her companion was now beginning to worsen for her tastes. Raven thought that she could handle her explanation; but everything just became that much harder to put into words.
"Forget it. I-I'm just being stupid." Raven rasped.
Starfire tenderly clasped the Empath's smooth hands, into hers. Being the hopeless romantic that she was, the light orange skinned goddess wanted to reassure Raven that everyone deserved this connection.
"But you care for friend Beast Boy; you have as I have learned of the affectionate feelings for him, yes?"
"I can see where you're taking this Starfire; what you want me to say but I . . ." She turned away momentarily. "It's not that easy, it never is. I'm having trouble right now in trying to find the complete meaning behind everything around that very notion. On what the full matter for myself is also."
"That is simple." Starfire articulated in her gentle voice. "However I feel that I still do not understand, with what you are so confused to find in your heart, when I can see that you truly do care for him."
Raven's pale cheeks turned into a more pink color. "It's not like that at all. Really. And besides I'm part demon Starfire, the cold-hearted and lone Empath on our team. This is easy for you because well, you already . . . I had it once and look what it brought me."
Strumming her index finger below her smooth chin, the friendly super heroine thought for a moment before retrieving the once ancient name. "Is this also about Malchior?"
Her eyelids lowered, Raven remembered the deep heartache, the confusion of having been used in assisting the terrifying dragon out from the book which had imprisoned him. Raven never felt normal but he made her feel just so, happy when so much sadness clouded her always, when the shapeshifting dragon was pretending to be Rorek of Nol.
To find someone who understood her, it was a rare discovery as Malchior was thought to be the true wizard trapped for a thousand years. He gave the impression that he was misunderstood, but so too was Raven, thus she believed to find a deeper connection beyond their powers and characteristics of dark as considered simply different.
It was her grasping for reality, to be loved for who she was as a person, and to understand that she could return that same affection to another.
In the end however, this relationship did not last as the beautiful girl was used for one purpose, and then she was cast aside. The Empath accounted the big pitfalls to watch out for, what caused relationships to fail but with Malchior; everything was a lie from the very beginning. Raven on the opposite side was true with her emotions of tender passion, seeking out a great and lasting romance.
She blinded herself, as this ambition makes a person ignore these obvious reasons to turn away as the facts slowly build around them. The tremendous doubt, the uncertainty and confusion; all of it lifted by the gentle touch of his poetic words.
Just as romance made her find total happiness, it was also romance that made her detest the very thought of love, of what it could do to people. Raven remembered very well; of just how torn the changeling had become when Terra revealed herself as Slade's apprentice.
Strangely it was Beast Boy that came to Raven after her own heartache, where the green shapeshifter comforted her on the opposite side of the door. Together they had found that the mourning would not last forever.
-Flashback-
Raven placed the accursed book away, locking it within a chest. She sighed and stood in the darkness of her private chambers, it was quiet obvious that a terrible pain was clinging to her, where her once joyful and romantic relationship had sunk into a deep despair.
Three sudden knocks came at her bedroom door, and she turned.
"Raven, it's me." came Beast Boy's soft crackling voice from the hallway. "Look . . . I'm sorry."
The Gray Empath walked over, past her bookshelf and waited. "For what? You're not the one who-"
"No. I'm sorry that . . . he broke you're heart."
"I know that it was all a lie." She touched her chest. "But he was the only person who made me feel like I wasn't . . ." She glanced to the floor and then back up. "creepy. And don't try to tell me I'm not."
"Okay, fine. You're way creepy. But that doesn't mean you have to stay locked up in your room." There was a long pause, and Raven squeezed her fists as the changeling concluded his statement. "You may think you're alone Raven, but you're not."
Raven lifted her eyes back to the door, and she allowed his short speech to calm her brooding.
The door slid open, where Raven gradually walked forwards as her typical frown was still present. Then, without thinking of what her next step should be or what to say, she lunged forwards and embraced him with an affectionate hug.
Having been caught off guard by this, Beast Boy was the first to break-away as both of their cheeks blushed bright red.
"Uhhh . . ." Beast Boy stuttered, where without warning a nasty clump of laundry slammed into the side of his head!
Cyborg had ruined the moment, waving his arms with a beaming grin across his face. Raven turned from Cyborg, then back to Beast Boy and then to the rolled up dirty socks.
"WHOO-WHOO! Stank Ball!" Cyborg boasted.
When Beast Boy sat upright, Raven picked up the disgusting object from his head, and a sinister smirk formed across her face. Using her powers she encased the round projectile into a black aura, and she turned to face the loud mouthed gearhead.
"Now hold on Raven - don't - no . . . OOOH!" Cyborg's voice echoed, as the other two teammates laughed.
-End Of Flashback-
"I'm not going to lie." Raven finally spoke up. "There is a bond between Beast Boy and myself, and we have become . . . closer. However, we're still trying to figure out things on our own terms."
"For Robin, there was something different about him from the beginning, that drew me to him. This bond has only grown stronger over the years, and after Tokyo, well, we are even closer because of it." Starfire turned to look at her friend. "What I have learned is that a connection like this only expands if you allow it to."
Raven fidgeted in the blue cushioned chair, as she had no desire to open herself up for this type of personal discussion, yet pandora's box had been peered into, and there was an increasingly small maneuvering room to avoid her blundering now.
The blue cloaked heroine felt cornered, the interrogation by her sister teammate was gradually chipping away at her defensive barriers, and deep down she knew it. The persistent ticking of the old clock upon the wall thundered within her eardrums, as Raven became stupefied and mired in deep thought.
"When you first came to earth Starfire;" Raven leaned back a little more. "when we first joined forces to try and calm you down, you do remember that day, don't you?"
Starfire's emerald eyes sparkled. "Of course. It was the beginning of a new life for me. For us all."
"Well, Beast Boy was the one who wanted to build a connection with us, he was so darned committed to the group sticking together and not splintering away." A smirk spread across Raven's face. "I don't know what to really say about any of this, but Beast Boy . . . he was adamant with his convictions."
"Many sunrises have risen and fallen since then." Starfire responded as the daylight trickled through the blinds of the hallway. "And you still feel what you did then, as you do now?"
"Of course. Well, not entirely." The Empath cupped her hands together, and then she tapped her fingertips lightly. "I am at an impasse right now."
"I do not understand."
There was a lingering silence between the unusual pair, and Raven scavenged across the inner recesses of her brain, trying to decipher her next move. To her, it felt like she was in a chess match with most of her pieces intact, yet she had exposed her queen.
Starfire was a keen observer on the tiniest of remarks and concealed truths, she could read people quiet admirably. Now that she saw her chance to expose this weakness, she took it.
"Forgive me Raven, but what are you unable to comprehend. The bond is there, you clearly have something else you would like to experience like me, yet you refuse to allow yourself to take that chance. Why?"
Raven was once again held speechless, the bold strike had been carried out quickly and before she could counter a distraction of some sort, now she felt like she was in check-mate.
"You know that I must separate myself from any strong emotional states that might be easy, or simple to grasp." She exhaled through her nostrils, a gentle and quiet sigh. "If I allow any one feeling to cloud my senses, the same blood that runs through my father's veins, it will only upset the calm balance I require."
Starfire placed a hand onto her shoulder, trying to offer her condolence. "The act of meditation is something you must do on a regular basis, I know this."
"Starfire, what are you-"
"But do not let the deeper connections you form with your friends, deter you from the pleasures that this world has to offer." The alien princess cut her off in mid-sentence.
Raven shook her head as a visible disagreement. "I had so many opportunities, so many chances of getting what . . . well . . . you and Robin have." A knot in her stomach squeezed a little more, she knew the waters she was treading in, and the wrong move could spell disaster. "The idea of romance never really appealed to me Starfire."
"Why not?"
"I guess you could say, things have the tendency to unravel before you get your footing. Do you know what I mean?"
"No. But please continue."
"Thought not." A strand of silk smooth hair curled in front of her face, and Raven brushed it behind her left ear. "After the ordeal with Brushogun, once we returned to Jump City something was different."
Starfire leaned in. "What was different?"
Raven stared intently at the ground, her hands quivered and she clasped them together to get a hold on herself. The view of the changeling transforming into the werewolf beast, of his brute form and unstoppable power that towered over her, once she was broken free of the prison caused by The Amazing Mumbo, she never really had the chance to ponder over her own demise, or the effect it would cause on the others.
For some reason, the day they were on the rooftop came spinning back. Why now, why am I thinking of this? Raven pestered herself while Starfire patiently waited for her to respond. Could I be . . . falling for him?
"Raven?"
Raven's eyes suddenly shot wide open, and she turned to face her companion. As she pulled her bodyweight back from the slumped posture in the padded chair, she swallowed a build-up of saliva in the back of her throat.
She doesn't know, she can't tell. Can She? Raven hammered away in the deepest recesses of her mind. "I-"
The sound of the big double doors to the emergency room opening, forced an immediate halt to Raven's contribution to the conversation. Raven immediately glanced from Starfire, to the doctor that had just entered the foyer. The Tamaranean Princess kept her focus upon the Empath for a long time however, this intriguing topic would be concluded at another time.
"Pardon me Ms. Roth." The towering man in a soothing voice spoke.
Starfire now turned and studied the surgeon, as her sister teammate was doing. He was wearing a white lab coat that covered his light green hospital scrubs, as a stethoscope was wrapped over his shoulders and tucked into a sleeve on his jacket.
His hand were stuffed inside of the front pockets, and he appeared to be in his mid to late thirties. He was Caucasian and had a five o'clock shadow around his chin.
"Please." The gray Empath rasped. "Just, call me Raven."
"Very well. My name is Doctor James Echolson, one of the chief medical practitioners here at Jump City Central, and I oversaw both operations on the two patients you brought in."
Raven nearly leapt out of her seat as she approached the doctor, to shake his hand. The handsome looking man did not give off any negative signs or bad vibes, it appeared like the procedures went well, but first impressions can disguise the truth quiet easily.
"Dr. Echolson, what is the current prognosis of our friends?" Starfire having asked this had taken Raven by surprise, and she turned back while the medical professional leaned around the cloaked sorceress.
"Well," Echolson said back with confidence; "After the lengthy procedures, I can happily say that the situation is under control, and that your friends are going to be alright."
The dubious waves of terror from any bad news had almost completely faded away, where Starfire revealed a smile to her teammate, trying to reassure her that the positive feeling was indeed real. Raven on the other hand did not show any facial expression, she simply closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
"He's alright then." Raven blinked her eyes. "The procedure worked?"
Dr. Echolson placed his right hand onto her shoulder, and she glanced at it.
"Your friends were in the best of care the entire time, your teammate Beast Boy is quiet the fighter." The gentle doctor faced the heroine in the wheelchair with her leg propped up, and then he glanced back to the Empath. "He did lose quiet a lot of blood, fortunately we have a plentiful supply here at the hospital for just such an occasion."
I almost forgot he has a rare blood type. Damn it, I've know him for how many years and if I got that information wrong . . .
"You okay? James Echolson's voice broke through her silent thinking.
"Oh, yes I'm just tired is all. Thank you doctor." Raven rubbed the backside of her neck. "It was a long, long night."
"Well, pulling an all nighter is something we here at Jump City Central aren't all that unfamiliar with."
"I guess that is something we have in common."
Relief had not yet sunk in, she still felt like she was racing through the corridors at the dam with very little that she could do, where she found two badly injured people that were in dire need of medical assistance. Her elemental prowess in magical healing was at a novice level at best, but what little that she did, it proved to be of far greater importance than she wanted to give herself credit for.
Dr. Echolson stroked his chin. "You told members of the staff when you arrived, that you tried to slow the blood that was leaving their bodies when you got to them. That you used an enchantment to partially heal their wounds?"
Raven's eyes gradually rose to meet his. "Yes, that's correct. Well, I don't know if I did much of anything, I just . . . I just had to do something otherwise they might not have made it."
"Don't get me wrong here. I think I get what you did." James shrugged his shoulders; "I never would have thought that skills in the field of sorcery, could prove vital."
There was a lengthy and awkward stillness that remained, then Echolson leaned in; "But, between you superheroes and myself, anything that can prove to help people is a plus in my book. Even if the general public doesn't fully understand it."
"Thanks." Her gravelly tone was heard. "I've come close to moments where I've had to use my abilities, but nothing like what I came across last night."
"Raven, it is good that you went to the dam after Robin told you to." Starfire chimed into the conversation.
"So doctor." Raven ignored her sister teammate. "Can we go and see him now?"
"Well, not right at this particular moment I'm afraid." He turned to glance at his shoes. "We only just got things under control, and they are going to be in a recovery wing for some time, where they will be monitored."
"But why can't I see him?" Raven's left eyebrow lifted higher than her right.
"For one thing, it wouldn't do much good to overcrowd either patient. They need their rest, and besides, they are under suppressants to keep their heart-rates and other vital organs stable." The head surgeon's face was showing signs of exhaustion, small lines were forming around the edges of his eyes, and he stretched his back. "After such a perilous surgery, their current situation will keep them in sleep-like states for approximately forty-eight hours."
"So what you're saying is that not me or anyone can see him, for two whole days?" Raven asked with a pinch of hostility clinging in her tone. She still refused to acknowledge the girl she rescued.
"I know this is hard for you, but they both need to be in quarantine for a little while. It was hard work, where Beast Boy was shot twice, but we successfully removed the bullet, the one from his right clavicle where as the second that had penetrated through his leg, apparently went clear through the other side." The doctor stroked the back of his neck, to ease the tightness of his muscles before finishing. "His left knee was badly damaged, he's very lucky to have survived."
"What is it doctor?" Starfire questioned, she understood something was amiss.
Raven felt the unsettled fear rile in her once again, the morbid sight of a massive pool of blood, the broken bodies laying across the floor in close proximity holding hands only forced her to slowly fall backwards into the chair, as the memory flashed across her brain.
"It's his leg, isn't it?" asked Raven. "How bad . . . what's the diagnosis?"
Dr. Echolson released a sigh. "It's difficult to say at this point, he is a remarkable fighter and has incredible strength for someone his age, but it will be some time before any concrete answers can be given."
"Doctor, I need to know." Raven slowly raised her head, as her hand that propped it up fell by her side. She felt tears about to pour down her cheeks and she fought hard to suppress them. "What is going to happen?"
"For all we can do, waiting is all we have left." He removed a clenched fist from his front pocket, and he placed it back onto Raven's shoulder where she blankly stared at it. "I'm sorry."
Starfire continued to keep her eyes locked upon her fellow teammate. The only real news that came from any of this, was that now aside from herself being kept out of action, Beast Boy returning to their ranks was out of the question.
"What about Terra?" Starfire sputtered at last, and this time Raven took notice as a wrinkle deepened across her forehead. "How is she doing?"
"Apparently Ms. Terra Markov suffered from a much different however equally life threatening injury. The blade we removed from her chest only complicated things, where she will bear a scar for the rest of her life."
We all have our scars. Raven thought to herself, then finally said aloud; "So she is going to recover?"
"Like I said, they both pulled through alright." The doctor smiled.
*Doctor Echolson, you have a call on line two. Doctor Echolson, you have a call on line two.* A female voice came over the intercom, which caused the group to silently stare at the ceiling.
"If you'll excuse me." The medical professional spoke, and he turned to walk towards the desk where a receptionist was holding a phone for him to grab.
With the enchantress keeping her eyes fixated upon the doctor, she did not expect Starfire to lean in and whisper in her ear; "While we may not be admitted to see either of them, at least we know they are safe." She then revealed a look of pain, as she leaned forwards and quickly massaged her lower leg. "Raven?"
"Yeah?"
"You do not need to hide, what we both are feeling at this moment."
Raven shot a glance of perplexity at her, then she responded quietly. "What are you going on about now?"
Starfire's right eyebrow popped slightly higher than the left.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Oh please, don't give me that look." She then leaned in, careful not to be overheard; "Of everything she did, from all the heartache and problems she caused it only tore us apart. It tore Beast Boy apart."
"We must be vigilant."
Raven put her left hand beneath her chin once more. She was clearly fidgety and desired sleep above anything else, yet her mind continued to wander and she found no solace in her deep pondering.
"A war is coming Starfire."
"War?"
"Yes." Raven continued. "We are being maneuvered into a place I do not wish to go, yet our fearless leader is going to blindly walk us right into this mess." Like chess pieces on a board, the game is already underway.
These forbidding words sank deeply into Starfire's head, and an eerie silence overtook them for a short time. Then Raven broke the silence between them, and she smirked prior to talking further.
"But I suppose we always go into a far worse mess, than the ones we come out of."
Starfire tapped her chin. "I believe you are right."
"That's not the thing that concerns me however." Raven pressed her backside deeper into the cushioned seat. "Robin and Cyborg's looming debate, the injuries we've sustained, heck, even the outcry of anger from the Jump City populous is of a minor concern for me at this point."
"Raven. What is it?"
"I'm not sure." Raven turned her attention back to the window at the farthest end of the hallway, then she looked back at her ally. "Slade is up to something. He targeted Beast Boy, that is not his usual motivational standards, and then he threw Terra into this debacle to get us unwound, and with the infighting only getting stiffer, we will not be an effective fighting team."
"I agree. But then, what are we to do?"
"We must keep wise to what has happened, otherwise, it won't matter what Slade's next move is. He will already have won."
Starfire's only response to this statement was another bemused expression, with one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other.
"Perhaps." Starfire had found her voice again, "We should head home."
Raven sat up. "I don't like the idea of leaving him. Not after everything that happened."
"But Raven, there is nothing more we can do. The doctor has even said Beast Boy is not to be disturbed, we can come back again tomorrow."
The Empath looked at the double doors that the emergency wing resided just beyond, and then she felt a hand sneak into hers. She turned and noticed Starfire glancing up at her.
"Come, there is nothing more we can do."
"Alright." Raven replied with a pinch of melancholy in her gravelly voice.
The Empath had given the nurse at the curved desk a quick rundown after she had arrived, in case Beast Boy or Terra were to suddenly regain consciousness. It was only when these two female Titans were in the elevator together, as the door was closing that a feeling of forgetting something big, began rising to the surface once again.
And I suppose, we'll also get to the bottom of what happened with Falcon. Raven's voice echoed in her brain as the door slid shut completely, and she stood behind Starfire in the wheelchair.
The glimmering sunlight shined all over Titans Tower, the gigantic 'T' shaped structure which protruded upwards from the tiny island in the bay area, where the surf flowed in and receded back along the shoreline.
A few seagulls circled overhead, as others dried their feathers upon the rocks, and around the sandy beach. It was a warm summer day, where the dampness and rain that had collected in the palm trees overnight had slowly evaporated.
The warmth and relaxation outside, did not capture the essence of the mood inside the Teen Titan's home. The doors to all the rooms were closed, the lights were left off, and everything was absolutely quiet compared to the sloshing water, or the seagulls squawking back and forth while the tugboats honked across the waves.
It was a lonesome feeling, as the notion of hopelessness and even the vibe of a funeral hung in the air conditioned Tower.
Robin was all by himself, locked in his bedroom. He had returned from the train station with nowhere else to go, and with no desire to conduct things for the rest of the day. He shivered for a moment, as the thought of a winter breeze from a hilltop cut across his memory, it was only too obvious that he felt miserable.
He sat on his bed, clutching the tattered remains of the crimson cloak that once belonged to Falcon, where he allowed the fabric to glide between his green gloved hands. Letting a teammate perish was an uneasy thing to bear, no matter how you dice the facts.
The others are going to hate me. Robin said in his mind. But what else could any one of us have done? Leaving to stop a madman was all we could do, while me trying to get Red X might not have been the best bet after all.
The young man's body was stiff, ridged from the chase and tactless bout against his old adversary, the Xenothium Bandit. In a normal day he was more than capable of digging for more clues, using all of the resources and equipment at his base, to formulate the next plan to counter things but now, all he wanted to do was sleep.
But he could not rest, his mind wandered aimlessly in the dark corners of his brain and guilt wore heavily upon his shoulders. He was burdened with coming up with all the answers, as skipper of the Teen Titans he could not afford the luxury, of not knowing where things would turn, even if he did not like the lesser of two outcomes. Being the leader forced him to accept the reality of the situation, and the choices he made were ground into cruel, but basic things.
Like military commanders on a battlefield, choosing to put someone in a difficult position only separated the leader from his men. Sacrifice one person to save the lives of many, while blunt and statistically horrid, the results spoke for themselves.
Of the six locations that had explosives, only one had detonated. It was the actions of Robin to split the team up, that granted them quicker means to salvage the situation. Because Robin went after Red X, he learned as he did in other encounters that the early attacks were only preliminary events, and a far worse scheme was in the works.
The renowned hero sat in the dark, while a glow from the ceiling light cast a halo-effect about him and offered little warmth. The race to stop Slade had worn him down over the years, where the events replayed like a broken record, flashing and breaking, zooming and spinning across his memory.
"Keep your friends close Robin. It's always the ones that you love, whom you end up hurting in the end."
Red X's bone chilling words echoed, where Slade had delivered on his promise of dealing a crushing blow from his threat. Starfire and Beast Boy had been wounded, and for all his efforts, Falcon had perished.
"No!" Robin slammed a fist into the wall, as he bowed his head in further anguish. "I can't let this pass, he may have taken things to a new level, but the battle plan is always the same for him. Divide our forces, strike us when we are not expecting it, and cause us to bicker and break our will amongst ourselves."
The Boy Wonder clasped his right hand into his left, to rub his knuckles. Gradually he moved his attention back to the piece of attire that the team's latest member wore, nestled on the bed. As he thought of it, he was vowing in his deep grieving to never again let this occur, that he would not and could not allow the rest of his friends to end up like Falcon had.
"How am I supposed to lead the others, if I cannot even find myself out of this debacle?" Robin sighed. "Who do I turn to, when I am alone?"
The door to the Common Room was heard sliding open, and his heart suddenly thumped quicker. The cloak was dropped from his grasp and it fluttered to the ground, where Robin paid little heed to this.
"Cyborg." The Titan's Leader clenched his fists, and he shook his head in disapproval. "Great, I thought I had more time."
Robin took a knee and he picked up the cloak, as he tucked it beneath his right arm a slight groan was released from his lungs. "Let's get this over with then." He said, he was going forwards with his plan, one steady step at a time.
"Hey Robin, I'm back! The well known voice from the gearhead rattled down the hallway. He sounded a little chipper, but perhaps it was because he was back at the Tower.
"I'll be with you shortly." replied Robin. Everything is my fault . . . everything.
The lights in the Common Room were bright, but that was because of those in the corridor and within his chambers he had just left from were turned off. The scent of the room was pleasing and homely, where Robin revealed himself from the shadows.
"Ah, good." Cyborg sputtered quickly as he stood with his arms interlocked by the kitchen counter. "At first I thought you had left."
"I didn't leave." Robin retorted while keeping his distance.
"So what have you been up to?"
Robin lifted his head. "I was . . . busy."
"Locked in your room again?"
Silence.
Cyborg shook his head and he rolled his eye; "Well, that figures."
"You're back earlier than I expected." Robin took a step closer. "How were things at the hospital?"
"They could be better." The gearhead slightly turned away. "I haven't got any news on Beast Boy. He was still in surgery when Starfire and me arrived." He paused to visualize the changeling's smirking face, and he held back a tear. "But . . . from what I feel, is that the little guy is going to pull through."
This could lead to worse things. Beast Boy still doesn't know of the plan we had to use him, about digging up intel on Falcon. Robin thought with a frozen and confused glare stuck on his face, before continuing; "And Raven?"
"She's had a rough night." Cyborg stroked his chin; "But apart from the overtime we all pulled, she is okay. A little shaken up though, but who wouldn't be? I mean, to be the first to get to Beast Boy in his terrible state at the dam . . ."
"Yeah." Robin walked down the steps, inching a little closer. "It was quite an eventful night."
"That's an understatement." whispered Cyborg.
The technological expert squinted his eye for a second, as he caught the glimpse of something red, tucked beneath his leader's arm. This time, he walked from behind the countertop and approached Robin.
By now the two opposing forces met in the middle of the Common Room. The Boy Wonder's eyes behind the black mask remained looking at the sofa, where so many memories had taken place over the years. The physically larger and year older black teenager, had his attention drawn to the obvious cloak that was squeezed beneath his leader's arm.
"So then the others are okay?" Robin asked.
"Not all of them." Cyborg's deepening voice forced the Dark Knight's protege to look up. "Is that-"
"Falcon's cloak." Robin kept it folded in good order as he passed it over to his ally. The process of giving the piece of clothing was ceremonial almost, like the honor guard at a military funeral handing a loved one the neatly pressed American Flag.
"Robin, where is he?" Cyborg managed to quietly speak, as he felt the pain growing within his heart. He was fearful of learning what was about to come next, but he had to see this through to the end.
"Everything is my fault . . . everything."
"Where is he?"
The Team Leader smirked, as a distant vision played across his eyes. He saw ghost-like phantoms of himself and the others standing by the jumbo screen and racing to save their city, where the apparitions ran through him and Cyborg.
"Robin, answer me dammit!" Cyborg had dropped the tattered crimson cloak, and he now held his captain by the collar, gripping him firmly with both hands. "Where is Falcon!?"
The Boy Wonder did not look him in the eye. "Strange, isn't it?"
"What?"
"When have we ever known a moment of rest or peace of mind, from these problems, without being inundated with requests and please, and cries of help?"
The Titan's mechanic shook his shorter boss a little rougher now. "Why won't you answer the question Robin? Where is Falcon?"
"So much time has passed, and what have I achieved?"
"ROBIN!"
The Boy Wonder slowly tilted his head back, where upon hearing his name being shouted it had forced him to confront the elephant in the room. He placed his hands onto Cyborgs, and the gearhead loosened his intolerable death-grip.
"Falcon is dead." Robin winced after whispering this; "He . . . he didn't make it. I didn't make it in time. So, there it is."
A vein bulged upon Cyborg's forehead, his knuckles tightened and his heart's rapid thumping from the anticipation, that repetitive rhythm deafened all other minor sounds of Titans Tower. Gradually a frustrated scowl spread across the computer wiz's face.
Following a brief lull Cyborg's eyelid lowered; "Raven said something like this was possible. Where a part of me knew it could be true, but I fooled myself."
"Cyborg, I never intended to-"
"Stop." The dedicated mechanic interrupted him, his hands were shaking. "There was a chance Robin. A chance at this not happening." Cyborg blinked his eye open, as he could hardly hold back his tears. "I get it now, why you had me come all this way after I picked up Starfire. I knew then, that the stumbling blocks you laid would bring me here. I guess I couldn't accept it at the time."
"And now?"
Cyborg raised his head to stare at the ceiling. The liquid of his eye poured down and streaked a glistening sheen across his cheek. "I had a long drive, it cleared up some things in my head, but I can't help but feel lost all over again."
"You must feel . . . well, I don't have the words."
Cyborg released a heavy sigh before answering. "You did what you felt was right at the time, I suppose."
While the Titan's fearless captain stared off into space again, Cyborg knelt down and picked up the crimson cloak. It was a strange feeling that he was not accustomed to dealing with, where Terra was the last person who had been on a close level as this moment, where now it came rushing back.
Perhaps it had to deal with the Geomancer having resurfaced, and that she was in the hospital with Beast Boy, in surgery?
"You would not believe the sight of it, the chaos, the wreckage, the total disregard for life." Robin found his voice at last, but in a softer beat than normal. "I have taken us here, I carry this blame, and with regards to your seething anger at me for how events unfolded, I won't hold it against you."
"I . . . need to think." He rubbed Falcon's cloak between his metal fingers. "I realize that we aren't just kids, and we haven't been for some time now, this is bigger than you and me."
The two looked at one another, where Robin broke the silence. "I get this awful feeling that there is a countdown happening, and this time, I may not be able to stop it."
"Always remember, never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it . . . for what it could be." A deep voice from Silas Stone, Cyborg's father ricocheted within the young man's head. This caused him to squeeze the cloak tighter and to release another tear from his eye.
"There is always a race against the world Robin." Cyborg said aloud. "Always there is another mountain of obstacles to rise above, the journey continues for us yet the shifting of the future compels us all to act in our own best interests."
"How can things be like this, how did we get here?"
"You'll wear yourself ragged with talk like that." answered Cyborg. "It has gotten to a point where I no longer look at the big picture, I just float on the breeze."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Listen to me Robin. We can all make our own mistakes, but what you did was reckless."
Robin turned his back to his half cybernetic comrade, where his cape swayed by the opposite side of his knees. Cyborg frowned at this, and in his own vengeful gesture he turned in spite of him.
"But we are supposed to learn from our mistakes." Cyborg continued speaking, as he bowed his head. "We make errors, so we can learn and grow to never make them again.
"Why do we fall?" The sage like wisdom, of the old butler Alfred bounced within Robin's eardrums.
"Why?" He heard himself ask.
"So that we can learn . . . to pick ourselves up."
A cold chill was felt as Robin was brought back into the room. His mind had wandered, but he was back.
"So then, that's it." The iconic leader spoke, and he shrugged his shoulders.
While the Boy Wonder made his dejected departure towards his chambers, Cyborg turned around. "I don't ask for much, but I need to know. Just tell me what the heck happened."
Robin stopped with his attention focused entirely at the shadows in front of him. "We went to foil Slade's plot, and the city has been saved."
"But Falcon was . . ." Cyborg stopped himself from continuing.
Robin's head bent forwards. "I know."
"And the others are just supposed to accept this?"
The team leader partially moved his head over his right shoulder. "There is nothing more we can do. It's over."
Cyborg opened his mouth in a vein effort to say something, but he could not find the words. What could anybody express, other than a complete numbness that had rocketed their very soul?
"There was nothing I could do, nothing any of us could have done." Robin swallowed a build-up of saliva in his throat. "I need to prepare for our next form of action."
"Robin, slow down." The black teenager squeezed his fingers; "Three of our teammates are in the hospital, two of them will be out-of-commission for who knows how long, and Falcon is dead. What plans could help when there is no team to prepare it with?"
"Keep your friends close Robin. It's always the ones that you love, whom you end up hurting in the end." The synthesized robotic voice of Red X played back on the familiar loop, haunting the hero.
The ire had been building all night long, the chase that led to a trap, the dubious fight that had ended in a stalemate, and the realization that he was supposed to protect his teammates, but that was severely hampered.
"What you fail to see Cyborg;" Robin answered in a confident tone, "Is that Slade is always unleashing assaults when we are never prepared. I won't give in, I refuse!"
The Titan's mechanic approached the windows facing the city. The long red bridges spanning across the water could be spotted in the distance, while the skyscrapers towered on opposite sides. Cyborg squinted his human right eye against the bright sun that avalanched into the room.
"Robin, you were the one who organized us to act, you called the shots. You led us into battle!"
"So now you blame me for Falcon's passing?"
Cyborg stiffened his back, still he would not look or turn towards his commander. "Regardless of what I feel, or what you did, this is no longer about just you and me anymore."
Robin raised his head. "Do you want me to call the others and-"
Cyborg faced the young man, that he had once carried so much respect and pride in. "I think it would be better if they come here on their own terms. Then, we could both break the news."
"So be it." Robin did not argue, he was sleep deprived and his muscles were terribly sore. Perhaps a few hours of shut-eye in his room would recalibrate his body.
The door slid shut behind the now dispirited captain, leaving the second-in-command Cyborg, alone in the Common Room once again. A bold scene had unfolded when he came to the Tower, the others were preoccupied which would buy him time, to concoct a new plan that could steer the leadership he craved so desperately right into his hands.
The more he dwelled about this, the more agonizing his distaste over the entire scheme was growing. It was becoming more apparent, that submitting his departure from the family he had come to know over the years, was a much more reasonable approach.
For as much as Cyborg wanted to be in charge, who would follow him? The second option that knocked louder on his conscience, to walk away would cast him as the weaker one compared to Robin. He could ill-afford to abandon the others as their ranks had been cut down to half strength, and while the blame was pointed at his leader for their blunders, Slade being allowed to plot and scheme, somewhere in the city was utterly detestable.
"I can wait." Cyborg whispered; "This fight has only just begun."
The grogginess around the green shapeshifter was very potent, yet the cobwebs and blur eventually parted from his vision. Beast Boy instantly felt something very different about his surroundings, the musty stench from within the Jump City Hydroelectric Dam was gone, the sounds of water dripping from metal pipes was not present, while the noise of generators spinning had become silent.
He knew that he was somewhere else, but he could not put a finger on his location, as he slowly blinked his eyes. Gradually the patch of cool dirt was felt between his gloved hands, and the gentle blades of grass brushing against his face caused him to jolt upright.
As he scanned the world around him, he noticed that he was in some empty field, with rolling hills scattered across the landscape. Looking himself over, his left knee was fine as he could also rotate his right shoulder.
He smiled, as the wounds never seemed to have occurred and the broken ribs did not burn at all.
"Wh-where the heck am I?"
The youngest member of the Teen Titans stroked his chin, his limbs were sore when he kept them extended for long periods as if he were lifting weights. He gritted his teeth and shook his head from side to side, as the perplexity of his precise location was up for debate.
"Raven?!" He called, as his voice echoed across the damp weeds, where rainwater still clung to the greenery. "Starfire, Cyborg . . . Robin? Hello, can anybody hear me?"
The soothing breeze that cut across the territory, was the only sound that made it back to him.
"Huh, I wonder where everyone is?" Beast Boy stood up fully and after he squeezed his fingers, he peered his eyes three hundred and sixty degrees around himself. "Hey guys, if this is some weird joke, realize that this ISN'T funny!"
Again, there was only the whooshing of the wind against the blades of knee high grass. The sky was pitch dark yet the stars lit up the atmosphere, as sparkling dots were scattered all across the heavens above.
"Where in the world is this place, and how did I get here?"
The moon was its full circular shape, nestled high and the most illuminating thing, where the white glow caused from the reflection of the sun bounced about the earth.
"This is just perfect." He continued speaking out-loud and to himself. "I have no friends with me, I don't know why my body is healed, while I have absolutely zero ideas as to where I could be?" He scratched the back of his head with more energy.
Off in the distance, a low rustling noise caused the hero's pointed ears to twitch. It sounded like someone was walking through the weeds, to meet him. He peered his strong emerald colored eyes at the outline of a humanoid figure, that inched ever closer.
"Who's there?" Beast Boy asked, trying to force the unknown person to answer. "What do you want?"
The brushing of feet against the dampness of grass was the only response. This forced the changeling to study his surroundings even closer, trying to locate any landmark or manmade structure that he could run towards. Unfortunately, for miles in every direction the only thing he spotted were the rolling hilltops.
"Perfect . . . just perfect." Beast Boy resumed his focus back at the cloaked person; "Well, maybe you know of a way out of here?"
The shapeshifter's eyes became wide as saucers, his heart was working even harder as his nerves were at the end of their tether. A lump moved down his throat as he gulped the air quickly, he braced himself for the impending meeting with whoever, or whatever the cloaked greeter was.
"It doesn't look like I have a choice in this." Beast Boy brushed the dirt that clung to his pants away, to make himself presentable. "I know I'm going to regret this, but to the hell with it."
The hero walked forwards, where the taller blades quickly reached his midsection and had parted like an arrow cutting through the weeds. It was a sink or swim scenario, where the adrenaline of adventure and risk of a terrible fate, bubbled and triggered a strangely pleasurable sensation to him, and it allowed the rest of his senses to become heightened.
However, the unexpected feeling of having forgotten something important suddenly shot to the forefront of his mind. He froze in place, standing with one foot forwards as the concealed stranger continued their steady approach.
Why do I have this feeling that I misplaced something? Think damn you, come on! Beast Boy rallied against himself, as his eyes darted left and right. A droplet of sweat trickled down his forehead, as his breathing increased.
Then it came to him, the memory at the dam with the sounds of gunshots ringing out. He raised his right arm and after the boomeranging echo, letting him know of the second shot having been fired, he observed his left knee.
The visions were nothing less than a sloppy ink-blot, he squeezed his eyelids closed to force the picture to become clear, and in a few seconds the blond haired girl raising the dagger to her chest, of seeing himself reaching for her and shouting her name, and then of the girl stabbing herself forced him to awaken.
"Terra!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "Crap, I can't believe I left her with Slade. But wait . . . didn't I . . . no, it was Raven. She must have gotten to us in time. But then again . . ." He looked up very slowly, as he realized the strange figure was now directly in front of him.
A thick fog spread about the grassy hill, the stars and moon were becoming obscured from the unwanted cloud that enveloped the two characters standing a few feet apart. Below the sharp cowl, two peering red orbs glistened where eyes would be seen on a face.
Instead of fingers, sharp hairy claws of a monstrous animal curled beneath the sleeves, as a low growl was heard.
The concealed entity donning the beat-up gray colored robes caused ripples of fear to grow within the hero, Beast Boy had no clue of what the person wanted. His legs felt weak, and the thumping of his heart proceeded to beat louder in his eardrums.
The unknown meadow he had awoken in, the quietness and complete calmness of the landscape made him suddenly realize, where he in fact was.
"No." Beast Boy gasped while stepping back in complete astonishment. "It cannot be!"
{{ End Of Scene }}
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Reviews From The Previous Chapter:
Saffire55: "This is getting tense! Really really tense. Update soon. Now a word from our sponsor Gir from Invader Zim. Gir? Gir: TACOS!"
~~Suspense has become like a second nickname to me. I believe from the grapevine on fanfiction, I hear I have grown to the title of Mr. Suspense. {X-D Don't worry, there is bound to be even more cliffhangers to unfold yet. ;-) Invader ZIM in the comments was unexpected but very true, tacos are awesome.~~
Scififanfreak222: "This was soooooo good! The description of Falcon in the hospital, BB and Cy's prank! XD I don't believe they tried to pull that! Bad, bad BB and Cy! :) I can't believe how good this chapter was. I felt like laughing, crying and gasping throughout this chapter, and with more OCs coming in, this story is seriously going to be epic! The descriptions, the depth ... you really don't lie when you say you try to craft everything out to its fullest, because it really shows! I LOVE THIS STORY! IT IS SO GOOD!"
~~Well, you do your part when I am stuck. So, I thank you. There is to be even more revealed on just who the nurse is, later on. The gag that the Beast Boy pulled was rather funny to do. X-D I'm glad it gave you a long laugh, as it did for me. Raven acting how she did, that was probably my favorite part in the entire update. Yup, there are still many more characters to be brought into the mix, and like I keep saying the story is not yet at the middle. Thank you for your continued support in my work, I don't think I could have grown half as much without your help.~~
Linzerj: "Wow...that was a...a great chapter. Again, beyond words...well, words that I know, anyway. There were some parts were I was close to tears, and others that made me gasp in awe. You've done a great job - this story is a masterpiece in it's own right!"
~~I'm just doing my job as a writer. ;-) I try to put out my best at this craft, if I cannot put in 100 percent of the effort, then it clearly shows. You're too kind. I am deeply grateful for your continued support.~~
bk00: "wow, that was seriously the most intense thing I've ever read. T.M.O. bravo! How weird is this, that I was totally also thinking that Red X was actually Jason Todd? I mean who else can beat Robin except another Robin right? You my friend really know how to mess with my emotions, with your writing being so captivating and deep! This chapter was ridiculously long, but its definitely a great one (11 is still my favorite) wow. just wow."
~~The countless facts I have gathered and investigated, pouring hours of research into, all the dots tend to lead me in a certain direction about Red X. I believe in the episode titled X, when the Xenothium bandit makes his appearance once again to save the Titan's leader from falling off the catwalk, the two have a brief discussion during Professor Chang's experiment with the deadly weapon. Robin: "I thought you said, that you didn't like playing the hero?" Red X: "Doesn't mean I don't know how." It was something like that, so, the general information I obtained, things point to Jason Todd being the rouge bandit. Right again too, in my mind; a previous Robin would be a good match against a current one. In a few of the recent comics, some from the early 90's 'Battle for the Cowl' Jason and Richard did have a number of run-ins with each-other.;-)~~
A/N: I celebrated another birthday. :-O Well, happy birthday to me I guess. I have seen so much in my lifetime, where I have my whole future ahead of me. Still, I believe writing is by far, one of my favorite hobbies. As long as you wonderful gents and ladies are happy with what I put forth, then I know I am doing great. This concludes chapter 13. Summer-break for most kids in the United States; is soon to come to an end. I hope everyone had a wonderful and much needed holiday rest. ;-)
~~T.M.O~~