Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ Biting The Hand That Beats You ( Chapter 35 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Biting The Hand That Beats You”

 

A/N: While discussing Teen Titans and this fanfic with a friend of mine the other day, we came up with a fantastic new direction for the story which I'm sure your all going to love. They'll be more action, romance, drama and some brand new plot twists. XD

Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Tears Of Jade, who left the 300th review. SQUEEEEEE! 300! Dude, I love all of you who have reviewed. In a completely platonic way, mind you. Also, I'd like to quickly point out that now that I am working on two different Teen Titans stories, I'm going to try to alternate between updates. Meaning I'll update AFY, and then TYL, then AFY again, and so and so on. There might be a few times when I update one story twice in a row, but pretty much I'm going to try to do it this way, so that I don't fall behind on either story.
By now you should all be familiar with the level of violence in this story, but I do feel this chapter warrants a special warning because . . . well, because there's some graphic stuff later on. Blood and guts galore! XD J/K, it's not that bad. But there is some violent content. You've been warned, ya?

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

“What's your plan?” Batman asked as he followed his former apprentice deep into the heart of the Batcave. The entire group of Teen Titans and their allies from Gotham were on their way towards the garage portion of the cavern; Robin leading the way.

 

“We've got two objectives.” Robin replied, loud enough for everyone to hear as he led the group down the stone stairs that had been carved out of the side of the cavern itself. They were quickly approaching where the T-Car, R-Cycle and Batmobile were parked. “First we have to see if the others Titans are alright. Starfire, Cyborg and I will go to Steel City and find out.”

 

“Gotcha!” Cyborg replied. He had a bond with the Titans East that was deeper than the others; and after seeing that haunting image of the burning tower on the television he was outraged. Cyborg had been known to become obsessive before about things. Brother Blood and Billy Numerous had both learned this the hard way when Cyborg went to extreme lengths to defeat them. His close-nit relationship with the Titans East team had him in the mood to kick Slade's butt.

 

“Meanwhile you want Beast Boy, Terra and I to go back to Jump and head Slade off, am I right?” Raven asked.

 

“Yes.” Robin replied swiftly as they arrived at the scene. “Well meet up with you as soon as we confirm the status of the Titans East.”

 

“You do not wish to go after Slade yourself?” Starfire asked, a bit worried by the answer she could receive. It was not like Robin to leave matters involving Slade up to anyone else, even the very capable Raven.

 

“Slade says he's going to Jump City, but we can't trust what he says.” Robin replied. Starfire understood. There was a chance Slade would still be in Steel City, waiting with a trap for them. If that was the case, Robin wanted to be there.

 

“Whoa.” Batgirl suddenly said, coughing and stepping up towards Robin. “What about us? We want to help.”

 

Batman, however, stepped in at this point. “We have our own mess to clean up Barbara.”

“What do you mean?” Tim Drake asked the caped-crusader.

 

“When those demons broke Slade out of prison, they made quite the scene; and it provided the distraction needed for Mr. Freeze to plan his own prison break.” Batman explained. “Commissioner Gordon already called; he needs us here in Gotham. I'm afraid the Titans are on their own once again.”

 

“Wow Dick, there's been three prison breaks since you got back to town.” Batgirl laughed. “Do us a favor, don't visit anymore.”

 

“Ha-hah.” Robin replied sarcastically. They were now at the vehicles and Robin had already climbed aboard the R-Cycle. Starfire was hovering at his side in mid-air, and Cyborg hurried into the T-Car. “Stay in touch everyone. And let's hurry; we don't know how long we have until Slade strikes again.”

 

“Don't worry, we'll handle Slade. You just make sure the Titans East are okay.” Raven reassured him. She was floating in the air near the exit. Beast Boy, who had already assumed the form of (ironically) a raven was perched on her shoulder, waiting for the trip.

 

There was not need for anymore conversation. All of the superheroes had a job to do, so they did it. Robin on his R-Cycle, Cyborg in the T-Car and Starfire using her Tamaranian powers to fly all sped out of the Batcave, traveling down the main road that led to Steel City. While they did that, Raven, Beast Boy and Terra headed back towards Jump, expecting to find Slade at the place they called home. Batman and his team headed off into the streets of Gotham to clean up the mess made by the demons.

 

The group parted ways once again, and as they did Robin felt uneasy. It seemed like every time the gang was separated something bad happened. On Tamaran, they had been in one of their most desperate hours when cultists had forced Beast Boy and Starfire away from the rest of the group; and when they split up on the way Gotham, they had even more trouble. He wondered if perhaps this time they could beat the odds, or if history was doomed to repeat itself.

 

----

 

Meanwhile, in Steel City, there was someone else arriving at the smoldering remains of Titan's Tower. The firefighters were already there, working hard to extinguish the blaze. Several police cruisers were parked nearby and a SWAT van was present as well. The police and firefighters were working together to quickly contain the flames so they could search for the Titans East. The Titans had saved Steel City many times; and now Steel City's heroes were working to save its superheroes.

 

Unfortunately, at that moment, three military style Black hawk helicopters appeared in the sky above the tower. The police looked up at the combat choppers, wondering for a moment if the national guard had been called in to assist in the rescue attempt. It was possible, though it seemed strange and unlikely.

 

The wonderment ceased immediately when the gunfire started.

 

All three black hawk helicopters began opening fire with their mounted machine guns; sending a wave of bullets into the crowd of police and firefighters without mercy or justification. Men in military-style clothing leaned out from the side of the helicopters and, using M-16 assault rifles, added to the deadly automatic fire blaze. The police and firefighters were astonished. Several of them were cut down where they stood; but some were able to take cover. The police drew their pistols and returned fire, but it was a useless gesture. Someone radioed in for backup, though he knew it would be a while before any arrived.

Ever since news of the Titans Tower being burnt down hit the streets, every criminal in town was doing their worst. Without fear that the Titans would stop them, Steel City was quickly becoming a very dangerous place. The SWAT team that was on sight had the best means to combat the helicopters. Each SWAT team member was in full body-armor, and they too had automatic rifles as weapons. They returned fire towards the choppers, but they were vastly outnumbered.

 

Unfortunately, black hawk helicopters have more than just mounted machine guns. The pilot flipped a button and a missile fired from the underbelly of the chopper. It hit the SWAT van right in the open back doors. The van exploded; as did all of the weapons inside. The explosion, fueled by the van and the ammunition inside, was enormous. The entire SWAT team who had been using the van for cover was killed.

 

The police and firefighters knew they were outnumbered, outgunned and overpowered. Those who were still alive at this point fled.

 

The three helicopters landed on the ground outside the tower, and several men in military-style uniforms got out. Each of them held an M-16 assault rifle in their arms and had a .357 desert eagle pistol strapped to their belts. These men were professional killers, hired by a professional mad man.

“Find the Titans.” Lex Luthor commanded as he climbed out of the lead helicopter. The bald billionaire had ditched his business suit he'd worn earlier in Gotham and replaced it with a much more practical black shirt and cargo pants; like the kind a covert operations specialist might wear. “If they're alive, keep them that way. I want them in my custody, is that clear?”

 

“Yes sir!” The mercenary military team he had hired replied as they ran bravely into the flames to search for the Titans East.

 

Luthor watched his hired team disappear into the smoldering wreckage of the Titan's Tower and he waited on baited breath. The instant he had learned what happened here, he hatched his plan. He was still angry about his earlier defeat at the hands of Bruce Wayne in Gotham, and he needed a way to strike back at him. Now he had that way. Originally, Luthor had been on his way to Gotham with the military strike force to attack his fellow billionaire; but now he had different plans. He knew Bruce Wayne was Batman. That much he was sure of from their earlier encounter. He also knew Batman was connected to the Teen Titans; and the Titans connected to Titans East.

 

He was playing the chain game. He'd have revenge on those who defeated him earlier by destroying their friends. The criminal genius planned to use the Titans East to lure the Teen Titans to their deaths. Who knows, maybe he would even get lucky and get Terra back. It didn't really make any difference to him at this point. He was Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mastermind of all time; revenge was enough of a motive for him.

 

----

 

The trip back to Jump City was a fast one. Beast Boy was ready to fly the entire way in the form of a small green raven, and Terra was prepared to levitate a rock as a vehicle and fly the entire route. Neither of them needed to, however, because Raven projected her soul-self and transported all three of the heroes right to the front lawn of Titan's Tower. A giant black bird made of Raven's energy flew across the sky faster than any plane can travel and the entire trip took only a few minutes.

 

When they landed, the black energy disappeared and only the three teenage superheroes were left in its place. They looked up at the darkened tower with eyes that expected a trap. They knew Slade was planning something - he always was. Slade had proven time after time that no matter whom or what the Titans faced, he was still their deadliest adversary.

 

“Be careful.” Raven advised the team. She didn't really need to say it, since they would all naturally be on guard in this situation.

 

“Duh.” Beast Boy snickered. Raven shot him a glare and he stopped laughing. This was a no-nonsense time, and he knew that now. Raven could give a glare frightening enough to scare even the most horrible of villains; and Beast Boy sure was terrified of it.

 

Slowly the three approached the front door of Titans Tower. The green grass, illuminated only by the light of the moon, crunched beneath Beast Boy and Terra's feet. Raven floated just above the surface, a light coating of pre-morning dew that had collected dusted her feet as she brushed over it. The three arrived at the front door, and Raven reached her hand out to open it.

 

That is when the Tower exploded.

 

Titan's Tower blew apart into pieces. Shards of glass, hunks of metal, fragments of brick and tons of flames shot into every direction. The entire tower and everything inside exploded like one gigantic T-shaped bomb. Raven, Beast Boy and Terra were all flung backwards and slammed into the grass as the flames illuminated the night sky. Raven propped herself up on her elbows and looked on in horror as their precious home was destroyed.

 

“Dude! No way!” Beast Boy called from her right. His eyes were wide and teary, and his mouth was hanging open in shock. Terra lay on her side silently with her eyes sparkling with confusion and worry.

 

Then Slade floated down.

 

The villain was once again dressed in his trademark black-and-silver outfit, with the orange-and-black mask concealing his aged faced. The only new additions to his wardrobe were the silver serpent amulet around his neck, and the golden gauntlet on his right hand. Slade had his arms crossed in front of him and his single eye was narrowed in distaste.

 

“You made it right on time, I see.” Slade taunted. “I must admit that was much more fun than destroying the East Tower.”

 

“Dude, you blew up my Gamestation!” Beast Boy shouted. “I am sooooo kickin' your ass!”

 

Slade laughed. “You're welcome to be the first to try; and the first to die.”

 

“Shut up, you old rhymin' bastard.” Terra hissed in anger. Her eyes and hands were already aglow with yellow lights and several rocks lifted up from the nearby bay area. The rocks shot straight towards Slade with deadly accuracy, and Raven noticed this and added to barrage against the villain by using her powers to throw large chunks of the destroyed toward at him as well.

 

Slade's body burst into bright orange flames. The inferno was so hot the metal melted and the rocks were burnt into ash as they hit them. Raven gasped and Terra cursed.

 

“Arella's glove is truly a fine weapon.” Slade informed them. “It stores the demon powers for me. However, this amulet allows me to unleash all of the powers of the demons in the glove, instead of the cheap parlor tricks Robin preformed for you.”

 

Raven's eyes widened a bit with fear. Slade saw this, and he laughed.

 

“Yes, you understand what that means, don't you? I now have control over the powers of four demons; and I intend to use those powers to finally end this. Today shall mark the downfall of the Teen Titans, once and for all.” Slade explained with an evil glee in his voice. The demented psychopath who had been after them for years finally had the means to achieve victory - and the Titans knew it.

 

Raven narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Let's get him.”

 

Raven flew up into the air and her eyes and hands began to glow black. Suddenly the ground began to shake. Beast Boy looked confused, and Terra looked frightened.

“Move!” Raven shouted to her friends. Terra's eyes widened and she shot up into the air using a piece of the earth beneath her as a flying device. Beast Boy, who didn't have time to move, transformed into a fish and began to flop around on the ground. He chose a fish because he realized they were about to be underwater.

A gigantic tidal wave had formed in Jump City's bay; it was shimmering with a black aura around it. Raven brought the waters crashing down on the tiny island that housed the wreckage of Titan's Tower. The flames around Slade's body were extinguished, as were the flames that burnt at the remains of the tower. Slade, however, stood his ground.

 

“Fool.” Slade smiled. The gem on the back of the glove turned into the black garnet; the demonic-aura absorbing jewel. Raven noticed this and tried to flee but she was too slow. A beam of black light hit her in her chest and she screamed. A giant black raven made of all-black light was pulled out of her chest and flew into the gauntlet's stone. Raven gasped for air like she was out of breath, and then she fell.

 

She had lost all of her demon powers. Raven was fully human now. Which meant she could no longer levitate - and that meant she was falling towards the watery grave of Titan's Tower.

 

Unfortunately, she was flying above the island when she lost her powers. As Raven plummeted, she could see the soaking-wet ground of the island beneath her growing closer by the second. She shut her eyes and realized she would never survive this fall. It would kill her instantly.

 

. . . At least it would have, if not for Terra.

 

The blonde flew on her floating rock and caught Raven in her outstretched arms. Terra was too small and skinny to support Raven's weight, so she took a tumble backwards and landed on the flying rock; Raven landing on top of her. Raven opened her eyes as she realized she'd been caught and found she was staring directly at Terra.

“Thanks.” Raven managed to choke out. She was still shaken up from what had just happen - literally, her body could not stop trembling.

 

“Don't thank me yet.” Terra gulped. Raven twisted her head and she saw Slade coming at them. Once again, his body was engulfed in bright flames and he was piercing the sky like a giant flaming missile. A giant flaming mission on a collision course with the floating rock Terra controlled. Raven threw up her hands to use her powers to stop him - when she suddenly realized she didn't have any powers anymore.

 

Slade slammed into the rock beneath Raven and Terra's feet and kept on flying straight through. The rock shattered into pieces and the two girls fell. Each of them screamed as they plummeted down through the air and landed in the rough waters of the bay. Terra swam up to the surface, fighting to keep her head above the water. She was alright; she'd gone into a jackknife dive as they approached the water and she made it just fine. Raven, however, was not so lucky. She hadn't assumed any diving stance and she had hit the water on her stomach.

Now the goth girl was fighting to swim her way back towards the surface, but she was having a hard time. Her arms and legs hurt from the vicious fall, and her mouth had been open. She'd swallowed quite a bit of water before she could close it, and she was having a hard time breathing. Raven's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier as she fought to reach the precious surface and the life-giving oxygen at top. She could see Terra's legs kicking just below the surface. She stretched her fingers out trying to grip the other girl's kicking limbs, but she just couldn't reach.

 

Then Raven shut her eyes and blacked out.

 

----

 

Meanwhile, the others Titans had arrived in Steel City. They went directly towards the Titans East Tower and found it destroyed and desolate. There was no sign of anyone or anything. Several dead police officers and firefighters were lying outside the tower, which was still burning brightly in the night. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg all quickly approaching the inferno.

 

“We have to get in there!” Cyborg insisted, trying to make his way to the door.

 

“You can't go in there Cyborg!” Robin yelled, taking his friend by the arm and attempting to hold him back. “The entire structure could collapse at any minute!”

 

“I've GOT to!” Cyborg replied, shaking himself free of Robin's grip easily. Robin was a strong kid, but he couldn't compare to Cyborg's cybernetic strength. Starfire, however, could not only match his strength - she could surpass it. The redheaded alien grabbed Cyborg's other arm and held him back. He couldn't shake loose of her powerful grip, but it didn't stop him from trying.

 

“Dude, the Titans are in there! We have to save them!” Cyborg insisted.

“Cyborg, check the building with your scanners first.” Robin pleaded. “It's too dangerous to go inside unless we KNOW they're alive. If you can pick up their signatures I'll be the first one through those doors; but not until we know.”

Cyborg, in all the commotion, hadn't even thought of that. He quickly flipped up a panel on his arm and began scanning for life readings inside the tower. The monitor flashed a few times as it scanned and then it came back with its read out.

 

There was nothing alive inside the tower.

 

“No . . .” Cyborg whispered, falling to his knees.

 

“Your friends are not dead.”

 

Cyborg, Robin and Starfire all spun around in a flash as a voice spoke from behind them. Robin had his bo-staff in hand, Starfire's eyes and hands were blazing with green light and Cyborg had his hand into its arm-cannon form.

 

Standing behind them was a man dressed in military uniform. He wore camouflages pants, a matching vest and a cowboy-style camouflage hat. He had a pistol on his belt, a knife on his vest and a machinegun in his hands. The man's face was painted with brown-and-green dye and he had a look in his eyes that showed he was unafraid.

 

“The Titans East are alive.” The solider explained. “However, they will only be that way for an hour. If you want to see them again, come to the construction site on the other side of town.”

“Who are you?” Cyborg demanded, aiming his arm-cannon at the man.

 

“My name is of little consequence. My orders are simply to deliver a message.” The man replied. “I have delivered it, and now I am to escort you to the construction site, if you will come.”

 

Cyborg was still shaking with fury, but Robin lowered his bo-staff. “Fine. Take us there. Now.”

 

The man nodded his head and walked over to a thicket of bushes. Hidden in those bushes was a motorcycle; which he climbed aboard. Robin quickly boarded his own cycle and Cyborg hopped into the T-Car. The solider was already halfway down the road by the time Cyborg and Robin caught up with him. Starfire flew high in the air, watching them all.

“Star, look on ahead; is it a trap?” Robin called into his communicator.

 

Above him, Starfire cast her emerald eyes into the distance. She could see what looked like an empty construction site. It was the spot where they had planned to build a new basketball stadium; but the project was scraped. The metallic outline of the stadium was still standing, but it had never been finished. Starfire could see no one there.

 

“I do not see anyone.” She informed Robin. “But that does not mean they are not still there.” She added, worried.

 

“I know. Keep your eyes open guys.” Robin replied.

“I shall.”

 

“No problem Rob.” Cyborg added from the car. “Let's just hurry this up. I want to find Slade.” Cyborg had a soft spot for everything he built. His car, his spaceship, his submarine; he loved them all. The Titans East had been something he built as well. Knowing the team he'd put together was in danger, with their home destroyed, drove Cyborg to his breaking point.

 

When at last the group arrived at the construction site, they watched the soldier's bike stop right in the middle of the unfinished parking lot. The Titans were all suspicious right from the get-go, but Robin knew they had walked into a trap. He could feel a cold prickling down his spine. This place was too open. It was definitely a setup.

 

“Star . . .” He began to whisper into the communicator; but at that moment gunshots ran out. Several men in military uniforms stormed from out of the unfinished basketball stadium, each of them armed with assault rifles and firing towards the Titans. Robin hit the ejector seat on his cycle and it shot up into the air. The boy wonder jumped off of his seat and landed on the opposite side of the T-Car, using it as a shield.

 

Meanwhile the bullets began riddling the side of the T-Car. Cyborg flipped a switch on the dash that made his seat lower all the way back to the floor so it was like he was laying down. The side of the T-Car was bulletproof and it protected him; though the windows all shattered and he was covered in glass. Besides, the paint job was getting dinged up from all the bullets.

 

“Oh HELL no!” Cyborg yelled to no one in particular. “Somebody is payin' for this!”

 

Starfire, meanwhile, was still high in the air. She watched as the T-Car was berated with gunfire and she charged up a pair of starbolts. The young alien princess tossed the starbolts into the unfinished stadium and they exploded. Several of the gun-totting soldiers were thrown by the blast and wound up face down on the unfinished driveway. Several others turned their eyes - and guns - to the sky and opened fire on Starfire.

 

Starfire squeaked and charged her emerald energy into her hands. She threw it out in front of her like a shield, in a way mimicking the shields often made by Raven. The bullets were destroyed when they touched the solar-energy of Starfire's starbolt-shield, but she didn't know how long she could sustain it. She was using a lot of strength to do this, and though her emotions were running high; she had also been through quite an ordeal. She was running on very little sleep, and she'd almost died twice in less than twenty-fours. She did not know how long she could last.

 

Luckily, the military strike team seemed more interested in Starfire now than the boys. This gave Cyborg a chance to sit up properly again and aim his arm-cannon. He fired a bright blue blast of sonic energy, which slammed into the crowd of soldiers and knocked several of them down. Robin leapt onto the roof of the T-Car and hurled several explosive discs into the crowd. They exploded, and the soldiers were thrown in all directions.

 

Starfire noticed this and she condensed her energy shield down into the palms of her hands. Instead of a giant flat shield made of solar power; she had a tiny glowing green ball that was supercharged with her energy. She forced the green glowing ball as small as she could make it, then she threw it at the middle of the group of mercenaries. When it exploded, the condensed energy expanded and the blast consumed the entire remainder of the military unit.

When the smoke cleared, every member of the team was on the ground unconscious and wounded; or worse. Robin leapt from the top of the T-Car onto the ground and ran forward. Cyborg exited the damaged vehicle (he was cursing and muttering about his car) and Starfire landed next to her boyfriend.

 

“Well, it was a trap after all.” Robin sighed. “And still no sign of the Titan's East.”

 

“They're over here, with me.”

 

The three superheroes spun around and gasped in horror at what they saw. Lex Luthor was standing across the street with a devious look on his face. Tied up and lying on the ground next to him were Speedy, Aqualad, Bumblebee and the twins. All of them looked to be in bad shape. Speedy was unconscious. His arm was bent behind his back at an awkward angle and he had a cut across his forehead. Aqualad's left leg was clearly dislocated, and his face and chest were both covered in lacerations. Bumblebee was conscious, but gagged so she could not speak. Her wings had also been tied. She had a black eye, busted lip and bloody nose. The twins were tied at the hands and feet, their mouths gagged as well. Their yellow visors were broken, and their white suits were stained with blood.

 

“What did you do to them!?” Cyborg thundered, aiming his arm at Luthor.

“This is how I found them. I only tied them up. Slade gave them the injuries.” Luthor explained. “Besides, I wouldn't worry about them if I were you.”

The titans heard a strange sound; and then they saw something bad. Something was walking towards them. It was human shaped, with an oval head and long arms and legs. It was also eight feet tall, at least, and made entirely of a cold blue metal. It was an android.

 

“This is my latest prototype. I call it the TK-35. The TK stands for `Titan's Killer'. I'm sure you'll get along just great.” Luthor laughed. “TK-35; destroy them!”

 

The titans prepared for battle poses; but before Robin could even shout his trademark catchphrase, the android was in front of him, beating him in the head with its cold metal hands. The android had moved so fast Robin had seen nothing more than a blur as it ran up to him. It was now pummeling the boy-wonder's face with its steel-tipped fists.

Cyborg fired his arm-cannon and hit the android in the chest, sending it flying backwards into the ground. Starfire shot out of the sky like a bolt of lightning and landed on the androids chest with both of her feet as hard as she could. Her feet went right through its chest and into the ground. After she pulled herself up, she flew over to Robin and cradled him in her arms.

 

“Robin! Are you alright?” She asked.

 

“. . . yeah.” Robin replied. His nose was spewing blood like water out of a fountain; and a stream of the crimson liquid spilled from the corner of his mouth down his chin.

 

“Luthor, you sick bastard, I'm taking you DOWN!” Cyborg shouted.

 

Luthor laughed. “Give me your best shot boy.”

 

Cyborg aimed his arm-cannon and fired without hesitation. The Teen Titans, like most superheroes, had very strong opinions on using lethal force. It was a rare occasion for any of them to intentionally try to kill one of the bad guys. In this case, however, that's exactly what Cyborg wanted to do. Luthor had been a huge pain for a long time. Besides, he was Lex Luthor. The world would be a better place without him in it.

 

Cyborg's sonic cannon blast flew at Luthor and went right through his chest and out the other side. Cyborg's human eye widened in surprise and his jaw dropped.

Luthor laughed. “It's called a hologram.”

 

“I know what its called, smart-ass!” Cyborg snapped.

 

“You Titans are such gullible idiots. And you're also dead.” Luthor said in typical supervillian fashion. “Like I said, that was my new TK-35 android I had built especially for you Titans. Now how would you like to meet TK-1 through TK-34?”

 

There was the sudden sound of various, thunderous footsteps. Cyborg and Starfire looked down the street and saw a horrible sight. Thirty-four androids, identical to the one that had nearly killed Robin, were marching up the street. Starfire's eyes widened in horror and Cyborg's jaw dropped.

 

“This will be the end for you, Teen Titans. Remember, I am Lex Luthor, the Greatest Criminal Mastermind of all Time! Did you think you ever had a chance to begin with?”

 

Robin grunted and sat up. His nose was still running blood like a river, and a trick was coming out of his mouth. His left eye was swollen severely as well. Still the boy wonder did he best to climb back to his feet.

 

“Titans, go!”

 

----

 

Raven opened her eyes. She was lying flat on her back. A second later, she sat up and began coughing hard. She pounded on her chest with her fist and coughed up a great deal of water. She shook her head, which was sore, and then leaned back against the ground.

 

Or what she thought was the ground. It felt sticky and bumpy; not at all like the grassy ground of the island. Raven realized as she looked around she had no clue where she was. She was in somewhere very dark, and very damp. The strange bumpy ground tickled her bare legs. The Goth girl could not see in any direction.

“What the hell?” She wondered aloud. Perhaps she was in another dimension. She stood up and walked a few feet, and then she found the entire floor was shaking. Suddenly a bright light blinded her and she saw the darkness parted to her left. The next thing she knew she heard a loud sound and was hurled forward on the soft, wet grass of the island. She coughed a couple more times, and then she turned to see what that had been.

 

It turned out she had been inside the mouth of a giant green whale.

 

“ . . . Thanks.” She said quietly as the whale transformed back into Beast Boy, who ran up to her.

“You okay Rae?”

 

“Peachy.” Raven muttered sarcastically. “Slade drained my powers, Beast Boy.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I saw him hit you before.” Beast Boy sighed quietly. He dropped down to his knees and hung his head.

 

“Speaking of the devil, where is Slade?” Raven asked. She looked around, but the villain seemed to have vanished from the night sky. Terra was also missing, Raven realized. The last she'd seen the blonde had been in the water with her - but now there was no sign of her. “Terra's gone too. . .”

 

“I don't know. After you fell, I went looking for you.” Beast Boy admitted. “Terra got back on land and said she'd handle Slade.”

Raven sighed and lowered her head. Some of her drenched bluish-hair fell into her face and over her eyes. This was not good. Terra had been left to fight Slade on her own, and now that Slade had the combined strength of four demons as well as Raven's partial demon powers, he was at least a hundred times stronger than Terra. What scared her most, however, was the fact that both of them were missing. What could have happened while Raven was underwater?

 

“We have to find them.” Raven said at once. She reached for the yellow communicator she kept on her belt, but stopped abruptly. Terra had not been a Titan for a long time, and she did not have a Titan's Communicator Unit. They would not be able to call her or track her.

“Looking for something?”

 

Raven and Beast Boy both looked up in the air. Slade had appeared. He was floating above them. His suit had a few new tears, and there were a few added dings to the metal shoulder guard he wore - but he was no worse for the wear. He was holding an unconscious Terra in his right arm. The two Titans below watched for a moment; and then Slade threw Terra off to the side like a sack of bricks. She flew into the distance, out towards the raging seas.

“Go!” Raven commanded. She was powerless and could not save Terra; but Beast Boy could.

 

“But what about yo-”

“GO NOW!” Raven yelled, and Beast Boy obeyed. He transformed into an eagle and flew in the direction Terra had been thrown in. By now, she had already hit the water, but Beast Boy would search for her from the skies. He would have to locate her and save her, before she drowned - a task that was becoming routine, it seemed.

 

“You realize of course I used Terra as a means to distract him, so that you and I can be alone?” Slade hissed as he landed a few feet behind Raven. The demonic-powered Slade walked forward, and Raven turned to meet his advance without a trace of fear in her face.

 

“I know, but I can't let her die.” Raven replied bitterly.

 

“Of course not; you're one of the `good girls', aren't you Raven?” Slade laughed. “You know what kind of powers I now command. Do you expect to be able to stop me? You're only human now, Raven.”

 

“My humanity is what let me beat Trigon in the first place.” Raven shot back, balling her fists.

“Silly girl.” Slade narrowed his eye, which had suddenly turned completely red and began to glow. Three matching eyes appeared on his masked face. “Trigon is a part of me now. So are his children, and so are your powers. You have no chance.”

 

Raven took a step forward, inching closer to Slade. She knew she could not win this fight. If she tried to stand against him, she would die. Yet she also knew that fleeing from him, or backing down in any way, would be worse than death. She had no hope, but she had to try to fight him. If she did not, it meant almost certain doom for everyone she cared for.

 

Slade saw her approach him, and he took a step closer to her. There were only a few feet remaining between the pair; less than an arm's length.

 

“Aside from his powers, I also have inherited Trigon's soul.” Slade explained, his voice filled with a thunderous tone. “Trigon and I are now one and the same. In taking his powers and his soul, I have taken his hatred of you as well. And I fully intend to use all my new gifts to make your death as painful as possible.”

 

“You sure do monologue as much as Trigon did.” Raven sarcastically replied. “If you want to kill me, get it over with.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

Slade shot forward and rammed his knee into her lower stomach. Raven hadn't expected that. Her eyes widened in pain and she fell backwards on the soaking grass of the island. Slade brought his foot down on top of her again and she screamed out as it slammed into her chest. Raven clutched herself in pain and rolled over onto her side; but Slade kicked her again and pushed her back onto her back.

 

“I promise you, this will hurt.”

 

Slade lifted his right arm, the one that held the gauntlet, into the air. The jewel on top of the golden glove began to shimmer with ruby red light and Raven braced herself for the killing blow to come. She closed her eyes and suddenly realized that this was the end. She was going to die. She had faced death many times, and always escaped. This time, she could not.

Though you may not think it because of her usual attitude, Raven enjoyed her life quite a bit. She was dark, she was gothic and she was quiet - but she also had a fierce love for her friends. She realized then that it is true what they say; your life does flash before your eyes right before death comes. She saw everything again. Her training with Arella, her meeting with Robin, founding the Teen Titans, the first battle with Slade, her first kiss with Beast Boy, the entire Tamaran trip; everything replayed in slow motion. It seemed to last a lifetime.

Then she heard an inhuman scream. A hallow, piercing noise that tore through the night sky like thunder and chilled her to the bone marrow. Raven realized that the scream was not her own - it was Slade's. She also realized that the killing blow she had expected had not come.

Raven opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Slade sitting on his knees, clutching his right arm. Clutching what was left of it, anyway. His arm, from the elbow down to his fingertips, was gone. There was only a bloody stump where his elbow had once been. The flesh was torn and blood was oozing like a river.

 

The second thing she saw was a big, green tyrannosaurs rex. The dinosaur spit something out of its mouth and Raven realized it was the Fist of Azarath - with Slade's arm still inside. Slade's screaming stopped and the demented merecenary stood up once again and stared at Raven - the three additional eyes were gone, and his original had turned back to its normal color - with a look of pure hate.

“Die!” Slade charged at her in a mad fury, his anger finally overwhelming him and blinding his training and knowledge. The T-Rex swung its body around quickly and whacked Slade in the chest with its gigantic green tale. Slade was thrown from the island into the water, which began to turn a dark blackish-red from his still bleeding arm stump.

 

Slade had been knocked unconscious; it appeared, by Beast Boy's tail. He slowly sank beneath the surface of the waters. Of course, Jump City's bay is connected directly to the salty ocean, and while rare, sharks had been spotted there before.

 

A instant later Beast Boy transformed back into himself and ran to Raven's side. He dropped down on his knees and threw his arms around her.

“Rae! Are you okay?” He asked desperately.

 

“I've had worse.” Raven said, referring to her injuries.

Beast Boy grinned at her. He couldn't help it; a second later he grabbed her by the sides of her face and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. Unfortunately, (for Beast Boy), he was pushed away a second later by a disgusted looking Raven who began spitting.

“Sorry Rae . . . I guess it's still too early in the relationship for tongue, huh?” Beast Boy apologized sheepishly.

“Beast Boy, this has nothing to do with your tongue being in my mouth.” Raven replied.

“Then why -”

“You just bit Slade's arm off.” Raven growled, irritated. “New rule; you don't kiss me after you bite people's limbs off. Not until you get some mouth wash, anyway.”

Beast Boy realized that Slade's blood was still covering his mouth, lips and tongue and he too began to spit as well. Raven stood up, and Beast Boy did the same. The two stood together in the moonlight for a minute. Neither of them spoke at first, but Beast Boy finally broke the silence.

“Rae, can I have just a little kiss? I promise I'll use extra mouth wash later.”

 

“You know, I've already ruined Robin and Starfire's little make-out session back in Gotham.” Terra suddenly said, making them both jump and realize that she had been standing behind them the entire time. “And now here I am as a third wheel for you two. I swear its bad karma, or something.”

 

Raven and Beast Boy both turned to the blonde. She tossed something at Beast Boy, who caught it in his arms. He realized that what he'd caught was an arm; Slade's arm, and he dropped it.

“DUDE!” Beast Boy shouted, completely disgusted. “DON'T GIVE ME THAT!”

 

“That glove drained Raven's powers right? So we need it to get them back I figured.” Terra explained. “But I'm not going to be the one to carry it.”

 

“Yeah, but -“” Beast Boy began.

“You bit it off, you get to carry it.” Raven sided with Terra.

 

“Harsh Rae. Very harsh.” Beast Boy sighed.

 

“C'mon, let's just go find the others.” Terra said. “Need a lift?” She asked Raven as she caused the ground beneath her to break off and lift into the air, making a new flying rock. Raven nodded and climbed aboard standing next to Terra. Beast Boy sighed, transformed into an hawk, and took the severed hand of Slade in his talons.

 

The three flew off towards Steel City to check on the status of the rest of the team.

Unfortunately, the rest of the team wasn't doing quite so well. In fact, they were worse off than Slade was, right now . . .

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 

A/N: Reviews are very important to this story. They encourage me and make me write faster. But today they are even more important than normally; because it's time for a vote. I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to do with Cyborg as far as love goes, so I'm just going to let you readers decide and I'll abide by whatever you pick. Please, in your review, vote for one of the following.

Option A: Cyborg stays single. No lovin' for Cy.

Option B: Cyborg and Bumblebee get their groove on.

Option C: Cyborg and Jinx get funky.

Option D: Cyborg shows off his playa skills. (aka, Cy/Bee/Jinx love triangle)

And of course, if you vote for Option D, you have to also vote for which one he ends up with eventually when all things are said and done. You'll have until I announce otherwise in the notes to vote on this issue. Might be till next chapter, might be a couple. Depends on how soon I can come up with plot ideas for all four options. Below are the review replies.

 

Inuluvsu: I updated a day early, I thought I'd be nice. Yeah, I am evil. I had to go and ruin the fabulous make out session with Terra. Hahaha! Aww, I'm sorry I'm writing in the summer. Don't worry though, if my story piles up I promise it'll pile up with REALLY good chapters. ^^ And yes, I did mean Titans East; I'm such a dolt. XD Sorry about the mix up. Thank you for reading my friend; peace out! And thanks for pointing out my mistake on Titans East!

 

scathac's warrior: Yeah, you have a point. Jason Todd, BB's parents… weird.
Oh Slade's very fun when he's evil. Heheh. Yeah, I saw you reviewed my other fic. Thank you veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery much. You made me very happy; and I hope I made you happy with this chapter.

 

BattleCat91: How many chapters total? I don't know. I still have all of the “Jump City” saga to write, and then the final fourth saga after that. My guess is 50 chapters by the time it's totally done. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the story; thank you for reading and for your kind words.

 

Lambbaby: Yep, Robin still wears his mask even when he's getting some action. XDDDD! Only Robin would do something like that. As for Slade killing Titans East . . . well I think this chapter answered that question. Magus is super smart, but he's also gullible. Even creepy demons are no match for Slade. I'm glad you enjoyed the BB/Rae moment, and I'm glad you liked Robin's introspective too. I'll have the next chapter of this story, and the next chapter of my other story, done very soon. Thanks for reading my friend!

 

Hanita-chan: I'm happy to hear you think so. O'course I realize your review was for a chapter waaaaay back at the beginning, and you probably won't see this reply for a while till you get caught up; but I still wanted to thank you for reading.

 

Goddessruling: I'm glad you liked the romance. ^^ I'll have another chapter out as fast as I can, thank you as always for reading my friend.

 

HRH-Ft-Louie: Oh yes, the new one will have R/S too; don't you worry about that. I'm glad you liked this one, I'll have more written soon! Thanks for reading.

 

AstaOmega11: Yes, I know I misspelled Trials; I thought I had edited that, but I guess I didn't. I'll make sure I go back and fix that one of these days. Thanks for reading; since you were on chapter two I know it'll be a while till you see this, but still, thank you.

 

mr.rogers: . . . Oooooooooookay. Is that a “Umm yeah” I liked it, or “Umm yeah” I didn't like it? Well, thanks for reading one way or another dude.

 

WhiteYang: Ah, my first flamer. I've waited for this. Eh hem. Listen up, if you don't like Rob/Star or BB/Rae, THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU READING THIS!? We're all entitled to ship whatever pairing we want, but to flame a story just because you disagree with the pairings is stupid, pointless and immature. Please, if you don't like the couples I write, then don't read it. Oh, and BTW, I notice you left an anonymous review. So either you haven't written anything of your own, in which case your in no position to judge others; or you're too much of a chicken shit to leave a signed review. In either case, if you don't like it; don't read it. Flaming is pointless. Now go away.

 

Samanthe2121: Well I'm glad you enjoyed both this and the new one. ^^ Thank you, as always, for reading my friend. I'll have more Rob/Star soon. Heheh, I have big plans for those two . . .

 

Dramaelfie: I'm glad you enjoyed the R/S fluff. It was fun to write. XD. Don't say that, though. I'm sure you'll be in Star's shoes one day. Just look out for those pesky Tamaranian shoe-worms. … ok, bad joke. XD Thanks for reading dude.

 

Death's Wicked Truth: Oh man, I know what you mean. Final Fantasy X can be addictive. I stayed up all night once battling Seymour at Macalania Temple. That jerk just would not die! I could always beat him in the part where he has those two Guado with him, but whenever he'd summon Anima I'd get my butt whipped. XD, anyway, I'm glad you liked the last two chapters, and I hope you liked this one too.

 

a-1991: `ello again dude! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the dedicated. And I hope you enjoyed this one, too, April. Heh. Now I know your name so I can call you that from now on. XD. Dude, I have a friend named Jen who lives near Houston. I forget what town she lives in, though. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter; I'll have another one out soon. Take care m'friend.

 

Pickles12: Oh Pickles, you're soooooo lucky! XD! I wanna see The End so badly. I've read all about it and seen screenshots, but it's not the saaammmmeeee. Meh. Anyways, I'm glad you liked the last chapter m'friend, and I hope you liked this one too. Heheh. Super-Slade's appearance. Super-Slade . . . that's a good name for him. XD Anyway, I'll talk to you later, thanks for reading.

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: Oh yeah, I heard all about all the hugging in The End. Raven hugs Robin, Starfire hugs Robin (Geez, what a pimp. XD) and Beast Boy hugs Rae. Hehehe. I saw a screenshot of BB hugging Rae that looks absolutely hilarious. Oh, of course everyone on the R/S shrine is all pissed. `cause most of the people there are too immature to realize Robin and Raven have a brother/sister relationship, and brothers and sisters hug. I think it's kind of cute that they're so close. Of course, I realize that Robin and Starfire almost get married in the comics, Starfire proclaims she'll always love him forever, and in one Alternate Universe edition of the comics, the two even have a DAUGHTER. Dude; when you have kids together, you're a canon couple. XD! Anyway, I'll talk to you later Winter m'dear. And hey, go update your fic! XP! Please? I wanna read some more of it. Cha, take care love.

 

Hotenglishchik: Dude, thank you very much for saying so. ^^ I'll be sure to keep up the good work on it. And hey, if you like BB/Rae and R/S you should go read my other fic. It should be on Mediaminer by now. “Ten Years Later”. It's a good one; I promise. Anyway, thanks for reading!

 

Tears of Jade: Hahah, I'm really happy to hear you're enjoying the fanfic so much. I'm glad you like the blend of romance and action. I've tried to keep it pretty evened out. Anyway, I promise I'll update really soon. I have big plans for the next chapter. Big, big plans!

 

GizmoBunny: Well I'm glad you enjoyed the whole “Terra-ruins-the-mood” thing. Hehe. Actually I liked that part a lot too - which I bet you already guessed, since I did it twice. XD! Thanks for reading my friend, I'll write s'mon soon.

 

Madmartagan: Well I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Yeah, I know I passed up a few chances for awkward moments with BB/Rae/Terra, but don't worry, there will be some. I'm just saving it for later, y'know? Heheh. Thanks a lot for reading. Oh the Titans will have a break - actually that will be very soon. And no, this is not the end of the AFY. My goal is to end it on chapter 50. Although I did start a new one, “Ten Years Later”. You'd probably like it if you read it - if you're a BB/Rae fan, that is.