Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ Sword Fights and a Hero’s Plight ( Chapter 29 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Sword Fights and a Hero's Plight”

 

A/N: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water . . . CLIFFIFE WARNING! But hey, the good news is the action picks up again in this chapter. This chapter dedicated to Roi-Tan, who left the 200th Review on Fanfiction.net. Awesome dude; thank you very much. I'm also dedicating it to Winter. ^^ Thanks for comin' and being our Raven in the Teen Titans RP; you are a real lifesaver m'dear. In addition, a special thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. ^^ Also a quick note on updates: from now on this story shall update on Fridays. The reason for this is I'm getting out of physical therapy soon, and will be going back to school soon; so my writing time will be cut short. No worries, though, you'll still get new chapters every Friday; and the story is still far from over. ^_^

 

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“Trigon's still weak. As long as Raven's soul is in existence, Trigon cannot use his full powers. We have to be the ones to make the first move; or we'll have lost before the battle even begins.” Slade explained. The entire group was gathered once again around Batman's computer monitors. However, this time it was not Batman who stood making plans; it was Slade. Slade had taken charge as he explained his plans to his once-enemies-turned-allies.

 

“The best approach is for us to split off into two groups. The first group must be a large group; and their sole duty will be to protect Terra; and Raven's soul.” Slade continued. “That group should remain here; we'd be hard pressed to find anyplace safer than the Batcave. Batman, I'll leave you in charge of that group. You're experience and local knowledge of this cave make you the obvious choice. Of course, Terra will have to be a part of it - and I'm sure Beast Boy will want to stay here.”

Slade knew the titans so well he could read their reactions before he even finished speaking. He could predict them so utterly correctly that none of them even needed to speak; he already knew what they'd say. It caused Robin a lot of discomfort to think Slade was this well educated on them.

Robin was sitting at the round table in the room; Starfire at his left, Slade to his right, and Batman sitting across from him. He never thought he'd be sitting in-between the three biggest influences on his life. Batman, Starfire and Slade - the three people who made his life complete. It seemed like all the roads he'd ever traveled down always seemed to intertwine with at least one of them. It was both wonderful and disturbing.

 

“The second team will be an attack squad. This team's sole purpose will be to find Trigon the Terrible and stop him before he can manifest his full powers. I will lead this squad.”

“No.” Robin said at once. Even if they were allies now; it wasn't by choice. Robin didn't want Slade in charge of any squad.

“You don't get a choice, Robin. With Raven out-of-commission, I'm the only one capable of sensing Trigon's location.” Slade replied smugly.

 

Robin narrowed his eyes. Once again, Slade was correct. There was nothing Robin could do and no comeback he could make, so he fell into silence again.

 

“The attack squad should be small. We will need the element of surprise if we are going to eject his soul-self from Raven's body. Therefore this squad will be made only of Robin, Starfire and myself.” Slade turned his eye on the boy wonder, but Robin did not have anything to say about this. “Now for the cold-truth I know none of you want to hear.”

 

Slade snapped his fingers and flames sprouted from his fingertips. The embers flew into the air and made a demonic rune. No one, save Raven, knew what it was. Slade instantly launched back into his explanations. “If we are able to eject Trigon's soul-self from Raven's body; I can destroy it with my demon powers and put an end to Trigon forever. However, forcing Trigon to leave Raven's body will not be easy. If we fail, there is one simple, cold fact all of you will have to accept. If we cannot eject Trigon from Raven's body; we must destroy Raven's body.”

 

At once, there was an out roar. Robin slammed his fist down and flat-out refused to hear anymore. Beast Boy shouted for Slade to go to hell, and then let out a long slew of profanities. Starfire began to speak, her words equally hostile but a bit more polite, when Raven made her voice heard. Raven took control of the body she now shared with Terra and she said in her usual grave tone two words that stopped all of the noise.

 

“Slade's right.”

 

All of her friends stopped. Eyes were wide, mouths were open and Beast Boy looked like he was ready to have a heart attack.

“Rae, tell me I heard you wrong—”

“You didn't Beast Boy. Slade is right. My father must be stopped at all costs; even if that means destroying my body.” Raven's eyes held sadness to them as she spoke these words; but they also held an unquestionable determination.

 

“Raven.” Terra was in control of the body again. “Listen, maybe you should go with Beast Boy on this one. I mean . . . if you lose your body then . . . I didn't think this would be permanent, Raven. I mean, you don't want to stay inside me forever, I know that - and -”

“Don't worry Terra, if we have to destroy my body I'll figure something else out for my soul. You're right, I don't want to stay inside you forever.” Raven cut her off. The eyes changed back to Terra's, and she bit her lip. When Raven next took control of the body her eyes looked apologetic.

 

“I'm sorry. That came out wrong.” Raven whispered.

“No . . . it's fine. I understand. I don't blame you for the way you feel about me. I . . . I can't even imagine how hard this is on you after -”

“Ladies.” Slade interrupted. “Save the teenage angst for later; stopping Trigon is more important than your petty problems.”

 

Terra and Raven's conversation ended. Raven's eyes faded away and Terra merely glared at Slade with the utmost hatred in her glance. She could not believe how horrible her luck was. She had been revived as part of Lex Luthor's insane plans, she had come between Raven and Beast Boy; though she hadn't meant too, she was once again working with Slade, and to top it all off she had an angry gothic ghost trapped inside her. What a life.

 

“Now. If we are all agreed, I suggest we start searching for Trigon now. Every second wasted is one more chance for him to prevail over us.” Slade grimly stated. “Robin, Starfire, I'm sure you'd like a chance to say your goodbyes to your friends; I'll be waiting outside. You have five minutes.”

Without another word, Slade turned and made his way back towards the exit of the Batcave. His feet clopped against the cold stone floors in the eerie silence of the room. Robin did not like this. The moment Slade was out of earshot; nearly everyone began speaking.

“Screw him, there's no way we're going along with his plans!” Beast Boy yelled the loudest.

 

“There's gotta be another way to track Trigon without his help.” Cyborg added. “Give me some time, I'm sure Batman and I can hook up a machine too—”

“We don't have any time.” Robin interrupted. “I hate to say this, but Slade's right.”

 

“What?” Beast Boy looked shocked. His mouth was agape and his eyes were bulging. “Robin, dude, tell me you're not about to suggest we work with Slade! Please tell me anything but that!”

 

“Beast Boy.” Raven was in control of the body again. “Robin's right. I'm fine as long as I'm in Terra's body; and my father can't unleash his full powers as long as I'm still alive. It won't take him long to realize that something's wrong with his plan; and when he does he'll have to find me. I know Trigon; he'll start killing innocent people to lure me out of hiding. You met him on Tamaran; you know what kind of sick tricks he uses. The sooner we stop him; the more lives we save. If that means working with Slade . . . so be it.”

“Hey.” It was Robin's turn to speak again. “I'm not saying we trust Slade. We all know he has his own objective. I don't care what he says; he'll turn on us the first chance he gets. Still, he needs us to stop Trigon. If he betrays us before we defeat Trigon; he's only putting himself at a disadvantage.”

 

“Maybe.” Cyborg stood up. There was something on his mind; and it was making him uneasy about this whole thing. “If Slade really wants to stop Trigon. Robin, how do we know Slade came back the way he said he did? How do we know Trigon didn't bring him back, again? This could all be a trap.”

 

“No.” Robin replied. “If that was the case, Slade would want Raven to come with us. Trigon's entire objective is to destroy Raven's soul, right? So if this was a trap Slade would want Raven as part of the attack squad - or he'd want her less guarded.”

 

Cyborg sighed. That made some sense. He was still worried about everything, though. Just as he let himself sank back down into the chair, Batman rose.

 

“We don't have time to worry about this now. Robin's right. We've been dealt a tricky hand, but we have to play it. Right now we're just going to have to trust that Robin and Starfire will be able to handle themselves. The rest of us need to focus on keeping Terra and Raven's soul safe. When and if the time comes that Slade betrays us; we'll deal with him.”

 

Robin looked over at his former mentor and he felt a lump of something rise in his chest. As horrible as this day was; he had to admit at that moment he felt proud. Robin was a true leader; and he knew that now. Even Batman, his mentor and teacher, was following his lead. This was not just about the Teen Titans anymore. This was about the fate of the entire world - and Robin's decisions were the ones people were following. It was an awesome responsibility; but somehow Robin felt at peace with it.

 

“Are you ready?”

Slade had returned. Their time was up; it was now or never. Robin turned around and stared at the masked menace for a moment before nodding his head. Slade turned around once again and disappeared out of the exit; Robin and Starfire looked at one another. Neither of them spoke; they did not have too. They both knew how they felt about one another. Tonight had only confirmed it on another level. The two teens stood and began heading towards the door; Beast Boy's voice stopped them.

“Be careful you two.” He said shakily.

 

“We will. And we'll stop Trigon. I promise.” Robin replied without turning around.

 

“Thanks dude.”

 

As Robin and Starfire left the cave to find Trigon, Alfred arrived at Bruce's side bringing a message from the mansion above.

“Pardon the interruption, Master Bruce, but Lex Luthor has just arrived. It appears you missed your appointment with him at Wayne Enterprises earlier, and he's come to find out why.”

 

Everyone's heads turned at this. They had only just learned a short while ago that Luthor was the man behind Terra's revival; and now he was here at Bruce Wayne's home? That was not coincidence. Terra gulped and stepped backwards. Something bad was going on, and she had a feeling it involved her. Batman cursed under his breath. He had completely forgotten his meeting with Luthor; and after learning what he had learned about Luthor's connection to Terra, he knew this could become a major problem.

 

“Show him to the parlor, Alfred. Tell him I'll meet with him shortly.” Batman replied.

“Very well, sir.” Alfred nodded his head and then turned to leave the cave. Batman sat down in one of the large chairs and cupped his chin in one of his hands. This was bad; very bad. Luthor was connected to Terra; and that meant trouble. If Luthor discovered Terra was in the mansion, it would not be hard for him to figure everything out.

“There's too much going on for you to stay here, Terra. If Luthor finds you it'll be almost as bad as if Trigon does.” Batman announced at last. “I'll deal with Luthor for now. Barbara, you and Beast Boy take Terra to the safe house; Cyborg you and Tim stay in the Batcave and monitor the computers incase Slade calls.” After dishing out order, Batman hurried off to another part of the cave to change back into civilian clothes and ready himself for the meeting with Luthor.

 

“What's the safe house?” Terra asked at once.

 

“It's an underground facility Bruce built.” Batgirl explained as she and Beast Boy rose from their chairs and headed in Terra's direction. “It's for emergencies; I guess this counts as one. Nothing fancy, just a steel shelter buried a mile beneath Gotham. Not many people know about it; you should be safe from Trigon and Luthor there.”

 

The three of them hurried towards one of the hidden exits of the Batcave.

 

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

 

Bruce Wayne's parlor was a beautifully decorated room. The floor had the finest Persian carpets, and there was a beautiful wooden table in the middle of the room with several matching chairs around it. An old hardwood bookshelf sat in the corner, filled with volumes of dusty old books that were all antiques and priceless. There was a fireplace as well, complete with a mantle over it. Tonight was cold and Alfred had lit a small fire behind the protective iron framework. There were also several priceless rapier swords on the walls as decoration. Lex Luthor stood admiring one of those swords when Bruce finally arrived.

 

“Ah, Lex, it's been a long time.” Bruce greeted him friendly.

 

“Indeed it has Bruce.” Luthor replied. “I'm sorry you couldn't make our meeting at Wayne Corp.”

 

“Sorry about that Lex; family emergency.” Bruce replied calmly. He and Luthor had played this game before. They were both executives with something to hide; and they were dancing around the real subject. They could both play the game well; the question was who could play it the best?

 

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Lex replied, although he neither believed what Wayne said nor meant his own words. “This is a fine sword. Twelfth century Spanish rapier; isn't it?”

 

Luthor changed the subject to the sword hanging above the fireplace. Bruce replied quickly. “Yes, that's right. Are you a collector too?”

 

“My father was.” Luthor replied. “He insisted I learn to fence in my adolescent years. I must admit, it's become somewhat of a hobby. Would you mind if I took a closer look at it?” Lex turned around, looking Bruce square in the eyes as he asked this question.

Bruce was in a dangerous place. On the one hand, denying his request would raise suspicion; and he needed to stall Luthor long enough for Beast Boy and Batgirl to move Terra to a safer location. On the other; he didn't really like the idea of Lex Luthor holding a deadly weapon - especially if what Lex said about his fencing days was true.

“Be my guest Lex. But be careful; I keep my swords sharp.” Bruce replied. He reached onto the wall beside him and removed another sword - this one also a rapier, though not as detailed or beautiful as the Spanish-wrought one Luthor was admiring - and unsheathed it. The silvery blade gleamed in the light from the fireplace. “You see?” Bruce said; and he was right, the blade was well sharpened.

“I don't blame you. There's no use in having a dull sword. Of course I doubt you use them very much.” Luthor chuckled, taking the finer Spanish sword off the mantle and unsheathing it. Luthor held the blade aloft in his right hand and ran his left index finger down the side of the blade. He held the sword up at an angle so he could see the reflection of the fireplace on the edge of the blade.

 

Bruce was worried. With anyone else, this situation would have been under his control. However, he knew Lex Luthor. He knew Luthor was more than just a businessperson - he was also one of the deadliest supervillians ever. Luthor had won several national fencing competitions; Bruce remembered reading that in Forbes. Luthor's being here could be coincidence; but Bruce doubted it. If Luthor even suspected that Terra was nearby, there was no telling what he'd do to get her.

 

At that moment, Luthor's cellphone rang. Lex looked apologetic. “Excuse me Bruce; I have to take this call.” Luthor answered the phone - he already knew who it was. “Hello, Lex Luthor speaking.”

 

“Sir, I just spotted Beast Boy and Batgirl leaving the mansion. Terra was with them.” Cobalt informed his boss over the phone. Dr. Philip Cobalt was outside, in Luthor's limousine, watching the house. He'd seen the departure of Terra and her escort and he'd phoned in right away.

 

“You don't say?” Luthor grinned. This was perfect. Not only did it mean they'd found Terra even earlier than Luthor had planned; but it also confirmed something about Bruce Wayne that Luthor had suspected for some time.

 

“Thank you Philip; deal with the problem as you see fit.” Luthor closed his cellphone and returned it to his pocket. Then he turned to Bruce once again.

 

“Problems at work?” Bruce inquired.

 

“Not quite.” Luthor replied. “You know Bruce, it doesn't take a genius to know who you are.”

 

“Excuse me?” Bruce decided to play dumb; but he already knew what Luthor was talking about; and Luthor knew he knew.

 

“Oh come on Bruce; you and I are one and the same. We're both billionaires; and we both owe that to our father's. It's funny. You're father was killed when you were just a child - and you turned out so good and decent. I had my father for years; and I wound up becoming a `dangerous madman', or so I've been told. You'd think it would be the other way around.” Luthor was smiling a dangerous smile. The charade was over and they both knew it. “My associate Dr. Cobalt just saw Terra leaving your mansion, Bruce. Batgirl and Beast Boy were with her. You know, I've wondered if it was you behind that famous mantle. Who else in Gotham has the resources to be Batman?”

 

It was Bruce's turn to smile. “Lex, from the way you're ranting I'd say you're about to do something stupid.”

 

Luthor's grin only widened. “Like what?”

 

“I think you're going to attack me with my own sword.” Bruce replied. “But for your sake, I hope you're not ignorant enough to try that.”

 

“The thought had crossed my mind.” Luthor responded with a malevolent glint in his eye. “I want the girl back, Bruce. She's mine.”

 

“She's a human being, Lex.” Bruce shot back, he removed the rapier he'd been holding from it's sheathe and held it up in a fencing style, defensive position. “She isn't your property.”

“She's not a human being, Bruce.” Lex replied calmly. “Tara Markov died in Jump City. The girl I revived is the product of laboratory testing. She was created, not born. She is my property and I want her back.”

 

“Only a psychopath like you would say something like that.” Bruce growled. He was becoming angry. “If you want her you have to go through me.”

 

Lex finally put the rapier in his hands up into a fencing style. “That was my plan all along. I never imagined I'd be the one to kill the famous Batman; but I'll accept that honor.”

 

Bruce smirked. “A lot of people have died trying to claim that honor, Lex. Don't add your name to the list.”

 

“I think we've chatted long enough.” Lex replied. There was a brief pause; neither of them made a sound. They stood, poised with their blades ready, watching the flames gleam off the silvery blades. Then it began.

 

Lex was the first to strike. He thrust his blade forward; but Bruce easily dodged to the right and swung his own sword in an upward direction, catching Luthor's weapon and knocking it away. Bruce quickly counter-attacked with an downward slash, going from left to right; but Luthor stepped back to avoid it. Luthor wasted no time and thrust again; Bruce sidestepped it. Luthor thrusts his sword three more times; the first two Bruce stepped to the left and then quickly to the right to avoid, the third time he was caught on his upper left arm. His shirt was torn and the side of his left arm was slashed open.

 

Bruce bit down deep into his tongue to stop from crying out in pain. The wound was bad; but he'd had worse. He quickly thrusts his sword out at Lex; but Luthor jumped back in time and escaped the slash. Luthor raised his own rapier above his head and brought it down at Bruce; who had to jump to the side to avoid it. Bruce crashed into the long table and he had to, again, jump out of the way as Lex thrusts his blade methodically fast. Bruce was successful in escaping the blade; and Lex, much to his dismay, found his sword lodged in the wooden table.

 

“Give it up Luthor!” Bruce slashed at the arch villain, who was forced to move away from the table and his sword in order to avoid it. Lex was being backed into a corner now; and he was unarmed. Bruce slowly advanced towards him, keeping his eyes on the many swords that adorned the wall as decoration. He could not afford to let Lex get his hands on another one of those blades.

 

“Not on your life, Wayne.” Lex replied bitterly.

“I'm not above killing you, Luthor.” Bruce retorted; and he meant it. He wasn't usually one to kill criminals, and never an unarmed man; but in the case of Lex Luthor, he'd make an exception.

 

“The feelings mutual.” Luthor's face was broken into a demented grin; and Bruce knew there was trouble. Luthor snapped his wrist to the side and a small derringer pistol slipped out of his sleeve. Bruce slashed with his sword just as Luthor squeezed the trigger. The single-barrel of the derringer exploded with a tiny flash; the blade of Bruce's sword gleamed red with blood.

 

Luthor clutched his hand; Bruce had slashed him right down the middle of his thumb and index finger, forcing him to drop the gun. However, he'd been too late. The bullet had fired and it had connected with Bruce's leg, just above the knee. Batman fell backwards and landed on the Persian carpet, bleeding from his leg; his sword on the ground beside him forgotten.

 

Luthor snarled in frustration, but a moment later that snarl turned into a grin. He reached onto the wall and withdrew another sword - this one a Scottish claymore - and then he looked down at Bruce. Luthor held the sword with both hands, wincing a bit from the cut on his right hand but pushing through the pain. He raised the sword above his head and looked down at Bruce with a malignant gleam in his devilish eyes.

 

“Farewell Batman.” He laughed.

 

“Booyah!” Cyborg's battle cry filled the room as the door was kicked open and his arm-cannon fired. The sonic blast smacked Luthor in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He dropped the heavy Scottish sword and it clanged against the floor; Luthor wound up hitting the wall with a thud. His head smacked against the mantle of the fireplace and when he landed on the floor, he was unconscious, blood trickling down his baldhead.

 

“Thanks.” Said Bruce as he struggled to sit up; Cyborg quickly went to his aid.

 

“No problem man. I spotted you two fighting on the internal security cameras; decided I better help out.” Cyborg flashed a grin. “C'mon, let's get Alfred to look at that leg.”

 

Bruce stood, using Cyborg's massive arm for support, and the two slowly made their way out of the room and towards the Batcave. Bruce hopped on one leg the entire way; but he had Cyborg to hold onto so he was able to make it. Neither of them thought about detaining Luthor in some way - after all, he was unconscious and bleeding from his head; he did not look like much of a threat.

 

Looks, however, are deceiving. As soon as Cyborg and Bruce were out of the room, Luthor opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself back up. He reached a hand up to his head and felt his injury - it wasn't too bad. He was bleeding, but he was conscious and coherent; so it couldn't be too much head injury; right?

 

Luthor went for his cellphone and quickly dialed the number to his limousine's phone. After a few rings, Cobalt answered.

“Cobalt; what's the news on Terra?”

 

“I sent Kerry to retrieve her.” Cobalt replied. Jacob Kerry was one of Luthor's “bodyguards”. He was a ex-navy seal turned hired assassin. He knew more ways to kill people with his bare hands alone than most people did using a weapon.

 

Luthor was pleased with this news. “Good. Tell my driver to start the car; I'll be out in a minute. We're going after Terra; we'll deal with Wayne later.”

 

“Yes sir.” Cobalt responded. Luthor hung up the phone, returned it to his pocket, and stumbled out of the room. He was angry and could hardly wait for his next encounter with Bruce Wayne; but he was also an evil genius and he was smart enough to know he would have to wait. So he hurried to the front door of Wayne's mansion and returned to his limousine. He'd failed to defeat Batman; but the day wasn't a total loss. They'd just have to make sure they got Terra back - that was enough of a victory.

 

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

 

Robin was on his R-cycle, speeding down one of the older roads on the cliffs overlooking the bay of Gotham. He hadn't traveled down this road in years, but he could still remember his last trip on it. He had taken this road when he left Gotham to make a new start in Jump; and now he was taking it again, this time searching for Trigon. At his right hand side, Starfire flew next to him. She could be flying a lot faster than she was; but she had slowed down to stay near the boy wonder.

 

In front of them Slade was also flying. Unlike Starfire, he did not attempt to match Robin's pace. He was leading them; and that's the way he liked it. They had been traveling for a while in this direction; Slade could sense Trigon's presence. He was somewhere around here and they would have to find him soon. As they continued down the road, they moved higher and higher up the side of the cliff. Wayne Manor was miles behind them; and the bay of Gotham miles below them.

 

“Robin? How are you holding up?” Starfire asked. It was hard for him to hear her over the roar of his engine; especially since she was whispering, but he knew she had to whisper so Slade wouldn't listen to their conversation.

 

“I'm fine Star.” Robin replied.

“You do not look fine. You look troubled.”

 

Robin sighed. She knew him too well. Then again, it must have been easy to read his face right now, Robin knew. “Of course I'm troubled Star; we're working with Slade. But we can't change things, so I'm dealing with it. You don't have to worry about it.”

 

“I cannot help but worry. You . . . are not at your best when it comes to Slade.”

 

Robin didn't have to ask what she meant by that; he knew. Robin made bad choices when Slade was involved. There were a million examples; and he didn't blame her for being worried in this instance.

 

“We'll be okay, Star. I promise.”

“Knock off the chit-chat, we're here.” Slade snapped.

 

Slade stopped in mid-air and looked to his right. Robin slammed the breaks and managed to stop just short of hitting Slade in the back. Starfire floated at his side, still. To their right was an old cavern in the side of the cliff; to the left was the highway railing and a large drop down to the jagged rocks of the bay below. Their attention was focused on the cave.

 

“I can sense him inside.” Slade announced. “I hope you're skills haven't dulled Robin.”

 

“They've improved.” Robin replied, climbing off the R-Cycle and extending his bo-staff. “How do you want to handle this?”

 

Slade landed and peered at the cavern. “I'll have to be the one to force him out of Raven's body. You and Starfire will be the diversion.”

 

Robin narrowed his eyes. “No.”

Slade turned on the boy. “You don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can force him out of Raven's body, remember?”

 

“And I don't trust you, remember?” Robin replied sarcastically. “I'll distract Trigon, you force him out of Raven's body; and Starfire's going to watch you. The second you try to screw us, Slade, she's taking you out.”

 

Slade's mouth twisted into a grin. “Fine Robin; have things your way. Just remember, with only one person distracting him it will be much easier for Trigon to kill you.”

 

“Maybe, but I'd still feel safer this way than I would with no one watching you.” Robin retorted.

 

“It doesn't really matter what your plan is; it's already failed.” The voice that spoke was deep and cold; it hit them like a wave of icy water. Slade, Robin and Starfire all turned to their left - towards the highway railing. Raven was floating above the railing; of course it wasn't Raven controlling the body. Four red eyes glowed on the top of her head, and a sinister smile was curved on her lips.

 

“Oh shi-” Slade never got a chance to finish his curse. Trigon fired lasers from the four eyes on Raven's forehead and they smashed into Slade. The beams from the lower set of eyes hit either one of his legs; while the beams from the higher eyes struck his chest. Slade doubled-over on the pavement and stopped moving.

 

“Starfire Go!” Robin yelled. He wasn't sure how they were going to force Trigon out of Raven's body without Slade's help; but he was going to try. He threw one of his freezing discs at Trigon and it hit him in the chest. Raven's body froze in mid-air; but the ice quickly melted away, Trigon was breathing fire on it from inside his icy prison. Before the ice could finish melting, however, Starfire had lobbed a great number of starbolts at him and the green energies exploded all around the fiend. Starfire held back her full strength; not wanting to damage Raven's body. It didn't matter, however, because when the smoke cleared she found that Trigon had projected a barrier between himself and Starfire using the same mental powers Raven often used. The only difference was that Trigon's mental barrier was a deep red; instead of black.

 

“Pathetic.” Trigon laughed. “Have you ever had an ant infestation? The ants are annoying; but they aren't really a danger to you, are they? That's what you humans remind me of; ants.”

 

Robin jumped forward and swung his bo-staff like a baseball bat; it connected with the back of Raven's head and sent Trigon-Raven flying forward into the pavement. “Don't underestimate ants.”

 

Trigon-Raven levitated off the ground and turned to face Robin and Starfire with a grin. “You realize of course that you haven't harmed me in the least; all you've managed to do is abuse my daughter's body.”

 

“Raven would rather see her body destroyed than turned into your weapon.” Starfire replied angrily; her eyes and hands were burning with bright green fury.

 

“Then destroy it.” Trigon retorted. “I can find a new body.”

Robin and Starfire both stood at a standstill. Neither of them really knew what to do; and they were in a bad situation. Both of the teens had their backs pressed against the highway railing; with Trigon-Raven floating in front of them. It was then that Robin noticed something; a movement from behind Trigon-Raven. Slade was getting onto his knees. Robin knew it was a long shot; but if he could just keep Trigon-Raven distracted . . .

 

“You can't win Trigon. Now matter who's body you take, or however many times you come back; we're just going to keep on beating you.” Robin stated boldly.

“Is that so?” Trigon laughed. “Do you truly believe that?”

 

“Yeah. I do.” Robin replied. “Blast him.”

 

Trigon-Raven's eyes widened for a brief second; but before he could reaction Slade had fired a mental blast at the demon. Trigon-Raven cried out in pain as his body was covered in a black energy field similar to the kind the real Raven made. Trigon-Raven struggled; but his body refused to move. A gurgling sound escaped his throat; followed by a loud roar. Then the four red eyes squeezed shut and when they merged back into two eyes - a moment later a large black light exploded from out of Raven's mouth and shot off into the sky.

 

Trigon's soul-self had abandoned the body. Raven's now-empty body collapsed towards the ground; but Starfire swiftly flew forward and gently grabbed her friend's empty form. She turned to Robin and smiled at him to show their victory. Robin returned the grin; but Slade's next words stomped on their happiness.

 

“It's too early to celebrate. We have to find Trigon's soul-self and destroy it before he gets a new body.” Slade replied as he climbed to his feet. The injuries on his chest and legs weren't as bad as they'd appeared to be.

 

“Star, take Raven's body back to her. Slade and I can search on our own.” Robin instructed the redhead. Starfire looked reluctant.

 

“Robin, I do not think -”

“Don't worry about me.” Robin cut her off. “We have to reunite Raven with her body as soon as possible.”

 

From the look on her face, it was easy to tell Starfire didn't approve of this. Leaving Robin and Slade to work together alone was bad; any way you look at it. Still, she knew Robin was correct; and she was worried about Raven's dilemma as well. So, after chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, Starfire replied to him.

“Very well Robin. Please return as soon as you can.” Starfire turned and flew off towards the mansion. Robin watched her as she vanished into the distance with a heavy heart. A cold sensation on the back of his neck, and an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach were just a few of the many signs of his discomfort. He had a foreboding feeling - like this was the last time he'd ever see Starfire.

 

“Robin, we have a problem.” Slade suddenly spoke up. Robin turned around to look at him.

 

“What's that?”

 

“I just found out where Trigon's soul-self went.” Slade said in a shaky voice. Robin suddenly noticed that Slade's body was shaking slightly; and his single eye was closed tightly.

 

“Oh no.” Robin sighed; realizing where Trigon's soul had gone.

“Oh yes.” Slade replied; but it wasn't Slade's voice that came out of his mouth. It was Trigon's. Trigon's soul-self had possessed Slade's body. Slade's body stopped shaking and Trigon-Slade turned to face Robin. His single eye was gone; now replaced with a glowing red one. On his forehead were two other glowing red eyes. The eye patch remained in place where the fourth eye would have been.

 

“Well, with this body I only have three eyes; but at least I've got balls again.” Trigon-Slade mocked in a cold voice.

 

“Too much information.” Robin replied; then he went for his bo-staff. Of course Robin was too slow. He leapt towards Trigon-Slade; but he was engulfed in an deep crimson energy aura and suspended in mid air.

 

“You've been a huge help.” Trigon laughed. “The others still believe Slade is on your side. It doesn't matter if Raven gets her body back, now. I can walk right into Wayne Manor and straight up to Raven; and then I can kill her for good. You have my thanks, Robin.”

 

Robin struggled to free himself from the mental aura; but it was no use.

 

“Of course I don't plan to stop with Raven.” Trigon tormented the boy wonder. “I'll be killing Beast Boy too; so she'll have company in death. And because you've been so helpful to me tonight, I think I'll kill the Tamaranian girl too. Any special way you'd like her to die? I could burn the flesh off her bones; or crush her skull, take your pick.”

 

“If you so much as breathe on Starfire I'll kill you as many times as it takes for you to stay dead!” Robin shouted at the top of his lungs.

 

“Breath on her? Excellent idea; flaming breath it is!” Trigon laughed maniacally. Robin grunted and struggled against the aura he was trapped it; but to no avail. When Trigon had finished laughed he reached forward and stripped Robin of his utility belt. “You won't need this where your going.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere.” Robin replied.

 

“Wrong Robin; you're going on a trip. We're going to see if this little birdie can fly.” Trigon laughed. Robin felt himself moving; he was being levitated backwards. He watched, in silent horror, as he floated up over the highway railing and then out over the side of the cliff. Trigon was moving him. He finally paused once again; now suspended over the edge of the cliff. Below him was nothing but a deadly drop right into the bay.

 

“I hope you can fly, Robin. Or at least swim.” Trigon laughed. Then the crimson aura that had held the boy wonder in place vanished; and Robin fell with a scream towards the Bay of Gotham below - it was several miles down.

 

“The robin has fallen from the sky; and the raven is next.” Trigon laughed to himself before he flew up into the air and bolted off into the night sky; making his way towards Wayne Manor to reunite with his daughter and end her life.

 

Magus watched all of this unfold from his hiding place inside the cave off to the right of the highway road. When Slade had stopped before and looked at the cave; he had done so because he felt the presence of a demon. It had been Magus; not Trigon. It was only by coincidence that Trigon had arrived when he did. Magus had watched the entire thing; and he had formulated a plan of his own. . .

 

As for Robin; he fell.

He fell and he hit the water with enough force to render him unconscious. Unfortunately for Robin; he could not swim being unconscious - and so he began to drown.

 

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

 

A/N: Well, I said you'd have a literal cliffhanger; and Robin fell off a cliff. See, I keep my word. ^___^ Heheh. Chapter Thirty will be up on Friday May 27th, 2005. Or sooner; if I get enough reviews. XD! I know, I'm a feedback whore. So sue me.

 

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter; and I hope you'll be back for the next one. Now for the review replies.

 

Eventidespirit: Heheh. I'm delighted to hear you approve of it. ^^ It came to me on the 14th when I was on a sugar high from too much chocolate. I'm tellin' you, if I don't sleep at all and eat lots of chocolate I come up with great ideas. XD! Mmm. I thought about having Raven go in BB's body at first too; I even thought of some truly hilarious moments . . . but I decided on Terra for the dramatic and ironic value, y'know? I'm happy to hear you're enjoy the story; and thanks a bunch for your review. ^^

 

MIDNIGHT-PIXIE (I combined all my replies to your reviews into one big reply): O.o Homework bites, doesn't it? Research papers are always horrible; IMO. No clue what your community service paper is about; but it doesn't sound fun. XD And ten chapter summaries? Jeez, that's a bit overkill. Either you've been putting it off or your teacher is just mean. XD!!! Allergies are bad. >< I was hit with allergies so bad yesterday I couldn't keep my eyes open. o.o It sucked. I'm delighted you liked the chapter; I was hoping people would take the surprises well. I'll be updating as soon as I possibly can; of course by the time you read this, I'll have already updated… Tofu tacos? Dude, maybe I will try that. Tonight I have pizza though. Mmm. Pizza. I haven't seen TROQ again since the first time; but they do like replaying stuff. I'm still eagerly awaiting “The Prophecy”, which is supposed to have a really kick-ass fight between Raven and Slade; and it's supposed to have Raven's mother, Arella, in it. Coolness! Dude, homework sucks. I feel sorry for you that you have to do homework. (I haven't had to do any schoolwork since last November; on account of my rare disease! ^^ … although on the downside I have to walk with a bloody cane, so I guess I'm not as lucky as I thought… -_-`) Dude, you finished math homework? I've never once in my life finished math homework. Major kudos. Ah, back to the reviewing, eh? Heheh, I'm glad you liked all of the stuff with Robin and Raven and Terra and the shooting and soul-sharing and crap. I was worried people would think this story was getting too over the top; but I guess not. XDD! That's hilarious what the girl said. Good D. Heh. Dude, little kids say some funny stuff. I like hanging out with little kids just to hear `em say funny stuff like that. The 50's, eh? Groovy. Wait, Groovy was the 70's…. eh, I wasn't alive in either one, so it don't matter. -snickers- Dude, you're hyper when you don't sleep? Whenever I don't sleep I get all weird. I'll be hyper one minute; and totally drained the next. It's a crazy feeling. Dude, Phantom Menace is on Fox? I didn't know that. Oh well, already saw that one. Oooh; Kojak comes on in twenty minutes - and it's a brand new episode. Awesome! ^^
Hah, thank you for your compliments but believe me; I DO totally confuse myself. The problem is I get so many ideas but then I only reveal parts of them in the chapter so I can build suspense and drama for you readers, but then I forget parts of the ideas later and wind up having to sorta re-do ideas. It get confusing; but so far nobody's noticed. -snickers- Dude, I say dude all the time too. Dude's a cool word. ^^ Dude, you took a four hour car ride to take a plane? Ouch. That musta sucked. Cause I live in Springfield we always take a two hour drive to St. Louis whenever we have to fly; and I HATE it! Cause we have to get up at like 4 in the morning, drive for two hours, get lost in St. Louis for an hour (my mom sucks at directions) and then get on the plane before we miss it. ^^ Aww, thanks. I'll be happy to write more chapters and help you procrastinate doing homework anytime I can. -snickers- Ah, you noticed it was my birthday tomorrow, did you? Hehe. Thank you very much m'friend. Aww! I missed haunted!? Darn, I love that episode. >< Ah well, I have it on tape somewhere. Dude, you reviewed four times; you must REALLY hate homework. XD! Then again I don't blame you. I'm happy that you choose my fanfic for your procrastinating needs. XD! That should be this story's new motto: “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere For You: The Perfect Story For When You Should Be Doing Homework; But Don't Want Too”. XD!!! Dude, don't sweat it. Absolutely pointless is wonderful. Half my day today was spent in the pursuit of pointless activities. Heh, I'll update ASAP, I promise. And thanks for the birthday well-wishing; ^^ It's always nice to know someone cares. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it helped you put off some more homework. XD!

 

DarkSin: Yay! I'm glad you liked it. Heheh. Speechless, eh? Well good. I was trying to totally shock everyone with the Slade thing. I shall update as soon as I can!

 

Ryoko-onee: Yes you did; yay! Lol. XD! Laughing at Robin would be fun; but probably not wise as he's in a bad mood. Or that's just my guess; but I know if I had a bunch of crazy demons trying to destroy the world and I was now indebt to my archenemy; I'd be having a few issues. XDD! Sorry, I'm weird. Thanks for the review; I'll talk to you later.

Blood Stained Raven: Wahoo! No bamboo beating for me. Happy dance time. Heheh. I know what you mean about cliffhangers, though. I am happy to hear you love the story; and I shall update post haste! ^^ Thank you for reviewing.

Pickles12: Silly songs are lots of fun. I make up all kinds of weird songs. Heh. “Not dead or in mortal danger”. Hmm. Alrighty-then; that'll be the new definition of okay. Heh. Then again, mortal danger is a common theme in this story…. Yeah, Slade's twisted; but he's Slade y'know. Right now my goal is to have a total of fifty chapters. That's what I'm aiming for. I think it'd be awesome to end it on an even fifty; but we'll have to wait and see . . . Thanks for the review m'friend.

 

scathac's warrior: I'm glad the title held true; I like being surprising and unexpected with my stories. Aww, you flatter me. Thank you. I will update ASAP!

 

Ifartinurdirection: Nope, I've never read This Side of Paradise; but it sounds interesting and if I ever get a chance to it I certainly will read it. Dude, I'll totally go read your story. Usually I do check out the stories of the people who review me; I just haven't had time lately `cause it's been the weekend and I've had to share the computer with mom. Once Monday rolls around and I get the full day to be online I'll have the time to read more, though. Heh. GOOD! I like cliffies. Most people complain; but I love `em. Anyway, I have to go now; mum's kicking me offline for the night. I'll talk to you dude; thanks for the review!

 

Aclahayr: Wahoo! I'm delighted to hear you've enjoyed the story. ^^ As for your suggestion; I had thought of that idea before. To be honest, I'm not sure what's going to happen between Raven and Terra and the body sharing and Beast Boy and all of that; I'm still trying to decide. So we shall all have to wait and see. Thank you very much for your review.

xBxMYxJaMeSxDeANxcandyclouds: This is the reply for your reviews of chapter twenty seven and twenty eight. -snickers- I apologize about the cliffhanger; I know it was evil, sick and twisted of me. I would say I won't do it again; but we both know I will. ^_^ I don't know, the only consequence that “heinous act of evil”, as you put it, had on me was scoring fourteen reviews on one chapter alone. That's an all time record for me. So . . . heinous acts of evil are good. O.o DUDE! Wait . . . House was on? The one where they went on a date? GAH! DAMN IT! I MISSED IT! NO! WHY!? WHY DID I MISS IT!? . . . wait . . . perhaps this is fate's way of paying me back for my evil cliffhangers. Damn you ironic twist of life! XD! Jeez . . . I missed House . . . I did wind up suffering for my evil ways. >< Perhaps I should stop using cliffhangers? . . . nah. :P Thanks for all the birthday well-wishing; and I'm delighted to see that you enjoyed the lack of a cliffie in chapter 28. Seeeeeeeeeee, I can be nice. I just choose not to be. XD!!! Dude, I know who Andrew Lloyd Webber is. Well, I've heard the name before; don't actually know who he is. Naw, you didn't suck. I think you just think you sucked `cause everybody thinks they suck when they do stuff. -nods-
Yeah, lots of people saw Stranded. `cause those bloody Canadians get everything before us Americans. Canada already has Mother Mae-Eye; and they're getting “The End” soon! And then the Canadians put them on the internet and people with better computers than mine can download them. And from what I hear, Stranded was FULL of Rob/Star ness. Apparently Robin accepted Starfire as his girlfriend, or something. I don't know, I've only heard rumors and stuff over on the message boards I linked in the beginning of this chapter's notes. Dude, you're at school right now? Whoa. Hahah. This review isn't short! Woo, you're in a musical? Awesome. Good luck Caitlyn, I'll talk to you later!

 

beastboy-had-a-brain: Heheh. O'course it was a cliffie in itself. I'm cruel, I know. XD. Thanks for reviewing dude. You were the 200th total reviewer; and the 199th FFN only reviewer. Wow. That was almost 200 again. Freakyness, huh? Hehe. Anyway, thanks a lot for reviewing; I'll update soon-ish.

 

Roi-Tan: Dude, I totally forgot about that thing with the purple shaft. That was a . . . umm . . . yeah, we're just going to call that a “joke for the mature readers”. XDD!!!!!! Anyway . . . DUDE! You're the 200th reviewer on FFN! -throws confetti- Awesome! Thank you for your reviews; It helped me hit a goal - and on my birthday no less! Wicked. Totally wicked. Oh, and sorry about your science grade dude. XD! I'm glad you're caught up with the story now; `cause it means you'll see my review reply sooner rather than later. Anyway, thanks again dude for reading and reviewing. Oh! A Slade test. Hmm. I shall take it!
Umm . . . Jeez, this one is hard. Well, I'll go with “Love”, “dick head” and “give you flowers”. O.o Dude, when spoken out of context, that sounds weird. XD! Thanks for reading and reviewing dude; and I'm glad you're caught up now.

 

Inuluvsu: Aww, no problem. You deserved having a chapter dedicated to you m'friend. I'm glad you enjoyed things with Terra, and Slade and Starfire. ^^ I know I'm evil and all; but somehow it works. Heheh. As always, thanks for your review. I'll be sure to update post haste. -blinks- Not sure how to respond to the “spongebob is yellow” part of your review. O.o Hehehe. Anyway . . .

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: XD. I do act like a monkey. Yes, I did smile when I saw that. You actually fell off the bed laughing? O.o I hope it didn't hurt dude. Although I'm glad the Terra Raven body sharing thing amused you so much. Ah, and I'm happy to hear you liked the Slade thing. Dude, libraries are cool! Books and free internet access. ^^ Boo-yah. There's no library near my house. The closest one here is like eight miles away. O.o That sucks. >< Ooh, musicals are cool. Singing and dancing and acting! Wahooo! And fanfictions are cool too dude. Especially if they're good ones. And you can bug me about my birthday all you want; it was a good day. Lots of good news, new video game, got lots of money - the only downside is the Raven in the Teen Titans online RP I'm in has suddenly had to stop RPing; and as I play Slade I needed the Raven for my evil plans. >< Meh. Now we need to find someone else to play Raven. Oh well. I'll talk to you later Okami. (Another new name? Bloody heck, how am I s'pose to keep up with you? -snickers- Heh, it's ironic that I say that since I have all kinds of nicknames myself. Golden-Sama, Brando, King Salad; at least your nicknames make sense. XD! Ttyl)

 

RisanF: Oh Doug was the definition of “foolish kid”, alright. Hmm. I suppose I can see where one would feel sorry for Shady; he wasn't a very happy-times character, was he? Dude, thanks for reading. I know it'll be a while before you get to this chapter and see this review reply; but still, thanks.

 

Lambbaby: Thank you! ^^ Oooh, I never even thought of stuff like that when I made Robin use BB's full name, but now that you mention it, it does make perfect sense. Haha, yeah, you spotted ol' Clark Kent. I like having all kinds of cameos, y'know? Dude! I know what you mean about BB. I've always said he has the worst luck of any of the Titans in this story; and I guess that's still true what with the new Terra/Raven body sharing thingy. And I'm sure BB's luck won't improve for a while. XD! Thank you for reading, and for the birthday well-wishing and stuff. I'll be writing the next chapter ASAP and I hope to see you again!