Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Heroes ❯ Investigation ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Vic goes out to breakfast with a business partner while Terry and Karen snoop around Rae's past. But they're not the only ones who are curious...

Non Anime: Teen Titans Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.07.2005 | Pages: 14 | Words: 11.3K | Visits: 391 | Status: Completed

Blowfish: Yes, I have a problem when it comes to updating fics. Wanna make something of it, punks?

Readers: (carrying bats, knives, and rocket launchers, and are foaming at their mouths) Maybe…

Blowfish: O_O; OK then. Backing off. Ahem… I promise AoTT will be updated shortly after this. I got lots of nice, motivating reviews…and a nice, threatening one! Not from N-shin this time, though. Go N-shin!

N-shin: (wielding a chainsaw) Don't push it.

Blowfish: n_n; Ahh…that I won't. So I'm updating now. And I got a crap-load of reviews! Insert girlish squee here, because I DON'T squee. EVER. And btw, the Spidey and L&O references were…

Chimpy: (does a drum roll)

Blowfish: Thank you, Chimpy. The Spidey reference was actually a quote that Gar said: “Raven, always standing in the way of what I want! What I need!” In SM2, Peter Parker asks the question: “Am I not supposed to have what I want? What I need?” So…yeah. I'm gonna ease up on the Spidey references now. The Law & Order reference was…Lenny the cop! This was, of course, a reference to the character Detective Lenny Briscoe, played by Jerry Orbach, who died a while back. Remember him, will you? He was an excellent actor—he was not only on L&O, but also a number of other things, even Broadway. He was actually the VA for Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast! Okay…now, onto the reviews!

mew-xena: Glad you're happy. Yes, poor Gar has lost his inspiration. AHHH! EVIL BRITNEY SPEARS BACKUP SINGER HAMSTERS?! Those are worse than evil Christina Aguilera backup singer hamsters! I'm scared of you now. (cowers in corner)

Lauren1792: Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!

TtitansFan: Good try on the reference. I was actually thinking about Osborn when I put Osmond in there. That's a shame you didn't see PotO. I was curious as to how good that is.

TGD3RD: Yep, BBRae people seem to be flocking to this fic. I'm not willing to say who might return to superhero-ing next, but you can be sure it'll be very, very soon.

Slade's Downfall: Yep, the Boss has got Raven in his grasp…sort of. WRITER'S EXCELLENCE AWARD?! YAY! Take that, Oscars! They said I wasn't good enough, but—

Chimpy: Blowfish, the Oscars is for movies…not fanfics.

Blowfish: Oh yeah…well, it should be!

MizMissa: Yes, Raven is taking a lot of abuse. Yes, tenants are fun. I just like sticking funny people in all my writing. Funny people make the world a better place. n_n Yay, I inspired someone! (does the inspiration dance) And in regards to the “fry and tomato” thing… Really? What's your MSN IM (that's a mouthful) name? That would be interesting…

The Gemini Sage: Yes, Rae and Gar are stupid, in a sense. They'll get it right. n_n Guilt-tripping is fun… Btw, I looked in your profile, and you've started ANOTHER story. Bad girl.

dancingirl3: That I will.

Rachel: Yes, GO BBRAE! And I kind of agree on the name thing. I am NEVER naming my kid Garfield. Yuck. And yes, Boss has definitely found Raven.

WolfosTerrence: That's okay, we all burst into maniacal laughter sometimes…heck, I do it on a daily basis!

Gecko Osco: I know what you mean. I'm not exactly “with it” either. NO! I will never abandon a fic…unless I believe it is utter crap, which is not the case here! So don't worry, just because I'm not always a prompt updater (which I'm really working on), doesn't mean I won't update soon!

AzhureTigress: Yeah, Raven's got it all in perspective, but Vic is just ignoring it…for now. ;) Rae and Gar will get Star's point…eventually. And reading the next part of your review, I must say, you are a clever one. This question will be explored…next chapter. Sorry. n_n; But your second question will be answered this chapter. And as for this season's arc…I'm not sure what to think. Sam Register mentioned that they would be following the comics very closely, and that would include Raven dying. But then again, we mustn't forget the fact that, in the comics, she was resurrected…twice. Though I hope that Raven makes it through the season, I do think it would be interesting to leave it as a cliffie and follow it up in season five. Oh, the speculation! The message boards are going nuts on this topic, actually. And I wouldn't blame you for flaming the people at the show. I think I may join you…

Miss Poisonous: Yay! I'm glad to hear that you like this that much. And Boss's mob has it in for her, you can be sure. Gar (or BB—I'm starting to confuse myself, ack!) and Raven's little problem will drag on for a bit. But not forever—because I looove BBRae, oh yes I do! And yeah, I did write an X-Men: Evo story at some point…but the FF.Net bastards took it down. Damn them. And no, I'm not a Charmed fan. But I know some people who are. Sorry.

eMOTIV: Muffins? I prefer cupcakes. But no, do not keep your muffins of holiness, only give them to hungry wildebeests on national Feed the Wildebeests Day! …Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah! Yay, I inspired someone else! Yay! (does a reprise of the inspiration dance)

Peggy: I don't quite understand what you're asking. What about Sherman don't you get? But I can answer your second question: Gar discarded his identity as BB, along with his affections for Raven. Rae did the same, only now she's back to being Raven. So Gar is pissed because he doesn't love HER anymore, he loves Rae. Hope that clears things up.

RobinluvsStar: Yep, Star's gonna be important this and next chapter! Not that she's not important to the whole story (n_n;), but she's…um…

Star: I'm SUPER important!

RobinluvsStar: THAT'S the word. And I thought Star would be the one to spell stuff out for Gar because she's the sensitive one.

Hawkgal: You know what's weird? I like writing fiction, but I swear, everything I write for English class is pure crap…but I like to take little pointers from good writers, such as Roald Dahl (taught me that things can NEVER be too weird), Avi (taught me to make people think), and Neil Gaiman (taught me to use LOTS of adjectives and to not be afraid of strange dialogue). Really, it helps. Yes, the BBRae is getting a little strained. It's actually gonna do a bit of a fade-out until the next major plot point. So, sorry. But it will come! Birthmark: I could see why people are taking it as a RobRae thing, but I just see them as good friends. Frankly, I don't think they get ENOUGH interaction. And I suppose it's also because I'm not a RobRae-hater OR fan…though the people at TitansGo.Net's oekaki are slowly but surely converting me… And again, thank you for the motivating threat!

lil' LIK Star: I'm glad you liked it, and the fact that Star was in it. Oh yes, that…I had several people ask what a cow kiss was, so here's the answer: It's sort of a kiss/lick thingamajig (I am STUNNED that MS Word didn't correct “thingamajig”). Kind of cute, kind of nasty. I got the idea from my brother—he does that to his girlfriend sometimes. It's kind of funny to watch. n_n

TTJLFan: Glad you liked the conversation between Vic and Raven. And actually, thinking about it, I doubt anyone can really guess who Boss is on the given information. But more will be revealed, hopefully urging people to guess.

A Pleasant Reader: Like I said, Star did it because she's the sensitive one. But I can see where you're coming from—Star doesn't always seem like the smartest one in the show. Writing professionally? Well, I AM aiming for a career in the comic book industry as an artist, but I would love to co-create something…

K9: Heh, I guess you could call it a cliffie. Monty Python? Damn, I cannot BELIEVE I didn't get that! I have seen a bit of MPFC, but not a lot. But some friends of mine are hardcore Monty Python fans, so I am ashamed. “NO ONE inspects the Spanish Inquisition!”

The Last: Gar will piece it together eventually…nimrod.

Gar: HEY!

Magpie's Lament: You changed your name! Yes, Raven stuck to the ceiling is an amusing image…

Cherri munkey: Yes you are! Glad you liked it, and thank you for promising to review.

scathac's warrior: Don't worry, there's more!

Rose: Yep, RobStar fluff is always good. Raven enjoys mocking Vic and Sarah, oh yes she does. Ah, Larry. That would be funny as hell.

Exiled-Knight: Heh, that DOES rhyme! (in a singsong voice) Gar and Star, Gar and Star, Gar and Star… What was I doing again? Oh yeah!

Chimpy: That joke is getting old.

Exiled-Knight: Rae's life is going to get VERY sucky, that's a sure thing. And it all starts this chapter! :D Huh, that WAS from I, Robot. I didn't notice that! I've seen some of the movie, I bet I subconscious added that in there. Damn you, subconscious!

Blowfish's Subconscious: Screw you!

Kit Kat: You're back! (hugs) Your comp crashed, eh? I know what you mean, mine did that once…and again later…and that other time… O_o My computer is a piece of crap, man. Yep, Gar's going Freud—I can only hope he won't hurt his poor brain…

Gar: WHAT IS THIS, NATIONAL “MAKE FUN OF GAR” DAY?!

Kit Kat: Yes, Boss is stalker-ish…almost…Slade-ish, dare I say. :D I'm glad you think I'm not going too fast. I try not to. I hate fics where you are just getting into the plot and then they just throw it all together at once and it comes out all icky.

AlwaysWrite: “Dream lives”; that's a great term for it. It perfectly describes how the Titans' lives are going right now (or WAS going, in Rae's case)…when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Destiny is calling them…God, does anyone else have “Mr. Brightside” stuck in their head? I heard it four times today, and now it's the only thing I can think of. Grr. OOH, SHAKESPEARE QUOTE! I KNEW I LIKED YOU! Barfield was meant to be an ass. That's sort of going to be his job in this fic—so expect to be hearing from him again. Rae will be exposed, all right…and there will be colossal consequences. I hope it comes out as good as all of you are hoping.

LadyMaundrell: Thanks for the fav!

ninmenju-shin: You know how I hate bursting people's bubbles…but I have to be a' burstin': Doc Ock's name is Otto Octavius. Sorry. Raven won't get jumped in the streets…Boss has much more clever ways of getting to her. And yes, all this praise is making me feel pretty badass. The ghost of Al Capone? No, but that's a good guess… Though a scientist, Sarah will prove to be somewhat…retarded in future chapters.

Blowfish: Man, FOUR pages this time! Is it just me, or am I gaining reviewers each chapter? Ah well, I'm not complaining.

“talking” `thinking' Tamaranian COMPUTER File text (bold)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or the song “Curbside Prophet” by Jason Mraz. There, I said it. So if someone says something and I get sued, there's gonna be hell to pay. (loads revolver)

Blowfish: All right! An all-new chapter, taking a slightly different focus than the previous ones! …Well, not really. Anyway, here's chapter eleven!

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Karen was typing furiously on her laptop, which was resting on her crossed legs. Terry was perched behind her, looking over her shoulder. She had been combing her “sources” for any information on Rae that they hadn't already found, but they were basically coming up empty. Karen had a short profile up on her computer that she rechecked every time she found something. It had very little in it thus far:

RAVEN “RAE” ROTH

DOB: FEB. 5, 1987

AGE: 28

HEIGHT: 5' 5”

EYES: BLUE

HAIR: BLUE (?)

OCCUPATION: JOURNALIST

RESIDENCE: CUMMING AVE., APARTMENT 209

CRIMINAL OFFENSES: NONE

KNOWN FAMILY: NONE

KNOWN EDUCATION: SAT SCORE OF 1409. FOUR YEARS AT GOTHAM CITY UNIVERSITY (EARNED BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN JOURNALISM)

“Face it,” Terry said. “We have nothing. We don't know anything about Rae that we didn't already know.”

“We can't give up now that we've gotten this far,” Karen said, typing even faster. “I'm gonna get to the bottom of this if it kills me.”

“So…where do we go from here?”

“Maybe we just need a broader search topic. Instead of checking out Rae, we should focus on someone related to her.”

“We don't know who or where her family is. We don't even know if they're still alive. With all we've found about them, they might as well not exist!”

“No one comes out of nowhere, Terry.”

He grinned. “I dunno about that. You'd swear she had. We don't even know where she went to high school.”

“OK, I'm putting in a search for `Roth'.”

“Uh, Karen? There are like, a zillion Roth's. How do you expect to find someone related to Rae?”

“I'm narrowing it to anyone in Gotham or Jump.”

“You're nuts. Rae could've come from the middle of Kansas for all we know!”

“I don't know…it seems so odd that she'd hang around here for so long. I mean, she could probably make a better living somewhere like Metropolis. Why stick around here for so long?”

“Maybe you have a point,” he conceded. “But what—“

“Search is done.”

SEARCH: “GOTHAM CITY”+”JUMP CITY”+ ROTH

RESULTS: 1,080,237 HITS

Terry and Karen groaned.

“Gah!” Terry yelled. “This is impossible!”

“I'm going to go to a news search instead,” Karen said. The number of hits went down significantly, and she started scrolling.

“Hey, wait a second,” Terry said. “Stop.”

“What?”

“Look there. `Roth Family Declares Missing Teen Legally Dead'. Click on that one.”

“Terry, there's no way that could be Rae. This was in 1990. Rae was three years old.”

“Just click it.” Karen sighed and clicked the link. It brought them to a Gotham news site under the “Missing Persons” section. The heading read, “Angela Roth, 1986”.

“Let's see…” Karen muttered, reading the file. “Angela Roth, 17, missing March 29, 1986…a runaway. Just some stats on the search. The father declared her legally dead in 1990. So?”

“Wait a second…wait a second…wait…a…second!”

“I've waited six seconds. What?”

“Karen, isn't Rae's birthday in early February of 1987?” Karen checked Rae's profile.

“Yeah, the fifth. Why?”

“Don't you get it? Angela Roth was a runaway at 17. A teenage girl.”

“And…?”

“Rae's birth date is February fifth, 1987. Roughly nine months after Angela Roth disappeared!” Karen gaped at him.

“No way.”

“Think about it! Angela Roth, your typical, law-abiding Gotham City citizen…why would she run away, other than something absolutely scandalous? Such as a b-a-b-y.”

“Wow…Terry, that's really…astute of you.”

Terry glared at her. “I hope that was sarcasm.”

“If only.”

“I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen. So now we just need to check out this Angela Roth character…how about her father?”

“Wouldn't count on it,” Karen said, her focus back on the computer screen. “Says here he had a heart attack two years later.”

“And let me guess…he has no living family.”

“Bingo.”

“Now I think Lady Luck is flipping us the bird.” He sighed. “For all we know, this lady isn't related to Rae at all. I'm probably just talking out my ass.”

“Maybe,” Karen said. She idly scrolled farther down the page and stopped. Her eyes widened. “Maybe not.”

“What?”

“You've got to take a look at this.” He looked back at the screen, and his jaw dropped.

Staring back at him was a gaunt, pale face framed by straight black hair. Resting on the face was a pair of large, sad-looking, dark blue eyes. Angela Roth. Terry grabbed a photo of Rae off of the desk and put it up next to the picture. Had Angela's face been a bit longer and Rae's hair been black, they would have been identical. Terry's flabbergasted expression twisted into a smile.

“Jackpot.”

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“G'morning, Carl.”

“Morning, Vic,” Carl Leever said. He and Vic were meeting at the local IHOP for breakfast. Ever since Carl had agreed to fund Project Cyborg, he had developed a good friendship with Vic. This was the first time they had met for non-business purposes.

“So, how's the company doing? I saw your stock went up.”

“That it did. Things are getting very good over there.”

“I bet! You know how I'm friends with Dick Grayson?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he actually said that you guys are becoming competition. Wayne Enterprises is getting a little nervous.”

“Well you can tell Mr. Grayson not to worry. After all, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone, right?”

“Said the spider to fly.”

Carl laughed. “You flatter me; if anything, Wayne Enterprises is the spider, and we're the fly.”

“Don't be so modest. Dick has an eye for this sort of thing.”

“I would hope. He's the manager, isn't he?”

“Yeah. Probably gonna climb the ladder up from there, too.” Vic sighed. “That guy was born for success.”

“Trust me, Victor, so are you. This whole project is going to put us all on the map.”

“Your company is already on the map. I imagine Project Cyborg will just make it ruler of it.”

“Wouldn't that be something,” Carl said wistfully. “But hey, we didn't come here to chat about business! Let's order something.”

After they ate, they walked down the city streets and talked some more. They sat on a bench on Main Street and stopped talking briefly. Carl put his hands behind his head in a relaxed position and stretched out.

“'S beautiful, isn't it?” he said.

“What?” Vic asked.

“The city. A jewel among jewels.” He gestured to the late morning scene unfolding around them. “Parents are taking their children school, exchanging `hellos' and `good mornings'. The sun is shining. Birds are singing.”

Vic chuckled. “You're certainly taking in the scenery.”

“I sound stupid, I know. But I'm always cooped up in my little office…I like the quiet, but sometimes I just enjoy…the outside. Where there's life.”

“I think I know what you mean. It gets a little lonely in the lab sometimes.”

“I would think the opposite for you.”

“Huh?”

“I was talking to Gus the other day…it appears you and Sarah are getting quite cozy.”

Vic felt his face flush. “Uh…well…yeah, I guess…you could say that.”

“Ahh…to be in love…”

“Are you married?”

Carl hesitated. “No.” Vic wasn't sure why, but he found this response peculiar.

“Never?”

“No, I'm still waiting for Mrs. Right.”

“Oh.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Vic was beginning to wish he hadn't inquired about his friend's martial status. A brown-haired man walked over.

“Mr. Leever?” he asked tentatively.

“Kyle!” Carl stood up and had Kyle and Vic shake hands. “Kyle Henderson, Victor Stone. Victor Stone, Kyle Henderson.”

“It's a pleasure,” Vic said.

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Stone,” Kyle said warmly. “Carl's told me all about you; you're the genius behind Project Cyborg.”

“One of many, actually. Group project.”

“Ah. I'm the manager at Leever, Inc.”

“Lead techie at Jump City Science and Technical Facilities.”

“Wow.”

“So,” Carl cut in. “What brings you here, Kyle?”

“Oh, I just saw you guys, and I thought, `Hey, I should say hi!' And I…” He trailed off and looked past them.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it's just...I've seen that woman somewhere before, is all.” Carl and Vic followed his gaze to a woman standing across the street, writing on a notepad. Vic recognized her immediately.

“You mean Rae?” he asked.

“Is that her name?”

“Yeah,” Vic said. “You've seen her somewhere before.”

“I think I saw her in a deli or something. She's…pretty.”

Vic laughed. He was still mad at Rae, and he thought it would be a little fun to mess with her. “You wanna meet her?”

Kyle blushed a bit. “You know her?”

“We're friends…though we weren't on the best terms last time we saw each other. But yeah, you could meet her. HEY RAE!” he yelled.

Across the street, Rae's head snapped up at her name. She saw Vic standing with two other men, one young with brown hair, and the other somewhat older with gray-streaked black hair. Vic was gesturing for her to come over. Rae shrugged and walked across the street to meet them.

“'Sup, Rae?” Vic greeted her.

“Not much,” she replied dully. She was still somewhat angry with Vic, and wasn't in the mood for friendly conversation; she had a report to work on.

“I just saw you, so I thought I should introduce you to Carl Leever, the guy I'm working on with that project. Carl, this is Rae Roth.” Carl took Rae's hand and shook it.

”Nice to meet you, Miss Roth,” Carl said. “Didn't you write that article on Project Cyborg? That explains why it was so well-researched, I suppose.”

“Thanks,” she said. The other man stepped forward and shook her hand.

“Hi. I'm Kyle Henderson, one of Carl's managers. Have we...met?”

She paused, thinking. “No, I don't think so.”

“I think I saw you in a deli once.”

”Small world.” Rae let go of his hand quickly. Her empathic powers were acting up. She was getting the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. She pretended to check her watch. “It's been nice meeting you, but I have to go. Really urgent appointment I can't be late for.” With one last wave, she bolted. Vic stared at her, and Kyle looked somewhat disappointed. Carl gave him a pat on the back.

“S'okay, Kyle m'boy. I don't think she's your type.” Kyle mumbled something about getting back to the office and left. “Poor guy.”

“Weird,” Vic murmured. “She's not usually like that.”

“Well, maybe she really did have an appointment.”

Vic snorted. “Yeah, and I'm Jiminy Cricket.”

“Speaking of which, I'd better get back to the office. Was nice having breakfast with you, Vic.”

“Yeah, you too, Carl. Seeya.”

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“So,” said Terry, chewing on his bagel. “Now that we're pretty sure that this Angela Roth character is Raven's mom, what do we do next?” He and Karen were in her car, driving down the highway.

“We need to go to Gotham.”

“That's what we appear to be doing. I mean, what do we do when we get there? We're basically at a dead end.”

“We need to find out what happened to Angela. If we find that out, we're one step closer figuring out Rae.”

“Yeah, but—Ooh! Turn up the radio! Good song!”

You see it started way back in NYC

When I stole my first rhyme from the MIC

Had a west end avenue at 63

Was a beginning of a leap year

February `96

With a guitar picked up in the mix

I committed to the licks like a nickel bag of tricks

Well look at me now

Look at me now

Look at me now, now, now, now

Terry started to wiggle his whole body to the music—Karen just stared—and sang along with the chorus.

I'm just a curbside prophet

With my hand in my pocket

And I'm waiting for my rocket to come

I'm just a curbside prophet

With my hand in my pocket

And I'm waiting for my rocket ya'll

Karen turned down the radio. “No more coffee for you. Ever.”

“You're such a party-pooper,” he grumbled. Karen glared at him.

“Back to the topic at hand, please.”

“How are we supposed to find anything about Angela?”

“Police records.”

“Couldn't we just do that at home from one of your illegal sources?”

“They are not illegal!”

“OK, OK…your illegitimate sources.”

“Terry, do you want to get to the bottom of this or not?” Karen yelled, taking the Gotham City exit.

“Alright, alright! I give! But really, why actually go to Gotham?”

“I figured maybe we could get an interview with one of the detectives on the case or something.”

“Yeah, and two college kids asking about a twenty year old case wouldn't be suspicious at all,” Terry said sarcastically.

“I know some people who could get us good information…let's just leave it at that.”

“Wow! Questionable sources, inside police connections, good looks—Karen, you have, dare I say it, all the makings of the world's greatest journalist!”

Karen whacked him upside the hand. “Though I am slightly flattered, you deserved that.”

“But it was so worth it.”

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Boss entered the Archive.

It was a gigantic mass of file cabinets, containing information on everyone and everything worth knowing about in Gotham and Jump. It was in Boss's possession, but he had not created it. In the relatively short time he had been in power, he had filled a very miniscule fraction of the Archive—it was truly something that had been amassed over generations, ever since the two cities had came into existence.

Gotham was far older a city that Jump, and its Archive had started long ago. It started small and with few details, but grew larger over time. Crime bosses and super-villains of all sorts had contributed to it: Zucco, the Joker, Two-Face, Penguin and many others. Then Jump City came, bringing its own crime, and its own Archive. It included entries from rather notorious criminals, particularly centering upon the works of Brother Blood and Slade.

Within the last generation of crime before Boss had taken control, the crime syndicates of Gotham City and Jump City merged—so did their respective Archives. There was no more Gotham Archive or Jump Archive, there was the Archive. It was a crime library—rather historical, really.

But what made the Archive truly useful to the current crime syndicate were the endless dossiers on those who would oppose it: Batman had a very extensive profile, due to his history of foiling Gotham's lowliest scum. Boss walked past the Caped Crusader's cabinet, looking for another profile.

“T…” he muttered. “T…T…T!” He stopped by the “T” cabinets. He traced a line up the drawers with his finger, searching for the correct one. He stopped on “Te”, and opened it. He blew the dust off of all of the files, and leafed through them patiently, finally locating the correct tab: “Teen Titans”.

Boss removed the thick file and closed the cabinet. He then silently strode back to his office, turned on the desk light, and opened the file. It had several different folders in it; five of them were particularly fat. He removed the one marked “Raven” and looked at the main page. There was a photo at the top of a hooded teenager, and another somewhat blurry shot of the same teenager un-hooded.

Name: Raven (last name unknown)

Alias: Raven

Age: 18?

Gender: F

DOB: Feb. 5 (year unknown)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blue

Height: 5' 3”

Occupation: Vigilante

Affiliation: Teen Titans

Known Residences: Azarath, Jump City

Martial Status: Single

Genetics: Half-demon, half-human

Powers/Weapons/Skills: Telekinesis, empathy, teleportation, limited telepathy and clairvoyance, limited healing abilities, flight (Mx: 30 mph), extensive knowledge of magic and sorcery, semi-proficient in martial arts (jujitsu).

Known Weaknesses: Inability to completely control telekinesis while under emotional duress, physical ineptitude, lack of social skills, temper.

Parentage: Angela Roth (aka Arella), Trigon.

Major Enemies: Trigon, Brother Blood, Slade.

Other Notes: Joined Teen Titans in 2002, whereabouts currently unknown

Last Major Activity: October, 2005

Boss looked at the last item on the list. He smiled bitterly and crossed it out, writing in something new.

Last Major Activity: November 2, 2015

Boss left Raven's folder out and got out another one, this one marked “Robin”. On the main page there was a picture of a masked teenager with a cape.

Name: Unknown

Alias: Robin

Age: 18?

Gender: M

DOB: Unknown

Eyes: Unknown

Hair: Black

Height: 5' 5”

Occupation: Vigilante

Affiliation: Teen Titans

Known Residences: Gotham City, Jump City

Martial Status: Dating

Genetics: Human

Powers/Weapons/Skills: Proficiency with grappling hook, bo staff, a number of computer programs and technologies, a number of martial arts (boxing, judo, jujitsu, karate); excellent strategist, good leadership skills, proficient with interrogation techniques.

Known Weaknesses: Extreme guilt and temper can easily cloud judgment.

Parentage: Unknown

Major Enemies: Slade, Brother Blood, Trigon.

Other Notes: Leader of Teen Titans, formed the team in 2002, current whereabouts unknown

Last Major Activity: December, 2005

Boss was just about to update Robin's profile when Sherman burst in. Boss was irritated to be disturbed.

“Is it important?” he asked gruffly.

“Very, sir,” Sherman said. “One of our operatives has discovered Raven's name.”

“Well? What are you waiting for, a written invitation? What is it?”

“Rae Roth. I did a search. `Rae' is short for `Raven'.”

“You'd think the girl would at least try to keep herself inconspicuous,” Boss chuckled.

“So…should I send word to the rest of them? To take her down?”

“Not right now…I'm sure I could come up with something much more…practical. I fear, Sherman, that Miss Roth is going to suffer a terrible accident.”

“Oh…should I work on her `accident'?”

“Like I said, not right now. I have to update a few papers.” He smiled—this time genuinely—and crossed out the first item on Raven's main page, writing in something new.

Name: Raven Roth

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Karen and Terry were very disappointed.

Karen's inside connection with the police had fallen flat, they had gotten thrown out of the police station, and they had no more information than when they had last found anything new. They were sitting on a Gotham City bench, eating hot dogs in bitter silence. They hadn't gotten anywhere.

“…What now?” Karen finally asked. Terry just sat. He didn't know what now. He wished he did. So he did what he always did when he didn't know something: he just sat and waited for something to come to him. Not the most efficient method, but he had nothing else he could do.

Terry let his eyes wander over to the flower shop. A woman was coming out of it, and the light bulb inside Terry's head went on. He knew her!

“STAR!” he yelled. The redhead turned to him and waved. “Come on over!” She walked over and sat with them. Terry quickly introduced Karen to her.

“What are you doing in Gotham?” Star asked.

“Well, we were coming to get some information…about Rae.”

Star cocked an eyebrow. “Why are you looking for information about Rae? And why are you looking in Gotham?!”

“Well…” Terry began. He and Karen related their entire predicament to Star: How strange Rae had been acting, how she had lied to them or John, how they knew so little about her—they also showed Star the information that they had found, including Angela Roth's case.

“Is she really related to Rae?” Karen asked hopefully. “You would know, right? You're like a sister to her.”

Star paused. “Listen to me. I find it admirable that you are concerned about Rae…even if your methods are...a bit invasive.” Karen and Terry sank a little in their seats. “And I don't blame you for wanting to know more. Rae has always been a rather secretive person. But…that is often the way it is meant to stay. And thought I know much of the information you wish to acquire, I cannot give it to you. I know things about Rae that she has shared with me willingly, and I'm not at liberty to discuss them behind her back.”

“Oh…” Terry muttered.

“If you need to know this desperately, my advice is that you ask Rae yourselves. Whether she will comply…I cannot say. Good day to you.” Star got up and made her way down the street.

Terry paused. “Ya know…she's right.”

“I guess,” Karen said. There was a pregnant pause.

“We should head back to Jump.”

“Yeah.”

“Can we listen to the radio?”

“Absolutely not.”

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Blowfish: OK, OK, I know. Filler chapter. Little plot development. But I hope you liked it anyway.

Reviews…my anti-drug.