Teen Titans: Card Tricks

[Harlequin]

Card Tricks



Okay, well, this is my very first post here. So hello everyone! :anime:
I'll be putting up my very first fanfic here, too, and feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Oh, and this takes place a few years later. The Titans are all 17 and 18. The whole ordeal with Terra is over, but Slade is back! -random music-

Anyways, here's the layout (so far):

i. Prologue
ii. Chapter 1: A Wet Stranger
iii. Chapter 2: Hot Chocolate and Spills
iv. Chapter 3: Information Stalled
v. Chapter 4: BOOM...?
vi. Chapter 5: Yes, Sir
vii. Chapter 6: Reunited (coming soon!)

[Harlequin]

The Teen Titans were a group of teenage superheroes. Their goal in life was to get rid of all the evil in their home of Jump City; then they upgraded and decided to get rid of the evil in the whole world. It was definitely not an easy task. Each of the five had their own wants, there own powers, and their own problems.

The first was Beast Boy. He was an odd kid, for sure, with his green skin, green hair, green eyes, pointy ears, and that one fang that always stuck out of his mouth. Having just turned seventeen, he was the youngest of the Titans and he always felt he didn’t fit in. When he joined up with them, he realized that age and size didn’t matter, it was character that was important. And boy, did he have character.

Next there was Cyborg. As his name indicated, he was indeed part robot. It wasn’t his choice though-he had been in an accident when he was younger and came out alive, but half metal. Now, at seventeen, he has learned to accept that he won’t ever be the same. He used to fear that people wouldn’t accept him, but after spending time with his friends he learned that appearances weren’t everything. he loved to have a good time and tell a few jokes, but when it came to things that only humans could do, he was very sensitive.

Then there was Raven. She was the moody, silent, short-tempered, seventeen year old girl from the world of Azirath. Her father was Trigon, an inter-dimensional demon bent on ruling the world. He almost succeeded, using his daughter as a portal to earth, and if it wasn’t for the Titans everyone would be stone. She has learned to open up and let some of her emotions out, but she still doesn’t let her friends in completely. She was afraid that they wouldn’t like her.
There was also Starfire, the overly friendly alien form the planet of Tamaran. She had flaming red hair, bright green eyes, and orange skin; definitely other-worldly. She loved to have a good time and loved her friends even more, but she seemed to be developing a strong emotion for Robin other than friendship. Also at seventeen, she definitely had a lot of things on her mind. On top of fighting villains, she also had to deal with the whole new concept of love…

Last but not least was Robin. He was the leader, the chief, the head honcho… but he hand't always been. After his parents died, he was taken in by a very famous superhero from Gothem City-Batman. After a few years, he decided to drop the sidekick act and go solo. He travelled to Jump City to start over, but he changed his mind about being on his own when he met Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. At first he thought he had feelings for Starfire, but unfortunately he realized too late that he did not, seeing as Starfire thought he did. Now he didn't know what to do, since Starfire very obviously liked him. Almost eighteen, Robin probably has the most problems out of his group. Along with his ongoing issues with Slade- his archnemesis-he also had girl troubles and random obsessions. He didn'tknow that opportunity would come knocking at his door soon enough…only it'd come with consequences.

[Harlequin]

First ever chapter. I'm so proud of myself. Anyway, read it if you like and comment! :anime:

Chapter 1: A Wet Stranger


That particular night, all the Titans were at home, in their huge T-shaped tower. All were doing their own thing; Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a very loud and somewhat annoying video game, Starfire was hopping up and down and gleefully cheering them on, and Raven had her hood up and was meditating in a secluded and slightly quieter corner of the room. Robin was sitting on the floor, leaned against a chair. He had headphones over his ear and was deeply engrossed in the newspaper that was resting in his lap, hoping to find some sort of clue to Slade’s whereabouts or plans.

About halfway across the city, a lone figure stood on a rooftop, staring in the general direction of the sea. Every few seconds or so there would be a brilliant flash that lit up the clouds, the buildings, and the water. Soon after that there would be a tremendous crash that shook windowpanes. Despite all this, and the torrential downpour, the thing did not move. Only after five more flashes and six more crashes did it start forward, swiftly and silently running across roofs and dodging the occasional chimney. A good few minutes later, it was by the shore, staring at the bright silhouette of Titans Tower.

Inside said tower, the fun continued. Robin decided that just this once he would forget about Slade-or, at least, he would try to. I mean, come on… he dedicated his whole life to tracking down the villain. But he would still try.

Starfire, seeing the change in her friend, immediately ran over to sit beside him. She was soon ranting about something or other from Tamaran. Robin managed a small nod once every few minutes to make it look like he was listening. He was, in fact, ignoring every word, as his mind was set on Slade. Hey, he was trying his best. When Starfire finished talking (thank God) she hugged him-much to his surprise-and went back to cheering on Cyborg and Beast Boy. Just as Robin was about to sink back into uninterrupted thought, the doorbell rang. Not that anyone noticed over the din of the game and the voices. Raven had opened one eye and was looking back from the door to the group.

“Isn’t someone going to get that?” she asked. Nobody heard her. “I said, isn’t someone going to get that?” she asked again, raising her voice. There was still no answer. Fed up, she stood and walked over to the console, and without warning, she pulled the plug.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” yelled Beast Boy angrily.

“Aw man, and I was just about to beat you, too!” groaned Cyborg.

“Was not!” retorted Beast Boy.

“Was too!” exclaimed Cyborg.

“Both of you, just shut it!” shouted Robin, getting up and taking off his headphones. The bell continued to ring.

“I shall answer it,” said Starfire, flying off through the hall and down the stairs, towards the door.

As soon as she landed in front of the door and opened it, she squealed in fright and pressed the button to close it again, then slammed her back against it.
The other Titans came running to see what was wrong.

“What is it, Star?” questioned Robin, stepping sideways to look past her at the door. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at the girl.

“T-there is something out there,” she stuttered, moving away from the metal entryway and closer to Robin.

“Well, obviously there is. Something had to ring the doorbell,” reasoned Cyborg.

“But… it was wearing some sort of black cloak, and its face was covered, and it was all hunched over… and it scared me!” she told them, rubbing her hands together nervously.


“Okay, the- hang on, hang on. You said you couldn’t see its face. How do you know it’s a ‘he’?” inquired Robin suspiciously.

Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy looked at Starfire expectantly. They too wanted to know how she knew. Starfire shrugged, moving ever closer to Robin. Robin, noticing this, moved away.

“I just assumed… can a girl be that scary? I have never seen a girl that scary. Only a boy,” she stated logically. Well, somewhat logically.

Beast Boy cast a side-long glance at Raven and smirked. Raven stepped on his foot in response, which brought about a squeak of pain on his part.
The ringing continued, and when nobody answered, knocking ensued and a voice came drifting from outside.

“Please!” it shouted. “Let me in!”

It was so muffled that it was impossible to tell if it belonged to a male or a female. Robin seemed to have gotten an idea, because he motioned for everyone to be quiet and reached his hand out to the button that would release the door.

“No, Robin!” yelled Starfire hysterically, obviously not getting the message. She grabbed his arm with one hand. Robin used his whole weight to pull himself away from her grasp, but she was too strong. It took him a good five minutes to get her to let go. The ringing persisted.

“Star, I know what I’m doing!” he hissed, very annoyed.

She let out a huffy breath and went to stand with the other Titans with her arms crossed and nose in the air. After a few seconds, Robin slammed his hand into the button, causing the door to swish open and the figure-which was just leaning against the door-to fall to the ground inside the tower. The door closed with a rush of air. As the thing attempted to get up, the Titans leader quickly looped one arm around its chest and roughly pulled it up into a standing position.

“I have no idea who or why someone would come to our tower at night, in the middle of a thunderstorm. Either you’re a deranged villain or a deranged fangirl. Or fanboy. Anyway, let’s see who you are…” muttered Robin loudly.

With a swift albeit dramatic motion, Robin ripped the cloak off and threw it to the floor. His jaw dropped-along with everyone else’s- and he stared at the newly revealed identity.

It was a very angry-looking, very wet, very obvious girl.

[Atoragon]

They show Teen Titans in Poland, eh?

Well, a very good, well written and all around interesting beginning. I don't see any major problems with this as of yet. Keep up the good work.:D

[Harlequin]

Yeah, they did.. it's gone now. And I've been to Canada lots of times, so I've caught it there.
And thanks for the comments! :cool:

[Atoragon]

And thanks for the comments! :cool:

Just doin' what I can.

[Harlequin]

Well.. here's chapter 2. It took me a while, but only cause I couldn't find either the motivation or inspiration to actually write it. :shrug: Well, it's here, so rejoice! Ahem, I mean, just read it..
Oh, and comments are luurved! :anime:
Chapter 2: Hot Chocolate and Spills


“You… you’re a girl?” asked Robin, bewildered.

“What did you expect? A monkey?” she asked him viciously, trying to pull away. Robin’s grip was too tight, so she was forced to stand there, quite annoyed. Being trapped was not something she enjoyed.

“Well, no. I thought you might be a guy, but I see I was wrong.”

“Well then, since I’m obviously not, would you mind letting me go? Or at least, would you mind moving your hand a bit?” She indicated Robin’s arm, which was still uncomfortably around her chest.

Robin immediately released her and looked down to hide the red in his face. Cyborg and Beast Boy both snickered, but stopped after receiving a freakish-looking glare from Raven. Starfire had a mix of anger and amusement on her face.

Now that the girl was no longer wearing her cloak, the Titans had a chance to look at her more closely. Starting from the top, her hair was black and reached a bit pat her shoulders. Part of it was tied into two pigtails, while the rest hung straight down. She was wearing some sort of black buckled top, with chain around her waist, shoulders, and arms. Her eyes were hidden with a mask that looked exactly like Robin’s. Around her neck was some sort of metal collar. Her skirt was also black, with what looked like netting coming from the edges. It was held up with a chain belt. She was wearing stockings, too. The left one was half solid red and half red with black spades. The right one was half black with red hearts and half black with red stripes (or red with black stripes, whichever works for you). She was wearing black ballet-style flats to finish off the look.

But the thing that interested Robin the most was the symbol on her cheek. It was of a red heart and diamond, and a black club and spade. He didn’t ask, though. First he wanted to know who she was.

Dripping water and shivering, the girl spoke up again. “C-could I have a t-t-towel? I’m f-freezing cold,” she asked, rubbing her arms for warmth.

Robin stared at his feet for a few more seconds then turned on his heel and stalked off towards his room. She looked after him curiously, but the other Titans paid no mind. Starfire sped off towards the bathroom and came back a few seconds later.

“Here you are!” she exclaimed, handing the cloth item to the girl. She dried herself off as best she could. Starfire watched her with a tilted head, eyes wide with wonder. The thought of a new friend excited her. “Please, how did you get here, where did you come from, what is your favourite colour, and do you wish to be my friend?” With every word, the alien stepped closer until she was right up in the other’s face. The new girl, slightly afraid, took a step back and tripped over Beast Boy’s foot, falling to the ground.

“Uh… w-walked over the roofs, somewhere f-far away, b-blue, and… uh… oh-oh-okay?” she stuttered, using her hands to push herself up off the floor and back into a standing position. She quickly adjusted and brushed off her skirt. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep herself warm.

“Dude, you want some hot chocolate or somethin’? You look a bit cold,” observed Cyborg.

“S-sure,” mumbled the girl, still shivering. Cy nodded and walked to the kitchen, accompanied by Starfire. Both quickly got to work on preparing the warm drink. Beast Boy took it upon himself to lead the girl to the couch and sit her down.

“My name’s Beast Boy!” he said randomly after making sure she was comfortable. “You like video games?” he asked with a grin. Since Cy was busy cooking (ha) BB wanted have someone to keep him company… and hopefully someone to beat, for once.

“Video games? Are those like video programs?” she asked, confused. Beast Boy’s jaw dropped.

“You don’t know what video games are? Are you from Earth?”

She flushed and looked at her feet, then nodded. “I don’t get out much. I’m not really allow-” but she cut herself off quickly, clearing her throat. “I don’t get out much. So what are these video games?”

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow, but decided to not pursue the subject. “They’re basically games… on a screen. Here, let me show you!” He ran over to the console and switched it on, and the TV lit up with the bright colours of the game title screen. He grabbed a controller for himself and handed one to her. “Time for a crash course in video gaming one-oh-one, BB style! See, this button is for jumping…this is for attacking…this is for a somersault…” He quickly went through all the different functions, and the girl nodded.

“I get it. It’s sort of like a virtual world, right?”

“Exactly! Now let’s play! Don’t get discouraged if you lose. It’s only natural for a beginner,” he stated matter-of-factly. She just nodded again and looked back at the screen. Both chose their characters and the fight began. After a few hits, she had lost. “BOO-YAH!” yelled Beast Boy. He had actually won!

“You beat her, BB? Wow! I didn’t think that would be possible,” commented Cyborg from his place at the counter. Starfire giggled and added some chocolate mix to the mug that was waiting for the hot water.

“Yeah, I- hey!” he exclaimed, giving Cyborg an evil yet very comical look. Cyborg replied with a chuckle.

“You realize that that game is a pointless waste of time, right? You could be reading, or writing, or doing something else that’s at least a tiny bit productive,” sneered Raven from her secluded spot in the darkened corner of the room.

“Oh, I realize,” said Beast Boy absent-mindedly. He was still focused on beating the pulp out of the girl’s character.

“Great. As long as you realize,” muttered Raven sarcastically, rolling her eyes and putting her hood up again. She stopped half-way and put it back down, then turned to look at the girl with the controller. “How about you tell us who you are and why you’re here?”

“I was waiting for the other boy to get back,” she told the girl clad in blue, gesturing towards Robin’s closed door with one hand. Starfire looked towards it.

“I wonder what our leader could be up to? Is he perhaps taking up the meditation?” she wondered aloud.

“Naw, he’s probably just holed up searching for some sign of Slade or somethin’,” said Cyborg.

As if on cue, Robin’s door slid open and he stepped through it. It made a soft whooshing sound as it closed behind him. Just then, the kettle began to boil over and both Star and Cy rushed for it, resulting in the two crashing into each other and falling to the floor. Star managed to get up first and grab it, the pour the hot contents into the cup. Cy stood up, dazed, and walked into Robin’s path just as he was walking by. Both tripped and fell. By this time, the other Titans plus the new girl were staring at the collision area. Everyone started laughing, except for said girl. As Robin stood up, the laughter quieted somewhat, but it got louder when the four saw their leader grinning. He brushed himself off and grabbed the blanket he had been trailing behind him off the floor. He threw it at the new girl, who caught it in midair and wrapped it around her shoulders. After Cy had picked himself up, both he and Starfire walked to the couch, and Star gave the girl the hot chocolate. She accepted it gratefully and took a sip, after which she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. All eyes were on her.

[Harlequin]

Cipher, I just realized you posted a minute before I posted chapter 2. Cool.
But now I'm disappionted.. 103 views and only one person commented!!!
Please, please, PLEASE leave comments! Please?

[Atoragon]

More greatness, but 1 ting is bothering me. the new girl hasnt stated her name. usually, that the first thing robin or star asks after star's usual friend question. but u are the writer and i am shutting up now

[Harlequin]

Yeah, I know she hasn't. :anime:
I sort of did it on purpose, because I was building up on how she's a complete stranger, and how she doesn't know who they are..

I see how it's sort of strange that they didn't ask who she was, but it's revealed in the next chapter. Thanks for the comment again. :cool:

[Atoragon]

I see it as my duty to leave comments because I have way too much freetime. Also, this is sort of a low traffic forum (cept me :anime: ) so I wouldn't expect loads of replies.

[Harlequin]

Well, this was fun to write. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Information Stalled


“Well, to start off, I guess I should introduce myself, shouldn’t I?” asked the girl quietly. The Titans had just realized what a soft voice she had; now that it was quiet, they could hear an almost enchanting melody to it. She continued. “I am known as Harlequin.”

“I’m Beast Boy! But I already told you that. Nice to meet you!” he half-yelled, grinning again.

“Raven,” muttered the girl in the hood. Apparently she wasn’t up for revealing anything else at the time.

“I am Starfire of Tamaran!” exclaimed the bubbly teen, joyfully embracing the girl in an (almost) bone-crushing hug. The girl stayed quiet for some reason. She didn’t seem to talk much. Starfire let go and placed herself cross-legged on the floor.

“Name’s Cyborg! Man, kudos on making it here through that storm. I don’t think anyone has wanted to see us that badly before!” he said, holding up his hand for a high-five. The girl raised an eyebrow. “Er.. high five?” asked Cy. She had no idea what he meant.

“What’s a high five?” she asked.

“It’s like this,” he explained, demonstrating with Beast Boy. The girl’s eyes lit up behind her mask.

“Oh, I see!” she told him, then high fived him. He grinned, but her face remained expressionless.

Robin cleared his throat, and the girl turned to face him. “My name is Robin. I’m the leader of the Teen Titans. Why did you come all this way, Harlequin?”

Harlequin chewed her lip thoughtfully. “So you’re Robin?” she asked very quietly. Her voice was just above a whisper, and her eyes remained focused on Robin’s mask.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m Robin, why?” he inquired, slightly confused as to what she was implying.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” she mumbled quickly. She paused for a moment. “You wanted to know why I came here, right?”

From the group came a chorus of affirmatives, and Harlequin nodded. “I’m going to make a guess here and say you know who Slade is. Am I right?”

Suddenly Robin jumped up from his spot next to her on the couch and stood in front of her, looking down. “Did you say Slade? This has something to do with Slade? Talk!” he shouted.

“Okay, well something big is going down. Very big. Slade has a new apprentice. He’s using him or her to infiltrate the city’s security precautions-the big stuff. Like, connections to other cities. He starting small though,” she said in the same soft tone.

“Well, don’t stall! What is it? What is he planning?” asked Robin hurriedly. The other Titans had no intentions of cutting in; they knew very well what would happen if they interrupted their leader’s conversation with the only person that could provide information on his arch nemesis.

The girl looked up at him blankly. Her face was devoid of emotion. “I can’t tell you,” she said simply.

“What?” yelled Robin angrily. “You mean to tell me you came this whole way, in a raging storm, in total darkness, to come tell us that you have something to tell us that you can’t tell us?”

Harlequin thought for a moment, closing her eyes. She opened them again and nodded slowly. “That about sums it up, yes.”

“What? I… you… what… arg!” Robin leaned down so that his hands were on either side of her, and their faces were about an inch away from each other. “Why?” he hissed.

“Because I don’t know if I can trust you,” she hissed back. Robin backed away at the change in her tone. The other Titans looked at her curiously. Who was she? They understood, though. For the most part. You can’t just trust anyone, and Beast Boy knew it the most. He had immediately remembered Terra, but put the thought from his mind. That was the past. No use going back.

“Think you’ll trust us by tomorrow?” the leader asked tightly.

“Maybe,” she mused, looking at her feet. “Is there any chance I can sleep here?” she asked quietly.

“Of course!” yelled a voice. This time it was not Robin’s; it was Starfire’s. “Of course you may! Correct, friends?” The others smiled and nodded, save for Robin and Raven. Raven simply nodded, but Robin stood rigid, unmoving, not making a sound. He stared down at Harlequin’s masked eyes, and she stared right back. Neither made the slightest motion.

“I’m going to bed,” muttered Raven, breaking the silence. Beast Boy shrugged.

“Me too, I guess,” he mumbled, stifling a yawn. He walked over to Raven’s side.

“Ditto,” said Cy, shuffling over to join them.

“Yes, I shall go to bed as well,” Starfire announced, leading the small group to the hall. They went to their respective rooms. Robin and Harlequin remained staring at each other. Finally, Robin shifted his weight and looked towards his room. He started in that direction, still not making a sound. After turning off the light on his way, he was aware of a faint yet distinguishable whisper.

“Good night,” came the soft voice of Harlequin, almost floating to his ears. He shook it off and walked into his room, leaving the girl alone in the dark.

[Harlequin]

Yep. This was fun to write. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: BOOM…?


Despite the ever-raging storm outside, the Titans and Harlequin had managed to fall asleep quickly. Before the latter had, though, she changed into a different set of clothes: a pair of white pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. The couch was her bed, and although it wasn’t exactly comfortable, she drifted off as soon as she lay down.

A few hours later, she was jerked awake by some strange noises. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, listening intently. Whoever or whatever it was seemed to be looking for something. She heard drawers open and papers being shuffled. Then she heard it retreat silently into the hallway. Her first reaction was to get up and follow it, but she was a stranger here and it wasn’t her business. After she heard the footsteps die away, she got up slowly. The only light source was the moon outside, because sometime during the night the storm had cut the power. There was a faint beeping sound coming from the mainframe, no doubt from the auxiliary generator.

Slinking through the room just as silently as the mysterious thing, she stepped into the just-as-dark hallway. She made her way over to the first door she saw. She peeked at the name tag, but all she could distinguish was an ‘o’. Harlequin knocked on the metal gently, making a soft clanging sound with each contact. Nobody answered. She knocked harder. Still nobody answered. She reverted to pounding on the door with her fist, but there was still no sign of life. She sighed and was about to give up when the door slid open with that whooshing sound.

There stood Robin, yawning, in his black pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. He stared at Harlequin for a few seconds to make sure she wasn’t just some sort of hallucination brought on by lack of sleep.

“Are you crazy? Do you know what time it is?” he hissed, finally coming to the conclusion that she was, indeed, real.

“No and no. How can I tell what time it is when there’s no power?” she replied, in her usual soft tone. “I came to tell you that there’s someone in here that shouldn’t be.”

“Look, if you’re talking about yourself, can it wait until tomorrow? I’m missing my sleep time,” he whispered with another yawn. He turned around to go back into his room when Harlequin grabbed his arm. A jolt of electricity shot through him at her touch, and he immediately spun around to look at her. “What-“

Harlequin put her finger to her lips and pulled him out gently, pointing down the hall. A very dull light was flickering and there were shuffling noises coming from that direction. Robin looked in astonishment. Who could have possibly got into the tower?

“Mind if I come with you to see who it is?” she asked, letting go of his arm and watching him.

“Huh? Oh… I suppose so,” mumbled Robin. Now he put a finger to his lips and started creeping down the hallway barefooted. Harlequin crept after him, also barefooted. There feet stuck to the cold floor at times and they couldn’t help but shiver. When they made it to the end of the hall, Harlequin dropped to her knees and peered around the corner. Robin stood over her and looked around the corner as well. All they could see was a figure sneaking towards a set of stairs.

Robin leaned down close to Harlequin’s ear. “On my signal,” he whispered. She nodded. Just as the figure reached the first step, Robin hissed, “Now!” and they both ran after the intruder. The intruder, startled, dropped his flashlight (which went out instantly) and took off down the stairs. Both teens pursued the culprit. He kept turning corners and jumping up stairs, and down stairs, but they kept right behind him. Robin had the blueprints of the tower memorized, so he could tell where the dead ends and corners were. Harlequin kept up, running next to him and concentrated on the person they were chasing. Her eyes never left its back.

After a good few minutes of running, Robin’s lip curled into a half smirk and he stopped in a doorway that the culprit ran through. Harlequin stopped right behind him, peering over his shoulder.

“Is it a dead end?” she asked.

“Pretty much. It’s the boiler room, and there’s no way out but this door. Too bad for him,” he told her, crossing his arms. The thing turned around to face them. The only thing that stood out was the mask.

Harlequin blanched. She stared, and suddenly her composure left her. “S-S-Slade…” she whispered, pointing to the robot. “Slade’s robot!”

“Hey, are you alright?” asked Robin. He mistakenly turned to look at her, and the robot spotted its chance. He dove straight at the two and managed to knock Harlequin to the ground and pin her down. Robin was literally two seconds away from pulling him off when the robot flew into the wall opposite them. Harlequin stood up, face flushed and hair falling into her face. She assumed a karate stance. Robin followed suit and they both focused on the robot. It picked itself up and ran towards them, but both did a front flip and finished it off with a flying kick, sending the robot into the wall again. They landed side by side, with matching looks of determination on their faces.

“You’ll wish that you were never assembled,” muttered Harlequin, narrowing her eyes beneath the mask. Robin nodded in agreement.

“You got that right,” he said angrily. The robot pulled a chain whip from somewhere behind him. Harlequin saw it right away and backed away. Her face had fear etched into every feature. She was shaking slightly. Robin didn’t seem to notice. He stood up and pulled his bo-staff out, but the robot quickly snapped it in half by wrapping the chain around it and pulling down forcefully. Harlequin took a deep breath, and while the robot was preoccupied with Robin, she pulled something out of her shirt and threw it at the metal man. It lodged into its chest and it fell backwards with a clang. Robin didn’t acknowledge her victory and walked over to the fallen henchman. Harlequin opened the door, ready to leave.

“Wait!” he said loudly. “Where are you going?”

“Back to sleep. I’d rather not stay here, if it’s okay with you,” she mumbled.

“No, it’s not. If you bothered to come in the first place, you’ll stay till I finish,” he told her stiffly. Her shoulders sagged and she walked over and kneeled next to him.

“Yes, sir,” she said quietly. This surprised Robin very much. He looked at Harlequin, who was focused on the robot.

/Why on earth did she call me sir?/ he wondered. /I think she was actually serious…/ “Well, anyway,” he said aloud, “let’s see what’s behind the mask.” Harlequin nodded obediently. Robin reached out and as soon as he made contact with the cold material, the door slammed closed behind them. Both teens’ head snapped to look at it. Robin shook it off and ripped the mask off.

Nothing.

A black screen. /What the hell does Slade think he accomplished with this?/ he thought. /This thing was a pushover! Was he planning on scaring us with the door? Ha./ Robin closed his eyes, smirking and shaking his head. Suddenly he felt that same shock pulse through his body, and he felt a hand around his upper arm.

“Robin!” whispered Harlequin frantically, pointing to the screen. “Look!” Robin was jerked back into reality. On the screen had appeared a bright red number 15. “It’s a bomb!” she hissed fearfully.

“Let’s go!” yelled Robin, forgetting about searching for clues. He grabbed her hand and ran with her to the door. He tugged at the handle, but the door stayed closed. /How…/ he thought.

/What? That door was just open!/ thought Harlequin. /Wasn’t it…?/

“Help me, Harlequin!” he shouted. She put her hands over his and tugged at the handle with him. Robin felt another shock. /What is that? … Well, that’s not important now!/ “Pull! Pull harder!” he shouted, louder than before.

“Can’t you break it down?” she half-asked, half-screamed.

“It’s reinforced steel! It’s impossible!” he grunted, pulling the handle again. She furrowed her brows in concentration. She looked back, seeing 7 seconds on the counter. She quickly pulled Robin’s hands off, much to his anger. “What the hell are you doing?” he yelled at her.

“Trust me!” she answered. She moved in front of him and grabbed his hands, putting them around the handle again but not letting them go. Now she was basically in his arms, but they had more leverage since they were both pulling in the same direction. “Now pull!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” They both tugged as hard as they could, but nothing happened. Robin cast a glance at the counter. 3 seconds left. There was no way they were getting out of there. Without thinking, Robin pressed his body against Harlequin’s, pushing both of them into the wall.

/What…?/ she asked herself mentally. “What are you doing?” she asked quickly.

“Just brace yourself. There’s going to be a hell of a boom,” he answered just as fast. She obeyed and closed her eyes tight, ready for the impact. They waited. 2 seconds. 1 second… nothing.

“Was-wasn’t there supposed to be a boom?” she asked timidly, keeping her eyes closed. Robin opened his mouth but his words were drowned out by the humongous explosion that ensued. A wave of heat spread over them, knocking them off their feet, followed by flying bits of everything. Pipes, metal, shelves-everything in the boiler room flew at them.

They lost consciousness before they hit the ground.

[Atoragon]

Everything go BOOM *evil Stitch cackle*

More greatness. Very suspenseful to say the least. I would say more, but I'm sick as hell and it feels like someone hit me in the side of the head with a shovel.

[Harlequin]

Aww.. poor you..

Shovels and sickness don't mix. :sad: And I'm glad you like the suspense.

I'm finishing up the next chapter. I don't think it's going to be as suspenseful, but it's going to be good. I hope! :anime:

[Harlequin]

Wow.. I like this chapter. A lot. I hope you guys do too! :anime:



Chapter 5: Yes, Sir


The boiler room looked like it had been the site of a full-blown war. Pieces of metal, wood, cement, glass and other materials were scatted over the ground like shrapnel. Near the far wall lay the remains of Slade’s robot. It had served its purpose after all.

At the other end, in front of the metal door, lay two motionless bodies. One was the limp figure of the Boy Wonder, Robin. Underneath him was the unmoving stature of Harlequin. Three hours had passed since they had passed out, making it 04:25. Somehow in the confusion, their masks had fallen off and currently lay discarded about a meter away from them. Their legs had gotten tangled together, and Robin’s hands had ended up wrapped around her waist from behind, and her hands were locked onto his.

After a few more minutes, the girl stirred slightly. A soft moan came from deep in her throat. Her legs contracted slightly, but they could only move a little bit, as Robin was pinning her down with his weight and they were tangled with his. She groaned inwardly and laid her head on the ground, which was quite uncomfortable as it was covered in shattered glass. She closed her eyes again, not realizing that her mask was not on her face.

After a few minutes, Robin suddenly tightened his grip on Harlequin’s waist. She gasped for breath as he didn’t let go. She squirmed under him to try and break free, but she wasn’t getting enough air to move under his weight. With as much strength as she could muster, Harlequin elbowed Robin in the stomach roughly and he jerked into consciousness, though his arms were still around her.

“Wha?” he mumbled groggily, blinking a few times.

“Let…” she gasped, “let go…”

“Oh!” he exclaimed, moving his arms. She sucked in a deep breath and then coughed a few times after inhaling some dust. She struggled against him and managed to flip her body so that she was looking up at him instead of at the floor.

And then it happened. His icy blue eyes stared down into hers and her icy blue eyes gazed up into his. Neither said a word. They were lost in each other. They reached for their respective masks at the same time and their hands brushed against each other. This time the shock went through them both, and they quickly took the masks and put them on. They looked back at each other and they registered the awkwardness of the situation.

“Sir?” asked Harlequin very softly.

“Y-yes?” he stuttered. Why was she calling him sir? He shifted his weight slightly and focused on her again.

“Could you get off me?”

Without a word, Robin jumped up and held his hand out to her. She took his hand and helped herself up. She moved her hand up to rub her head, but pulled it away when she felt something moist. Her fingers were a deep red colour. She was bleeding. Just as she was about to say something to Robin about it, she caught sight of something on his face. There was a huge gash on his forehead, reaching from the bridge of his nose to his hairline. At the same time, Robin noticed the huge diagonal cut across Harlequin’s face that reached from the right side of her forehead, across one eye, over her nose, and to her jaw. Luckily it was very shallow. Both pointed at each other.

“You’re bleeding,” stated Harlequin quietly.

“So are you,” responded Robin.

Before Harlequin could say anything else, the support beams of the room started to vibrate slightly. They both noticed it, and retreated to the door. Both grabbed the handle and tugged as hard as they could. They flew back, realizing too late that the door was unlocked.

“Wasn’t this locked yesterday?” asked Robin quietly.

“I… I think it was…” answered Harlequin. She was confused now. Who locked the door and unlocked it again?

The room shuddered violently and the two ran out, scared it would collapse. Robin started off through the winding corridors again. They stayed quiet for some time, too embarrassed to speak to each other. They took the same path as before, only Harlequin was able to take in more since they weren’t running. It all looked quite normal; plain walls, an occasional door. Nothing out of the ordinary. When they made it back to that one familiar hallway (finally) Robin took her to his room.

“You need to take care of that cut,” he told her, walking through the door and stepping over to the window.

“You do too, sir. Yours is much worse then mine,” she said meekly, looking at his back. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

“Yeah. Hang on, let me go get it,” he muttered. When he left the room again, she sat down on his bed and looked around.

/I don’t know why I’m still here… I don’t belong… I shouldn’t be here…/ she thought, biting her lip and looking down. /I don’t want to be here./

Robin came back in with a white suitcase. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” he observed with a smirk when he saw her on his bed. She jumped off right away.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax! I was just joking around. You can sit if you want.” /What is with her? Can’t she take a joke?/ “Actually, you need to sit. I’m not going to clean that cut while you’re standing.”

“Oh… um, alright…” she mumbled, sitting down again. He gave her a small smile which she didn’t return and placed the suitcase next to her. He proceeded to pull out some cloth and antiseptic. After pouring a good amount of antiseptic on the cloth, he brought it close to her face.

“Uhh… you’re going to have to take off your mask,” he said awkwardly. He knew that revealing your identity was not something one was willing to do. Harlequin quickly did so, but kept here eyes closed. /Wow, she obeys everything I say. I wonder why…/ “This might hurt a bit,” he stated. Then he pressed the wet material against her cut, expecting a wince or a flinch or some sort of showing of pain.

Harlequin didn’t move. She didn’t seem to feel the sting that the liquid usually brought. Robin finished cleaning it quickly, and when he removed the cloth, she put her mask back on. “Um… thank you,” she uttered quietly. “Do… do you want me to clean yours too?”

“Ah, sure, why not,” he said, sitting down on the bed next to her. She stood and took out another cloth and a roll of bandages. The first she doused with the antiseptic, and the second she put in Robin’s lap. She started cleaning the gash on Robin’s head, and he flinched. /Ow… I don’t know how she didn’t feel it…/ When she finished, she grabbed the bandages, and much to his dismay, wrapped them around his head to cover the wound. “Is this really necessary?” he asked.

“Only if you don’t want to get it infected. And that would hurt much more then the antiseptic,” she said softly. He sighed. When she finished, he looked over to his alarm. It said it was 05:34. No point in going back to bed. Harlequin put the antiseptic and threw the used cloth into the trash. With one last glance at Robin, she left the room.

/Where the hell is she going now?/ Robin got up and followed her, tons of different thoughts running through his head. /Did I day something wrong?/ He walked to the communications room, where he saw Harlequin gathering her things off the couch. He stood in the doorway and watched as she walked past him to the bathroom. He followed and leaned against the door when she disappeared inside. “Going somewhere?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Home,” came the answer through the door.

“What? Why?” he questioned, straightening up. /Why does she want to leave?/

“To put it simply, I’m needed elsewhere. I don’t belong here anyway,” she mumbled, coming out in her regular clothes plus the black cloak. She turned on her heel and started towards the exit. Robin ran over and fell in step with her.

“What makes you think you don’t belong here?”

“A few things.”

“Like what?”

“Why did you let me stay here? Tell me the truth.”

“What? I-”

“Because you wanted to get info on Slade.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No buts. You were planning on using me, I know it.”

By the time, the other Titans had walked out of their rooms and were rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They saw Robin and Harlequin walking along and followed them quietly at a reasonable distance, listening to every word.

Robin was flustered. “I wasn’t going to use you!”

“Yes you were,” said Harlequin. “That was the only reason you let me stay. I told you I had info on his plans and you got angry when I told you I had to be able to trust you first. When I said that I might trust you today, you let me sleep here. End of story.”

They had reached the door to outside. The Titans stopped a bit away, still watching them. Harlequin reached out to press the button next to the door, but stopped her hand about an inch away from it. She looked down at her feet.

“Goodbye, sir,” she said softly. Before anyone could do or say anything, she hit the door release and ran through, putting her hood up. The door closed.

She was gone.

[Atoragon]

Ahh, the awkwardness. How cute... yet I thought Robin was with Star, not Harlequin, but, seeing as you are the author, you can change the relations all you want. I dunno how I came up with this though:shrug: . If this isnt true, just ignore me. Something tells me the story is no where near complete and we shall see the return of Harlequin.

[RavensDragon]

Not bad!