Chapter 1
"Thank you for giving me these 'jellied beans,' Robin." Starfire remarked sweetly as she and Robin made their way back to the Tower. "I quite enjoyed the... screaming death-trap? Is that how Raven spoke of it?"
"It's was a carnival Star, but I'm glad you had fun." Robin responded with a smile.
A low chanting interrupted their thoughts as both Titans looked up to see Raven meditating on the roof.
"Perhaps Raven wishes to partake of my jellied beans?" Star instantly flew up to the roof, clutching the bag of jelly beans to her chest. She landed silently, walked up behind Raven, while Raven hovered a few feet off the ground and chanted quietly to herself.
"Hello friend! Perhaps you with to indulge in sugary goodness with me?"
"No." Raven responded in a flat voice, not even bothering to open her eyes.
"Perhaps you may wish to volley the ball with me?"
"No." Raven said once a again, a slight edge of annoyance beginning to creep into her words.
"Perhaps..."
"Starfire, I am mediating. In order to do that I need total silence."
Visibly hurt, Star shut her mouth and turned to leave. A second later, Robin's voice broke the silence.
"Titans! Trouble!"
With an annoyed look, Raven settled to her feet and headed to the door. Starfire held up her bag of jelly beans.
"What am I to do with these?"
"No time, get rid of them." Raven said with a dismissive gesture, not bothering to turn around.
After a moment, Star let the bag fall to the roof. She stood, looking at them sadly for a moment, before hurrying to catch up to Raven.
Before she got two steps, however, a large mechanical orb appeared, hovering inches above Star.
"Starfire, we don't have time..."Raven began, turning around at the sound of Star's scream, only to see Star, now unconscious, being picked up by a giant metal tentacle that had shot out of the opening orb.
"Star!" Raven ran toward her, grabbing her friend by the arm, seconds before the metal tentacle would have pulled her inside the main body of the machine.
"Starfire!" Raven yelled, yanking her friend's arm futilely. A second tentacle whipped out of the belly of the machine, struck Raven over the head, and pulled them into it's belly.
OOOOO
Robin paced anxiously in front of the view screen, surveyed by a wary Cyborg and Beast Boy.
"Where are they?" He asked for what had to be the tenth time in the last minute or so.
"Dude, if we knew, we'd have told you already." Beast Boy responded warily.
"Raven! Star! Get down here now!" Robin barked into the communication device once again.
"Man, I don't think that's helping." Cyborg told him, taking the device from him. "Maybe they can't come."
"Quite right." The view screen behind them crackled to life, Slade's masked face in the center. "I'm afraid they can't hear Robin, they're a bit... tied up at the moment."
Robin's heart stuttered to a stop, then froze. Slamming his hands down on the control panel he demanded, "What have you done with them?!"
"Done? Nothing... yet. Do you really think you can save them, Titans? But, I'll be a good sport and give you a fighting chance. Your friends are at the old theater, down by the docks. I'll be waiting. Don't disappoint me."
The screen faded to black. Slamming his hands on the panel once again in frustration, Robin whirled around to face the Cyborg and Beast Boy.
"We're going after them." He told them.
"Then what are we standing around here for?" Cyborg demanded instantly, "Let's go!"
OOOOO
Scant minutes after that, the 'T' Car sped around one curve after another, barely missing the edge of each turn before jolting back onto the road.
"Faster!" Robin demanded, his voice tense. "Slade could have-"
"Man! I know! But I can't go any faster without blowin' my baby apart!"
"Not to mention us!" Beast Boy squeaked from where he huddled in the back seat.
Robin's mouth set in a grim line, nodded once. He understood, even if he didn't like it. His mind was wide with the thought of what could have happened to the girls. He was frantic to get them back safely, and to pound Slade into the dirt for anything he might have done to them. If only this stupid car would go faster!
As Cyborg squealed to stop in front of the old theater, Robin opened the door and launched himself out of the car, hardly waiting for it to stop moving before he leapt. Beast Boy and Cyborg jumped out seconds later and followed him into the deserted theater.
"Spread out!" Robin snapped, too worried to bother being polite. The others obeyed without question, moving to cover Robin's sides, searching every available space for the girls.
Beast Boy shoved aside an old table, uncovering a door to the main part of the theater.
"Robin! Cyborg! Over here!" He whispered, waving them over. He shoved the door open a crack, then a bit more, morphing into a rat to scurry through the crack and open the door for the others.
"Nice job." Robin told him, looking around to survey the room. The sloping floor gave way to the stage. The floor itself was covered with hundreds of seats, split by aisles every twenty chairs or so. Balconies lined the side of the stage, and stairs that obviously led to them were stationed at the back. Up on the stage itself, two dark forms lay collapsed on the floor. Robin squinted, trying to get a better look. At that exact moment, a light switched on, revealing the forms of his friends.
Ignoring the fact that Slade knew they were there, he had to know, Robin ran towards the bodies of his friends. His only thought was to get to them, make sure they were okay...