Author's Note: Please not that I had revised the chapter before this one so it sucks a little less. Some pretty significant changes were made, especially the conversation between Cyborg and Raven, so I'd highly suggest going back and reading it again if you want this one to make a smidge more sense.

There had been a road.

The front tire of his bike spun into a blur, speeding down the concrete, wind stabbing at his skin like a thousand needles. He was chasing something, something bad something fast. He floated, he flew. He was air.

And then, the tire caught.

He couldn't see on what-all he could see was open road-but he caught. Tipping haphazardly forward, jerking to the right, instinctively clutching at both the gas and the break, skidding, lower and lower until he felt his side ripping against the burning pavement. His legs jerked, pushing the bike from under him and the two parted ways, Robin to the left, flipping and tumbling until he was coated by the endless black of the alley.

It was only the sound of the wheels spinning, his panting breaths. His eyes watered behind the mask, his arms quivered when he tried to lift himself, only to fall back (heavily) on his battered torso. He couldn't think. He couldn't remember what he was looking for.

He was not alone.

And then he was in a room.

Breath against his ear, warm and rancid. He could hear the smile, the complete glee in the breath, the voice that followed.

"Long time no see, Robby."

He couldn't scream.

o.O

Starfire landed softly on the pavement, beside the totaled bike and the growing crowd of onlookers, held back only by a roll of counterfeit police tape she knew Bumblebee carried with her. Whispers, paranoid and excited and terrified, washed over her as soon as she landed. She felt chills run up her arms. She could not recall why she had voluntarily left the computer room in favor of the ruins she had already studied seven times before the sun had come up. Perhaps it was the suffocating tension between Raven and Cyborg, butting heads, fighting to take control of a situation neither had a grasp on. She decided it was only fair for Beast Boy to bear the brunt of their anger for the time being. But the thought of them, the two she could constantly rely on to be exactly as they were, was disturbing enough to keep her appropriately irritable.

"Starfire!" she heard Aqualad call from the entrance of the alley. She caught sight of his skin tight diving suit, in clear contrast to the crowd's drab office wear. A final shove sent him stumbling into the open. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"They are searching," she said. "Raven has informed me you've…found something?"

Aqualad shrugged back towards the crowd. "Not me, Jericho."

Starfire raised an eyebrow. "Jericho?"

He nodded. "He was first on the scene. Said there was a trip wire on the two light poles that kind of…propelled the crash towards the alley. And then there's the…here, take a look." He gestured for her to follow him, taking her wrist and guiding her towards the tape.

Jericho was the first thing she saw, partly blocking the hunk of metal from view. He was kneeling over, his short mop of blonde hair jostling in the light breeze. Surrounded by onlookers, he reminded Starfire of the crime scene investigators in those shows Cyborg loved.

As the two approached, Jericho jerked a bit and turned towards them while still in a crouch. Starfire wondered if this was his hyper-sensitive ears at play or the paranoia that usually followed the disappearance of one of their own. Or, perhaps, something different entirely. She never knew with Jericho.

Aqualad waved at what was in front of him as Jericho stood up, backing away to allow Starfire a better view. She stepped forward.

"It's kind of weird," Aqualad added. "From the looks of the bike, you'd think there be blood or something, bits of metal…but there's nothing. Like someone scrubbed everything clean…"

"What is this?" Starfire asked, motioning at the pavement. A square, paper thin and bright with red lettering, stood out on the black pavement. It looked as though it had been unceremoniously tossed beside the bike, splattered with dark red letters. The symbols were unfamiliar to her, not part of any language she knew.

"What?" Aqualad took the card from her and stared.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Oh, no."

A/N I kind of feel like Jericho is way more interesting then the show let on and it was a totally bogus move not mentioning his relation to Slade. So he will be featured prominently. This is more of a challenge to myself, seeing as my characterization relies pretty much solely on dialogue and, um, he's mute.

PS I'm totally regretting posting this story so quick because I literally just typed something up in three seconds and was like, "Hmm, TO FANFICTION!" so I had no idea what it was going to be. Luckily, I've come up with a few key moments in my head that will hopefully get this shit through until a coherent plotline can be created. Which is unlikely. Because 'coherent' is not in my vocabulary. Seriously, I just spelt it wrong, like, five times.

PPS (Or PSS? I could never figure it out.) I know I'm kind of biting more then I can chew, what with all these intersecting relationships, two major villains with complicated histories with the protagonists, the whole Raven/Robin mindfuck thing (not romance or anything, but you know) and some other weird ass pairings I've conceived in my daily attempts at procrastination (summer assignments, you kill me) but I feel like there's no conceivable way I can be Thoroughly Awesome (as is my life goal) without writing up a totally complicated story that works, in it's own special way. So bear with me, dear readers. It will be bumpy and it will be painful.

(This author's note might very well be longer then the chapter…)