Hey! This is my first Teen Titans story, so I hope you like it! I'm going to try to update once a week, most likely each Sunday, and maybe more often if bloody school doesn't get in the way, so stay tuned for more! Oh, yes, I don't own the Teen Titans, etc. etc. etc., although the central figure in this story is of my own creation. Enjoy!

DEBTS NO HONEST MAN CAN PAY

Chapter 1: The Thin Man

The T-Car screeched down the road, the driver behind the wheel was moving the vehicle like a man possessed.

"Careful, Cyborg! We want to be able to arrive in one piece!" yelled Robin, aware of the three Titans in the backseat looking remarkably perturbed at the driver's speed.

"Sorry, man. It's been a while since we went out on a mission, I just feel so... energized!" replied Cyborg, a massive grin spreading across his face. "When I heard that alarm sound, I just thought, 'Great! Finally, some action!'"

"I understand. But if you crash, none of us will see some action." Chastised the Boy Wonder, wagging a finger like a disappointed parent.

"I'm not gonna--" began Cyborg, only to be cut off moments later by the horn of a Semi truck. Screaming, he swiftly turned the wheel to the right, dodging a head-on collision with the truck by seconds. Cyborg chuckled nervous afterwards, more than aware of the four glares now aimed at his head by his team mates.

"Sorry..." he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I'll be careful..."

The car continued on into the night before finally arriving at its destination. The Namashimi Complex was one of the tallest buildings in all of Jump City, and was home to many organizations tied to the massive Namashimi Corporation of Japan. The Complex contained several restaurants, a gym, many offices, and most importantly, one of the largest Research and Development laboratories on the continent. Without question Robin knew that it was the lab that had been hit by an attack.

The car pulled up to the police barricade slowly and stopped. The five heroes emerged from the car and made their way towards the barricade.

"Lieutenant! The Teen Titans have arrived!" a cop spoke into his personal radio upon seeing the group wandering toward him in their distinctive dress. Within seconds, a police officer made his way towards the Titans, shaking their hands.

"I'm Lieutenant Frost. I'm the one that sent out the alarm." He pointed to the Boy Wonder. "I take it you're the leader?"

Robin nodded.

"We got a call about 45 minutes ago of a mysterious figure on the roof of the Complex. A squad car arrived about five minutes after that, and immediately requested a SWAT team. Our boys were in there for only about twenty minutes before we realized we were out gunned. This guy... he's like nothing I've ever seen before, personally."

"How so?" asked Beast Boy. "Is he like a big vampire octopus? Or maybe he's some kinda deer-man hybrid, with a drill on his arm?"

"Maybe it's some kind of creature that's capable of being quiet for more than two seconds, or actually has something intelligent to say?" quipped Raven, unimpressed with Beast Boy's speculations. Beast Boy frowned and stuck his tongue out at her at the remark. The Lieutenant paused, raising an eyebrow, and then continued.

"He's like a living shadow, or something. One minute he's here, the next he's gone. We can't even get near him, let alone touch him. He's way out of our league. We figured you guys would be a lot better equipped to handle him."

"A living shadow? How do you mean?" asked Robin.

"He disappears. Like, he teleports from room to room, he moves through the walls and furniture. To make things worse, he can knock us down without using his hands. Even more disturbing, one of the SWAT officers pulled his gun on him, and he threw a ball of fire at him."

"It sounds as if this villain is a magician. Friend Raven here is capable of the very same acts," explained Starfire, gesturing towards the ashen girl beside her.

Suddenly, the front doors to the building opened, and a dozen police officers ran screaming into the street.

"That voice! That horrible voice! Where did it come from?" groaned a cop.

"This looks like a magic user, alright." mumbled Raven. Cyborg nodded, then punched a fist into his hand.

"Why are we standing around and talking about it? What are we waiting for? Let's do this!" Cyborg bellowed.

Robin pointed theatrically, almost as if he'd been waiting for a cue. "Titans! Go!" He shouted, and they ran into the building.

The lobby was dark, with a few lights flickering ominously.

"Spoooooky," mumbled Beast Boy, wiggling his fingers in dramatic fashion.

"Can you sense him, Raven?" asked Robin. The girl in the dark cloak focused for a second.

"I... can... but... I can't get an exact location on his position. He's using magic to disorient his body signal."

"FiGuREd ThAT oUt On yoUR OwN dId yoU?" came an eerie voice in the darkness. The Titans stood very still upon hearing the sound, and scanned the room for any signs of life, finding nothing.

"COME ON OUT! SHOW YOURSELF!" demanded Cyborg, readying his sonic cannon. Raven and Starfire levitated, and Beast Boy turned into a jaguar while Robin drew his boomerangs. The group was loaded for bear and ready for anything. Except what happened next.

There was an eerie laugh, and suddenly Starfire and Raven collided and fell to the ground with a groan. A large light fixture dropped on Cyborg's head.

"OW! What gives?" yelled the bionic teen before the light fixture hit him again on the head, and then again, causing him to collapse. The fixture landed harmlessly next to his prone body.

Beast Boy leapt into the darkness, growling, only to be tossed across the room, slamming against a wall. Whimpering, he struggled back to his feet. Robin tossed some boomerangs, only to find them flying directly back at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him.

"I... sh-should have... seen that coming..." mumbled Robin. The Titans slowly began to get to their feet, bloody, but unbowed.

"LEt mE GeT WhaT i WAnt AnD I wiLL lEaVe yOu AlOnE!" bellowed the voice in the dark.

Raven's eyes glowed a particular shade of red.

"Enough of this nonsense..." she muttered before silently repeating her mantra--Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. As she spoke the words, a black aura was generated which shot into the darkness. The spell took effect quickly, and within moments the lights flickered on, illuminating the room, and standing before our heroes stood a tall, thin figure in a black cloak and a dark stovepipe hat. His features gaunt and pale, he stared in amazement at the Titans, and particularly at Raven, with violet eyes.

"Remarkable..." he muttered. "I can see fear tactics will not work on you. No matter. There are other means."

Robin pointed again. "TITANS! G--!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" remarked Cyborg, aiming his sonic cannon and firing at the thin man as he spoke. With a wave of his hand, the man deflected the blast into a wall.

"Try to keep him off balance! Flank him!" ordered Robin, and the Titans reacted. Starfire flew over the thin man's head, tossing starbolts. Raven used telekinesis to toss the same light fixture he had hit Cyborg with moments before at him. The resident changling became a rhino and charged directly at the cloaked figure, with Cyborg on his back readying another sonic blast. The Boy Wonder drew his bostaff and attempted to get behind him in the confusion.

A moment of panic flickered across the thin man's face briefly before disappearing completely. Using a telekinetic shield, he protected himself from Starfire's blasts. He collapsed the floor beneath Beast Boy and Cyborg, sending them plummeting down. He tossed the light fixture back at Raven, and as she began to use her own telekinesis to grab the fixture, he ripped a section of the wall to Raven's left out and blindsided her with it, sending her flying. Conjuring fireballs, he turned around and began tossing them in Robin's direction, forcing him to dodge quickly. Using telekinesis, the thin man used Robin's own bostaff to trip him, knocking him to the ground. The staff then flew into the sky, nailing Starfire in the stomach and sending her crashing into the same pit as Cyborg and Beast Boy. The thin man stepped forward and stood over Robin, unamused. He brushed a bit of his long, black hair out of his face and sighed.

"I am only going to say this once more. Let me get what I want, and I will leave you alone." He gazed into Robin's grimacing face, wincing in pain. The thin man's features did not change. "Well?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Surrender now, and we'll make this easy," came a voice behind the man in the tall hat. Surprised, he turned to see four angry Titans, ready for another round. Starfire's eyes glowed a menacing green, accompanied perfectly by a large green condor to her right, carrying an incredibly displeased Cyborg, sonic cannon prepared. Behind them, darkness had enveloped a desk, a telephone, a potted plant, and a large section of the wall, causing them all to levitate above an incredibly angry Raven.

The thin man held his emotions in check up until the last moment, when a leg behind him swept his own legs out from under him, causing him to topple to the floor. A look of extreme surprise overwhelmed his face as he dropped to the ground with a thud.

"I do not have time for this!" he screamed, and with a bright blue flash, he was gone.

"What the-- c'mon!" said Cyborg as Beast Boy placed him on the ground.

"He's still in the building. I can sense him." Raven revealed.

"Split up, search the floors." ordered Robin, who moved towards the nearest door.

"WHAT! This place has like a bajillion floor and a skajillion rooms! He could be ANYWHERE!" the green figure complained.

"I don't care. We'll find him. He's still looking for something. He's still in the building."

Beast Boy sighed. "Oooooookay," he droned, before turning into a bloodhound and sniffing his way towards an elevator.

Raven stood perfectly still, pondering silently.

"Friend Raven, why are you not searching? Is something perched upon your mind?" asked Starfire, appearing suddenly beside her.

"Oh, it's nothing, Starfire. I'm just curious as to what a magician of this man's power would be doing... in an office building."

"He's looking for something in the Research and Development lab. That's what Robin told me. Now come on, we have 'a bajillion' floors to cover, remember?" explained Cyborg, making his way past the two girls and into an elevator.

"See! That is a good answer, yes? Now let us search! I shall start on floor number bajillion!" chirped Starfire, making her way into Cyborg's elevator.

"Uhhh... I'll explain something to you later, Star. Raven, are you coming?" Cyborg held the door for her.

"I'm going to investigate on my own. You guys go on ahead," she declared, and moments later the doors shut and Raven was alone. "Something about this just doesn't make sense... And I'm going to figure out what it is." With that, she made a black portal open up above her, and she floated away into the darkness to begin her search.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be coming ASAP! And please, feel free to review. Thanks for reading!