Disclaimer: I don’t own the rock statue named Terra, The boy wonder Robin, The jokester Beast boy, or any of the other Titans. In fact, I don’t even own the show; except for the idea of an illicit relationship between birdbrain and the earthmover.

Summery: In the Last Chapter, we learned of the sad past of Raven- the darkest and most haunted individual in the Titan’s Tower. Single handedly, Robin has managed to keep the dark Raven quiet about his clandestine dealings with Terra by using his own position of power. But who could have predicted such a vile move by such a person whom we all previously knew to be honorable and morally right? What has the public seen that is so dissimilar to the real Robin? Who in fact IS the real Robin? Here, in yet another sinister chapter, as the curtains draw from the stage, we see the second in command, Cyborg, going about his daily activities. But as second in command, he too is a threat to Robin…

((Chapter 3))
“Pertinacious Ears”

“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.”

-William Ernest Henley-
“Invictus”

He had heard them many times, late in the night- their moans and gasps the obvious result of explicit interaction. The screech of a climax, only audible to his ears alone. The grunt of a deep thrust; only perceived by him. Stifled shrieks and muffled giggles filled the silent night air, carrying down the hall. For so many nights, he unintentionally listened to their sounds and movements. Again and again, he heard her try desperately not to scream….

Yet somehow- each fortnight as he worked late in his workshop, hammering away at the T-car or fixing other damaged machinery, he kept his mouth shut. Not one word escaped his lips- even as he struggled within to keep silent. Against his better judgment, he knew it would be too risky for him to even think of mentioning the nightly dealings he over-heard.

Often enough, this certain cybernetic Titan could hear their murmured words of affection, filled with warmth and tenderness. After the sympathy of their bodies clashing together, the moans would cease and be replaced by these loving whispers.

“God I love you…”

“No…you shouldn’t…”

“Shhh…. But I do…”

He could shut his eyes.
He could plug his nose.
He could resist the urge to touch.
He could cease to taste.

But how, oh God, how, could he stop the noises he heard echoing within his mind which haunted him? How could he close his ears fully, when the sounds traveled beyond them?

Regularly, the wrench he worked with tightening brackets fell from his grasp, he fumbled with his hammer and drill, and dropped screws and nails. It was impossible to work, as his one human eye blurred, and his circuitry within his chest over heated. Like a panicked bird flying against the walls of a golden cage, he tried urgently to escape to another area in which he was unable to hear them. But no matter where he went, their voices carried.

It tormented him; knowing the truth. Keeping their secrets and defending their lies. He was, by default, helping them cover up their own infidelity. And to what cause? To what purpose was this secrecy? So they could continue to fuck through the night and hide it from their respectful partners?

StarFire should have known.
Beast Boy should have been told the truth.

But how could he tell his friends that their leader was not the person he used to be? Robin had changed. He had seen the slow deterioration of his friend, right in front of his eyes, yet he could not do anything. Somehow, his heart had blackened.

Robin used to be the kind of person who lived for helping others. In fact, he thrived upon doing good deeds. When others were in danger- when people’s lives were at stake, he shined. That was his life. Even when Slade became an obsession, it was only because Robin was concerned for the well being of Jump City. A mad man was on the loose, and Robin wasn’t the type of person to sleep or sit around when action could be taken.

So what indeed, had happened? What catalyst, what fire or flame, had burned this fearless leader’s heart into ash, sucking out the caring and kindness that gave it life? What claw of pure malevolence had squeezed out what made Robin so humane? Compassion that was once there was gone. Empathy… Concern….Love… Understanding…. Where had it all gone?

Gone were those mornings of happiness, of soy egg and sausage fights, of StarFire’s Tarmanian dishes that made your throat gag, and smiles that shined from the faces around the breakfast table. The sun rose, bodies emerged from their rooms, yet the bliss that once accompanied them was left behind. Tussled hair along with lengthy yawns encircled the table; and pleasant talk was only present before and after the masked leader left the table.

Robin had gained a stony and distant demeanor about him, which he brought into a room automatically when he entered. Skin prickled and hair stood on end when the now always serious organizer stepped into a space. His coldness rivaled that of Raven…

And where was Raven now? That dark mysterious sorceress that said so little yet knew so much, seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the earth. No one had seen her emerge from her room for weeks, and worry had set in.

The empath knew about Robin and Terra’s nightly dealings. Her eyes bore the same guilt Cyborg’s did, shamefully keeping the other Titan’s secrets. It was eating her up inside. Slowly, ever so slowly, he could tell how tired she was, how broken down in spirit. The knowledge that she had obtained was too much. It haunted her. Their screams woke her. Her mind was so sensitive, she saw it all. The images of those immoral moments replayed in her brain over and over, like a broken tape. She saw each and every single second they spent together in her dreams, almost as if she was there herself. It was only a matter of time before she cracked.

Inwardly, he knew that one day their iniquity, their sin, and their lust, would drive him to the verge of collapse as well. But when? Was he to just wait until that day, when in the middle of the night, he heard their gasps and moans, and couldn’t take it anymore? Would time drag by until that faithful date?

In some sick way, he wished he could make that day come sooner. Just so that when he did break, the relief would come.

And it did. Like a breath of fresh air for congested and struggling lungs….Like the prick of a needle for the sick and dying….relief came…

---

The moon’s carved crescent hung in the air above the tower that night, almost as if it were dangling from an invisible thread. And with it, high in the sky, thin translucent clouds floated next to it, accompanying it on its nightly journey through the heavens. Darkness had enveloped the land, bringing with it those unspeakable nocturnal acts that the majority of the inhabitants of the Titan’s tower had become accustomed to. So horribly accustomed to, that they began to become a routine…

In the shadowy and gloomy den of the enchantress Raven, the clock chimed twelve. Midnight- the hour of peccadillo. The sorceress pulled her covers tighter over her head as she dragged her body farther into her bed, trying desperately to muffle the sounds she knew she would soon hear. Her eyelids clamped tightly shut, and her breath came only in labored rasps, as she struggled to fixate her mind upon anything but them…

Farther down the dim hall, the gray door of a certain masked leader opened soundlessly, as its owner stepped out. A thin smirk adorned his lips as he walked down the corridor, in search of his nighttime partner. Once more, he sought out her…

And within the desert-decorated room of the new recruit, a strikingly aggravated female attempted to pry herself from her lovers green arms. The soft firefly lights hanging from the ceiling illuminated the pair, lying on the earthmover’s bed. Snores; hoarse and rough in nature, emitted from the changeling’s mouth as he slept soundly, his body intertwined around Terra’s. When she finally managed to untangle herself and carefully step out of the room, the clock above a painted cactus read 12:13. She hoped fearfully, that she would not be late…

Sparks sprayed from a drill as Cyborg tightened the final bolts on his T-car, the revisions and repairs at last complete. Carefully, he began to put away his tools and gear, carrying the various hammers, wrenches, drills, and other equipment across his workshop. Yet another night of late work had passed. Hopefully, sleep would come.

But what he had not anticipated, or expected in the least, came as a complete surprise to this titan as he made his way down the passage to his room. A yawn escaped his lips as he wiped the fatigue from his eyes. His world had become increasingly blurry… However, whatever weariness he had within him evaporated instantly as he turned the corner in the hall, and came face to face with the monstrosity he had only heard during previous late nights.

His eyes caught glimpses of naked limbs intertwining, roaming hands touching, and tongues thrashing. Within seconds, he saw so much more than he ever wanted. Was this all I dream? He questioned himself frantically. He hoped….he prayed….that everything he saw was simply an illusion.

But illusions don’t press one another against a wall and thrust their bodies together in such a way that your half-digested food threatens to rise up your throat. Illusions don’t moan as loudly, they don’t leave dark red marks on pale skin, and they don’t make you wish you were blind.

Labored breaths escaped busy lips in between kisses, and in the dead night-air filled the quiet hallway with their song. Like brittle leaves slowly falling from autumn trees, the sounds of clothes rustling and hands caressing seemed to float above the pair, gliding. Somewhere, beyond all of this, Cyborg could hear the Tower’s generator humming soundly and snores escaping StarFire’s bedroom. Such normalcy graced those lengthy moments he stood stunned, alone in the darkness.

Something was caught in his throat. He could feel it, that choking motion that his human half did automatically. Tears from his left eye stung his face as they streamed down, the pain from his throat’s convulsions flowing throughout his flesh. Saliva and spit rushed up from his esophagus, as his lungs burned and struggled to obtain air. At that very moment, he knew it was too late to flee. Soon, his own body would give him away.

It came out as a strenuous gasp for oxygen. When suffocation seemed imminent, he was forced to listen to his own body’s cries. The hush that had once crowded the space around him was broken, and when it was, two surprised faces looked over to where he was standing.

He fell to his knees. As if he were a great tower a flame, he collapsed to the floor from sheer weakness. Sobs, heavy and deep emitted from his lips, as he tried to formulate words; “God….Why…? Why…” Was all he could say, over and over.

A shuffle was heard next to the shattered shell of the Titan Cyborg, who could not, for the life of him, lift his head. Blue eyes looked upon him with pity from behind their owners black and white mask. Carefully, Robin reached behind the broken Titan’s back, and opened a latch he knew well.

“Cyborg.” He called, coldness present within his voice. “How long have you known?”

“It seems like forever,” his strained voice answered. From behind him, in the darkness the earth mage stood motionless and hushed.

“Do you want it all to go away? Is that right…? Do want the blissful ignorance you once had?” As he spoke, Robin typed in various numbers and keys, the codes to the memory banks of his once-close friend. The cybernetic Titan could feel and hear all of this, but failed to respond. Paralytic shock seemed to have him within its clutches, preventing him from reacting.

“I’d take that as a yes Robin.” Terra’s voice rang in, equally as icy and emotionless as her counterpart. She walked up next to the bent over Cyborg, composed in such a manner that it seemed as if an execution was taking place. An execution she was enjoying far too much…

It was at that moment, as his vision became blurry and his senses began to fail him, that Cyborg knew Raven had been right about the earthmover Terra all along. She had known what was beneath the pretty exterior, that false façade of goodness and purity. How had Terra fooled them all? That fake veneer, which she had painted for them, had seemed to be very real, so long ago. She laughed at Beast Boy’s jokes at all the right times. Her smiles appeared so genuine. And when the team was together, she fit perfectly.

Raven had warned all of the Titans, but they had been too naive to listen. “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” she whispered into Cyborg’s ear not to long ago. Her deep words rang in his ears, as he closed his eyes in despair. If only her cautionary advice had been followed. Corruption could have been avoided.

Cyborg could see Terra with a smirk upon her face, as she stood in front of him. But this smile was different from all of the others, it showed what Terra really was full of inside; malevolence, sin, and wickedness. “Goodbye Cyborg…” She laughed as she waved. “Time to sleep…” The only words he could gather together as his power cells shut down slipped out before he succumbed to the darkness, “Raven…help…”

In the blackest of the night, a red light faded, and with it, went the hope that goodness within the Tower would one day prevail. A shattered friendship lay in pieces at the feet of the Titan’s leader, as he stared down at his friends incapacitated body, and did nothing. Beside him his lover stood, quite yet jovial. She could not hide her sickening smile, or the sparkle within her eyes. Not even the shadows could.

Once this Tower had been a happy place, full of camaraderie and closeness, each member of the team linked by inseparable bonds. Once this place rang with laughter, mirth, and bliss. But not anymore. Robin looked down at his hands, those foreign limbs which moments ago had betrayed him. He could not understand how all of this had happened, or how he had brought himself to be so untrue to his friend. But he questioned all of this for only seconds, before turning away.

“It’s done. Raven and Cyborg have been dealt with.” Was all he would say, before he walked off and left Terra alone. When his footsteps faded away, and she was certain he had closed his door and gone to bed, the earthmover pulled out an orange and black communicator, and dialed a number she had memorized. Several moments passed, before a deep and strikingly familiar voice answered.

“Is it completed?”

“Yes, Robin knows Cyborg’s access codes, and had no problem erasing his memory and shutting him down. Raven’s status with the intergalactic police and warrant for her arrest for the destruction of Azarath easily kept her quite as well. Robin’s slowly gaining more and more power over his team.”

“Excellent. Soon enough we will commence with the second part of the plan, but not before I receive clear evidence from you that he will be ready…”

“I understand.”

“Continue as we discussed. Until then.”

Terra turned off her communicator, and turned abruptly down the hall, away from the motionless titan on the floor. Her mind was a jumble of mixed thoughts, plots and schemes formulating quickly as she scampered back to the sleeping Beast Boy. But what she did not notice, as she hurried away, was present within the darkness, a beam of red light, emitting from a single left eye.

---

Author’s Note: So Fan Fiction has been acting really stupid lately. In Fact- the dimwitted machine isn’t letting me post, login, or do anything else. It keeps saying “error” over and over…and I’m getting really perturbed. If you don’t see any updates beyond this that is why.

Also- I’d like to note that my newest story “Oceania” has twice as many reviews as this one, and it has fewer chapters. How in the world is that possible? How can a single chapter story have dominion over this, my favorite project so far?

I implore you to please Review…my work and effort upon this project should speak for itself. I have endeavored and labored for you- the readers- to bring you quality work that is void of grammatical mistakes, over used plots, cheesy romances, and flat/static characterizations.

REVIEW.

-See you in the Ninth Circle of Hell,
BitterSweetArtist14