Part 1 of 3
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Access:File777/No-Name/Shared-Storage/Open
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RunProgram:Security/Overhaul/Clearance-Level-5
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SearchDatabase:'Secret'/'Hidden'/'Classified'
SCANNING-TITANS-TOWER/'SECRET'/'HIDDEN'/'CLASSIFIED'
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EmergencyShutdown:Code-Red/Killswitch/Information/Wrong-Hands
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Username:Cyborg/DataTester/Titanium/RobotOverlord/Clearance-Level-5
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RunProgram:BEHIND_THE_MASK
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RunProgram:AVIARY
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ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR_ERROR
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Access:File777/No-Name/Shared-Storage/Open
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Open:File777/No-Name/Shared-Storage/Open
File 777
-Kafka
-Asimov
-Dante
-Wells
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Open:FileKafka/777
Kafka
Impulsive. Of all members, most resistant to direct orders. Loyalty to the others, however: unquestioned. Willing to do anything, regardless of personal risk, for the sake of the Team. Recent mission interest suggests an inclination toward solo work.
Power set seems to imply familiarity with change. Paradoxically, may require stability in other areas.
Danger: Moderate.
Containment: Focus on preventing escape. Possible solution: further develop prototype tech, based on constraining collar used by enemies in previous battles. Ideal space would be inescapable, without compromises in the boundary that even a small animal could fit through.
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Open:FileAsimov/777
Open:FileDante/777
Open:FileWells/777
Asimov
Reliable. No barriers to following commands, but seeks to keep the others from abusing their power. Sees himself as responsible for the well-being of the Team. Most qualified candidate in case of executive failure.
Power set based on strength. Understands both human and superhero responsibility/mindset. Knows better than most the dichotomy of choice and misfortune.
Danger: Low.
Containment: Focus on temporary mechanical shutdown. Finding nonfatal approach to disabling robotic systems without damaging hominine physiology is critical.
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Dante
Unpredictable. Exceptionally calm and controlled, nearly always ignoring personal problems in the face of larger goals. Sometimes, though, unable to handle those problems, and extremely dangerous in certain cases.
Power set directly linked to mental state. Strength at the mercy of emotions. Safety and planning at risk of compromise.
Danger: High.
Containment: Focus on neutralizing powers. Simplest solution would be to prevent the words of the chant- not always sufficient. Further preparation needed.
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Wells
Tenacious. Fully understands the limits of her own knowledge- seeks tirelessly to learn. Knows the value of confidence and ambition, and aspires to share a positive attitude with the others. Brighter outlook sorely needed by the Team.
Power set, again, based on emotions. Specific mindsets required to activate abilities. Energy attacks stronger or weaker depending on her own psyche.
Danger: Low.
Containment: Focus on neutralizing movement. Manipulate emotions to prevent combat- only use as a last resort. Alter terrain to render flight useless.
…
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…
The door swung open.
"Rob."
Not… mad, exactly. Or not just mad. Part of him was still thinking logically, trying to determine a reason for it all, while another voice simply denied that anything was wrong.
He wasn't moving forward, steps echoing in the silent room, the voice insisted. There were no papers in his hand, full of printed data. And Robin wasn't sitting at his desk, head framed by the blue light of the computer screen, half-turned like he already knew the question.
And Cyborg wasn't angry. None of that could be happening, his thoughts told him- because if it were, it would mean something was horribly wrong.
But he was shaking, trembling as he walked, barely able to hold on to the documents, and it was all he could do to keep from screaming. "Rob, what is this?"
He slammed the notes onto the desk. Robin's expression remained impassive when he glanced down. "How'd you get it?" he asked quietly.
…Like that was important right now. His first instinct was to demand that he answer the question, channeling the tough-guy-movie-cop interrogator- but that wouldn't work on Robin. So he decided to gloat first.
After all, he'd scored a rare victory over the Boy Wonder.
"I know the Tower's computers, man." Cyborg straightened, crossing his arms. "You really thought a covert program to separate files from the main database wouldn't stick out?" He paused with a grim smile. "So I thought I'd do some diggin'. I mean, what do we got in here that's so important somebody's gotta keep it secret?"
One elbow resting on the computer desk, Robin let his head fall into his hand. "Look, Cyborg, you have to understand-"
"File seven-seven-seven." His eye narrowed. "See, first I thought I was lookin' at a whacked-out report on our mental issues. Like you're gunnin' to play shrink or somethin'- I'll just lie down on the couch an' tell you how my dad never showed up for my T-ball games."
It was strange, almost otherworldly, to see the team leader so uneasy. Robin shook his head, trying to speak quickly. "It's not-"
"I know it's not." Cyborg grabbed the back of the chair, but Robin still didn't look at him. "Cause then I saw the rest."
He'd meant to finish it. Just a few words. But the room was somehow more silent, and he felt like the breath he needed to speak was frozen, suspended in time while the words grew louder in his head.
He blinked. The feeling died.
"Contingency plans."
Robin didn't react, didn't start in surprise or acknowledge the phrase in any way, and that told Cyborg everything he needed to know. "Well?"
Slowly, he reached out and took hold of the papers. "…Yeah," he said in a low voice.
"Yeah? That's it?" Cyborg spread his arms wide. "That's all you're gonna say? Gimme somthin', man! I think I deserve to know why, outta nowhere, you suddenly don't trust your own team!"
He glanced up. "I… trust? It's not about trust at all, it's-"
"Then what is it?"
"I'll tell you." Robin scowled. "Look, this city is getting smarter. More dangerous. There are people out there who will stop at nothing to destroy us."
He was speaking quickly, emphasizing each point with his hands and earnest expression. "They know they can't defeat us on their own- or, they're starting to understand it. So the next logical step is to use our own abilities against us."
Cyborg frowned. It was at once like him and, somehow, completely abnormal. A lecture on the criminal element of Jump, to someone who already knew? Dodging the question?
"Our powers are not invulnerable to compromise, no matter how much we wish they were." Robin's voice rose in volume, and he crumpled the sheet of paper in his fist. "We need to be ready for that. I need to be ready."
The words hung in the air, and nothing but the low hum of the computer sounded out. With a sigh, Robin let the papers fall to the floor. "…You think I'm paranoid."
"Nah." He shook his head. "Well- maybe a little." Not getting a response, Cyborg looked down to the documents. "Just one thing."
His leader nodded. "If it's not about trust…" he hesitated before finishing the question. "Why isn't there one for you?"
A beat of silence passed, but Robin didn't take his eyes off the ground. "Because it already happened," he said quietly. "We have our proof."
"Already…" A memory sprang to life, and Cyborg paused. "Oh."
He let his own gaze fall to the floor, where a detailing of Beast Boy's information was barely legible in the dim light. "Do they know about this?" Nudging the paper, he moved the top form so the other reports were visible.
"No." A look of alarm passed Robin's face, but only for an instant. "Don't- don't tell them."
He breathed in quickly, and Cyborg knew he hadn't meant to say it that way. Like he had something to hide. Nervous. Guilty. Shaking his head, he tried to backtrack. "Yet, I mean."
"Huh." Cyborg glared at his leader, not breaking eye contact. "This whole thing's startin' to remind me of someone. Wears a mask. Hides in the shadows a lot. You might know him."
"I'm not-" Robin stopped, meeting the stare with his own. There was a clear, stark question written in his eyes.
Do I still have your trust?
Speechless. Cyborg wasn't surprised, shocked into a stunned silence- he simply didn't know what to say. He took a deep breath, about to speak-
"Guys?"
Both Titans turned. Raven was standing in the open doorway, unreadable as ever. Her half-closed eyes darted between the two. "…Everything okay?"
She knew. She had to- her powers as an empath probably couldn't tell her exactly what the conversation had covered, but despite Raven's innocent question, Cyborg knew she could tell something was wrong. He glanced back at Robin, then sighed. "Yeah. Fine."
It would take more than this to destroy the faith and respect he had for his leader.
"Good." Raven crossed her arms. "Thought I should let you know the broadcast started. I have it going on the main TV."
She departed quickly. Cyborg followed, not wanting to glimpse Robin's reaction. He deliberately stepped on the papers as he left.
With a step over the threshold, he headed to the operations room.
[]
Crowds were… unsettling.
Starfire didn't hate public appearances, however. She probably enjoyed herself more than, say, Robin or Raven- famously wary of the spotlight- and she certainly didn't mind meeting new people.
In fact, now that she thought about it, crowds weren't really the problem. The Tamaranean language had a term to describe large groups of people, and another to be used when those same multitudes were gathered in a single place, with a single purpose. Scanning the attentive, hungry eyes in front of her, Starfire had the awful feeling that this press conference warranted the second word.
At least it was taking place outside. To be presented with this situation while confined in a building would probably make her more agitated, she thought- here in the park, though, it seemed less oppressive. A folding table had been hurriedly thrown together, along with a scattering of chairs for the media presence, many of whom elected to stand, and the entire setup was situated at the exact angle needed to capture some of downtown's skyscrapers in the background.
"Uh… Miss- er… Starfire?" She snapped out of her thoughts, turning her attention to a worried face at her side. "They're expecting to begin."
Starfire smiled slightly. "He will be here soon," she said, trying to sound confident. "I apologize for the delay."
The man nodded once and quickly moved towards the edge of the stage, but not before giving a meaningful look toward the empty chair beside her. Starfire pretended not to notice, scooting her own chair forward, and rested her hands on the table.
There was something… unnatural about it, she felt. The scene made her shiver- all these people, with the exact same goal, facing the same way and with the same odd expression of impatience and eagerness. And to consider that she herself would be the focus of their questions…
She had asked Raven once what 'fame' meant. Apparently, it described a situation in which people obsessed over your every waking moment and did not leave you alone. Beast Boy had cheerfully interjected that to 'have a stalker' meant the same thing.
A reporter with bright eyes, noticing that she'd moved forward, thrust a microphone near the table. "Starfire! What's it like to-"
Chaos.
As if on cue, a barrage of questions replaced the dull murmur. There had been photos taken when she'd arrived, of course, but now dozens of cameras were blinking, flashing, snapping in a flurry of lights- the sudden cacophony was nearly overwhelming. Blinking quickly, she raised her hands on instinct. "I'm sorry! I did not mean to signal that the conference of press should begin!"
Her voice was drowned out, and the chatter only grew louder. She tried again. "We must wait!"
Perhaps this had not been the best plan.
How did events such as this usually proceed? Starfire glanced around nervously, but nothing about the various journalists and camera crews made any of them stand out- perhaps she could simply pick at random?
With a shrug, she tried to appear calm while pointing to a woman in the front row. As if by magic, the noise of the crowd faded down to a dull murmur while the reporter stood, notepad in hand. "Thank you," she said quickly. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I ask- what exactly is the nature of your employment, with regards to the government of Jump City?"
…Well then. So this would not be the 'meeting and greeting' sort of public appearance.
Starfire gulped. Robin had discussed possible questions, but she was struggling to remember if this topic had been among them. With a start, she realized how quiet everything was- that, she absolutely remembered. Robin had made it clear that hesitating to answer would betray nerves, and as the Titans' ambassador to the media, she couldn't let that silence linger.
It was still scary, though. She put on an encouraging smile, nodding in the direction of the query. "Well," she began, "I think to answer that best, I…"
Her voice trailed off. She was vaguely aware that the crowd was muttering in confusion, but it was hard to focus on anything except-
…
Oh no.
…
He- he wasn't really going to-
…
Starfire sighed. Which was probably fine, she thought- the cameras weren't watching her anyway.
Plummeting out of the sky, a blur of dark green motion swooped low, so low that several of those gathered screamed and ducked away. It banked at the last second, using its own momentum to careen parallel to the ground while heading for the table, swerving around video equipment and startled bystanders alike.
As it came closer, Starfire could identify the figure as some sort of bird of prey. Then, just as the winged creature had drawn level with her, it vanished.
She tried to savor the moment of silence, but couldn't resist a quick glance to her left. A simple folding chair, just as before- except, if she looked a little closer, there appeared to be some kind of insect perched in the center.
Starfire closed her eyes and leaned forward, propping her head up with one elbow on the table. Another conversation was echoing in her memory- Cyborg, grumbling and shaking his head at his best friend's antics. "Drama queen," he'd said, but she didn't understand what the phrase meant.
It made sense now.
She didn't need to open her eyes to know that Beast Boy had resumed his human form. "So," he chuckled in a lazy drawl. "What'd I miss?"
The renewed burst of lights from the cameras made her look- her fellow Titan was lounging back, hands behind his head while balancing the chair on two of its legs. Feet crossed on the table, he smirked widely for the outpouring of media attention.
"Please, ladies," he said loudly. "One at a time." An exaggerated wink ensured every available microphone was pointed his way. "Oh, and I'll be taking questions, too."
Starfire didn't completely understand the joke, but scattered and nervous laughter told her that maybe that was for the best. She didn't bother pointing out that roughly half of the crowd before them appeared to be male.
"All right, all right," Beast Boy grinned. He let the chair swing forward, moving to tap his fists down on the table. "Arrightarready. Who's up?"
The reporter who'd first questioned Starfire appeared ready to speak, but a man stepped in front of her, mobile phone in hand. "What do the Teen Titans have planned for the foreseeable future?" he asked quickly.
Beast Boy rested his chin on one hand, nodding along thoughtfully. "Gee, foreseeable plans," he repeated with mock seriousness. "Hm, let's see… Star, how many people ya think we got here in Jump?"
She raised her eyebrows. It would be one thing if she knew where he was going with this, but for the moment, she was completely stumped. "I would say… perhaps three million? I would not wish to misrepresent our city," she added hastily.
He nodded again. "Right, right. So that's… three million butts? Give or take?"
Once again, the crowd had fallen completely silent. For his part, Beast Boy didn't have a hint of sarcasm or humor in his expression- his earnest and wide eyes made it seem as though he really was asking the question.
The man frowned. "Er… I suppose…"
"Good." Beast Boy grinned. "You wanna know our plan? Here it is." Leaning forward conspiratorially, he let his voice drop to a whisper. "We're gonna save all of those butts."
Oh, to see Robin's and Raven's expressions right now.
The thought made Starfire smile, but he'd already vaguely pointed forward, signaling another question. Now noticeably more annoyed, the first reporter got her question in before anyone else: "Again, what is the nature of your employment with regards to the government of Jump City?"
Beast Boy didn't even blink. "Employment? I work for the suits and ties about as much as I work for the zoo, lady." Pausing to acknowledge a chuckle from his audience, he shrugged. "We do what we do. I don't really think about it like a job, you know? And if I did, my job sure wouldn't have anything to do with politicians."
This was getting alarming. Worried, Starfire considered stepping in and answering questions herself- Beast Boy didn't seem to know how dangerously close he was to making enemies with this press conference. But the reporter was already speaking again- "But there must be some sort of understanding with, say, the police chief? After all, the Teen Titans regularly participate in work that could go to other groups in the city-"
"Eurgh." He'd started pulling at the corners of his eyes, stretching out his face in a zombie-like grimace. "Are you bored? I'm bored. This isn't really interesting to anybody, right?" Dropping the act, he crossed his arms on the table. "Look, if you want answers about that stuff, ask Robin. I seriously don't know."
"What about your base of operations? Will you at least explain how, without any outside influence, you're able to continue using such an affluent building?"
"Well, yeah. We got outside influence up the wazoo." Beast Boy raised his eyebrows in a condescending expression. "Private benefactor, sweetheart. And if you're about to ask who, that's for me to know and you to- oh, wait. Sorry. It's just for me to know."
"But-"
"But! But! But!" Grinning, he threw his hands up. "Isn't it enough that we're saving those butts?"
The reporter glared, and Starfire couldn't help feeling sorry for her. "So you've said," she said quickly. "More than once."
"Well, sorry!" He drummed his hands on the table. "I'm stuck on a theme! I'm hooked on a feeling! Let's keep this party going. You next!"
Somewhat randomly, Starfire felt, Beast Boy pointed to another man near the front. With a more subdued look than the others, he quietly stepped forward. "What is your response to yesterday's threats?"
The question silenced any background noise from the crowd.
It was no secret that Starfire sometimes had difficulty understanding Earth expressions- or rather, American expressions, as she ran into those most often- and she had particular trouble whenever she heard that someone's 'face fell'. After all, when humans expressed sadness, it seemed to her that they scrunched up their features, as if their eyes and mouth were trying to move to the center- hardly a convincing example of 'falling' in any way.
But she saw something in Beast Boy's look that reminded her of the phrase. For an instant, an almost imperceptible moment, he was completely lost; the question had wrapped around his skull, forcing his eyes to lose focus, his perpetual grin to vanish, and his confident air to shrink into nothing. He was often described as childish, of course, but in terms of impish pranks and youthful energy.
Not like this. Not fear, and not disoriented confusion. It shouldn't have been too worrisome, but for some reason, Starfire had the unsettling sense that something was very, very wrong.
She leaned forward, hoping to draw attention away from her friend. "What threats?" she asked quickly, ignoring the temptation to save face and pretend she already knew.
As expected, surprised murmurs drifted out from the crowd. The asker was taken off guard as well- blinking, he stuttered his way through a response. "Uh- well, the broadcasts. You know, the… um… the messages that hijacked all those radio stations."
They don't know?
How could they not know?
Starfire was only imagining the questions, but seeing the suspicious looks on the faces before her, she felt sickeningly sure that they were valid. Robin was not going to be happy about this. "Listen to me," she said, attempting to keep a nervous tremble out of her voice. "Regardless of any villain's promises, we will protect this city. I'd like to ask that the citizens continue to trust us, and in turn, we will keep Jump City safe."
"It's not-"
She paused. The reporter had stopped in the middle of a sentence, and was now sweating while trying to avoid eye contact. "I'm sorry?" she said while gesturing for him to continue.
He cleared his throat, then took a shaky breath. "It's not the city," he said, a fearful tone in his voice. "It's you. The message said that… only the Titans would be destroyed."
"Well, THAT'S nothing new!"
Starfire barely had time to register the words before hearing Beast Boy's yell. He stood up quickly, knocking over the chair behind him- both the carefree and shocked expressions from earlier were gone, leaving only indignation. Hands pressed down on the table, he quickly glanced over the crowd, waiting for the cameras and microphones to point his way. "You're acting like we've never heard that before!" he said with a fierce grin. "Look, ladies and gents, this is not our first rodeo. Give us a little credit, here!"
He stood up straighter, then stepped off to the side so he was no longer behind the table, walking back and forth freely as he spoke. "So there's some two-bit hacker out there with a grudge. Big deal! Far as I'm concerned, this guy's gonna need a little more than 'I could totally beat you up' before I go cryin' to the teacher on recess duty, you know what I'm sayin'?"
Now noticeably more confident, Beast Boy swung his hands forward and cracked his knuckles loudly. "You want answers? Wantcher little sound bites and news blurbs and all that? Fine, here we go." He pointed behind him, in the general direction of the Titans' base. "You take two steps towards that Tower, and you'll be tripping over freaks who want nothing better than to take us down. But guess what? That's never gonna happen. Not from this radio guy, or anyone else!"
He grinned again. "In fact, there isn't a villain in this city who can beat us. I guarantee it."
The final words were spoken as if Beast Boy was expecting applause, and- after a few seconds- the crowd did respond, with scattered clapping and a few cheers of support. He smiled widely, basking in the glow of attention and the literal light of even more photography, but Starfire couldn't help noticing something.
Looking at the faces in front of her, she thought she could see more suspicion than hope. She'd asked for Jump City's trust, and now more than ever, she felt that the Titans didn't have it.
[]
Well, that had been interesting.
Raven watched the news footage idly, even though she'd seen the conference in full a few minutes ago. This particular channel was replaying Beast Boy's declaration over and over, already hailing it as 'the most famous thirty-second speech in Jump City's history'. More than a couple of moments had made her wince, and she didn't doubt that Robin would have something to say about Beast Boy's behavior, but she also couldn't deny that he'd delivered an unforgettable public appearance. People would be talking about this for a long time.
And that was… sounding worse and worse the more she thought about it, actually.
The recording switched to a newsroom, where analysts were discussing the conference. Raven frowned and reached for the remote.
"What it comes down to is this," one woman was saying, gesturing impatiently at another anchor. "They shouldn't be worried about villains at all! At this point, the Titans don't have any real enemies except their own hubris, and we're seeing the proof right here-"
Raven scowled, switching the TV off. Talking heads. Ugh.
"No. No, this AIN'T happenin', not now!" She glanced over the back of the couch just in time to see Cyborg, planted in front of one of the room's computers, punch a fist down on the keyboard in front of him. "I swear, the Net only cuts out when I really friggin' need it to just work." He kept tapping away, glancing up to the screen once in a while.
Seeing him- usually so savvy with tech of any kind- was amusing, and Raven cracked a faint smile. "Where's Robin?"
Cyborg shrugged. "Prob'ly somewhere he can slam his head against a wall after hearin' Beast Boy's jokes." He leaned closer to the screen, resuming the mumbled rant, but along with the complaints against signals and load speeds, Raven could hear muttered references to 'three million butts' and 'recess duty' and 'grass stain makin' us all look like idiots, I swear, kid's gotta know there's a TIME and a PLACE-'
He stopped abruptly. "Aha! Got it!"
As Raven approached, she could see a black screen detailing the audio capture of the radio broadcast. The site was blowing up with traffic, with dozens of comments appearing in a window below the video itself, but Cyborg ignored the rest and started the playback.
A few seconds of static screeched through the speakers.
"Citizens of Jump City."
The voice, male, wasn't particularly high or low. In fact, Raven realized, it almost seemed too normal- whoever was speaking didn't care to manipulate the sound at all. Not worried in the slightest about being tracked, he was taking a big risk.
Or, she considered, he was confident enough that he simply didn't care.
"It's important that you know-" the voice paused briefly, as if the speaker was enjoying the suspense. "-I don't plan on hurting you."
Cyborg looked up for a moment, and Raven thought she could see his eyes narrow. "You see," the recording continued, "I'm not worried about this city at all. This message goes out to the Teen Titans."
Another bit of static, then silence. Raven frowned.
"Fight me."
An odd sound emanated from the speakers, a sort of… hissing? It sounded like steam evaporating, but somehow slightly different. "Be honest, young heroes- this is what you want, isn't it? An old-fashioned battle to see who's the stronger. That's what I want, too."
"You don't have to play, of course. Like I said- I don't plan on hurting anyone. If you don't show up, though… well, who knows what could happen?"
Another voice. Muffled. Raven's eyes widened when she heard yelling and sobbing, as if he had someone… there… with him.
Blackmail.
Cyborg gritted his teeth and pounded his fist on the table again.
"And if you're not going to stand up for your city, Titans-" The voice stopped, and when it returned, it was louder and more distinct, as if the speaker was nearer to the microphone. "Why are you here at all?"
He'd planned this out. Far in advance, Raven thought, and he knew exactly what he was doing. That last line proved it was no coincidence the hacker had made the message public- now, there was no way the Titans could refuse the challenge. Not when he'd practically guaranteed himself to be seen as a villain.
Unless, of course, the Titans didn't fight, in which case the blame would instantly fall on them. She hated to admit it, but this guy had brains.
"Mark my words. I will be your downfall." Raven blinked, momentarily surprised by the dark certainty in his words. So this was the famous 'threat' that had the city on edge. "Oh, one last thing. You like codenames, right? For now, you can just call me… Acid Rain."
He paused. "But wait. I haven't told you where to find me, have I? How could I forget something so crucial?" The feed went silent for a few seconds.
Cyborg leaned back, eyes still locked onto the screen. He looked like he was about to say something, but the voice cut back in, nearly making him jump. "I bet you can figure it out." More static crackled, but Raven thought she could hear the man chuckle, too. "Ask around. Maybe a little bird will tell you."
The feed ended. An awful, nagging thought was worming its way into Raven's mind.
"This is-" Cyborg growled, cutting off his own words as he stood. "Come on, man! This kinda garbage again?!" He started pacing, and his heavy footfalls echoed in the expansive room.
Raven crossed her arms. "Calm down," she said flatly. "Think. Let's figure out what this means for us."
He spun, briefly irritated, but quickly regained his composure. "Alright," he said with a nod. "Yeah. Gotta keep cool." He looked like he was trying to relax, but Raven could see him tapping his fingers in a rhythmic pattern over and over. Definitely still worried.
"Guy's not all that, right?" Cyborg muttered, almost to himself. "We've had worse. And besides, he's not really threatenin' to do much, except… wait." His eyes went wide. "The cryin'. Did- did he have somebody with him?"
It had been bothering Raven, too. "Maybe. But he could have easily spliced audio in from somewhere else. And the reporters didn't seem too worried, so it might just be a bluff."
He sighed, then rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I guess. So, let's say he's not a major player. Probably not one of the famous ones. Small-time criminal or somethin'?"
"Honestly, I'm more worried about that conference." Raven glanced to the room's large window. "Whoever he is, he hurt us more by not being famous enough."
"Heh. Ain't that right." Cyborg took a seat on the couch, then put his head in his hands. "How'd it even happen, man? Info like this shoulda flown right to us."
The thought appeared again, and Raven hesitated before giving it voice. "Actually," she said slowly. "I'm starting to think it did."
"What? But we never…" His head swung up, and he frowned. "Little bird," he said quietly. "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?"
About to respond, Raven was stopped by a sudden tingling on the back of her neck. Perhaps it was her time spent with the Titans, but she'd stopped thinking of it as a feeling of being watched, and more of a sixth sense that alerted her to the presence of others. She glanced over her shoulder slightly, but didn't look all the way back. "Well, Robin?" she asked. "Did you know?"
Cyborg swore and nearly fell off the couch.
He was walking slowly, staring down at some files in his hand as he approached the more open side of the ops room. Raven had to wonder if something more was happening that she didn't completely understand- Robin had a strange expression on his face, hesitant and worried. It was definitely unlike him to be so open with whatever he was thinking. Finally looking up to his teammates, he took a deep breath before answering. "Yes."
"…Okay. Yeah. Great. Sure." Cyborg had regained his feet, and was now glaring at Robin. "Let's just go with that. No problem."
"Cyborg-"
"Not listening, Raven," he hissed without looking away from the leader. "I'm gonna make sure I got this right. So you knew about this guy, you knew about the radio, and you know where he is, and you didn't tell ANY of us?!"
She'd seen him blow up at Robin before. In fact, Cyborg was probably the one who felt most comfortable arguing with him, since unlike Beast Boy, he knew what was worth a fight and what wasn't. But the anger in his voice was making her uneasy- whatever they'd been talking about earlier might have been more serious than she thought.
Raven gestured to the papers Robin was holding. "Are those files on Acid Rain?" she asked bluntly. "Has he done anything before this?"
"What?!" Cyborg gave her an incredulous look. "I mean, yeah, that's important, but come on! Why aren't you mad about this?"
Because we have to focus on the immediate problem, she thought. Because a shouting match isn't what we need right now.
Because something's wrong with Robin.
She thought she could see the hint of a grateful smile just before Robin spoke. "No," he began. "In fact, as far as criminals go, he's hardly done anything-"
The main door opened.
Raven barely had time to sidestep as a kangaroo bounded through the room, leaping over chairs and computers alike. With a blurred shake, Beast Boy switched back to his human form, but his momentum carried him forward until he collided with the back of the couch. "GUYS! You guys!" he yelped, scrambling to stand back up. "You'll never believe it!"
Starfire floated into the room as well- but before anyone could speak, Beast Boy was already in full storytelling mode. "Okay, so we're at the press conference, right, and everything's goin' awesome, but then we get this question about some guy who took over a bunch of radio stations and told everyone that he was gonna destroy us. I think." He grinned, but soon resumed his serious look. "I mean, I covered pretty well, but it's still weird, right? Like, why didn't we hear about this before now?"
Robin rolled his eyes. "Beast Boy, we already-"
"SO THEN I STARTED THINKING," he continued, with an irritated glare after the interruption, "what if it's one of them? Think about it! They could have planned the whole thing, then run that question so we'd look stupid! Media's always pullin' baloney like that, you know? And I'm sure 'Titans Don't Know Stuff' is a bigger headline than 'Everything Goes According to Plan'."
"Beast Boy!" Raven said loudly. "We watched the whole conference. We know."
"…Oh." He faltered slightly, then looked sheepishly at Robin. "Heh, sorry." Blinking, he straightened and seemed to be full of energy again. "So! Theory number one- mystery villain doesn't exist, and some reporter out there is messing with radio broadcasts." He clapped his hands together, then pointed them towards the leader. "Thoughts?"
Off to the side, Cyborg frowned and sat down. The sudden entrances had probably stolen the thunder from his angry questioning, Raven thought, and now he simply dropped his chin onto his hand.
Robin shook his head, then placed the papers on the table in front of the computer. "Unfortunately, Acid Rain is very real. He used to work for the biochemistry division of a research company that funded some… questionable projects." He stared down at the information on the pages. "And now he's calling us out," he muttered.
"Whoa!" Beast Boy raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "And you found out all that just now? Not bad, dude." The dark, worried faces around him made him pause. "…Hold up."
"Listen, Beast Boy-"
"You already knew this junk?!" He whirled, looking nearly as angry as Cyborg had. "What the heck, man? How long ago was this message? Why didn't you tell us? How'd we not- I mean, how come we didn't- why didn't it-" He gave up and threw his hands in the air. "What?!"
"I believe he is trying to ask," Starfire's quiet voice spoke up, "How and why did you block information regarding this villain's threats?"
"Yes. That."
Robin looked around at his team, and just for a second, Raven thought she could see that odd look of worry again, so unlike him. "All right." He took a seat, appearing to be deep in thought. "Acid Rain hasn't committed any crimes."
For a second, no one spoke. Raven saw confusion and surprise in the expressions of her friends, and Robin paused, as if he'd expected a reaction. "If something had happened, any real disaster or news, there's no way I could have blocked the information. But this was just a threat- I didn't want anyone to think we were panicking."
"So… you did." Cyborg had looked up. "Block the news, I mean. Man, Rob, that's…" He glanced around the room. "You'd still have to get the TV, an' some kinda block on any online news that even mentioned the guy."
Beast Boy followed his line of sight, frowning. "Wait, you messed with the Tower? I don't get it, Rob! Why not just let us know? He wants to fight, so let's fight!"
"We can't."
The words almost gave Raven chills. She shook off the feeling, then stepped forward. "You've heard the message, Robin. And you know where he is. I can't believe I'm agreeing with Beast Boy, but there's no way we can ignore this."
He shook his head. "It's not that. I just… I need more time."
"More time?" Cyborg stood, but not in anger, looking more concerned than anything. "He might do somethin' crazy. An' if we back down, everyone who heard that message is gonna know we're too scared. That's gonna hurt us more'n any press conference."
Robin kept his eyes on the ground. "I don't know how to stop him yet."
The room was suddenly quiet, and Raven could hear the sound of each Titan's breathing. "He has some kind of solvent. I've never heard of anything like it before. He's weaponized it, and when it's exposed to the air, it can eat through most substances in seconds, then evaporate without a trace."
Arms crossed, Cyborg stared at his leader. "That's impossible," he said quietly.
Robin acknowledged it with a nod. "I know. That's why I tried to learn more- I couldn't risk one of you being hurt just because I didn't find the right way to fight."
Beast Boy snorted. "Well, aces on that." The sudden sarcasm made the others turn towards him, and he spread his arms out. "What? Now the city thinks we're all naïve idiots, and it's all thanks to R-" He faltered under the icy silence. "-to this," he finished lamely. "This… thing that happened."
"Be that as it may." Robin stood up, and took a second to meet each of his friends' eyes. "I need you to trust me on this. We can't go fight Acid Rain. Not yet."
Beast Boy was still scowling, but Cyborg merely nodded with a flat expression. "All right," Starfire said nervously. She looked to Raven, clearly expecting confirmation.
The enormity of the moment suddenly hit her. Was Robin still making the right decisions for the team? Raven hadn't considered it before, but Cyborg was certainly at odds with their leader, and the events of the day hadn't exactly strengthened anyone's confidence… not to mention the information he'd withheld from them. And underneath it all, the thoughts wouldn't leave her alone that something else simply wasn't right. Or not normal, at least.
So… what was changing?
"Fine." She shrugged and looked away from the group. "If you think it's best."
"Hm." Cyborg raised his eyebrows, as if he'd forgotten something. "Well, Rob, long as you're sure that's all…" He stressed the words, but got no response, and Raven thought she could see a quick look of disappointment before he continued. "I guess we're done here."
She stayed in the room, hoping to talk with Robin privately. After switching on the TV again, she watched a couple of commercials while waiting for the others to leave- Beast Boy had departed almost immediately, still grumbling about missing out on a big fight, and Robin was quietly thanking Starfire for the way she handled the questions during the conference.
She must have left soon after, because while the 'low, low prices' on some car commercial or other were flying past the screen, Raven could hear the next conversation.
"One of the news networks wants you to do an interview."
Cyborg's voice was incredulous. "Me? Why me?"
"I'm not sure." Robin sounded suspicious of his own words. "It'll just be a local thing. They'll probably have you over at the government buildings downtown."
He paused for an instant. "Rob, you sure you don't know what this is about?"
"I have a guess." Raven strained to catch the next words. "I think this is bigger than just Acid Rain. The conference plays in, too- it's like they're worried about something. Or there's some kind of plan we don't know about."
"Who? The city government?"
"Maybe." He sighed. "I'm sorry I don't have more to tell."
Cyborg's departure must have followed a nod, or a handshake, or something else inaudible, because the next thing she heard was Robin's cough. "Something else you wanted to talk about?"
"Yes." Once again, she hit the remote to send the obnoxious commercials into a blank, black screen. "You're hurting yourself."
"Really." It wasn't like him to sound sarcastic- then again, maybe he'd picked it up from the others. "How's that?"
She turned to face him. "I understand that you're worried. You end up with information we don't- that's just the way it is. And you have to decide what to do with that." She tried to make her tone gentler. "It must be tough."
He didn't say anything. "But when you try to hide it all, you're not just making it more difficult for them to trust you. It's obvious it wears you down, too."
Robin crossed his arms, not looking away. "What are you talking about?"
"You're acting different. And it's not just… I don't know, an empath thing, because I think they can see it just as clearly." She lowered her voice as she became aware of the echoes in the room. "And even if they don't seem like it, they're worried."
"…You keep saying 'they'." Robin hadn't changed his expression. "What about you? Do you still trust me?"
"Yes." But even as she said it, a brief feeling of dishonesty flashed in her mind. Not that the word itself was a lie, but perhaps the certainty was. "But if you trusted us more, we might not have to worry at all."
He nodded. "Maybe." Looking to the window, he waited a second before speaking. "Something's different, Raven. Jump City isn't acting the way it used to."
With some surprise, she realized that Robin was about to open up to her about what was worrying him- even though she'd specifically talked about it, she hadn't really expected him to agree so quickly. "How so?"
"You saw the conference. We're not hated, but we're not exactly trusted, either." He moved closer to the edge of the room. "The plan was to send a message. 'We're on your side', you know? I thought the public was becoming more suspicious, so I sent Beast Boy and Starfire- we just don't have the energy that they do. Sure, it can be silly, but it's still positive. And I thought we needed to present that."
Raven turned the words over in her head. "And now you think it backfired."
"Yeah. I- I should have known the broadcast would come up." He scowled at his own reflection in the window. "And now, because of me, Jump is convinced that we aren't serious or reliable enough to get the job done."
"Okay."
When he turned back, surprised, she had to raise an eyebrow at his bemused expression. "What? Just… 'okay'?"
Raven chose her words carefully. "Honestly, Robin, I don't think that's the most important thing right now." He held up his hand, like he was going to say something, but she continued. "We don't care that you made some PR mistakes. At least, I don't. I'm mad because you treated this like a giant chess match between you and the media, and you used us as the pieces."
"Raven, that's not what-"
"And you didn't tell us," she said with finality. "Once again, you didn't tell us what you were planning. What you were worried about. Anything."
Robin bit back whatever he was going to say, instead nodding and considering the words. "…You're right." He sighed, then pushed the palm of his hand against his forehead. "You're right, you're right," he repeated quietly. "But… where do I start?"
The question was odd, but Raven figured out what he meant. She glanced to the hallway leading out of the room. "Maybe an apology," she said. "That's my best guess."
He nodded again, straightening when the door opened and Starfire entered the room. She still seemed slightly saddened, but more relaxed than she had been before- she greeted them with a tired smile and took her time walking across the floor. "Beast Boy and Cyborg have gone," she announced. "They said they were hoping to catch the… Free-Breadsticks-Friday at one of their beloved pizza vendors downtown."
Robin frowned, reaching for his communicator. "That might not be a good idea. We shouldn't be spending too much free time in public, especially today." He paused when he caught Raven's stare. "What?"
She shrugged. "It's your call." She kept watching him, knowing that he would discern what she was getting at.
After a few seconds, he set the device back down. "Fair enough," he muttered. "Should probably give them some space anyway."
The dynamics of leading a team, Raven reflected. It would be easy to point out Robin's flaws, and it went without saying that his mistakes were always more visible than his successes- another hardship she hadn't considered. It would probably be useful to keep that in mind.
And maybe to express their appreciation more, too. Their confidence could only help him, right? He certainly seemed like he needed it.
Raven moved to her previous spot on the couch, preparing a meditating stance and beginning her mantra. Before long, the noises of the world around her seemed to fade, and while not gone completely, she found them much easier to ignore, focusing on the rhythms of her own words and her mind.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she could hear Robin discussing something with Starfire- it sounded like he was going over plans for the next day. She tuned out again at about the time he said he was going to contact the others with the information.
Startled, panicked words snapped her out of her meditation. Raven turned to see Robin, staring down at his communicator, no expression at all on his face. "Robin to Cyborg," he said through gritted teeth, trying to tone down the worry in his voice. "Do you copy?" After more agonizing seconds of silence, he stormed towards the main computer, wasting no time in typing through a series of files and programs. Raven stood, and as she approached the monitor, Robin looked back. "Neither is answering," he said quickly, in response to the question she hadn't asked. "I know it's paranoid, but I'm going to check the-"
He stopped. On the screen before him, two blinking dots of light pinpointed the location of Beast Boy and Cyborg's communicators, effectively telling him exactly where the Titans were. Raven didn't recognize the area, but it was clear that Robin did.
His face was pale, something Raven had seen very few times before. Without looking away from the computer, he swallowed. "They're going after him."
[]
Beast Boy was mad.
Screaming through the heavens, rolling past skyscrapers and banking to catch drafts of air, letting the wind swirl over his feathers, concentrating on every element of flight until he literally could not go any faster, he realized- in spite of how straight-up awesome he was being right now- he was still mad.
He'd recently tried to be a little more secretive with his emotions, especially since Cyborg had started calling him 'steamed broccoli' whenever he got angry. Now, though, did it really matter? Just thinking about the stupid reporters and the stupid radio and this stupid Purple Rain guy was enough to make him caw in annoyance. It didn't make him feel any better, so he clicked his beak and fell into a dive.
It wasn't long before Beast Boy was falling straight down, with no forward momentum at all- Cyborg was probably wicked confused right now, he thought with a chuckle. He glanced towards the rapidly-approaching streets, and sure enough, the T-Car was making its way to his position.
He banked, and used the speed of the fall to explode forward like a bullet.
It hadn't been that difficult to get Cyborg on board, really. They really had meant to just grab some pizza- as far as Tin Can knew, anyway. He had stood up from the table, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said they should be getting back soon. Beast Boy had casually remarked that, yeah, they could do that.
Drifting away from his memories for a second, Beast Boy looked back to make sure the T-Car was keeping up with him. It was probably more than a little difficult for his friend, driving as fast as he could while keeping an eye on a blurry figure on the horizon before him. Oh, well.
Cyborg had been absolutely livid when he brought up the idea of going after the villain. He'd been ready for that, though, and played his next card right away. 'If you don't come with, I'll just fly there, dude.'
The counter had been expected: 'You ain't doin' this alone, man. An' what if I call Rob right now?'
At this point, Beast Boy was pretty sure they both knew how this would end, and were arguing for its own sake. 'I'll have a head start. And you can't stop me, 'cause you don't know where I'm going yet. But if you really don't want me going alone…' Cyborg's determination had faltered, and Beast Boy had grinned to himself, because they were way too good of friends.
He'd thrown a weak glare, and announced that he was only doing this to make sure Beast Boy didn't do anything stupid, and Beast Boy had rolled his eyes and told him yeah, whatever, get in the car already, ya big baby.
In fact, now that he thought about it, he'd… actually been pretty clever about the whole thing. It was enough to fill Beast Boy with pride, but it left just as quickly when he remembered how angry he was. Seriously, Robin thought they should leave this guy alone when he specifically called them out? And he hadn't told any of them what he knew?
That was… ugh, it bugged him even thinking about it. Weak. Yeah, that was the word. It was all just weak.
Beast Boy swooped lower, using his enhanced vision to scan the buildings and streets below. They were approaching the edges of downtown- the city itself seemed to rise up in the center, giving Jump an almost dome-like appearance with the taller structures. They weren't quite in the right district yet, though. A couple hundred yards back, the T-Car was clearly struggling to keep up with his flight, and on a whim, he decided to drop altitude again.
It must have looked bizarre for anyone on the roads, seeing a dark green falcon plummet out of the sky and hone in on one particular car, spreading its wings and throwing its talons forward to slow down just before colliding with the vehicle. Luckily, the window on the passenger side was already down, and within seconds Beast Boy was calmly putting on his seat belt, breathing like he'd done a bit of light exercise. "You're gonna get yourself killed pullin' tricks like that," Cyborg admonished. "So where exactly are we headed?"
Beast Boy tried to smooth down his hair, which had somehow gotten rustled and tangled from the wind, even though he'd been in a completely different morph. "First of all," he said while holding up a finger, "What we're about to do is way more dangerous than flying into a moving car. And we're going to that one street with all the clubs and stuff." A sidelong look from Cyborg made him raise his eyebrows, the picture of innocence. "What? I can't remember the name!"
"Oh, I'm sure," he drawled. "'Cuz you never go there, ain't that right?"
"I'm gonna plead the sixth on that one, officer."
"Fifth, Einstein." Cyborg leaned his head slightly to look out the window, and Beast Boy did the same. Traffic was surprisingly light in this part of the city, and he guessed that they'd probably arrived in that rare window between rush hour and the beginning activity of Jump City's nightlife.
"Listen, B." Cyborg was looking straight ahead, maneuvering the car through different lanes and gradually approaching their destination. "Did you answer your comm?"
Beast Boy frowned. "Huh?"
"Well, Rob tried calling you, right?"
"Dude, I was kind of a bird."
Normally, Cyborg would have joked back, but he just glanced back to his friend. "Yeah. Anyway, he- he tried mine a few times."
Oh, this was too good. Beast Boy grinned widely. "And you didn't answer."
"Not my fault. You're a bad influence, ya know." Cyborg whistled softly and shook his head. "Man, we're gonna be in so much trouble."
He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "Aw, don't worry about it. We'll take care of this guy so fast, Robin's only gonna have, like, half a lecture ready."
They were finally on the right street, at least, and unlit neon signs passed over the car as they drifted past the various clubs and bars Jump City had to offer. "Speakin' of him," Cyborg wondered aloud, "How'd he know where Acid Rain hides out?"
"Beats me." Beast Boy shrugged lazily. "Probably a lot of boring research and detective stuff."
Silent for a moment, Cyborg kept looking over the various dingy entrances. "An' how 'bout you?"
The suddenly calm, serious tone made Beast Boy sit up straighter. "Simple. Rob doesn't want us to chase him down, right? Well, you know how he has us run possible missions by him first?" His friend's nod compelled him to continue. "Few weeks back, I told him I was gonna check out a lead on some break-ins in this district. Lotta liquor robberies, that kinda thing."
It had been downright eerie- Robin probably wouldn't have slipped up at all, but he was already distracted by a news report when Beast Boy had brought it up. Just a half-second, a momentary blank look, as if he had no idea what to say. Thinking about it now, even, made Beast Boy shiver. "He said to leave the recon work on that one to him, but he was… off. Like his first worry was just making sure I didn't go near this place."
"Wait, that's it?" Cyborg looked at him incredulously. "S'all you're goin' on? That's kind of a stretch, ain't it?"
He scowled. "Shut up, dude. My instincts are prime. I'm totally right on this one."
"Sure." He slowed down, growing noticeably more frustrated as he looked over the buildings on either side of the street. "Your instincts tell ya which club we're lookin' for?"
Beast Boy shook his head, throwing the door open before the car stopped. "Nah, but we'll figure it out. Remember, he wants us to find him."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is," Cyborg called, but he was already strolling down the nearly-deserted sidewalk, taking in the sights at random. The closest clubs seemed to emphasize music, with flyers and a few billboard-style adverts detailing some local bands in giant letters. As he walked, other establishments seemed to have no advertising at all, simple doors and alleys leading who knew where.
It didn't take long to get tired of tinted glass windows and brick walls- the area would probably be swarming with bored teenagers and angry bouncers in a few hours, but for now, it was almost painfully quiet.
…This mission wasn't quite as exciting as he'd expected.
"So, we don't really have a plan, huh?" Beast Boy turned, scowling, only to see Cyborg holding his communicator close to his ear. "Yeah, I'm just gonna let the Tower know what's up. We're gettin' nowhere."
"No way, dude!" He reached in vain, as Cyborg simply held the machine slightly higher so his friend couldn't grab it away. "Tell you what- you search that side of the street, and I'll take this one! We'll find it in no time!"
"B, come on." Cyborg looked more earnest now. "Let's cut our losses, and we'll take care of this some other time-"
"No! We can DO this, we just need to-"
"You're not listenin', man, I'm sayin'-"
A loud hissing sound interrupted them both. Beast Boy froze, one arm still reaching towards the device, while his other hand was clamped down on Cyborg's shoulder. For his part, Cyborg was in the middle of pushing him away, but they both looked down to the pavement, where the noise seemed to come from. As it grew steadily louder, they both scrambled away in opposite directions, not taking their eyes off of the surface.
The ground crumbled.
Cracks spread from the center of the space between them, and soon bits of the sidewalk were vanishing completely. Before long, a five-foot circle of pavement had disintegrated- fragments of concrete and stone fell into total darkness, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the walkway.
A thin layer of dust drifted in the air, and Beast Boy coughed as he approached the edge of the crater. He peered down over the brink, seeing nothing but blackness, then swung his head back up. "…Dude." Coughing, he gave Cyborg a shaky smile. "Told ya."
"Get away from there, man!" Beast Boy let out a surprised squeak as Cyborg pulled him back from the hole. He scowled and swatted the back of his friend's head. "You saw that, right? You saw what just happened? Whatever did that, maybe don't give it a clear shot at your head."
In answer, Beast Boy stuck out his tongue, then morphed into a gecko- scurrying back towards the opening, he made his way down the wall, clambering into the darkness until a bright light told him that Cyborg had activated the flashlight on his arm. The hole was only ten feet deep or so, and opened into a separate space. Now on the ceiling, Beast Boy switched to his human form and dropped quietly to the floor, scanning the dim area for anything unusual.
He felt… good. Happy, even. No, that wasn't quite the right word- as he crept through the room, making his way between strange wooden crates, he wondered what exactly he was thinking of. 'Exhilarated', maybe? It seemed like everyone on the team had just been gabbing and sitting around and never doing anything, and while he liked talking as much as the next guy, it was starting to wear on him. So to finally be on a mission, exploring a bizarre underground lair, darting around corners and peeking through the darkness for clues, knowing a dangerous villain was somewhere close by… it felt right.
Even the sound of Cyborg awkwardly clambering down the tunnel and loudly whispering to be careful couldn't dampen his spirits. "Hey," he called back. "What the heck are all these boxes for?"
"Got me." Cyborg examined the letters stamped across one of the crates, then frowned. "But they've all been shipped here. From somewhere else."
Beast Boy snickered, then leaped atop the container in front of him. "Yeah, that's usually how shipping works." From this vantage point, he could see that the room wasn't all that large- there was a wall a few yards away, and the other end of the chamber was back near the hole. "He's gotta be here, right?"
The other Titan was tapping the wood planks with a fist, and listening intently to the resulting sound. "Well, yeah. He tried to kill us a minute ago. Unless the streets 'round here are startin' to cave in under the weight of stale drinks and bad dubstep."
"So you're saying you know these clubs pretty well." Beast Boy didn't hear a comeback, and grinned while moving towards the perimeter of the room. "Now who's pleading the-"
"B." He froze, and the atmosphere of the room seemed to change with Cyborg's tone. "Look."
Making his way back to the opposite end, Beast Boy saw what his friend already had- a series of open crates, with dozens of thin, reflective sheets pouring out onto the ground. The stacks looked like they'd been sorted into groups, and he wasn't sure, but each appeared to be a different type of metal.
"I think… Rob was right." Cyborg reached down and lifted one of the pieces, standing it on its side. Three jagged holes were now visible, and every one went straight through to the other side.
Solvent. Chemicals, eating through the alloy in rough patterns and shapes. Beast Boy was no scientist, but he knew instantly that these holes weren't the work of any kind of tool. He glanced back to Cyborg, who nodded. "He's testin' the weapon," he said with a tremor in his voice. "And it works."
The metal foil shot out of his hands and clanged against the wall.
"DOWN!" Before Cyborg's command had stopped echoing, Beast Boy had already darted to the side, seeking cover behind one of the larger crates. He looked back, but his fellow Titan was nowhere to be seen- probably already hidden himself. In his place, the metal leaf had fallen to the ground, where it was burning. That was the only way he could think of it: a dark red-brown sludge was rapidly disappearing on the metal's surface, leaving nothing behind but another growing fissure. A resounding hiss filled the air, almost like the sound of steam, though he couldn't see any vapor.
Okay, he thought. Don't touch that stuff. Got it.
"Only two? How disappointing." Beast Boy flinched at the voice, which suddenly emanated from the other end of the room. Why wasn't the villain pressing his attack? Heck, why hadn't he tried to use his weapon from the very beginning, when they'd dropped into the chamber? But another glance to the decomposing metal gave him the answer: Acid Rain was trying to get in their heads. A mediocre supervillain, hoping to play on their fear and act more intimidating than he really was. In Beast Boy's experience, the best way to deal with crackpots like this was to go on the offensive early. Thinking quickly, he morphed into a black leopard and padded through the gloom, slowly making his way past the maze of boxes.
It was like a new world. His perception had heightened to the point that the room looked too bright, the corners and edges of the obstacles before him sharp and clear. He allowed himself a satisfied purr. Night vision and camouflage in the dark… seeing without being seen… this was looking like the perfect choice.
Stealth was only part of the plan, though. To smoke out the villain, he'd need a distraction-
"TWO'S ALL WE NEED, YO!" The bellow cut through the air, followed by a sonic blast that soared overhead and exploded against the wall. To anyone watching, it might have looked like a wild, frustrated, and uncoordinated move, but Beast Boy smiled at the noise- confirmation that Cyborg knew exactly what he was doing. What they were both doing.
Sure enough, he saw a lithe figure dash through between the crates, heading towards Cyborg's position.
Mouse, meet trap.
He shook his forearms experimentally, then narrowed his eyes and leaped forward. A single bound was all it took- silent and black as night, he flew towards his prey in an instant.
The man paused, turning, and Beast Boy could see his features more clearly. His clothing, black, was obscured by a dark cape, and even his head was covered with a featureless mask. Long, thin gloves reached down his arms, where he was holding-
Uh-oh.
The gun swung up. The pieces came together in his mind: the acid was long-distance. That was how he'd been able to tear the metal out of Cyborg's hands, as well as how he'd caused the destruction of the street above. And now Beast Boy would be the weapon's next target.
Another sonic attack smashed into the wall behind the figure, and a moment of hesitation gave Beast Boy the opening he needed. Two really is all we need, he thought.
He collided with Acid Rain, bringing them both to the ground in a blur of darkness. With a snarl, he brought his claws forward, straining to knock the gun away, but the villain raised his forearm and blocked the attack with some kind of armor. He clearly couldn't use the weapon from this range. "Careful, kitty," a voice chuckled behind the black mask. "Don't want to get caught in the rain!"
…Oh, come on.
It was tempting, it really was, to switch back to human form and take a moment, just a moment to explain how stupid that was. Beast Boy loved bad jokes, but this guy- dozens of other villains, too, come to think of it- broke the first rule of corny one-liners. You didn't use a joke like that when you were seriously trying to intimidate your enemy, obviously. You used it when you were already so confident of victory that it didn't matter what you said, because you already had a plan in motion… to…
There was a spray nozzle protracting from the barrel of the gun.
Beast Boy jumped back like he'd been burned, then slipped behind cover again. Seeing Acid Rain get to his feet and laugh was infuriating, but he did his best to ignore the feeling and hurry through the labyrinth of crates, scanning every corner and looking for any telltale sign of his friend. He had to get the information to Cyborg, that there were two attacks to keep in mind, and that fighting in a closer range didn't guarantee safety-
Too late, he realized. A colorful burst of fire lit up the room, and Beast Boy took off again, hoping desperately not to hear the awful hiss of metal being destroyed.
"BOOYEAH!"
Much better.
He cleared one of the boxes with a powerful jump, landing lightly. Before him, smoke was drifting through the air- probably from one of the smaller missiles in Cyborg's armor. A ways away, Acid Rain was coughing and staggering unsteadily to his feet, while Cyborg himself was standing tall. He leveled one of the sonic cannons at his head. "Give it up, man." He glanced back, and Beast Boy saw understanding dawn in his expression- he'd recognized his friend's intent, and was now talking to keep the focus on himself. "You got nowhere to run."
As he talked, Beast Boy prowled in a wide circle, keeping some of the boxes between him and Acid Rain, then started inwards once he was directly behind the man. "Picked a tough spot for a secret lair, huh?" Cyborg taunted, holding his own weapon steady and keeping a wary eye on the gun. "I mean, I kinda wanna try paintball down here, but it's doin' you no favors in a fight."
Only a few feet away, Beast Boy knew this would be the hardest part. Acid Rain was holding the gun limply in one hand, and it looked like he had his gaze trained on the floor, but that didn't mean he couldn't turn and attack at any moment. He padded as quietly as he could, nearly there… nearly there…
Cyborg grinned. "One last thing," he said casually. "You probably never stopped to think, but-"
Now. Springing forward, Beast Boy snapped his jaws together on the armored hand- the covering kept his fangs from breaking through, but the force of the sudden hit was enough that Acid Rain jerked his hand in surprise, losing his grip on the gun completely. As it skidded away, Cyborg stepped forward and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, then shoved him to his knees.
…Huh. It was over. Just like that. Beast Boy switched back to human form, stretching his arms behind his head with a bemused smile. That seemed… strangely quick. In fact, looking at Acid Rain's mask, expressionless as ever, he couldn't help feeling almost disappointed. "This what you had in mind when you sent that message?" he said with a laugh.
Getting no answer, he sighed as Cyborg moved the villain's arms behind his back and snapped on a pair of handcuffs. "B, grab the gun," he instructed. "Think it's time this mad scientist gets to know the other kinda cell structure."
"Heh, yeah!" Beast Boy brightened and picked up the weapon. "Or how 'bout, um… ah, geez, lemme think… time to get a new outfit? I'm thinking orange. Orange instead of black." The three of them started towards the entrance, and he frowned at the lack of response. "You're going to jail, is what I'm saying."
"Careful."
"Huh?" The angle of the black surface had barely moved, but Beast Boy suddenly realized the face behind it was probably staring at him. "What'd you say?"
"Be careful with that." His voice was more restrained, sounding either resigned to his fate or confident of something else.
Beast Boy shook off the feeling and hefted the gun. "What, this? Don't sweat it, dude. I'll take good care of-" Staring at the mask, he very deliberately dropped the weapon with a loud clang. "Oops."
"Come on, man. That thing could go off or somethin'." Cyborg was shaking his head, though, and he thought he could see a smile as they approached the hole in the ceiling. "Now, how to get back…" He glanced to Acid Rain, then up at the street, then back to the scientist. "B, you should head up first."
"Got it." Beast Boy flipped the gun between his hands, eyes narrowed in concentration as he considered how best to ascend. Suddenly, he tossed the weapon upwards. A quick dragonfly morph took him through the tunnel, and he was able to switch back a few feet above the pavement and catch the gun before lightly landing near the rim of the hole. "Cyborg, tell me you saw that. That was awesome."
"Gimme a sec, alright?" The voice echoed up from the crater.
Still a bit miffed, he turned back to the void to see Acid Rain, hands bound behind him and cape fluttering in the wind, fly in an arc over the edge and land heavily on the ground. Beast Boy raised his eyebrows. "I give it a five. Maybe six. Shotput was never really your thing, huh?"
"Shut up, Beast Boy." He moved closer, and now he could see his friend slowly climbing up the uneven surface of the tunnel. "Make sure our guy doesn't try to run or nothin'."
"Eh, he's fine." A quick glance confirmed that Acid Rain wasn't trying anything- the man was kneeling now, head resting on his chest as his hands twitched and moved in random patterns. In fact, it almost looked like he was fiddling with the handcuffs.
Wait a minute.
"What're you doing?" Beast Boy said quickly, before realizing how useless the question was and holding up the gun instead. "Stop it."
The man paused. "What do you think these restraints are made of?"
The voice was still so… normal. Unbothered. Relaxed, even. Beast Boy frowned and tried to focus on the black gloves, but it was difficult to see in the diminishing daylight, especially with the man's dark clothes. But he thought he could see a small packet slip out of one sleeve, and now Acid Rain was shifting it down to his fingers, and holding it against a sharp edge of the handcuffs, and trying to move it quickly back and forth like a saw-
"DUDE!" Alarmed, Beast Boy raised the gun, then considered that he didn't actually know how to fire it- there was no obvious trigger. Looking back to the man in front of him, he saw the pouch split open just before hearing that terrible hissing sound once more. Acid Rain drew his fingers away quickly, leaving the solvent to start burning through the metal, and soon his hands were completely free. One useless chain hung from each wrist as he stood, turning, to face Beast Boy.
This was just getting stupid.
The black mask tilted slightly. "Time for the backup plan." He drew something else out of his sleeve, and it took Beast Boy a second to understand what he was seeing.
A button. Just a small black remote with one red button. "I said to be careful," the voice rumbled, and Acid Rain slammed his hand down on the device.
The gun started to shake violently in Beast Boy's hands.
A thought popped up in his mind- a careful consideration of Acid Rain's motives, along with what his course of action might be and the best way to counter it- but it was obliterated by the thought that this is a bomb, he turned it into a bomb, GET AWAY FROM THE GUN BECAUSE IT'S A BOMB.
Almost without thinking, he threw the weapon away, and it skittered on the ground for a while before ending up at the feet of its original owner. At the same time, Cyborg's hand appeared over the lip of the crater, and he pulled himself onto the street. "What's all the yellin'-"
For a second, Beast Boy had no idea what to say. Mid-question, Cyborg trailed off as he stared at the gun on the ground, the broken handcuffs, and Acid Rain, calmly standing in the middle of the walkway. Then he looked back to his friend with a glare.
"…Oops?" Beast Boy managed.
The man slowly reached down to retrieve his firearm. "You really wanna drag this out, man?" Cyborg said. He stretched his hands out, and even cracked his knuckles in the intimidating way Beast Boy sometimes tried to copy. "We got you already. We can do it again."
"You're right." The voice still sounded flat. "But I've changed my mind. Instead of fighting me…"
Cyborg's eyes widened, and he raised the cannon on his arm. Seeing his friend's reaction, Beast Boy crouched and looked back to Acid Rain, ready for an attack, but the gun was pointed away from either of them.
The voice chuckled. "Save your city."
The corrosive agent was launched before either Titan could make a move- the acid struck one of the supports on a fire escape above them, swiftly eating through the metal rails and steps. Beast Boy snorted, determined to ignore the distraction, and took a single step towards the villain.
"WHOA!" He flinched at the noise, then felt Cyborg's arm shove him roughly forward. Looking back, he saw an entire landing of the structure collapse onto the street where he'd been standing. A few feet away, Cyborg had avoided the worst of the crash, but still held his arms over his head while a mostly-destroyed metal grate fell against him.
"Geez!" Stunned, he tried to move closer. "Cy, you okay?"
Cyborg coughed and threw away a few crumbling rails. "Yeah, I'm fine. An' you're welcome." He looked over Beast Boy's shoulder, and his face fell. "…Aw, crap."
Acid Rain was gone. Of course. He hissed, then rushed forward and tried to determine which way the villain had fled. "Did you see him?"
"Yeah." Cyborg scanned the alleys leading away from the street. He pointed. "There. I think."
Beast Boy nodded, and the two Titans moved swiftly. They moved through the shadows between buildings, running quickly without losing a sense of direction. Beast Boy thought he could hear some kind of commotion, but he wasn't sure from where- until they emerged from the alley into another city square. "Whoa."
True to his word, Acid Rain had attacked the city itself. Smoking holes in the streets kept cars trapped in place, while the small, once-green park in the center of the square was riddled with craters and chemically-scorched earth. Trees and light poles alike had been toppled, but Beast Boy didn't see the worst of the damage before he looked to the north end of the common.
A series of apartments, stretching across several buildings, had been terrorized as well. The first floor of each edifice was crumbling, with supports and pillars that barely held together- he could see into the buildings through the serrated gaps in the walls. People were streaming out into the street in a panic, and even as Beast Boy watched, the entire structure seemed to tremble and shake.
Cyborg cursed and headed towards the crowd.
"Wait! I see him!" Beast Boy yelled. He'd caught a glimpse of Acid Rain just before the criminal had darted down an avenue leading away from the square, and he now looked helplessly between his friend and the direction of their enemy.
Growling in frustration, Cyborg pressed his hands against the sides of his head. "Okay. Okay… he's just gonna keep doin' this. Can't let him hurt anyone else." His eyes snapped up. "B, follow him. Take that gun outta commission." He turned back to the building. "I'll take care of this."
"On it." Beast Boy shivered again, aware of the anxiety in Cyborg's voice. This wasn't a normal battle anymore.
"Wait." For an instant, Cyborg looked paralyzed, as if he couldn't decide what to do. Then he straightened, with a determined look. "Get Robin. We need everyone."
The command felt like a punch to the gut, but he knew it was the right move. "…Yeah. Got it." Cyborg had already left before he finished the word- with one more glance at the imperiled building, Beast Boy turned and started after Acid Rain. The gravity of the situation was starting to make itself known. He hadn't simply messed up. He'd gone against orders, made wrong decisions in battle, and failed even when he was trying to make the right decisions. And now it felt like half the city was in danger because of him.
He left the square, now running over a narrow through street. In the distance, he could see Acid Rain- if he used the falcon's speed, he could probably catch him before anything else happened. But first…
His mind was reeling, but he did his best to ignore it all. Raising his wrist, he tried to hold his voice steady while he ran. "Beast Boy to Robin," he gasped. "Do you copy?"
The speaker buzzed. "Copy, Beast Boy. Hold on."
"Look, Rob-" He gritted his teeth and coughed. "It's a nightmare, dude, I know I wasn't supposed to-"
"Beast Boy."
"I'm sorry, man, but we really need your help and I'll explain later, but we're-"
"Beast Boy!" The voice yelled suddenly. "Focus on the civilians right now, okay? Don't worry about anything else."
Huh?
Slowing to a stop, Beast Boy looked around at the street. How could he already know about…
The roar of a motorcycle engine gave him his answer.
"Rob?" He caught a glimpse of the red vehicle just before a burst of energy rocketed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris near Acid Rain. The villain nearly lost his footing, but kept running while staying ahead of the green starbolts that rained down from the sky.
Beast Boy gaped as he saw Starfire, eyes glowing and arms outstretched, zoom overhead in pursuit. Raven followed soon after, but it looked like she was focusing on the ground, making sure that Acid Rain's escape didn't cause any more damage to bystanders or city property.
He heard the motorcycle skid to a stop, and turning around, he came face-to-face with Robin, who had just pulled off the helmet. "He hit an apartment complex in that block," he said with a gesture in the right direction. "The foundation's crumbling, and Cyborg's starting the evacuation already. Help him."
The world seemed to be moving too fast, but Beast Boy nodded anyway. "I saw it. Listen, Rob, I-"
"Don't." His visage barely moved- a twitch in his brow, the smallest of movements in his jaw- but the normally unreadable face was suddenly angry. Robin shook his head, back to normal in an instant, and looked away. "We'll… later. For now, we have a mission."
He was about to put the helmet back on. Surprising himself, Beast Boy asked quickly, "What about you?"
"Backup. Starfire and Raven can pin him down, but I'm going to make sure he doesn't get away."
The engine revved. Beast Boy tried to swallow back the worry and guilt in his voice. "I can get there faster."
Robin stared. "What?"
"Come on, man. You know I'm no good at organizing stuff." Desperately, he looked back over his shoulder, racking his mind for good reasons. "Flying, I'll catch up with 'em in half the time. And I know I messed up, and it's-" His voice broke, and he blinked. "It's my fault, dude. But I can fix this. Please."
He turned back, and Robin was looking down at the ground. For an instant, he struck Beast Boy as someone with far too much to worry about. "…Okay."
A brief surge of joy made him grin. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." The leader slipped his motorcycle helmet back on, then sighed. "Just… be careful."
Adrenaline coursed through him, even before he spun and began sprinting. The echo of the motorcycle's roar faded behind him as he transformed into the reliable falcon, and it didn't take long to find the air currents he needed. He kept low this time, taking care not to lose any time by changing his altitude too much. Only two blocks had passed alongside him when he found what he was looking for.
Finally. Cornered.
Acid Rain was hunched over, and Beast Boy thought he could hear heavy breathing. Starfire hovered a few feet off the ground, blocking one of the intersection's exit streets, while Raven waited near another, hands encased in magical energy.
A plan formed itself in his mind. The third exit- more of an alley than anything else- was the most likely escape route, but it appeared that Acid Rain was waiting to regain his energy before making a move. The other two Titans were biding their time as well. But if someone had the last opening covered, it would be much easier to take him down.
Beast Boy skirted the edge of the buildings, keeping his distance from the others, and dropped in front of the alleyway. He banked to decrease his speed and turned back to his gorilla form, dropping to the ground with a shuddering crash.
It was a grand entrance, but it didn't earn more than a glance from Raven and Starfire. Acid Rain, for his part, didn't even turn, and Beast Boy suddenly understood the standoff: if any of the Titans moved in too quickly, he could utilize the chemical gun's attack and take advantage of the confusion to flee.
For the moment, all three exits were covered, but the villain appeared to be shifting his gaze between Raven and Starfire, considering which avenue he'd be able to escape through. Luckily, it didn't seem he'd even noticed the alley behind him.
The gun was the lynchpin. If Beast Boy could disarm him, everything would be fixed.
He shifted into a dragonfly morph again, taking care to make as little noise as possible as he flew closer and closer. All he had to do was switch to human form mid-flight, landing on the criminal's shoulders and keeping him from using the gun while the other two rushed in to incapacitate him. If it had worked underground…
Acid Rain was facing Raven now, poised like he was about to start running. Eyes narrowed, she plucked a stop sign from the edge of the intersection, letting it levitate as she waited for him to make a move.
The time was right. Beast Boy dove.
The gun swung up again, and-
The mask. The thought crashed into Beast Boy's mind: the mask was never meant to keep the man's identity a secret.
It was so no one could see which way he was looking.
Before any of the Titans could react, a concentrated shot of the poison was speeding through the air like a bullet. But not towards Raven.
With a cry, Starfire dropped to the ground, one arm grabbing at her shoulder while the other hung limply at her side.
The sight was so abrupt, so unexpected, that Beast Boy lost track of what he'd been planning. The process of transforming back to his human form was already started, but too early- he flailed, falling awkwardly to the pavement far from his intended target.
And when he looked up, wincing and holding his head, it was to see Acid Rain escaping through the very alley he was supposed to be guarding.
The street sign flew towards the man with Raven's furious magic behind it, but Beast Boy wasn't truly surprised when he avoided the projectile and continued running. Neither was he surprised when he saw Raven herself, flying faster after him. But that was okay, because Starfire was going to get up soon, and she'd come with them, and they would all chase him… down…
Starfire wasn't getting up.
Heart in his throat, Beast Boy could almost see himself going over to help. He'd see what was wrong, and he'd be able to fix it somehow, and Starfire would be fine and everything would be fine.
His breathing was getting faster. He couldn't move.
My fault.
They'd been in worse situations. They'd been seriously hurt before.
She's shaking.
But he didn't have to see it alone. There was always Cyborg to help him, or Raven to keep him focused, or Robin to take care of everything and make sure nothing bad happened and keep them all safe-
And Robin was there, suddenly, stepping away from his motorcycle and asking Beast Boy what happened because oh no he hasn't seen her yet-
He tried to say something. Anything. But instead he just glanced back to Starfire's huddled form, and Robin followed his eyes and didn't make a sound, only freezing in place for a moment before running.
What was he thinking when he knelt down next to her? Was he going back, looking over the events that led up to this? Did he blame Beast Boy?
He tried to shake away the idea, especially since he knew it wasn't the most important thing right now. But when he approached them both, when he could see the awful discoloration on Starfire's skin and hear the painful hissing noise that didn't stop and witness the pain in Robin's face, he felt like there was no other option.
The feeling of guilt, heavy and ominous and full of dread, seeped into his bones. At the same time, for some reason, he started to focus on the most random, inconsequential details- the faint smell of smoke in the air around him. The barely-visible twitching in Starfire's shoulder. The locks of her hair that were darker, coated with dust. The sound of Robin's breathing, faster and shallower than it should have been. The edge of his cape, stuck in a clasp on his belt, where several gadgets and devices were lined up, including several of the high-powered bombs that Beast Boy knew had a wide blast radius, that Robin only brought with him when the stakes were highest, when the mission was as dangerous as it could be-
He was holding the bomb.
For a moment, Beast Boy just stared down at his hand. The silver sphere was completely motionless, with only a blinking crimson light to signal its potential. The tiny LED would flash more quickly once the device was activated, he knew, and at the moment he could almost convince himself that he wasn't carrying a deadly weapon.
But… he'd taken it. Straight from Robin's belt, he'd just snatched it away. The realization left him cold, and the bomb seemed heavier in his grasp- he hadn't even thought about it, it was right there and he'd grabbed it immediately-
"Starfire, listen to me." Robin's voice snapped him back to reality, and he saw his leader lean closer with a quiet insistence in his voice. "You need to relax, alright? You're gonna be fine." But even as he spoke, his hands were moving frantically, searching through pouches in his belt.
What if he didn't know what to do? Beast Boy froze, unable to look away- if Robin didn't know how to stop the wound, if there wasn't a way to fix it, then she could- she might-
He'd gone after the bad guy. He'd deceived his team. And even when they had him, when he was already beaten and the only thing left to do was not screw it all up, he'd slipped.
Acid Rain had escaped, and his teammates were paying the price.
"Don't worry," Robin was saying quickly. "It's not bad." He had some kind of salve, and he was trying his best to apply it to her shoulder, but his hands were shaking, and Beast Boy could see the uncertainty in his movements. "You'll be fine," he said again, but this time his voice reflected real fear.
His communicator buzzed, and a voice emanated from his own machine as well as Robin's. "Raven to- any available Titans." Static and feedback partially masked her words, but he thought he could detect more emotion than usual in the message. "I've lost him. He's… I'm not sure."
Beast Boy didn't wait around for Robin's reaction. He made his way down the alley, attempting to ignore the thoughts of guilt as he passed the area he was supposed to guard. Running in the dim twilight, even darker in the shade of the buildings, he heard more than saw his next clue- a cacophony of noise, not far ahead. Either Acid Rain had doubled back to lose Raven, or the villain didn't know these streets as well as he thought he did.
There. A congested intersection gave Beast Boy the lead he needed. Running over, he found a traffic light that had toppled into the middle of the road due to a completely disintegrated base. Cars were parked in unusual positions on all four sides, and it didn't take long to find the figure in black, dragging a businessman out of a sports car and sliding into the driver's seat himself.
Growling, Beast Boy tried to force his way through the confused crowds on the walkways, but by the time he reached the street, the car had already backed out of the turn. It was now speeding down the road, but he didn't stop running- instead, he leaped onto a city mailbox and sprang forward, using the momentum of his jump as he morphed into a falcon once more. The burst of energy allowed him to keep flying without a pause, and it only took a few seconds to climb to the altitude he needed, using the thermals and air patterns of the city to gain even more speed.
The sky was darker now. In fact, he realized, it was more or less night- the sun had already set, and only an orange glow over the Jump City bay gave any natural light to the streets below him.
Here, he should have been able to focus. The air was colder, and he knew exactly what he had to do.
So why did his thoughts keep wandering?
Last time he'd been flying up here, all he could think about was how mad he was at Robin. At everything, really- the press conference, Acid Rain… but now, his own actions bore down on his mind. So many things had gone wrong, and each was clearly because of him.
Even if he succeeded- even if he stopped caught the criminal, saved the day, kept anyone else from getting hurt- was it really a victory? He had to try to salvage his mistakes, of course, but that didn't really make it right.
The idea stuck with him, for some reason. Spending so much time with Robin, he heard a lot about 'doing the right thing' and all, but he'd never considered that it could be this complicated. The plan was to do something good, right? And even for the right reason.
It made sense, but it didn't take away the gnawing feeling that he'd done something terribly wrong.
With a start, Beast Boy glanced down to see that he was still holding onto the bomb. His talons were locked into a seam in the machine, and it was light enough that he'd hardly noticed its weight during the flight. Had he been holding it the whole time? For some reason, it was getting more and more difficult to picture the exact events of the evening- all he could imagine was Starfire falling out of the sky, and the discord of people running and yelling, and the brief, terrified shaking in Robin's voice.
But… yeah, of course he'd carried the bomb with him. That had always been his plan, right? And stopping Acid Rain would make up for everything else.
All he had to do was win.
He wasn't far from the vehicle now- swooping down, he waited until he was directly over the sports car before taking the next step.
Briefly, he wondered what morph would be best to accost a speeding vehicle. Then, laughing internally, he fell the remaining distance in a flash, making sure to reach up and grab the bomb before he landed.
A fully-grown western lowland gorilla slammed onto the roof of the car. The instant his fists and feet made contact with the surface, Beast Boy knew he'd caused the upper frame to partially collapse, and the car lost its velocity right away, only taking a few seconds to come to a complete stop.
It might have been overkill, but he'd always had a soft spot for creatures that practically had superpowers of their own. Especially the gorilla morph- powerful, steady, and able to give and take blows with equal ease. The form that could have stopped Acid Rain, if I'd stuck to the plan.
Beast Boy shook the thought away and lumbered onto the street. Grabbing onto the warped car door, he wrenched it away with an audible split.
A burst of acid flew from the car.
He barely had time to raise the door in front of him like a shield. Soon, more attacks had left the metal hissing and steaming as it slowly disintegrated into several pieces. Beast Boy threw down the now-useless item, reverting to human form and moving to the side so the villain couldn't have a clear shot. He backed up against the surface of the car and craned his head to see inside.
Acid Rain was gone. Growling in frustration, Beast Boy clambered onto the top of the vehicle's decimated frame. From here, he had a better vantage point of this part of the city- the car chase had led him into one of the nicer districts, and there were quite a few high-rise apartments along the streets around him. More importantly, he could see the steps of the City Hall only a few blocks away.
And the dark figure, limping its way towards the building.
Bad. Very bad. He wasn't nearly as squeamish as Robin when it came to city relations, but government buildings weren't exactly ideal battlefields. If Acid Rain went crazy with that weapon, more than just nightclubs would be destroyed.
Wait. Check that, he already was going crazy. The villain fired the gun erratically, creating potholes in the streets and hitting structures at random. As Beast Boy ran, Acid Rain seemed to have no plan at all- he continued stumbling forward while wildly attacking anything around him.
It was getting harder to keep up with him. Numerous cars were stopped in the middle of the road, and passersby on either side milled around, at a loss to what was happening. A stray blast hit the base of another traffic light, and before long, the entire fixture was slowly tipping, creaking as it picked up speed.
Beast Boy's thoughts were hurried and direct. Gorilla? Gorilla.
With a growl, he shoved his way past the very people in danger, just in time to catch the pole before it hit anyone. Looking up, he realized he'd been too slow- other blasts of acid had already caused a car crash, along with the partial collapse of a one-story building that he could only hope was deserted at this time of night.
He could catch the villain in seconds. He could move fast enough. But he couldn't keep up with the destruction. For an instant, it rooted him to the spot, and the two objectives fought in his mind.
Make sure people are okay. Take care of the damage.
Stop him. Keep anyone else from getting hurt.
The second won out. Shaking his head, he transformed into a falcon once more, making sure not to lose his grip on the…
He'd almost forgotten that he still had it. He must have unconsciously held onto it, through every action, and now he had it clutched in his talons again.
Whatever. That didn't matter. All that mattered was his suddenly enhanced vision, and the slow-moving phantom before him, staggering up the marble steps of City Hall. Beast Boy picked up speed. He was close, and getting closer, and Acid Rain couldn't hope to get away, this was it, he was finally going to win, and everything would go back to normal-
He barely dodged the poison. It threw him off course, and, panicking, he only had time to switch back to human form before falling the short distance to the pavement.
It hurt. Beast Boy knew right away he wasn't seriously injured, but it felt like every inch of his body was scraped and scratched. Wincing, he got back to his feet, swaying a little as he looked up.
Acid Rain was looking at him.
Something… changed. As if a switch had been flipped, Beast Boy was flooded with rage. He was shaking, or at least he thought he was, and he could barely think straight, but the clearest thoughts followed a single line: No more.
This… idiot. He was the reason for everything that was going wrong. Wrecking the city. Hurting people. Sending Starfire plummeting out of the air. Making Beast Boy look like a complete fool.
And he would keep doing it, too. He'd just continue the destruction, as far as he could go until there was nothing left. Unless he was stopped.
The whole thing made Beast Boy sick. The Titans had been doing everything right- constantly, constantly working to keep these people safe. And this one stupid villain, with one stupid broadcast and one stupid fight, was going to ruin all of that.
Unless he was stopped.
Beast Boy didn't think about it. He didn't even register that it had happened, right away. But there was a click, and his arm moved, and a pressure vanished from his hand, and something small was flying through in the air, and…
…
The air froze in his lungs.
…
No. No, it couldn't- he didn't-
…
It was moving fast, far, too far, to the entrance of the building-
…
Acid Rain's impassive mask, staring him down-
…
Fire.
…
Sound. Light. Heat. Force.
It all hit him at once. The explosion knocked Beast Boy back, too fast to process what was happening- his body hit the ground, and his head followed quickly with a sharp crack. Everything after that started to blur together, but his senses were overloaded with information. The sound was still happening, still breaking, the awful crash of that first moment, but it was ringing, too, and now he could barely hear anything at all, and all he could think about was how bright it was, how incredibly vivid the yellow and red and orange plumes were, bursting out from a single point to transform the night, like the sun rising in the middle of the city and it was hot, so warm he could hardly stand it, but just as quickly it was cold and he was shaking again because it was too hot cold loud quiet bright dark-
Raven.
In his addled mind, he wondered for a second if he was dreaming, but he could almost swear he'd seen Raven flying past him, gasping in shock at something outside his vision. What was she so surprised about? Something had… happened, right? Something bad.
It was getting harder to think at all.
There was a face over him. Looking down. Cyborg. Asking. Asking questions. What's wrong? Was he… was he okay? What was he talking about?
He looked really scared. Beast Boy wondered why. He wasn't very scary, after all. And they were friends. Best friends.
Was something moving? Something was moving. Cyborg was… carrying him? That seemed kind of silly. He tried to say so, but it still hurt.
Oh, wait. Where was Robin? He had to tell Robin. Had to… tell him what happened. Say sorry for- sorry-
Had to-
