How could someone that big move so fast?!
Cyborg didn't have time to ponder the question, as he raised his mechanical arms to defend himself. Something small and very sharp whizzed by him, cutting him on the cheek. Cyborg didn't stop to nurse his wound however, as he was too busy fruitlessly trying to blast back at his opponent. How was this possible! Cyborg knew every square inch of this training room! He had designed it, built it, and maintained it for years now! The schematics were literally in his memory banks! He memorized every dimension, every measurement, every nook and cranny of this room, so why couldn't he hit this guy! Frustrated, he kept blasting at the shadows, sending shattered concrete flying across the room.
Raven looked like she was holding her own. Her shields were doing just fine holding back her assailant. But inwardly she was confused and startled, both of which were feeling she hardly ever experienced, and never at the same time. Normally she would track down their attacker with her empathic abilities, using their emotions like a beacon to illuminate her target. But this person, assuming it was a person, didn't seem to be feeling anything at all. Even when they fought Slade and Trigon she had felt something, cold contempt and a burning hatred for all things living respectively. To describe it to a non-empath, imagine knowing someone was there but not seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling them. Now imagine that that someone was attacking you. Here was an empty void, where she should have felt anger, aggression, frustration, something, ANYTHING! On a level she would never admit, it scared her.
Starfire was doing somewhat better than her colleagues. She was attempting to use her abilities to light up the room so the Titans could see their opponent. She had tried to attack, but had been foiled when her target had used some deception and clever positioning to get her to unwittingly fire her starbolts at her friends. Now she did not dare to use her powers in an offensive capacity. This was exactly what their adversary had expected. He had relied on the fact that 1) the alien's aim was terrible, 2) in the heat of battle with her rampant emotions she tended to shoot without stopping to look, and 3) she would never endanger her friends. Once her first few blasts sent Robin flying across the room, he knew he had already done it. Without even attacking her, he had reduced one of the most powerful members of the Teen Titans to the role of nightlight. She wasn't terribly effective at it either. Her light, usually so cheerful, only served to make the shadows darker…
Beast Boy was probably doing the best of them all. In his agile monkey form, combined with his heightened senses, he was able to evade all of the enemy's attacks. In fact, he counted a few times where he could have counter-attacked. However, Robin ordered him not to, for fear of separating the group so their attacker could pick them off one by one. Beast Boy thought he was being paranoid and overly cautious, but didn't dare to question his leader's authority. Garfield didn't stop to consider that perhaps that was what their enemy was counting on.
Robin was playing it safe. He swung his bo staff once more to deflect another incoming projectile. For the past few minute he had been testing them, probing them, trying to find their weak point. But eventually he would attack, and when he did he would be vulnerable to counter-attack, allowing the Titans to…
… wait a minute…
Why would he need to test them? He already knew everything about them, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, skills, etc. Why would he waste time gathering information he already had?
Acting on this, the next time one of those projectiles came shooting out of the dark, Robin didn't deflect it. Instead he caught it, ignoring the cuts it made on the inside of his hand. He took one look at it and realized what it was. He looked down and around himself and realized that those small projectiles hadn't been thrown haphazardly. Each time the Titans had deflected one they let it clatter to the ground assuming it was harmless. Only now did he realize that small piles of the weapons were at the feet of each of his comrades.
"Starfire fly!" Robin's command was their enemy's cue to spring his trap.
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With the push of a button, each of the projectiles, littering the floor like forgotten soda cans at a picnic, unleashed a small hypersonic wave. Individually, they didn't do much, but together and in such close proximity to each other the sound waves were amplified.
His costume protecting him from the sound waves, he assessed the situation in the time it took him to blink.
Robin had realized too late the nature of the trap. He was sprawled on the floor, one hand on his ear and another twitching as he tried to force it into compliance, ignoring the damage to his right eardrum and the muscle spasms that felt like they were going to rip his body like an old receipt going through the paper-shredder. It would take him about four and a half seconds to retrieve the sonic neutralizer in his belt and about a half second more before he could fight again.
Beast Boy was suffering the worst, as his heightened senses turned what should have been a blinding headache into a series of concussive explosions underneath his scalp and behind his eyeballs. Of all of them, he was screaming the loudest, and his pain was the most obvious. His body was going through so many shifts and different forms as he desperately sought release from his mortal agony, that at the moment he looked like a rippling blob of cells. He would probably be out for the rest of the week.
Starfire was faring better, as she had heeded Robin's advice. Hovering a few feet off the ground, her hands were planted firmly on her ears as she slowly focused all the joyous thoughts she could into putting some distance between herself and the hypersonics, but these devices were based off of the Canary Cry, which was strong enough to bring down Superman. In this concrete room there was only so much space she could put between herself and the ground. Still, it was best not to take any chances he thought as he flung a bola at her. While it didn't physically hurt her, the restraints were enough to break her concentration, causing her to tumble to the ground. Now at ground level and unable to use her hands to shield her ears from the sonic screech, she screamed in what must have been unbearable torture. Her powers were based off of emotion, and pain, though unpleasant, is not an emotion in and of itself. Worse, pain was a natural override of emotional processes. No emotions, no powers. In her current state she would be subdued for about thirty seconds.
The same logic was currently keeping Raven in check. But that famed discipline of hers was quickly asserting itself, as she scrunched up in the fetal position, wrapping the hood of her cloak around her ears. He had ten seconds at the most.
Cyborg was faring the best of them all. The cybernetic half of his brain was unaffected and was able to keep the biological part of his brain somewhat functional. Coupled with the enormous willpower he displayed in his battle against Brother Blood, he was able to slowly get back up. He probably had about two seconds.
He went for Cyborg first. He had studied his opponent. Most of his body was mechanical, but his abdomen wasn't. With a quick strike to the solar plexus, he easily knocked the wind out of him. But Cyborg had been an athlete before he became a superhero, so that probably wouldn't be enough. For good measure he added a blow to the trachea, not enough to cause permanent damage, but enough to make it difficult to breathe. Cyborg's vision became blurred as he struggled to take in oxygen. He was dizzy, dazed, confused, chocking, and still in a lot of pain from the hypersonics. He raised his arm and fired. His opponent anticipated this and before Cyborg could react properly, grabbed his arm and aimed it away.
The blue beam of sound hit Robin square in the chest, then Raven, and lastly Starfire. Beast Boy was spared, since in his current condition a blast from Cyborg would have likely torn him in half. With the rest of the Titans down, he rapped the half-man half-machine smartly on the temple using his knuckles and with just enough force to knock him unconscious.
And just like that, the Titans were beaten.
He switched off the hypersonics and turned to leave the room. A half second later he turned just in time to see a green cheetah race up to him at 60 mph. Almost instinctively he threw a bola which bound the predator's legs together, but as he sailed through the air he swiftly changed into a hippopotamus. The sight of impact was on their foreheads, and since the green changeling was traveling at 60 mph, both of them were knocked out cold before they hit the ground.
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It was certainly a sight worth seeing: all of the Titans taken down and, most precious of all, the image of a dazed and confused Beast Boy lying on top of a dazed and confused Batman.
It was so precious that Flash couldn't resist running back to Central City, grabbing his camera, and running back to Titans Tower.
"Hey J'onn," said the speedster as he called the Watchtower, "I've got some pictures I'm sending to you. Could you make sure these stay in the Justice League's absolute most secret and secure server?"
The Martian complied as Barry considered whether to hold onto these as blackmail material or just send them out to every member of the League next Christmas.
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"How the flip did you take down Batman?!" Cyborg asked after he was done cooking waffles the next day.
Beast Boy decided to show rather than tell by transforming into a snake. The Titans all looked at him questionably. BB had recently figured out how to talk in animal form, an ability which drove Raven up the wall as he could now pester her in hundreds of new ways. Using this ability, he explained, "Snakes can't hears sound waves through the air, they have to feel them through the ground. Most of the sound was being sent through the air, so as a snake I didn't feel them enough to be knocked out. When I felt the vibrations stop I knew he had stopped the hypersonics so I attacked."
The rest of the Titans, particularly Raven, were shocked that Beast Boy could have come up with a plan that was well-thought, coherent, logical, and kind of brilliant. Once they lifted their jaws off the ground, they returned to excitedly chatter about the battle.
Cyborg was amazed at how he had been taken down in just three strikes. He pulled up his schematics and wondered aloud whether or not he should try to cover up those physical weaknesses that had been exploited in the battle. He started toying with the idea of implanting plates of sub-dermal armor to protect his abdomen, throat, and the meaty portions of his face.
Raven was still trying to get over the fact that Beast Boy had shown intelligence. But once she got over it (after a hurt look from her verdant teammate) she started to wonder how anyone could fight with such strength and display no emotion whatsoever. Robin told her he wasn't surprised, and he briefly went over some of the meditation techniques his old mentor had mastered, many of which Raven never even knew existed. She decided to ask him for a course sometime.
Starfire and Robin were both being rather hard on themselves. Starfire did so because she realized how she could be so easily tricked into hurting her friends and Robin because he had fallen into a trap that seemed obvious to him now. Although the others assured him he never could have seen it coming, Robin knew better. Now that he thought about it, it should have been obvious. He had been too cautious, not aggressive enough. He played it safe by sticking to the book instead of taking a risk. He had been tactically inflexible, and in doing so he made himself predictable, and therefore vulnerable.
Beast Boy was looking rather smug with himself. After a while his eyes widened.
"Hey Raven," he asked, turning to the dark haired empathy, "you think they'll accept me into the League after this?"
Robin was the first to answer, as he was probably the most qualified. "I don't see why not. You did great work last night."
But Beast Boy was only half paying attention to his team leader. His goofy grin was still focused on Raven. He figured she'd probably make a sarcastic quip, but he still wanted to hear it.
Raven sighed. She could have made a sarcastic quip. But she had always prided herself on her blunt honesty. And to be bluntly honest, Beast Boy had done what the she, the Titans, and most every villain and hero on Earth could never do: he'd beaten the Dark Knight.
"Beast Boy," she replied in a quiet, almost whispering voice she only used when she had to convey seriousness of the most austere kind. "You're smart, brave, resourceful, and more stubborn than Superman, Shazam, and Wonder Woman all crossed with a mule." For some reason the corners of her lips turned upwards as she said the next part, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to support him or comfort herself. "The League would be a bunch of fools to reject you."
Now it was Beast Boy's turn to sit there wide-eyed with a look of slack-jawed amazement. Then, slowly, he smiled. It wasn't a goofy grin like he usually had. It was softer, more genuine, the kind of smile Raven never thought would actually be aimed at her.
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A few minutes later Batman was sitting in the Ops room with his protégé. Robin was sitting there with his teeth clenched and his arms crossed. He knew this was going to hurt.
"Richard," began Bruce, causing Dick to wince. The name on his birth certificate? Now he was definitely in trouble.
"Your performance was unacceptable. You were overly cautious, you lacked aggression, and you chose to play it safe by sticking to the book, allowing your opponent to dictate the battle. Your tactical inflexibility put your team in a vulnerable position."
Internally, Dick gasped in pain as each word stabbed and twisted deeper into the wound he had already made. Of course he didn't show this externally.
"But now that that's out of the way, I'm also going to tell you that you've made significant progress over these last few years."
Dick blinked. Huh?!
Bruce removed his cowl and stared at Dick with those penetrating blue eyes. Dick removed his mask as well, returning the gaze with the baby blue eyes that no member of his team had ever seen.
"Dick, I think that if it had been anyone else fighting your team you would've come out on top. Wonder Woman, Flash, maybe even Superman. I'm not exaggerating. You know I don't do that. I think the only reason you lost is because you were facing me. Because you don't see me like you see every other opponent."
Dick sat there in shocked silence as he mulled over this. Wordlessly, Bruce produced a file even thicker than the one Robin kept on Slade. Batman handed it over to Robin.
"This," said the Caped Crusader, "is a file on me. Strengths, weaknesses, abilities, skills, etc. You will study it, memorize it, and keep it safe. That is the only copy of that file in existence, aside from the copy in my own mind. Be careful with it."
The room was too quiet for a good five minutes as Robin automatically looked at the papers inside. There was everything here, from schematics of every gadget to an in-depth psychological analysis of the Dark Knight. Dick couldn't think of anything to say. It was almost involuntary when he asked, "Why?"
Bruce put his cowl back on. Batman replied, "Just in case."
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Raven's eyes narrowed when she saw who entered the common room. She saw a woman in a stage magician's outfit, complete with a top hat, fish-net stockings, and the sort of magic wand you'd see in a Vegas showroom.
She glided to the older woman and nodded curtly. "Zatanna."
Zatanna nodded back. "We need to talk."
A few minutes later they were in Raven's room, standing and facing each other. Zatanna coughed awkwardly. "Nice décor. Is that manuscript from the twelfth century or the thirteenth?"
Raven didn't bother answering the pointless question. "What do you want?"
"I want to apologize!" she blurted out after biting her lip nervously.
"For what," said Raven, her voice quiet and deadly like a garrote. "For convincing the League I was a threat to the world? Making them kick me out? Making me feel like an outcast in a strange world that would never accept me?"
"Yes," answered the other hero quietly. "You've proven yourself time and time again as a force for good. You've quite literally risen above your demons, and become an inspiration to us all. I offer my most sincere apologies."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Batman told you to say that?"
"Actually it was Superman," Zatanna took a big breath before continuing. "Look, I know you probably don't like me, but I'm here to ask you to forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive," she answered in her trademark dry monotone. "You were right. I was a threat to the world. And you know what? When that did happen, when I became the portal, it was the Titans who stopped me. It was the Titans who saved the world, defeated Trigon, and brought me back, not the Justice League. So no. I'm not going to accept your offer to join the League. I'm going to stay here, with my family."
Zatanna took a few moments to gather her thoughts. "How'd you know?"
Raven shrugged, "Why else would the League suddenly become so interested in mending bridges?"
Zatanna stood there for a while wondering if there was any point in continuing this conversation. Deciding that the answer was no, she turned to leave the room. But before the got past the door, she turned one last time and said, "For what it's worth, I think you're making the right decision. But just know that the door's open for you."
Raven, as dryly and monotonously as ever, replied, "Thank you."
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They were all gathered in the common room. On one side were the Teen Titans. On the other stood Batman, the Flash, and Zatanna. Batman stepped forward, his dark shadow towering over all of them, even Cyborg who physically was at eye level seemed to visibly shrink.
"You've all performed remarkably well. You've exceeded all expectations, and you've pushed beyond all of your boundaries." He looked at all five heroes before the blank eyes of his cowl settled on Beast Boy.
"Beast Boy," he declared, causing the shape-shifter to step forward. "You have displayed remarkable aptitude, intelligence, resourcefulness, and strength of will and character, both on and off the battlefield. With all this in mind, I would like to offer you a place on the Justice League."
There was quiet in the room. Beast Boy looked at his teammates. Robin was grinning with a sense of pride, having watched and helped train him to become the great hero he was today. Starfire was smiling joyously, nothing new there, but had a look of sadness. He knew she would feel upset at first, but she would get over it, reasoning that she should be happy for her friend's decision. Cyborg's smile was genuine, he knew how much being accepted into the Justice League meant to his best friend. He gave him a hearty slap on the back.
Raven's smile was just that. A smile. Not Raven's. Beast Boy knew that smile. He wore it a few days after his parents died, when he tried to tell a joke so that people would stop feeling pity for him. He wore it the day he left the Doom Patrol so he could convince himself that being alone was better than being Mento's perfect soldier. He wore it when he needed to lie to himself. That was his smile. Not Raven's.
"Thanks for the offer Batman," started Garfield, "But I can't accept. Someone's gotta be comedic relief around here, and god knows it ain't gonna be Raven."
Most of the heroes smiled at that, except for Batman and Raven. The former simply nodded his acceptance and dismissed the group. Starfire, Flash, and Zatanna all went to go relax on the couch. Cyborg shouted out a challenge to Beast Boy involving a video game. Beast Boy and Raven exchanged glances before Raven went to the corner to read and Beast Boy went to the couch to answer Cyborg's challenge. Robin stayed to speak with Batman.
"Thanks," said the Boy Wonder.
"What for?"
"Oh come on," said Dick with that wild grin Bruce hadn't seen since his days in Gotham. "We both know you could have convinced BB to go with you if you had five minutes alone with him."
"I think you underestimate how devoted Garfield is to his family."
"Well we both know that was far from your most persuasive speech."
"Robin," replied Batman. "Your team is effective, efficient, and it does its job. I saw no reason to break it up."
"And…" Dick's expectant voice goaded the Caped Crusader on.
Bruce almost smiled at Dick's persistence. Almost. "Garfield Logan deserves a family."
As if to signal the end of the conversation, the lights throughout the tower began flashing red and a loud, obnoxious alarm started ringing in everyone's ears, which for the Titans were still quite sore. Simultaneously, Batman turned his head as he received an incoming signal from the Watchtower.
"Time to go?" asked Dick.
"Crime never sleeps," answered the Dark Knight grimly before responding on his com-piece, "Watchtower, this is Batman, requesting three to transport, over."
"Good luck," said Bruce before vanishing in a beam of blue light.
Robin turned to the computer terminal. "Looks like a prison break involving an unknown number of meta-humans. This could get tricky."
They all rushed to the T-car. Raven took a look around at her friends, all rushing towards unknown danger. Together.
"You okay?"
Raven looked at Beast Boy. "Yeah," she answered, as dry and monotonous as ever.
Beast Boy grinned. She wasn't even aware she was smiling.
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Author's Retrospective Review
I actually really like this one. But that may just be because Batman's in it. For the most part, it's not pretentious, it's not faux-poetry, it's just a good, fun romp with some decent character, a fine fight sequence, and, above all else, the Batman.
It's probably the relative simplicity of the thing that keeps it from feeling as dense and laden-down as some of my other pieces. I had a story I wanted to tell, and I just told it. No mess, no fuss, no overly ambitious metaphors or misplaced focus, just some good, old-fashioned fun. I suppose I could criticize it on that basis, for not even trying, but to be honest that's full-on prick behavior. Criticizing a fun little romp for not making you question the value of human existence is something not even I could do.
I suppose the biggest stumbling block when I re-read this was the odd bit when Beast Boy has to justify his decision to not leave the Titans by looking at Raven. I had trouble thinking of a line of reasoning that would fit Beast Boy's character that wouldn't sound like I was talking out of my own butthole, and that was about the best I could come up with. While it's okay, I can't help but feel like something about the line about Raven's smile just feels unnatural. I remember stumbling to write that all those years ago, and even now I stumble a little when reading over it. It's just not like Beast Boy to think that depressively in his own head, comparing the smile of one of his own teammates, and his love interest, to some of the most traumatic experiences in his life.
I wrote this in one of those flurries of inspiration writers occasionally get (or in my case more a light shower really) and I think if I had stopped and thought about it a while I could've come up with a better way of writing it. But I think I was in such a rush to publish, I so desperately wanted that little boost to my self-confidence whenever I see that "Favorites" number go up or I read a positive review (a redundant statement on this website, to be sure) that I didn't stop to make sure the story was the absolute best it could've been. Maybe if I had delayed the stupid thing by just a day I could've come up with something that wouldn't incur such frustration, even if it's just for one paragraph. To this day I adhere to the rule of, when I can, waiting at least 24 hours before declaring anything done, no matter what it is I've written, whether it's for fun or for school. I think that rule has served me well.