1.
With the wind flowing through his feathers Beast Boy came in for a gentle landing on the sidewalk by the small plaza. He flapped his green eagle wings and, turning human again, stood and gave a long and loud stretch. He'd been out all day, ever since 9:00 am (at that moment it was almost 2:00). He'd flown every flap of the way and the dull ache in his arms reminded him so with every small movement. He was tired and hungry, but at the moment he couldn't afford to stop. He was on a mission and he aimed to see it completed. Popping his joints and giving his shoulders a good roll, he continued on his way. Walking up to the shop, he opened the door.
Lucid Dreams Comics was a small, hole-in-the-wall comic shop, sandwiched between a nail salon and an insurance agent. Though it lacked the size of some of the more upscale shops and bookstores of Jump City it nevertheless played host to thousands of titles and kept an incredibly up-to-date stock of new and recent releases. Entering the store's egg shell colored walls, Beast Boy made a bee line straight for the back, to the new arrivals section. It was here he hoped to find it, the illusive 500th issue of Tales From the Bog. Not just any comic, this was the long awaited monster sized issue with the exciting conclusions to ongoing sagas such as Invasion of the Head Bursters, Blood Drinking Devil Dolls and The Wolf Thing. It was kind of a big deal. The book had only been out for a few days and yet the massive hype surrounding its release combined with its limited edition status had left available copies more than a little scarce. The green teen had already been to eight comic shops, five book stores and three multi media outlets looking for it. Anywhere that sold comics he'd tried, and now this was it. The last store in the city. If he couldn't find it here...
No, he thought to himself. He couldn't think that way. He would find it. He had to.
Beast Boy's mind remained sharp as he perused the lineup of freshly printed comics. From title to title he went, studying each one carefully along the way. He didn't want to make any mistakes. He started from the top, went all the way to the end of the shelf, then down, then back to the other side, slowly, methodically. New issues of Glaglor the Hell Beast, Super Chud and The Illusionist Diaries filled his careful gaze. All great comics but none were the coveted Tales From the Bog 500. He continued undeterred, but as he got closer and closer to the bottom of the rack he could feel his heart beginning to sink. He reached the last title on the shelf, a new copy of Sick Mysteries #52, and let out a defeated sigh. Alas it seemed his journey had ended in failure. He turned to leave but stopped when a familiar splash of color caught the corner of his eye. There, three comics towards the end, he spotted a single book half sticking out from behind two others. Pushing the obstructions aside, he took sight of the hidden gem and squealed with delight. There it was. Tales number five-zero-zero. The ghoulish visage of the series' zombified mascot "The Bog Farmer" gave him a gap-toothed grin from the front cover as Beast Boy took the comic into his eager hands. What luck. What incredible luck. This was without a doubt the last remaining copy in the city. And he had found it.
The green teen was absolutely beaming as he went to the counter at the front of the store where the overweight, bearded and be-spectacled clerk sat pouring through an issue of Mondo Man the Great. The bearded man didn't speak, save for a barely audible "S'up." He nodded like a zombie, examined the comic and punched a few keys on the cash register. Beast Boy paid and the bearded man droned, "Okay, you're all set," and slid the issue across the counter.
Beast Boy's thoughts were turning to where to go for lunch when they suddenly exploded into a cloud of dust and debris. With a deafening crash, the door to the comic book shop leapt from its hinges and collided with the young changeling's back, knocking him to the thinly carpeted (and unfortunately none-too-clean) comic shop floor.
From out of the dust and smoke came the corpulent frame of the cruel and dastardly Control Freak. His wispy orange hair flowed in the breeze as with a malevolent grin he waddled his way into the shop.
Beast Boy groaned. He made an attempt to stand but quickly found himself pinned to the floor once again this time suffering under the weight of not only the door but also Control Freak's massive frame as the blubbery supervillain marched his way up to the counter, giving no heed to the downed Titan as he callously trampled him under his steel-toe-booted hooves.
"Pardon me, my dear fellow," leered Control Freak at the now wide awake and utterly terrified clerk. "But you wouldn't perhaps have a copy of..." He looked down at the counter where the Tales issue still sat and immediately a pig-like squeal of delight came pouring over his lips. Snatching the comic into his hands, Control Freak held the coveted item high above his head. No one had to make the Legend of Zelda music for him; he did it himself with a boisterous "Dah, nah, nah naaaaaahh." Clutching the paper book to his man boobs, he cried out, "At last. At long last I've found it. I had to hack into every comic book database in the city but at long last I've found a copy of the new Tales From the Bog." From beneath the wreckage of the door the still flattened Beast Boy wheezed something between "Stop" and "Wait," but the portly villain heard nothing. Turning and letting out a most discomforting giggle, he waddled his way back to the obliterated store front.
Control Freak was nearly out of the store when there suddenly came a deep and menacing growl. Beast Boy, the air returning to his lungs, transformed into a gorilla and in one swift and powerful motion heaved the door from his body as an enraged roar erupted from deep within his belly. Becoming human again he called out to the fleeing villain. "Hey Dude!" he shot angrily. "That's MY copy of Tales from the Bog!"
"Nuh-uh," countered Control Freak.
"Yah-huh," retorted Beast Boy.
"Nuh-uh"
"Yah-huh"
"NUH-UH"
"YAH-HUH"
"Nuh-uh, I don't see your name on it."
"Uhhh helllloooo? Does this freshly printed receipt mean anything to you?" Going into his pocket, Beast Boy retrieved the small slip of paper and proudly displayed it out in front of him.
Showing surprising reflexes, Control Freak snatched the receipt out of Beast Boy's hand and swiftly tore it to pieces. He then drew his high-powered remote control from its holster, took aim, and with one little tap of the eject button sent the green teen flying backwards into a carefully constructed display of action figures. Control Freak laughed as Beast Boy disappeared into the pile of plastic and cardboard, and then awkwardly ran out the door.
2.
Control Freak was still laughing as he was stuffing the rare comic into his drum pouch. He stopped, however, when he heard the sound of thundering hooves and turning he found a irate green bull baring down on him, charging at him with nostrils flaring. Letting out a not so masculine shriek he took aim at his shoes with his controller and swiftly transformed them into a pair of rocket powered roller blades. The thrusters fired and off he went as the bull gave chase.
Realizing he wasn't losing his pursuer, Control Freak cursed his decision to have a bagel bite omelet for breakfast and once again drew his remote. Ahead of him he spotted a postman about to retrieve the letters from an outdoor drop box. Cackling with glee, he took aim and with the press of a button, teeth sprang from the big blue box's lid and the object transformed into a ravenous monster. Control Freak let out a sick giggle as the green bull quickly changed course and raced to help the endangered postman.
Beast Boy's actions were swift and fluid. In a blink the green bovine was gone and in it's place came a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Still moving forward, it snatched the freak creation into its massive jaws. The box shaped monster gushed yellow and white envelopes from its wounds as with one mighty chomp the T-Rex reduced it to a pile of scrap. Without missing a step, the giant lizard spat out what remained, transformed into a cheetah and immediately resumed the chase.
Control Freak could hardly believe his eyes: the green and black spotted wildcat was very quickly closing in. In a matter of seconds it was practically on his heels. He shrieked as the vicious animal snapped at his undercarriage, its jaws making a sharp clicking sound with each near miss.
Thinking quickly, the bulbous comic book fan once more took aim with his controller. Just ahead a young couple was stepping out under a large steel awning at the entrance to a high rise apartment building. He pressed down hard on a little red button towards the middle of the remote and all at once a high intensity laser came shooting out of the device, slicing through the metal supports. The awning creaked loudly and began to topple. The couple screamed in fear.
Once again the green beast changed course. Leaping into the air, it shifted into a giant octopus. Grabbing old of a light post with two of it's eight legs, it stretched its remaining limbs towards the two youngsters, grabbing them around the waist and sling-shotting them out of danger just as the awning crumbled to the ground.
Control Freak let out a boisterous laugh as he rounded a corner. Still cruising along he thought he'd at last made his escape. Thinking he could do two things at once, he drew the Tales issue from his pouch and began leafing through it as he navigated his way through the city streets. So distracted was he that he failed to notice the shadow passing just overhead. The shrill cry of a peregrine falcon rang in his ears and turning he spotted a very green one swooping down out of the sky, cutting through the air like a bullet, heading straight for his face. Control Freak's beady little eyes became as big as baseballs as he frantically stuffed the comic back into his pouch and ducked out of the way, barely avoiding the creatures razor sharp talons. Soaring back up into the air, the falcon circled around and dove at him once more and once again the blubbery geek barely managed to move out of the way. Control Freak wobbled on his skates, waving his arms, struggling to keep his balance. The falcon dove at him a third time. Control Freak avoided the blow once again but this time he was unable to regain his composure. Arms flailing he zigzagged back and forth on the street before finally hitting the curb on the far left side and taking a header right into a pile of garbage cans.
Control Freak groaned as his vision blurred and his head spun. Lifting a garbage can from his head, he found Beast Boy on approach. With his fists clenched and his emerald eyes narrowed into slits, the green Titan did not look in the mood for games as he slowly stalked the downed villain. Drawing his remote again, Control Freak tapped a few buttons then raised the device above his head. A grappling hook shot forth from the front of the remote; it soared high into the air and latched onto the side of the building behind him, leaving a cable trail in its wake.
"Later, Beast Butt," he chided. With the press of a button the cable retracted and, like a bobber on a child's fishing pole, the walrusy-looking comic book nerd was hefted into the air. Up and up he went before catapulting over the ledge and landing on the rooftop with a clumsy ba-dump.
Breaking out into a less than dignified run, he only managed to make it a few steps before from the opposite ledge came an eight-foot-tall green Sasquatch. The mythical beast landed directly in front of him, cutting off his escape and letting out a terrifying roar. Control Freak recoiled in fright, landing on his plump posterior. He drew his remote but this time the creature was ready. Spinning on its heels, it transformed into a prehistoric deinonychus. It's long whip like tail lashed out at the villain's out stretched hand, knocking the remote free and sending it tumbling over the side of the roof where it clattered to pieces on the street below. With Control Freak properly disarmed, the green dinosaur became Beast Boy once more.
It appeared to be over for Control Freak; however, he still had one more card to play. Going to his pouch, he retrieved the comic. "Hold it right there," he said, gripping the comic by the top in a preemptive tearing motion. "You take one more step and I'll tear it to pieces."
Though Beast Boy's hard glare remained unchanged, he nevertheless stayed his feet.
"Yeah, I thought so," sneered Control Freak. "You want this really bad, don't you? Well, here's how its gonna go down. You let me go and maybe, just maybe, I'll let you have it."
For a few tense moments things were silent. Finally Beast Boy spoke. "Really?" he said incredulously. "REALLY? You really think I'm going to let you get away after everything you've done? Dude, I'm taking you in. End of story."
Control Freak was flabbergasted. "Buh-buh-but the comic. This is limited release we're talking about, the culmination of years of storytelling. It's a dream come true for comic book fans everywhere. You want it just as bad as as the rest of us, and don't tell me you don't. You see we're truly the same you and I-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, big villain speech, blah blah blah. Dude, you can just stop right there." Beast Boy made a talky-talk motion with his hand then resumed his march to the fallen villain. "Look, I'll admit it. You're right. I do want that comic. It's like gamestation, tofudogs and a third awesome thing all rolled into one. But here's the thing and this has always been the key difference between you and me. I'm a Titan."
Control Freak narrowed his eyes at the still approaching Beast Boy. "Don't want to accept my generous offer?" he spat. "Fine! Then I guess neither of us are gonna have it." He tightened his grip on the comic. He was mere milliseconds away from tearing it in two, and yet as he stared at the crisp, clean, limited edition issue, he hesitated. The sheer perfection of it... The historical importance... His mind willed himself to destroy it in one final act of defiance and yet his body simply refused. Sweat began pouring from his temples. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he realized he did not have it in himself to destroy such a precious piece of comic literature. He became perfectly still and remained that way until Beast Boy finally, and without hurry, took the issue from his fingers. Collapsing onto his back, Control Freak stared up at the sky.
"I'm a Titan..." said Beast Boy again. "...and you? You're just a geek."
Control Freak offered no resistance as the green gorilla took him by the ankle and dragged him to the edge of the rooftop. He said nothing as he was carefully brought down the fire escape to the streets below, where the flashing lights of a dozen or so police cruisers sat waiting for him. He only stared straight ahead as he was cuffed and taken downtown.
Dusting off his comic, Beast Boy waved goodbye. Maybe he could finally get some lunch.
End
A/N: Alright so I hope you liked this first chapter. I've got a bunch of others lined up, but I'm also looking for suggestions. Don't be shy about sharing a matchup you'd like to see. Hero vs Villain, Hero vs Hero, Villain vs Villain. Shout it out. I just might use it.