Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Do I wish I did? Yes. Will I ever? No.
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Teen Titans In: Ghost Train
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Two children raced down the rocky dirt road, trying to beat the rainstorm that threatened drench them.
Brother Lighting flashed in the sky and as it was soon followed by Brother Thunder who let out a monstrous moan, causing one of the children to jump and speed ahead of their older sibling. The road extended far out in front of them, twisting and turning till it reached a solid road near a neighborhood. But unlike most suburban areas of a city, this was deserted. Not one house lit up on the impending darkness as the black clouds swallowed the setting sun. The children ran on and on, desperately trying to find a house that they could seek shelter in.
"Jeremy! Jeremy wait up!"
The older sister tried in vain to catch up to her little brother who was scared half to death from the booming noise every so often. Slightly jumpy herself, Morgan pumped her legs faster and closed a little of the distance. It was then, that the rain was finally released of its cloud prison. It swept in faster then one could anticipate. A hard wind picked up debris and dust from the rock road Morgan and Jeremy had come from. It shipped their clothes around their bodies and caused them to shiver from their drenched clothes. Fate seemed cruel, as they could find no safe haven along the deserted streets of Jump City.
It wasn't until Morgan almost ran into her brother as he skidded to a halt. "Jeremy, why did you -" She noticed that her little sibling was transfixed on a something straight ahead. She looked up and immediately grabbed Jeremy's arm. Silhouetted from the dark, its only features illuminated from the populous Jump City far ahead, was a lone wolf. "C'mon Jeremy! We have to move!" But the boy wrestled his limb away from her and slowly walked towards the animal. Morgan tried again but the boy sprinted forward. "No!" She raced after him, ready to give her life if the wolf was to attack him.
But it just stayed where it was, watching the human run at itself. Then, when the boy became at a certain distance from it, the animal ran at a slow run, as if to make sure it was purposely leading them somewhere. This only lasted for another minute or so when it picked up speed and dashed away into the forest that outlined the ghost neighborhood. Jeremy finally stopped at the edge of a set of railroad tracks that were a dividing line from civilization and the wilderness. Morgan came a few seconds after and bent down, catching her breath.
"Jeremy...you will...never...do that...again...understand?"
But the boy didn't seem to hear her as he began a rapid pace once more. Morgan shouted out to him but was drowned from the roar of Brother Thunder above. Only, it wasn't a wild animal he was chasing, but a small house he was racing toward. The elder sister saw this also and gave a faint smile of hope that they actually might have a place for the night. The door creaked even as the small boy knocked ever so politely. Morgan hoped that someone was home to give them shelter, either that or, if they find it deserted, break a window and climb in.
A sudden light diminished the though of the illegal act when soft footsteps stopped in front of them, the door the only barrier. A short, old man with shoulder length long gray hair appeared before them just as Brother Lightning cracked the sky once again. The man seemed unfazed but Jeremy clung to his sister's waist in fright.
"Well? What do you want? You're letting the cold air in!" He growled underneath his breath. Morgan gulped. "C-could we s-s-stay the n-night sir?" The old man perked an eyebrow as he studied her eyes for a moment. His gaze shifted when the male child whimpered at another boom. The old man forcefully snorted out his air from his nostrils and turned around. "Come in, come in." He waved forward. "No use making you wait outside in this hellish storm forever." Morgan thanked him profusely as Jeremy sped past him and knelt in front of the fire. Surprised, the man chuckled. "Quite a sporadic fellow aren't you?" The boy didn't answer. The elder clapped his hands twice, making the boy look up in wonderment at what the geezer was doing. Well, at least he wasn't deaf.
"He doesn't talk much." Morgan quietly spoke behind him. She folded her hands in front of her and looked at her brother. "He has a lisp and refuses to talk because of it. If only we could make him talk would he be able to get rid of it." The man 'humph'ed in response. "You must be cold. What could I get you to drink?" Jeremy smiled and raced into the kitchen, startling the man again who, again, chuckled. Soon, he had brought out a jug of milk while he stuck out his tongue and waved a hand in front of it. Morgan smiled as she stood next to the old man. "I think he would like some hot milk." Jeremy nodded and grinned.
"And what would you like miss."
"Could I have some -"
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"Herbal Tea. But don't make it too hot, just a little more then lukewarm. Be sure to also put in three and a half teaspoons of sugar and one of the mint leaves in the box above the cereal. Use my ceramic glass and then put in three drops of honey. Stir clockwise ten times and counterclockwise two. Pour it three fourths full and drain the rest. Don't worry Beast Boy. It's environmentally safe."
The said Beast Boy stood outside Raven's doorway and scribbled something down. "Dude, this is kinda complicated."
"I'm not easy to predict. So, how far have you gotten?"
"Uh...heh heh...what did you say after the lukewarm part?"
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"Sir? Uh...sir? Are you alright?"
The man snapped out of his trance and looked up at the girl. "Yes, yes. I'm perfectly fine. Did you say you wanted Herbal Tea?" She nodded. The man shuffled past and ordered them to take a seat at the small kitchen table. "So," He started, pulling a box from above the cereal, "how did you find this ramshackle place?" Jeremy gulped down his milk and cocked his head at the question, suddenly making growling noises from his throat. "My fearless brother here followed a wolf to this place." The man began stirring the tea clockwise. "A wolf eh? May I ask, how you came to be out in this storm in the first place?"
Jeremy's features suddenly went sad as Morgan winced like she had been pinched. "We had heard of a Ghost Train rumor from our new friends. They dared us into going out today and seeing if it was actually real. Unbeknownst to us, there weren't even railroad tracks where they had told us to go. Our home is on the other side of the City too. We're new here so finding anything familiar to direct us back home is hopeless."
The man frowned and handed her the tea. "Punks these days. They're getting out of control. It's hard to be new in a place like Jump City."
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The masked robber scrambled down the alley way towards the fence that divided it in half. Taking a large leap, he made it up to only a fourth of the tall fence. It rattled and shook as he clumsily climbed his way up. The brightness of the moon illuminated the silver wires of the fence until the mans shadow covered it as he hurled himself over the top and fell in a heap on the ground. The robber groaned, rubbed his head and shakily pulled himself to his feet.
The masked man was only able to take a few steps before he bumped into someone, their green eyes aglow.
"I advise you to halt in your escape and hand yourself over to the authorities!"
The man frowned and launched himself at his only obstacle from freedom. But it seemed the person was ready as they easily dodged the sloppy punch and blasted them with a harsh green energy they had mysteriously emitted from his or her hand. He was thrown back against the fence and heard a vicious snarl behind him. Twisting his head around, his peripheral vision made out a large tiger, its breath breathing down his neck. The maw was open slightly and would touch him if it weren't for the gate blocking its path. The figure in front of him stepped forward again.
"Please, do not make this harder then it is!"
But the man wouldn't give up. He elbowed the gate behind him, scoring a hit from the animal's nose as it let out a yelp. He then turned and whipped out a small hatchet from the confines of his clothing. The person's glowing eyes before them wilted in sadness as he charged her with a yell. He slashed once, twice, and again but his attempts kissed air when the lithe enemy dodged the weapon. The robber tried an over hand chop but stumbled when he missed. The figure saw this opening and delivered a blow to the mans head, causing him to slam against the wall and become unconscious.
The alley was suddenly silent again.
A small sparrow flew over and landed beside the person whom eyes had diminished their glow to its normal hue. The bird seemed to morph into a male teen, shorter than his companion, and looked on at the slumped man. The taller person reached down and uncovered the robbers mask. They gave a slight gasp.
"Mr. McMurphy?" The boy questioned. He then noticed his friend's slumped shoulders. "Hey Starfire. Don't worry about it."
"But he was our friend."
"I know. Not everyone is going to be good Star. Not matter how nice they are."
Starfire turned away and looked up at the starry sky. "It is so confusing in a word like this."
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"A ghost train eh? You should know by now that there are no such things as ghosts and such. All part of your imagination." He tapped his skull and gave an old man grin. Jeremy gave a loud yawn. Morgan couldn't help but catch the contagious function. The old man scooted the kids to the couch that was located in front of the fireplace. The flames that were once present had slowly died to embers, and even those were becoming snuffed to just black ash.
"Looks like I need more wood." Jeremy hopped to his feet and grinned. The man lifted his eyebrows and smiled. "I guess with my withering age that i could need some extra muscle." He turned towards Morgan. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge, there are blankets in the closet to your left, so go on and get comfortable!" Morgan giggled and nodded as he opened the back door to the storm outside.
"Okay now boy! We have to run as quick as we can to that shed over there. Think we can do it?" He partially shouted form the noise Brother Thunder and Lighting made. Jeremy gave two thumbs up and prepared to haul butt. The shed was only a few yards away but with the torrential downpour, it would only take a couple of seconds to become soaked to the bone. The man yelled 'Go!' and the two went off sprinting across the ground. The younger male made it first but the man was right behind him, uncanny for someone so old.
"Alright boy! Good work! Now lets get some wood and race back before they become just as waterlogged as us!" He opened the locked door and shuffled inside. A couple neat piles of wood lay against the sides of walls and bits of hay and straw covered the floor. Jeremy scampered over to the nearest pile and hauled large pieces into his arms. He tittered one way and another, trying to gain his balance from the heavy logs. "Whoa there boy! Make sure you know your limits so you don't hurt yourself. It's better to go a little at a time."
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Cyborg rubbed his mechanical part of his head as he traversed down the hallway.
Robin had asked him to fix up a portion of his motorcycle, so that next time an enemy decided to create holes in the ground, his vehicle wouldn't fall in and become scrap metal. A problem easily fixed though, thanks to the greatest mechanical mind of the Titans. Cyborg smiled at his good- natured egotistical thinking until small grunts were heard from the gym further ahead of him. Wondering what it could be, the lumbering giant poked his head around the corner to see Beast Boy on Robin's bench weights. Seeing his best friend trying to pump iron, the Titan decided to help out a little.
"Yo B.B.How ya doin?"
The green Titan grunted in response as he could barely lift the weights off his chest. Cyborg looked to the side and read the pounds engraved into the weights. Immediately he lifted the weights off of Beast Boy's chest and placed them against the wall. "What the hell you think you're doing B.B.? You're gonna strain your muscles and possibly pull somethin'!" Beast Boy groaned and sat up, rubbing his upper arms. "I know dude, but...well...never mind." He drooped his head in defeat. Cyborg couldn't stand looking at his friend like that and picked up the weigh bar, though shoving a good couple of pounds off. "You need to take it slow. You're not going to be able to lift the couch overnight."
"But what happens when we loose the remote again?"
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It wasn't long before they were seated in front of a roaring fire. Morgan and Jeremy sat huddled next to one another for extra warmth while draped in a fluffy comforter. The man sat in a wooden chair he had pulled from the kitchen, only clad in a small quilt but was content all the same. All three sat in silence, listening to the fire crackle as the storm slowly rumbled by. It was then that the man gazed over at the two children who sat in silence. "By the way," Morgan turned her head to face him, "I never became fully acquainted with you two." Jeremy smiled and nudged his older sister in the ribs. Morgan shot him a knowing look. "I'm Morgan. This is Jeremy. May I ask your name too?"
"You can call me Logan. Though many people call me geezer these days." He chuckled but then sneezed. Logan's hair fell in his face as he quickly tried to put it back. But Morgan saw something that piques her interest. "You have pointed ears." She stated. Jeremy suddenly caught onto the conversation and cocked his head to one side. Logan quickly thought of an excuse. "It was, ah...a birth defect." Morgan didn't buy it. "Did you have pigmentation problems as a child too?"
"Pig a what?"
Morgan shifted and pointed to his arm that was lighted from the fire's glow. "You're skin...it's green. Just like the one from up there." She dropped her hand and turned her head to look at a framed picture, standing above the fireplace mantle. Jeremy took in a sharp breath as, he too, saw the man in his younger form up in the picture. "You're very perceptive." Logan complemented. "You see that young man wearing the mask? You're just as good as he was, and when it came to thinking, he was the best."
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"All right! The last slice of cheese pizza!"
Beast Boy slunk around the island counter, peeking over the top with a sly grin written on his face. "Ba dum...Ba dum....Ba dum ba dum ba dum DAH!!!" Mimicking the Jaws theme, Beast Boy launched himself at the plate. He could already taste the cheesy goodness and the hot tomato sauce down his throat. Salivating and basically foaming at the mouth, he reached out to claim his prize until a red flash skidded the plate away. Instead of having a face full of the yummy Italian food, he hit the countertop...hard. "OW! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!! Hey! What's the big idea!" He looked over to where the pizza lay and saw Robin pick up the pizza slice. "My idea is to eat the pizza." He smirked. "What are you doing?" Beast Boy fumed.
"Dude! Not cool! I was here first so that slice is mine!"
"Really? How bout a little game then."
Beast Boy grinned. "You're on!"
Robin put down the slice and thought for a moment. "Okay, think of a number of between one and a hundred and I'll say it." The green Titan never lost his smile as he thought of his number. "Got one."
"Fifty-five."
"Ha! Wrong, it was six!"
"Six. I win."
Beast Boy immediately had a question mark above his head. Robin, sensing his friend's trouble, said, "Repeat what I said. You'll get it." And he walked away with the pizza in hand. The Titan made it to 'say' before he let out a humongous groan. "Well, at least I still have my tofu..."
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"Wow! So like the Titans were super heroes?" Morgan's eyes grew wide with interest as Logan told all of the fascinating adventures the Teen Titans faced and overcame. Jeremy was practically bouncing in his seat, excited at the storytelling. "Oh they were an unbeatable bunch! Raven with her telekinesis and Cyborg with his arm canon. Robin had these little boomerangs he liked to call 'Birdarangs', after his mentor, Batman. Oh and Starfire! Nicest, most innocent person you could ever have met. But when she became angry at you, her starbolts would leave you with a sore rump the rest of the week!" The children laughed. "Tell another Mr. Logan! Please!" He was about to comply until ten chimes echoed off the wooden walls.
"Ten o'clock! Way past your bedtime! You can take my bed in the other room. Soft as feathers I assure you." He winked. Morgan and Jeremy groaned. They wanted to hear more but also didn't want to disrespect Logan. It was a good move too as the little boy tried to stifle a yawn but failed. He shoved a hand in his eye and made his way down the hall. Morgan waited a few seconds, making sure her younger brother was out of ear. "Mr. Logan." He groaned as he picked himself off of the wooden chair. "Yes?" The girl shuffled her feet. "I-I just wanted to say thank you for helping us in the rain."
He smiled at her kind words. "It was no big deal. I would help anyone into my house from the wretched water." Morgan shook her head and frowned a bit. "No. I meant when you guided us here. A-as the wolf." Logan looked back at the picture on the mantle. "I really missed the good old days I guess." He shuffled over and picked up the frame, tracing a finger over the glass that protected the photo. They stood in silence for a minute or two until he put the picture back and beckoned her to the window. The rain had dissipated and all that was left were patches of starry sky that the clouds had left open.
"Do you see that, out there?"
Morgan squinted and saw a huge outline of a building. She inspected it further and saw that it rested on an island. "That's where we stayed." Was all he said before turning and heading for the couch. Morgan gazed outside for a minute or more until she asked the question Logan knew was coming. "What happened to them?"
"We grew up. Friends we still were but we separated when we had grown at that certain age. Jump City is still honors us, though its been...what...sixty years ago? Boy, I'm old!" He chuckled and slowly sat down on the cushions. "I was the youngest of them. I think they all had passed away. Waiting at the station for me so they could board that ghost train to heaven." Logan slid his hand in a directional movement upwards to make an example of rising to the pearly gates. Morgan giggled. "But I thought the Ghost Train was all part of the imagination."
"Then I'm hallucinating! Now off to bed with ya! Have to get you back home early in the morning."
Morgan nodded happily and climbed into bed with her brother, soon falling fast asleep.
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Jeremy slowly cracked open his eyes, surprised not to see the daylight yet. His parched throat kept him awake from all of the laughing that night. He smiled as he remembered Logan telling all of the practical jokes that he did when he was young. They had called him Beast Boy. Having the ability to morph into any animal he chose, the name didn't go to waste. There wasn't an old man in Jeremy's eyes, but a role model. People didn't criticize Beast Boy because he was a hero, no matter what he was. The Titan ignored those who ridiculed him and fought along side his teammates to make a better tomorrow.
Swallowing saliva, he was reminded how thirsty he was and quietly lowered himself to the floor. Morgan soundlessly slept on. Jeremy padded through the hallway, trying not to make the wooden floors creak underneath his weight. He made it to the fridge without a sound and picked up a glass, filling it with water. It wasn't until he was halfway done when a steady vibration rumbled through his body. He quickly put down the glass and studied the water. He had seen this from a movie once, Jurassic Park if he remembered correctly.
And his assumption was correct. The vibrations made the water jump and ripple against its glass walls. Jeremy quickly drank the rest of his water and simpered. His feet padded over to the couch where he knew Logan was sleeping. The rumbling grew steadily stronger as the windows started to rattle in their panes. Looking over the couch back, he nearly fell back when he found that Logan wasn't there, much less feel the rumbling! Jeremy began to feel his panic rising as he shielded his eyes from the bright light that appeared out the window.
Wait a minute...
He looked at the clock, which was easily readable thanks to the mysterious new light. It was only one thirty in the morning? Where they having an earthquake? Suddenly a large whistling noise erupted in the air, causing Jeremy to almost jump out of his skin. He rushed outside as the vibrations grew worse. The whistle sounded again and the light grew brighter. A sudden screech of metal was heard and a blast of smoke covered the boy as he raised his hands in protection. As the smoke died down and disappeared he peeked out from his arms, eyes growing wide.
A train sat on the old tracks in front of the house. But it wasn't a modern day train that appeared, it possibly dated back to almost more then a hundred ears ago! More then that though, it was transparent! Jeremy was able to see the foliage of the forest in front of him while still look at the detail of phantom metal that stood in his way. Steam blew from the chimneystack, causing a 'hiss' to sound. A sudden bell rang twice and a soft hand was laid upon Jeremy's shoulder. He swiveled around to see a young smiling teen. Jeremy laughed in happiness as Beast Boy grinned his famous smile.
"Y-you're g-g-going?" He forced himself to say and was surprised that, not once, did he lisp. The green Titan nodded. "You got it dude. It seems that tonight was my last night." The hero stood taller then he did when he was old so he had to kneel down in front of the boy to see eye to eye. "Don't worry though. Jump City is in better hands these days. And with people like you, well, I wish I could be alive to enjoy it even more." Jeremy scrunched up his face as he fought the tears from falling. Instead, he lurched forward and hugged Beast Boy around the neck as he cried. It was quite an amazing feat for a ghost to be solid enough to carry the weight of the boy.
"Hey, no tears now." The apparition looked into the boy's eyes and wiped away some of the tears. "I wouldn't want to be missed too bad or else I jut might come back to haunt you!" This caused a bit of worry to appear in the young ones eyes. Beast Boy laughed. "Don't worry! I was just kidding! Now I gotta go or else I'm gonna miss my ride." He mused Jeremy's hair and stood up. The boy watched his hero go off as a voice suddenly called out, "All Aboard!" Four silhouettes suddenly appeared as the Titan merged with them. Sounds of laughter echoed in the air around him. Jeremy gathered his courage as he shouted, "Beast Boy!" And then was at a sudden loss of words. But it seemed the Titan had heard his call as the shortest figure turned and waved, following his companions onto the train car.
The Ghost Train gave one last blasting whistle as its old wheels started to turn. Once again, smoke billowed out from underneath. The slow 'chug' of the engine soon gained pace as the train moved on. Jeremy watched in silence as the locomotive sped down the old abandon train tracks. The moon appeared from out of hiding and illuminated the phantom train until it disappeared over the horizon. All that was left was the smell of smoke and the warmth from the heat of the engine. It wasn't until a small chime reached his ears, pulling him out of his trance. He looked down to see a circular black and yellow device in his hands. It chimed again and again until he opened it up. A screen flashed on and a picture appeared. The photo of the Teen Titans.
Jeremy only looked at one person in particular though.
They had called him Beast Boy, and he was his hero.
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Hope you enjoyed!
-- ZodiacFire