Old Wounds 1 - Diagnosis
So here we go, a story based on a written account of a dream of shock777 (no doubt known to most if not all of you BBRae people).
"That was the 'freaky'... yes?"
Starfire's voice was uncertain, the alien herself hoping that she wasn't alone in her opinion. Fortunately, she received several non-verbal sounds of agreement from her teammates as they returned home.
"Totally!" Beast Boy said. "They weren't even trying to hide or run they were like, well, they were like animals. Rabid animals."
"I don't think they could have run or hidden."Raven said. "After we stopped them, the only one who remained conscious had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. He had no clue about his rampage... I detected no lie from him."
"So what? Mind control or something?" Cyborg asked. "You sense any mystic goings-on out there Rae?" Raven shook her head.
"Nothing," she confirmed verbally.
"But surely, if they were under the control, they would have been directed to commit a crime that was more... profitable?" Starfire pondered.
"Yeah!" Beast Boy agreed. "They didn't even move around much, just smashed up that one street. And only some of the people there were affected." Cybrog shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, man... Maybe a test run?" he posited. Robin spoke for the first time since the fight ended.
"Some people don't need a reason," he said quietly. "Some people cause chaos for the sake of chaos." Visions of deathly white skin stretched around a mad grin flitted through his mind. Purple suits and green hair. He shook off the memories. "If Raven isn't picking anything up, it's either psionic or technological. Cyborg: get on the monitors and see if our sensors in the city are picking up any strange transmissions. I need a consultation." With that, Robin marched to the main monitor and tapped at the controls. In only a few seconds, a green face appeared on the screen.
"Greetings Titans. How can I help you," said J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter.
"Manhunter... I need your help. We might have a rogue psionic in the city. Can you give Jump a quick scan?" Robin briefly explained their encounter with the controlled citizens.
"Of course, Robin," the Manhunter replied. For a moment, his eyes glowed as his mind's eye looked over the city. "I sense nothing more than the usual latent psychic talent you would expect in a city that size, certainly no-one powerful to control others as you described." Robin nodded.
"Good. Thank you, Manhunter," he said. The Manhunter dipped his head once.
"Be well, Titans." Then he was gone. Robin turned to Cyborg, tapping away at a separate console.
"Anything, Cyborg?" he asked. Cyborg smirked at him.
"Unfortunately, my sensors don't work quite as fast as J'onn's brain," he admitted. "Still collecting and collating raw data. Should have something useful in the morning." Robin sighed in mild frustration.
"Okay... " He glanced at the clock. It read 10:00 pm. "Okay, let's get something to eat and call it a night. Make an early start." Something turned out to be re-heated pizza but there were no complaints. As Cyborg bustled around the kitchen, Beast Boy stretched his arms above his head, working the kinks from his body. Beneath her hood, Raven's expression remained neutral but her eyes... her eyes seemed inexorably drawn to his torso, watching his lithe musculature move beneath the hugging fabric. She tore her gaze from him and moved to sit on the couch. Only minutes later, the five teens were all there in silence, eating rather than conversing. Not long after that, they went their separate ways and Raven found herself walking to her room. A few feet in front of her, Beast Boy made his own way. Several times she dragged her eyes from him and every time they crawled back. When she reached her door, she realised Beast Boy had turned around to face her.
"'Night, Rae!" he said, cheerfully. Raven paused for a moment, held in place while her eyes drank in the sight of his smile. With a blush (concealed by her hood), Raven stammered a reply and darted into her room. Beast Boy stared at the door for a few seconds before turning to find his own.
The following morning, all of the Titans were awake, eager to learn if Cyborg's search had found anything. As they each munched their various breakfast foods, Cyborg celebrated vocally when the monitor began displaying a map of the city, one building highlighted in vivid blue.
"There. It's coming from there," he qualified. Robin stepped up next to him.
"You're sure?" he asked, examining the map. Cyborg nodded, displaying some complex waveforms at the bottom of the screen.
"Positive. Some of the signals we're seeing have commonalities with other mind control tech we've seen, like the Mad Hatter. Whoever this new guy is, that's where he's hiding." Robin set his plate down and turned to the team.
"Finish up, team. We should introduce ourselves as soon as possible."
Deciding to remain together, the five teens piled into the T-Car. Raven's eyes again flicked towards Beast Boy before she resolutely pointed them at the window. He wasn't her only distraction, however. Ever since Robin had suggested an 'introduction', she had been preoccupied with foreboding. She was growing more and more convinced that they were heading into real danger. She voiced her concern to the others. Robin listened but shrugged when she finished.
"That's what we always do, Raven. Unless you're getting anything specific, I don't know how else to prepare," he said. Raven nodded, knowing he was right. But still... the feeling wouldn't leave her. They drew closer to their destination.
"Where is it we're going, anyway?" Beast Boy asked. Robin glanced over his shoulder.
"It's an old factory. Not abandoned per se, but it was bought five years ago and closed down. I'm guessing that was when our guy moved in. Then he took five years to build his machine. It'll take us five minutes to tear it apart!" he enthused, slamming a fist into his palm.
The car stopped two blocks from the factory. They made their way on foot after that, keeping out of sight. At a signal from Robin, Beast Boy morphed into a kestrel and flew into the sky to perform reconnaissance. Raven watched his distant, green form with a mixture of fascination and trepidation. The green avian circled a few more times and flew back to the team's hiding spot.
"I got nothin', dude," he said. "Place looks like a ghost town." Starfire balled her fists.
"Then let us assail our enemy!" she cried. The team moved forward quickly, Starfire blasting the door into the building proper with a large, two-handed starbolt. The others leapt in around her, ready to face whatever waited inside. There was nothing. No guards, sentries or prisoners were evident. With uneasy expressions, the heroes made their way deeper into the factory. They soon found what they were looking for: a man. He sat in a high-backed chair, almost throne-like in its design. His hair was white and combed back. His eyes were blue and his expression friendly. When the Titans entered, he stood and they saw that he was also tall, taller than Cyborg, though not so broad in the shoulder. He was dressed in what seemed to be an entirely black robe, unadorned. His expression remained pleasant but each of the heroes sensed an evil behind his smile.
"You know," he began, his voice cultured and utterly devoid of feeling. "When I arrived, this place had no heroes. I rather thought you might interfere with my plans when I was finally ready to put them into action. Now that I can look at you, though... I can sense it will be quite the opposite." Robin brandished his staff.
"Who are you?!" he demanded. The man carried on as if Robin hadn't spoken at all.
"Pain... pain is a beautiful thing. Not trivial pain like a paper cut or a bruised knee or a severed limb but true anguish. That pain which lives in the heart. It's like a living organism in its own right: an evil act sets pain in one person, causing them to lash out and spread the pain to others around them. Always it spreads and even those who can resist it are not wholly free from it."
"Who are you?" Robin asked again, insistently. The man directed his gaze at them one at a time.
"Such pain you carry, each and every one of you..." The Titans all shuddered as they felt his dark thoughts slither around their own minds. Robin growled and glanced around at the various machines within sight.
"He's a psionic! His power must be enhanced by the machines, too weak even for J'onn to sense," he declared. The man smiled, finally responding.
"Well done, Robin," he said, his voice laced with condescension. Robin spoke again.
"Who. Are. You?" he said through gritted teeth. He shrank back a tiny bit as the man's eyes fell upon him, his smile growing in size and threat.
"I... am Morbid".
The scene is set for an epic confrontation! This seems like I might get two or three parts out of it. No guarantees, though. Hope you enjoy!
-Jack