(I'm baaaaack…)
They headed out about eight AM the next morning. Beast Boy 'offered' (practically begged, actually) to stay behind to watch Punk Rocket, even though he had fallen back asleep. Robin agreed, mostly to slightly shield the youngest member of the team from the likely blood they would run into.
Johnny kept true to his word; he did lead them to an entrance to Underground. This one was hidden under a dumpster. After shoving it out of the way, Cyborg lifted up the trap door. "Well, down the rabbit hole." He joked weakly. "I do not believe I want to venture down this den of small furry animals." Starfire whimpered. "I'll go first." Robin offered. Johnny snorted. "You wouldn't know where to go, bird boy. Down I go."
The biker hopped down. "I'm still feeling a bit iffy on trusting a psychopathic biker." Cyborg grumbled. "We don't have a choice." Robin pointed out before also jumping down, ignoring the ladder. Johnny was leaning against the wall. "Took you long enough, get scared?" Johnny taunted. Robin glanced down the long tunnel and shivered, it was rather cool down here. "Rancid, the only reason I'm not actually hurting you for that is because we need your help." Robin growled. Johnny only snickered.
Raven and Starfire floated down next, followed by Cyborg, who actually took the ladder part way. "Starfire, Cyborg, give us light." Robin ordered. Light filled the tunnel. "Okay… I have a slight clue where Punk may have been, but I have no idea where he could've entered. This way should lead us somewhere close." Johnny began leading the way, but not before giving one last warning: "And one more thing… be a bit careful. Don't know why, but there is some fucked up things done here that can seriously screw your mind around."
Starfire stuck close to Robin. "I do not like this place." She whispered. "It's okay Star." Robin reached over and gently squeezed her hand. Johnny noticed the contact, rolled his eyes, and grumbled, "Are they always like that?" "Worse." Raven deadpanned.
Punk Rocket woke up kinda groggily. Reaching up and rubbing his temples, he glanced around the titan infirmary and grumbled, "Bloody hell, I need to get out of here." "Hey, dude, you're awake!"
The rocker glanced up to see Beast Boy entering the infirmary. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked, "Where's the scary bird girl?" "I'm the only titan here; the others are in the Underground searching for the cannibals… hungry? I got some tofu eggs left over from breakfast!" Beast Boy explained, plopping down in a chair. "Well, it ought to be better than some things I've eaten…" Punk grumbled.
Beast Boy hurried and came back, happy that someone actually agreed to eat the tofu eggs. Punk was now sitting cross legged on top of the covers, fiddling around with his guitar. "Whoa, dude, don't start blowing holes in the walls." Beast Boy said, setting the slightly cold eggs on the bed next to Punk. "I won't- too hungry." Punk said, setting down his guitar and quickly digging into the eggs.
After a couple bites, he shrugged. "Not bad, I prefer real eggs." Punk decided. "At least you'll eat them; Cyborg keeps throwing my tofu out and saying I should eat real eggs! Dude, I can turn into a chicken, do you know how WRONG that is?" Beast Boy ranted. Punk past off his snickering as cough and said, "That is… totally understandable, I suppose. Got more eggs, haven't eaten good in a while." Punk lifted up his plate looking hopeful.
Beast Boy snickered. "Think I do, be back in ten!" Beast Boy did come back with more eggs, and tofu bacon. "You… made me some?" Punk looked oddly touched as he ate. "Something tells me you haven't eaten for a lot longer than a while." Beast Boy said, a little bit quiet.
Punk shrugged. "Two days ago, a couple pop tarts I swiped from the HIVE Five base. I'm fine other than that though." Beast Boy's eyes bulged out. "How are you LIVING?" He managed to squeak. "Practice, I think. I've gone four days, heck, I think See-More's gone a week and a half, plus." Punk explained. Beast Boy shook his head in amazement. "Dude, if I wasn't sitting down, I'd be passed out." He managed to say.
Plate finished, Punk set it on the side table. "It's life. Sometimes you eat, sometimes you don't. Some people are respected for their powers and get a full fridge; some people are ridiculed and go hungry." He said the last part a lot quieter.
Beast Boy smiled feebly. "Uh… sorry?" "Don't be, it's insulting. I like my life, and I got plenty of good mates… When can I leave?" Punk asked. Happy that the subject was finally changed, Beast Boy sighed. "Robin said something about the creepy cannibals seeing you… so your life is kinda in danger." "So I'm staying here until they're dead. Bloody fantastic." Punk grumbled. "Or put in jail. Where they belong. You like TV? We got like a million channels…" Beast Boy offered.
Punk grinned. "You wouldn't happen to have Netflix would you?" "Yeah, come on, let's go watch TV!"
The two, somewhat bonded, headed to the living room… although Punk's legs were asleep and he walked a bit funny, causing Beast Boy to laugh at him.
"Eep!" Starfire jumped away from a rat scuttling by her feet. "Heard rats are great barbecued." Johnny deadpanned. "You are not funny." Starfire growled, eyes glowing. "I think I'm pretty fucking hilarious." Johnny and Starfire- did not get along. At all. Seriously.
Robin sighed. "Think we're anywhere close to where Punk found the bodies?" "Thinking so, a couple more turns there's this place with a bunch of side rooms, dunno what it was used for…" They entered a large room and Johnny quickly said, "Don't touch the jars."
Cyborg glanced around at several tables covered with dozens of clear jars, filled with a bluish liquid with black bubble like things in them. "What are they?" Robin asked. "Don't know, but as a joke Billy a couple drops in my drink… I was tripping for about an hour, and not in the good way." Johnny made a face at the jars. The titans made sure to scoot the long way around the tables.
Something pricked Starfire's neck and she jumped. "X'hal!" She reached up and took something out of her neck. "You okay, Star?" Cyborg asked. "I'm…" before she could say she was fine, she screamed and shot star bolts at both Raven and Cyborg. "Starfire, what are you doing!?" Robin asked. Starfire screamed something in Tamaranian before firing a star bolt at Robin.
Ducking behind an empty table, Johnny yelled, "Did your girlfriend go near one of the jars?!" "No, she was right beside me!" Robin yelled, dodging star bolts. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven yelled, black bonds of energy grabbing metal bars and twisting them around the alien. It was clear it wouldn't hold her for long.
Cyborg had his cannon out, although he didn't like the prospect of shooting one of his closest friends. "You weren't kidding about the tripping thing!" He yelled. "How did she even get some on her?" Raven questioned. "Starfire, please, calm down!" Robin tried approaching her but got kicked in the gut and Starfire screamed in Tamaranian at her again.
Johnny groaned. "Is there any way to calm her down?" Robin asked. "She's caught up in a hallucination… she believes she's on Tamaran… fighting…" Raven said slowly, reading her mind. "Does anyone hear speak Tamaranian, because that would be really helpful right now!" Cyborg said.
After mulling it over, Johnny grumbled, "Fucking hell… this will be fun to explain…" Standing up, Johnny yelled something in Tamaranian. Starfire paused and said something back. Johnny seemed to be giving her an order. Slowly, Starfire slumped down and began sobbing. "Get your girlfriend back home." Johnny grumbled, looking embarrassed.
Raven ran over to Starfire and examined something that was still in her hand. "A dart… someone shot the drug at her." She said softly. Johnny slowly looked around the room… then he looked up. "Dizzy, get down here. Now." He growled.
A head poked itself out of a little hole in the ceiling. "No!" It snapped… more so she snapped. "Can someone help me here?" Johnny asked. After making sure Starfire wasn't going to go insane again, Raven flew up and dragged the little girl out. Kicking and screaming, the little girl revealed herself. Too pale skin, brown stringy hair, dark baggy clothes, and a nasty scowl that revealed a couple missing teeth. She couldn't have been more than eight.
Raven sat her on the ground. "Did you drug Starfire?" She asked. This time the girl grinned. "Yup! Funny to see her speak nonsense, huh?" Raven resisted the urge to smack her and said, "She was speaking her native language. Why did you do it?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Are you a dumby? Because I WANTED to." "Damn it Dizzy, do you have to be such a pest?" Johnny groaned.
Dizzy stuck out her tongue. "Johnny, why do you have to be a heartless bastard?" She replied in a mocking tone. "Kid, if you weren't so far away, I would pick you up and throw you into the sewers." Johnny threatened. "Easy! Uh… Dizzy, was it?" Robin said. Dizzy nodded. "Did you see anyone down here before us, a couple girls?"
The little girl twirled a piece of her hair. "Hmm… I might've…" "Dizzy, they aren't going to buy you breadsticks." Johnny said. "How do you know?" Dizzy said. "I might buy you breadsticks, if you give us anything useful." Robin said, trying to keep the girl and Johnny from arguing again.
Dizzy smiled again. "Mmkay. I did see a couple girls, they kinda dressed like pro whores, and also looked like they just went to some sorta sacrificial thingamabobber, because all of them had blood on themselves. Kinda freaky, but whatev. There were thirteen in all." "Thirteen?! Didn't Punk only say there was a couple!?" Cyborg yelped. "He probably only saw a few of them." Raven said. "Ahem, I'm trying to talk here!" Dizzy glared at Cyborg and Raven before continuing. "Anyway, there was one I can't really forget, I'm sure she was the leader. She had blue skin! All of them seemed to follow her… that's all I can tell."
Robin nodded. "Thanks Dizzy. Did you see where they went?" "Thataway. Now, gimme my breadsticks." Dizzy put her hands on her hips. Robin turned towards Cyborg and mouthed, 'Call social services.' "I'll get Cy to order them." Robin said, turning back.
Dizzy narrowed her eyes. "Really? You're gonna call the social workers aren't you? Dizzy is out!" Before anyone could blink, Dizzy had sped off, like Kid Flash fast. "Whoa! Why didn't you tell us she had super powers!?" Robin yelped. "Didn't give me the chance." Johnny said sarcastically.
Robin groaned. "Fine… Raven, take Starfire back to the tower." "I'm fine…" Starfire whispered, slowly standing. "The little girl only gave me a light dose… did I hurt you, Robin?!" Starfire cried, flying up to Robin. "We're fine, Star. Are you sure you are fit to go on?" Robin asked. "I shall be. That little girl is very nasty." "She's a street kid, we're- they're all nasty." Johnny snorted.
Starfire looked at Johnny, now more curious. "I am curious, Rancid, how do you know Tamaranian? You speak it quite well." "Let's keep walking." Johnny said quickly, turning and heading down the next corridor.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. "That isn't weird at all." She commented. "Come on, we need to keep going. I'll question him the next chance we get." Robin said.
Then a loud yell of shock to have them forget. "Something tells me Rancid found something, come on Titans!" The five ran down the corridor.
Johnny stumbled out of a room, looking very disgusted. "They're in there…" He said before walking a bit away and puking. Raven slowly poked a head in. "Thirteen girls is probably the minimum for this much damage…" She said, slowly breathing in and out. "Starfire, stay out here. That's an order." Robin said, peering into the room.
It was just as Punk Rocket said. Two bodies, or what was left of them, were in there. All that was left was very bloody bones and scraps of cloth from torn up clothing. The room reeked of blood. Cyborg made a face as he looked. "This is just so wrong… ugh, I think I'm gonna hurl." "I don't blame you… Raven, can you float in and see if there's anything related to magic or something?" Robin asked.
Raven nodded and floated in, not touching the blood soaked ground. "I think the girls packed up and left, there's not much here… I'm not seeing signs of a sort of ritual… so they're just hungry I suppose." "That isn't funny." Johnny said, waiting outside the room and not looking in. "I had to say it… wait… Johnny, look out!" Raven looked shocked.
Johnny barely managed to dodge a thrown blade. It clattered to the ground.
The thrower made herself visible. It was the blue woman that Dizzy talked about, and seeing her in person wasn't something you wanted to do. Her eyes were solid black and her hair was the same shade, about chin length and thin. A black outfit, the only thing that had color on her was the gold jewelry… and she had a lot of it. "Get the gray one… leave the rest to tell the tale." She said in a quiet, hushed tone.
Four other girls appeared from the shadows. "Yes, Lucinda." The red head (Amethyst, as she introduced herself to her last victim) giggled. Robin pulled out his bo staff. "Titans, go!" He yelled. Johnny quickly pulled a laser gun and shot away Amethyst.
Robin went face to face with Lucinda. Lucinda pulled out her own bo staff that was made of a purplish metal and quickly began fighting him off. She moved very smoothly and efficiently, and Robin wondered where she learned.
Cyborg faced off the girl with several scars on her arms. She was very strong despite being only human and would scream a lot. "Girl, you need to calm down!" Cyborg said, grabbing both her wrists with one of his. The girl hissed and bit the human side of his face. "Yow!" Cyborg dropped her and gingerly touched that side of his face. The girl licked the blood off her lips. "Slightly metallic, but not bad. I wonder how much human is left in you?" She said thoughtfully. "I'm gonna kick your butt you crazy cannibal." Cyborg said, taking another swing at her.
Raven was taking on the older teen with orange hair. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She chanted, lifting up a couple stones and throwing them at her. The girl moved and dodged most of them, one socked her in the stomach and another skimmed her arm. She didn't even seem to feel the wounds, and Raven looked closer at her eyes- they were dilated. This girl had clearly shot up with some sort of drug.
Starfire was fighting the Asian girl with the shaved head. "Please, why do you such cruel things?" Starfire asked. The girl giggled. "Because it tastes good! You should try it!" She said. Starfire was clearly disgusted and she shot an extra-large star bolt. It sent the girl flying into a wall. She got up, a bit shaky, but still ready for a fight.
Johnny had Amethyst on the ropes. She didn't have any ranging weapons, and Johnny was clearly stronger than her. Unlike the others though, he didn't like holding back. Amethyst was on the ground, and she spat out some blood. She whispered something. "What did you say?" Johnny mocked.
Amethyst looked up through messy hair. "Move, Lydia!" She yelled. Another girl, who had been hiding in the shadows, leaped out with insane laughter. At first glance you'd believe she was smiling broadly, but the second proved that there were scars, stretching out like a smile from her mouth. Other than that, she looked like the sweet angel, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Lydia jumped on Johnny's back and, without pausing, bit into his neck. Johnny yelled and swore, trying to get a grip on Lydia. Lydia then did something odd. She pulled back, made a disgusted face, and whined, "Lucinda, this one has no taste! Let's be gone!"
Lucinda sighed. "Might as well… girls, come on!" Each one escaped from the titan they fought, a bit worse for wear and ran down the tunnel. Raven attempted to follow, but Cyborg said, "Don't bother, we'll get lost, they clearly know the tunnels a lot better than us. Yo, Rancid, you okay?" Johnny was now kneeling on the ground, gripping his neck wound and very angrily swearing under his breath.
Starfire floated up to him. "Are you in need of medical assistance?" "I'm fine, but that hurt like hell." Johnny growled, eyes narrowed. "Let me look at it, neck wounds are serious. If she bit something hazardous, you could be bleeding out." Raven warned.
Shockingly, Johnny laughed. "No risk of that." Johnny gingerly removed his hand and stood. The wound wasn't bleeding. Instead, a blackish liquid pooled at the torn skin, one drop slipping down his neck. "I don't bleed." Johnny said simply. "Whoa." Robin managed to say. "All the same…" Raven had to float up to get to his neck. Her hands glowing, she healed his neck.
Johnny blinked. "Thanks, I guess." "Where would have the cannibals gone?" Robin demanded. Johnny again shrugged. "Beats me… if the green kid was here, he'd track them." "His name is Beast Boy, and I don't want to expose him to this. Let's try to pick up their trail." "You're an idiot." Was all Johnny would say, but he led the way.
There were a couple off paths that led to dead ends, but the way out was straight ahead, a ladder. Robin climbed up first and whipped open a trap door. "Ah!" The titan quickly covered his eyes. "A bit bright out there?" Johnny jibed. "Shut up." Robin grumbled.
When they all exited the Underground, they glanced around the street. "This is definitely where Punk was last night…" Johnny decided. "Where did the girls go?" Cyborg said, scratching his head. Everyone shrugged. "Let's get back home… we have one more advantage because of exploring the Underground." Robin said.
Starfire raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Robin?" "We saw the girl's faces, and heard some of their names. We can ID them." Robin explained. "Hmm, maybe you aren't that stupid." Johnny decided. "… Be thankful that we still need you to help us in the Underground. Otherwise I would probably throw you in jail." Robin growled.
Johnny only laughed at that.
(Johnny likes being an ass, doesn't he?
Bye byes, remember to review!)
