Ohai people :) Yeah, I know, sorry; long time no update and all that crap. Well I've been so busy! Loljks, I do nothing with my life, except complete in international procrastination competitions - cause I'm just that freaking lazy. Anyway, this chapter was originally going to be like 6000 words long, but I had to stop myself, so I took the first 3000 words and thus, here is your update. Good news though, chapter 3 is totally done, I'll post it next Friday, ok?
Just a quick cover thank you to everyone who responded to this story, I check my email like twice a day and saw each time you left a review or subbed, or faved and I want to thank you :)
To a few people in particular:
Yellow horse: Thank you :) Yes, I love depressed BB as well, he's only going to deteriorate from here on out, which will further draw out Robin's protectiveness - I honestly can't wait to write those chapters.
Mizookie101: Here's your update, so where's my dollar ;) Thanks, your enthusiasm is great XD
Lyssss: *Blushes* Thank you :)
summer1redheart: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, though I definitely plan to continue this story for a while :) And thank you
Insanity0Rocks0My0Socks: I love your username XD And yeah, there will be some more updates in the near future
XxProudToBexX: You kinda motivated me to upload this XD So thanks :)
KageNekoReborn: I appreciate the vagueness, though at least you took the trouble to review, so thank you :)
Pinkiekeen: This chapter is dedicated to you; because your review made me hurry the fuck up and post it :) Thank you :)
The darkness, his weakness
"Go faster, Beast Boy! Faster!" Robin practically screamed. Odd, Beast Boy thought mischievously, I always figured out of the two of us, he'd be the topper.
That particular train of thought was broken off as a laser beam narrowly missed the Changeling, while he made his way through the training circuit, dodging obstacles and simultaneously defeating 'enemies'. Except, to Beast Boy, the opponents weren't really much of a match, simply robots (though they seem to have been inspired from the Slade-bots) that shot lasers at the hero (or victim, whatever you prefer), who was running the course. Beast Boy made a mental note to later tell Cyborg to up his game in the R&D department – the Changeling was disappointed in the competition.
"30 seconds Beast Boy! You've got this!" Robin shouted again.
Robin was being overly optimistic; whilst Beast Boy had the end of the course in sight, he still had to pass through a fissure of two long cement walls, dodging fireballs (ok, seriously, Cyborg really had a thing for fire and lasers) and other unknown missiles. It's all good, Beast Boy thought, I can do this in 30 seconds. If I somehow turn into a ghost and float through this shit. Ditching that idea, Beast Boy efficiently changed from a jaguar into an eagle and flew head first into the giant obstacle course.
He was half-way through the crevice, dodging and changing in a desperate bid to survive and beat his best time, when the blackness abruptly took over. It had happened several times over the last fortnight; he'd be in the middle of something and suddenly become inhumanly exhausted and just drop. The Changeling put it down to lack of sleep and intense training, coupled with late night battles and subsequent meal skips. As crime had picked up, the work load consequently increased exponentially – all the Titans were feeling the strain of having to begin work again after a month of almost total peace.
Yet the last few times Beast Boy had managed to keep this weakness hidden from the rest of his team, mostly so as not to worry them. If the Changeling, however, was totally honest with himself, then he would realise he was keeping quiet in an attempt to prove Robin wrong. Two weeks ago when the Boy Wonder confessed that he believed the Changeling was pretty much the weakest on the team, Beast Boy took it to heart and so begun training harder, fighting more efficiently; whatever it took to prove that he was as strong, if not stronger, than everyone else in the group. Maybe his new lifestyle was finally taking its toll on his body.
Maybe I am just weak, the Changeling thought, barely coherently as he transformed back to his human self and fell from the sky, once again losing to the darkness.
As Beast Boy slowly woke, the blurred world began to come into focus and he was greeted with the sight of Robin looking worriedly down at him. For a second, Beast Boy took guilty pleasure in simply staring at Robin, taking in all of his features – the way his hair seemed to shine like diamonds, how his skin seemed totally flawless and how even though they had been training for a good hour or so, Robin still smelled like coconut covered by his typical Lynx deodorant. Great, Beast Boy thought, so now I'm even falling for his smell. This is totally not awkward at all.
It took a moment for Beast Boy to realise that the Boy Wonder was speaking, and another moment to arrive at the conclusion that while he had been ogling the red-clad hero, Beast Boy hadn't heard a single word he'd said.
"What?" the Changeling asked, rather groggily as he sat up.
Robin sighed, but couldn't seem to hide the relief he felt seeing the Changeling awake. "How do you feel? You looked like you hit your head pretty hard when you fell."
"I'm fine, I think. Don't worry, I'll be back to running the course in just a little bit." Beast Boy said, as he made to get up.
"No! Just stay still for a second, okay? Just until Cyborg gives you a check over and determines you're fine. I want to make sure you don't have a concussion." Robin said, as he placed a hand on the Changeling's shoulder in an attempt to keep him still.
Beast Boy, in spite of himself, felt his heart flutter at the words. Heh, chill dude, it's all good man, stop acting like a freaking girl, he thought desperately in an attempt to slow his heart rate. Feeling brave he uttered, "Robin, man, you don't have to worry about me, I'm fine dude, so relax." His fan girl bubble burst, however, at his Leader's reply.
"I'm worried about the team Beast Boy, you could become a serious liability in battle if you're injured, and we can't afford that." Robin said sternly, taking his hand off the Changeling's shoulder and retreating behind his mask of indifference. As Beast Boy's face fell, Robin felt an indescribable guilt take hold of him, but before he could right his atrocious wrong, the alarms went off in the tower and their communicators buzzed. "Titans: trouble," Robin relayed before turning to Beast Boy.
The Changeling was already on his feet, straightening out his uniform and looking determined, before saying to Robin, "Lead the way". Something about the seriousness in his voice and a few recent cuts in the boy's uniform (which mercifully exposed some jade skin) did wonders for Robin's imagination, but he had to push those thoughts aside in order to concentrate on the task at hand. Robin quickly noted that he had to think about his latest feelings towards Beast Boy, but of course, that wasn't priority at the moment.
As the Titans received co-ordinates on their communicators from the main frame indicting where the latest villain was striking, they began to make their individual way to the crime scene, oblivious to the internal struggle within Robin's mind.
As the Titan's arrived at the old strip of warehouses nears the docks, they took in their surroundings and noted a few of the buildings looked as if they had been subjected to WW3. Smoke was rising from a few of the structures, and more alarmingly a spray of gunfire could be heard coming from inside one of the nearby sheds. Robin took control of the situation and began to address his team, indicating to the offensive warehouse.
"Alright, local law enforcement will be here soon, but until then the objective is to surround that building and confiscate any firearms. Get the vandals out before the fire catches in that building. And be careful; this looks like another gang-related attack. Titans: Go!"
The Titans split up; years of working together as a team telling them to get the girls to break in through the roof while Cyborg and Robin entered through the front. Beast Boy flew over the structure and upon hearing Raven's signature craw, he flew in through one of the already broken rear windows whilst in pterodactyl form.
Robin had been right; this was a gang-related assault. Unfortunately for the Titans, they hadn't expected the two most notorious gangs in the entire state to be present, and heavily armed.
Men from the Hell's Angels, a criminal organisation infamous for the terror it reeked via bank and shop robberies and its ability to corrupt even the most just policeman, were easily identifiable by their leather jackets with gang symbols printed on the back, moustaches down to their chests and tattoos covering the majority of their body. They were intimidating enough, but somehow they seemed utterly weak next to the suited criminals beside them.
Sphinx was an international organisation that acted much like a mafia. They controlled the majority of the western seaboard, and up until now Jump city had been free of them, thanks to the Titans. This group was made of cold-blooded killers, drug traffickers, kidnappers and those with the ability to torture a man until he was totally and irreparably insane. And each one of these offenders currently had their guns trained on the Titans.
"So, I'd ask you to drop your weapons and surrender, but I don't really think you're smart enough to do that, now are you?" Robin asked rhetorically as time stood still, the criminals and heroes looking at each other past their guns, and relative super powers. Beast Boy was perched silently on a high beam, he so far had only been seen by a few of the men, and so probably had the advantage of surprise on his side. The tension was thick in the air as everyone remained still for a second.
Then a man smiled widely but without humour, and said, "Unfortunately Titans, you've caught me on my way out." Then to his men he continued, "Take them out."
After that phrase, naturally, all hell broke loose.
Simultaneously, like a practiced act, the trapped fugitives began firing their weapons at random, aiming for the closest Titan and shooting with total abandon. Cyborg raised his cannon and began blasting away, protected behind a bulletproof shield that he had seemingly managed to project from thin air. In reality, he was using anti-magnetism to deflect bullets back towards the circle of enemies, while continuing with his own assault.
The girls were firing down at the men from above, dodging bullets like they were trained to do in practice, with Starfire concentrating on knocking the men out with her star bolts, after Raven had relieved them of their weapons.
Robin had made his way up to one of the high beams undetected and was about to drop into the ring of criminals and pick them off from the inside. Beast Boy caught his eye from only meters away, and the Changeling made a quick remark.
"Stealing my idea Robin? Or are we doing this together?"
Robin's serious expression didn't alter in the slightest, not failing to irk the Changeling, and the Boy Wonder replied, "On three. One –"
Screw you dude, Beast Boy thought in the heat of the moment and jumped before his leader could finish wasting his time. If Robin wanted to play that game, then he'd better prepare for Beast Boy to fight back.
As the boys dropped into the middle of the ring, Robin slightly behind the Changeling, they kicked several of the men in the back of the leg causing them to topple and drop their weapons. Beast Boy and Robin wasted no time in flinging the weapons out of reach, before moving onto their next opponents. There were about 20 men in the warehouse, not enough to outnumber the Titans, but far too many to get out securely. Undoubtedly, some of these men were destined to get away.
As Beast Boy morphed rapidly from one form to the next, he realised that they were running out of time. With his heightened senses, he could smell the smoke as it began to infiltrate the building, and feel the heat which told him the fire was now very close. He took a second to embrace his surroundings; about 15 of the criminals were down for the count, and most of the remaining men no longer had their firearms thanks to Robin, Raven and Beast Boy.
Beast Boy took a breath and prepared to morph again before he was grabbed from behind and dragged into the strong arms of the man who had spoken up earlier. The part of Beast Boy's mind that was still thinking rationally figured that this man was a higher up in the Sphinx group, and that this was most definitely not a good position to be in. Beast Boy struggled against the vice-like grip; this man somehow had pinned Beast Boy against his chest whilst strangling the Changeling – effectively stopping air from reaching the Titan's lungs, thus preventing him from shifting forms and screaming out.
"Are you scared, boy? Are you dying? Look, they don't seem to care; they're fighting on fine without you – why, it doesn't seem like you're much needed, does it?" The man crept Beast Boy out, the way he whispered too intimately into the Changeling's ear, how he seemed to even be rubbing himself against the teen and enjoying this way too much; Beast Boy was close to slipping he could feel it, the Blackness was coming in again, this man had his unforgiving grip on him, and the fire was still raging with the heat becoming nearly unbearable. But Beast Boy had stopped struggling, it was just wasting precious oxygen, besides he silently mused, the team is better off without me. He had been thinking this for a while now – Robin, and now this man, they were simply voicing the Changeling's own thoughts.
"Titans: Surrender!" the man shouted, effectively stopping the remaining gunfire, shouting and combat.
"Beast Boy!" The Changeling heard Robin shout. A small flame ignited in Beast Boy's heart, to think that maybe, just maybe he wasn't entirely worthless, that he could hold some intrinsic value to the leader. His hopes were dashed though at the sound of a gun being cocked and Beast Boy could feel the cold metal as the bastard behind him raised the gun to rest against his temple.
"Listen closely Titans, because you're little friend's life may just depend on it. I get away, along with my remaining men. You can have the rest of these fugitives – they're worth more to you than they are to me. I will take this boy with me, only as far as my boat. As insurance on your part, and he will remain unharmed. Do not attempt to follow me – I will shoot you from the sky, understand?" The man proposed this deal, still crushing Beast Boy's throat, but not nearly as hard now; he had a gun pointed to the boy's head, this man held all the cards.
Robin looked as if he were about to object, but Cyborg cut him off, "Fine. But Beast Boy remains unharmed or we'll come after you, and you'll wish we hadn't."
The man didn't bother responding, he simply signalled to his three remaining men, and made towards the front door. He was running out of time, but his boat wasn't too far away. As he reached the door and begun making his way out side, he saw the promised police vehicles approaching. He smiled, they were still several minutes away, and with the fire still pressing in on the warehouse, time seemed to have just changed over to this man's side. Brief struggling from his hostage brought the criminal back to reality and he looked down at the boy.
"You know - Beast Boy is it? I've actually been told about you, how much of an asset you were to our African branch, Trinity, before you grew a conscience. They want you back, did you know that? Not today, but they have plans for you. And from what I've heard boy, you'd be wise to leave this city now and run. They want revenge Logan, and they're closing in on it." He had reached his getaway vassal now, and he let go of Beast Boy pushing him towards the buildings. Beast Boy was barely standing, but he defiantly turned and faced this evil head on.
The man was in shadows, but his stance was distinct –completely calm, and utterly confident with his gun almost casually aimed at the Changeling's chest. They stood still for a second, just staring at each other. And then Beast Boy had his final say.
"Tell the thugs over atTrinity, I said Hi. And remind them that I've already brought them down once, they can rest assured I'll do it again. They'd be wise to leave me alone."
"We'll see, Logan." With that the engine started up and the man leaped across the water, landing neatly in the boat.
Beast Boy shamelessly swayed, he was exhausted and his body had had enough. As his sight failed and he began to fall to the ground, he could hear the police cars finally approaching, and the sound of the engine as it carried the boat ever father away. He heard the last, unmistakable sound of a gun going off, and distantly wondered if the man had broken his promise and shot him mid-fall. But then the sound of a roof caving in and Starfire's distinct scream carried across to Beast Boy; it sounded as if she had said Robin's name, but Beast Boy hoped that wasn't true, hoped that nothing bad had happened to the Boy Wonder.
Then all the noise disappeared, and Beast Boy thought no more.
Yeah, I know I said BB would be sick this chapter, and he will be, but the reason that didn't happen this chapter was because I just wanted to upload something, and yeahhhh. Crappy reasoning, I know, but get over it 3
See you next week :) -DASB