Chapter two is up! This one is a little more informative than the last, so if you were confused from reading the last chapter, this one cleans it up rather nicely. If you're still confused after reading this chapter, then chapter three will be even more informative. If you're still confused after that...well, you shouldn't be reading this Fic...it's really only for people who know about the Titans' pasts and stuff...others can read it, but I warn you that you'll be kind of lost for a little bit. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
While they all walked silently down the vacant street, Richard let his mind wander. 'At first glance Rachel seemed like a rather distant girl, but from what I've just witnessed, she has a bad temper and a sharp tongue. Gar...well, I don't know what he seemed like at first to me, but now he's acting like a total jerk who also apparently has a temper.' He looked back and forth between Rachel and Garfield, who were looking away from each other with their arms crossed like five-year-olds holding a grudge against each other. 'It's funny how alike they are...they almost seem like the same person...they don't seem to get along very well, though. I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with me...' His thoughts were interrupted for the third time that night by their stopping at a small shack in the middle of the city. It was run down with broken-in windows and brown patches in the grass. "What is this place?" He accidentally asked out loud, then regretted it.
Raven glared at him, then huffed past him with her nose up and walked through the door. Garfield followed her lead, not even bothering to look at him as he entered the run-down building. Kori turned to him and shrugged while sighing. "I am terribly sorry for the way they have been treating you. They are not so good with people, as you may have noticed."
"Yeah, I've noticed." He snorted and looked into the beautiful woman's eyes. They withheld so much joy and happiness, but mixed in there was pain and agony. He didn't know what was going on, but he figured she was unhappy because of it. "A-after you..." Richard held out his hands in a gentlemanly gesture and Kori smiled warmly at him. He followed her into the shack and the door automatically closed behind him, leaving them in the dark. "Kori? Where are you?" He heard her giggle and felt a hand wrap firmly around his wrist. He knew it was her, and let her lead him to what looked like a small metal door. They entered through the door as it opened, and he felt the floor jolt to life. So it was an elevator. Another jolt told him they had reached their destination, and Kori yanked him out of the small elevator room.
His mouth practically fell off of his face at what he saw. A gigantic laboratory lit up before his very eyes as they walked into the room. Little stations were set up in rooms off to the side, and lab tables lined the walls on the opposite side. Test tubes filled with colorful liquids rested on the tables, and as he and Kori entered, Richard could see Rachel and Garfield both leaning against the same lab table, talking to a tall, dark-skinned man who was fiddling with a piece of metal machinery.
Kori let go of Richard's arm and flew over to the group, greeting them each. "Friends, I am most delighted that we are able to gather here all together. Friend Victor," She stated, referring to the mystery man with the lab goggles on, "Friend Victor, there is someone I would like you to meet."
Both Rachel and Garfield rolled their eyes and walked away in different directions, obviously not wanting to be a part of this. The man Kori referred to as 'Victor' stood and removed his goggles, revealing a robotic eye. Richard nearly jumped out of his skin. Although this man was wearing a lab coat and khakis, the mechanical parts of his body were still evident. This man was a cyborg! He looked directly at Richard and smiled warmly. "Well, high there. You must be Richard. Gar and Rae were telling me about you just a moment ago. Though, their descriptions were a bit vague. It's a pleasure to meet you, Richard Grayson. I'm Victor Stone." Victor stuck his metal hand out and Richard, not knowing what else to do, grabbed a hold of it and shook it.
"It's...nice to...m-meet you...too..." He stuttered; it wasn't that he was scared of this man, he was just a little shocked. Of course, this whole night had been full of shocks for him. He had flown over Gotham City, watched a green man turn into an animal, seen a woman with purple hair heal a wound with her bare hands, and now he was shaking hands with a metal man! It was all quite overwhelming, and he felt rather dizzy at the moment.
Apparently it was noticeable because Victor stopped shaking his hand and looked at him curiously. Kori looked worried as Richard swayed a little. "Richard Grayson, are you alright? You are doing the 'drunken stance'."
Victor chuckled and held Richard up by the shoulder. "He's okay, Kor. The man's just tired. Put him to bed and we'll talk in the morning." All Richard could do was nod as Kori carried him into one of the rooms that occupied the west wing of the underground lab. Wow, she was strong!
As she laid him down, she smiled and whispered, "There is no need to worry, Richard Grayson; you are safe here and I promise you we will not be erasing your memory any time soon." Those were the last words he heard before he drifted off into a much-needed sleep.
000
Kori exited the room she had put Richard in and walked back to Victor. "Friend Victor...I am sure that you have already heard from friend Garfield and friend Rachel that they do not wish to have Richard Grayson stay here with us. They think he will not accept us, but I disagree. Garfield wishes to erase his memory of us, which I do not agree with as well. What is your opinion on the matter?"
Victor sighed and put his latest project back down on the lab table. He ran his fingers over his bald scalp and looked into Kori's green eyes. "Garfield and Rachel don't get along well with others, as we already know. You know as well as I that they both come from backgrounds of distrust and betrayal; trusting someone is a big step for them. They can't even trust each other yet, and they've know each other for almost three years now. The only reason they suggested such a thing as serious as mind-erasing is because they are scared. They are scared of getting close to someone from the outside, as they have both been there and done that before, and the result was...well, not good. They find a safe-haven in wiping out memories of us. You and I, on the other hand, are more welcoming to newcomers. So, for right now..." Victor sighed again and looked down, closing his eyes and shaking his head, "Right now we'll have him stay."
Kori squealed and hugged Victor tightly before putting him down and clasping her hands together excitedly. "Oh, I thank you, friend Victor! I am most enthusiastic about Richard Grayson! I believe he will be able to teach me the many ways of the human nature!"
The mechanical man let out a breathy laugh and rubbed his temples. "Well, I'm glad you're excited, Kor, but you're the one that's gonna have to break the news to the other two. I can't guarantee they'll be too happy about it, but they'll just have to deal for now."
"Oh, I will tell them the glorious news, friend Victor! Where shall I find them?"
"Where else? On the roof." Victor pointed one forefinger upward and Kori nodded before heading off to find her other friends.
000
Rachel stood on the edge of the building, looking off into the distance in deep thought. Gar was sitting cross-legged behind her with his eyes closed and his hands folded in his lap. Rachel smiled; she had taught him to control his anger through meditation, and she was content that he had listened to her. She felt mildly bad for snapping at him, but that was just how they played. He'd yell at her, she'd yell at him, occasionally they'd make physical contact, but it was just the way they interacted with each other. If they didn't do things like that, there would be no point in having the other around. It was a good way of venting, and with their messed up pasts, they needed someone to let their anger out on, so why not each other?
She turned around and looked down at Garfield. He looked so calm, so at peace. It seemed hard to believe that underneath that tough exterior was a man who had been mentally tortured as a child. She shook the thought from her head and glanced back up at the moon. It was almost full. Not good on Gar's part. His temper was at its worst when the moon was full, and it aroused something primal within him. Rachel didn't like it one bit; the way he screamed in agony every time he tried to hold it back. It brought tears to her eyes each and every time. Few things made her cry, but that was one of them. She knew why Gar had all of the sudden lashed out at the cops this evening; he was fighting it off. The 'it' she was referring to was the Beast that lurked inside of his body, striving to get out. It pained her whenever he let the Beast win, but it pained her even more to hear his cries of pain when he tried to suppress it.
"It's under control, you know." Garfield's steady voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she gave him a questioning look as he slid open one eye. "The Beast...is that not what you were thinking about?" This was another thing she liked about Gar; he always knew what was on her mind. "Rae, you don't have to worry; that thing is caged at the moment." He said while standing and brushing the dirt from his pants. He stood up straight again, and Rachel marveled at his strongly defined chest and abs through his tight muscle-shirt.
Taking her eyes away from his amazing body, Rachel looked into his yellow cat-eyes. "But Gar, what about tomorrow or the next day? It may be caged now, but you can't keep it that way forever."
"Rachel, it's under control for now and that's all that matters. Live life in the moment." His voice was chipper, but she knew it was an act. She could see right through his mask.
She sighed and looked down. "Alright...just promise me you're not lying."
He lifted her chin and looked her square in the eyes. "What would I gain from lying to you, Rae?" That was the thing about this little game they played; it was a love/hate battle. Victor tried on multiple occasions to understand their odd relationship, but even he, the master scientist, could not figure it out. Many times he and Kori would say it was an 'unnatural friendship', but they didn't understand what both Garfield and Raven had gone through and were still going through. No one seemed to, and that was fine with them. All they needed was the other and they were fine.
"Friends! I knew I would find you up here!" Came Kori's high-pitched squeal from somewhere on the roof. Gar turned directly toward the sound, his animal instincts enhancing both his hearing and vision, and put on a fake smile as Kori approached them. Rachel hated it when he did that, but then again, she was the only one who could see through his act. Others thought he was genuinely happy, but she knew it was all a lie.
"Hey, Kor! What's up?" The way Garfield was talking was a dead give away that he was straining to remain happy, but Rachel overlooked it for the moment.
Kori clapped her hands together and giggled happily. "Oh, friends, I have wonderful news! Friend Victor has just informed me that Richard Grayson is allowed to stay with us for now! Is that not wonderful?"
Both Rachel and Gar's faces dropped, but Garfield's smile once again appeared on his face as he said, "Yeah, Kori, that's...great..."
The red-haired alien laughed again and spun around. "Oh, this is most joyous! I have always wanted to know more about these humans which inhabit this strange planet, and Richard Grayson can tell me all about these odd creatures!"
"They're not the odd ones, Kor. We are, remember?" Rachel's voice was monotone and her features stoic, but Gar could tell she did not like the idea of entertaining the very species that hated and feared them so much. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began walking toward the door that led inside.
"She didn't mean anything by it, Kori." He stated reassuringly to her, noticing her confused expression. "Rae's just tired; I think I'm gonna put her to bed now." Kori simply nodded and followed them indoors.
As they entered the lab, Victor looked up from what he was working on and smirked at the look on Rachel's face. "I take it Kori told you the news. I figured you wouldn't like it very much."
"He doesn't belong here with us. In time, he'll run in fear too. Just like everyone else." Rachel mumbled bluntly through clenched teeth. Garfield held on to her tighter and ran his claws lightly over her bare arms.
"Rae, I think that's enough." He whispered.
Rachel scowled at him. "Jesus, Gar, would you stop?! Ten minutes ago you would've agreed with me!" She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Then, against her own will, she hissed. Yes, she hissed like a cat.
That must have gotten Garfield mad, for he glared at her. "Oh, don't you hiss at me, you damn blood-sucker. I do agree with you; this guy spells trouble for us. But if I walk around all upset about it, it accomplishes nothing."
"Don't you dare curse at me, you stupid animal! I understand you find anger as an unimportant emotion, but you could at least try to be upset for a second! I mean, do you remember Terra? Remember what happened when we accepted her as one of us?"
If Garfield's face was happy before, all traces of it were gone as he frowned. "Shut. Up. Leave Terra out of this." And then, he growled like an angry dog.
"Why the hell are you protecting her?! Do you even care that she betrayed us? Do you want that to happen again?!"
"SHUT UP!"
The two stood opposite to each other in an intense stare-down. Gar's top lip curled up at the edges in a snarl, and Rachel hissed again quietly. They were like two animals fighting over a piece of meat. Luckily Victor intervened before anything worse happened.
"Alright, that's enough. You two are just tired. We'll talk more in the morning, but for right now I think it's best if we all get some rest. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, stop bickering and go to bed." Again, they nodded, and Gar and Rachel walked away in opposite directions rather angrily.
Kori looked from where Gar had been standing to where Rachel had been standing, then back at Victor. "A full moon is upon us, is it not?"
Victor sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Those two are going to be a handful these next few days, especially with Mr. Grayson staying with us now. If you could help me out with him, that'd be great."
"I'd be most obliged, friend Victor." She smiled warmly and he nodded again before turning his back to her to clean up his mess before bedtime. "Um, friend Victor? Am I permitted to ask you a question?"
"Of course, Kor. Ask away."
"I thank you...Victor, do you think that Richard Grayson will propose a problem by means of the full moon and friends Garfield and Rachel?" Her innocence amazed Victor sometimes.
He laughed and turned back to her. "Well, Kor, I can honestly say that he has something to do with their moodiness, but you shouldn't have to worry. If either of them get out of hand during Mr. Grayson's stay, you and I know what to do. Hopefully, though, Rae and Gar have enough self control to keep their anger at bay."
"I should hope so." And with that, the two people exited the room and went off to their separate sleeping chambers.