Chapter Two: Then Thou Scarest Me With Dreams
Garfield Mark Logan sat in the backseat of the T Car in complete silence wondering what in the world was happening to him. He didn't understand, why was he seeing visions, if indeed they were real visions of the future, then what did they mean? Sure, Raven had visions, but that was Raven, half demon daughter of Trigon the Terrible, she had visions of the end of the world, but he was happy, comedic Beast Boy; he wasn't supposed to have dreams, this wasn't his arena.
What's going on with me? He wondered. He stared out of the window. The Titans were discussing what Brother Blood might be up to.
"…I don't think Brother Blood has returned for the sake of the H.I.V.E. I have a feeling there's more to this than meets the eye. Cyborg, when we get back to the Tower I need you to research all the data you can on this "Church" of Blood Raven told us about. If Brother Blood is the head of this cult we need to know everything about him."
"You don't need to look so hard, Robin. I know many things about the Church of Blood. I know because…my Mother was once one of them."
"What? Your Mother, a part of the Church of Blood," Robin asked, "What are you talking about?"
"A long time ago, before I was born, my mother ran away from home. She wondered into a church, and there we felt safe, they were kind to her, and she felt they welcomed her with opened arms. They deceived her, and lured her into their secret society. One night, they came together to summon their master, Satan to the Earth; instead, Trigon came. He came and took my mother away to his dimension, and when they got there…he raped my mother."
Starfire stared at Raven horrified, while Beast Boy looked at her with a stricken expression. "Is…is that why you hate your birthday so much?" Beast Boy asked, "because of what he did to your mother?"
"Yes," she replied in a quiet whisper.
"That's why you told me there was nothing to celebrate," Robin commented from the front passenger's seat. "Besides the prophecy of your birth, you didn't want to celebrate your birthday because of the way you were born."
"And if I could hate anyone or anything more than my own father, it would be the Church of Blood, they brought all this about, and if it weren't for them, this wouldn't have happened."
Beast Boy could only look at the enigmatic titan with a quiet sense of sadness. It became clear to him that the Church of Blood wasn't simply a group of villains, they were far more dangerous than the Brotherhood of Evil, and he knew from experience that the master they served was the embodiment of evil.
Still, the Church of Blood, his visions and dreams, what did it all mean? Why was it happening, and why now of all times when things seemed to be going well? He climbed out of the car and headed for the Gamestation, hoping that he would be able to forget his troubles.
Beast Boy plopped himself down in front of the television, as was his typical routine. He placed a game inside the holder and turned it on. It was one of his favorites; a racing game, he and Cyborg played it all the time.
He began to watch the images fly across the screen, dancing waves of light that bent to the will of a wire and satellite somewhere off in the far reaches of space above the Earth. And as he watched the images move across the screen, he tried to ignore the aching feeling that something terrible was about to happen to him.
He finished his game and turned off the TV, getting up, he moved towards his room, deciding that he needed something else to occupy his mind and keep him busy. He opened the door to his room and walked inside, he looked across the room to the dusty bookshelf littered with clothes and books that he hadn't read in forever.
He looked over at the shelf and noticed the old Bible collecting dust in the corner. He turned aside and flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wondered what the world was coming to, and endless questions swirled through his mind.
He got ready for bed and closed his eyes, hoping for a little sleep, he hadn't slept well the night before, and it was starting to take its toll on him. He hoped for a dreamless rest that would bring him peace in the morning. Little did he know that the things he saw were going to change his life forever, and the change that was coming would define him in a way no one could ever dream of.
He did not see the shadowy figure standing in the room over the foot of his bed and he did not see the green cloak that swirled around the angel's spectral form, but the angel stood by and watched over him, knowing that fate would throw him a curve ball.
He stood in the midst of Jump City, staring out at the mass of people walking around him, no one saw him and he didn't care, he just wanted to wake up and return to reality. He began moving through the crowd, looking around, he noticed the city had changed again, much like it had when he had returned from defeating the Brotherhood of Evil. Except this time, the change wasn't physical; it was emotional.
There was a sense of sadness that permeated the people, and it was a potent feeling, it snaked through the streets and swam through the sewers. Slipping through the walls it infiltrated the faces of the citizens and found its way into their eyes.
Beast Boy looked into the eyes of a passerby and felt it immediately. He began trying to find a way to discover what it meant. It was an unmistakable feeling, but he couldn't narrow down the source of it. He walked down the street, watching and waiting for what might come. He had to be prepared for anything.
He suddenly spotted his friends, sitting in the park at a picnic table. They weren't cooking out or eating, they were just sitting and talking.
"…What did you think of what they said earlier this afternoon?" Robin asked Starfire, who sat across the table from him.
"What they said about him was beautiful. I just cannot believe he is gone."
Beast Boy knew without a doubt, they were talking about him. He had gotten over the fact that he was dead in his dreams; he'd just have to deal with it. Beast Boy watched his friends as they continued their conversation.
"What are we going to do now?" Cyborg asked.
""We're going to bring Brother Blood and his Church to justice, they can't murder a Titan and get away with it," Robin said, he clenched his fist in determination. "I'm going to see to it that Brother Blood gets the death sentence for everything he's done."
"You don't understand Robin, the Church of Blood isn't just some criminal organization; they're a cult who will stop at nothing to further their agenda. And their agenda was to kill Beast Boy."
"But why? It doesn't make any sense, I mean, logically wouldn't they go after you? You're the daughter of their master."
"Logically, yes that's true, you think they would come after me, but they didn't, even I don't know why."
"I think it's time we go home," Robin said quietly.
"I agree," Cyborg said, "If we want to stop Brother Blood, we better get started."
Beast Boy watched the Titans get up and leave. Suddenly, the world swirled around him and dissolved into blackness. Standing before him was a figure, hooded and cloaked in green. Beast Boy looked up and stared at the being as it turned around to face him.
Beast Boy could only see the whites of the figure's eyes. They gleamed at him beneath the green hood and pierced him to the core of his soul. And all he could do was watch, and wait. The brought his cloak sweeping over his head and Beast Boy caught a glimpse of the distant past, thousands of years ago.
The mysterious being stood over a vast city, gazing down on its inhabitants. Beast Boy stood beside him. Looking up at him. He followed the being's gaze to the inhabitants of the city, and what he saw shocked him. Theft, murder and violence were everywhere, rape, and unspeakable atrocities, a daily practice. He'd heard that Gotham City was filled with violence, but that was minute compared to what he saw. Throats slit over a small argument, people stabbed to death at another's whim. For one minute he felt as if he had entered a nightmare, surely no society was as degenerated as this one. His gaze returned to the stranger beside him.
For the first time, he spoke, "Where are we? And who are you?" The figure made no reply. The being spread his hands over the city and froze, like a statue or a colossus of ancient Greece, the stranger waited for something, an order or a command.
"This place, these people, why are they doing this? It's wrong, it's just sick and wrong! Won't somebody do something?" he asked.
Beast Boy looked in awe and horror as fire crept across the being's fingers, licking its way across the sky and shooting out like drops of rain toward the city below. He turned back to the city to watch in shock as countless lives were disintegrated in the fiery rain, men and women ran for cover only to be consumed by flames from above. Unable to look, Beast Boy turned his gaze to a man, his wife and two daughters who were running away from the city.
He saw the woman suddenly turn and look back at the city. He couldn't hear what the others were saying but it seemed they were trying to get her to turn away. Beast Boy looked up at the figure as it settled its gaze on her. Suddenly, he saw her feet become white like chalk and watched as it spread upward across her entire body. Then his senses were unexpectedly assaulted with the sounds of speech. He listened carefully, trying to understand what he had seen.
"She has disobeyed the Lord, she looked back, and He turned her into a pillar of salt!" the man shouted. "Quick! Quick! We must get away before He strikes us too!" the man said, quickly leading his daughters away from the horror behind them.
Beast Boy saw the city fall into a burning ruin as blood ran through the streets. His eyes turned to the pillar and he gazed upon the face of the woman, her expression was one of pure terror, and that was what woke him up.
Beast Boy woke up with a scream as sweat once again beaded his green forehead. "What's happening to me?" he groaned, grasping his head in his hands. He stared up at the dark ceiling. He was having dreams, strange dreams. The dreams were not caused by natural circumstances, but it was something more, something deeper, but the answer eluded him.
He tried to sleep again, but it was impossible. The images of fire and destruction swirled around in his mind, haunting him. He thought what Trigon had done when he came to Earth was horrible, but to actually see lives destroyed as he had frightened him to the core of his entire being.
He managed to catch a little sleep for about an hour before Robin walked into his room and shook him.
"Come on, Beast Boy, it's time to get up. We have a lot of training to do and we still need to investigate Brother Blood."
"Come on, Dude, I didn't sleep well last night, can you give me an hour?" he groaned.
"You didn't sleep well? Beast Boy, is everything okay?" Robin asked, concerned for his friend.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a little tired that's all," he lied.
He headed out toward the kitchen to get some breakfast. He saw Cyborg already sitting at the table.
"Morning B.B.," Cyborg greeted him as he chewed on some biscuits and gravy. "Sleep well?"
"It was alright," he replied. He began rummaging through the cabinets for some tofu. He prepared his breakfast and began eating.
Raven and Starfire walked in and sat down with the rest of the Titans. "Good Morning friends, have we had a pleasant slorvax last night?"
Beast Boy only shrugged his shoulders and frowned. Then he turned his attention back to his food. Starfire gave him a strange look, but said nothing. Robin gave Beast Boy a piercing gaze that he didn't notice. This wasn't like him; maybe it was because he hadn't slept well. He'd have to ask him about it later.
Beast Boy ate his breakfast in silence and took the plates to the sink. He scrubbed them and put them in the dishwasher. He then headed into the living room and turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels.
He happened to flip on the History Channel, and heard something that put him on edge. "Well, honestly, how can one say that this Spectre exists, he's just a myth, a folktale, that we tell our children in Sunday school." The man said.
"But the Bible doesn't specifically mention an angel called the Spectre."
"Well, yes, the Bible doesn't mention the Spectre by name per se, but according to tradition and some scholars, he's the Avenging Angel," the host said. "But does that mean he's real?"
"I couldn't say for sure, but the fact remains that there has been no definite proof that the Spectre exists."
"Do you believe he exists?"
"I'm not sure, I really don't know."
The screen showed another man, a motivational speaker/psychologist. The host looked at him. "Well, what do you have to say about this so called phenomena called the Spectre, does he exist, or not?"
"That's all fairy tales and fantasy, it was created by some theologian who wanted to rationalize things in the Bible. There is no God, nor angels nor demons, it's just us."
"And you're saying this because of your atheist beliefs," the host said.
"Yes, if there was a God, or angels or demons, we would be able to see them," the man said.
The picture then changed to show an elderly man, the caption on the screen read, Pastor Norman McCay. The elderly man looked thoughtfully at the interviewer.
"I have asked the world's foremost theologians, and psychologists this one question: Does the Spectre exists?"
"Well, I would have to say that, yes, he does exists," Norman McCay replied.
"Why would you say that?"
"I have seen him with my own eyes."
"You have, Pastor," the host's voice dripped with sarcasm. "If you've seen him, then what does he look like?"
"He is cloaked in green and walks unseen through our world, our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickedness in high places."
"So I see, and what does the Spectre do?"
"He judges the sins of mortal souls."
"Thank you Pastor McCay, we'll be back after this break with more about the Spectre and whether or not there is conclusive proof that this so called angel has existed long before our time."
Beast Boy was startled. If this man could see the Spectre, the being who was with him in his dream, then maybe he could explain his strange dreams. He had to find Pastor McCay so he could find the Spectre. But how did you search for something you couldn't see? He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper; he was going to need them if he was going to get the answers he sought.
Robin walked in silently, he could have sworn that Beast Boy, Beast Boy of all people was watching the History Channel, and taking notes! This behavior was definitely not normal for him and his senses as a detective were going off. He knew something was wrong with him, but he didn't want to bring it up now, he needed to observe more of Beast Boy's behavior before he presented his questions, he wanted to see exactly what the green changeling was up to, and why he was acting so…out of place.
Cyborg joined him by the door. "Are you seeing what I think I'm seeing?" he asked.
Robin nodded. "Beast Boy's watching the History Channel."
"And taking notes, that's weird even for him, and he can be pretty weird."
"I think something's wrong with him," Robin looked thoughtful.
"Like what?" Cyborg asked. "What could be wrong with him?"
"I don't know, but I intend to find out."
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Joel 2:30