Welcome back to Broken Wings. I'm so glad you're still with me on this story. Just a heads up, this entire chapter is in flashback. I will return to the present in the next chapter since by then everything will have been set up perfectly (rubs hands together and grins evilly). Now let's get to it.
Disclaimer: Seriously? I don't own the Teen Titans or any characters from the DC universe. There, I said it. You happy?
Chapter 2 – Answers
The common room doors slid open to reveal Starfire and Nightwing, both flustered and out of breath. As they entered the common room, a dark portal appeared at the main console and Raven materialized, immediately looking around as if she'd lost something.
"Beast Boy?" said Raven, her voice barely above a whisper.
The couch was all the way across the room. The TV was smashed and there was an empty metal can in the middle of the floor. But no sign of Beast Boy. The main window was shattered from where the intruders had clearly made their exit.
Nightwing had gone over to the couch and was examining the strange tear marks on the back when the power came back on. The communication systems were still down and the Tower was running on emergency lighting, but it was enough for them to get the real picture.
"What in the world just happened?" he said. His face was stern, but there was nonetheless an undercurrent of confusion in his voice.
"I do not understand," said Starfire innocently. "Where is friend Beast Boy?"
The grave look on Nightwing's face was unmistakable; this was no amateur, and it was never meant to be a break-in. These intruders had only one purpose in mind: to kidnap Beast Boy.
"I don't know," Nightwing began, "but whoever did this had this planned down to the last detail. First, they used their numbers to split us up and draw us away from the common room, leaving Beast Boy here alone. They also cut the power to disorient us and limit our communication. And third," he said, holding up the small metal can, "they used a flash-bang, which they knew would dull Beast Boys senses so that they could overpower him and take him without much of a struggle. If there had been a struggle, the fight might have been violent enough to leave traces of the intruders, like hair or blood. But there's nothing here. They didn't even leave fingerprints."
Amid Nightwing's explanation, Raven finally realized the true horror of the situation. It was the perfect plan. They had even thought to stall Raven and keep her from teleporting to Beast Boy's aid. At that moment fear and guilt filled her chest and she tried her best to keep calm. She had to stay focused and strong – they very well couldn't figure this out if they lost their heads. But at the same time she was a little panicked. It was true that Beast Boy could be annoying, be nonetheless he was their friend and more importantly he was her friend. Over the years, he and Raven had developed a strong friendship. In fact, Raven wasn't sure if it was even friendship anymore. Maybe it was something more. But she couldn't think about that now. Beast Boy had been kidnapped and the longer they delayed the farther the kidnappers would get.
Picking up the flash-bang, Nightwing began to examine it for any clues that might give a hint about Beast Boy's kidnappers or where they might have taken him. But the can told him nothing. It was unlabeled and unmarked, nothing about it in any way remarkable. And that meant it was untraceable.
Starfire began to sniffle sadly. "But who would kidnap friend Beast Boy?"
Nightwing went over to comfort her, placing his hand on her shoulder and lifting her chin with his other hand.
"We all have a lot of enemies," he said, "but this goes far beyond anything we've faced before." He paused and his voice softened. "And I'm not too proud to admit that we need help. As soon as Cyborg has the communications system back online, I'm going to contact the Justice League. We need answers, and we need them now."
J'onn J'onzz sat quietly at the main console of the Watchtower. It was getting late in the day (for him, it was around his 14th hour of duty) and he could feel his mind slipping. Just as he was about to pass out, the console began to buzz with an incoming call. It was from the Titans. He found this to be odd, but never one to question, he quickly opened a channel for the bayside heroes.
Nightwing appeared on the screen and wasted no time with trivialities. "This is Nightwing from the Titans. We've got trouble."
"What's the situation?" J'onn said, the seriousness in Nightwing's voice having pulled his head out of the fog.
"Beast Boy has been kidnapped," began Nightwing, and then his voice lowered. "And not by some amateur. Whoever took him clearly meant to kidnap him and only him. The rest of us are fine, but the way this kidnapping was handled leads me to believe this isn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill villain."
By this time, Flash had zoomed in and caught the better part of Nightwing's opening speech. He was working on a quip about when the date for the wedding with Starfire was (there was no wedding planned, of course) but he was cutoff before he could even start into his joke.
"Hmm," J'onn began. "Can you tell us anything odd about the kidnapping?"
Nightwing paused. He wanted to make sure they knew everything. "Well," he started, "we were all sitting down to a meal that Star had cooked when the intruder alarm went off. We went to the main console and noticed 4 intruders in 4 different locations in the Tower. We each separated and took one of the locations, leaving Beast Boy at the main console."
"Wait, wait, wait…" Flash interjected, holding up his hand for effect. "So you're telling me Starfire cooked? Was it edible?" Flash had a questioning look on his face and was pointing quizzically at Starfire.
At this Starfire began to cry, though not so much about his jab at her cooking skills but rather the emotional strain of the situation, and Flash immediately regretted his little attempt at humor. He just couldn't help himself, but once again his timing was horrible.
Nightwing, who was the most even-keeled of the Titans, suddenly lost his temper. He wasn't sure whether he was mad at the insult to Starfire or the blatant disregard for the seriousness of the situation. But either way he was clearly pissed.
"Dammit Flash," he yelled. "This is serious! Can't you fucking understand what's going on here? Couldn't you for once stop and think before you speak! And how dare you talk to my girlfriend like that. If you weren't a few hundred thousand miles away, I'd come up there and kick your ass." (A/N: Personally, I love Flash – he's funnier than hell. I just thought that for once he should snap back to reality.)
He put in that last part for Starfire's benefit, who had stopped crying and was now paying attention to the console, a slight blush on her cheeks and small smile on her face.
"Excuse me Nightwing, but that is no way to talk to a fellow superhero," said Wonder Woman, who had just joined the party and was walking up the steps towards the main console. "Even one as stupid and immature as Flash."
She gave him a death glare, to which he nervously twiddled his thumbs and muttered a very meager "Sorry."
Nightwing pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "No, Flash, I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I guess we're all just a little on edge from this. (Sigh) Anyway, when we all went to check for the intruders, we found nothing. The only thing we found was that the two power generators had been smashed by something that looked like a giant hammer."
"That's not completely true," said Raven. She moved closer to the console and spoke, looking back and forth between Nightwing and the console screen. "When I went to the med bay, at first I couldn't sense anyone or anything out the ordinary. But then I heard the explosion come from the common room and when I tried to teleport there I saw a tall slender woman in the shadows. I fused the med bay doors together and tried to keep her from escaping but then she just vanished out of thin air." Her voice dropped down a notch and looked down sadly. "Only now do I realize she was trying to stall me so I couldn't protect Gar."
She didn't seem to notice that last slip, but if she had she wouldn't have cared. Her emotions were in such turmoil at the moment that it was all she could do to keep from losing control.
Nightwing nodded at her admission, as if he already knew it.
"Do you see what I mean?" he said, concern dripping from every word. "They stalled Raven so she couldn't teleport in and help Beast Boy and they drew us away so that they could capture him."
Wonder Woman looked a little confused at this. "But Beast Boy is plenty strong. From what I hear he can handle 5 or 6 villains at one time. And yet the common room looks fine."
Nightwing nodded. "That's just the thing," he said. "They didn't overpower us, they outsmarted us. They threw in a flash-bang, which dulled his senses. And then they exited without leaving any traces behind: no hair, no blood, no fingerprints, nothing. It's like there wasn't even a struggle. That's when we knew we had to call the Justice League. This is far more than any of us have faced before. Hell, most of the villains we face are stupid or arrogant, either of which we can easily defeat. But this different."
Wonder Woman could tell that the Titans were really unnerved by this attack. In fact, neither Starfire nor Cyborg had said a word, and if she didn't know any better she could have sworn that Raven looked like she was about to cry. She took the opportunity to take control of the situation.
"Alright, let's all calm down," she said. "Rather than try and look for something that isn't there, let's focus on what is there. Clearly these villains were only after Beast Boy. Does he have any enemies that are totally unique to him and not the rest of you?"
There was a pause as they all looked at each other in thought. It was Raven who was the first to speak up.
"When Beast Boy was with the Doom Patrol, they often fought the Brotherhood of Evil. But we took them down together. If they had wanted to punish someone, wouldn't they have gone after all of us?"
She paused again, focused now on this particular detail, thankful at least for any distraction from her emotions. And then a thought struck her.
"But he did lead the remaining Titans against the Brotherhood," she said. "If it wasn't for him, we probably wouldn't have won. And when he was with the Doom Patrol, they often fought the Brotherhood of Evil. In fact, that was their main adversary. But the Brotherhood's still frozen, right?"
Wonder Woman looked at J'onn, who typed in a few commands in the computer. The chamber in Paris in which the Brotherhood was kept frozen had a 24/7 security detail. After a few key taps, he looked back at Wonder Woman and shook his head. Calmly she spoke to the Titans, trying her best to sound reassuring.
"We can't get in touch with the security detail. Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern are all busy at the moment, and the rest of us are tied up at the Watchtower while we're so short-handed. I know this is difficult right now, but I suggest you go to Paris and make sure the Brotherhood is indeed still frozen. At least then you'll know for sure. Good luck."
And with that the call ended. The four remaining Titans all looked at each other in silence for what seemed like hours. Finally, Nightwing spoke up.
"Well, we know what we have to do. Let's not waste any more time. The longer we wait, the worse things are going to get for everyone, especially Beast Boy."
The rest of the team hesitated, but eventually they all nodded in agreement. It was at this point that Raven felt that she had to leave the room. She just needed some time to collect her thoughts.
"I need to be alone," she said to no one in particular. "Come and get me when everything's ready."
She swiftly turned and exited the common room. No one objected and the three remaining Titans shared a knowing glance. Whether Raven would admit it or not, she and Beast Boy had something special now. None of them knew for sure what it was, but they did know that it was something. Even if Raven and Beast Boy didn't see it themselves.
Starfire spoke up when Raven had left. "I shall go check on friend Raven," she said. "This must be very hard for her."
The two men nodded knowingly, and she glided over to the common room doors and exited after Raven. Truth be told, this was hard on everyone. Beast Boy meant something different to every one of them. They remembered what it felt like to lose him before when he had been kidnapped by Soto. It had been all fun and games then, but deep down, they had all been worried that they would lose Beast Boy. Now they'd lost him again. And this time the stakes were higher. Much higher.
Raven glided silently to her room, locking her door behind her. She sat down on the edge of her bed and stared sadly at the floor. She couldn't understand why she was so worked up about Beast Boy in the first place. He was annoying and immature and silly.
"Why am I so bent out of shape about this?" she wondered. "Hell, why are we all acting so scared? Beast Boy's been kidnapped before and that turned out fine. I'm sure he's going to be fine this time as well. What do I care if the tofu-brained idiot got himself kidnapped? It's his fault anyway – he should have been more careful."
As the realization of these harsh thoughts dawned on her, she was overcome with guilt. "No. This isn't his fault at all. This is my fault. If I'd just gotten to him faster he wouldn't have been kidnapped. I just hope he's going to be okay. If this is indeed the work of the Brotherhood, there's no telling what they could do to him. What if they torture him and beat him? What if they kill him?"
She buried her face in her hands and shook her head, trying to shake away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.
"Grrr….why does everything have to happen to me?" she screamed. "And why am I so worried about Beast Boy?"
To her surprise, her door responded: "Because you love him."
Raven jumped at first, but then she recognized the oddly feminine voice emanating from her door. She shot an incredulous glare at the door then turned her body away and crossed her arms.
"Please go away, Starfire," she deadpanned. "And by the way, it's not polite to spy on your friends."
"Friend Raven," said Starfire quietly through the door, "may I please come in? I think you may be in need of some cheering up." She paused and her voice became much sadder and quieter. "I know I am."
There was a pregnant pause, but after a few moments the door opened to reveal Raven. Starfire couldn't see her face because of her hood, but nevertheless she could tell that her friend was in pain. Raven motioned half-heartedly for Starfire to enter, which she did, floating quietly over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and looked inquisitively at Raven, who had turned away from her. Raven walked over to her shelf and grabbed one of her books, pretending to read it.
"Please, friend Raven, you do not have to hide your feelings from me," Starfire gently pleaded. "I know that you are worried about friend Beast Boy."
"Of course I'm worried," she snapped back quickly, still not turning to look at her orange friend. "We're all worried for Beast Boy."
"That is true, friend Raven," said Starfire. "But none of us feels for Beast Boy as you do."
Raven immediately spun around, a look of apparent shock on her face, but she quickly recovered and put on a more stoic expression.
"What are you implying, Starfire?" she deadpanned, though there was an undercurrent of nervousness in her voice. "That I have 'feelings' for Beast Boy? That's ridiculous. How could I have feelings for an annoying goofball with the maturity of a 5 year old? You're wrong Starfire. Beast Boy is just a friend and teammate, but nothing more." She looked away, trying hard to appear as if she was concentrating on her book.
Starfire walked softly over and placed her hand on Raven's shoulder. Raven jumped slightly at her touch and dropped her book, but didn't turn around to face her.
"I must disagree with you, friend Raven," she began softly, with a hint of comfort in her voice. "I believe you do have 'the feelings' for friend Beast Boy. And that is why you are being so hard on yourself. You feel that all this is your fault, that if you had gotten there quicker or been at his side you could have rescued him. But it is not your fault. It is no one's fault."
Starfire could feel Raven begin to shudder and she gently turned her friend around to face her. Raven's head was down under her hood, but she could still hear her sniffling softly. Raven had changed much over the years, so much in fact that she no longer required constant control over her emotions. She could laugh, smile, shout, cry, and more without worrying about destroying anything or anyone. And yet she still remained stoic, a product now of habit rather than necessity. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help the slow streams of tears that began to push their way down her face. If she couldn't hide her feelings from Starfire, how could she possibly hide them from herself?
"What does it matter anyway," she croaked. "He's just a prankster and he thinks of me as nothing but a punch line. He never takes me seriously. Hell, he doesn't even take himself seriously."
"But friend Raven," said Starfire as she guided Raven over to the bed and sat her down. "Do you not see? That is his way of showing that he cares for you. He is always trying to make you laugh or make you smile because he can't stand to see you so unhappy all the time."
Raven looked up at Starfire. Her eyes were red and there were two wet streaks down the sides of her face. She drew in a ragged breath and let her hood down, brushing the hair out of her face as she did.
"I'm just so confused Starfire," she said. "All these feelings are new to me and I'm scared of what might happen if I let myself open up to them. And even if I do have feelings for Beast Boy, he's gone now and we don't know where he's been taken or if he's okay. For all we know he could be dead. It's all just so unfair." Her voiced hitched painfully and she buried her face in hands.
"You must not think like that, friend Raven," said Starfire forcefully, a determined look painted across her face. "Friend Beast Boy is a great hero and a strong young man. We must not lose hope that he is giving them 'the Hell' as we speak. He is a great warrior, worthy even of the greatest standards of Tamaran." She paused and tired to lighten the mood with her own attempt at of humor. "If nothing else, friend Beast Boy can do the bugging of them to the dead."
Raven chuckled and raised her head out of her hands. "I think you mean 'bug them to death'."
Raven and Starfire both laughed at her mistake, and then embraced in a gentle hug.
"Thanks Starfire," Raven said, wiping the tear stains from her cheeks. "You're a really great friend."
"You are more than just my friend," said Starfire softly. "You are my sister, just like Beast Boy is my brother. You are all my family. And that is why we cannot give up. We must victorious against our enemy and rescue friend Beast Boy." She pumped her fist in the air mightily and gave a Raven a confident grin.
"Beware the power of family," said Raven in her signature monotone, sporting her own confident smile.
The room was dark and cold and smelled oddly of rusted metal and sulfur. Beast Boy could feel himself slowly coming round, and as his eyes slowly began to focus, he got a much clearer picture of the room. It was a small room and it was shaped like a half-barrel. The walls were made of rusted corrugated metal sheets, and there was a single line of lights down the middle of the ceiling. Most of the lights weren't lit, except for one directly above Beast Boy and one about 10 feet away at the other end of the room. Beast Boy could just make out another prisoner under the light, his hands and feet chained to the curved walls. As his vision came into to focus, he could also see a large figure lurking in the shadows behind the prisoner, flanked on its right be the small, slender figure of a woman. To the left of the prisoner was a cone shaped blur that stood about 4 feet tall.
With painful clarity, the image of the blur came into perfect focus. And Beast Boy knew exactly who it was.
"You," Beast Boy snarled, and he began to struggle under his own restraints. His hands and feet were also chained to the walls, and there was an odd clamp around his neck. His first thoughts were to change into a snake to free his hands and feet, but as he began to change, the collar gave off an excruciating electrical shock and he was jolted back to his human form.
The Brain scooted forward into the darkness and emerged into the light just a few feet from Beast Boy's face.
"You. Will. Find. Your. Attempts. To. Change. Are. Pointless. Little. Green. One. You. Cannot. Escape."
The Brain paused, then turned to face the other prisoner. Beast Boy hadn't really noticed at first who he was, but as he now took notice, his face paled in horror.
"Cliff. No," he said, his voice almost inaudible.
"Oh yes, dear boy," said Monsieur Mallah, who emerged from behind Robotman. "We have been waiting for this ever since we escaped our frozen prisons." He snarled menacingly. "And revenge is a dish best served cold, wouldn't you say, Madam Rouge?"
Madam Rouge stepped out from the shadows and stood in front of Robotman, lifting his face with her hand. She dropped it roughly then glanced over to the side at the door to room, an evil grin on her face. General Immortus was leaning against the wall, enjoying the spectacle as it unraveled before him.
"Quite true, Monsieur Mallah. And with what we've got planned for you," she said pointing to Beast Boy, "you're going to wish you were dead. But we're not going to kill you. Not just yet. First, you must suffer. Then you can die." She laughed manically, and her laughter was joined by that of Monsieur Mallah, General Immortus, and the Brain, whose computerized attempt at laughing sent chills down Beast Boy's spine.
Then they all stopped and Monsieur Mallah and Madam Rouge shared an evil smile.
"Enough. Trivialities. Let. Us. Begin," said the Brain, who had moved back down to join the other three villains.
General Immortus nodded and strode over to Robotman. He had something in his right hand that Beast Boy couldn't quite make out. That is, until General Immortus placed it on the back of Robotman's head. It was a drill.
Let the horror begin. I always hate cliff hangers when I'm reading but I just couldn't resist. It looks like this is going to be a weekly thing, so expect Chapter 3 to be up by early next week. Until then, this is Lavender and Jade, signing off!
