Welcome to the first official chapter of "Can't run forever"
I apologize in advance for the sadness that will be taking place but I can promise you that things are going to heat up real soon . . . . just not in this chapter . . .
Anyways read and review and I hope you enjoy.
On with the show.
Chapter 1: Broken
The first thing Roy Harper was aware of was beeping ringing in his ears. The next was that he seemed to be lying in a hospital bed of some kind, after ending up in them over the years he could recognize that certain smell, and kind of itchy feel. The next thing he was aware of was the dark eyed, dark haired women waiting at his bed side. With a heavy groan he sat up, but noticed that something else was missing.
"Roy, take it easy," Jade urged him gently, "Don't try to move." But he could already see.
"J-Jade, what-what happened? My arm . . .?" His right arm was missing.
Jade settled next to him on the bed, "One of those . . things jumped onto your arm completely shattering it, Cyborg . . . had to take it off."
Roy glanced at the stump that was once his arm, "Well I guess I'm going lefty from now on."
"Ugh, your disgusting."
Roy's attention was grabbed by the other archer in the room, "Oh thank god, Artemis is here."
She rolled her eyes. Her mask had been removed showing her fair skin and blue eyes perfectly, but her hair was still tied back in long blonde ponytail. "I think what you meant to say was, 'thank you for saving me and my fiance'?"
"Well not all of me so you get half credit."
"Enough," Jade warned, "we're all alive and that's what matters. Cyborg is already hard at work on a bionic replacement for you."
"I wouldn't count on that."
The three occupants of the med bay turned to the doors were the wide shouldered Russian of the Titans North entered with folded arms, followed by the reformed H.I.V.E. member, Jinx.
"Red Star," Roy furrowed his brow, realizing now that his mask had been removed, "Jinx? What are you two doing here?"
Jinx kept her eyes on the floor. A mixture of red with her pink irises from crying, "You have not heard?" Red Star asked.
"Heard what? I've been out for almost a full day." Once again he looked to Jinx, "It's about See-more, isn't it?"
Jinx placed her hands over her mouth to catch the upcoming sob, "That's . . . part of it." she said quietly.
"It is about our comrade . . . Beast Boy."
There was silence for a minute or so, Roy slowly putting the pieces together. "Oh no . . . did he . . . "
Red Star lowered his verdant gaze to the floor, "I'm afraid so . . . he has fallen . . . "
Once again silence, even from Artemis and Jade, who didn't know him at all, but It was never easy losing friends. "Kid and I came as soon as we heard." Jinx mentioned.
"How's Rob?" Roy asked.
Jinx just shook her head, "As well as can be expected I guess. He didn't even acknowledge us when we got here."
Once again it was silent for a beat. "You said 'Kid', as in Kid Flash?"
Jinx glanced at the young women in the green outfit. "Yeah, how'd ya know?"
The blonde shuffled her shoulders awkwardly, "No reason. We were just on the same team a while back."
Now Jinx was really confused. "Really? He never told me he was on another team?"
"Oh yeah," Roy interupted, "Robin, Kid, Kaldur'ahm, Artimas here, were all part of the same team way back in the day. They asked me to join, but I prefered the whole solo thing . . . became a Titan about a year later."
"As interesting as this is," Red Star interrupted, "We need to figure out our next course of action."
"Like what?" Jinx pulled everyone's attention with her snarky tone of voice. "Robin's in NO condition to give orders, and if he did what's the play? Get the guy that killed Beast Boy? They've been looking for the 'Titan Killer' for months with nothing and they think they'll get him now, after the trail is probably cold? He was killed last night."
"Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine?" Jade deadpanned.
"But she's right," said Roy, "I doubt anyone would be in any shape to fight right now, I know I'm not."
Everyone silently looked to Red Star. Though he wasn't a leader of theirs in any offical copacity, he had a very leader-like presence. "Right now, we regroup. Jinx, place a call to the other Titans and make sure every single Titan is accounted for and await further instrustions."
"Wally is out getting some food right now."
"Then have him return as soon as he is able. Right now all we can do is keep our other comrade's safe."
Jinx gave a quick nod and left the med bay, "What about us?"
Red Star turned back to Roy and the other female's. "Rest up. I'm sure you will all be needed before long." They watched the Russian leave the med bay without a backward glance. It was clear that it was going to be a long and painful day.
"Wowzers, your Robin aren't you sir?"
A small twitch flicked the side of the Boy Wonder's lip as he thought about meeting the odd green kid with the weird mask for the first time. Sure he was annoying at first . . . . for a while, but he saw him as a piece of clay that was ready to be molded into the perfect hero, but he learned over the years that he already was the perfect hero, but it took an attack against the Brotherhood to show him that.
I-Is . . . he really . . . gone?
Hiccup . . . sniffle . . .
He glanced at the young women whose head had been planted to his lap for the last few hours. His hand had been running through her firy red hair ever since her sobbing began. He cinched his eyes shut as the burning of tears began. He didn't have the heart to think about it again. How they were so excited to tell Raven about their new relationship, only to learn that Beast Boy was -
"Hey Rob," He felt someone place their hand on his shoulder, and gently call his name bringing him from deep inside the caverns of his thoughts. He turned his head to find one of his best friends staring back with a soft smile, "I, uh, got some pizza's for everyone. You, might wanna grab a slice before Wildebeest finishes it off in one go."
Once again, a minute twitch of his lip, "Thanks Wally." And he slowly turned his head back to look out over the water until he heard his friends footsteps leave him alone with Starfire.
Kid Flash having got his attention Robin was now aware of himself, like the fact that he was starving, and exhausted, but first he would get food seeing as how the sweet scent of pizza had assualted his notrils. He glanced down at the young women who was still hiccuping from her sobs.
"Hey Star, we have some pizza here, would you like some?" She was silent, except for the occasional sniffle. "Star, you need to eat something." Still no response. "Do you want me to bring you a slice?" Finally she gave a slow nod of her head. "Okay, I'll go get you some." He helped her off of his lap to a seated position before going to the kitchen for some food, and yet never once did her puffy red eyes leave the empty vortex that she had been staring into.
Robin could see Wildebeest, Jinx, Kid Flash and Red Star already getting after the pizza, Jinx taking it upon herself to take a box to the med bay for Roy, Jade and Artimas.
"Robin, Jinx and I have contacted the Titans to let them know to sit tight in their tower until further notice. Is that alright?"
Robin gave a soft nod as he grabbed some food, "Yeah that's, uh, good idea. Where's Gnark? Kole or Drake?"
Uncomfortable silence again. "As I understand Kole and Drake are, um, taking some time . . "
Robin couldn't help the long sigh of frustration, "I guess when it rains, it pours. Did they say why?" The response was only shrugs and the shaking of heads. "Right." Robin went back to the couch, kneeling down in front of Starfire to offer her the food. "Here Star, just some plain cheese pizza, I'll be sure to get some mustard in a sec."
Starfire tore her eyes away from the city landscape towards the food handed to her. Robin had never seen her bright, cheerful, lively eyes so broken and shattered, weighed down with so much pain. Slowly she reached for the plate of food.
"Robin," she spoke so softly Robin had to strain his ears to hear her, "Do you think . . . friend Raven would want some?"
What . . . . what is . . . this feeling? Where is . . everyone? Happy? Timid? Rage? Anyone . . . ? Why is it so . . . quiet?
What . . . what's wrong with me chest? Why does it feel so . . . empty? But my hearts not gone, I can feel it pumping, but it feels . . . dark. This . . . this happened before, with . . . Malchior, what was that again . . heartbreak? But this can't be that, it feels . . . so much . . . worse. What happened last time?
Knock Knock Knock.
Oh . . . that's right . . .
"Raven . . are you in there?"
No . . it isn't him . . . he isn't here anymore . . .
Robin knocked again with his ear placed against the door, "Raven?" Nothing. No movement, shuffling, nothing. With the override code at the ready, he opened the door to her room, and let himself inside, happy that there wasn't any booby traps to keep him out. He had only been in her room a handful of times, and excepted the fact that she preferred a darker environment, but there was a heavy air of depression that settled over her living area. A suffocating tidal wave that was baring down on him practically crushing his chest in it's grip. But through the darkness and pain he saw her.
The hood-like design of her headboard shrouded her in darkness where not even her pale skin was able to shine through it. The only reason he knew she was there was because of something large and white clutched against her chest that was able to pierce the darkness and lead him to her.
"R-Raven?" Gingerly he approached her, as if she was a frightened animal. "It's me, Robin."
He was close enough now that he could finally see her face. Puffy, red, and soaked from hours of crying. Her eyes had lost all color, becoming lifeless and dull, and in her arms, clutched as tightly as she was able, was an enormous, stuffed . . .
. . . Chicken.
Gradually, Robin took a seat on her bed. "Raven?" With a deep breath she made a small noise that resembled a "hm", which for the moment was progress. "We, uh, Kid Flash brought food and we wanted to know if you wanted some?"
She took a few breaths, " . . . no . . . thank you . . " he strained to hear her, but he didn't want to stop now.
"Raven, maybe . . you should come out with the rest of us. It's not really good to be alone at a time like this."
Her blank eyes remaind staring off into the distance, " . . . no . . . thank you."
Robin couldn't let her retreat like this, he had to reach her somehow. "Starfire was, um, asking about you."
"That's . . . sweet of . . . her. You can tell her . . I'm fine."
Robin experieneced pure heartache for his friend. "Raven, your not fine."
"Why wouldn't I be," he eyes finally shifted so that she was looking at him, "You saw your own parents murdered in front of you and you seem fine."
Robin clenched his jaw, but pushed her comment aside. This wasn't about him right now. "Raven right now we need to-"
"-Need to what Robin? Band together? Go beat the bad guys? News flash Robin I'M the bad guy this time. This whole time, everything . . has been about me. Setting Terra up for me to kill her, Adonis being sent after me," her arms tightened around the chicken, "Garfield."
He could see her eyes beginning to glisten as she buried her face into the plush toy. "Raven he wouldn't want you to give up. He would want you to fight, to stop the world from ending-"
"-WELL LET IT END!" With her shriek of pure anguish, her powers lashed out, blasting the Boy Wonder off of her bed and launching him across her room and ripping apart any and everything she owned. Raven rolled over onto her side, the tears falling again. "I don't care anymore . . . "
Robin struggled to his feet. His back aching from slamming into the wall, "Raven . . you don't mean that."
Her shoulder's tensed, "I don't?" Her black ethereal energy began leaking from her body like tentacles wiggling in the air, "You don't think I've lost enough, Robin?" She turned her head to face him, hair flapping about in the ever growing tornado of her magic, her voice becoming a deep gutteral growl, and eyes burning with hellfire, "You don't think I've sacrificed enough!?"
Robin held his ground, "Raven, listen-"
"-GET OUT!" A tendril of black magic ripped her door open, "GET OUT!" With a frighteningly strong toss, she threw the stuffed chicken into his face, knocking him out of her room, with the door slamming the door behind him.
Robin pushed the chicken off of him, and got to his feet. She just needs time, he thought to himself, she didn't mean any of that.
"So, how did it go?" Robin hung his head, clearly not in the mood for the british demon at the moment. "That well huh?"
Robin grabbed the stuffed chicken, "Piss off Landon." Robin headed down the hall in the opposite direction to the common room.
"Fine, but I should inform you that Steve and Rita Dayton are on their way."
Robin froze, spinning around in a fury. "You called them?!"
The demon shrugged, "They had a right to know."
"You should have told me-"
"-I don't have to tell you ANYTHING."
The two held their staring contest before Robin spoke again. This time off topic, "Can't you . . . bring him back or something?"
Landon chuckled, "Sure if someone's willing to cough up a soul-"
"-Fine, take mine-"
"-It doesn't work like that-"
"-Then tell me what to do!-"
"-I WONT!" The king took a few breath's to reel in his frustration, "Sorry, but I have to much respect for you or any of your underlings to condemn any of you to the pit. So no, I won't do it."
Robin narrowed his eyes with a twitch of his lip, "And I thought you didn't like me."
"Oh I don't, but I can still respect you. Besides . . . I can't even if I wanted to, I've already tried."
This caught the Boy Wonder off guard, "Wha-But why can't you?"
Landon shrugged, "I don't know, but you shouldn't worry yourself with it right now. Their are bigger things afoot. It wont take long before Trigon is knocking at our door again."
Robin clenched his fists in defense of his friend, "No, she won't do it a second time."
"Sorry, but I can't take your word on it. As king of hell I have to be sure he won't rise again, for my kingdom's sake."
Robin did like the implications he was making, "What does that mean?"
Landon chose his next words carefully, "It means . . . if I have too, I will have no choice, but to remove Raven from the equation. Don't worry I won't kill her, but place her somewhere that she will be unable to summon him-"
"-You can't!"
"-I don't want to! But I WILL if she leaves me no other option. I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be."
Robin suddenly dropped the chicken, getting a set of holy water disks ready at his fingerstips, "I. Won't. Let. You."
Landon couldn't stop his laughter, "You think you can stop me? That's adorable." With a cry of rage and a swift toss, the disks were flung at the demon king, but he was already gone.
The creature, born of hellfire, howled in agony when more holy water was splashed into his face, and wasn't until his screams subsided that he attempted to speak. "I already told ya man, I don't know where he is."
Drake Daniels splashed him again, not at all bothered by it's pathetic cries. "This nest is loyal to Marik, you HAVE to know where he is. And you are going to tell me!"
The demon, bound to a chair atop a devils trap, shook off the last bits of the acidic water. "I don't know man, I keep telling ya I don't know."
Drake placed the holy water back into it's pouch on his belt then pulled up a chair. Once he sat himself down he revealed the blade made from the angel blood. "I want you to look around, notice all the bodies of your kind scattered about this dump? They all died by this blade, and lucky you, you were the last one standing, cuz I only need one to talk to. Now, once more," Drake inched the blade closer to the creatures nose, "Marik. Where. Is. He?"
The demon, who had possessed a dark skinned man, cowered at the blade, but kept his mouth shut. Drake hung his head in frustration before turning his to the other who had hung back at the doorframe.
Cyborg motioned for Drake to join him in the other room. "Do me a favor and hold this for me." Drake plunged the blade into the demons leg and stepped out of the room, leaving the hellion behind to scream.
"You've been at this for hours," Cyborg mentioned as Drake shut the door behind him, "and he hasn't given up a thing."
"I'm just getting started with him," The apartment Drake and Cyborg found themselves in was a one bedroom, so both men were pacing about the tight quarters of the living room while the demon screamed behind the closed door.
"The trail is getting colder as we speak, we don't have time for you to play games."
"I'm not playing. Landon gave me a crash course in the art of interrogation a long time ago, and I know what I'm doing."
Cyborg placed his hand on Drake's shoulder and spun him around, "I don't care. My best friend was murdered right in front of Raven's eyes, and I want the son of a bitch that killed him NOW!"
"I want him just as much as you-"
"-I don't think you do! If you did, you would've pulled out all the stops to get him talking NOW, but instead your playing around to get your frustrations out after what Kole did to you!"
Drake grabbed the bionic teen by the neck and pinned him against the wall. His nails becoming claws that started to scrape against his neck, his eyes thick black slits, and teeth as sharp as knives, but Cyborg only mildy grunted in discomfort. "I'm sorry man, but you know I'm right."
Drake began to snort black smoke while a hiss escaped his throat, until slowly he released his grip and let Cyborg go. He walked into the kitchen area to splash some water on his face before leaning over the sink. "I know . . . ."
Cyborg cautiously approached, "So are you gonna make him sing?"
Drake watched the water flow from the faucet into the drain, an idea formulating in his mind, "No." He pushed off the sink and headed to the bedroom were the demon still howled in pain, but more so when Drake ripped the knife from his leg. "Feeling chatty yet!?"
The hellion took a few breaths from between his teeth. "I. Told you. I. Don't. Know. But even if I did, I ain't telling you. I know the score. I talk I'm dead, I don't talk I'm dead, so I'll die on the winning side."
"What makes you think your on the winning side?" Cyborg asked.
A bloody, sinister smile spread across it's face, "Seriously? I know what happened. Wrath killed that kid, your bff, right in front of that Trigon slut, it's only a matter of time before she falls apart, and turns this world into a graveyard." Cyborg launched himself at the creature, but Drake held him back. "So go ahead, lizard, you and your can opener friend do whatever you want, cuz I ain't talking." With that the demon sat back in the chair and pursed his lips.
Cyborg looked to Drake for their next move, but Drake simply sheathed his weapon. "Well . . . I tried." He tapped Cyborg on the shoulder and both men exited the room shutting the door tightly behind them, and for thirty minutes the demon sat there in the quiet darkness, surrounded by his the corpses of his brothers in arms.
"Silent treatment huh?! You think that's gonna work?!" He laughed, trying to think of other ways to get under their skin. "Yeah I heard that green kid whimpered like a dog when he was put down, and the skank cried like a little bitch. Man I wish I coulda been there to see it all for myself." Once again he let out an obnoxis chortle.
Finally the creak of the doorknob got his attnetion. "About time. We ready for some more-" He froze. His heart skipped a beat. His throat running dry as pure horror filled every inch of his demonic soul. "Oh god, OH GOD! COME BACK! COME BACK! PLEASE! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANNA KNOW! PLEASE! I'LL TALK, I'LL TALK! PLEASE COME BACK!"
The torturer, Carnus Valogneus, approached the thrashing demon and placed his index finger gently to his lips. "Shhh. It's okay," he cooed, "I have to ask you not to scream . . . until I get started." With his eyes a pale white, and his signiture, wicked grin in place, he set about his work.
Yeesh . . . shoulda talked when he had the chance.
Like I said, still sad, but got some stuff rolling.
Next time, Carnus will get some much needed information that he will give to the Titans, but who will lead the charge, and what will be waiting for them, and even more importantly, can Carnus be trusted?
