Um, yeah, this is actually doing pretty good, methinks… 16 reviews is not bad for two chapters, not bad at all… Professor Chang has actually served to hook me a few readers, I think, because of the rarity of his usage… I haven't come across another fic where he is the villain myself…
Anyway, any recurring readers must surely be curious (I hope) as to what will happen next, so I will keep this brief…
BIG thanks to my seven reviewers; Crazy Girl Person, Depths of Passion, Zen16, Letfearruleyou (you weird lil' stalker, you…), Quinn and His Quill, Kazuni, Coolteenzz, and Narroch06, who read it and will probably leave some kind of weird comment at some point…
Okay, the fun starts… now!
Monsters in the Closet – III
He had been slaving all night.
Mainframe. Laptop. Maps. Notebook. Mainframe again. Maps again. Kitchen to drug himself up with caffeine. Laptop…
Since returning home the previous day empty-handed from Chang's "lab", he had been working non-stop trying to track him down. He tried hacking into the government system to find new location programmes – it was too tight for him to break into. He tried trawling all of the sold property networks looking for recent sales. Nothing; wherever Chang had moved his work to, it wasn't registered. He even tried logging onto a well-known scientist message board (oh yes, they did exist – professors, doctors and mad scientists alike had to chat/trade knowledge/brag about their latest findings somewhere) in the guise of a scientist, hoping to maybe pry a little information from someone who might know Chang, or know of Chang, or be admiring/jealous enough of Chang to stalk him.
On the Chang front, he didn't learn a thing.
He did learn how to make explosives from seltzer salts, sparkling water and rubidium.
Actually, he had funny feeling the seltzer salts weren't exactly needed in that equation. He neglected to mention that to the chemistry enthusiast who explained it to him, however, seeing as the guy had already bitten his head off for misspelling "deoxyribonucleic" in his rush.
All in all, so far they were empty-handed.
On the sea-monster front, they were in the clear. Cyborg and Beast Boy had done the "apprehending-the-sea-monster" thing so well the previous day, they had actually killed the thing unintentionally.
Neither was particularly distraught. The creature hadn't been all that cooperative, had almost eaten Cyborg and had flung an entire tugboat at them with its tail. Needless to say, it had been huge, aggressive, and most definitely one of Chang's creations.
And now it wasn't resting in peace so much as resting in pieces.
But Robin wasn't satisfied. The monster might be gone, but Chang was still out there; still creating things that had no place in this world. And as long as he was, the Titans' work wasn't done. Sure, they had gotten rid of one sea monster. But they didn't know there had only been one to begin with – there could be more out there in the marina. And even if there had only been one, Chang could easily just put more in there to replace it.
The Titans were not done.
They wouldn't be done until Chang was behind bars and every last one of his monsters was destroyed.
Until they had been sent to Hell where they belonged.
TT
"Robin?"
The knocking at his door roused the Boy Wonder; he lifted his head from his arms, feeling his neck painfully crick from where he had fallen asleep at his desk.
"What?" He called sleepily, rubbing his eyes.
"Breakfast's ready in ten, 'kay?" Cyborg told him through the panel.
"Alright."
He heard the thudding of Cyborg's feet as he walked away down the corridor.
Ugh, breakfast. He didn't like the sound of that this morning. If fact, the thought of it made him feel kind of…
…sick.
Make that really sick.
Make that, like… actually blowing chunks sick.
He got up from his chair, composed himself and very calmly walked to his door, went across the corridor and slipped into the bathroom.
Then made a crazy dash across the bathroom and threw up into the sink.
He straightened up when he was finished and heaved a sigh, wiping his forehead. He felt awful—
The feeling only got a whole lot worse when he idly looked down at the sink and didn't see vomit.
What he saw was green slime.
Which made the desire to puke come thundering back and he went for another round. As he straightened up again he put his fingers to his lips and when he pulled them away he saw strings of slime threaded between his mouth and fingertips.
A scream of fright and horror welled somewhere in him and he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth and crushed it.
It wouldn't do to lose control over this. There was a perfectly logical explanation.
Once, Beast Boy had vomited blue sparkling liquid after drinking four bottles of blue raspberry soda all in one go.
And that time Cyborg had eaten that bad candy the same night Raven had "Wickedly Scared" them all half to death, the half-robot had vomited a sour mess of half-digested candy – a hundred colors all melted into one, with whole sweets in there that he obviously hadn't even chewed.
There was no uniform kind of puke, he reasoned, trying to calm himself down.
The only trouble was that that green slime looked incredibly familiar; and not because it was something that he had swallowed only half an hour before, unlike both Beast Boy and Cyborg's cases.
In fact, it looked horribly like…
…bio-residue.
He fished out another little plastic evidence bag from his belt (being taught by Batman – it had its pros) and put some of the slime he had just spat up into it, sealing it again and stuffing it quickly into his belt as he saw the bathroom door open in the mirror.
Beast Boy peeked around the door's edge, his large green eyes wide.
"Dude, you okay?"
"Yeah." Robin wiped his mouth on his glove and hurriedly turned on both taps to wash away the slime left in the sink. "Just fine…"
"Were you puking up?"
"No," Robin lied, looking intently at his reflection.
Beast Boy – or his reflection, at least – looked irked.
"Robin, I have super-hearing," he said coolly, indicating his long pointed ears. "I heard you."
"Then why'd you ask?" Robin snapped.
"'Cause I wanna know if you're okay."
"I'm fine. I already said I'm fine."
Robin shut off the hot tap and got himself a drink from the cold one before shutting that off too.
"Are you gonna keep lying, dude?" Beast Boy asked softly.
"Are you gonna keep being a pain in the ass?" Robin shot back, slamming the glass back down.
Beast Boy looked hurt.
"Robin, we're worried about you. All these "all-nighters" you keep doing, it's not good for you. Cyborg says you aren't getting enough sleep—"
"Hey, when I want to take orders from you and Cyborg, I'll resign being leader," Robin spat over his shoulder, still watching Beast Boy's reflection rather than the green changeling himself.
"Fine, if you're gonna be such a bitch…"
Beast Boy turned his green nose up and stalked out of the bathroom.
Robin felt bad for being so cutting with the younger boy and debated going after him to apologize. As it happened, he didn't need to; the green teen was back within moments, poking his head around the door again.
He was smirking.
"Morning sickness, huh?" Beast Boy's pointed canines glinted as his grin widened impossibly. "Guess someone didn't pay attention to the "Safe Sex" posters…"
Robin snapped a birdarang from his belt and whipped around, fling it at the doorframe; the sharp wing sank into the wood, inches from Beast Boy's right ear. Beast Boy turned into a green chicken with a loud spooked cluck and fled down the hall.
Probably to tell tales to Cyborg.
Robin didn't care; he was in no mood for Beast Boy's stupid immature humor right now.
But then, said humor didn't usually bother him. Why had he gotten so angry that he had thrown a birdarang at the other boy – well, not at him, but close enough to him for it to frighten him?
Because Beast Boy's words had touched a nerve.
He was a virgin. He was a boy, more importantly. He couldn't be pregnant.
But he was starting to think…
…that maybe it could be something pretty damn similar.
And that Professor Chang might have something to do with it.
TT
Robin sat back in his chair, trying to calm his breathing down.
The chemical test, the molecular scan and the microscopic examination had all confirmed his fears.
What he had thrown up that morning was bio-residue.
But not just any bio-residue.
The same bio-residue that he had found at the attack scenes. The same green slime that the creature he had found had been embedded in.
That had gone splash on the sidewalk behind him.
So what now? He had puked up bio-residue. Chang's minions had knocked him out with some kind of injection – he still had the purple flower-like blotch on his upper right arm to prove it. Had that injection perhaps put something else into him too?
But that still didn't add up. Cyborg said he had checked Robin over with the sensors in the sick bay when he and Beast Boy had brought him back to the tower, thinking that someone had done a number on him.
And Cyborg said that the sensors had said that he was perfectly healthy. There was nothing in him that shouldn't be; and there wasn't anything missing, either.
But then he had puked up bio-residue.
Shakily, Robin reached for the crumpled note he had brought home with him from the "failed-Chang-arrest" yesterday afternoon. He read it again, although he had done so at least fifty times prior to this;
Too slow, good boy. Better luck next time. Although I think we will be seeing each other soon…
Oh yes, if Chang didn't have something to do with this, then Robin was hallucinating, and there was no cryptic note clutched in his shaking fingers.
Did Chang expect Robin to seek him out for help? To get down on his knees and beg for him to undo whatever he'd done?
Although Robin was frightened, he wasn't going to grovel; especially not to that wizened little—
"Robin?"
Cyborg was at the door again.
"What?" Robin tried to make his voice sound less irritable and snappy.
The panel opened a little, and Cyborg leaned in.
"Can we talk?"
Robin leaned back his chair, his hands over his eyes.
"Not right now, Cy. I'm busy."
"Well, now is good for me."
Cyborg came in and shut the door, making himself at home and helping himself to Robin's bed. Looking at him sprawled on his made covers, the Boy Wonder knew that his friend wasn't going to budge.
"Okay, fine," he relented through gritted teeth. "What do you want to talk about?"
"You."
Uh-huh. Saw that one coming…
"Wouldn't you rather talk about Halle Berry? Or the Superbowl? Or Buffy the-?"
"Shut your smart mouth, Robin. The guys and I are worried about you. You didn't come down for breakfast, and…" Cyborg sat up again. "…B says you chucked a birdarang at him in the bathroom."
Robin didn't deny it.
"He was being a pest. You of all people should be able to relate to throwing things at him."
"I throw pillows – and occasionally peanuts – at him," Cyborg argued. "You threw a weapon – a sharp, dangerous weapon with which you are extremely well-trained and skilled – at him. It's the not the same, and it's not acceptable, so don't try to defend it."
"Don't lecture me," Robin hissed.
"Then don't do stupid things."
"I didn't throw it at him, okay?" Robin burst out wearily. "I threw it at the doorframe to chase him away."
"That's still not acceptable, and you know it. You were threatening him."
"So? He was annoying me. He wouldn't leave me alone."
"Did you ask him to leave you alone? Nicely, I mean?"
"Since when does Beast Boy ever take the hint, no matter how you ask him?"
"So that's a no?"
"Does it even matter?" Robin moaned. "Yes, I threw the damn thing at him, and I'm sorry if it means that freaking much to you. And yes, in case he's been telling more tales to you, I was pretty nasty to him too. So what? Usually I put up with him but I am not in the mood for him today."
"He said you threw up."
"It happens, Cy." Robin noticed his hands were shaking a tiny bit and put them on his lap so that Cyborg couldn't see them. "Everybody pukes up now and then."
"Sounds to me like you're ill from exhaustion," Cyborg replied coolly. "All this work you've been doing this past fortnight, what with all our other cases and the marina monster thing…"
"I'm the leader of the Titans," Robin pointed out wearily. "It's my responsibility. If I don't do it, who will?"
"We will. Or Raven and I, anyway."
"Look, thanks for the concern, Cy. I really appreciate it. But I'm fine. I don't know why you're all so worried."
"Because you're ill!"
"I'm not. A little tired, maybe, but not ill. I can handle it, okay?"
Cyborg eyed him skeptically, then got up.
"Okay, well, I tried. I guess I can't make you lie up and rest for a week." He made for the door. "Just do us all one favor, okay?"
"What?"
"Take some medicine, and get some sleep. Take a nap before lunch or something. That's all I ask, Robin."
"That's two favors."
Cyborg flipped him off irritably; a rare thing for the amiable teen.
"Whatever, man…"
He slammed the panel behind him.
Resorting to childishness, Robin stuck his tongue out after him.
Okay, he'd be good. He knew that really they were just worried for his welfare and yes, he was exhausted from working solidly all night and all day and all night and all day…
First he'd go and check himself over with the sensors himself, just to be sure that Cyborg hadn't missed anything.
Then he'd take some medicine. He'd sleep until lunch.
And then he'd get back to work.
Being taught by Batman – it had its cons too.
TT
He realized he was practically a walking zombie as he made his way back through Titans Tower towards his room. Cyborg was right – maybe what he was feeling was just exhaustion.
But that didn't explain the bio-residue.
And neither did the sensors.
Cyborg was right; they said he was fine. There was nothing in him that shouldn't be.
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He really just needed to lie down and get a few hours' sleep. It was 9:00am now. Cyborg was in charge of lunch today, and he usually served it up between 12:30pm-1:00pm. That gave him between 3/3½ hours of sleep.
He had already taken some medicine for cold symptoms and headaches, and was about to push back his bedroom door when he saw Beast Boy ambling along the corridor, coming from the direction of his own room.
Beast Boy noticed him and averted his gaze, beginning to whistle.
"Beast Boy, I'm… sorry I threw that birdarang at you," Robin said after some debate. "I shouldn't have, and I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were only trying to help."
Beast Boy smiled.
"Okay, well, I guess I can accept that," he replied. "Only if you let me give you a word of advice, though."
"If it's about going to take a nap, I'm doing it right now."
"Nope. Next time, if you really do wanna take my ear off, aim a little lower…"
Beast Boy walked past, starting up his whistling again.
Robin glared after him, pissed off at being snubbed by Beast Boy, of all people.
"Hey, I apologized!"
"You also threw a batarang at me. Have a nice nap!"
Robin watched him go, irked.
"It's a birdarang…" he muttered, going into his room and slamming the door.
He collapsed onto his bed and was sound asleep within ten minutes, drowsily reminding himself that he would get up again at midday and get back to work.
As it happened… it didn't happen.
He slept the day away, dead to the world, and even Cyborg hammering on his door did not wake him.
Even Cyborg coming in didn't rouse him; the half-robot found him sound asleep on top his covers, still fully clothed. Shaking him did not wake him, but Cyborg reasoned that Robin was extremely tired and decided to leave him be. After a quick debate, Cyborg decided that Robin might be more comfortable in his pajamas, so took off his uniform and put him in them.
Still the Boy Wonder didn't wake up.
Cyborg put the covers over him and left.
It was a full twenty hours until Robin stirred from his comatose state.
By which time it was far, far too late.
Like I said, this fic isn't an Agatha Christie story – it's pretty predictable…
Well, I don't have much to say, so… more fun soon!
TTFN!
- RobinRocks xXx
