Forget Me Not

by Blue Ten

Summary:

After defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, the Teen Titans return to their city only to find that many things changed in their absence. And when an outlandish new enemy is defeated for them, the Titans are left to contemplate their place in the world. But Beast Boy won't let it end there. BBxRae, RobxStar

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans.

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Chapter Four: Selfish Heart

An immense dark room was illuminated in its center by a single, rectangular grouping of lights which hung far from the unseen ceiling by their thick wires; a metal cover focused the light to the area below. All corners of the room were cloaked in shadow, excluding a long metal table positioned directly under the fixtures. Various mechanical parts were scattered about the tabletop in piles categorized by similarity of item.

Every so often, small blue sparks brought the attention to a teenage boy sitting on one end of the table. With a serious look on his face, he focused on his work, fusing certain mechanical pieces together with a small singeing tool. Finishing his current piece, the boy brought the mechanical joint further into the light, testing to see if it moved properly. Satisfied, he placed the joint beside the other completed parts. With an exasperated sigh, he set the tool aside on the table and stared blankly for a moment at the darkness.

'I should have destroyed that chip when I had the chance...' he thought, remembering when the situation was entirely in his hands, 'called it an 'unavoidable hazard' or something,' he continued. 'Now... who knows what he'll use the data for...' The boy shifted his weight uneasily, causing his seat, a metal stool, to creak beneath him. His conscience was getting the best of him. 'Insurance policy. Hmph,' he scoffed in thought. Sending the boy's heartbeat skyrocketing, the door to the room suddenly slid open, causing the light from the outer halls to reveal the blue, tiled floor in its path. Fumbling to pick up the tool he had set on the table, he attempted to look busy once again.

"You shouldn't let him get to you," came the kind voice of a young girl from the doorway.

The boy looked over his shoulder and squinted at the figure in the light, letting out a breath of relief as it finally hit him who it was. The boy's long-time comrade stood tall in the doorway, wearing a black uniform of similar style to his. With a concerned smile, she began to step forward into the room, hand on one hip as she walked. Several strands of her long, red hair fell in front of her face as continued; with little care for how it looked, she pushed her bangs aside, tucking them behind her ears.

"Phew... don't sneak up on me like that..." said the boy, turning back to the table. "What do you mean... 'let him get to me'?" he asked, pretending as though he didn't know what she was talking about. He found it a little unnerving how she always managed to know exactly what was on his mind, even back then...

"Heh," the girl chuckled boisterously, "don't even pretend he's not bugging you, Alastair," she said with an amused tone. "Heck, he bugs me all the time and I make a point of letting him know," she joked playfully, pulling up a stool and sitting beside the boy. "He wants the same thing we do, he's just a little more... adamant about it. Even so, I'm sure he won't do anything too stupid with that data," she explained with no less amusement. "Y'know... he wouldn't be anywhere without you... or me. So, like I said, don't let him get to you." Suddenly, the boy burst out in restrained laughter. "What?" asked the girl, crossing her arms.

"You called me Alastair," he said, calming his chuckles.

"I like it. It's catchy," said the girl, leaning her elbows on the table. "'Sides, it's a lot better than... well, y'know," she commented, resting her cheek against her open palm. "I've been thinking... since you've chosen a name, maybe it's about time I did..." she trailed off, suddenly looking at her friend seriously through her brown eyes. "Don't laugh," she ordered, pointing a finger at him. Alastair held his hands up, trying to show that he would would do as she asked. "...Ruby." The girl looked away quickly, tightening her face as it began to glow red.

"Ruby?" Alastair grinned widely. "Cutting it a little close, don't you think?"

"I said don't laugh!" Ruby's cheeks suddenly lost their blush as she turned back to Alastair, slapping him lightly on the back of the head.

"I didn't!" Alastair retorted, ducking his head beneath his shoulders. "I like it. It suits you... plus, it's catchy," he repeated her earlier words, smiling over at her sheepishly.

"Thanks," said Ruby, letting out a sigh of relief as she began to smile. "Um... I've been meaning to apologize for something. Sorry for... talking about you behind your back." Ruby bit her bottom lip and attempted to keep from smiling.

"You... talk about me behind my back?" Alastair questioned with a clueless look on his face.

"Only a little." Ruby held her index finger and thumb close together to illustrate her point. "You know how I can get on assignments, when I'm all pumped up; I talk without thinking. Besides, you know I only do that stuff 'cause I'm secretly in love with you, right?" she asked with an immense smile, playfully punching Alastair's shoulder.

"Right," he conceded with a chuckle, massaging his shoulder. "You... came to apologize for that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, I came to help you. I'm a little more considerate than you-know-who," she said jokingly. Ruby straightened up in her seat and turned to face the mechanical parts on the table. "Pass me one of those..." she trailed off, snapping her fingers as the words refused to come to her, "singe-y thingies," she finished.

"Soldering iron," Alastair chuckled, reaching across the table for the aforementioned object.

"Yeah, that," Ruby winked at her friend, knowing how much it got to him when she refused to name certain things properly.

"Hey, you two, quit flirting. We've got a little... situation. Looks like they've decided to make the first move. Suit up," a male voice suddenly echoed throughout the room, originating from a speaker system of some sort.

- - - - - -

"Raven?" Cyborg asked in response to Starfire's question. Looking down at his right arm, he viewed everyone's location on the display. "Hm... looks like she's not in the tower," he said, turning back to Robin and Starfire. "Maybe she went looking for BB," he suggested, though it seemed far-fetched. "We can just fill them in later."

"So, what did you find?" asked Robin, now even more curious about the 'interesting information' Cyborg had uncovered.

"Ah, right." Cyborg seemed to suddenly shift gears, his expression becoming serious as he moved over to one of the computer panels below the windows. He quickly began tapping away at his panel's keyboard, causing the television screen to light up with pages of information. "Look," he said, pointing up to the screen.

"...Sentinel?" queried Starfire, squinting at the most prominent word in many of the articles displayed. The immense screen showed several pictures of newspaper clippings as well as web-pages.

"What is this?" asked Robin, wondering where Cyborg was going with his presentation.

"Turns out there used to be a big military arms developer stationed just outside the city... They specialized in robotics and advanced weaponry," started Cyborg, tapping a few keys to bring up a page on the screen. "They called themselves... Sentinel Weapons Systems," he added, looking over his shoulder to measure Robin and Starfire's reactions. "And that's not even the weirdest part. Check this out..." Cyborg closed all other windows on the screen, leaving a single picture with text beside it.

Robin and Starfire stared up at the familiar symbol. The sharp-looking 'Y' shape had been burned into their memories by the masks of the Sentinels... and there it was, the same shape, with the word 'Sentinel' right by it. It was a little too much to ignore.

"Yeah..." Cyborg nodded, agreeing with his friends' expressions.

"Where is this weapon-maker now? I have not heard of it..." said Starfire, tilting her head to the side.

"Here's where it gets interesting..." Cyborg brought up another page: a fairly recent newspaper article with the title, 'SWS Identified in Illegal Weapon Distribution.' The rest of the article went on to explain how the police came to investigate and eventually dissolve the company. "We've never heard of 'em because the whole thing went down quietly. The city found out about the deals and quickly shut down the company; no one got hurt," he explained. "But... this affected us a lot more than you might think." Cyborg turned around, shutting off the computer and the screen. "They were providing weapons and tech to a lot of people we've met. The HIVE, Brother Blood, and even... You-Know-Who," he said, glancing over at Robin. "This new police force showed up not long after the company went under... Think there's a connection?"

"I don't know..." Robin looked down, narrowing his eyes. "But we can't ignore the similarities," he said, slamming a fist into his open palm. "We should--" Robin stopped as the lights in the room began flashing red, signifying the alarm.

"Should we... let it pass?" asked Starfire, the morning of 'false alarms' having thrown off her usual reaction to similar situations.

Simply by chance, Cyborg glanced down at his arm where the alert had been transmitted to his communicator. "Uh, guys..." he started, staring down in disbelief at the message, "I... don't think that's gonna be an option this time." Cyborg lifted his arm up for Robin and Starfire to see. "This alert came from Sentinel themselves... They're asking for our help, personally."

With blinking eyes, Robin read the coordinates displayed on Cyborg's communicator. "...Let's move," he said, turning to the door. "We can contact Beast Boy and Raven along the way, if they haven't already gotten the message." With that, Robin bolted for the doors, taking out his communicator, followed by Starfire and Cyborg. All three were a little worried about what they would encounter...

- - - - - -

'What is...' Raven stood still on a cobblestone pathway in the park, staring, thunderstruck, at the scene unfolding before her by the fountain. Two figures were in the midst of a battle, throwing punches and kicks each other's way. What caught her attention, and kept it, was the constantly shifting form of the smaller figure.

"Raven, pick up!" came Robin's voice through her communicator. Snapping out of her stupor, Raven wondered—from Robin's urgent tone—just how long she had been standing there. Keeping her eyes on the fight, she picked up her communicator and flipped open its display. "Raven--"

"You need to get down here, now," said Raven, eyes focused beyond the communicator. Without another word, she closed the device, put it away, and began rushing toward the scene.

- - - - - -

"Ugh!" Green grunted in frustration as he fell against the stone of the fountain, breaking a good-sized chunk off upon impact. Lifting himself with one arm, he stood up to face his opponent: Beast Boy. "You're gonna pay for that, you little--" he stopped, immediately cut off by another attack. Snarling, Beast Boy lunged at Green in the form of a dog; instantly, his jaws locked tight around the Sentinel's right arm, causing the man to spin around slightly. Facing the fountain, Green lifted the arm Beast Boy had attached himself to. "Get off me!" he shouted, throwing his arm forward, forcing Beast Boy to release his grip.

Water continued to flow from the top of the fountain, flowing out in a circular sheet. Beast Boy, still in dog form, was flying toward the center structure, which was a simple series of stone columns. Passing through the sheet of water, Beast Boy quickly morphed back into a human and caught himself against the largest column before he could crash into it. The break in the water healed, distorting Beast Boy's form behind it.

Green stood still for a moment, trying to discern Beast Boy's position behind the veil. "Hey--" he started, interrupted by a loud growl. Without warning, a large green tiger leaped from behind the falling water, claws outstretched, mouth bearing an angry set of sharp teeth. Beast Boy wasn't about to let the man get out another annoying sentence. With little time to react, Green was knocked to the ground, pinned in place by the immense beast. Growling viciously, Beast Boy lifted a claw and slashed across his enemy's face. With a loud cracking noise, Green's face was thrown in the direction of Beast Boy's strike; part of his face plate had broken, sending several small pieces of glass flying away.

"That's enough!" Quickly covering the broken section of his mask with one hand, Green dealt a sound, upward punch to Beast Boy's abdomen, causing him to shift back to human form as he was launched into the air.

Several feet in the air, Beast Boy held on to his stomach, groaning. Regaining his breath, he looked back down at his adversary with narrowing eyes. "You're right. It is," he said, morphing into an elephant.

"Oh, cra--" started Green, cut off as Beast Boy's gargantuan form fell upon him, breaking parts of the stone walkway with a loud crash. Suddenly, Beast Boy's elephant body began to shift about. With a surprised expression on his face, he became lifted into the air. Holding Beast Boy above his head with both hands, hardly a sound of exertion from his mouth, Green let out a low chuckle. "Forgot about this, didn't you?" he questioned, suddenly tossing Beast Boy forward, away from the fountain.

Unwilling to give up, Beast Boy speedily changed forms once again. Just as soon as the elephant had been thrown, a swift hawk came flying back at Green, striking him across the face. Another small piece of broken glass fell from his face plate. Morphing back into a human, Beast Boy landed on the ground and skidded to a stop behind Green; knees bent, he breathed deeply, nearly out of energy... but it didn't matter now. His plan was working.

"Beast Boy, what do you think you're doing?" Raven questioned loudly, running up to the scene, coming to a stop several feet from the fighters. She looked from Beast Boy to Green... unsure of what action to take.

"You're friend here's gone rogue," stated Green as he turned around, making sure to cover his mask with a hand. "Decided to just attack me out of nowhere," he continued. Raven narrowed her eyes at the man, hardly willing to believe him.

"He's telling the truth," said Beast Boy, readying a fighting stance once again. Raven was caught completely off guard by Beast Boy's words; pulling her head back, she looked to him with shock. "Get out of here. I don't want you to get involved," he said, looking at Raven from the corner of his eye.

"Too late... you already involved us," came Robin's serious voice from behind Green. Beast Boy looked past his opponent to see Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg, the latter two appearing quite confused and dismayed. "I don't know what made you do this... but you've taken it too far, Beast Boy. Stand down," ordered Robin, narrowing his masked eyes at the changeling.

Beast Boy looked around himself... Everyone had shown up. He knew, with much vexation, that it was far too risky to try to continue the fight now... he might end up having a few extra opponents. "...Fine," Beast Boy accepted grudgingly, relaxing his stance. Releasing a breath, he looked down to his side with closed eyes.

Looking around at everyone for a moment, Green suddenly walked a good distance away from the group and stopped, allowing the Titans to move over to Beast Boy. Watching the team from over his shoulder, he began speaking into a communication device.

Beast Boy stood still, eyes remaining shut, avoiding the looks he was sure everyone was giving him. He knew, without doubt, what he did was stupid and brash... but if the others had seen what he did, he was sure they wouldn't argue with his point... at least. Squinting his eyes open, he saw the others surrounding him, all with blank looks on their faces. Unreadable as their expressions were, he sensed a thick air of disappointment emanating from each of his friends. Looking over at Raven, he realized—however few expressions she usually displayed—he had never received that particular look from her before. He suddenly felt like a fool.

"I'm afraid we're going to need to take you all in for questioning," Green's mechanically distorted voice abruptly broke the silence, turning the Titans' attention to him. The man still covered part of his mask with a hand.

"If we have to answer for his actions, so be it." Robin looked over his shoulder at Beast Boy. The changeling slumped his shoulders and looked away in response to this. Many rushing footsteps quickly turned the Titans' eyes to the area surrounding them. A strange amount of Sentinels were encircling the area, their squad cars visible on the rim of the park. Within the increasing crowd, there were two familiar faces: Red and Blue... With curiosity, the Titans looked around themselves, almost feeling like they should be on the defensive.

"We have no intention of fighting you... Why have you massed such a force?" Starfire asked, eyes carefully scanning the surrounding army.

"That's just how dangerous criminals should be dealt with," replied Green, walking backwards into the crowd. As soon as he stepped beyond the border of guards, each Sentinel on the inside of the circle quickly readied strange looking white rifles in their hands. "Fire," said Green. At the order, the Sentinels unleashed a barrage of bright red laser fire upon the Titans, who were too confused to react in time.

Beast Boy watched in horror as each of his friends fell to the ground around him, struck by the shots which seemed to immediately render them... unconscious, he hoped. What happened in mere seconds seemed to drag on forever in his mind: the look of pain on his friends' faces as they were hit, their bodies losing life, tilting and falling to the ground... the knowledge that this was entirely his fault.

"Robin, Starfire, Cyborg!" Beast Boy fell to his knees, shaking each of his friends as he spoke their names. No response came, each remaining deadly still, eyes closed. "Raven...?" Beast Boy looked over his shoulder to where Raven was lying on the ground, just as lifeless as the others. Hearing someone approaching, Beast Boy looked up to see Green. "What did you do!" he demanded through his teeth, standing up. "They had nothing to do with this, why--"

"The price for your selfish actions," Green spoke vaguely, readying a gun similar to what the other Sentinels carried; coming to a stop, he aimed the weapon down at Beast Boy. "Thanks for giving me an excuse."

- - - - - -

"And now that the obstacles have been removed, we can move along with Phase 2, ahead of schedule."

"This isn't necessary--"

"There will be casualties, of course... but it needs to be believable, don't you agree?"

"No one was supposed to get hurt! You can't!"

"Oh, I can. And I will. Is that why you came here? Are you going to stop me? That's not gonna happen, I've always been a better fighter. I don't know where you're hiding, Blue, but you won't be helping them anytime soon."

"I can't let you--"

Beast Boy was immediately awakened by a loud, echoing shot. Lifting himself from the cold ground, he attempted to shake off a pounding headache. Squinting his eyes open, Beast Boy saw a bright light fading away in the shadows through his blurry vision. As he recovered from a strange pain coursing through his body, he attempted to walk forward, blindly, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Colliding with something, Beast Boy felt around with his hands; there was a wall directly in front of him, though he couldn't see it. Glass? Sudden footsteps caused Beast Boy to back away from the obstruction.

"So, you're awake," came a strange voice from beyond the glass wall. The footsteps halted as a figure came in to view, disguised by the shadows.

Squinting his eyes, Beast Boy looked around, realizing he was in a small, empty room. The glass he had run into was one of the walls; it looked out into a hallway where the figure stood, where several more glass sections could be seen lining the other side. The other three walls, along with the floor and ceiling, seemed to be made of a strong metal. With an elevated heart rate, Beast Boy finally recognized the figure. Green stood still, looking into the room with his arms crossed in front of himself. Standing up, Beast Boy readied himself to fight, deciding to shift into something that could break the glass. As soon as the thought of changing came to his mind, Beast Boy felt a great deal of pain course through his being. Falling to the ground and catching himself with his hands, he breathed heavily, watching as strings of electricity surged across his arms and the visible parts of his body... fading away slowly, along with the pain.

"What... is... this?" Beast Boy questioned, gasping for breath, feeling his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Green chuckled heavily. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. Enough of those shocks and you might send yourself into cardiac arrest," he said with a sickening amount of amusement in his tone.

"How...?"

"Did this happen?" Green finished Beast Boy's question. "I had hoped you would give up and move on to another city, but to be honest I like this much better. Let's just say you wouldn't be in this mess if you had left well enough alone. Perhaps you remember that creature you fought a couple days ago, hm?" he asked, leaning forward to the glass. "It was a prototype fighting machine, the first of many, designed to test out a revolutionary combat and AI system. It was also a complete success; certainly gave your little team the runaround, didn't it?" he explained, making sure to get up close to the glass. "Part of its mission was to give us data on your unique abilities. After that, it was a simple matter designing implements to... disarm you and your friends. We had never planned on using the data, but you forced us to take extreme measures today." Green pulled himself away from the glass. "It's on the back of your neck if you need proof."

"The back of my..." Beast Boy trailed off, lifting a hand to feel his neck. His eyes widened as he felt something strange beneath his skin.

"Yours sends an electric shock throughout your body if you attempt to use that power of yours. Oh, and you shouldn't try removing it... if you know what's good for you. Tell me, how does it feel to be Pavlov's Dog?" Green questioned, laughing to himself afterward. Quickly, he stopped his laughing and backed away as a loud pounding began to sound from directly in front of him. He looked down to see Beast Boy punching away at the glass, eyes burning with anger. "That's right, get angry," said Green. Beast Boy made no response, continuing to strike the wall. "And when your friends wake up, I want you to yell, shout as loud as you can, focus that anger toward them, because they were wrong." Green laughed loudly; stepping away from the glass, he began walking down the hall. "That glass can't be broken by an ordinary person... which is exactly what you are now," said Green, his voice fading away as he continued down the hall to Beast Boy's right. "So keep fighting. Knock yourself out."

"Come back here!" Beast Boy shouted, growling as he struck the glass once more. Moments passed and any sign of Green vanished, yet Beast Boy continued to punch the thick glass wall...

"That's enough..." came a voice from directly across the hall. Beast Boy stopped his onslaught and looked across the way to see Raven in the adjacent room... his blind rage had kept him from seeing anything before. She sat on the ground, leaning against the side wall, arms folded over her knees. Her face was hidden under the hood of her cloak.

"...Raven. Come on, you can get us out of--"

"Don't you think I've tried?" questioned Raven in a low, defeated tone. "They did the same thing to us." Raven lifted her hands into view and stared into her open palms. "I don't know why, but I can't use my powers..."

"Raven is correct... I have tried as well, but I cannot seem to..." Starfire's voice trailed off, sounding as though she had been crying. Beast Boy looked to the room left of Raven's; Starfire sat still on the floor, her face buried in her knees. Seeing her that way scared him...

"Where's Robin? And Cyborg?" Beast Boy questioned, scanning the rest of the hall, far from ready to give up hope.

"I don't know..." answered Raven.

"...Well, they might need our help." Backing away from the glass wall, Beast Boy rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into it. Grunting upon impact, he stepped away again and began throwing punches toward it. The glass did little more than absorb his strikes... and with every one, he could feel more and more pain growing in his knuckles.

"Enough!" shouted Raven, causing Beast Boy to stop and stare across the way in shock. "That's just what he wants. That man wants you to wear yourself out. We should wait for an opportunity and--"

"We don't have time to wait!" responded Beast Boy, throwing himself at the wall again, causing a muffled thud to escape his cell. "I heard him talking... They're going to do something to the city... people are going to be in danger!" he said, throwing another strike, wincing as he hit the glass. Pulling back, Beast Boy clenched his fists and glared at the wall. Pouring all his strength into his arm, he threw one fist forward, slamming it painfully into the obstruction. Nothing. Leaning forward against the wall, Beast Boy dropped to his knees and began weakly hitting it with his fists, resting his forehead against the glass. After a while, he stopped, gritting his teeth as he stared down at the floor.

"Do you understand now? You're only hurting yourself," said Raven, turning her attention away from Beast Boy's cell.

Beast Boy waited several moments before deciding to break the silence. "You must have been disappointed..." he said, continuing to look at the ground.

Raven looked up from her knees. "What...?" she queried.

"Finding out what they really were... Don't deny it, you were glad that Sentinel showed up. With them taking care of the bad guys, things must have seemed pretty peaceful, quiet, even though we had nothing to do with it... And that's how you'd want it, right? In a world like that, there'd be no one to bother you..." said Beast Boy, closing his eyes. "That's how it was for me... back then. It was okay, the Doom Patrol was like my family, but there was always something missing... I felt useless next to them, like I didn't have a place. But..." Beast Boy trailed off, standing up to look once again at the seemingly unbreakable glass. Stepping back with one foot, Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, a surge of electricity lit up Beast Boy's cell, emanating from his body as he attempted to throw a punch. Despite the pain, Beast Boy's fist made contact with the glass, creating a loud thump.

"Stop it!" shouted Raven, standing up and walking to her cell's glass wall, pressing her hands up against it. Without saying anything, Starfire did the same as Raven, looking over at Beast Boy worriedly.

Beast Boy's breathing became labored as he stumbled away from the wall, thin blue bolts of electricity fading away from his body. "But... now, I have real friends, people who've looked past my faults and helped me become stronger. I have a place," he continued, throwing himself at the glass wall; another shock rushed throughout his body, causing him to cry out in pain as he collided with the glass.

"Beast Boy..." said Raven, watching helplessly as he continued to hurt himself.

Coughing as he clutched at his chest, Beast Boy looked up, tears now streaming from his eyes. "Just being accepted by you guys changed me forever. When I tried my hardest, fighting with the strength you gave me... I could make a difference!" he shouted, another surge of electricity causing him to wince. "Powers or no powers -- together, impossible means nothing to us..."

"Don't do it," Raven pleaded almost angrily, nearly pressing herself up against the glass. She found herself breathing hard, wanting to do something, anything. She knew, any more of this and he might...

"I'm not about to give up on that strength just because some psycho wants me to..." Beast Boy steadied himself. "Things can't stay bad forever... Things will turn around..." As the previous shock gradually faded away, Beast Boy stared at the very center of the glass wall, pulling his right arm back. Tears continued to fall from his face, tapping on the ground at his feet. "I'll show you... that you weren't wrong!" Throwing his fist forward, the world slowed down for Beast Boy and he could hear his heartbeat drowning out every other sound; it told him he couldn't take any more, but at the same time, it told him to press on. As he stepped forward to increase his momentum, Beast Boy's fist made contact with the glass.

Raven and Starfire watched with wide eyes as the entire glass wall on Beast Boy's cell shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, flying outward across the way. As though the world was suddenly coming back into full motion, Beast Boy fell to the ground in the hall. Bolts of electricity continued to travel across his body as he remained still.

Pressing a shaky hand against the ground, Beast Boy let out a small chuckle, attempting to lift himself up despite the visible electric bolts surging through him. "I... did it," he said, raising himself far enough for a tired smile to be seen on his face. However, just as soon, he let out out a breath and fell back to the floor.

"Beast Boy!"

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Author's Note: Phew. Well, that had to have been the most emotional chapter yet. Call me lame, but I started tearing up a little as I wrote the part about Beast Boy trying to break through the glass XP. I know this chapter made Raven and Starfire seem a little weak, but they'll have their moments, just like BB.

Anyway, yes, Sentinel had a secret agenda the entire time. This will be revealed in its entirety at some point—you might still be surprised by it, though you already know that Green is planning to hurt people. It involves the creature at the beginning of the story. Part of the reason I wrote this fic was to try and give a purpose to the creature introduced in 'Things Change'... and give it a much larger importance, which you will see later :). Hehe, speaking of Sentinel, you've probably already made the connection hinted at in the beginning of this chapter.

To clear up something, Robin and Cyborg, of course, don't have powers like Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy, so Green had them held somewhere else where he could keep a better eye on them.

Oh, also, in case you were confused about it, the reason Beast Boy was getting shocked as he threw those last few punches was that he was trying to use his animal forms, even in the smallest amount, to give him some extra strength.

The next chapter might be a little late. I've got some art projects I've been meaning to work on for some time.

Next Chapter Preview: "So, you thought heroes are defined by their abilities... and that removing the ability would remove the hero. Well, you were dead wrong. When circumstances are at their worst—that's when a hero's spirit burns brightest. And it's that spirit you can never take away." Chapter Five: Powerless.