Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. some of the teammates
A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story, I'd love to know what you're thinking!
Chapter 04
Carrie came to lying on a metal bed – like an autopsy slab in the morgue. The cold steel could be felt through her clothes and she shivered as she tried to sit up, but her arms were restrained. Metal bands were clamped around her wrists but a little loosely. She smiled and winced at the same time, knowing what she would have to do in order to escape Metallica's grips.
As she looked down, she noticed that she was no longer wearing her own clothes, but a hospital like gown. She winced at the thought of having someone change her clothes, but it only made her desire to escape grow stronger.
"Okay, here we go."
She jerked her wrists, pressing her thumb to the cuff, waiting for the crack. It took a while to make it work, but when her thumbs broke, she scrunched her face up in pain. With broken thumbs, it was enough room to get out of the restraints, but it was resetting her thumbs that really made Carrie growled.
"Right Carrie, let's get you out of here…"
The room was long and narrow, with a couple of other metal slabs. The first one had rope restraints, and the next on had leather belts for restraints. Then it was the slab she had just gotten off of.
"I've escaped all of those times… I will escape this time."
Carrie scanned the room, a cold shiver ran down her spine when she began to realise that it looked like a real morgue on the crime shows that her parents would obsess over.
When she thought about how she was going to get out, she remembered the previous methods she had used to get out of Metallica's hideout. The air vents would be useless because of Metallica's ability to manipulate metal. Basically there was an abundance of metal in Metallica's hideouts purely for the fact that it meant that escape would be hard for anyone.
Miss Martian… That's right, Garfield mentioned her earlier… She is a telepath… Miss Martian… Miss Martian, can you hear me? Carrie expressed these inner thoughts, pressing her fingers to her temples like it helped amplify the thoughts. This is useless!
Carrie tried the door handle, but it was locked tight.
"Figures…"
Then she heard a voice in her head. Is that you? You're the target, right?…
"Target? Who you calling a target?"
Look, I don't know how this is going to work, but the team I'm a part of will be able on their way here. In the meantime, stay put and we will get you out of here. If I hear from them, I'll let you know. I'm Miss Martian by the way.
Carrie knew there was no way she was going to just say put and slammed her fist through the glass window in the door. Knowing that she would heal herself meant that she wasn't holding back the force. It was a strange, innate theory, but Carrie was used to it now.
Target- what are you doing?
Rolling her eyes, Carrie reached through the hole and unlocked the door to let herself out. Out on the corridor, she noticed a couple of glass shards sticking out of her knuckles that she shook off, leaving the tiny bloodied shards on the floor.
Breaking out into a jog, Carrie ran down the bright white corridors. It was silent and cold, but all to Metallica's preferences. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would find her way out of the secret lair, she pressed on running.
Then she heard the alarms. A high pitched ringing could be heard and red flashing lights illuminated the seemingly plain corridors.
Target – what are you doing?!
Miss Martian, I'm getting out of here, so get out of my head.
Carrie turned a bend and then heard a group of soldiers coming out to search for her. Without even thinking, she went through a large silver door and spun the wheel to lock it. Pressing herself to the door, Carrie listened. The flurry of footsteps passing by showed her that enough time had passed. When she went to turn the wheel and open the door, she was sent into a panic when she couldn't open it.
"No!" Carrie snapped, kicking the door aggressively. Okay Miss Martian, I'm locked in a vault now… I'm going to wait here until you guys sort this out…
Storming into Metallica's base, Beast Boy was eager to get Carrie out and safely in the Justice Hall. Nightwing and Starfire had devised a plan to get Carrie, and also Miss Martian, out of Metallica's grasp.
Nightwing had been conversing with Miss Martian telepathically – he knew exactly where she was. He was running towards the side of the base when he received a last minute update from Miss Martian.
"You have got to be kidding me…" he mumbled, within earshot of Beast Boy.
"What is it, Nightwing?" Beast Boy grabbed the older guy's arm.
"Well it seems that the target has decided to lock herself into a vault. Let's hope that we can get her out." Nightwing opened up an electronic device, mounting it onto the wall and attempting to infiltrate the systems. "I'll download the floorplans and see what Metallica has in store for us."
Starfire peered at the device's screen. "Hopefully we can get it to pick up heat signatures and see where they all are." She looked around. "Nightwing, where did Beast Boy go?"
The pair looked around, jerking their heads from side to side to check for their green skinned friend. Their green friend was minutely small to the naked eye, but he had chosen to go solo and help in his own way.
Beast Boy in his fly form was gliding deeper and deeper into the base, wondering where Carrie was. It was his fault that she got caught in the first place, so he knew that he needed to do what it takes to get her out.
"Oh god- oh boy. Oh man, where is she?"
Beast Boy?
"Miss Martian?" Beast Boy squeaked, instantly knowing who the voice belonged to. "Where are you?"
In some kind of prison compartment, but you need to get to Carrie. She's trapped in what I think is a freezer chamber…
Beast Boy knew that it was useless being a fly in such a vast base, so he shifted back into his human form. It was refreshing to stretch out, but he barely had time to make up his mind over which way to go when he heard some of Metallica's henchmen on patrol. He hid in a small alcove as they passed by quickly, listening to them talking about the target.
"Here we go…" Beast Boy shuffled along the corridor in a bent over crouch like it would make a difference over whether he was detected or not. "Not over here…"
"Green boy!"
The voice startled Beast Boy and he thought for a moment that he had been caught. But there was no one around on the corridor. As he looked around properly, he noticed a frosted window in a metal door.
"Carrie?" he asked, moving close to the window, squinting to look through the tiny window.
A hand slapped against the window, dragging up the body of its owner. It was a pale and frail looking Carrie.
"Carrie! What happened- what are you doing?" Beast Boy gawped at her, flinching at the cold metal of the door. "I got to get help – Nightwing will be able to hack the mainframe or something… Or Starfire can bust the door open…"
He was jittery and went to leave, but Carrie called out to him.
"Don't go!"
"Carrie – I have to go… We have to get you out of here before Metallica experiments on you!"
"Experiments? Metallica doesn't want to experiment on me- he wants to kill me, take my powers if he can." Carrie's face quivered, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. "I'm- I'm, s-s-so cold."
"I'll find a way in there, I promise." Beast Boy morphed into the smallest creature he could think of – a little flea. He crawled through into the ventilation, and followed the cold steam until he could slip into the freezer chamber.
Carrie was slumped down in the corner, shivering. Her arms hugged her bent legs and pulled them close to her chest. The hospital like gown she was wearing clung to her and looked damp from the dropping temperature.
"Carrie!" Beast Boy yelped, shifting out of his flea form and crawling towards her. He patted her face gently, hoping to get a response. "Carrie, come on- stay with me… Wake up…" Despite having only been in the freezer chamber a minute, Beast Boy was already starting to feel the effects of the cold temperature. "Carrie!"
Her eyelids fluttered gently. "Garfield? What- what are you doin' here?" she grumbled drowsily, unaware of what was really going on. "You… You sure made an entrance…"
Tiny frost like particles were forming on her brows and lips as she tried so hard to focus on Beast Boy's emerald green eyes. Her hand flopped over and hung onto his shoulder.
"Stay awake Carrie…" Beast Boy reminded her, sitting down beside her.
"Cold," she mumbled and that was all she could muster up.
Beast Boy closed his eyes, going through his internal encyclopaedia of animals that he could shift into. He hoped for something big and was also furry and able to cope in freezing temperatures.
"I'll take care of-" Beast Boy channelled his inner body and took on the form of a green polar bear. He nuzzled Carrie's arm with his new snout, encouraging her to get closer. Staying where he was, he waited calmly for Carrie to move closely.
Eventually, she gave in, knotting her fingers into the green fur. At times, Beast Boy had to hold back flinching when a sharp tug followed. He waited and watched for each cloudy puff of breath that left Carrie, showing that she was still hanging on.
"Thanks B-B-boy…" Carrie whispered, trying to hold her head up. "I'm sorry for being- I li-"
Wait! Sorry for what? What? Beast Boy thought, realising that she didn't have too long and needed to warm up quickly. He awkwardly pulled her in closer, almost encasing his furry flank around her.
Miss Martian, I know you can hear me, but I'm running out of time, no. Carrie- the target, we're trapped and we need help… I don't even know how long I can hold out for… Beast Boy paused, waiting for a response in his head. Miss Martian?
Feeling defeated, polar bear Beast Boy dropped his head onto his front paws, listening to Carrie's uneven breathing. The temperature was still dropping lower and lower…
Nightwing and Starfire had broken Miss Martian out of her prison cell. They were racing through the corridors as Miss Martian brought them up to speed on what Metallica's intentions were with the target.
"The target – she's got a power that Metallica clearly wants to harness. Metallica may be new to the villainous scene, but he is not to be underestimated. His henchman Uppercut has helped him chase her across the country. Apparently the target has escaped Metallica's grasp at least three times, and that has really forced him to up his efforts to entrap her." Miss Martian stopped Nightwing from rounding a corner. "I don't wish to snoopy in on B.B's thoughts but I think you should talk to him once all of this is over…"
"What?" Nightwing asked. "Come on Miss Martian, now is not really the time to speak in riddles."
Starfire placed a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "Maybe she is right. Let's get them out of this though."
Miss Martian pressed a finger to her temple, searching for Beast Boy and their target when she received a sudden call for help from him. "They need us quickly- he can't find her heartbeat… This way!"
The trio ran, turning left and then right. It all seemed too easy, until they were hit by a stun ray from behind. Their bodies went into a spasm and they collapsed to the floor.
Nightwing's vision went blurry and he was sure he saw a little tabby cat run past behind Metallica's henchman. The pain of the ray made him arch his back, grunting and growling as if it helped to alleviate the pain.
"Why hello there, you must be the little birdie I've heard so much about. We have something to talk about. So why don't you come with me and we'll have a nice chat? Oh, I'm Metallica, I'm sure Miss Martian has given you the low down on me so far, but I'm a nice guy really."
A patent white Cuban heel rolled Nightwing onto his back, allowing him to taken in the man called Metallica. Crippled, Nightwing pulled himself off the floor, shaking a lot as he tried to steady himself against a nearby wall. He lunged clumsily at Metallica, who simply sidestepped the advance.
"Oh dear, we are going to have to teach you some manners now… Come along Nightwing, otherwise your little team might not make it to see tomorrow."
Metallica took Nightwing, Miss Martian and Starfire to a small control room. He strode back and forth in front of them. Uppercut was looming in the shadows, there to make sure that none of them got the wrong idea.
"Now now, let's be rational- we all know that I want the girl and we all know that you want to skip off into the sunset. Ideally with her, but I saw her first!"
Starfire narrowed her eyes at him. "She is not a toy- she's a human being just the same as you and me."
"Oh do be quiet, I cannot stand you."
A sideways look from Nightwing told Starfire to leave it to him. Ever since they had known each other, they had a connection that meant that they could tell what they were thinking from a single look.
"Oi!" Uppercut shrieked, looking behind a stack of crates.
"Uppercut, what are you doing?!" Metallica shouted angrily, scrunching his fists up. "Stop that right now!"
"Sorry boss, but there was this cat…" Uppercut ignored Metallica, searching for this mysterious cat. "It scratched me."
"Leave it Uppercut!" bellowed Metallica, swiping his hand through the air in a horizontal movement, dispersing the boxes. "There- no cat!" He was panting, anger clearly had been building and waiting to explode in him.
As if out of nowhere, a large black and misty shadow tore through the warehouse, knocking Metallica off his feet. Uppercut was about to slam a fist into another shadowy bird when it passed straight through him – throwing the great brute against the wall.
"Thought you could use some additional help…"
Nightwing turned to see Raven floating down towards them. "I told you to go to the Justice Hall!"
"Well you told Beast Boy to stick to the plan, and look where that got you!" Raven snapped back. Without warning, she threw another raven shaped shadow at Metallica, pinning him to the ground and making him scream out. "What? He was going to try and escape – and I thought you guys were meant to be experienced…"
Miss Martian pushed herself between Nightwing and the younger girl. "This isn't helping- we need to get to Beast Boy and the target now."
Raven rolled her eyes. "I got that covered. Kitty insisted on helping and-"
Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "You got Kitty involved as well! I gave you an order, Raven- you're meant to be a part of the Justice Team."
"Well the mechanics on the freezer will hopefully be overwritten – so as long as they can drag themselves out of the chamber, it'll be fine."
Nightwing pushed Raven aside and raced through the base, shouting at Starfire to secure Metallica and Uppercut. He navigated the corridors and nearly slipped on a puddle. The puddle did however act as a signal for where the target and Beast Boy were. He crawled to the now open metal door where, when he looked in, he saw two unconscious bodies. Beast Boy had his arms wrapped around a girl who was slumped into his chest. The adrenaline in Nightwing kicked in and he dragged Beast Boy out before going in to get the girl- the target.
The pulse was barely there on Beast Boy so as soon as he started the compressions, he radioed the Justice Hall to send a medivac as soon as possible.
"Come on Garfield," Nightwing urged the younger boy to wake up. "Come on!"
Beast Boy convulsed and spluttered, gasping for air. He rolled onto his side, panicking when he saw Carrie. "Carrie!" He felt for the girl's pulse and felt nothing. Feeling so weak, he fell back with an aching pain in his chest. "Save her… we need her…"
"So we're on a first name basis then?..." Nightwing joked before starting compressions. "Normally I let to introduce myself before getting this personal."
Beast Boy lifted his head off the floor. "I saw first…" he moaned softly.
Carrie's eyes shot open just as Nightwing was about to start mouth to mouth. "Woah!" she squeaked, trying to stifle the coughs. "That's a bit forward, isn't it?" She shivered violently, pulling herself up to her feet. "Ah- oh god. I forgot how much temperature affects me…"
Beast Boy watched helplessly as Carrie tried to walk away. Her legs shook with every step. Nightwing pulled the younger boy onto his feet and started to help him down the corridor. A peculiar smell hit Beast Boy's nostrils.
"Gas."
Nightwing tried to haul Beast Boy down the corridor at a quicker rate, but he was never going to get them all out. He immediately warned Miss Martian. Gas leak, get out!
Carrie turned to look at Nightwing, her eyes looking tired. "You can't protect me…"
"What?" Nightwing grumbled.
Then came the explosion. It threw the three through the air as a tornado of fire soared through the corridor, turning the metal into an oven. Some of the ceiling and walls had been ripped apart in the blast.
Nightwing opened his eyes and recoiled at what he was seeing. "Carrie?"
Only a few metres down the corridor and pressed against the wall was her limp body with a metal spike piercing her side through and through.
Grimacing through the pain, Carrie noticed him watching her and weakly shouted. "Don't panic…"
Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = No! Just when you thought they were out of the woods! :D