Chapter 9: Communion of Villains
The medical bay was quiet Monday morning; the only noise was the quiet breathing of a certain green shape shifter. Opening his eyes for the first time in fifteen hours, the young man let out a short yawn before he looked around the room. He noticed that he was alone, letting out a small smile Beast boy laid his head back down on the soft pillow letting himself fall back to sleep. Finally realizing something was wrong Beast boy opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Feeling a sharp pain in his gut and shoulder, Beast boy fell back down on the bed moaning in pain. He opened his eyes again and looked around, this wasn't his room. He was in the medical bay again with bandages wrapped around his stomach and shoulder. 'It wasn't a nightmare?'
Taking a deep breath Beast boy sat up again holding his chest with his arm. Beast boy turned off all the machines he was connected to making the room go silent. Finally getting to his feet Beast boy noticed he wasn't in his uniform anymore but a hospital gown without any gloves. Beast boy looked around the room trying desperately to find some type of glove. Seeing that there wasn't any in sight he let out a frustrated growl, he then headed for the door. The door slid open as he walked down the hall toward his room. Finally reaching his room, Beast boy punched in his code and stepped into the messy room. Throwing the hospital gown down the trash shoot that led to the tower incinerator, Beast boy sat down on the bottom bunk of his bed. Finding a pair of gloves in the drawer next to his bed Beast boy lied down on the bed. He didn't intend on falling asleep, but the drowsiness of the sedative Cyborg gave him took over. He fell into a drugged sleep coma.
Raven's alarm rang exactly at six thirty, slowly getting up from her queen sized bed Raven looked around her dark room. The sun was shining through her window making the room glow a strange golden color. The mix of black, purple and gold was a unique combination Raven thought. Stretching her arms a bit, Raven let out a small moan. Raven looked toward her window, last night she forgot to close her curtains which was a very rare occurrence. Raven didn't particularly like the morning sun light, the rays always made her skin look paler than it actually was; it was always like this due to her demon heritage. She hated being reminded of her father. Raven walked up to the window and shut the curtains tightly. Feeling comfortable being back in her dark sanctuary, Raven walked to her own personal bathroom so she could get ready for the day. Grabbing a fresh leotard, cape and undergarments she prepared her morning shower. She no longer slept in her leotard, she now wore a black tank top and short cut shorts that showed off her womanly legs.
After finishing her morning shower, Raven walked out of her room with a book in hand. It was a series of Edgar Allan Poe stories; she was currently reading 'The Cask of Amontillado' (If you like Poe, I recommend this short story). Instead of heading directly to the common room, Raven headed for the medical bay. She was planning on reading her book as she waited for Beast boy to wake up. She wouldn't tell anybody but she wanted to be the first person he saw when he woke up. Reaching the medical bay door, Raven didn't even look up from her book. Not even when she entered the medical bay. Lifting a chair up with her powers, Raven placed the chair next to the bed; she still didn't look up from her book. Still not looking up from her book Raven sat down in the chair. It wasn't until she noticed the absence of the constant beeping of the heart monitor did Raven look up at the empty hospital bed.
"What?" Raven looked around the medical bay; there was no sign of Beast boy.
"Where did he go? I'm the only one awake at this hour. The others couldn't have moved him last night without me knowing. I was the last one in here." Raven asked herself. Using her powers, Raven tried to see if anyone else was awake in the tower. There wasn't; she counted four Titans asleep in their rooms. 'Wait, four Titans?' Using her powers again she sensed someone was asleep in Beast boys' room. Raven was now frowning, she wasn't happy with the changeling.
'Oh, bad move Gar. How dare you check yourself out of the medical bay? You are far from being able to walk on your own. Not with those injuries.' Raven stormed out of the medical bay with her book in hand. Reaching her destination, Raven phased through the door she didn't bother knocking. She knew he wouldn't hear it anyway. When he's asleep he is dead to world.
Raven looked down at the bottom bunk where Beast boy slept. Raven's face instantly turned scarlet red when she saw that he was only wearing a pair of boxers with the Titan's logo on them. Raven tried to look away from the sleeping changeling but she found that she couldn't. Seeing Beast boy's exposed muscled chest kept Raven in place. As Raven stared at the sleeping green man a number of her different emotions voices began to speak.
'Ooh look at that strong chest. Can you imagine being on top of him staring down at that fine body of his? Oh Azar I can just picture it. That would be amazing. Now's your chance Raven; he probably is still drugged up by the sedative Cyborg gave him yesterday. He won't remember a thing. You know you want to Raven.' Lust moaned
'You should hop into bed with him and snuggle. That could be fun.' Happy exclaimed as she skipped around.
'Doesn't he look so cute when he's sleeping? I love watching him sleep. When he wakes up you should kiss him.' Love cooed.
'You shouldn't be here, Raven. What if he wakes up and sees' you staring at him? He will hate us again.' Timid whimpered
'Shut up Timid! He won't hate us again. He even said that you are his best friend. You should wake him up and tell him how you feel. Be brave, you can do it.' Brave said
'KILL HIM! Kill that annoying green monster. Rip him to pieces Raven; he deserves to die like an animal. We hate him. Don't you remember Raven?' Rage shouted her four red eyes glowing with hate.
'We used to hate him, Rage. We stopped hating him six years ago when he traveled into Nevermore with Cyborg. As the years went by we became better friends, best friends even. And now that friendship has grown into something much more for Raven. I think it would be best just to wake him. He shouldn't be out of the medical bay.' Knowledge explained. Rage gagged in disgust.
Nodding her head to knowledge's explanation, Raven walked up to the sleeping changeling. She bent down next to Beast boy and shook him gently.
Slowly waking up, Beast boy looked up into the amethyst eyes of his favorite empath. Getting past the drowsiness of just waking up, Beast boy let out a small smile that nearly made Raven melt.
"Hey Rae. What are you doing in my room?" He then looked at the alarm clock; it said it was seven in the morning.
"Dude, why did you wake me up so early? It's seven in the morning. I never wake up this early." He was going to say more but he was stopped by Raven's hand. He looked at her face and saw that she was frowning.
"I came in here to bring you back to the med bay. What made you think you were healthy enough to leave the med bay? Your injuries haven't fully healed; they could open up again and make you bleed out." Raven watched the green man struggle to sit up in bed. Beast boy got half way before his face was contorted in an expression of pain forcing him to fall back down on the pillow.
"I rest my case. You can't even get out of bed on your own. I don't even know how you got out of the med bay." Raven wrapped her right arm around the green man's shoulders to help him get back up.
"It wasn't easy Rae. I'll tell you that, I had to use all my willpower to get out of bed, but it was worth it." Beast boy looked up at Raven's face. What he saw surprisingly took his breath away. Raven's face seemed more beautiful than usual today. He always thought she was pretty but something about her today was different; like he was seeing her in a new light. Raven just stared back at the green man, she was waiting for him say something. Feeling uncomfortable because of the staring Raven began to speak.
"Why? What was so important Gar? Whatever it was you wanted we could have gotten it for you. You could have asked any of us." Raven said as she helped him up from the bed slowly, trying not to hurt him anymore than he already was. Beast boy just looked away from the empath and placed a gloved hand over the bandaged wound. The pain was still excruciating but he managed to get out into the hallway.
"I had to... Um. I needed to get my gloves. My hands were exposed and I don't like people seeing them. Did anyone else see my hands?" Beast boy asked hesitantly. Raven could sense his fear.
"I don't think so Gar. We had more important things to take care of at the time, like getting you back to the tower so we could take care of you and after that the Hive-Five robbed a bank so we rushed off to the crime scene. I don't think anyone really noticed them. But I think you should show them your hands. It will make them feel like you aren't hiding things from them anymore." Beast boy looked at her face again but this time he had a small scowl. He didn't want his friends to see his scars, he didn't want their pity. Instead of speaking his mind he just turned his head away from her face again. Just then he felt yet another sharp pain in his gut, he let out a low groan of pain and fell on the hallway floor. Raven was instantly by his side.
"Gar, are you okay?" Raven looked down at the bandaged wound; she could see a small pool of blood soak through the bandages. Deciding that walking was not going to help him recover, Raven opened a portal to the med bay. After placing the changeling on the hospital bed, Raven looked down at the wound again. She quickly healed the reopened wound making a scar instantly under the bandages. She looked up at the smiling changeling staring at her.
"Thanks Rae. I feel much better now." Raven wasn't happy she was frowning once again.
"I wouldn't have had to do this if you just stayed here in the first place. Your gloves could have waited, Gar. There are more important things then your hands at the moment. Someone tried to kill you and if you didn't signal the distress beacon we would have found your dead body."
"Actually Rae. He was the one that signaled the distress beacon. He didn't want to kill me, at least not yet. He said he wants his fun." Raven looked sick at the moment.
"He wants his fun first? This man has to be sick in the head, Gar. What did you ever do that made him want to do this to you?" Raven asked.
"I was born." Beast boy said quickly. The room went quiet for a few moments as Raven stared at Beast boy in in disbelief.
"Gar? Are you saying he wants you dead because you were born different?" Raven was still looking at the changelings face. Beast boy shook his head.
"I wasn't always like this Raven. I used to be a normal kid with a normal life and normal parents. It wasn't until I turned three did I become what I am now." Raven was stunned; she always thought he was born like this and that the Doom Patrol was his legal guardians.
"But if you were normal once, how did you become what you are now?" In her mind, Raven was hoping he would continue. This was the most he ever told her about his past. She remembered what Chief Hendrickson told them yesterday before he left.
"When I was younger I lived in Africa with my parents who were biologists. They were studying a rare virus in animals known as Sakutia. The animal's skin and fur would turn green, but it wasn't fatal to the animals. One day I was exploring the jungle alone when I saw a green spider monkey. I was curious back then so I approached the monkey. I've lived with animals all my life. I always had a thing with animals; they always seemed to trust me. But when the animal saw me walking toward him, he went into a defensive position. Ignoring the threat I kept walking toward the animal. This made him attack me. He bit me in the shoulder breaking the skin. As he sank his teeth into my sink the virus had direct contact with my blood stream allowing it to quickly spread through my body. I screamed in pain and that was when my parents found me. When they saw the green monkey and the bite on my shoulder I could see their faces drain of color. They knew exactly what was happening. They rushed me back to their research tent but when we reached the tent I already had a high fever. Within minutes I was coughing up blood and my skin was turning green. You see unlike animals, the virus is extremely fatal to humans. No human has ever survived Sakutia and there is no known cure." Beast boy paused for a second; he looked toward Raven and saw that she was silently staring at him waiting for him to go on.
"I remember seeing my parents running around their lab desperately looking for something to help me; they could see me fading fast. My mother's face was drenched in tears as she held my hand and combed her fingers through my hair with the other. Finally my father ran back to my mother and I; he was holding a syringe containing a strange green liquid. Making a desperate move he injected me with the serum. The serum saved my life but it altered my DNA making me part animal and allowing me to shape shift. We didn't know about my shape shifting until I saved my mother from a deadly snake by turning into a mongoose. It also altered all my senses making them all more powerful than normal human beings. "Beast boy took in a deep breath.
"My ears, hands and teeth also changed into what they are now. I don't mind my ears because chicks dig the pointy ears. But I never liked my fangs or hands, they were too unnatural. I knew that I couldn't hide my fangs so I embraced them, but I never wanted to see my hands again. That was when I started to wear gloves. "Raven looked at Beast boy and asked a simple question.
"So, the serum destroyed the virus in your body and saved your life?" Beast boy just shook his head again.
"The serum wasn't a cure, it didn't eradicate the virus. It only postponed the inevitable. You see the virus is still in my body it's just dormant at the moment. The serum is keeping the virus at bay, preventing it to spread through my body and kill me. But it's still there. My skin, hair and eyes are all proof of that. Someday the virus will come back and finish its work. I will die a quick, painful death. Hopefully that won't happen until I'm retired and have a family but I don't know when it's going to happen."
Raven couldn't believe what she just heard. 'He's going to die? He has an incurable disease and never told us?' The last part made her angry.
"Wait a minute. You have had a fatal virus lying dormant in your body all this time and you never told us about it?" Raven seethed through her clenched teeth, a computer in the far corner was engulfed in black energy and was hurled against the wall making Beast boy flinch. "We could have helped you Gar. Cyborg could have found something for it."
Beast boy looked at her with sad eyes. "Rae, there isn't any cure for it, besides I already accepted my fate. Everybody dies Rae." 'Besides, Galtry will kill me before the virus does.' Beast boy thought to himself.
Raven was horrified by his answer. "You're an idiot Garfield. You shouldn't be thinking like that. You shouldn't sit here and wait for it to happen. You should be trying to find someone who can help you."
"I already tried looking for help. All the scientists that are studying the virus haven't found anything to cure it. I even went to the hospital three years ago to see if the virus was out of my body. But all the tests said I was still a carrier. There isn't anything else to look for." Beast boy said as he stared directly in Raven's eyes.
Raven was getting frustrated. She was going to say something but Beast boy cut in.
"Now if you don't mind I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Gar you can't just avoid this, we should talk about this more." Raven tried to plead her case.
"No! I don't want to talk about it anymore. I shouldn't have told you about it. You weren't even supposed to know about my problem in the first place." Beast boy said with a stern tone.
Raven was now trying to hold in her anger and was failing miserably.
"What so we all were supposed to be happy with our life until one day we find you dead in your room? Do you know how much that would hurt us? How much it would hurt me? We wouldn't even know how you died; we would have thought it was our fault somehow." Raven shouted. Beast boy began to feel guilty.
"If we are still a team when it happens I will worry about it then but right now I don't want to talk about it anymore. If you're going to keep bringing it up I'm going to ask you to leave so I can get some sleep." Beast boy stayed silent as he waited for her response. She heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, but the others will have to know about this. They deserve to know what's going on with you." Raven said as she let out a small breath of air. Beast boy furrowed his eyebrows but did nod his head, telling her that he agreed with her but didn't like it. The room went silent for nearly two minutes allowing both heroes to calm down a bit.
Trying to change the subject back to his past Raven asked him a question. "So what happened after you got your powers?"
'This is my chance to get to know him better.' Raven thought.
Beast boy's ears drooped down a little bit; he didn't like this part of his life. 'My life fell apart.' He thought.
"My life changed completely. The people in the village I grew up in kept their distance from me, the kids didn't play with me anymore and the adults just tried to avoid me like I was the plague. Soon I was completely isolated from the village. Only my parents stood by my side, but that soon changed as well." Beast boy tried to fight back a couple tears; he hated this part of his life. Raven could see him trembling slightly as well as unshed tears in his eyes. She reached her hand out to his and grasped it tightly. The touch surprised Beast boy, but it wasn't the gesture that surprised him. It was the feeling of butterflies fluttering in his stomach when she squeezed his hand that surprised him. Raven held his hand dozens of times over the years but this time it felt different; it felt comforting and affectionate.
"It's okay Gar; you don't have to go on if you don't want to. I can see that this part is very hard for you." Beast boy looked up into her eyes. He saw things in her eyes that he never thought he would see. He could have sworn he saw a hint of love twinkling in her eyes. He gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand back. The smile and the small hand squeeze made Raven's heart flutter. She smiled back as she kept staring into his emerald eyes.
'I could get lost in those eyes.' Love whispered in Raven's head.
"No, I should keep going. I already told you this much. Besides I already know your whole past. You deserve to know mine." He took a breath and continued.
"One day my parents and I were on a boating trip, trying to get across the river so they could study more animals with the virus hoping to find a permanent cure." Beast boy closed his eyes and took two deep breaths.
"But on the way across the river, we hit a rough patch of rapids. They were so powerful they pushed us far down the river. It wasn't until we reached the waterfall did my parents know how this was going to turn out. They turned toward me and told me to change into a bird and fly to safety. At first I refused to leave them, but they told me they would be right behind me. I did what they said and flew to a small branch, but when I looked back, the boat plummeted to the rocky bottom of the waterfall with my parents still on board. I let my parents die to save myself. I should have tried changing into something bigger so I could carry them back to safety, but I didn't. I watched my parents die when I could have saved them." Beast boy was silently crying now, he tried to hide his tears from Raven but he couldn't. She kept her gaze on his face. If he looked at her face he would have seen small tears streaming down her face as well.
'Oh Azar, he blames himself for their death. He had been carrying this burden for eighteen years without anyone knowing. The guilt must be consuming his soul, thinking he could have done something to save them.' Raven grabbed Beast boy's arm, trying to make him look at her directly.
"Gar, their deaths weren't your fault. They chose to sacrifice their lives for you. You can't blame yourself for something you couldn't prevent." She tried to comfort him. He only shook it off.
"You don't understand Rae. I should have saved them. I was the reason they were on that damn river. They were trying to find a cure for the virus that was lying dormant in my body. If I never got bitten by that damned monkey then they never would have had to go across that river." Beast boy raised his voice slightly with every single word.
"I wish they never injected me with that serum, I wish they let me die of Sakutia. They wouldn't be dead and none of this would be happening. The world would have been a better place." Beast boy said to himself silently. Raven heard every single word and she felt like a dagger stabbed her heart. She never wanted to hear him talk like this ever again.
"Gar, listen to me. Don't you dare ever talk like that again, you understand? You are far too important to this team to be thinking like that. You were the one that brought this team together. You made us a family by making us do all those stupid group activities with you. And even though I resisted most of the time, I am grateful that you did it. You gave me someone to care about. You're more important than you know Gar." Beast boy was staring at her with wide eyes still not noticing the small tears.
Beast boy heard every word, but he couldn't believe it. He never heard Raven talk like that before, not even during their talks on the roof.
"Do you really mean that Raven?" Raven nodded her head.
"Of course I do Garfield. You're my best friend; I can't imagine a world without you in it. Life would be so boring. I wouldn't have anyone to make witty sarcastic remarks at." Beast boy laughed at her attempt of a joke.
"You haven't done that in years Rae. Not since Tokyo." Beast boy laughed again. "I kind of miss all the stupid bickering we used to do. Now we only fight about serious things."
"You're never serious." Raven said in her monotone. Beast boy pouted a little bit in a joking manner.
"That's not true Rae. I can be serious when I want to." Beast boy said in a baby voice. Raven just rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, you're definitely proving that to me right now as we speak." Raven said sarcastically. Beast boy just let out another laugh. Once he stopped laugh he looked at Raven, she had her hood up now.
"Thanks Rae. That actually made feel a little better. I owe you." Beast boy said as he began to sit up again but Raven pushed him down.
"Don't get up yet. You still need to rest, to help heal the injuries. You'll be allowed to leave by noon time, I promise." Beast boy nodded his head, but before he could rest his head on the pillow he was wrapped in a gentle hug which sent electricity up his spine. He reciprocated the hug and they shared a quiet peaceful moment together. The entire time, Raven had her eyes closed and small smile on her face. She was contemplating something in her mind at the moment.
'Now would be the perfect time.' Raven thought.
"Gar?" Raven whispered shyly.
"Yeah Rae?" Beast asked. Raven looked at his face before she said three words.
"I love you." She said sweetly. Beast boy just smiled and hugged her again.
"I love you too, Rae. We're a family. I'm your brother and you're my sister." He clarified.
Raven frowned when she heard what he said. 'That's not what I meant.' Raven thought. She was going to clarify what she meant but was interrupted by Beast boy's tired voice.
"Well, I don't want to sound cruel or anything but I need some sleep. You should probably leave unless you want to be bored. I'll see you in a couple hours Raven." Beast boy then laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was already asleep due to his animal DNA. Raven let out a small disappointed sigh. She looked down at the sleeping changeling one last time.
"That's not what I meant, Gar. You're more than family to me." Raven then left the med bay through the sliding doors, leaving the sleeping changeling alone.
Raven walked into the common room with her Poe book in hand. She was trying to forget about the disappointment she just experienced in the med bay. She was walking toward the kitchen to prepare herself a cup of herbal tea when she heard a voice.
"Morning Raven, you woke up late today." Robin said as he smiled at her. Raven only looked up from her book and answered.
"Actually I have been awake since six thirty. I was in the med bay talking to Beast boy." Robin looked at her curiously.
"Why was Beast boy awake at this time? He never wakes before eleven." Raven just furrowed her eyebrows.
"The idiot tried to leave the med bay without anyone's permission. I found him sleeping in his room so I woke him up and made him go back to the med bay. After that we just talked for a while." She left out the part about the wound reopening.
Robin only nodded his head before he spoke again. "Oh, what did you guys talk about?" Raven shifted a little bit before she looked up at her leader.
"We talked a little about this Galtry guy and then he told me a little bit about his past." Raven saw Robin's eyes widen a little bit.
"No way! He actually told you about his past? You have to tell me, we need to know. This could help our investigation." Robin explained. Raven nodded her head.
"I agree. I'll tell you guys everything he told me once everyone is awake. I don't want to repeat it again. But Robin there is something that we will have to discuss afterwards. Something about his past is… complicated." Raven said with a stutter in the end.
"Okay Raven. I can wait for the others to wake up first. I'll just have to be patient. Did he tell you anything important about Galtry that we should know?" Raven shook her head.
"No, he didn't tell me anything about him yet. We didn't get too far in his past; he ended our talk after he told me something disturbing. I'll explain later." Robin only nodded his head. Raven was about to walk away to get her tea when Robin spoke again.
"Oh and Raven? We're having a team meeting later today once Beast boy wakes up. He needs to know about his predicament. He's not going to like it so I don't want it just being me and him. Don't forget, okay Raven?" Raven looked at him.
"Alright, I'll be there. He is going to need someone to comfort him once he hears the news." Robin smiled gently and walked toward the gym waving as he left, leaving Raven all alone in the common room with her book.
An hour later the common room doors swung open with Cyborg striding in, he was whistling a catchy tine he heard on the radio yesterday. He looked towards the couch and saw Raven reading a book with a mug of herbal tea by her side like every other day. He smiled as he walked toward the kitchen.
"Morning Raven, you hungry? I'm making waffles. "He said as he wiggled his eyebrows. Raven didn't even look up from her book.
"No thanks Cyborg. I have my herbal tea, I should be fine." Cyborg smiled as he popped four waffles in the toaster.
"Okay Raven, it's your loss. They're delicious!" Raven just kept reading. She was waiting for Starfire to enter the common room so she could tell them everything Beast boy told her. A second later Raven got her wish. The alien princess floated through the door with a large grin on her face.
"Glorious day! Isn't it my friends?" Starfire shouted as she floated toward the couch. When she reached the couch Raven closed her book and got up. She turned toward her two friends.
"Good now that both of you are here, I can get Robin so we can talk about Garfield." Raven phased through the floor leaving two confused heroes.
"Friend Cyborg, what do you think she wants to say about Beast boy? By the way she was waiting for us makes it seem like it is bad news. Did we miss something last night?" Starfire was now looking her metal friend.
"I don't know why she wants to talk about BB Star. I don't think we missed anything last night, but I'm sure it's important if she was waiting for us like that." Cyborg was looking out the window at the morning sun; it looked like it was going to be another beautiful day in Jump City.
Silence echoed in the room as the two heroes waited for Robin and Raven to return. Just then a door slid open showing both the team leader and the mysterious empath. Cyborg and Starfire both looked at Robin expecting him to call a team meeting. Instead he just walked up to the couch and sat down next to his girlfriend, he then looked at the two confused Titans. He then realized they were waiting for them to speak.
"I'm not going to be the one talking. Raven has some things she wants to tell us about Beast boy's past. I think this will be helpful for all of us." The two heroes nodded their heads and then looked up at the waiting Raven. After getting their attention Raven began to speak.
"Alright, this morning I was talking to Garfield and we got talking about some things. Soon we started to talk about his past. You all should get comfortable, this could take a while."
Raven told them everything he told her only leaving out the disappointing ending. Once she was finished Raven looked at all her friend's stunned faces. Cyborg was the first to talk.
"Beast boy's an orphan? His parents died when he was three? Who was watching over him after they died? Did he tell you?" Raven only shook her head.
"No, Cyborg. He stopped talking after he told me about their death. I intend to learn more about his past later on, but at the moment I just am glad he shared this much with me; even though it was rather depressing." Raven looked toward her alien friend and saw what she expected. Starfire was crying silently.
"Friend Beast boy had a most terrible past, losing one's family is just heartbreaking. But believing that he could prevent it only makes it worse. He shouldn't have carried this burden all this time." Robin took a hold of his girlfriend and tried to comfort her. After a couple moments she calmed down a bit. Then Robin spoke.
"I didn't know his past was so terrible. I always thought he was born like that. I would have never thought a cure to a rare virus did that to him. That must be terrible knowing that you were normal once." Robin held his head low; he now knew that the happy, energetic Beast boy that he knew was just a cover for all the misery and pain Beast boy hid underneath. It broke Robin's heart; he didn't say this out loud though. He wanted his team to think Beast boy was still the same funny prankster that they all knew and loved. Raven spoke again.
"There's one more thing you all need to know, but I think Gar should tell you guys about it, not me. But it is incredibly important for you guys to know. It involves his health." The three other Titans looked at her strangely. They were wondering what she meant by his health.
"Okay, so is that all we are going to talk about? Because I definitely need some time to process all of this." Cyborg said. Robin agreed.
"Cyborg's right, we should all think about this for a while. We don't to seem different around Beast boy. We don't want him to think we pity him. We know him well enough to know how he will react. And one last thing, once Beast boy wakes up and settles in we are having a team meeting. We have to tell him about his charges against the city. I want all of us here so we can calm him down when he overreacts like I know he will. Do you understand?" Everyone nodded their heads.
"Good you are all dismissed." Robin said as he stood up and headed for the kitchen with Starfire following close behind.
Cyborg looked back toward Raven; he saw that she was shifting nervously. He walked up to her.
"Raven, are you okay? You seem very uncomfortable and nervous at the moment." Raven looked up at her tall friend.
"I'm fine Cyborg. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." Cyborg smiled mischievously.
"Oh, thinking about your Beastie Boo. Aren't you Rae?" He joked which made Raven glare at him, but if he looked closely he could see a small blush.
"I'm going to tell you two things. One, don't call me Rae. Only Garfield can call me that. Two, I'm going to hurt you for teasing me about him when you said you weren't going to." Cyborg only laughed at Raven's anger.
"Just trying to lighten up the mood Raven, that's all. Y'all need to relax for a bit, get your mind off the subject of Galtry. We'll get him when he shows his face to us. It's not like he has a team of his own doing his bidding other than Dr. Light." Cyborg laughed at his little joke. Raven just smiled a little at her friend's optimism.
"I suppose you're right Cyborg. I'm going to go meditate now. It will help me calm down a bit. Thanks Cyborg." Raven said.
"Anytime Raven." He said this as he watched her exit the common room. Once he saw her leave, his smile disappeared into a frown.
'That girl has enough to worry about at the moment.' Cyborg thought as he headed towards the kitchen to talk to his other two friends.
(In the hidden mansion)
Galtry was sitting in his study waiting for the recruits to arrive. He received a phone call earlier this morning telling him that his team will be here by noon time instead of later on tonight. Once he heard the news he instantly called Ravager, he needed to debrief her about her team.
Galtry heard a soft knock on his study door; he turned around and saw exactly who he was waiting for. Rose Wilson was staring passively at the mid-fifty year old man. Galtry just smiled and waved his hand at her in gesture that told her to come in. Rose sat down in a comfortable leather chair as she waited for her employer to begin talking. Galtry got up from his seat and handed the mercenary a folder.
"Your team has been assembled, Rose. They will be here by noon time. I want you to study their files; it will help you work better as a team." Ravager only looked down at the folder and opened it. Inside there were only three files. Confused Ravager looked up at her employer.
"Hey what is this? There are only three files here. The Titans have five members; our team will only have four. I need one more member." Ravager demanded at her employer. Galtry seemed to know this was coming.
"You do have five members, Rose. He'll be arriving with the rest of them." Rose looked at him impatiently.
"Well are you going to tell me who he is?" Galtry just walked toward the brick fireplace. Once he was standing in front of the fire, he spoke again.
"I'll let him introduce himself. But I assure you, he will be a valuable member to your team." Ravager didn't seem to like this, she hated being left out.
"No, you are going to tell me who this guy is. I need to know my team members." Galtry didn't even look up at the mercenary; he kept his eyes fixated on the fire.
"You'll meet him soon enough. Just be patient Rose. I promise he won't disappoint you." He then turned from the fire and walked toward a bookcase as he spoke.
"Now about your team, you should study them better. I chose them for obvious reasons. Do you know what they are?" Ravager looked down at the files and noticed something they all had similar.
"Each one has a personal vendetta against a different Titan." Galtry looked across the study at his mercenary.
"Good, then you can see what I see. You should know your team will be very loyal. Each and every one of them wants some type of revenge against one of the Titans. The first one is Brother Blood. He doesn't normally work as a team member but he is making an exception for us. He wants revenge on his arch nemesis, Cyborg. He will cooperate with us. The second is Kitten. Not my first choice but since Starfire's sister Blackfire is in prison on a different planet we will have to make do. She is a stuck up bitch and hates not getting what she wants. Since Starfire is dating Robin, Kitten will be highly motivated to go against the alien princess. She doesn't have any powers of her own but she does have her father's mutated moths. The final is the dread dragon Malchior; he was hard to find. Unlike the other villains in Paris, he wasn't frozen. He was sent to a different dimension by the honorary Titan the Herald. But after my associate found the villain kid Wykkyd he found Malchior. We gave him an offer he couldn't refuse, revenge against Raven. That is your team Rose. I also brought some extra muscle, Cinderblock, Plasmus and Overload. They will help lure the Titans out of the tower for you and your team."
The room was then filled with the noise of a buzzer; Galtry knew exactly what that meant. He smiled to himself.
"Ah, they have arrived. Shall we meet your new team, Rose?" Ravager just looked up at her employer and nodded.
Galtry and Rose walked down the hall toward the front door. Galtry swung open the door and saw his team standing there waiting to be let in.
"Welcome friends, come in we have much to discuss. If you would just follow me to my study we can get started." Galtry walked back toward his study with the team of villains following close behind. Rose looked at her team; the villains seemed very capable of doing a good amount of damage to the Titans. She then looked at her final team member. The man in front of her had jet black hair and pale white skin. His eyes were a dark emerald green and his face seemed to have an emotionless feeling to it. He had a large black cloak encasing his entire body making her not able to see beneath it. Something about this man gave Rose shivers like his aura casted a death like grip. Ravager didn't like this man.
Finally reaching the study, Galtry turned to his team. He looked at every single one of them and liked what he saw.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I am Nicholas Galtry. As you all know I have a task for you. I want all of you to fight the Teen Titans. Seeing that all of you are here I assume you accept the task." All five villains nodded their heads.
"Excellent, now that we have that over with I am going to assign a certain Titan to each and every one of you." Galtry looked down at the files for a second and then looked up at Brother Blood.
"Brother Blood, you will be going up against Cyborg. I understand you two have a certain quarrel that needs to be resolved. Do you accept who I have assigned you?"
"I most definitely accept. Cyborg and I have some unfinished business that needs to be attended to." Galtry only nodded his head. He then looked at Kitten.
"Kitten, you will be going up against Starfire. I know you have a burning hatred against the alien and want revenge against her for stealing your Robin and imprisoning Fang. Do you accept who I have assigned you?"
"Of course I do. That bitch will pay for taking away my Robie-Poo. My poor Fang, he's still frozen in Paris. Once I'm done with her I will…" She was cut short by Galtry placing a hand over her mouth. 'I knew there was a reason she was my second choice. She is extremely obnoxious.' Galtry lifted his hand away from her mouth and moved over to the next person in line which was Ravager.
"Ravager, I am assigning you Robin. You both are nearly equal in hand to hand combat. Also I am aware that you have a deep urge to fight your father's greatest nemesis. Do you accept who I have assigned you?" Rose nodded her head and a sinister smile came across her face.
"You have no idea how long I have wanted to hear the words, 'you will be fighting Robin.' This is perfect." Galtry only smiled and headed toward the next one in line which was Malchior.
"Malchior, I am assigning you Raven. I don't even have to explain my reasoning for it. You already know why, don't you? Do you accept who I have assigned?" the paper man nodded his head.
"Indeed I do. Lady Raven will fall in battle." Galtry only nodded his head. He then turned to the final man in the room that has not been addressed.
"You know who you are assigned my friend. I know you will not disappoint." The man just nodded his head. Galtry walked away from the man as fast as he could he always hated being near that man. The air around him always seemed colder. Ravager then spoke out.
"Wait a minute; aren't you going to introduce yourself to all of us? We don't even know your name." The man looked at Ravager and the rest of the villains he was standing next to.
"My name has long been lost in time but you can call me Reaper." His voice was cold and emotionless. Ravager didn't really like his answer, she wanted more.
"Okay Reaper, so where do you fit in all of this? Everyone else on the team has some reason to be here except for you." Reaper only gave her a dark look.
"Believe me; I have my reasons to be here. Garfield and I have some things to talk about." his voice still sounding heartless. Ravager didn't relent; she had another question ready for him.
"So what are your powers Reaper? Other than your pale skin and creepy aura there doesn't seem to be anything special about you." All the other villains nodded their heads except for Galtry who looked at his heartless friend.
"Why don't you give them a demonstration Reaper? I think they all will be pleased with after that." Reaper only nodded his head. In an instant his eyes went pitch black and then he vanished in a cloud of dark smoke. A second later he was in front of Ravager with a large scythe like blade at her throat. Ravager didn't even have time to react as she felt the cold blade against her neck. Galtry then clapped his hands.
"Excellent work, Reaper, now if you don't mind please show them all of your abilities." Reaper released his blade from Ravagers throat and backed away a second later his scythe was engulfed in flames and his eyes were an orange crimson color. Once his eyes changed back to its original color the flames ceased to exist. He then looked at Galtry.
"Sir I think we should be doing this in a more open area. My powers could cause some great damage to your house."
"Good point. All of you follow me to the backyard; there is enough space out there." The villains walked out to the backyard and waited for the man to demonstrate the rest of his powers.
"I wanted you all to be out in an open space because the next powers I'm going to demonstrate can be extremely fatal. I would step back if I were you." All the villains backed up a couple of feet.
Reaper's eyes then turned ice blue and the ground around him began to freeze. The frozen land reached out to Kitten and crept under her foot. She let out a small scream when she felt a deep cold creep up her leg. Kitten ran to the far back of the group trying to stay as far away from the man as possible. Reaper's eyes turned back to its normal color but the ground was still frozen. He spoke once more.
"I have one last power that is my greatest weapon." Reaper walked up to a tree and took off his glove. He placed his bare hand on the tree and his eyes quickly flashed green. Within seconds the trees leaves began to decay and the branches break. The entire team of villains watched the man in front of them suck the life out of the tree. A minute had passed and the once thriving oak tree was now a rotting log. Reaper placed his glove over his hand again and faced his team.
"Now do my abilities please you, Ravager?" Ravager was silent; she couldn't find the words to describe what she just witnessed.
'I am standing in the presence of the god of death.' Ravager thought. She approached the man.
"You're not a human are you? You're Death itself." Reaper only looked at her and responded.
"That's right Ravager, I'm not human. But I am not the Death that you know of. I am a servant of him though. I am a Reaper; I do Death's bidding when he can't be around." Ravager looked at the man strangely; she was trying to see if he was telling her the truth. He seemed to know this.
"I assure you Ravager, I am not lying. But I'm not the only one of my kind; there are actually hundreds of us who serve him. If it helps you can think of us as demons except for the fact that we do not serve any of the demon lords, but we do know of them." His voice was still cold and heartless.
Ravager lifted her hand up and tried to reach out to the Reaper. Her hand fell on his shoulder, what she felt was solid but deathly cold like it was a corpse. She began to feel the chill ride up her hand forcing her to take her hand away from his shoulder. She looked down at her hand and could tell that her glove was slightly frozen. Ravager looked back the face of the creature in front of her. She couldn't believe it.
"I can't believe this. Why would you be here and want to help us against Beast boy and the Titan's? What is Galtry offering you?" Ravager asked
Reaper only looked toward his employer. "He promised me the life of a person I failed to take a long time ago." Galtry interrupted them.
"Alright now that everything is settled you all are free to go. Your mission will begin Wednesday morning. I want all of you here at eight thirty Wednesday morning don't forget it." Brother Blood, Kitten, Malchior and Ravager walked back inside the building and headed for the front door so they could leave. Galtry and Reaper were all alone in the backyard.
"You better give me what you promised Galtry. Because if you don't I will have to find another soul to take its place. Keep that in mind." Galtry frowned.
"Oh don't worry I haven't forgotten about it. This will go as according to plan. You will have the soul you were supposed to take all those years ago and I will have his parent's inheritance. We both have a mutual goal, we both want Garfield Logan dead." Reaper looked at the man in front of him.
"That we do, Galtry. That we do. But you are forgetting something. You owe me a soul as well. I saved your life after you were shot. I need two souls Galtry." Galtry's frown grew bigger.
"I told you, I will get you your souls. Just give me some time." Galtry then walked up into his mansion and closed the door. Reaper stood there for a few seconds before his eyes turned black and large cloud of black smoke engulfed him. Once the cloud cleared up he was gone.
(Back at the tower)
Beast boy woke up from his nap and found himself still in the medical bay. Slowly getting up Beast boy realized he was alone in the room. Now sitting up straight Beast boy did a big stretch that only made him wince in pain. His wounds were still sore even after Raven healed them a second time. After getting past the pain Beast boy looked around the room, on a chair was his doom patrol uniform with a letter on it. Beast boy got up from the bed and walked toward his clothes, picking up the letter Beast boy began to read.
Beast boy, once you are dressed come down to the common room. We have things to discuss.
-Robin
Not knowing what Robin meant by that, Beast boy got dressed and started to head toward the common room. Once he reached the common room he saw that everyone seemed to be waiting for him, which only confused Beast boy even further.
"Uh, what's up dudes? Are we having a party or something?" He tried to joke. Beast boy had a large grin on his face but when he saw his teammate's expressions he knew this wasn't good. Robin began to speak.
"Beast boy we have some very important things to discuss with you."
Another chapter finished, i hope you all like it. I felt like i needed some more BBRae in the story so i added some more in this chapter. Tell me what you all think.
-Greenhatred77
