Cyborg pushed the T Jet to it's limits to catch up to Beast Boy, according to Raven's scans. When they got there, though...they were in for a terrible shock.
The first thing that happened was the T Jet got shot down by what looked like...several explosive arrows?
Getting out of the crashed ship, they saw the force arrayed against them. Beast Boy was layed out, ceremonial style, way in the back. Before him, there was an army of the flame creatures that had been used by Trigon before. At the head of the army were three individuals. On the far right was Tai Lee, standing there with a smirk that did not touch her eyes. In the middle stood Slade, braced for combat. On the far left, dressed all in midnight black...was a boy with red hair and a bow and arrow, wearing a mask. Everyone stared.
Jade was the first to speak up. "...Roy?"
The boy with the bow smirked. "Hello, Jade. Miss me?"
Robin glared at Slade. "So you're working for Trigon again, is that it?"
Slade shrugged. "I'm a mercenary, Robin. I work where I get paid." Red energy forms around his hands. "And my current employer pays VERY well."
Cyborg glared at Tai Lee. "How could you?"
Tai Lee shrugged, and said nothing.
Toph stared towards where Beast Boy was laid out, silently.
Robin gave orders. "Toph, Jinx, get Raven to Beast Boy: he's your responsibility. Jade, you take Speedy. Cyborg, you've got Tai Lee. Star and I will take Slade. Iroh, assist wherever neccessarry. Titans...GO!"
They charged in.
Robin and Starfire duked it out with Slade, but they were at a severe disadvantage. He was using tactics against them he hadn't before, and they were being rapidly pressed back.
Coughing up a bit of blood from the last blow, RObin spoke. "YOu never fought like this before!"
"Before, I wanted an apprentice...Now, you are targets, and my employer wants you all to suffer before you die. Speaking of which..." He turned as Star flew at him from behind and seized her by the arm, his hand sizzling. Starfire screamed.
"STARFIRE!" Robin cried out, lunging in. Slade swung the Tamaranean like a bludgeon, slamming her into RObin before releasing her, sending them both staggering backward.
"Face it, Titans. You cannot win today."
Jade duked it out with Speedy, her sai's flashing in the night air as she parried his arrows. She wasn't fighting at full strength, though, and it was clear he was toying with her.
"Roy...I thought you were dead," Jade finally gasped out at one part of the fight.
"So you abandoned me, not even searching for my body?" he asked cruelly. "Azula found me, and used her magic to make me well...and strong."
"At the cost of betraying your friends?" Jade demanded, parrying another arrow.
"No. That was my choice."
"What? WHY?" Jade demanded, shocked to the core.
"For love. For you."
One of her sai's fell from her suddenly nerveless fingers. "What...what are you talking about?"
"Don't you see?" Roy walked towards her, slowly. "Always our relationship had been one step away from despair, because we were always on opposite sides: I the hero, you the villain. So long as this was the case, we were foredoomed to sorrow. But now, I'm a villain, and nothing has to stand between us anymore."
Jade staggered backwards, staring at him. "No...I didn't want this...I swore a blood oath to avenge you! I...I'm a Titan now!"
Roy tilted his head. "Then...it seems we are back where we started...unless you would change sides once more, and join me."
"I...I can't!" Tears fell from her eyes, but she ignored them. "You've betrayed everything you were...everything you stood for...everything that made me love you! You're not the man I fell for anymore!"
Roy tilted his head. "You're right, I suppose. Once more, we are fore doomed as before. Except this time..." A quick draw and a flurry of arrows flew through the air.
Jade was unable to block them all, and found herself pinned to the wall, unable to move. Roy strode forward.
"...I'm no longer content with the games we once played. You're right, I'm not Roy Harper anymore. And I'm not Speedy, either. The name's Black Arrow." Reaching forward, he slowly undid the sash that held her kimono closed, pulling it back sensuosly. "And I'm going to enjoy this."
Cyborg faced off against Tai Lee. He fought with punches kicks, and the occasional Sonic Blast. she fought back with highly powered physical strikes. They seemed evenly matched as neither was able to damage the other. As the fight went on, Cyborg continues to shout at Tai Lee.
"Tai Lee, how could you betray us like that? Betray me? I thought you were a friend!"
Tai Lee said nothing.
"Were you just using us all along? Were you just befriending us so you could betray us? Was any of it ever real?"
Silence.
"I can't believe I trusted you! I can't believe...I can't believe I thought I could love you!"
Tai Lee's face...twitched.
"Why, Tai Lee? WHY!"
The fight paused for a moment, and Cyborg saw tears of blood coming from Tai Lee's eyes.
"What?" Suddenly he stopped. "My god...it wasn't you! Azula's puppetting you again, but more completely this time! And...and you're still in there." His sonic cannon started to shift back to a hand.
Tai Lee suddenly lashed out with a kick. Cyborg cried out in pain. The kick had impacted against his arm in mid shift, and his arm was now non functional.
"Tai Lee..." Cyborg stared at her, at the tears of blood coming from her eyes, her impassive face...and the now visible plea in her eyes.
She wanted to die rather than do this.
Toph took a simple approach to getting past the flame creatures - which, because they floated, she couldn't see. Calling up a sphere of rock to surround herself, Raven, and Jinx, she rolled towards where she could sense Beast Boy.
Raven, on seeing this, mumbled to herself, "Great...now another apology I owe Beast Boy...video games are proving useful..."
They rolled across the field, Iroh snipping any creature that got too close in an attack position. Although fire was useless against these creatures, lightning proved very effective.
They reached Beast Boy, and Iroh joined them, staying a bit back to keep the creatures at bay. Toph raised an Earth Wall to back him up. Raven examined the bier he was laid out on. It was covered in runes. She flinched back.
Beast Boy could hear loud noises around him, but it was vague...at a distance. He kenw he was dying. He wished he could do something...but...
"This isn't good! The runes on this bier...if he dies here - from a blow empowered by Trigon - his death will serve to open the portal! And we don't dare move him now that the magic has taken hold!"
That was Raven...what was she doing here?
"We don't have time to worry about what will happen if we fail, Raven! We've only got half an hour at best!"
That was Jinx. What were they going to do?
"Forget about that! Just save him!"
Toph! He could feel her hands taking his...just barely. He tried to give her a reassuring squeeze.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven's magic touched him, attempting to heal him. It felt soothing...and something was strengthening it, but...he still felt himself slipping away, something pulling him back...
He just wanted to rest...
"It's no good!" That was Raven. "The animals inside him...they've already accepted death! He's trying to hold on, but he's fighting his injuries and half his being! He's...he's not strong enough!"
Is that what was happening? Was that the weight on him, pulling him down? But...he didn't want to die...just rest for a bit...
"Garfield, don't you dare! Don't you dare die on me!"
Toph...he felt teardrops touch his face. She was crying? Because of him? No! He couldn't let that be.
Desperately, he struggled, trying to claw his way out of the darkness. The Beast was there beside him, struggling to gather strength...but the weight of death was so strong...the Beast had already tasted its own failure...
"We need something...something the animals inside him will respond to to overcome death. If they all start to fight to live, I'll be able to heal him!"
That was Raven. But...what could make every animal inside him join the fight to survive, when so many already just wanted to sleep.
What were the primary animal instinctive motivators? Sleep...food...
Suddenly, Jinx' voice pierced the fog.
"Say, Toph, was that a Frederick's of Hollywood bag you were carrying when we brought you back after your figth with Azula?"
...say what?
"Jinx...now's really not the time to-"
"Wait...Toph, you went lingere shopping? Just what were you planning before this all started?"
"Nothing, Raven! I just...what Jinx said about it..."
"Wow, I'd no idea my words were so effective. But why didn't you get us to go with you? I'm pretty sure between all of us we could have picked out some good ones that would have had BB ALL over you."
"...the lady at the store assured me the ones she helped me pick out would do that..."
He could feel his spirit stirring, as every animal inside him began to respond to one of the oldest instinctive impulses in existance...
"Wow...say, are you wearing one right now? Come on, let me see."
"Jinx! Stop it!"
There was a russtle of cloth. Inside Beast Boy's mind, the Beast snarled.
*MINE!*
Beast Boy's eyes snapped open.
He saw Raven leaning over him, water flowing from a flask at her side, amplifying her healing magic. He saw Jinx, playfully futzing with Toph's clothes. Toph was holding his hand, and flinching back from Jinx.
Beast Boy clutched Toph's hand. "MINE!" he snarled out.
"It's working!" Raven said with relief. "All of him is fighting now!"
Slade glanced over. "No! The ritual will be complete!" He pulled back a hand, and eldritch energies gathered. "If one can open the portal...four will be even better!" He threw the blast.
As many of the other Titans screamed out, "NO!" Jinx and the others could only turn to stare as it approached.
There was a flash of mystic energy, and all that was left was a smoking crater.