A/N:
My reviewers and readers are wonderful. That is all:
Katwizzle: I will make it up to you when they do! Promise, promise!
Amazing girl: Thanks for your review back in chapter 2! She was right, wasn't she? It was too fast.
Ese Cabron: I could never picture the Beast being too vocal. At least not coherently vocal. And thanks so much for the review :)
TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne: Don't we all? As long as other people can't use use it as a way in. And that would have been hilarious. I bet he would try that too if he could somehow transform into a mini lion.
Miss Topaz: Aw, thanks so much! I'm really happy to see that you're enjoying so much of it! And yeah...BB...I am unnecessarily mean to him. And I do apologize for it. I may have a complex of being awful to the characters I love.
The Cretin: Yeah, filler is necessary even though I feel horrible for posting it and calling it chapter, so thanks for that! And I'm glad you're liking Gar's maturity. It was a little hard for me to determine his balance of like...goofball/young adult. I like where he's at though. As for Red X...I won't say anything yet, obviously, but it may or may not get more obvious after this chapter. And thank you so much for writing exactly what I was thinking when it came to Gar's knew character. I think that's what's bothering me-that they're taking away all of his past progression. And the resurrecting an old ship is just...scary to me. I don't like Terra. I didn't like her in the comics for obvious reasons and in the cartoon I disliked her too. Though that may have been my hatred for her in the comics boiling over. But she was important for development reasons, and I love her story arc so...maybe it's better to say I have a complicated relationship with Terra. I hate her but am so happy she existed. Which makes the Ravagers thing even more confusing. I will also cut this short so my A/N is not disgustingly long. And comic ranting is fun! Thanks!
MelonLord28: Thanks for your two reviews! I love them too, and ...you may be repeating the same sentiment concerning BB after this chapter. Don't hate me.
itachi girl88: Glad to hear it :)
LobsterMobster95: That's good that I don't have to worry about going fangirl anymore, for I think I have officially jumped off the deep end in fangirly-ness. And oh no! I don't mean to ruin other TT fics for you, yet that was a very nice compliment, so thank you! It sort of reminds me of when I watch YJ and am extremely dissatisfied by the lack of the TT cast...but anyway. Damian Wayne? That's an interesting guess! And I will say no more about it. Haha. I feel slightly evil, but I'm glad to hear that you're doing your own investigation! I bet Gar could use your help. And thank you. I hope you had a nice Memorial Weekend as well, and I will continue to feed your addiction.
Disclaimer: TT not mine. Don't sue.
Chapter 7: Open Wounds
The halls were too small and dark. The walls were too cold and impersonal. It was nothing at all like where he had run his team, though he admitted that team was for a bunch of teenagers on a much smaller scale. But that still didn't change his mind from disliking this place. He had been offered a spot, practically begged to join by some, but Nightwing always refused. He had tried to go solo once before only to be dragged back into a team, and he wasn't about to do the same thing again.
I work with Batman, not for. I don't need a different boss to answer to.
He padded through the hallway, and people stopped to try and get his attention, but Nightwing gave them only cursory glances and slight waves. He was focused, and most knew how he operated whenever he was focused on something.
It was early morning back in Gotham, and Nightwing had no trouble leaving the police force in charge for a couple of hours. Barbara had gone home and back to bed. Tim needed some shut eye to be ready for his math test at school. And, as was the norm nowadays, Batman was up in space or across the country or around the globe. Somewhere that wasn't home.
Nightwing entered the briefing room with his arms still crossed. He recognized the black cowl immediately and let his arms fall to the side. At least he knew how to approach his adoptive father. "Batman."
There were other heroes around, and he wasn't sure how generous Bruce Wayne was feeling about his identity. "Nightwing, I expected you to come here to find me."
"Not necessarily you, but I'm glad I did." Nightwing looked at the control panel Batman was currently typing on. "Something wrong?"
"No. Your former teammate just asked for a teleportation pass."
Nightwing wasn't too surprised. Raven was almost as dedicated as he was sometimes. Though it was weird that the half-demon would need a teleportation machine. She must have been trying to conserve energy. "Can we talk somewhere more private?"
Batman turned back to the several monitors in his direction. "I'm currently on duty here. If you wish to discuss something with me, just say it."
Right. Direct. Nightwing pressed the mask on the bridge of his nose. "I want to help Starfire."
"Princess Koriand'r?" Batman sighed, "That's it?"
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Helping Starfire reconstruct her home barely seemed like a simple task.
Batman didn't turn from the screen and grunted, "You don't want to marry her?"
"That can't be considering helping?"
Batman actually turned at that, and Nightwing smiled. Good. Now I finally have his attention. "What do you want, Nightwing? Exactly?"
Even he wasn't sure of that. It wasn't like he could go in space and rebuild a planet from scratch. He couldn't go back in time and prevent from whatever happening from happening. And even if he could (time travel was possible sometimes), he would never be given the clearance to do so. "I want an update on the status of the Tamaraneans."
Batman clicked on a couple of screens and pulled up a spreadsheet of names and various types of information. Nightwing leaned over on the desk and breathed, taking in the names on the list. There were only about twenty or so, some male and some female. But that was it. Twenty or so Tamaraneans left in the whole universe. "That's it?"
"Count how many Kryptonians are left in the universe and you'll feel less bad."
Nightwing understood his mentor's point, but it didn't make him feel any better about it. "Perspective."
"Yes. They are currently here in the Watchtower with the exception of your princess." Batman closed the file. "Anything else? Or should you be heading back to Gotham now?"
He read that as a command more than anything else, but Nightwing ignored it. "What's the Justice League's current plan?"
"Martian Manhunter is currently heading the process of relocation. We're running tests of their environmental capacities in order to find them a suitable, permanent planet."
For some reason, the thought of sending them all away, although expected, made him slightly angry. Nightwing leaned on the computer's base as Batman kept typing on the desk. "And he's doing a good job?"
"As best he can."
"Princess Koriand'r never had a problem with the Earth's environment. It may be easier for J'onn to find a planet if he follows an environment he's more familiar with."
Batman nodded, "Maybe."
"And they are a peaceful race. Perhaps cohabitation with an existing alien species is also an option."
"Dick."
Nightwing fidgeted at his real name. He glanced around under his mask, but no other superheroes seemed to be interested in the two's conversation. "What is it?"
"I still need someone to look for the cause of the explosion." Batman seemed impassive, but as he turned around, Nightwing saw the small, practically microscopic grin on his face. "Would you mind if I assign this to you?"
"...Batman..."
"I'm too busy to work on that mission. It'll be hard, but the Justice League could really use your help."
Nightwing nodded fervently. "Yes, yes of course."
"Excellent. J'onn's on the 10th floor. Conference Room number 5. I expect nothing but the best from you, Nightwing."
"I'll report there immediately." Nightwing moved away from the central console where Batman was seated and turned. "And thanks."
His adoptive father made no motion that he had heard him, but Nightwing moved on anyway. The hall echoed as his black boots treaded across the metal flooring, and he found it okay t o sigh. Maybe this wouldn't fix everything or anything at all, but at least he was doing something. At least he was helping Starfire in any way he could.
He had thirty minutes before it would even open-thirty minutes, and he still felt like such a mess. He supposed it was that which drove him back here. That or his own masochistic curiosity.
Gar shuddered. I am a masochist, aren't I?
At least, he thought that was the appropriate term for it. That was the word that meant self destructive, right? The word that described people that put themselves into situations that would bring up pain, who found some sick form of amusement in never, ever having things work out simply and cleanly. It had to be true. There was no other reason why he would fall for Raven of all people, his teammate and one of his best friends. It was also one of the reasons why he came back here.
The Tower was colossal; he didn't think he ever really realized that before. It was shiny and tall and sprung up so many memories inside his gut that Gar felt like turning around immediately when he saw it.
He walked to and outer wall by the shoreline of the city, across the water from where Titans Tower stood. Cyborg had built a tunnel here when they were all still a team for the T-car and R-cycle. Gar had used it several times too when he hadn't felt like swimming or flying. And because of his recent lack of success with transforming, he decided to not chance it and walk the way there.
The tunnel had minimal lighting, but Gar quickly ran through, not staying too long in the dark. The pathway fed right into the Titans' garage, and after a few DNA scans and several numerical codes, Gar was met with a big empty room. The space felt weird without the T-Car or Robin's bike or even his moped (which he had managed to afford one day only to crash it one week later). And the whole place seemed extremely...ghostly.
Gar walked up the stairs from the garage and found himself by the laundry room. He stripped completely-the Tower being completely empty- and was surprised to see that the washing machine was still hooked up and functional. In fact, everything seemed to be exactly how they had left it-minus any personal belongings. He kept his communicator on hand and found the first floor bathroom easily. There wasn't any soap or shampoo, but Gar didn't really care. Just rinsing himself off after that fight would have been enough.
He remembered in Africa when they didn't have running water or that time when they had hunted the Brotherhood of Evil nonstop. Raven used to complain how he had smelled like all of his animal forms combined, but it wasn't as if she were much better. Not that he would ever comment on that. He liked being in this dimension.
Gar scrubbed his dark green hair fervently, trying not to let his thoughts run. This whole scenario was going to be too much. He didn't know when, but a part of him knew he may have been going over his head. Don't be stupid. Call for backup if you need it. He wasn't like Mento or the old Robin. He wasn't afraid to admit when he needed help. Right?
But he also wanted to try and do this on his own. No matter how crazy this whole idea was. Don't let the past get to you. He closed his eyes as the shower started to hit his face. Don't let it scare you away. You know what happened. You know what you saw. This is the only way to get to Slade.
Maybe Slade wasn't involved with Red X at all, but there was a chance he was. And Gar was going to take any lead he could find. After scrubbing his body down with only shower water, Gar turned the faucet off and shook his body dry. His hair was up, spiked without any gel, and he stepped out of the shower and let the steam inside the room pervade over his green skin.
He rubbed his hand against the fogged up mirror and sighed. He looked tired-which was no surprise considering the sleepless night he had. The dark circles highlighting his green pupils seemed to make his face look even thinner, his cheekbones more pronounced. Gar rubbed his eyes and touched the scars on his chest before cringing when he heard the door to the bathroom open. ...Crap.
"And here we have another..." It was a redheaded lady, dressed in a grey skirt and white blouse, leading a group of foreign looking tourists. The redhead's mouth dropped and she froze in the doorway, only managing to mutter a "bathroom..." before completely shutting down.
"Er..." Gar grabbed the floral patterned shower curtain, ripping it from its holders, and wrapped it around his waist. Crap! I totally forgot this place was like a museum now! His face turned to a bizarre shade of purple, the red in his face taking over his cheeks. "I see you're getting the full tour."
The tourists said nothing, and one little old lady managed to flash out a camera before Gar maneuvered around them. "May want to avoid the laundry room for a minute, okay?"
The redheaded tour guide nodded, "...yes...Beast...Boy."
"And um, have a good day! Titans out!" He gave a weak laugh before slapping himself in the face. Man, that was too embarrassing. First Raven, now tourists? When are you going to learn how to lock doors? He opened the door to the laundry room and somehow managed to lock it. Then again, waking up with Raven next to you wasn't exactly awful. He dropped the shower curtain and moved his uniform and underwear into the dryer. It was a weird material, drying easily to compensate for his aquatic forms. Actually, it wasn't awful at all. Though it looked like she wanted to die right there and then.
He set the dryer for five minutes and waited. Then again, she must have felt something for me once, right? Gar crossed his arms, feeling a bit chilly. He hated feeling cold. I mean...she did kiss me back that night, didn't she? Yeah, she wasn't completely there but...maybe, I don't know. Maybe there's a chance.
At least he thought there might have been if it weren't for all the stuff going on. But perhaps after all this, if she weren't really with the Flash, something might happen. Gar was open enough. He was free to do whatever...
The dryer stopped working, and Gar suddenly froze. "...Jillian. Oh crap. How could I forget?"
It was like the superhero life took over, making him forget or simply ignore any shred of normalcy he had over the past two years. Gar looked to his communicator and breathed. "15 minutes. I don't have to be there on time either. I can make a phone call."
He dressed quickly, attaching his belt and pulling back on his shoes and gloves, and moved to the common room. Gar glanced quickly around, "Okay, no tour group," and locked the door using Cyborg's still installed security system. His green eyes looked over the empty couch, the abandoned kitchen, and finally rested on the view of the bay and Jump City behind it. "It's..." He walked causally over to the computer center, but didn't touch the screen yet. It's so empty.
The memories connected to this place stung his chest, and Gar knew he wouldn't be able to stay in this place much longer. He accessed the computer and brought up the database of people, not in Jump City, but for L.A. I wonder if the Voice Activation system still works. "Call Jillian Jackson."
There was a beep, and then a dial tone and Gar smiled widely. "Cool." His face suddenly turned serious when he heard the other voice on the end.
"Hello?" She sounded confused, which was expected. It was early, and the Titans' number was unlisted. "...Who is this?"
He breathed. He had never done this before, and he doubted he would be any good at this. "Jill? It's...it's Gar."
"Gar?" There was a pause on the line, and Gar felt extremely awkward just standing in front of a computer screen, looking at nothing and waiting for a response. Finally, her voice broke into a yell. "Where are you? Have you been ignoring my calls? I tried calling your phone a hundred times and you never picked up!"
The changeling cringed. He had been ignoring her, even before he had left his phone at Vic's apartment in Metropolis. "Yeah, about that..."
"And what number is this?" More silence. "...Oh. You're...you aren't..."
"Jill?"
"Is the world okay? Is that why you left? Of course! You're on some sort of superhero mission thing, right? Right?"
It'd be easy for him to lie right here, and it wouldn't have even been a full blown lie. He could tell her that he wasn't ignoring her, that the world actually was in danger and he had important superhero mission things to do. And then just deal with it later? He looked at the communicator again. 5 minutes until it opens. Just do it. This was a heartless thing to do, especially over the phone, but maybe...if she really cared about him enough, he wouldn't end it-not like this at least. If she said yes, he would go to L.A. and do this sort of thing properly, like a man and not a boy. "Do you love me?"
This silence thing was really, really uncomfortable. Jillian coughed over the phone, "Gar, are you alright?"
"No pressure. I mean, this is sort of random I know. But Jill...I just need to find out how much you, uh, like me?"
"Like you?"
"I mean...you do..." There was no answer, and Gar's face was turning a bizarre shade of red-purple again. "Right?"
"Gar...I don't know what to say."
His voice was more confidence this time. "Just say the truth. Do you love me? There's no right or wrong answer, Jill."
"Well...the truth is..." Jill breathed out heavily. "No, Gar. I don't."
He was practically gleaming. "You don't?"
"No. What I mean is, I'm your agent. I'm not even your girlfriend. Sure, we had fun, but wasn't that just...I don't know...fun?"
"Exactly." Gar exhaled. "So you don't mind if we end this then?"
"Mind?" She laughed faintly. "I sort of thought it was already over when you were ignoring me. Are you really on a mission right now by the way?"
"Yeah, I am."
"That's so cool. You won't mind if I told everyone we dated, right? Even though we didn't really?"
Gar laughed, "No, whatever. I'd be flattered." He was about to turn off the call. If he arrived a little later, the place might be too crowded. "Jill...um...one last thing, since our 'break up' went so well, thought I'd drop one more bomb."
"What is it?"
"I'm pretty sure I'm not going back to acting after this." He glanced at the communicator in his hand, the uniform on his skin. "Ever."
"You're firing me then?"
"I guess so."
She snickered, "Can't say I blame you. Have fun, Gar. Visit. Be safe!"
"Thanks, Jill. Bye." He hung up the line and exhaled. That was pretty easy actually. He wish he could say the same for what he was about to do. Though the Tower brought both good and bad memories, mostly good, where he was going had only one of those. And it wasn't good-not by a long shot.
Nightwing held the test-tube up to the light before placing it back on the rack. He turned to Martian Manhunter, mask still hiding any readable expression. "Is this it?"
"No. But it is the most viable material the League has collected from the rubble. Perhaps you know someone who is better equipped at analyzing organic compounds?"
He felt the stress on his brain already, "Right. I should enlist someone else to help me." Nightwing took a plastic syringe from the side and proceeded to make a wet mount slide. It was pointless, probably. Him analyzing the material's visual appearance would not help him figure out what destroyed Tamaran. I need a real scientist. And he knew exactly who to ask.
Nightwing moved to the edge of the lab inside the Watchtower and dialed out his communicator. "Cyborg, pick up."
"Vic here...R-Nightwing?" Vic wiped the screen of his own communicator. "What's up?"
"I need your expertise."
"What kind of expertise? My incredible mind or my sonic cannon?"
Nightwing smiled, "The first one. Though maybe a sonic cannon can come in handy eventually. I have some material from the destruction site."
"From Tamaran?"
There was another, female voice that immediately pushed the half-man, half-robot aside. Nightwing felt his muscles freeze when she came onto the screen, green eyes huge and curious. "Tamaran? What news is there, Nightwing?"
"I-I actually just need Cyborg. They have some material from the site that needs analysis. I thought Vic could help."
Starfire didn't give the communicator back to her friend. "I will accompany him."
"Star, that's not really..."
She held up a hand, "If this concerns my planet, I will join. I will not sit here idly."
"Idly?" There was another, slightly more pissed off female voice sounding from the background. "Does no one understand what just happened? Garfield's gone. And he's..." Raven's voice suddenly faded. "...He may need us."
Nightwing's heroic instinct immediately kicked in, "Raven, is Gar okay? What happened?"
"It's nothing." The empath sounded suddenly calm. "Don't worry about it, Nightwing. You have enough on your plate."
He didn't really buy that for a second, but Raven was right. He did have a lot to think about. "So you'll check up on him?"
"Yes. Cyborg and Starfire will join you."
Vic's voice also could be heard off screen, "No more Victor, huh Raven?"
"We're on a mission now, working with the league." Raven paused, "I thought that was appropriate."
"I like it. But what about the Regenerative Egg?"
Starfire looked confused on the screen, "Egg? What is this Egg you speak of?"
"We can work on that later. I have a funny feeling Gar's working on it now."
Vic chuckled, "Don't you mean Beast Boy?"
"Right...Beast Boy."
Nightwing cleared his throat, earning the attention of all three former Titans, "Okay, Star, Cyborg, there's a JLA teleportation device in the service closet next door. Code is 0312."
Starfire blinked, "Nightwing, isn't that your..."
"Raven, go check on Beast Boy. I'm not sure he's as safe as you claim he is. After you find him, work on the Star Labs case. You can locate him via the communicator, and remember to ask for help if you need it."
The purple haired girl smirked, "Those almost sound like orders."
"I have no business ordering anyone around. I'm no longer your leader," Nightwing admitted.
Starfire clasped her hands together, "It is almost like old times again! We will hurry to the Watchtower and begin our missions! See you soon!"
With that, Nightwing shut off the communicator and went back to the slide he had on the lab's counter. He watched Martian Manhunter approach him, but didn't say anything. The Martian spoke, "I will return to the other Tamaraneans now. They are restless and wish to have their own space again."
Nightwing nodded, "Can't blame them."
"Your friend, the Tamaranean, she is much more accustomed to Earth things. Can you suggest anything I can bring her people that they may also enjoy?"
"No..." Nightwing lowered his head, "Well, yes. They like these weird berries. We don't have any on Earth but if you could mix something like a blueberry and vinegar that may have the desired flavor. Oh, and mustard. They love mustard. And flies...and..." Nightwing sighed, "That's it really. I don't really know too much."
The green alien said nothing but gave Nightwing a smile and a pat on the shoulder. I've got to talk to her.
Murakami High School was a place he never wanted to return to. It stood there, in the center of Jump City, looking so incredibly ordinary that Gar found the whole thing completely misleading. It was so deceptive.
"You can do this." Gar breathed and took a step, ignoring the people on the city streets around him. They were whispering, something about the return of the Titans, but Gar decided to just look at the building ahead. "One thing at a time."
He went into the school and managed to find the main office easy enough. The secretary at the front desk dropped the phone when he entered, and Gar was extremely grateful he decided to wear his uniform. Like the green skin wouldn't have been a dead giveaway. "Hey, I'm Beast Boy."
The young secretary blinked, "You're...you're a Teen Titan."
"Yeah."
"I used to love you guys. Starfire was my favorite. Her outfit was so cool."
Gar forced a smile, "Um, that's nice."
"Weren't you also in Space Trek: 2020?" The woman practically wanted to jump from her seat.
"For a little while, but anyway Ms..." Gar glanced at the nameplate. "Monroe. I'm looking for some information about a former student you may have had here."
Ms. Monroe's face became even more excited, "Is it official Teen Titans business?"
He paused. "Sure, why not."
"Oh! How fun. Do you know her graduating year?"
He didn't really. There was no guarantee that she would have graduated on time with the other students her age. Worth a shot though. "It would have been about six years ago."
"So not the exact year..." Ms. Monroe typed on a computer screen. "No matter. We can search an alumni database and limit the graduation time to say...the last 10 years to present. Does that sound good?"
Gar smiled, "Perfect."
"Name?"
"I only have a first name. I don't know how much that will help."
"I can try, Beast Boy. This person must be really important if you're going through all this trouble."
He paused, not really sure how to answer that. "Yeah...she is."
"Name?"
Gar clenched a fist. "Terra."
"Tara? Pretty common name."
"Well it's not sp..."
She entered the name on the computer and a list started to print out a list from the nearby printer. Ms. Monroe rolled over and grabbed the paper from the tray and handed it to the changeling. "23 Tara's matriculated through this school in the past 10 years. I hope this helps with your mission, Beast Boy."
He glanced at the list. None of the Tara's spelled their name to what he was more familiar with. Suddenly Gar felt that this idea was insanely stupid. "Thanks."
The plan was supposed to be this. He didn't want to see Terra ever again. In fact, he didn't even want to have to think about her again. She wasn't a bad person, even though she had tried to kill them all. Gar still couldn't think of her with such a negative light. But he didn't want to see her. He was...almost worried what it would be like. Every time I see that girl I practically fall all over myself.
But she was the only connection to Slade he could think of, the only one he was allowed to know about. Jericho was out of the question. There was no way he'd risk revealing that guy's true parentage at the off chance that Slade is connected with Red X.
So you rather find Terra?
Sort of, actually. It was this almost biting curiosity; this thought in his mind that the girl in school that day was the Terra he knew. That day may have given him closure, but it wasn't exactly the type of closure he wanted. I moved on. Gar folded the list of names and slipped it under his uniform as he walked out onto the Jump City streets. No, he still didn't want to see her. Think of all the things after her. Jill...Raven. God, Garfield, think of Raven.
Terra was gone.
Terra was gone.
Terra was go-
"Who are you looking for?"
That was a new voice. Gar turned around, but saw no one. Alright. Weird. He kept walkingon the now empty streets. Was it just him or did Jump City clear out really fast? He moved his head up and down, and the weird, feminine voice laughed from above.
"What are you looking for? Wouldn't be little old me, would it?"
Gar didn't like the mocking tone. His instincts kicked in, and his body immediately tensed. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Now, now, Beast Boy. That isn't very nice. You're supposed to introduce yourself politely to a lady." A figure moved from the shadows between the buildings, dressed completely in orange and black. His mind did a double take and a triple take at the young woman walking from the alley to his right. She emerged slowly, two swords residing threateningly on her back. Her face curved into a smile, and only one eye flashed from the orange side of her mask. It was eerily familiar, a twisted mix of déjà vu.
Gar supposed this was sort of what he wanted. The last time he had tried to find Terra, Slade appeared out of the woodwork, but...this? His green eyes trailed over the newcomer's skintight uniform-a gender twist of the one he was much more familiar with. "Excuse me?"
"I guess I owe you the same favor."
Gar scratched his head and then gave her a more obvious once over. "Is this why you've been MIA? Too busy getting some...surgical enhancements, huh Slade?"
The young woman growled and drew one of her blades from her back scabbard, and soon, before Gar could even breathe, the metal was flushed with his throat. "Do not belittle my father again, bug."
Bug?
Gar smirked. His mind didn't think, but his body moved fluidly, easily and Gar was soon an ant on the floor. He reacted immediately and rolled backwards, changing back into his original form and at a fair distance away from this psychopath."Didn't mean to upset you, really. It's just the outfit and all." He held up his hands and gestured up and down. "Gotta admit, it does look similar to..." It clicked. "Did you say father?"
"My name is Ravager." She took out the other sword and looked at him, death clear in her eyes. "And I am here to ask what you were doing in that school."
The changeling ignored the question, instead turning back to the weirdly barren streets. "What happened to everyone?"
"It's funny." Ravager glanced at her swords, and Gar saw the red tainting one of its ends."People get so worried over one little thing. Just one person, really. Insignificant. And they all run like animals. But you must understand that."
His blood rushed, fumed. He had forgotten what real evil was like and how little they cared about anything except for some distorted mission. Gar wanted to punch her or change into a leopard, but overwhelming anxiety kept him planted. "You're psychotic."
"I didn't want an interruption. And you should thank me. I can't hold anyone else hostage now, can I?" Her blue eye widened from underneath her mask. "And answer me. What were you doing inside Murakami High School?"
"What is it to you?" Gar grunted. "Have a boyfriend there?"
He bit his tongue as her fist made contact with his cheek, one of the metal swords clanging on the pavement. Blood gushed inside his mouth. It was a mixture of salt and bile, and Gar spit the excess onto the road. ...Not used to that. She can really punch.
"I don't like to joke," Ravager said simply. "Tell me what you are doing there before I put your head on my mantle. I wonder, if you change now, do you change back when you're dead? A green lion would be very unique."
"If you want a fight, I can give you one." Blood was nothing. Pain was nothing. Gar had experienced threats and violence much worse than this. Plus, he had four inches and a whole animal kingdom on this girl. "Just say when."
"I don't want a fight. I just want an answer."
"Well, same."
Ravager gave a light smile, "And what question could you have for me, Beast Boy?"
"The Regenerative Egg." He watched her reaction, and smiled when he saw her face give the slightest waver. She has it. "Where is it?"
"I don't know..."
"I know you have it. Red X stole it from Star Labs and gave it to you. Tell me where it is."
"No."
"Now we won't get anywhere if you want to work like that." Gar edged back into a fighting stance, "I've faced your father by myself before. I can take you."
Ravager grunted and lowered the swords. "You're right. This won't get either of us anywhere. We can make a deal."
"A deal?" He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of deal?"
She shrugged and completely sheathed the weapons. "Before I knew about my father, I admired you Titans. You worked together seamlessly, got everything done. I especially liked that one girl you had...what was her name?"
Gar answered on instinct, "Raven?"
"The demon girl? Ha, no. Slade almost rants about her as much as Robin. The other one..." Ravager placed a finger lightly on his chin, "I think she may have been your favorite as well."
He looked back at the school, and remembered what Ravager had been questioning, "Terra."
"Yes!" She snapped her fingers from under his head, making him jump. "That's the one! What I wouldn't give for an autograph or just a picture with her. It'd really make my day. I could see myself being very generous to whoever could arrange something like that."
Gar sniffed, "Terra's dead."
"Maybe." Ravager shrugged, "Or maybe she's just asleep. Is that your communicator?"
He mimicked her, "Maybe."
"Give it to me."
"You're rather forceful, aren't you?"
"And your mouth is bloody. Want your nose to match?" Ravager smirked as Gar shook his head and handed her the yellow device. "My number. Don't try to track it. You won't be able to. When you find Terra, call me and we can have our trade."
He took the device back from her and placed it on his belt. There was a foreboding undertone to Ravager's words. She was Slade's daughter. His daughter. There was no way he could trust her. You trust Jericho, don't you? But then again, Jericho didn't wear a matching Deathstroke uniform. "It's not exactly Titan style to negotiate with villains."
"And it's not really mine to leave heroes standing." She seemed to think about it for a second, and Gar watched as she sprung a sword from its holder again.
His bones wouldn't move again. As the panic set in, he felt his body freeze, his mind go numb.
Transform! You have to transform! Why can't- Soon, the only tissue that was changing was his lower abdomen, the mouth of the blade being fed deep into his green skin. He fell immediately, sword now removed, and clung to the hole in his chest. Red blood seeped through the crevices of his hands, and the black and orange figure disappeared onto the rooftops.
Gar curled onto his side. Breathe...steady breaths. Damn it, this hurts.
Though it was getting harder and harder to even think straight. The warm liquid kept flowing, and he could taste copper inside his mouth. As his vision began to get fuzzy and weak, he swore he heard a voice, screaming, "Come back here! Slade, come back!" but it was probably just an illusion. Same with the footsteps approaching his body, running across the asphalt, and the cold hand touching his chest, which felt on fire with shock and injury. This was all a dream-a passing mirage before he eventually blacked out.
A/N:
Note: (just to be redundant) I am ignoring the Teen Titans Go comic that has Ravager in it. In fact, I am ignoring all of the ones I have never read, which is probably most of them.
I also apologize for the lack of Raven in this one. Oh and that ending. Though not really since everything has a purpose at some point (I swear!).
Thanks for reading!