A/N: Hey everyone, I know it's been awhile, but my life has been hectic with the whole moving to a new place and getting situated to my new surroundings. Also, by the time I got back to this story I had to go back to the think tank and remember the plot I was trying to do. Things might start out slow, but they'll pick up soon enough. Hope it's interesting enough for you.
(Scene Break)********************
"The thief stole data on a project I've been working on, very important data." Captain Jim Rehnquist explained.
"What kind of data?" Beastboy asked suspiciously, leave it to the military to come up with something that would later screw over innocent people.
"Data concerning the weaponization of xenothium." Jim answered, Beastboy scowled at him.
"Haven't you guys learned your lesson with xenothium yet? Remember Professor Chang?" The changeling inquired, the older man was unfazed by his glare.
"My team has made progress in leaps and bounds from Chang's work, they are very close to having a reliable weapon which runs on xenothium." Jim explained, Beastboy shook his head.
"I knew you were making new weapons Jim, but using xenothium is a big mistake." He told the high-ranking military man.
"I believe we'll have to agree to disagree Garfield, these weapons could give us the edge we need over other countries to keep them from trying to attack us." Jim told the green Titan.
"Yeah and they can also be used against you, to kill the very people you are trying to protect." Beastboy responded, Captain Rehnquist's eyes narrowed.
"The same could be said of any weapon." The older man stated, sensing the rising tension, Stacy decided to jump in.
"The weapon data wasn't the only thing that thief stole. Dad also had a project that involved using xenothium as a reliable power source." The gamer girl said, Jim nodded in agreement.
"Basically a decade's worth of work, that damn safe was supposed to be impossible to breach, Lexcorp's top men use them for god's sake!" The older man rambled in frustration.
"Yeah well, Red-X is no slouch when it comes to stealing things." Beastboy mentioned, "I'm guessing you want me to get this data back for you?"
"That's the plan, will you do it Garfield?" Jim Rehnquist asked, Beastboy took a deep breath. It's not like he could ignore this situation and hope it would go away, good guys didn't get that luxury. Besides if whoever got this data used it and killed a bunch of innocent people, he'd never forgive himself for looking the other way.
"We'll take care of it." Beastboy answered him, Jim gave him a questioning gaze.
"We?"
"My team and I." The changeling clarified.
"Are you sure they'll be on board with this? It could go beyond Jump City."
"We've done a lot of travelling in the past, when the situation called for it."
"Alright then, I'll leave you to it then." Mr. Rehnquist said, turning to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Got to go sweetie, glad you're okay." And with that, the older man exited Stacy's room, leaving the young pair alone.
"I'm sorry." Stacy said, "I didn't mean to drag you into this." Beastboy shrugged.
"Yeah well, I'm sure having a master thief drop in on you and steal military secrets wasn't in your list of things to do either." The emerald Titan stated, "Its fine Stacy, this is the type of thing we Titans deal with, it's our job."
"I know, it's just…" His childhood friend trailed off, she looked away from him for a moment, biting her lower lip and collecting her thoughts before turning to look at him again. "It's just that I wanted hang out with Garfield Logan again, not Beastboy the Titan. I really thought I had that chance this past Tuesday, but now with my broken leg…" Beastboy gave her a puzzled look.
"Stacy I'm sure we can still game together, you don't need your leg for that, unless you use your toes to push buttons now." The changeling said, Stacy chuckled at that.
"Such a jokester, that's why I like you Gar." She told him, a small smile on her face. It took a moment for Beastboy to realize exactly what she was saying.
"You mean LIKE like?" He questioned her.
"Yes, that kind of like." The gamer girl verified, "Do you remember what a month from today is?" The green superhero thought for a moment, it was past midnight so technically it was Friday now and that only meant one thing.
"Taco night?" He inquired tentatively, his answer was a glare from Stacy.
"Try thinking for more than two seconds." She told him.
"Hey come on! That had to at least be three seconds." The changeling defended.
"It's the anniversary of the founding of my father's company." Stacy revealed, Beastboy's expression soured.
"You mean that fancy party we had to dress up for as kids? God I hated those! They were so boring, think I would have lost my mind if you weren't there to keep me entertained."
"The feeling's mutual, but we're adults now, I wanted to ask you to come with me to the anniversary party, but I don't think I'll be doing any dancing with this broken leg. I'm still extending an invitation though, it would really mean a lot to me Gar."
Beastboy didn't say anything at first as he processed what he had just learned. In one week he had figured out that two beautiful young women had feelings for him and he was feeling kind of overwhelmed. Both Raven and Stacy meant a lot to him, but who did his heart belong to? He didn't know, but declining to come to the party would hurt his old friend's feelings, yet if he accepted, Raven might not be too happy about it. His mind worked furiously, surely there was a solution that would spare everyone grief. That's when the idea hit him.
"Can my friends come too?" Beastboy immediately asked, Stacy hesitated. If she said yes that meant Raven was going to come to the anniversary party too, but if she said no then Garfield would no doubt be mad at her for not inviting his friends and not come to the party. She had no choice.
"Sure." she said to him and saw his eyes immediately light up.
"Awesome!" Beastboy cheered, wrapping his childhood friend in a tight hug. "We'll be there Stacy, don't you worry." Stacy smiled and hugged him back.
"Thanks Gar, you're the best." She told him, they separated and Beastboy made his way to the door.
"I should probably let them know, the sooner the better, Robin and Starfire should be okay with it, but I don't think Cyborg or Raven are a fan of fancy parties like these." He informed her, Stacy had no doubt that Raven would be there no matter what, that girl had been extremely hostile and possessive of Garfield since she first met her. Which reminded her…
"Could you send Raven in please?" Stacy asked, this stopped the changeling in his tracks, he turned back around to look at her.
"You know I would kind of like the hospital to stay intact…" he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.
"I promise I'll be civil, but I need to have a one-on-one with her, clear the air you know?" She clarified, Beastboy nodded hesitantly in response.
"Alright." He said, "But civil remember? I'll tell Raven the same thing." And with that he was gone, leaving Stacy alone to collect her thoughts. She was about to have a conversation with a girl who could break her in half without even having to lift a finger, a girl who she suspected had strong feelings for the same guy she did. There were things that needed to be said.
Several minutes later, Stacy's door opened and in stepped Raven, there was a few tense moments of silence as they waited for the door to close on its own. As soon as it did, the cloaked Titan spoke.
"You wanted to see me?" Raven asked in her monotone. Stacy studied the dark girl, her blue hood was up so she could only see her violet eyes and mouth, her facial expression seemed one of boredom. Even during their food fight, no extreme amount of emotion was readable on her face. In her gut Stacy knew though, that this young lady in front of her had an attachment to Garfield, and she was going to find out what.
"What does Garfield mean to you?" Stacy questioned sternly, Raven's face remained a stoic mask.
"What?" Raven inquired, her impassive expression began to infuriate Stacy.
"I'm asking you what the hell Garfield means to you." Stacy repeated, irritated.
"None of your business." The dark Titan replied, the gamer girl felt her blood boil, but kept her temper in check.
"I'm afraid it is my business Raven, I've known him since he was little." Stacy said, they glared at each other for a moment, the tension palpable in the air, "Did he ever tell you what happened to his parents? His real parents?" Raven's expression softened somewhat.
"He did." The cloaked sorceress admitted, Stacy nodded.
"When he was little, when their deaths were still fresh in his mind, his heart was so heavy with sadness. I could tell he wanted to just cry and cry, but he wouldn't, he would just set his jaw and continue with Steve's rigorous training. I almost wanted to cry just looking at him sometimes." The gamer girl explained.
"What are you getting at?" Raven asked, Stacy looked her right in the eye in response.
"I don't ever want to see Garfield that sad ever again. So if you are just playing games with him or if you're stringing him along, I swear I will…" She never got to finish as the dark girl interrupted her.
"You really think I'm playing games with him?!" Raven hissed, her glare as sharp as flint. "Then maybe I should reevaluate your analytical capabilities."
"Hey whoa! That's way too many big words!" Stacy protested, the cloaked Titan rolled her eyes.
"Yes, because I wouldn't want to give you a headache." Raven replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Stacy took a few breaths to calm herself, this was not how she wanted the conversation to go.
"Look, we both hold Garfield near and dear to us. I'm not sure if we can be friends or not, but could we at least be civil towards each other? I'm sure Garfield doesn't want to be breaking up fights between us all the time." The gamer girl said.
"Fair point." Raven agreed, "Alright Stacy Rehnquist, I'll tone it down, but don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you. You're not the only one who's seen Garfield with a broken heart."
"Fine by me." Stacy said, the two girls continued to glare at each other, the tension mounting, until a black aura surrounded the door and it opened. Raven floated silently through it, leaving Stacy alone once more.
(Scene Break)********************
United Brethren Church,
A few miles outside Jump City limits.
The moon's light was unable to breach the lobby's windows that well, which the man in the expensive business suit thought was a pity. There were some beautiful paintings on the walls, crude, but full of passion. In today's day and age, the artist would probably never be recognized and be forced to live the rest of their life in poverty, no one ever acknowledging their talent. What a disgusting world to live in.
"Five minutes early, not bad if I say so myself." A distorted voice spoke from behind the man, he didn't turn until he could hide his mild surprise. This thief knew how to get into places undetected, if he chose to, he could make a great assassin.
"You are punctual Red-X, an admirable quality." The man praised, turning to face the masked thief. "I assume you have it?"
Red-X stepped forward, extending his right hand which was holding a black metal suitcase. The man in the expensive suit produced a small device which scanned the suitcase, it beeped the verification of the suitcases contents and the man nodded in approval, extending a suitcase of his own with his right hand to the master thief. Sensors in Red-X's mask scanned the man's suitcase, which informed him that the cash within it was genuine. The two men swapped briefcases and took a few steps away from each other so they were no longer within arms' reach. In their line of work, you never knew when a betrayal might happen.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Red-X said, "Look me up if you need anything else stolen in Jump." The man in the business suit smiled.
"That won't be necessary." He replied, "In less than forty days Jump City will be mine."
"Is that a fact?" The master thief inquired, raising an eyebrow beneath his mask. "You're not the first person to try and conquer that city, the kid and his merry band of superheroes are effective when it counts, they've stopped people with the same plans as you." Red-X turned to leave, "My advice, steal enough to buy yourself a nice place in the Bahamas and stay there."
"I appreciate the advice my sneaky friend." The man in the expensive suit said, "But I'm afraid you're mistaken, I don't want to conquer the city, I'm going to reduce it to a crater in the ground."
"Yeah well, good luck with that." Red-X said, blurring out of the man's sight. As the master thief reached his motorcycle and drove away from the church, he couldn't shake the bad feeling in his gut. That man had the eyes of a caged animal, a madman willing to do anything to achieve his goal. People with that kind of demeanor usually proved to be extremely dangerous from his experience. Perhaps it was time to steer clear of Jump City, this latest job had him set for a few years, if he wanted to he could lay low for a while. Crazy madmen were bad for business.
(Scene Break)********************
Raven was on her way back to the hospital lobby when she heard the unmistakable sound of Cyborg whining.
"Aw man! Are you serious BB? You really want us to go to one of them fancy ballroom dances? Where am I going to find a suit that fits me?" The metallic Titan asked, Beastboy rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously.
"Cy, believe me these types of things aren't my thing either, but Stacy is an old friend and it'd mean a lot to her if I showed up, but if you came with me things would be way less boring for me." The changeling answered, trying to convince his best friend.
"I don't know." Cyborg said, spreading his arms wide, "Can you imagine me in a suit?"
"I'll get you one tailor-made." Robin cut in, "I think it would be a good idea to attend, whoever Red-X stole that data for could make a move at the anniversary party." Starfire perked up as she caught on to Robin's thinking.
"We could be the extra security!" She exclaimed, Robin smiled at his girlfriend.
"That's right Star, we could attend to make sure everything goes smoothly, and maybe enjoy ourselves a little in the process." Robin explained, Cyborg snorted.
"How am I supposed to enjoy myself in a place full of rich snobs?" The bionic man grumbled.
Raven cleared her throat, grabbing the other Titans' attention. "So, what did I miss?"
"Stacy invited me to the anniversary of the founding of her father's company. It's one of them dress-up-fancy kind of parties." Beastboy clarified, Raven's eyes narrowed, so this was that little harpy's play.
"Oh really? And when exactly is this anniversary party?" She questioned.
"In a month." The changeling stated, walking over to the cloaked girl and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Raven tensed for a second and then relaxed. "Now I know fancy parties are the last thing you want to attend Raven, but I think it would be really awesome if you came too…."
"You're right." Raven agreed, but Beastboy wasn't listening, he continued speaking.
"….I mean the others will be there so you can talk with them if the clubbies start bugging you and..." He stopped midsentence as his brain finally registered what the dark Titan just said. "….Wait what?"
"I said you're right, I should go." Raven repeated, Beastboy just stared at her and she started to grow mildly annoyed. "What?"
The changeling shook his head and recovered, "You just said I was right, that like never happens." He turned his head towards Cyborg. "Cy, how many times has Raven admitted I'm right?"
"I think like four times since we started the team." The bionic Titan replied, Beastboy grinned.
"We should record this then, this is totally a momentous occasion." The green Titan said, pulling out his phone and hitting record, he aimed the lense at Raven. "Alright Raven, could you say that one more time? We're making history here!"
A hand made from dark energy suddenly smacked Beastboy on the back of the head, knocking him face-first onto the floor, his phone slid across the hospital's floor to land under one of the seats. Raven floated silently towards the hospital's exit, leaving the other three Titan's and a downed Beastboy in the waiting room. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg all exchanged a look and then shrugged.
"Should have quit while you were ahead." Robin told the still-prone Beastboy, his answer was some muffled grumbling.
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A/N: Aaaaaand that's it for this chapter, I plan to have the next one out same time next week.
Here's what I'm working on for the near-future of this story:
-Beastboy and Raven having moments between being superheroes
-A big battle is coming
-Some tragedy
-The anniversary party, think of that as like a season finale.
Until next time.
