A/N: If I just say "disclaimer" you know what it means.
Eris: It's nice that you liked so many aspects to the previous chapter. As for why he hid the car, it's basically already been discussed. That, and whenever I used get a new toy as a kid I would play with it in secret before I let my friends know. I doubt I'll have BB use thievery skills, but who knows.
Derekctomlinson: Thank you. And who knows. If anything, they could just share Raven's bed.
Anyways, on with the show!
Chapter 19:
Much to Cyborg's surprise, Jinx knew exactly what she was talking about. Now that he was actually paying attention to the two, they seemed much more comfortable around each other than they ever had been. As he watched them throughout the morning, he noticed them shift their chairs so they were practically shoulder to shoulder, and would occasionally bump into the other when reaching for something. Once they had finished breakfast, Beast Boy had started playing video games as usual, but Raven brought a book from her room and plopped down right beside her green teammate.
And he had thought that Robin and Starfire made their mutual attraction obvious.
"What's eating you tin man?" the pink haired girl asked. She had noticed he wasn't devouring his breakfast as fast as usual and figured something was up. "You were right. Something's going on between the two." the metal teen responded. "And you guys call Robin the detective." Jinx joked. "To be fair, he's book smart, but not necessarily street smart." was Cyborg's reply. The sorceress giggled and went back to watching the two platonic teammates. "Do you think we need to worry about them?" she questioned. While the question sounded innocent enough, Cyborg had a general idea as to what the new Titan was implying. "I doubt it. They rarely go into each other's rooms." the cybernetic teen explained, not knowing how wrong he was. But still, Jinx had a point.
"Friends, my fellow Tamaraneans will arrive shortly." Starfire exclaimed as she flew into the room. "Neat." the green teen replied as he jumped off the couch. Although he had been skeptical at first, the idea of gaining alien forms had slowly started to excite him. "Are you sure about this? What if it doesn't work?" the cybernetic teen asked from the counter. In all honesty, the idea that this would yield no results had come to the changeling. "I guess we'll find out." Beast Boy shrugged. The six heroes walked up to the roof and waited.
Less than ten minutes later a ship came into view. Starfire flew up and hovered beside it for a few moments then turned and led it to the landing pad on the roof. A big loading ramp descended and allowed the exit of two male Tamaraneans. "Friends, these are 'Ironhand' and 'Openhand'. They are long time friends of my Tamaranean family." the alien introduced. She then turned to the visitors and spoke in the gibberish known as Tamaran. "Friend Beast Boy, would you please step forward?" the orange skinned girl requested. The changeling walked towards the three aliens and was greeted with an extended hand from Ironhand. "I have explained the reason for requesting their visit, and Ironhand would consider it an honor to assist your transformations." Starfire said. Beast Boy nodded and gripped the new alien's hand and shook it. When Ironhand let go, Beast Boy grabbed his wrist and stroked his forearm with his other hand. A look of concentration overtook his face and the others watched with bated interest.
The green teen let go of the visitor's forearm after nearly a minute, which was followed by his skin bubbling under his uniform. The change was slower than his other morphs, and Raven started worrying that something was going wrong. Fortunately, her worries were quelled when the shifting stopped and a green Tamaranean stood before the group. Thankfully, his uniform didn't disappear like it normally did when he morphed. The team and Starfire's friends stood in awe as Beast Boy started floating. "This is so cool. I can feel the energy running through my veins." the green Tamaranean declared. He then turned to Ironhand and spoke a few words in his native language. Everyone looked at him in confusion, which was not missed by the changeling. "Friend Beast Boy, I did not know you could speak Tamaranean by transforming." Starfire stated. He simply shrugged and stated, "I can't, but you've lived with us for years. I was bound to pick up a few tidbits of your language.". Openhand broke the silence, and everyone looked at Starfire for translation. She slowly turned to her green teammate, and he noticed she looked embarrassed. "Friend Beast Boy, I do apologize in advance. But I believe you should be able to fully understand them yourself." she bashfully offered. He opened his mouth to question her, but was only met with his teammate's mouth.
The only thing that kept him from suffering the empath's wrath was the fact that she knew Starfire was simply using Tamaranean Beast Boy's ability to learn new languages. But that knowledge did nothing to hide the look of envy that flashed across her face. Little did she realize Robin was going through a similar experience in his own mind. Cyborg and Jinx could barely hold back the snickers caused by the looks on their jealous friends' faces.
After a few seconds of kissing, Starfire detached herself from her green friend who now looked just as embarrassed as her. It had been an odd sensation. He could feel the knowledge of the language plant itself in his brain, but at the same time it felt like he had always known how to speak the language. Definitely one of his weirder experiences. The two held a short conversation in the girl's language, and the green teen eventually started speaking English again. "Does it always feel that weird?" the green one asked. "Usually." the alien girl replied. Openhand spoke again, and the two Titans nodded at his statements.
"He said they're going to bring out a few cages and you might want to step back." Beast Boy explained. He reverted to his human form, which was a few inches shorter than his alien form. The two visiting aliens returned to the ship and pushed out a large, covered cage on wheels. They pulled of the covers to reveal a guard dog like the one Beast Boy had turned into when the team flew to Tamaran. Luckily for the shape shifter the creature was asleep, so he didn't have to worry about getting bit. Or worse. The changeling pet the creature's giant paw for several seconds before transforming into a green version of the alien. The weight distribution and durability made it powerful in head to head fights, but it was also bulky and slow. On the other hand, the large teeth and gaping maw almost made up for the lack of mobility. The green dog shrunk back into a human, and he morphed his mouth into an over-sized hole with sharp teeth. Not the most useful partial morph, but it might be good to keep in mind.
He nodded at the two brothers, who proceeded to cover up the cage and wheeled it back into the ship. They returned with another cage which contained a more feline creature. The best way Beast Boy could describe it was a pitch-black tiger with two rows of webbed, six inch long spikes on its back and upper tail that vaguely resembled Kentrosaurus plates. Like the guard dog, this animal was asleep, but the green teen was still cautious as he stroked the animal's hind leg.
Once again he could feel his body absorbing the animal's genetic structure and learning how to shift into it. When he felt ready, he stepped back and morphed into the creature. He noted the poison glands attached to the spikes and the six claws hidden inside each paw. He flexed to extend them, which revealed the six claws that were arranged in three sets of two. This animal had a strong sense of smell, and he could feel the powerful muscles in the jaw. He ran his long, narrow tongue over the serrations on the top and bottom fangs, but surprisingly didn't get cut. This one would definitely come in handy. Once he had explored the creature's capabilities he reverted to human and performed several partial morphs. The onlookers watched as proportionate webbed spikes emerged from his back, which then retreated. Then his hands expanded and changed a little to accommodate the six claws, followed by his fangs lengthening and sharpening. "What is this thing called?" the green teen asked the two visitors in their own language. They replied, which he translated to "Night-terror".
They returned the vicious animal to the ship and brought out a final cage. Whatever was in this one was clearly active given the rattling that sounded from inside. The cover was pulled back to reveal...something. It looked like a dragonfly, but it was almost four feet long. The wings were like eagle wings, but longer and slimmer. And instead of chitin or feathers, the four wings were covered in a skin-like substance like a bat. The rest of the body was covered in a shiny, insectile armor all the way down to the end of the tail, which had a rudder design similar to Toothless' tail from "How to Train Your Dragon.". More so, each of the six legs had two small, finger-like claws at the ends. But the head was the most surprising. This bug had three compound eyes, and the mandibles and chelicerae were razor sharp; obviously designed to slice and chew through the toughest shells and strongest skin with minimal effort. The only real option Beast Boy had was to go behind the insect and feel the rudder and tail. The insect flapped around at the intrusion of its space, but the changeling got enough of a sample for his needs. For the fourth time that day he transformed into a new animal.
He took half a minute to fly around and get used to the wings. The design of the tail and quad wings made it much faster and more agile than he had expected. The two outer eyes gave a unique field of view and depth perception, but the center eye gave him the ability to see whatever was directly in front of him in thermal vision. But what got his attention most was two chambers inside the throat. He had used enough insects that relied on chemical warfare to know this one could spit something. He was expecting a solution like formic acid like ants or maybe sticky glue like the velvet worm, but what he got was so much better. By propelling some liquid from each chamber he managed to blow a plume of intense fire that reached five feet before dissipating. He rushed back to the roof and reverted to human.
His friends had seen the whole display, and their faces displayed emotions ranging from shock to actual jealousy. "Man, this is so cool!" he exclaimed excitedly, even jumping around like a kid who got a new toy. Like he had for the cat and dog, he incorporated individual aspects of the new form. First he grew the double pair of wings on his back and the tail which he used to hover, speed forward, lurch from side to side, and even fly backwards. He then altered his skull to hold the three eyes, which his friends found to be a rather grotesque look. Lastly, he grew the two chambers in his throat and spat out another massive fireball. The heat was uncomfortable, but he was more than willing to overlook that.
The changeling rushed over and quickly blurted out something only Starfire could make out to be a very enthusiastic "thank you". The two males laughed and patted his shoulders before walking over to Starfire. They both gave her a quick hug and farewells before returning the caged insect to the ship. The ramp closed behind them, and the six heroes waved as the spacecraft took of for the trip back home. "Well, that was rather productive." Robin stated. Four of his teammates responded, but the changeling seemed deep in though.
"B, is something wrong?" Cyborg asked his friend. "No, I'm just trying something." he responded. "What is it?" the empath questioned as she came up behind her friend. "I'm adding the ability to absorb solar radiation to my normal form.". "Is it working, friend Beast Boy?" the alien girl asked. "I think so. I can feel the power, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's like...plugging in a phone for too long. There's a current, but after a while nothing will change." the green teen tried to explain. "Hold on a second." he muttered to himself. He morphed into the green Tamaranean and threw a starbolt into the sky. Only Starfire seemed surprised, but soon made a connection. "I believe I understand. You compared it to the charging of a phone. I believe a more accurate analogy would be a spare battery. By collecting solar energy in your own form, you can save it up to use as a Tamaranean." she declared.
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense." he agreed. "Yo guys, who's up for lunch?" the cybernetic man asked. A small choir of agreements passed, and the team started heading back inside. "Wait, Star. Could you give me a quick rundown on how to use these powers?" the green alien requested. "Most certainly friend Beast Boy." she replied. Robin and Raven were a bit suspicious given the kissing session, but neither showed it as the green and orange Tamaraneans stayed behind.
"As you probably know, my powers come from my emotions. To fly, you must allow yourself to feel happy." Starfire instructed. Several thoughts ran through Beast Boy's head. The prank on Cyborg, the excitement of using the new forms, the times Raven willingly sat next to him. Higher and higher he rose until Starfire had to fly to speak to him. "Very good. Now look where you want to go and let your flight take you." she offered. He did as he was told, and was soon flying in circles around the tower. It was a breathtaking experience; flying without wings or turning into a bug. After a dozen laps around the tower, they met in the air above the rocks. "It is clear that you know how to use a starbolt, as you already have thrown one. But just remember, your fury and anger are not exactly the true source of power. It is simply your will to use one." she explained. "For example." she offered as she shot a starbolt into the water. There was no hint of anger or rage on her face.
"Most of my people believe it is rage and anger that power our starbolts. But that is only partially true, it is simply because we usually have the strongest will to use them when we are enraged. Do you understand?" she added. "I think so." he replied. He focused on collecting the energy in his hands and was rewarded by a powerful green glow. He threw both downwards, and created giant splashes in the nearby water. "Thank you Star. Is there anything else I should know?". The alien girl thought for a few moments before something came to mind. "You must be wary of your strength. The solar radiation also powers your body in a physical sense. Aside from that, I have nothing. But I will let you know if something comes into my mind." she replied before flying to the roof and entering the tower. The green teen spent another five minutes practicing shooting and throwing starbolts and even managed to shoot a weak eyebeam before he fully drained what little radiation he had absorbed that day. He made a note that Starfire was constantly absorbing energy, even if she didn't mean too, and that he should try to remember to incorporate the solar absorption ability as frequently as he could.
He turned into his alien dragonfly form and quickly returned to the roof, where he went to go join the others for lunch after spewing another fire burst for fun. "How'd it go?" the empath asked upon his entrance. "Pretty good. I just need to spend some time absorbing solar rays." the green teen responded. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get a chance to eat because the alarm went off. "Who is it this time?" Beast Boy asked with an exasperated tone. "It's...the Hive, but Adonis is with them." the Boy Wonder stated. "You think you can handle this Jinx?" the cyborg asked. "I guess I'll have to.". Her voice was strong, but her face showed hints of uncertainty. "Then let's go." Robin ordered. The half demon teleported the team into Beast Boy's cubicle, where five of them piled into the car. "Can you go easy on the driving this time?" the metal man pleaded. Beast Boy's only response was to play a eurobeat song called "Gas Gas Gas" on the radio. Cyborg just groaned, and all four passengers held on to whatever they could. The cybernetic man made finishing the new T-car tomorrow's priority, and Robin was getting ready to start using the R-cycle again.
"Those wimps better be here soon." a man in a giant red suit stated. He didn't notice the traces of fear from the four Hive members. "They should. And you'd best take care of them." two Billies said in unison. "You doubt the mighty Adonis?" he rhetorically questioned as he flexed the mechanical suit's muscles. Truthfully, the four villains had no idea if he could stand up to whatever the Titans, especially Beast Boy, could throw at him. Not that he needed to know. "Just take them down and half of this is yours." Mammoth said. "I will. Especially that green loser. I have a score to settle." Adonis confidently said as he punched his palm. "Oh boy." Gizmo muttered under his breath. An engine roar cut through the air, and the Hive Five...Four? The Hive got ready for the inevitable battle that was probably going to hospitalize them again.
A/N: Hee hee hee. How will this turn out? Any guesses? Leave a review with your opinion. (BTW, I don't own the song mentioned or HTTYD. Figured I should throw a late disclaimer pt. 2). I hope this chapter didn't get to out of hand, especially with the alien animals. Peace out y'all!