Fall Of The Beasts
"NO, IT'S WHAT HE WANTS!" Deadshot cried in desperation, pleading for Boomer not to do what he knows he's about to do. Boomer had snatched the detonator to the nanotech explosives in each taskforce member's neck and primed them all before activating Killer Croc's. The bomb still in Croc's decapitated head began beeping again. Slade was quick to react and threw Croc's head toward the Suicide Squad before it exploded. The three members dove for cover as the head exploded into a mist of blood, bone and brain.
The three tumbled away, each taking a bad hit from the bomb. The explosion knocked the detonator out of Boomer's hand. The device slid across the floor in front of them all. Deadshot gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet to run for the detonator. He barely got a few strides in before he was booted in the back by Slade knocking him past it. Ignoring the other two members, Slade ran for the device and successfully swiped it off the floor before tackling Deadshot into a part of the shipping yard that was highly damaged from the crane fall. Shipping crates were dangerously teetering off their spots and fire had spread throughout the contents of the crates, many exploding from the contents inside.
Boomer and Harley could only watch as Deadshot disappeared into the smoke and fire, and Slade stood at the entrance to the small area he had thrown his brother into. Boomer tried to get up but he was too badly injured from his previous fight with Slade and the explosion, simply falling to his knees while Harley still had a little more fight to give. She went to run for Slade but the man pulled a small explosive out of his armour. Walking into the smoke, Slade detonated the bomb, causing containers to fall behind him that locked Harley and Boomer outside without a way in.
"ARGH! Drats! BOOMER! Get your butt ova here we gotta finda way inside!"
"Harl's darlen. I'm cooked luv." Boomer replied exhausted.
"Our brains will be cooked if we don't do somethin!"
"My arm's broke, my nose is broke and now my leg's probably busted too. I can't fight. Figure it out."
"Fine! But you're comin with me!" Harley didn't care how broken he was. He was going to help her. Picking Boomer up, she wrapped his good arm around her shoulder and lifted him off the ground.
"Far out Harl! Argh fine. I got an idea. But it ain't a good one."
Harley and a limping Boomer were forced to hop away from their leader while one of the most dangerous men they've faced to date held their lives at the press of a button.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Blood stared at blood. Two men surrounded by fire and explosions yet neither could care when the other was stood across from them. Floyd Lawton. Slade Wilson. Deadshot and Deathstroke. Who would prove to be the deadliest assassin? Both men had been put through hell tonight. Both had lost most of their weaponry - In Deadshot's case, he had lost it all. The only weapons left at Slade's disposal were his two katanas.
Both men were hurting, both men were tired. Deadshot was only a regular human and could only take so many beatings in a night but the man had far more at stake than just his life. He was fighting for his friends, his pride and most importantly, his daughter.
Slade's epi pen had done its job. His leg was now healed along with any other injuries he had sustained recently. However, it came at a price. His sudden boost in adrenaline earlier put him down a path of exhaustion much worse than Deadshot. Not even his superhuman state could recover from a cool down that quickly.
Deathstroke held the detonator in his hand, flipping the latch as Slade armed all of the remaining bombs inside the Taskforce's necks. It could all be over with a press of a button. His brother - gone. It was what he wanted... But not like this. Whether it was out of respect, courtesy or ego. Slade didn't detonate any of the bombs. The elder brother placed the detonator between them on the floor then stood an equal distance away from the remote.
"I was content with letting you rot in a cell. Even after everything you did to me. I couldn't bring myself to kill my little brother. But now? You destroyed everything I built here. The illusion I had is gone and I can never get that back. So before I kill you, I'm going to make you watch as I blow off your friends' heads like I had to witness mine have his head beaten in. Then after I kill you, I'm going to do what I told you would happen if you stepped foot in my city."
Deadshot's eyes widened in fury. His mind flashed back to that night he was forced to listen to Slade enter his daughter's home and do nothing but beg for him not to hurt his family.
"One of us isn't leaving alive, Floyd. No more backstabbing, no more tricks. The two of us are going to find out who's the most dangerous assassin while your friends' lives rest in the balance. So if you want the detonator. Come and take it."
Deadshot tensed. The man stood with his guard up. He only had one shot at this. If he didn't win here... He didn't even want to think about it.
Both men were standing still. Slade knew he had the advantage. He held the only weapons in play and he was far better trained. However, the only thing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose was a man with everything to lose. That man was Deadshot. In a snap, he bolted for the detonator. Slade also ran toward Deadshot, eager for the murder of Floyd.
Both men ran at the detonator. Slade was faster and jumped at Deadshot, his sword pulled back ready to slash. There was no way he was beating Slade to the detonator nor was he going to last much longer without a weapon. Instead of diving for the detonator, Deadshot bravely jumped over Slade and grasped the second sword on Slade's back, snatching it out of its sheath. Deadshot had almost no experience with a katana but he would take it.
"I hesitated that night because I didn't want to become you!" Deadshot screamed at Slade, pointing his sword at him.
"You destroy anyone close to you. Our mother, your kids and now me! My fucking kid died and all you cared about was the mission. Edward was your nephew, for god sake!"
"If I didn't focus on the mission I put all those lives at risk, Floyd. That's the difference between you and I. You can't grasp the bigger picture. Just like how you can't grasp that sword." Slade retorted before darting at Deadshot, slashing at his katana and knocking the piece of steal out of his hand with ease. With no weapon in his hand, Deadshot froze. He had faced a lot of dangerous men in the past. This was without a doubt the most dangerous encounter and he just realised the magnitude of the task at hand.
Slade booted Deadshot in the chest and knocked him back hard into a shipping crate. He fell to his knees in front of Slade and without even seeing the jab, Slade drove the tip of his sword into Deadshot's right eye. "ARHHH!" Deadshot cried in agony. Slade stood above him staring at him completely unfazed that he just blinded his brother in one eye.
Yanking the blade out of Deadshot's eye, the man fell to the floor clenching his eye. Blood trickled down his face. There was enough blood pouring out of his eye he could hardly see out of his good eye anymore.
"When you came to Jump City, I had my own mission set in motion. And you had to come along and compromise it just like the last." Slade explained, kicking Deadshot in the ribs as he tried to stand up.
"Because of you I have nothing left. Everything I've been working for is destroyed. You took everything I had left. Now I will take everything from you."
"Argh- fuck... You- can kill me for all I care, Slade. You can blow my head off along with the rest of the task force. You can cut out my other eye and kick the crap out of me some more. But I'll always have one thing that you'll never take away from me." Deadshot explained as he shakily stood to his feet.
"I got a kid that still gives a shit about me." Deadshot snapped with venom in his tone.
"Not for much longer."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Harley and Boomer both felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end after hearing the hideous cry of pain from their leader. Both still had no way inside the fiery, exploding death pit the two assassins were in.
"Come on Boomie where you takin us?!" Harley asked desperately.
"I know! I know! Should be about- There!" Boomer exclaimed, pointing at Deadshot's rifle he had knocked away from him in their fight with Slade. With no thought to her injured partner, Harley dropped Boomer and picked up the rifle.
"This - Is your plan?!" Harley exclaimed. Who did he think she was? She can't fire a rifle.
"That's the best I can do, Harley... Now get up high and help Lawton. Hurry, quick!" Boomer ordered before moaning in pain at his growing list of injuries.
"Hey Boomer. If we don't make it outta this... I just wantcha to know... Eh screw it. Go ta hell, Boomer." Harley yelled before she began climbing on top of a pile of shipping crates to look for a vantage point for Deadshot.
"Nice knowing you too, Harls..." Boomer shrugged.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Slade was effectively bullying Deadshot at this point. He had kicked and punched his brother into the ground only for him to stand up again and get beaten down once more. The man was bleeding profusely out of his eye, nose and mouth now, and his ribs were so badly hurt that standing the pain was almost too much to bear now. Yet Deadshot kept standing up to his brother to try to fight back.
Deadshot hit the ground hard again. Every punch he swung was nowhere near Slade and the elder, more experienced, brother didn't let up. Again and again he'd brutally throw him down and beat Deadshot. He already proved his point that he was by far the superior fighter. This was just revenge.
He knew he couldn't beat his brother one on one. He couldn't understand how his brother was so unbelievably physically gifted and where he learnt to fight the way he did, but that didn't matter. He just needed to survive. In front of him stood the detonator. He dragged himself along the floor toward the device while Slade was sadistically trailing behind him.
"It's funny. If you had just been a man that night in Russia and shot Dragovich when you were told to. I would have never been captured. We would have gone home as heros. Now look at us, Floyd. LOOK!"
He was fingertips away from the detonator when Slade stomped on his wrist and picked up the detonator himself. Deadshot groaned at his wrist being crushed. The pain stopped when Slade grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up off the ground.
"Instead, you are the sole cause for what we are today. And now, you'll be served your sentence." Slade was holding Deadshot by the throat, high in the air with one hand slowly choking the life out of him. "Do you have anything to say before I end your pathetic life, brother?"
Even at his most beaten state, Deadshot held onto Slade's wrist trying to pull away from his grip. His voice was raspy and dry, but he had last words for Slade.
"T-ell me. The rea-son you're s-so inves-ted in the Titans. It's be-cause you thi-nk you can ma-ke up for being a shitty fa-ther by tes-ting them. Training them to defeat some great ev-il, isn't it?" Deadshot breathed.
Slade wasn't expecting that. He expected him to say something about himself or his daughter. Hell, he was expecting him to beg for forgiveness. Even to his last breath, Floyd never stopped trying to find an edge to leverage against him. In a way, he respected that. However, his death was going to be much more brutal than slowly having the life squeezed out of him. Slade didn't respond to Deadshot's question. Instead, Slade slipped the detonator into his pocket and drew his sword for a final time.
Resting the tip against Deadshot's throat, Slade huffed as he was ready to end it.
"Tra-in them all y-ou like, Sl-ade. It'll nev-er ma-ke you any less of an ev-il, man-ipula-tive, no good fath-er."
BANG* A rifle shot echoed around the shipyard. Slade noticed the bullet flew right between him and Deadshot, hitting the ground beside them. Looking up toward the shooter, Slade chuckled seeing who it was.
"Stupid, good for nuttin piecea chunk!" Harley cursed as she tried to line up another shot on Slade. Harley loved weapons. The bigger the better. Only this big weapon was completely reliant on precision. Something she had none of.
Despite being shot at, Slade had no faith in Harley to hit her target, not even from a short shooting distance away. Pulling the tip of his sword away from Deadshot's throat, Slade adjusted his hold on Deadshot's neck. Slade had taken the detonator out of his armour before wrapping his guarded wrist around his neck while he held his sword on the back on his neck. Deadshot was locked in a sleeper hold with a blade against his neck. A position that left him with zero room to wiggle and turned him into a human shield for Slade. He held the detonator mere inches from Deadshot's face while he was barely visible from Harley's position.
"I can't getta clean shot!" Harley called out to Deadshot, hoping he could do something to help her.
"Just ta-ke the shot, Har-ley." Deadshot wheezed back to her.
"Try aiming directly down the middle Quinn. Your shot will most likely fall off target anyway. Or not." Slade shrugged.
"Do it Quinn. I-I'd rath-er it be you any-way. Don't give hi-m the satis-fac-tion..."
Harley's hands were shaking. This shot had so many lives depending on it. The gun was shaking mildly in her hands but for this weapon that meant the difference between millimetres and meters.
"No pressure, Quinn. It's just that if you miss the detonator, I'm going to blow your skull fragments all across this shipping yard, while I make your fearless leader watch as the last of his team are slaughtered one by one with the press of a button. And when I finally lay waste to you all. I'm going to pay a visit to your family back in Jump City, Floyd, and ensure their last moments on this earth is nothing short of unbearable suffering and-"
*BANG*
A second gunshot rang out through the shipping yard. By some stroke of unbelievable luck, Slade let go of the hold clutching his right socket. Groaning in eminence pain. Slade fell backward, letting go of Deadshot. He couldn't believe it. Harley had managed to hit Slade in his empty eye socket, but it wasn't a kill shot. Quinn stood in amazement while staring at the rifle. Deadshot wanted to thank her but he didn't have to time to let this advantage go to waste.
Slade slashed wildly at Deadshot. His head was ringing from the shot and could barely see straight. Deadshot slipped under the sword and held the blade away from the pair. Holding his arm down, Deadshot rocked Slade with bombs to the head again and again, purposely targeting his remaining eye.
Practically blind, Slade broke the hold with a front kick, making space between them. With a mighty roar, Slade ran at Deadshot with his sword by his side, ready to ram it through him. Both men were on their last legs. Deadshot had yet to catch his breath from being choked but he didn't have a choice.
He had come so far. All the sleepless nights thinking about what his life could have been. How he failed himself but more importantly, how he failed his daughter. All the nights of hurt and pain, and this man was partly to blame. In that moment of exhaustion, Deadshot found the final burst of energy he needed. Deadshot stepped toward the blade, just barely stepping to the side of the weapon, and drove a massive elbow into the bridge of Slade's nose, using Slade's force against him.
Stopping Slade where he wanted him, Deadshot chopped Slade's wrists, loosening the hold on his sword. Prying the blade away from him, Deadshot grasped the handle of his brother's sword and with every ounce of force he had drove the blade through Slade's chest.
Time seemed to slow down for the two of them. Both knew the fight was over. Neither said a word yet both knew they were thinking about the same thing. Their whole life had led to this moment. Everything they did to each other. All the fights they fought together and against. This was the outcome. Neither stopped to ask whether this was what their mother would have wanted. They just knew it was the only way these two would resolve their differences.
Slade stared at the blade that pierced through his chest and out through his back. He couldn't believe it. He lost.
Exhaustion and shock took over him. His legs felt weak, shaking as he tried to stay upright. He tried to pull the sword out but Deadshot held tightly onto the handle. Unable to remove the blade, Slade fell to his knees along with his brother still holding on. Both breathed heavily, completely exhausted. Neither had anything to say.
As the men knelt in front of another tired of fighting, Slade laid his hand on Floyd's shoulder, Floyd doing the same. They leant in and found themselves leaning on another's head for support. It had taken years of fighting and hating another but for one last moment of each other's life, they were brothers again.
Knowing what needed to be done, Floyd took a hold of Slade's head and broke his neck. A sickening crack could be heard up to where Harley Quinn stood. Slade's limp body fell to the floor. Floyd looked up at his teammate, who looked back. Not even Harley Quinn had another thing to say at what just happened. There was no joke or irony here. This is what he was dreaming about for years and yet his victory was saddening to him.
"Cowboy, lookout!" Harley cried suddenly at a danger Deadshot couldn't see through the smoke.
Hybrid burst through the shipping containers like a charging bull toward Deadshot. He tried to get up off the ground but stumbled back. Hybrid stanched him from the floor, holding him in the air. "Miss me?" Hybrid hissed.
Harley fired another shot, hitting Hybrid in the side. The beast growled and threw Deadshot out the way he came in. The man skipped across the ground, tumbling and rolling to a stop near the end of a dock. He groaned but when he saw Hybrid was on top of him again, he didn't fight it. If this was his time to go, he could go peacefully now knowing his daughter would be living her life without fear of seeing Deathstroke again.
Hybrid's talons were as sharp and long as ever, and they were pointed against Deadshot's throat. Hybrid was grinning at his prey when a Chinook cargo helicopter loudly landed in front of them. Hybrid looked on curiously. The back door of the cargo ship opened and out rushed a small squadron of armed soldiers with assault rifles at the ready as they lined up in formation. Hybrid growled at the new threat. The soldiers aimed their rifles at him but hadn't received the order from their commander.
"Beast Boy, stop!" Cried Robin who came running with the rest of the heroes in tow.
"Don't do it, BB!" Cyborg called out behind Robin.
"Please. It is over friend! We can return home together!" Starfire tried to reason with Hybrid.
Raven didn't have the strength to speak to her friend. She hated to admit it but all she could see was a killer and to her, that was partly her fault.
"Safety's off!" Called one of the soldiers. Everyone's rifle was now live and all aimed toward the heroes and Hybrid.
"NO STOP!" Robin screamed at the soldiers, desperate to keep them from firing at his friend.
Hybrid was still highly hostile. His talons were still dangerously close to severely cutting Deadshot's neck but he also knew he was in control. He could kill Deadshot long before the man commanding the soldiers gave the order to shoot him. The growling animal looked back at the teenagers his host once called friends. "You know he deserves it. They all do." Hybrid said to Robin and pressed the tip of his talon against Deadshot's throat. Just enough to draw blood from the beaten man, who cried in discomfort at being cut.
Robin could hardly bear the sight of his friend about to take another man's life. In further desperation, he drew the dart gun from his belt. He was praying not to use it but he feared he didn't have a choice at that moment. Loaded in the dart gun was the serum Slade had given him. The serum that was strong enough to put Hybrid, and as a result Beast Boy, to sleep for good.
"I won't let you become a killer..."
Jason Todd noticed Robin's dart gun. His instincts kicked in and went to disarm Robin of the gun, only a firm hand held him back. Batman stopped his new sidekick from interfering. Even in such a dire situation, Batman was prepared to stand by and trust Dick with another's life.
Robin aimed his gun at Hybrid but he couldn't bring himself to use the weapon. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he used it. This wasn't some rabid animal he would be putting down. This was an innocent boy. Slowly, Robin put away his gun and approached Hybrid, watching closely for sudden movements toward him or against Deadshot.
"Beast Boy. I know you're in there somewhere. I made you a promise, remember? I promised you that I wouldn't let you lose. I don't believe you've lost yet. We've beaten the odds before and I need you to do it again. Please. Fight this. Come back to us." Robin pulled out Beast Boy's communicator from his belt and held it out to him. "There's no Teen Titans without you, Beast Boy."
"You're my best friend, BB. I know you man. I don't care how big and scary you are. I'm not going anywhere without my pal. I am not leaving you alone." Cyborg spoke from the heart as he stood beside Robin.
"Beast Boy. I am most lucky to be able to call you a friend. My people have always been judged for who we are but you have shown nothing but kindness to me. You are like a brother to me. I have already lost my sister. I can not bear to lose you too." A teary Starfire added, standing by the boys.
Raven couldn't bear to look up at Hybrid but she stepped ahead of her team before the towering demon. "These past few days... Have been some of the hardest I've ever had to deal with. But I would live them again to spend another few days with you. You're not just a teammate to me, Garfield. You're a lot of things. You're our friend. Our family. You can be any animal you want yet you're more human than any of us. Even when all seemed lost to me. You were by my side until the end, ready to lay your life down to protect me... I will not just let you go." Raven clutched in her hand the penny Beast Boy gave to her on her sixteenth birthday. Her eyes were teary but she looked up at Hybrid, who was now completely passive and looked apologetic.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He felt like he was falling forever. Maybe he had but Beast Boy couldn't tell. He tried his best but he couldn't beat his Paramore. His negative emotions had too much time to fester into a force that could overpower him.
As he fell further down the waterfall he thought about his friends and family. He remembered the few good memories he had with his parents before he met the Doom Patrol. Steve, Rita, Cliff and Larry. They were all so good to him. Even when he got it wrong, they were right by his side. It hurt him to quit but it led to the best thing that could have happened to him. The Teen Titans.
Robin. Brave and strong. He admired the guy for years, and now he was his teammate and in a way his mentor. The most professional and calculated crime fighter he knew, and he was lucky enough to call him his friend.
Cyborg. Best friend and basically brother. Two of the most unlikely people to be another's friend and yet their bond grows stronger everyday.
Starfire. The sister he never asked for but was grateful for her arrival everyday. Without her, he'd have never had the chance to join forces with the other Titans.
Raven. There were so many things he could say about her. They started off on not so great terms. But little by little, they realised they weren't so different despite being total opposites. Yin and Yang almost. Their past few days had been their roughest but Beast Boy wouldn't change them for the world.
If these really were his last moments, he was going to enjoy them by thinking about his friends and family with a smile. The changeling exhaled, letting the freshwater mist wash over his face as he prepared to hit the water below.
Strangely he felt his fall decelerate. Like he was floating in a parachute. The boy opened his eyes. He was only a meter or two above the pool of water and was being pulled away on a black glowing construct. Raven's constructs.
Beast Boy looked to the edge of the water. He couldn't find the words to express his emotions upon seeing his friends standing there, grinning at him, other than one. "DUDES!"
The Titans all cheered and pulled Beast Boy off Raven's magic.
"That was a pretty big fall, BB. You forget you can fly or something man?" Cyborg asked, pulling his friend in for a bro hug.
"I think he just liked the attention." Robin joked, patting his shoulder.
"Guys I... I'm like gassed you're here and all but... I don't get it?" Beast Boy confessed.
"Yes I am also puzzled yet grateful to see my friend again." Starfire smiled.
Everyone's eyes seemed to look for Raven. "What makes you all think I know why we're here?"
"This is my mindscape, isn't it?" Beast Boy asked.
"You are the expert in that department, Raven." Robin stated.
"Okay but listen. I can't be certain. When I was developing my own mindscape I moulded mine so I could give each of my emotions a physical presence. So if I needed to target one in particular, I could speak to it and it could speak to me what it wanted. If I were to guess, I would say we're your emoticons in a sense." Raven explained.
"Huh okay. So instead of my feelings, I have my friends to talk to. Neat. So what's happening right now? Where am I, as in my real body?"
All four Titans looked at another and shrugged.
"I don't think we can tell you, Beast Boy. We might be us but we're not the real versions of us either. We can't know everything. If you don't know something then I doubt any of us would know it either." Raven shrugged.
"Ugh man. Talk about a mindfuck- OWW!" Beast Boy yelped after Starfire lightly punched his arm.
"That is most impolite." The Princess huffed.
"We have bigger things to worry about. What happened to Hybrid?" Robin asked.
"Oh dudes! He's on-top of the waterfall. Come on, we can take him out!" Beast Boy gleamed before he went to take off, but none of the other Titans were following. "You guys coming? "He asked, confused.
The four Titans looked at one another before Raven sighed and stepped forward. "Beast Boy. We've already tried to defeat your Paramore. There's only so much we can do, like our real selves can do, to help you. Your Paramore is your obstacle to overcome. It's your negative emotions to deal with." Raven explained.
"But you know I want to beat this. I don't want to live with that guy making my life a misery. Please, you have to help me..."
"We wish we could... However. You're not entirely alone anymore. We found someone who can help." Raven smirked, gesturing to a tall figure behind Beast Boy.
"Go kick his ass, BB."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hybrid stood upon the waterfall marvelling at his work. His green counterpart disappeared into the water with no sign of him flying away. Smug as the Paramore had been since the start, the demon huffed in disappointment at how easy it was to take over Beast Boy's core persona. Leaving the spot he threw away Beast Boy, Hybrid walked across the rocks toward the river bank. Enjoying the stroll like he hadn't just thrown a boy off the edge of a cliff.
That boy, however, was far more resilient than he was expecting. "Hey!" Beast Boy yelled, standing on the rock he had just been tossed from.
"Dude. You're not going to win. Just give up." Hybrid responded, annoyed not even looking back.
"I don't care how many times you throw me over this damn waterfall. I'm not going nowhere."
"Then I guess I'll just have to drown you in it myself."
"I think you mean 'us' dude." Beast Boy smirked.
"Your friends can't hurt me here. This is our mind. The rest of the Titans are weak here."
"Good thing he's not a Titan then, huh?"
"Huh?" Hybrid was puzzled but the large figure that stood behind Beast Boy earlier had just shot straight up into the air through the waterfall beside Hybrid. The figure blocked out the sun that hung above Hybrid who could only see the dark figure falling down toward him. The large animal landed hard on the rock next to Hybrid, who's eyes widened at what had landed beside him. 'Crud'. Hybrid thought.
The Beast was in play and he did not like Hybrid. Beast growled loudly at Hybrid, who was snarling back. In a flash, Beast roared and dove at Hybrid. Hybrid still got the better of Beast and grabbed him, throwing him aside but he couldn't stop Beast Boy from leaping on him as a tiger viciously scratching and biting at Hybrid's back. Hybrid groaned and shifted into its Dragon form, its strong scales able to keep Beast Boy from hurting its back.
Hybrid had managed to grab a hold of Beast Boy and throw the giant cat off the cliff again before quickly trying to escape into the sky. Hybrid darted high into the sky, desperate to get away but Beast wasn't letting him. Hybrid panicked seeing the monster cannonball toward him at high-speed. Breathing fire, Hybrid shot a hot burst of flames toward the cannonball but Beast shot straight through it, slamming into the dragon and knocking him partially out of the sky.
Hybrid composed and corrected himself mid fall to go and attack Beast as he fell out of the sky, but Beast Boy had flown back as a pterodactyl and latched himself onto Hybrid's back again. The pair fought mid fall as Beast Boy intended on bringing this back to the ground. Hybrid cried out a loud shriek at Beast Boy as they fell over jungle trees. Beast Boy held onto Hybrid with everything he could as a silverback gorilla and drove them both hard into the trees.
Many of the thinner trees snapped in two at the massive force behind the pair. Hybrid came crashing down hard, bouncing between trees and hitting branches on the way down. Beast Boy had grasped onto a large vine and swung himself down to the safety of the jungle floor. He watched as Hybrid crash landed in front of him. The gorilla pounded his chest and screamed a battle cry.
Hybrid was hurting badly but he couldn't let this happen. Hybrid shifted back into his Beast form and made a run for it. Beast Boy gave chase as a leopard and ran as fast as he could through the jungle.
Hybrid burst out the jungle, having apparently lost Beast Boy somewhere in the thick jungle. Hybrid went to dive into the water intending to hide but as he shifted into his marine form, Beast had burst from the water. The animal was lying in wait for Hybrid. The monster showing intelligence, unlike Beast Boy or Hybrid would have been possible to know Hybrid, would eventually try to use the river.
Hybrid tried to turn around and run but Beast snatched him by the waist from the water. "No, get off me! I took care of you days ago! This isn't fair!" Hybrid panicked, scratching and prying at Beast's grip. Hybrid was losing the battle as Beast started dragging Hybrid into the water. While Beast was winning, Hybrid's slimy scales weren't making it easy.
Hybrid could hear Beast Boy through the jungle and he wasn't far away. He needed to escape, quickly. Before Beast could realize what Hybrid was doing, the furry beast was electrocuted by Hybrid. Where that came from Beast hadn't a clue, but the shock was enough to make Beast let go of Hybrid as Beast Boy came flying out of the jungle a couple hundred meters away from him.
Hybrid took off running back in his Beast form with Beast Boy gaining behind him. Beast Boy had been running for a while but now that his foe was in sight, he seemed to find another gear. This was the reason he hurt innocent people, why he was locked in a cell. He stepped down from the Titans all because of this demon. Memories of the past few days reminded him just why he was here. No way in hell was he letting it get away.
Hybrid had reached the edge of the cliff beside the waterfall. Beast Boy was close now. Hybrid wanted to fly away but his wings were hurt from the fall earlier. He had to try and lose him another way. He dove into the water, swimming with pace toward the other side, fighting the current as he did so. Hybrid hadn't heard or felt Beast Boy jump in behind him. Upon reaching halfway Hybrid could feel something to his right.
Hybrid cried in peril seeing the gigantic creature open its massive jaws and snapping him up in its teeth. Beast Boy as a huge green Kronosaurus burst out of the water with Hybrid still in his mouth and flew over the edge of the waterfall - A breathtaking sight. The mammoth creature began falling the great height with Hybrid.
The bite from the powerful jaws of the dinosaur sent Hybrid into a state of shock, turning the Paramore back into its regular Beast Boy copy. Shifting back from his Kronosaurus, Beast Boy grabbed Hybrid by the collar of his uniform as they fell from the waterfall. Holding his head down toward the water. The Paramore didn't have the strength to fight back anymore. "Please... Without me. You'll just be a loser. You need me dude..." He weakly tried to reason with Beast Boy.
"You might think I'm a loser. For a while I thought that too. But I got four best friends that think otherwise and you dude have none. I remember who I need to listen to now. And it ain't you dude. See ya never, loser!" Beast Boy yelled before the two smashed through the surface of the pond below. The impact was immense. The Paramore took the full brunt of the hit. Beast Boy floated there in the empty pool of water upon falling in. Despite falling into a pond, there was no visible bottom to it. Beast Boy silently watched as his Paramore slowly sunk further into the pond. Lifeless. Every passing second the Paramore faded into the water before it was finally lost to the darkness. The Paramore was gone.
Relief engulfed Beast Boy as he swam back to the surface. He reached the edge of the pond and jumped out. This was the same edge where his friends had saved him before yet they were no longer to be found. Beast Boy didn't worry about that, however. This was his mindscape and they were not his real friends. The boy sighed and sat by the pond. Everything was at peace. No sounds came from the jungle apart from the water crashing beside him and the leaves rustling with the wind.
"It's over." Beast Boy smiled. He was almost tearing up. For days he thought he was turning rabid, going to snap and hurt someone. But none of that was true. He was always himself. This whole time there was a reason for it all. And that reason was taken care of. He could live a full life after all.
Something behind him interrupted his thoughts. Beast Boy gulped seeing Beast standing behind him looking down at him. The animal was not growling or threatening in any way, but that didn't stop Beast Boy from standing up and taking a stance at him. They may have been allies just now but that could change now that the Paramore is gone.
Surprisingly, Beast knelt before Beast Boy, bowing his head toward him. Gingerly, Beast Boy stepped forward and laid a hand on the Beast's head, gently patting him. "Wow. I guess you aren't so bad after all, huh big guy?" Beast Boy smiled.
"Thank you, Master." Beast replied in a low voice.
Beast Boy jumped in surprise. "You- You can talk?!"
"I could always talk."
"I've never heard you talk before?"
"Because you had not accepted me. You've been denying my presence since I became a part of you."
"A part of me? I don't understand?"
"There is much to explain, my master. But now is not the time. Your friends are calling to you. In the real world."
"How can I find you?"
"This is my home as much as it is yours. You will find me here. Now go." Beast explained.
Beast Boy took Beast's advice and decided not to press further. Shutting his eyes, he focused on exiting his mindscape...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hybrid was still holding a badly wounded Deadshot, staring at the Titans. Hybrid's grey colour started changing into a dark green as his blood red eyes turned into regular pupils. Hybrid let go of Deadshot, releasing the criminal onto the floor, and retracted his talon.
Hybrid shifted down into Beast Boy. Unlike his last transformations from Hybrid into Beast Boy, his clothes remained intact and there was no irregular hair growth. Yet he was certainly taller than he once was and while he was still skinny, there was far more muscle tone across his body. Beast Boy seemingly looked a few years older.
The Titans cautiously eyed Beast Boy closely. "Beast Boy. Is that you?"
Beast Boy stood there, confused at the situation for a moment. But that confusion went away when he knew he was safe with his Titans by his side. "Hey guys. Miss me?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bit of a shocker right? Beast Boy's overcome his demon with the help of Beast. But I'm sure there's lots a questions about the natural of their new relationship. That'll be explained in a following chapter so don't worry I haven't pulled this out of nowhere. A lot of my chapters require a bit of extra reading for the previous to make sense (Hopefully that's something everyone likes)
After everything the two had been through. Slade lost his life to his brother. But had Deadshot gotten away with everything? Guess we'll see soon.
It's been out for 2 months now but I gotta add my thoughts to the matter. Zach Snyder's Justice League is EXACTLY what DC needs to be. I don't agree with everything Snyder has done with the characters (Batman killing is still a massive red flag for me but I can life with that).
Nowadays you can tell when a movie has followed the typical "Marvel" formula as I hear it called most and 2021 Justice League didn't feel like that whatsoever. 4 hours of movie is a lot but I enjoyed every minute of it. It's almost criminal most of that movie was sat on a shelf somewhere and we were told it "didn't exist". Shame on Warner Bros for the decisions they've made on this film. No scene has hit me harder than Barry going back in time to save THE ENTIRE WORLD. How can that be replaced with some Russian family man like fuck. I genuinely get goosebumps everytime I got back and watch that scene.I don't care if it wasn't a perfect film. This was a DC fan's dream. Even if we never get to see the film's that were meant to follow I'll always be grateful for being able to see the original vision the film and being apart of a movement that in a very small way changed the world. That's the power of Comic fans right there. Fucking epic. #RestoreTheSnyderVerse
DerekCTomlinson - Thanks for that man. Terra won't play a very big role but she's in Beast Boy's mindscape like the rest of the Titan's. Both girls have history with BB so both get a place in his Mindscape. I'm glad you liked it
Eris - Unfortunately Killer Croc and Frost will not be returning. I love them both but you can't really have a Suicide Squad with there being any casualties. Slade's too deadly not to come away without a kill or two. Beast Boy is finally free from the Paramore though so hopefully you enjoyed his ending.
And too the 1 maybe 2 maybe 3 guests - It's reviews like that that make it all worth it. All the years I've put into this feel worth it when my work is compared to the real thing and told it's even better. So glad you guys enjoyed it
Really looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Whether it's about the chapter or something like the Justice League film or an upcoming film I'll always enjoy reading your thoughts.
Forgot to thank Rose for last chapter. She really does deserve some credit. It takes a while to correct my mistakes so I'm grateful for every chapter she helps on.
We're so close to the end and I'd like to think that the chapters would be smaller from now on so hopefully I can upload quicker now we're finishing up.
See you in the next chapter
DansaCharm