Chapter Three
Author's note: There seems to be some confusion about the first two chapters. Chapter One refused to load properly, leaving Chapter Two to fill in both spots. I'll try to get it all straightened out.
Back to the tale.
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"So, you were here, Beast Boy is here, and the guy's about….here. Right?" Robin pointed at various points on a scribbled map spread across the kitchen table. Star studied it for a moment, then nodded.
"That is correct. And after he shot Beast Boy and I disabled him, you came from here, here and….ah…here?"
"Actually I was about here." Raven corrected. "Not that it makes much difference."
"I still don't know why a little shock like that would hurt him," Cyborg said through a mouthful of muffin. "He's gotten much worse before. Like the time he stuck that fork in the toaster. Or plugged in that busted video game. After I told him not to, of course." He shrugged and popped the remainder of his breakfast in his mouth. "If those shots didn't faze him, why would this?"
"Perhaps it's because he wasn't changed when he did those other things. He was still in his human form." Raven frowned. "But there is another factor here we haven't considered."
"Yeah? What?" Robin looked up at her. He hated loose ends and unconsidered factors.
"Starfire's blast. " Here Raven looked at Star. "Did you fire after he did? Or before? Or perhaps at the same time?"
"I am sure it was after." Star frowned in thought. "He shot Beast Boy and then I hit him. Or….it could be that I hit him before……..Or at the same time……" her voice trailed off.
"Well, that cleared -that- up!" Cy said.
"Wait. Let's say that Star -did- fire at the same time that guy did. Wouldn't the extra power run along the wires of that taiser?"
"Yeah. Electricity has a way of doin' that." Cy agreed. "So what you're sayin' is, BB's problem is the result of both that gun -and- Star's power blast?"
"It would seem that way." Raven stated. This alarmed Star.
"Oh no! You are saying that I am the cause of Beast Boy's remaining in this form? It is my fault! Oh,I must apologize immediately!"
"Take it easy, Star! It's not like you did it on purpose. I'm sure BB will understand." Robin looked around and gave a puzzled frown. "By the way, where -is- BB?"
All four of the teens glanced about, then Star gave a sudden exclamation. "Oh! Earlier I opened the door so he could exit, but since he cannot open the door to go out…"
"He can't open it to get back in." Raven finished. "I'll get him."
Sure enough, when Raven opened the door, there was a rather disgruntled porcupine sitting in front. "Sorry, Beast Boy. We were working on your problem."
Beast Boy's attitude as he trundled past with a grunt was a 'Yeah right'. He joined the others in the kitchen and then sat up, snuffling hungrily. Star jumped up.
"Oh! Your breakfast! I have forgotten about it! Shall I warm it up for you?"
"Only thing that'll save -that- breakfast is to nuke it," Cy observed the meal in the large bowl. "You sure that's edible? It looks worse than his tofu!"
"I can assure you it is very eagerly consumed on my planet," Star said curtly as she set the bowl down and walked off. "In fact it is a delicacy. Even the infants look forward to this repast."
"Yeah, but infant whats?" Cy grabbed another muffin and stuck it in the toaster. As he waited on it, he noted Beast Boy's reaction to Star's offering. The porcupine sniffed at the bowl, then tentatively lapped the contents. Almost instantly he pulled back and spat out the mouthful as Cy chuckled in amusement.
"Now you know how -I- feel about your tofu!" he laughed as he grabbed his toasted muffin and spread almost a whole tablespoon of butter over it. "Bon appitite!"
He was about to devour his muffin when he glanced down and noted Beast Boy staring up at him in a hungry and sorrowful way. "Hey, don't be givin' me no puppy dog eyes. Star made your breakfast. Eat! What d'you think I'm gonna do? Run down to the pet store for some porcupine chow?"
Beast Boy sat up imploringly,still with his sad eyes on Cyborg.
"If I gotta eat your tofu mess, you gotta eat that stuff. Whatever it is." Cy turned his back but before he could take a bite, Beast Boy had walked around and was once more facing him. He sat up again and licked his muzzle. "You're pushin' it, bristle butt." Cy growled.
"Say, what do porcupines eat anyway?" Robin said curiously. "Grass? Eggs? I know it can't be tofu."
"Tofu ain't something you find in nature. Oh, here! Quit lookin' at me like that!" Cy practically threw down the muffin, on which Beast Boy pounced and chewed away happily. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a porcupine beggin' at the table. I think some trainin's in order."
Raven said nothing, but replaced the bowl of nondescript food with a small dish of herbal tea. Beast Boy gave her a grateful look.
Robin decided to satisfy his curiosity about porcupines and retired to the library. Several shelves were loaded with books of various sizes but very few seem to have any information about animals. Finally he located one rather unused tome claiming to list each species of North American mammals and plomped down on the sofa to sift through it. The resulting dust made him sneeze.
"Let's see here. Man, there's a -lot- of animals here! Where to start?" He shuffled through the pages. "No, not whales….. he's not a seal….um….foxes…no…..he's not a hoofed mammal, I don't think. Hey Cyborg!" He called out. "Does BB have hooves?"
"I don't know. Lemme check." Cy reached down and picked up a startled squealing Beast Boy by one front foot. "Nope. He's got furry paws, that's all." He released his grip, allowing the porcupine to simply fall. Beast Boy sat there, glowering and gnashing his orange teeth. "Hey, Robin asked me a question. I had to answer it, didn't I? Eat your muffin."
Picking up the morsel, Beast Boy turned his back and stalked off, intending to pout in the living room.
"No hooves. That lets out rhinos, antelopes and deer." Robin flipped through more pages. "Hmmm, 'squirrel-like rodents'. Maybe he's a rodent. Um…yeah! Hey BB!" he called out. "You're a rodent!" He picked up the book and slowly walked to the living room, studying the chapter he had found featuring the strange animal, the porcupine. "Family Hystricidae. Hm, sounds like a brand of insecticide."
"Cyborg, could you and Raven assist me?" Star called from another room. "I think I may have a solution."
Cy tossed in the last bite of muffin and snorted at Robin's last announcement. "Rodent! Yep, don't need no book to tell me that! Yeah, I'm comin', Star."
Raven picked up her cup and followed Cy down the hall to another room.
This room was used as either a briefing room, or board games, whichever opportunity arose. At the moment, Star had the taiser gun spread along the table and was looking at it intently. When the other two entered, she pointed to the ends.
"Do you see this? The hooks have melted and merged."
Cy picked them up and gave them a closer look. "Yep. Sure looks like a massive bolt went through these babies, all right."
"I fear…." Star folded her hands in front of her and looked down. "I fear that perhaps you are correct, Raven. I may have hit the thief at the same time he shot Beast Boy, thus resulting in my power adding to the shot from this weapon. Therefore, it is because of me that he is this way."
"Blaming yourself will not help matters. As Robin said before, it was an accident." Raven pursed her lips as she looked at the gun. "These things do happen."
"But…what do we do now?" Star anguished. "Beast Boy cannot remain this way!"
"Perhaps it's just because his system is overloaded, or something." Cy tossed the gun back on the table. "If we give him time, he'll work it out."
"That would be the thing to do." Raven agreed. "We have to wait."
"But….." Whatever Star was about to say was forgotten as a shrill shriek of utter pain suddenly sounded and echoed throughout the hallway. For a moment they stood frozen to the spot, staring at each other.
"That came from the living room!" Cyborg snapped. "Come on!"