Chapter 5
Beast Boy stood, his face streaked with tears, blood running down his hands. "Monster." His eyes glittered with hate, his body tense with suppressed fury.
Star remained frozen on the floor. She managed to quiet the hysterical laugh building in her throat. Look, look... They're all gone... They all left...
Beast Boy shook with anger. "Look what you've done you screwed up monster." He slowly, made a large gesture, taking in each of his friends as he did so. "You've ruined their lives. You've ruined our lives... How do you live with yourself?"
"Live? I do not live. When I was your age I had no friends. No one to help me deal with my abusive father, my drunk mother. No one. I was alone. I stood on my own two feet, made my way in the world. Your friends pathetic fears are of no consequences to me. My life has been one long nightmare and I can never wake up."
"Then let us help you." Star whispered, raising her head from her arms, "Free our friends. You must understand at least a little of what we feel for them."
"I never knew what it was like to have friends. Why should I care about yours?" His normally calm face was contorted with rage.
"You are a monster than..." Star whispered, "How could you not know joy, happiness, the feelings we carry within ourselves. The feelings you are destroying by doing what you are."
Without warning Beast Boy made a grab for the cane, desperately grappling with the older man, until he was tripped. The man leveled the staff at him, sending a blast of black energy at him. Beast Boy twitched, then lay still.
"I should have ended this some time ago." He muttered to himself. Advancing on Starfire he sneered. "You're the last one my dear. Time to go bye-bye."
OOOOO
"Beast Boy! Wake up!" Someone was shaking me. Sleepily I opened my eyes.
"What-? Terra?!"
"Of course silly! You fell asleep on the couch, so I thought-"
"Get away from me! You're not supposed to be here, you're... you're..."
She took a smile step toward him, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"But you, you're..."
"Maybe I should go for a bit... I just thought you might want to volleyball at the beach with me and the other Titans..." She turned and walked out the door.
"Wait Terra!" I scrambled to catch up with her.
"Oh, then you are coming?"
"Yeah..." I breathed, just watching her for a moment.
"What?" She murmured self-consciously, "Do I have something in my hair?"
"It's nothing," Terra. Here. Alive. But how?
Our communicators crackled, "Terra, you get Beast Boy yet?"
"Come on, we better go before they leave without us." She grabbed my arm and yanked me out the door. I followed without a second thought.
"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed happily as she caught sight of Terra and I, "We shall all go and roast in the sun like little hot-dogs!"
Raven sighed, coming around the side of the 'T' Car which had been filled to the brim with beach equipment. "It's called tanning Star. I am not a hot- dog."
"Of course friend Raven!" Star exclaimed, giving her a huge smile, her enthusiasm not dimmed in the slightest.
"Are we going?" Robin grumbled from the front seat, "With all these delays we won't have time for the beach." Everyone ignored him, but never-the-less began climbing into their spots in the vehicle.
I settled myself beside Terra and Starfire, watching uneasily as the scenery flew past us on our way to the beach. What is going on? The last thing I remember is... is... someone... hitting me? No... that isn't it... Then what happened? Was I dreaming?
"Beast Boy! You gonna' get out of the car or sit in there all afternoon?"
I mentally shook myself. We're here?
"Come on silly!" Terra grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the vehicle, "You're on Raven and my team!"
"Raven's playing? But she never..." I trailed off, "Never mind."
I ran out onto the sand, Terra tugging me the whole way. We positioned ourselves and the game began. Star served the ball, shooting it high into the air. Raven flew up to spike it back. Robin dived, shooting it over the net once again.
"Hiya!" Terra smacked it hard, forcing Cyborg to back up to return the ball.
"Got it!" He called as the ball flew down to him. A laser shot blasted through the ball, throwing it into the water.
"What the-?" Cyborg turned, just as another shot caught him in the chest, "Oof!" He went down in the sand.
"Cyborg!" Star gasped, as a shot took her down too. She fell out of the air, landing a few feet from Cyborg.
"Star!" Robin ran toward her, caught in the back by the third shot.
I whipped around, desperate to find who was doing this.
"Slade!" I cried out as he leveled the gun at me. I transformed into a bird, winging my way into the air seconds before the blast shattered the sand I was standing on.
Terra! We have to get the others out of here! I called, looking for her desperately.
Her laughter broke into my thoughts.
"Why? Why when I worked so hard to get you all here?"
You... What?
"I betrayed you, you stupid bird. I was always working for Slade."
No! Why would you-? I fell back to the sand, too stunned to fly any longer.
"You didn't think I could did you? That was always your problem. Always underestimating me... Bye-bye Beast Boy."
Slade leveled the gun at my head, ignoring my pitiful pleas for Terra to help me, help us all.
OOOOO
Beast Boy stood, his face streaked with tears, blood running down his hands. "Monster." His eyes glittered with hate, his body tense with suppressed fury.
Star remained frozen on the floor. She managed to quiet the hysterical laugh building in her throat. Look, look... They're all gone... They all left...
Beast Boy shook with anger. "Look what you've done you screwed up monster." He slowly, made a large gesture, taking in each of his friends as he did so. "You've ruined their lives. You've ruined our lives... How do you live with yourself?"
"Live? I do not live. When I was your age I had no friends. No one to help me deal with my abusive father, my drunk mother. No one. I was alone. I stood on my own two feet, made my way in the world. Your friends pathetic fears are of no consequences to me. My life has been one long nightmare and I can never wake up."
"Then let us help you." Star whispered, raising her head from her arms, "Free our friends. You must understand at least a little of what we feel for them."
"I never knew what it was like to have friends. Why should I care about yours?" His normally calm face was contorted with rage.
"You are a monster than..." Star whispered, "How could you not know joy, happiness, the feelings we carry within ourselves. The feelings you are destroying by doing what you are."
Without warning Beast Boy made a grab for the cane, desperately grappling with the older man, until he was tripped. The man leveled the staff at him, sending a blast of black energy at him. Beast Boy twitched, then lay still.
"I should have ended this some time ago." He muttered to himself. Advancing on Starfire he sneered. "You're the last one my dear. Time to go bye-bye."
OOOOO
"Beast Boy! Wake up!" Someone was shaking me. Sleepily I opened my eyes.
"What-? Terra?!"
"Of course silly! You fell asleep on the couch, so I thought-"
"Get away from me! You're not supposed to be here, you're... you're..."
She took a smile step toward him, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"But you, you're..."
"Maybe I should go for a bit... I just thought you might want to volleyball at the beach with me and the other Titans..." She turned and walked out the door.
"Wait Terra!" I scrambled to catch up with her.
"Oh, then you are coming?"
"Yeah..." I breathed, just watching her for a moment.
"What?" She murmured self-consciously, "Do I have something in my hair?"
"It's nothing," Terra. Here. Alive. But how?
Our communicators crackled, "Terra, you get Beast Boy yet?"
"Come on, we better go before they leave without us." She grabbed my arm and yanked me out the door. I followed without a second thought.
"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed happily as she caught sight of Terra and I, "We shall all go and roast in the sun like little hot-dogs!"
Raven sighed, coming around the side of the 'T' Car which had been filled to the brim with beach equipment. "It's called tanning Star. I am not a hot- dog."
"Of course friend Raven!" Star exclaimed, giving her a huge smile, her enthusiasm not dimmed in the slightest.
"Are we going?" Robin grumbled from the front seat, "With all these delays we won't have time for the beach." Everyone ignored him, but never-the-less began climbing into their spots in the vehicle.
I settled myself beside Terra and Starfire, watching uneasily as the scenery flew past us on our way to the beach. What is going on? The last thing I remember is... is... someone... hitting me? No... that isn't it... Then what happened? Was I dreaming?
"Beast Boy! You gonna' get out of the car or sit in there all afternoon?"
I mentally shook myself. We're here?
"Come on silly!" Terra grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the vehicle, "You're on Raven and my team!"
"Raven's playing? But she never..." I trailed off, "Never mind."
I ran out onto the sand, Terra tugging me the whole way. We positioned ourselves and the game began. Star served the ball, shooting it high into the air. Raven flew up to spike it back. Robin dived, shooting it over the net once again.
"Hiya!" Terra smacked it hard, forcing Cyborg to back up to return the ball.
"Got it!" He called as the ball flew down to him. A laser shot blasted through the ball, throwing it into the water.
"What the-?" Cyborg turned, just as another shot caught him in the chest, "Oof!" He went down in the sand.
"Cyborg!" Star gasped, as a shot took her down too. She fell out of the air, landing a few feet from Cyborg.
"Star!" Robin ran toward her, caught in the back by the third shot.
I whipped around, desperate to find who was doing this.
"Slade!" I cried out as he leveled the gun at me. I transformed into a bird, winging my way into the air seconds before the blast shattered the sand I was standing on.
Terra! We have to get the others out of here! I called, looking for her desperately.
Her laughter broke into my thoughts.
"Why? Why when I worked so hard to get you all here?"
You... What?
"I betrayed you, you stupid bird. I was always working for Slade."
No! Why would you-? I fell back to the sand, too stunned to fly any longer.
"You didn't think I could did you? That was always your problem. Always underestimating me... Bye-bye Beast Boy."
Slade leveled the gun at my head, ignoring my pitiful pleas for Terra to help me, help us all.
OOOOO