A quick note: Victor Stone, Koriand'r, and Garfield Logan are the comic book names for Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy, respectively, according to wikipedia. The fact the BB and Wolverine share the same name is a bit peculiar to me although Marvel did influence my idea to explain the origin of Beast Boy's powers.

Teen Titans: Origins

Chapter Two: Beyond

-...The Bat Cave...-

September 12, 2004, two months before today...

Bruce Wayne sat in front of a large computer, eyes closed in deep thought.

Bruce Wayne. Billionaire. Owner of Wayne Enterprises, one of the largest and most successful companies ever.

By night, he has many other titles. The Dark Knight. The Bat. The World's Greatest Detective. For over a decade, his famous (and, to some, infamous) reputation as a minister of swift (and, at times, brutal) punishment to criminals of all degrees has instilled fear in all he seeks out. Without the assistance of extraterrestrial powers, he has averted countless disasters.

For the past several months, however, he has pondered his toughest decision yet. Through his years as the Batman, he has had multiple sidekicks, most notably three who have taken the guise of Robin. The first was Dick Grayson, who had previously been part of a world-famous acrobatic trio that included himself and his parents. When Grayson's parents had died in a horrible accident, Bruce had taken Dick in as his ward. Dick had found out about Bruce's double identity soon afterwards and become his sidekick. Years later, Dick struck out on his own, becoming the crusader known as Nightwing.

Afterwards, a second Robin emerged, this one named Jason Todd. Jason was not acrobatic like Dick, but was brutal and headstrong. Jason had even once been accused of throwing a suspect off a building. Jason's headstrong nature had eventually gotten him killed after he was captured by Two-face and beaten to death.

The third was Tim Drake.

Which was where the decision came in. The news that a metropolis on the west coast was having extreme crime troubles had reached Wayne's ears. Feeling he had to help the city (called Jump City) with its crime troubles, but knowing he had to remain in Gotham where there were enough troubles, Bruce had contemplated allowing Drake to go it alone in the city. Tim had become an extremely skilled detective and martial artist, having gone on several cases alone.

Still, Bruce had his doubts. While Dick Grayson was doing an exceptional job on his own, he was also nearly a decade older than Tim. There was also the death of Jason to consider. One Robin had died partially at his hand, and Bruce didn't want Tim to be the second.

"Penny for your thoughts, sir?" came the voice of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's long-time butler and, in a way, guardian. He was bearing a trey with a mug of coffee on top of it. A pot filled with more of the caffeinated drink sat beside the mug.

"It's about Tim," said Bruce as he accepted the mug and took a sip, "he's become vastly experienced over the years and I'm thinking of giving him a long-term solo job. But, at the same time, I'm not sure he's ready."

"Might I remind you, sir," said Alfred as he set the trey down, "that while I had my doubts of your wisdom when you began your Batman endeavor, I supported you fully, and you are still here today, having succeeded admirably. I believe young master Tim possesses the skills necessary to do so as well."

"That may be true," considered Bruce, "but he's only sixteen. I was in my twenties when I became Batman, and I had spent my whole life preparing for it. Dick was at the legal drinking age when he left, and he'd been a great athlete before he became Robin. Tim can barely drive, and he only has three years of experience. I already lost one partner, I don't want to lose another."

Alfred took a moment to consider this, but then spoke up, "Well, it is in my opinion, Master Bruce, that the fact that you are even considering sending Master Tim to Jump City is enough evidence to show that you believe he is ready. However, I will leave the final decision up to you." With that, Alfred set the coffee pot down and took the empty trey away.

-...Azarath...-

January 24, 1997, two months after Raven arrived at Azarath...

Crow stepped around the levitating table, which glowed with an aura of dark energy. On the other side of the table stood Raven, whose brow was sweating with the effort of holding the object in the air with her mind. "Using the spell of telepathy must be strenuous due to your lack of experience," said Crow as he stepped towards Raven, "but do not worry, soon enough this will take hardly any concentration for you. As you use your powers more and more, you will gain more control over them. Just think, a month ago you could hardly lift books into the air, but now you are lifting a much heavier object. And the precision of your abilities will soon match their magnitude as well. Just remember to never allow your emotions to get the better of you, and you shall be fine."

As Crow continued to speak, Raven began to become fatigued under the strain of the table. Try as she might, she could not prevent the table from slowly, then more rapidly, beginning to tip towards her-directly over Crow's head. Fearing that Crow would soon be crushed by her own doing, Raven panicked. "Look out!" her control suddenly snapped, and the table began to plummet to the floor. Without thinking, Raven thrust out her arms as if to push the table away from crow...and sent it flying through the air with a burst of black energy from her palms. The table tumbled end over end before Dove, who had been sitting nearby, caught it with his own telepathic ability.

Raven sighed and sat down as Dove set the table on the floor. Crow gave a smile of comfort, "It's alright, Raven, you will learn to control your emotions while using your powers soon as well. In the meantime, I believe you have practiced enough today. We will begin again tomorrow. In the meantime, get some rest."

Raven frowned slightly, and Dove walked over to her. The two had become close friends since Raven's arrival, and Dove always seemed to make Raven happy. This was in part due to his ability to actually manipulate a person's emotions and actually force them to be happy. "Cheer up, Rae, practice makes perfect."

Raven smiled slightly, "Thanks, Dove."

Dove smiled back and mused, "You know, don't tell anyone, but I don't think Crow's even a very good teacher."

"Huh?" Raven's face was a picture of confusion, "But he's the oldest person here, he should have the most experience of any of us."

"That should be true," responded Dove, "but he doesn't even understand his own powers fully. Hawk's father deliberately submitted his powers to Hawk, which also gave him full understanding of his powers. He helped me control my powers whenever Crow couldn't. He's a great tutor."

"Maybe I should talk to him," said Raven, "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"He usually hangs around the library," said Dove, "he likes his privacy, so don't get him annoyed. But don't let him scare you either. He's a bit creepy, but he would never hurt either of us."

"Thanks for the advice," and that ended the conversation. Dove floated into the air and flew slowly out of the room, one of the things Raven wished she herself could do. Without a second thought, she made her way to the library.

-...Several miles east of Jump City...-

October 12, 2004...

Wilson, for once in his life, was a happy man. As he watched the jet carrying the new subject for Operation C land on the runway of the hidden base, he spotted a second jet, this one carrying the subject for Experiment F from Florida.

Wilson stepped back from the window with the smallest traces of a smile playing across his lips. It had been a long time since he had felt this happy. At that time, he had been married. He and his wife had a son, and life was good for them. But Wilson had not been an innocent. He was, in fact, a highly skilled assassin, as efficient as he was ruthless. But, eventually, his career interfered with his family. Fatally.

In a freak accident, his son had died, partially through Wilson's fault. His wife believed their son had been murdered by Wilson, and reacted violently. The two had been arguing, and Wilson had made the mistake of turning his back to her. She instantly pulled a gun from her pocket and shot him in the back of his head. The shot should have killed Wilson, but a stroke of luck left him with no brain damage, though he had lost his right eye. He had been forced to kill his wife later on.

None of this was known by the group of scientists he had hired to perform a series of experiments that could potentially create an army of super-soldiers. Wilson had amassed a large sum of money in his career, enough that he had bought a hundred soldiers to guard the base where Wilson's scientists were performing these experiments. The fools thought they were on a top-secret military outpost. They referred to the experiments without even knowing what they were. They had no idea what Wilson's true intent was.

Wilson had developed two things in his career as an assassin: his enjoyment of the kill, and a lust for power. Soon, the world would tremble before him. Already, Operations A and B had become great successes. Soon Operations C and F would be as well. Subjects still needed to be found for D and E, but Wilson had no trouble waiting. His time as an assassin had taught him to be patient, to wait for the moment when an opportunity presented itself. Soon, soon the world would be his.

-...Tamaran...-

Twentieth day of the Month of Happiness in the year of the Flordajj Slug

Earth date October 25, 2004...

"Farewell, friend Galforr," said Starfire as she embraced her guardian, tears filling her eyes. "I will miss you."

"And I you, Koriand'r," replied Galforr as he tightly embraced her, "just remember, in a few months when Blorthogg Day comes, we may be light years apart. But we will still be family."

A rather large crowd had been drawn to the palace that had for sixteen years been Starfire's home. The crowd remained politely quiet, knowing how attached their princess was to her home world. When Blackfire had departed, there had been massive cheers (For multiple reasons. The first was to match Blackfire's mood, which could be summed up in one sentence she is rumored to have muttered under her breath: "Finally, I'm off this rock!" The second was because it was a long-celebrated day when the future heir to the throne came of age. The third was because the Tamaranians were really happy that Blackfire was leaving."), but now the people felt it appropriate to honor their respected princess's mood.

"I shall come back in no more than a year, Galforr," said Starfire. The two stepped away from each other, their final good-byes having been said. Then Starfire picked up the Arunda reptile-skinned bag that contained the few possessions she was taking on her journey. She had no need for a ship with her ability to fly and breathe in the vacuum.

"I look forward to that day, my child," responded Galforr, "farewell." And with that, Starfire allowed the feeling of flight to lift her into the air. As she left her planet, she heard hundreds, even thousands of voices bidding her farewell. Then, as the darkness of space stretched behind her and her world shrank into the distance, Starfire heard no more. But she remembered Galforr's words, and knew that she must make new friends. And so she set out, passing by planets whose atmospheres could not support her, hoping to find one where she could be happy again.

-...Wayne Manor...-

October 10, 2004, four weeks after Bruce's discussion with Alfred...

12:58. Not a single crime in four days. Four hours until he and Bruce patrolled Gotham. No homework or tests.

The benefits of a Sunday in autumn. Tim was ready to sit down and watch the Giants game, on in mere minutes, without the worry of having it interrupted. Yes, life was good over the next fifteen minutes, as Tim watched the Giants surprisingly dominate the legendary Brett Favre. He was just getting into the game when Bruce ruined it.

Tim sighed, "What do you want?"

"We have to talk."

"Is it urgent or can it wait three hours?"

"Trust me when I say this," Bruce responded, "I've put off this conversation for too long.

Later, in the Bat Cave, Bruce finalized one of the hardest choices in his life. "I've noticed that you've vastly improved over the years," he began, "and I think it's time you got a big case to yourself."

Tim was confused. He wasn't arguing with the fact that he'd gotten better or with his being given a solo act, but the was Bruce was talking, it sounded as though he was going to have Tim do something that they would normally do together. That wasn't how Batman thought. He knew that lives were at stake every time the two of them put on their masks. "What do you mean?"

"I've been getting reports of rampant crime in a city on the west coast," Bruce said, "the police force is being pounded into the dirt, criminals are stealing and killing without a moment's thought. Jump City needs a lot of help right now. But I can't go there because I have to be in Gotham. That's why I'm sending you there."

Tim Drake was shocked. He had always enjoyed being Robin, but had also hated being under Batman's wing. Now he was being allowed to fly out into the world, where adventures, opportunities, dangers, and enemies lay in wait. For a brief moment he doubted himself, wondered if he was ready to leave the Bat Cave. But then the moment passed, and he knew. He knew it was finally time.

Bruce Wayne, daytime billionaire and night-time vigilante, smiled as he looked into his ward's eyes, which now glowed with anticipation. Then the grin came to Tim Drake's face, and both knew no words were needed. Bruce walked up to Tim's side and put an arm around the teen's shoulders. "Come on," he said, "Alfred and I have been working on some new equipment for you. I think you'll find it'll come in handy."

-...Azarath...-

January 24, 1997, minutes after Raven's discussion with Dove...

Hawk floated down the shelves of the seemingly infinitely long library. In theory, the library contained every work every written by every race. However, it might take a day's walk to get past the rows of books that had reverence only to the dwellers of Azarath. Besides, if one of them desired a specific book, they needn't patrol the shelves, but simply will it to appear.

But Hawk was simply bored, as he usually was. So he looked about the expansive library in search of something that would provide interesting reading material. Eventually, one book caught his eye. He pulled the book from its shelf (the eighty-sixth from the ground) and examined its cover. No words or symbols were written upon it, but it was decorated with illustrations of various types of birds.

Hawk opened the book. The book contained information on all the different types of birds that did, had ever, and ever would exist. The book was relatively thin, but it contained millions of pages of information. As Hawk turned the pages, text and diagrams flashed into existence on the paper. He had read this book many times before. He had read about phoenixes, archaeopteryxes, and some beings whose names could not be written in English for lack of a human's ability to pronounce the syllables. But the bird Hawk was looking up now was one that nearly all humans knew of.

Hawk gazed at the small picture of a bird with black feathers that shone brightly. Its eyes were furious, but intelligent. This was the first time Hawk had read information about a raven. He had read about crows, thought to be wise and intelligent behind their disgusting habits. He had read of doves, the calm symbols of peace, as well as the predatory hawks. But what Hawk read somewhat disturbed Hawk.

"Ravens," he murmured to himself, "inspired the English word 'ravenous', due to their nature to ingest things many other beings would find repulsive." His eyes widened, and he put his right hand to his chin in thought, "Massive this mean-"

He was suddenly startled as he heard Raven shout at him from the ground far below. He snapped the book shut and replaced it. Then he dropped to the ground beside the young girl. Raven had changed somewhat since her arrival at Azarath. Her skin, grey from her demon half, now seemed more prominent. She had also donned a robe like the others of Azarath did. It was a plain blue color. The hood was drawn back so that her face and purple hair were unhidden, unlike Crow and Hawk. The pinkish jewel in the center of her forehead shone brightly. The jewel would never grow into a horn like many demons possessed, but it still displayed that she was different from any human. Below the jewel were her bright violet eyes, which gleamed with life.

"What do you want?" Hawk asked emotionlessly.

"Well, I really want to be able to control my powers," Raven said as she averted her eyes from Hawk's unblinking stare. "It's just that I don't ever make much process when Crow tries to teach me. Dove said you really helped him out, so-"

"You want me to help you?" Hawk finished her sentence.

Raven gulped and nodded, her eyes cast to the floor. Hawk was somewhat confused with how to handle this. He had never had to encourage someone or give them positive reinforcement. That had always been Crow's strong point. "I'll help you however I can, then," he finally said.

At this, he saw Raven's eyes flash as her head snapped up. "What should I do?"

Hawk almost smiled. Dove had had a smile glued to his face since he and Hawk had met, but that had always annoyed him somewhat. Now a young child whose emotions could alter at the drop of a dime was standing before him with her face glowing. "What should I do?"

Hawk hunched down on one knee, his head just a bit below Raven's, and put one hand to her forehead. "Just relax," he blinked, and his eyes glowed with a bright light as he entered Raven's mind for the second time.

-...Raven's mind...-

Hawk found himself in the same void as before, only this time he saw objects drifting about. There were huge rocks drifting aimlessly about the area, and on them he could see what he recognized as emotions. The mental images of Raven in different colored robes paced about their boulders as they drifted through the void, and Hawk instantly knew what was wrong.

Raven's emotions were all unhindered, but they were not connected to each other. This explained Raven's inability to control her powers when she was unable to control her emotions: the focus on one feeling could not be balanced by the rest, and chaos erupted. Eventually a rock that Hawk had been expecting to find drifted just in front of him. He willed himself toward it and landed in front of a magenta-robed emotion with four glowing red eyes. "Hello, Trigon. Nice seeing you again."

Trigon snarled, "Come here to interfere again? Don't bother trying. There's no way you can stop my attempts this time, even if you beat me to a pulp."

"So you became Raven's anger, eh?" said Hawk, ignoring Trigon's statement, "Pretty clever of you. You managed to tinker with Raven's mind without my noticing, severing the balance of her mind so that when she loses all control over her emotions, you take over her mind. It also limits her ability to use her powers because they are also fueled by her emotions. Too bad I eventually came in to check on things."

Trigon smirked, "Not like you can do anything about it."

"I wouldn't count on that," Hawk's eyes glowed again, and darkness swept through the void.

"What are you doing?" Trigon asked in a somewhat panicked voice.

"Something you apparently hadn't thought of," Hawk said calmly, "I'm repairing the connections between Raven's emotions. Honestly, give me some credit." Rocks were now combining to form a landscape wider than New York City, and the emotions were suddenly thrust into portals that were erected from nowhere. "Now her emotions are protected from your influence, you have no control over the girl whatsoever."

But Trigon grinned, "You may have delayed my plans, but you have not prevented their outcome! It may take years, but eventually she will experience an emotional outburst so powerful it will take no effort on my part whatsoever to take control. You can try all you like, boy, but you cannot stop me."

And though it made Hawk want to tear Trigon limb from limb, he knew it was true.

-...Azarath's library...-

Hawk took his hand away from Raven's forehead, and her eyes immediately snapped open. As they did, she unconsciously thrust a hand out, and two-dozen books suddenly flew from their shelves. Before they collided with anything, however, Raven mentally halted them and set them down. She stood up with a smile on her face. "Wow..." And then her smile turned into a grin as she attempted something she had wanted to do her whole life. She took a deep breath and willed herself to rise into the air. A small laugh of glee escaped her lips as she rose more rapidly, rising into the air with her robe flowing behind her. After a quick thanks to Hawk, she barreled out the door into the main building of Azarath, soaring past Crow and calling to Dove to fly with her.

Crow smiled as he saw Dove join Raven, then stepped into the library to meet Hawk coming out. Hawk half-heard him say several things about how wonderful this was, but walked by wordlessly. He alone knew the truth. If Raven ever lost complete control, nothing would be able to save her. He hoped that day would never come.

-...Wilson's base...-

October 12, 2004, two hours after Victor Stone's arrival...

Wilson watched the scientists slowly peel away useless flesh and muscle and pick fragmented bones from Experiment C's body. They had already succeeded in replacing his left arm with its mechanical replacement. Miraculously, he had not lost much blood in the attack, and the scientists had been able to construct artificial blood vessels where the true ones had been nearly ruined. His nervous system had been interfaced with the cybernetic nerve paths flawlessly. It was precisely what Wilson wanted: the perfect blend of man and machine.

It would take days of uninterrupted work for the scientists, teamed with several of the world's best surgeons and mechanical engineers, to complete the complex operation. Even then, Experiment C would only match a human's abilities. In order to complete the procedure and gain the power Wilson so desperately wanted, he would have to wait perhaps a month.

Wilson turned and exited the room quietly. He decided to check up on the progress made with Experiment F. He strode into a room nearby in which a man was observing the images broadcast by the security cameras. His attention was focused on one screen in particular. It depicted a teenage boy slumped against the wall of a high-security cell. There was a source of light that emanated a green glow from the ceiling of this cell, which seemed to be causing the boy to be weak.

"How has the subject progressed?" asked Wilson.

"Precisely as planned, Mr. Wilson," answered the guard, "he awakened maybe an hour ago, but he's hardly budged since. That radiation must be pretty powerful."

"It is necessary," said Wilson, and for the first time since he had begun his stay at the base, he directly lied, "the radiation will heal him of his disease. His family did not consent because of the nature in which we must keep him. The radiation may cause him to act violently later on." What Wilson didn't say was that the radiation would have killed anyone without the "disease" he spoke of. The blood disease the teen had was not harmful in any way, but the guard didn't know that and he didn't need to. In several weeks, when the radiation had affected Experiment F to the extent that the final procedure could begin, the guard would no longer be on duty at the base anyway. He would be replaced by a high-tech robot, and robots didn't question commands of such petty things as morality.

-...Near Earth's moon...-

November 3, 2004...

Starfire gazed across the grey moon's vast craters from a distance high above before sighing and shaking her head. There did not seem to be any life here either. For over a week she had been searching for a planet to stay on, and had been unsuccessful. She was beginning to lose hope. Head hung low, she drifted aimlessly forward, hope nearly forgotten.

That was when she nearly collided with the satellite. She was intrigued by the strangely shaped contraption and began circling it to discern if it were some strange life form or just an oddly shaped rock. Eventually she realized there was writing on it and concluded it had been made by some creature.

Looking about her for the creature that had made the craft, she eventually saw what she had ignored before. The great expanse of Earth filled her eyes, and she knew this was where she would stay. She was mesmerized by the planet's bright white clouds and deep blue oceans. She also believed that the people who had created the satellite must be peaceful, for it had made no attempt to attack her. With new resolve, she soared down through the planet's atmosphere, straight for the west coast of North America...

-...Wilson's base...-

November 5, 2004...

It was time. Experiment C, still unconscious even after these many days, was strapped to a table to Wilson's left. To his right, Experiment F was strapped to another table, barely conscious.

"So, at last all is ready, then?" Wilson asked the senior of the group of scientists.

"Indeed. Experiment C possesses super-human strength, digital knowledge of every weapon ever built and hundreds of strategies as well as computer-programming abilities unmatchable by anyone. We are prepared to install his weapons on your word. Experiment F's DNA has been altered sufficiently by the radiation and shall react to the new DNA as planned."

"I have waited a long time for this," said Wilson as he looked towards the room's only exit. The heavily armored walls could withstand nearly any force, but Wilson felt the door was the strongest against attack. Four of his robotic soldiers stood ready before it, and four more were guarding the other side. The base was now sprawling with cold, unquestioning androids prepared to do his every bidding.

"Begin the final procedures."

With that, the scientist opened a case in front of him and pulled out a needle filled with a lime-green chemical. Several more began attaching the sonic cannon to Experiment C's right elbow. The scientist quickly injected the chemical into Experiment F's arm and quickly scurried backwards.

A horrible moaning howl blasted from the teen's mouth as his body reacted with the chemical, which contained a mixture of DNA from every species ever recorded to have lived on the planet. The experiment's physical form was changing rapidly, his teeth sharpening, his ears becoming pointed at the tips, and his skin changing a strange green He twisted and turned in pain for perhaps an hour before finally falling silent.

Meanwhile, Experiment C's arm had been attached, along with additional weaponry. The operations were over. Now Wilson had the power he had desired for so long.

So, there you have it. Robin and Starfire didn't seem real important to me this chapter, so I just threw in a couple paragraphs. Hope you enjoyed.