A/N: Hello, me again. To all loyal readers, I know I'm not updating as fast as I use to, but my mind wanders too much, heh. So without further ado here's the next chappy! In this chapter the captured titans are forced to play against Mad Mod in Chess for a chance at escaping his looney school. Read on!
Taking En-Passant
"Uhh…."
A soft moan escaped Beast Boy's lips as he gradually stirred out of unconsciousness. Finally, he opened his eyes little by little, allowing his green pupils to adjust to the bright glow which filled the room. When he could fully see the changeling sat up and gazed around the black and white room.
"Huh? Haven't I been here before?"
He paused, trying to think through an enormous headache that felt like it would blow up his head.
'Oh yeah…" he thought to himself, standing up and surveying the empty square room, "This is Mad Mod's school! …Oh, wait… THIS IS MAD MOD'S SCHOOL!'
Panicking, he looked around the room frantically, looking for an exit. But there was nothing; no door, no windows, nothing.
Groaning, the changeling collapsed, lying eagle-spread on the floor.
"Man, this is all Rorek's FAULT!" Beast Boy cried in a pouting voice, rolling around on the floor in frustration, "If he hadn't zapped Mad Mod's crystal-thingy I wouldn't be here in the first place!" He sighed, finally calming down and trying to rationalize his thoughts.
"I've gotta deliver those papers!" He yelled to himself, "I NEED MY BABY!"
The green titan sat up off the floor suddenly, now more determined than ever to find Raven and get out of this prison.
"Ok, think Beast Boy, there's gotta be a way outta here…somewhere." Surveying the four walls of the room, he suddenly spotted a small air conditioning vent at the edge of the floor nearby.
"Bingo!"
Approaching the vent cautiously, B.B. suddenly felt an amazingly cool blast of air from it, and sighed contently.
"Oh, dude… that feels good!" he groaned, and with that he became a dog and plopped next to the vent. As he sat there enjoying the breeze with his tongue hanging out and his tail waging, there was a sudden clatter from within the vent. Curious, he sniffed around the grate, when suddenly it flew open and a spinning hypnotizing screen appeared in front of his face.
"Ohhh, pretty spinning disk……"
Raven exhaled sharply, starting to feel slightly pissed off.
"What's the password my love?" The portrait of Mad Mod riding a horse valiantly asked her for the fifty millionth time, grinning.
"How about move your stupid portrait butt or I'll…"
"Nope! Hahahah! Sorry my ducky!" The picture replied, and with that he returned to his immobile pose. (A/N: Think Harry Potter)
A vein popped up at the corner of Raven's forehead as she glared at the portrait. She had already tried to use her powers to open it up, but to no avail.
'Well, there's no other way out of this room,' Raven thought to herself, pacing back and forth, 'and I have absolutely no clue what the password to this damn portrait is, or even what's behind it.'
As she continued puzzling over the password, the portrait of Mad Mod suddenly became alive again, and his eyes began to glow red. Before she knew what was happening, Raven was struck by a beam of red light, and disappeared. Chuckling to himself, the painted Mad Mod hopped back onto his horse and resumed his pose, now grinning a little wider.
Raven gasped as she rematerialized in another location. Gathering her wits, the Goth looked around, and found herself standing on a grand-sized chess board. Somewhere overhead, several lights beamed on suddenly, illuminating the area more clearly. The room had a high ceiling and was windowless like the other rooms, except that it was not black and white but merely black.
"Where…what is this place?" Raven muttered to herself.
"Raven!" A familiar voice called suddenly from behind her.
She whirled around just in time to see Rorek appear from behind a massive pawn piece.
"Rorek!"
"Oh Raven, I thought I would never find you," the dark knight said in relief, walking over to her, "But…where exactly are we now?"
Before she could respond, a panel on a nearby wall slid open, and Beast Boy fell out of the hidden alcove with a thud. He rolled over lethargically with a sigh, revealing his hypnotized expression.
"Again?" Raven muttered under her breath, walking towards the changeling. Hardly struggling, she picked him up by the collar of his purple shirt and groaned. 'Great, now I have to make him laugh.'
She thought for a moment, and then, looking directly into Beast Boy's spinning eyes, said, "Cyborg wearing a thong."
As much as Raven knew that uttering those four words would make Beast Boy laugh until he puked tofu, and undoubtedly snap him out of the trance, she was mildly surprised when nothing happened. Beast Boy's eyes were still swirling black and white whirlpools, and, if anything, he was drooling even more than before.
"Come on Beast Boy," Raven snapped, shaking him, "You're not funny."
'Oh really? And when did you realize that?' Knowledge said sarcastically in her head.
'Oh be quiet," Raven thought-muttered.
The Goth tried shaking her teammate again, but still nothing.
"Oh…kiss me," Beast Boy mumbled suddenly, sucking in a dollop of spit on his lip and puckering up, apparently for Raven. Out of surprise she yelped and dropped him, causing the towering chess members around them to wobble. "Did he just…!"
'See!' Happy cried, bouncing up and down in delight.
Shaking her head, Raven looked at Rorek and said, "I-I can't snap him out of it."
"Perhaps I can help him?" He replied, placing a hand on Raven's shoulder, "Stand aside." Raven nodded and did so. Rorek closed his eyes, and his hands began to glow deep black. Beast Boy, who had been lying in a small pool of saliva, was suddenly lifted into the air by a cloud of dark energy. Within a few seconds he stirred and cried out suddenly, "S-stop! Ha-ha! That tickles!" Squirming within the mass, Beast Boy reopened his eyes, which had returned to normal, and saw Rorek and Raven standing there; the latter looking at him annoyingly.
"Heh….hey guys," he said, smiling nervously and sweatdropping. Raven sighed exasperatedly and muttered, "Put him down."
Rorek nodded and lowered his hands, dropping Beast Boy.
"OW!" He snapped at a Raven, sitting up off the hard chess board, "Dude, what is it with you and dropping me!"
Ignoring him, Raven surveyed the four blank walls surrounding them and said, "We've got to find an exit."
"No duh," Beast Boy muttered, storming past Rorek.
Suddenly, a brown intercom box positioned on one of the black walls came to life with a burst of static, and then someone clearing their throat could be heard.
"Testing….testing….1-2, 1-2…IS THIS BLOODY THING ON?"
Another voice in the background said, "Um…yes your highness."
"Oh… awright then.'Ello, my duckies!"
"Mad Mod!" Raven and B.B. called together, becoming alert.
"Yes! It's me awright," the British voice chirped cheerfully, "Welcome back to my school! Did you brats miss it?"
"Not hardly," Raven said brazenly, "Why did you bring us here?"
There was a brief silence, then Mad Mod responded, "Well…it wasn't exactly my plan ya see. Your stewpid friend zapped me red emerald, and now you lot are right where I wanted ya!"
A downcast look crossed Rorek's face at the mention of him destroying the gem accidentally.
"But on to the good news," Mad Mod said after another short pause, "Do you duckies play chess?"
"No," Raven said flatly.
"Yeah, what she said," Beast Boy added bitterly.
"Well, 'hats too bad," Mod said, sounding heartbroken, "'Cuz you lot are gonna 'ave to now!" He laughed manically as a scoreboard flipped out of the left-hand wall, displaying the names MAD MOD and THE TEEN TITANS and two red zeros under each name. A metal platform emerged on one side of the chess board, and the intercom box said, "Step inside, my duckies."
"What if we refuse to play?" Raven said indifferently, leaning against the white king.
"Well, the only way you brats will know 'ow to get outta my school is to 'ave a little fun! Now, take your positions!"
The threesome looked at one another, and then boarded the metal platform reluctantly.
"Awright, 'hats the spirit!"
"So if we win," Raven said, "You'll let us go?"
"Of course, love!" He replied, "But if ya lose…let's just say ol' Robby's gonna need a new team! Ah-Hahahah!" His laughter continued as the board was set, and the overhead lights dimmed slightly. A small computer screen emerged out of a square hole on the platform, displaying an overhead view of the chess board.
"What!" Beast Boy cried, looking at Raven in horror, "Dude, this game needs brains. I'm not smart enough to play!"
"Relax Beast Boy," She replied, walking over to the touch-screen, "I'll make all the moves."
Overhead, a flashing red light dropped from the ceiling, and a mechanical voice said, "One game of chess, MAD MOD versus THE TEEN TITANS. Timer count-down beginning…now." On the scoreboard, a number 5 appeared.
"But where is Mad Mod?" Rorek asked, looking across the board at the other platform, which was empty.
"4..."
"Good question," Beast Boy muttered, slouching against the railing.
"3…2…"
"He must still be with the others," Raven said, "But then…who exactly is our opponent?"
"1…0"
"Game begins." The automated voice called.
"Screwdriver?"
"No."
"Pliers?"
"No!"
"Hacksaw?"
"Cyborg, for the last time we are NOT going to torture him!"
Cyborg sighed and closed the lid of the red toolbox with a snap. "Common man, I was just kidding!"
Robin sighed and continued typing at the computer. Right now the two were in the storage room at T. Tower, trying to find information.
"Why are we here again anyways?" Cyborg asked, stifling a yawn.
"We need to find out what exactly makes up that crystal," Robin said promptly, concentrating on typing, "And hopefully we can find out where the others went too."
"Hmm," Was all Cyborg said.
After a few more minutes of typing and boredom on Cyborg's part, Robin sat up out of his chair abruptly and said, "That's it!"
"What's it?"
"Mad Mod's red crystal is made of zirconium (at the mentioning of zirconium Cyborg's eyes got as big as dish plates) and a type of radioactive rock that, when combined, can store energy and transfer atoms TO OTHER PLACES!"
"…Yeeeeeah, but that doesn't explain where the others went," Cyborg added.
Robin frowned and said, "No…but it has to be someplace that Mod's been before, a secure location like a base of operations."
Thinking, both titans look at each other suddenly and said, "The School!"
It was Raven's turn. Staring down at the computer the Goth placed her index finger on the screen and moved her first pawn to the next square.
"Good move!" The voice of Mad Mod called over the intercom.
Almost immediately another one of Mad Mod's black pawns moved to its next destination on the chessboard, which Raven watched on the computer screen. They continued this turn-based process; until it was Raven's once turn again. Gazing at the screen and thinking Raven suddenly smiled and placed her finger on her white pawn, which was still on the second row out, and moved it around Mad Mod's pawn. "Taking En-Passant," She said, and his pawn disappeared off of the screen and chessboard.
"What!" Mod yelled, "How can you do that?"
"It's called Taking En-Passant," Raven said, smirking slightly, "When my pawn is still in the second row it can double step to the fourth row, and if one of your pawns is adjacent to mine then, then I can take it."
While Beast Boy scratched his head in utter confusion, Rorek smiled at Raven's ability at playing chess. "Fine!" Mad Mod snapped, "So ya got the first piece, big deal!"
On the scorebaord the red zero under THE TEEN TITANS turned into a 1.
Coming back to his senses, Beast Boy smiled and cheered, "Woo-hoo! Go Raven, you da girl!"
Raven smiled ever so slightly. She now had a more confident feeling that, with a little luck, she could win this game.
If this chapter seemed to end suddenly, don't worry, that was intentional. I didn't wanna make it too long, cuz then that makes for unfun reading, so I just broke one loooooooong chapter into two, smaller ones. Anyway, you readers can look forward to an exciting and suspensful (yeah right) chess climax soon, and an even greater victory for Beast Boy!(Yes, that means moped)
P.S. If the chess terms were too confusing please let me know and I'll try to simplify them in the next chappy.
