Hooray! --throws confetti and blows on a party horn-- Oh, and have a virtual cookie. --gives you a cookie-- Welcome to Cop's Super-Fantabulous Party, in honor of three very important things. And those things are...
1) Both parts of Homecoming. Huzzah for Beast Boy finally having some snazzy episodes. Oh, and he was adorable when he was little. AND the whole Garfield thing was officially the best moment ever in TT history. Unchallenged. I was literally jumping around in happiness at the end of part 2. I'm sort of bummed cuz this story is set right after The End, so none of the Homecoming stuff has any effect on it, but I might bring the Doom Patrol in at some point, just because Negative Man is cool.
2) My super-amazing friend Dustin has given about 15 TT comic books, so I can feel like a true fan. And they're really, really nifty--even if Starfire dresses like a tramp.
3) I'm finally finishing Silver Wing! Just in case there's anyone who hasn't picked up on my not-supposed-to-be-subtle hints, this is the last chapter. But never fear, there is a sequel. Or at least there will be.
There are so many things I want to say right now, but I can't think of how to say them all. Instead, I'll just stick with thank you. Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers and readers, who were my inspiration and the reason I kept working, even through the sucky parts. You guys rock. And just to thank you all once again, I'm going to make things hard on myself and list every single person who has ever reviewed. Drum roll, please….
Thank you—lovex3spell, Ryan L. Spradlng, Sharon, Rebound, Story of my Liff, Mean Titan, Greenmartian777, Amongst-Azarath, teentitansrock, Hope Rising, They-Call-Me-Orange, Koriat, Hotaru, Chibi Scooby, Matt-Robinette, CalliopeMused, shadow, doc-trigger, lilpuppy3, smby tht lvs rk a lttl 2 much, VyseLegend, dragoon-bane, Cosmo3k1, HP Fan, DarkBeast, wolf of raven, Kenji Star, oranfly, The Ubermann, bunnysquirrel, SxStrngSamurai13, jimm, DarkCypher, weras, Sade, and Rachel Elaine. Sincerely hope that I didn't forget anyone.
Oh, and just a note to clear up the time-frame for this chapter. Reading back over it, I think I screwed up a part in chapter 10--from the time BB told everyone that Terra was gone to the part where they left, a few hours passed. They didn't leave until the afternoon--that's important, because everything since chapter nine until this chapter (and the story) ends happens within about 24 hours.
Okay, now on to review responses.
CalliopeMused -- Yep, one more chapter, and then the sequel. And as for a cliffhanger...uhm...I plead the fifth. And yeah, this chapter kind of took a while, too, but I've had issues with it. Thanks for reviewing!
GreenMartian777 -- Ah, I love suspense. It's one of my favorite things to write. Wondrous writer? Thanks. As always, thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this final chapter...and stick around for the sequel.
Koriat -- That's cool-- a few of my friends are on fanfiction, too, but none of them read the same stuff as me...except for one, that's reading this story (and so does my sister, but that's because I force her to). And yeah, Slade and Terra took Raven--that's very crucial to, like, the rest of the plot. And hooray for Fullmetal Alchemist!
lovex3spell -- I couldn't forget about you for forever. I'm glad my updates make you happy--and yeah, I didn't think people would be too happy with the cliffy. And it hasn't quite been a month, right? Okay, maybe it's been a really long time, but hey, I've got a lot of other stuff to deal with (aka school) that is supposedly more important than fanfiction. Or so people keep telling me. Anyway...I'm actually pretty okay, even though I never get enough sleep. But then again, writing is better than sleeping. Thanks for all of your reviews and support and I hope you stick around for the sequel.
SxStrngSamurai13 -- Wow...you completely summarized everything I wanted to get across in that chapter. Sweet. Thanks for the great review, and I hope you like this chapter.
DarkCypher -- It's working pretty well...but I think I might have put them in upside down. Ah well. Thanks for the review!
Sharon -- Sleep is overrated. Thanks, I really put a lot into that one. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter, too.
weras – Coolness--I love that word. Thanks for reviewing.
Hope Rising -- Yeah, I need Winry to build BB an arm. Now you have me thinking about Ed...and I am in love with him. --gets starry eyed-- But if Envy came and killed everyone I'd be stuck cleaning up all the blood, so he's not allowed to do that. Thanks for the review.
oranfly -- Thanks--that's the one thing that's survived from the original sequel. Thank you for reviewing!
teentitansrock! -- Aww, thanks. --blushes-- Now you've made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter.
Sade -- Well, here's an update, even if it took a while. Thanks for reviewing!
Chibi Scooby -- I guess I didn't give you much of a break, did I? And you won't exactly get another break from the suspense for a while, so...sorry in advance. Thanks for reviewing!
DarkBeast -- I'm always nervous about how my action scenes come out, so I'm glad you liked it so much. And although I don't exactly hate Terra as much as you do, I don't think she's capable of being a good guy. I don't think she's exactly evil, more like way too screwed up. And no, she and BB should not be together. That thought is icky. Thanks for the review, and sorry for making you wait again.
Rachel Elaine -- Yeah, I may be kind of mean and creepy, but at least I'm not a bunny killer like Jessica's Friend. And was it better knowing about the arm thing in advance? I don't know, it still creeps me out every time I read it, and I'm the one that wrote it. And hooray for Righty 2.0! Thanks for your reviews.
That's it, then. So now sit back and enjoy the final installment of Silver Wing.
Silver Wing
Chapter 11--Regretting
Darkness, pain, and an overall feeling of uneasiness overwhelmed him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out where he was, or what he was doing there. And all the while pain was slowly creeping along every inch of his body. Involuntarily he shifted, trying to make himself more comfortable, then—
"Hey, I think he's waking up."
Despite a pounding headache and a persistent pain in his side, Robin forced his eyes open. His vision was a little blurry, but he could still make out the faces of Aqualad, Cyborg, and Starfire as they swam above him. He blinked and his vision cleared slightly, but the pain remained.
"What happened?" Still groggy, he watched the three faces above him exchange nervous glances.
Starfire frowned, obviously hesitant about discussing the subject. "Do you not remember the battle?" she finally ventured nervously.
The battle. In an instant, the events from earlier flashed through Robin's mind. The journey on the T-Ship, winding up in that cave, finding Terra, the fight, his one-on-one with Slade, and Slade leaving with--
"Raven!" As Robin shouted he struggled to sit up, but had more trouble than he'd expected. After a moment he managed to raise himself up, but his pain had increased tenfold, and it threatened to overwhelm him. All the while Starfire watched him with sad eyes.
"We will find her," Starfire said firmly, Robin nodded. To make sure he kept his balance, he braced one hand against the ground--or what he thought was the ground. Instead, he felt something soft, and his hand came away sticky and wet.
Cyborg noticed the confused look on Robin's face. "It's disgusting, but we had to get out somehow. I'd rather be inside Monstro here than back in that cave."
Robin shook his hand to get Beast Boy's saliva off. It didn't help much, so he looked up at Cyborg and tried not to think too hard about what he was sitting in. "What happened to the T-Ship?" he asked instead.
Cyborg looked down dejectedly. "She's trashed. I doubt that ship could survive the cave-in."
The pain refused to diminish, and every few minutes it would spike and sent another wave throughout his entire body. For the first time Robin noticed that his own cape was bound tightly about the wound. He also realized that sitting on Beast Boy's wet and slimy tongue wasn't doing much to make him feel better.
"What happened after I passed out?" Robin asked, looking up at his friends again.
"By the time Beast Boy picked everyone up it was too late to catch up with Slade," Aqualad explained. "He followed him down one of those tunnels, but it was like a maze."
"And we weren't alone," Cyborg added darkly. "BB had a run in some sharks--I think they'd been trapped in the tunnels somehow, and went after the first live thing to come their way. It took ages to get out of there. Since then, we've just been trying to get back to the tower."
"You have been unconscious for nearly four hours," Starfire finished.
"What!"
Cyborg nodded grimly. "And BB's hurt. We aren't sure how much longer he can keep this up. We're almost home now, so hopefully he can hang on for that long."
"He talked to me for about an hour," Aqualad explained. "Since then, I've barely gotten a few sentences out of him."
Maybe his injuries had been slowing his thought process down, but Robin just then began to realize how bad their situation was. Raven had been taken by Slade, and their chances of even finding her were falling every second; Robin himself was injured, and Beast Boy was hanging on by a thread. To make matters worse, for once Robin didn't know what to do about it. Starfire apparently noticed his distress--she took his hand and squeezed it gently in reassurance.
The remainder of the trip was mostly silent. After a while Robin realized that they were slowly ascending, and Aqualad announced that, according to Beast Boy, they were only a few minutes away from home. Not long after that, Beast Boy broke the surface in the room where they had launched the T-Ship hours earlier, and opened his wide whale's mouth.
Starfire flew Robin out first, and set him down gently on the steel dock before returning for Cyborg. Aqualad swan dived out and waited calmly, treading water. His friends safe, Beast Boy returned to his human form, and passed out an instant later. His silver arm weighed him down and he sunk quickly, but Aqualad was underwater and after him in a second, and was soon towing his unconscious friend to shore. Cyborg lifted the still form of the shape-shifter out of the water, turned, and led the dreary procession to the med bay.
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Beast Boy was in bad shape. Okay, maybe that was old news nowadays, and Cyborg had definitely seen his friend in even more desperate times, but that didn't make the situation any easier. Cyborg would be able to patch him up without any major problems, but not like Raven could.
Cyborg shook his head, trying to rid his head of unwanted thoughts. There wasn't a thing they could do for Raven right now, not with half of the team out of commission and bleeding all over the med bay. Guiltily pushing Raven from his mind, for the moment, anyway, Cyborg glanced over to Robin's cot. Clean, white bandages were wrapped around him, covering his wound. He had cleaned and stitched the gash the second they'd gotten home, but that didn't change the fact that three of the Titans had now met that awful blade. Robin had passed out again before they'd even gotten him in a bed, and still hadn't woken. There wasn't much left to do now, except to wait--Starfire was doing just that, sitting anxiously by his bed, gently holding one of his hands in both of her own.
Sighing, Cyborg turned back to Beast Boy. He started with the leg--sometime during their escape Beast Boy had managed to shred his left leg, almost to the point where he'd need another one of those, too. It must have happened when the sharks attacked, because the tearing on his lower leg looked suspiciously like a bite. Even though the salt water had more than likely killed off any bacteria, Cyborg disinfected the wound. He was startled when Beast Boy twitched slightly as the stinging liquid touched his skin. Cyborg hadn't counted on his friend starting to wake so quickly--he sped up, so he could finish before Beast Boy was fully awake and aware.
He wrapped the leg tightly in a white bandage and moved on. His eyes glanced over the exposed silver of Beast Boy's cybernetic arm--it seemed to be the one part of his body that he hadn't torn up. His chest was covered in blue-black bruises, and he'd obviously re-broken several ribs. Cyborg turned to Aqualad, who was standing nervously in a corner, and beckoned him over. Aqualad supported the green changeling while Cyborg bound his chest with another bright white bandage. This time Beast Boy murmured something while they worked--it was slurred and hard to understand, but Cyborg was able to make out one word--Raven. Finally, all of his wounds were dressed and Beast Boy was laid out on his cot...again.
"Man, I'm getting too used to this." Cyborg put his face in his hands and sighed heavily. Aqualad nodded, more in sympathy than agreement. Understandably, the Atlantean was having trouble dealing with what had happened in that cave--they all were. And even though Cyborg didn't doubt for a second that Aqualad was a good guy, he also knew that he'd bolt the second he even suspected the Titans didn't need him anymore.
"What is to be done?" Starfire asked solemnly. She hadn't spoken since they'd gotten home, but now was looking up at Cyborg earnestly.
"I'm going to try and track Raven's signal," Cyborg told her. "I don't know what I'll get, but I'll try."
"I'll come with you," Aqualad offered, obviously eager to get out of the med bay. Cyborg nodded, and then turned back to Starfire.
"Robin will still be out for a while, but BB will wake up soon," he explained. "He needs to stay in bed, but he won't. And you won't be able to stop him, so just let him go." Cyborg paused for a moment before adding, "But tell him to be careful with that leg. Otherwise he'll just make it worse."
Starfire nodded in understanding. "If you should need anything..."
"I'll call," Cyborg promised. "The same goes for you--I'm here if you need me."
Cyborg waited just long enough for the Tamaranian to nod again, and then headed upstairs to begin what he already knew was a wild goose chase.
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He swam faster, his powerful tail pumping furiously in an attempt to escape. It was impossible to see in the dark labyrinth, and he collided with several walls. With each blow darkness threatened to overwhelm him, but he kept going. They were right behind him. Even in his mind he could see their crazed eyes as they chased him, enjoying the thrill of the hunt.
Another collision slowed him down for a fraction of a second, but it was enough time for his attackers. One charged, and a vice-like jaw clamped around his tail, sending the teeth tearing through his skin. With another firm stroke, he shook the creature off, and kept going.
There was light ahead now. His heart rose as he sensed freedom, and safety, suddenly within sight. He swam even more furiously now, desperate to be escape the wretched maze. Then he was out, swimming in the open water, and he didn't look back.
In that instant between darkness and waking, Beast Boy was disoriented and lost. Then he felt those too familiar sheets, heard gentle hums and beeps, and smelled the bitter scent of blood. Realization his him like that stupid rock had.
"Not here again," he muttered without opening his eyes. He heard movement beside him—now Raven was going to tell him off for complaining.
"Friend Beast Boy?" a voice asked gently. "Have you awoken?"
It was Starfire. Raven would never let Starfire come down here, so that meant...
Countless memories flooded his head in an instant—almost too quickly to comprehend them all. Beast Boy sat up very quickly, but the movement was painful and the color drained from his face. He swayed a little, and Starfire put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.
"You must rest," she said firmly.
"No. Where's Raven? Is she…Did he…?" Beast Boy trailed off, unable to finish his question. Starfire looked at him with tears in her eyes, and her voice wavered when she answered.
"He did. But we must be hopeful—friends Cyborg and Aqualad are already attempting to locate her, and I am sure that they—Beast Boy! What are you doing?"
He had swung his legs over the side of the bed, and was now standing, a little unsteadily, beside it. Pain had shot up his bandaged leg the second it had touched the floor, but he'd kept his balance.
"Beast Boy, you must not," Starfire exclaimed worriedly. "You have injured yourself again, and Cyborg said you could damage your leg further. You must rest."
He could definitely tell that he was injured—the only part of him that didn't hurt was his robotic arm. The rest of him—his ribs and lower left leg especially, radiated with pain. Still, he ignored it and started to walk across the room.
"I've had worse," he told Starfire. Beast Boy paused by the foot of Robin's bed, watching his friend carefully. Robin was either asleep or unconscious, and very, very pale. "Will he be okay?" he asked Starfire without looking over. Robin had met that sword, too, and he wasn't looking any better for it.
"He will be," Starfire assured him.
With a nod, Beast Boy turned and made his way out of the med bay, leaving Starfire to stand in silence. Even though Cyborg had told her that she couldn't make Beast Boy stay and rest, she still wished that he had. And it wasn't just her friend's physical injuries that she was worried about—Starfire was also worried about his mind. She had seen his fight with Terra, seen the way he'd held her life in his hands, and almost taken it. After all that he'd been through, Starfire wasn't sure how many more tragedies Beast Boy could deal with.
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Maybe this was a bad idea. Beast Boy couldn't help thinking that as he waited for the elevator. His ribs were bound tightly, but his chest still throbbed with pain. Worse than that was his leg—it felt like a fire had started at his foot and was slowly and persistently making its way up. But the thought of Raven strengthened his resolve, and he stepped through the sliding doors resolutely.
When the doors slid open again in the living room, Beast Boy saw Cyborg typing furiously at the keyboard—Aqualad was nowhere in sight.
"You shouldn't be up," Cyborg said as Beast Boy stepped up next to him.
"Yeah, I noticed," Beast Boy answered, scowling. "Found anything?"
"Nothing." Cyborg sighed and shook his head. "I've been searching for her signal, but there's nothing there. It's not just blocked, it's gone."
"And what about Aqualad?"
"I sent him back underwater—he's asking around, trying to find any information on where Slade might have gone. That's come up empty so far, too."
Beast Boy clenched his silver fist, anger and frustration boiling up inside of him. What felt worse was the guilt—really, this entire situation was his fault. Everything that had happened was because of his mistakes—mistakes that his friends, especially Raven, were paying for.
"So what now?" Beast Boy asked quietly, looking down at the floor.
"Canvass the city, I guess," Cyborg said half-heartedly. "Even though I doubt he's still around here." Beast Boy didn't respond, and Cyborg glanced over at him. He was alarmed to see that his green friend had lost nearly all of his color, and his entire body was trembling. His breathing was harsh, and Cyborg feared he could pass out again at any second.
Half-dragging him, Cyborg led Beast Boy over to the couch and set him down. His small friend didn't look up, and his breathing didn't become any easier. Cyborg suddenly regretted not trying harder to get Beast Boy to stay in bed.
"Hey, you alright?" Beast Boy looked up now, but his eyes were dark and troubled.
"I'm fine," he lied. His breathing was starting to calm down, but he hadn't regained any of his color. "Raven's just missing, and it's because I let some psycho and his little pet trick me." His voice suddenly faltered. "It was a trap, Cyborg," he said sadly, his voice laced with regret. "The whole time, it was a trap, and I walked right into it."
"Look, BB, you can't put this kind of stuff on yourself." Beast Boy looked up into his friend's eyes, clearly skeptical. Ignoring the look of disbelief, Cyborg went on. "Raven was the same way after you got hurt. No matter what I tell her, she hasn't stopped feeling that way, and that's only made dealing with it harder on her."
"That wasn't her fault," Beast Boy said quietly. "Why would she still think that?"
"Exactly."
Beast Boy frowned. Maybe Cyborg was right—but then again, he couldn't help feeling like he could have done something different, something to keep Raven safe. If he hadn't gotten lost in that maze, maybe…
"We have to find her, Cyborg," he finally managed to whisper.
Cyborg nodded resolutely. "We will."
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Terra didn't know where she was, but she knew that she hated it. Her surroundings vaguely reminded her of a hotel room, but it had been abandoned, and had fallen into disrepair. The once-cheery wallpaper was faded and peeling, the carpet was torn up all across the floor, and inches of dust covered everything in site. It wasn't like Slade could have picked a hideout that wasn't an immediate health hazard.
The room had one bed, and its occupant was the object of most of Terra's hatred. Raven was sprawled out limply, the drugs that Slade had injected her with keeping her unconscious. Speaking of which, it was time for another injection.
She stuck the needle into Raven's forearm and forced the drug into her body, careful to inject just the right amount. Slade had very sternly warned her that even a fraction more would kill the girl, and ruin everything. As she worked, a sudden surge of hate flared up, stronger than the persistent feeling she always carried. Terra felt her blood boil as she stared at Raven's unconscious form. The needle was still in her pale arm—all she had to do was keeping pushing, and force more of the poison into her enemy's blood. Then she would die, and Terra could be rid of this hatred forever. But would her vengeance be worth what Slade would do to her if she ruined this plan? Terra shivered at the thought of her probable punishment.
Suddenly afraid of killing Raven, Terra withdrew the needle quickly, watching the small dot of blood left behind. She couldn't afford to fail again—she'd been lucky that Slade had forgiven her for her last error.
For the thousandth time Terra found herself wondering exactly what Slade had in mind. Although he had revived her, Terra knew that Slade still didn't entirely trust his apprentice. Because of this, she knew very little about the plan—and seeing Beast Boy's arm earlier had given her a definite shock. Another wave of anger rose as she felt the purple bruises around her neck. There had been a moment when she almost thought that she might actually die…she put the thought out of her mind, not willing to dwell on that moment of weakness.
If Terra had anything, she had faith in her master, and that twisted belief was all that kept her from forcing the rest of the poison into her own arm.
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The Shadow Man handed him a photograph, and he took it, studying it closely. In the dim lighting he could barely make out lavender hair and wide, violent eyes, and a face…a face that painfully reminded him of his beloved.
"Is she what you're looking for?" the Shadow Man asked. His voice was smooth, but there was a hint of impatience in it. But the Shadow Man didn't have to worry—his mind was made up. One fingertip tenderly traced the outline of her face.
"She's perfect."
END
10/2/05
10:37 a.m.
Woot! I actually finished it! --does the happy dance of happiness--
Yep. That's it. Sure, maybe that's an evil place to end a story, but hey—I'm evil.
No, really though, it has to end there—that's the only logical division between this story and the sequel.
Now, I have to take a moment to once again thank all of you for all of your support and encouragement. I also have to thank my sister, who forced me into writing this story, even though I thought it would be too creepy and everyone would hate it. Well, I guess even little sisters get to be right once in a while.
This has been a blast—and I'm glad it's not quite over yet.
See you in part two.
Child of a Pineapple