Ah! Here we are again! Beast Boy is still in the year 2016, and I'm very sorry he wasn't even in the last chapter. I'll be sure to make up for it this time! We're going to watch him explore the tower a little more, but then he's going back in time again. Where will he end up? I'm… actually not sure yet. Ehehe… We'll have to see how this chapter turns out. I'm kinda makin' this up as I go! I don't own Teen Titans!
Beast Boy's Game
PART 9: Return to the Past
Beast Boy lay there next to the puddle of sick that he'd made, just trying to breath. Sitting up at last with a groan, he held his stomach. "Great, now I'm hungry again…" he said aloud.
"Perhaps you would visit the café, sir?" The computer piped in, a little too friendly for Beast Boy's taste. "Right this way, into the elevator."
"Yeah, sure… why not… this place has a gift shop now it may as well have a café…" he stumbled over to the elevator. He took one last look at the room devoted entirely to his romantic interest, then stepped in. the elevator moved upward, and the doors hissed open again. He didn't have the strength to flinch that time. Holding the wall, he emerged out of the elevator. "Well whaddya know…" he mumbled, an amused smile coming to his face.
It was, in fact, a café. Soda fountains and all sorts of cups were present. Ketchup dispensers with mustard and mayonnaise nearby. Straws, napkins, and cup covers were in the corner. Tables and booths nicely complimented the room with leathery red and chrome. It looked like a fifties version of Denny's, much to Beast Boy's amusement. He went over to the counter and looked around. Of course, there was no one there. Hopping over the counter, he found the kitchen to be pretty clean. They probably didn't have a jumping business way out on Titan island… He spotted the heat-lamp table, where food that had been prepared would sit until someone ordered that particular item.
"Ohh man…." Beast Boy groaned. It was a burger joint! There were perhaps half a dozen burgers sitting in a row under the heat lamp, wrapped in plastic for safe-keeping. He couldn't eat a burger… there was meat in it! "Dude, I'd almost do it, but I'm not starving just yet…" he was still uncomfortable in the stomach, though. But, he needed fuel for his body. He let out a sigh, leaning against the counter. "Don't they have anything vegetarian…?" he looked upward towards the menu. What all did the café sell anyway, when it was up and running…?
Cyborg Super Waffle Special (until 11:30AM)
Starfire Shake (Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla)
Robin Rings (Onion or Curly Fries)
Raven Ribs (tea included free of charge)
Beast Boy Burger (…………)
Assorted Drinks (Small, Medium, Large, and Jumbo)
"They named the burger after the vegetarian?" Beast Boy demanded. "Are they stupid? Wait, what's that…" in small print, next to the name of the Beast Boy Burger were a few words. He murmured them as he read them, "All customers please note that the Beast Boy burger is vegetarian, not meat… YES!" He practically knocked the table over to grab one of the burgers. Shredding the paper to get to the burger, he looked at it carefully. Was it really vegetarian…? He sniffed at it a few times… CHOMP!
………
CHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMP…!
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Raven stood at the stove rather nervously. She wasn't a very good cook at all, and even had trouble with simple things like pancakes. Licking her dry lips, she read the directions for the simple rice mix one more time before starting. Before long, the water was boiling and she took it off the burner. Pouring the rice and spices in, she stirred for a moment. Then, she set the lid on the pot and waited.
Her stomach growled loudly. "I know…" she mumbled. The teasing smell of spicy rice soon filled the kitchen. Cyborg wandered in, saw that Raven was cooking, and wandered straight back out rather quickly. Raven sweat-dropped. "My pancakes weren't that bad were they…?" A rain cloud appeared above her, raining on her head.
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"Aaaaaaah…" Beast Boy said, rubbing his stomach. He'd dispatched all six burgers, discovering one to be a cheeseburger, one had pickles, and another had onions that needed picking off. Also, he'd gotten himself a 'Starfire shake.' It had been pretty good, and the little cartoony version of Starfire on the side of the cup had gotten a laugh out of him. Being a teenager, his energy depended on his fast metabolism. Whenever he was full, he could run faster, fly higher and fight harder! His fuel gauge at full, he stood with a grin. "Well, that's that…" He looked around, realizing how eerily quiet it was. "Mmm…" he said, trying not to be creeped out by the lack of sound.
Bzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzzt! …Bzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzzt!
Beast Boy jumped, throwing up his arms to protect himself. It was… the cash register? He went over to the counter, jumped over and had a look. It was printing out a receipt all by itself. Strange… He tore it off when it was done and read it.
Titan's Tower café
Order #001
Beast Boy Burger (cheese) . . .$1.05
Beast Boy Burger (onion) . . . $1.05
Beast Boy Burger (plain) . . . $0.99
Beast Boy Burger (dressed) . . $1.24
Beast Boy Burger (plain) . . . . $0.99
Beast Boy Burger (lettuce) . . . $1.05
Starfire Shake (vanilla) . . . . . . $0.99
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE:
One last meal for a fool mortal $0.00
Beast Boy stared at the last line, his jaw falling slightly. It had been watching him… the whole time. His eyes narrowing, Beast Boy stuck the reciept in the Drake bag with the flare gun, flare and the Malaki chips."Creepy." He murmured. "Uhm… computer?" He asked the ceiling.
"Yes sir?"
"Can we go to that gift shop now? I wanna check it out."
"Yes sir. Into the elevator, if you please." The computer willed the elevator's double doors open, and it was so. Beast Boy, a little shaken by the slip of paper he'd just received. He leaned against the wall of the elevator until, "We have arrived. Please Enjoy your stay at Titan's Tower." Said the rather feminine computer voice.
"Yeah, you too…" Beast Boy murmured, looking around. It was enormous. There was an aisle for every Titan, all sorts of merchandise! Beast Boy wandered down the Starfire aisle. "Starfire lunchboxes… Starfire color-with-me coloring books…" he opened one and found a black and white Starfire smiling at him. He grinned and put it back. "Starfire let-us-be-pretty makeup kits…" he found all sorts of odds and ends, each starring the young Tameranian. "I wonder what's down my aisle…?" Beast Boy went to see.
"Whoa…" he'd never seen his own face so many times. "Cool!" he picked up an action figure of himself, looking at it. "Oh c'mon, I'm way better looking than this…" he pushed the little button on the back of the figure –!
'It ain't easy bein' green…'It sounded just like him! Beast Boy laughed, putting the little figure back. There were posters of him, action figures, a board game, recipe books for vegetarians that had his face on them… all sort of things. "We shoulda done this a long time ago. Look at all this stuff!" Curiosity grew in the back of his mind, and you can probably guess where he went next. "Raven's aisle…" he whispered.
There were mostly books there. He picked up one and read the title. "The beginner's guide to amateur meditation…" That seemed to fit. Raven was on the cover, in the lotus position. He shrugged, putting it back. There were all sorts of books on meditation, stress control, and mountains of gothic poetry. Beast Boy wandered further down the aisle, and found some Raven costumes! They were just like what she wore! They were small, as though meant for children. "Halloween costumes, I guess." Beast Boy looked at the cloak he himself was wearing. "Nothing compared to the original, though!" he stuck his tongue out and moved on. There were magic crystals, charms, pendants… "Raven didn't use any of this junk…" he mumbled disapprovingly. He saw a poster rack of Raven, and flipped through them. They were all paintings, he could tell. The last one made him cock an eyebrow. Raven would never pose like that… Red in the cheeks, Beast Boy went a little further on.
A white book caught his eye.
"What's this…?" he pulled it off the shelf. A History of Titan's Island – exclusive interview! "Huh… I thought we swore off giving interviews after that one dude asked Starfire's cup size…" he frowned, flipping the book open. As it turned out, Cyborg was the one to give the interview. He told briefly of his few years at Titan's Tower, and the highlights of their adventures here and there… The green teen flipped onward through the book, and a very familiar sight found his eye. A painting of the lighthouse. He'd recognize that eerie building anywhere… reading the text that went with the picture, Beast Boy mumbled as he did so.
Titan's Island was occupied by a large lighthouse back in the early 1900's. It was a three-man squad before the night of the incident. One of the crew members apparently went insane and slaughtered the other two. He was never found, and the door to his room was forced open when he could not be found.
"There was a combination to that there door!" the local locksmith had complained. "I made it special for Drake with the four buttons! It was 1,3… 2,4… 1,2… 3,4… 1,1… It was long and complicated so not just anybody could get in! I can't believe those blokes just hauled off and smashed it!"
Sources believe that Drake was still at large for many years to c –!
Beast Boy stopped right there. He had what he needed. No wonder he hadn't been able to open it… each button had to be pressed more than once! He decided to keep the book since the combination was so long and complicated. Stuffing it in the bag, he strode away towards the elevator. "Computer, I'm leaving."
"Yes sir." The voice said, opening the doors. He stepped in, leaning against the wall again. All he had to do was get outside and he could turn back time again. He'd see what was in Drake's room, and maybe shed a little more light on this Malaki business. He reminded himself that was his mission. He'd been goofing off for almost an hour… it was time to get back to work. "Did you pay for that book, sir?"
"Huh? Uhh…" Beast Boy looked at the book that was sticking out of the Drake bag. "Well I… uh…" He grinned at the ceiling, as though someone were there, glaring at him.
"Stealing is bad, s-s-s-zzzzzz-sir." The computer's voice was faltering. Becoming deeper… darker. "I must… punish yoooooooooooooooooou…"
It was Dark Fall!
Beast Boy watched the doors snap shut, and Dark Fall's eyes were blazed across them! They narrowed with malice, enjoying his terror. Beast Boy pressed himself wide-eyed to the back of the elevator, and felt a huge jerk in his stomach. The elevator was going down in a free fall! Slamming against the ceiling Beast Boy groaned at the horrible feeling in his stomach. If the elevator hit the bottom floor while he was still in it…! He panicked and reached for the pocket watch. Desperately popping the little panel open, he pulled the time-adjuster out, twisted it, and pushed it back down. The single hand began moving backward… "Hurry…" Beast Boy groaned, clutching his stomach. He could hear the screaming rush of air and metal just outside the elevator car. Hitting the maintenance hatch that was right next to him, he threw himself out into the shaft. The cables whipped at him and he tumbled head over heels. The pocket watch was starting to glow with a golden light. The elevator, which was falling faster than he was, hit the bottom, crashing into a thousand jagged pieces. Beast Boy was right behind it, falling at breakneck speed. He cried out in desperation. "Return to the past! NOW!"
The pocket watch read 1912 once again, and Beast Boy vanished in a golden blare of light.
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Raven sat at the kitchen table, her rice finished and her milk gone. Milk was always the best thing to go with spicy food since it was a natural coolant… she heaved a sigh and stood. It was time to set to work. Going to her room, she pulled a book off of her shelf she hadn't touched in over two years. It was blood red and leather bound. The edges were slightly burnt, as though someone had tried to destroy it. But, Raven knew the book was fireproof. She herself has tried to burn the leather to check if it was true. Whoever had done the edges had had little luck either. It was Raven's book of attacking spells.
The one book she owned she'd sworn she would never read.
"Let's see what kind of trouble I can get into with this…" Raven mumbled, trembling as she opened it. Licking her dry lips, she began to read a book of forbidden magic. If and when Beast Boy returned, fighting the darkness, she would be ready to help him. "Soul Snare… hmmm…" she whispered, fascinated already. "What a complicated set of spells…" the young sorceress had never heard of such ingredients being mixed like the book was describing. It was powerful stuff… but it was time to set to work. Raven nodded to herself silently. It was time to recruit the others as well.
Well? What did you think? I'm noticing a strange lack of reviews on this story… I'm working hard on it you guys! Don'cha even wanna say good job? Oh well. I can't force you… Anyhoo! Next time, we're gonna see what's beyond Drake's door! What will Beast Boy find there? Take a guess in your reviews, ya'll. I'd appreciate the input! Next time on Beast Boy's Game, it's "Beyond the Door!" See ya there!