Part 29
Robin could hear everything; he and Cyborg just exchanged glances as they listened. The one voice sounded like Speedy's and Robin was almost positive it was, the other voice was very distinctive it was Slade.
I think the Titans are coming up with a plan; they haven't been spotted in several days.
Then we will have to come up with our own plan my young apprentice. I think it is time I show the Titans who they're dealing with.
Robin looked over at Cyborg, "If we can hear them, then can they hear us even if we don't shout?"
"It doesn't matter," Cyborg looked down, "Alright connect the particle accelerator to the connector in the right bicep."
Robin crawled over with a sigh and continued his reconstruction of Cyborg's confusing robotic body. He lifted the right bicep and tried to connect what he thought was the accelerator, but it wouldn't fit.
"Rotate the arm counter clockwise."
Robin nodded and twisted the arm all the way around, the accelerator snapped into the bicep.
"Alright now I have two internal gyroscopes both under the armor of my shoulders, they're out of place and need to be reconnected."
Robin ducked his head and searched with his hands to find the gyroscope, he then fiddled with his other hand to find the connection bracket. It took him several minutes but he finally got one of them in place. It took him less time to get the other gyroscope connected.
Cyborg lifted his arm up and down and flexed his arms several times.
"Can you blast us out of here?" Robin asked.
"I might, but are you going to carry me out of here?"
Robin totally ignored the fact that he needed to construct Cyborg's legs and make him mobile if he ever wanted to get his friend out as well. He took a long sighed and wiped his hand through his hair. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," His hand made his way to his eyes and he rubbed them quite maliciously.
"Listen either we'll get out of here, or the Team will get us out," Cyborg tried to reason.
"They're about to get attacked by Slade! Our friends are going to get hurt because of the fact we're kidnapped!" Robin clenched his teeth so tight that he thought they were going to break. "Ugh!" His hands touched the solid ground and he heaved in agony, "I just want out," he cried, "I just want out."
"Dude, I understand, but if we're going to make a difference we have to concentrate and we have to work together," Cyborg moved his arms, "We've gotten this much accomplish let's finish the job."
"But it took us nearly," Robin made as though he was looking at a watch but even his watch had been taken away from him. "It's had to have been six hours at the very least," He felt his stomach rumble and that weaken his resolve, he clenched his stomach in pain, and then his eyes closed, and his breathing got weaker.
"Robin! ROBIN!" Cyborg shouted.
--
Starfire made her way to Raven's room and knocked on the door. They still had a few hours till they were going to put their plan in action. She imagined that Raven was still working on the details in her mind, making sure there weren't any mistakes, imagining different scenarios that may play out. She knocked again. Personally Starfire wished they would initiate their plan sooner, the more they waited, the more possibility they'd never find Cyborg or Robin.
She knocked again, "It's Starfire."
The door peeled open and Raven looked up at Starfire, "I'm busy."
"And I'm worried," Starfire placed a hand on the slot where the door would close, "I believe we must engage in a dialogue."
"You mean have a talk?" Raven took her hood off.
"Yes, we must do the talking."
Raven sighed and moved out of the way so Starfire could enter. "You can sit on the bed."
Starfire made her way over to the bed and sat down. She watched as Raven leaned against the closed door.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I feel something bad has happened," Starfire said, worried.
"I thought I was the only one with empathy abilities, what makes you think something is wrong?"
Starfire sighed and turned her head, now looking at a mirror in Raven's room, "My insides tell me something is wrong."
"What is wrong? The plan?" Raven made her way next to her friend.
"I don't know," She turned her head and faced Raven, "The plan, Robin… maybe both?"
"I have a bad feeling about all of this too," She looked down and let out a sigh.
"Worried about friend Beast Boy?"
"How did you know?"
Starfire sniffed and rubbed a tear away from her face, "Because I feel the same about Robin. It is obvious that you care for Beast Boy."
"Ugh, I can't believe that idiot came up with this plan and wants to be the one to risk his neck," Raven shook her head, "Moron."
Starfire let out a small giggle, "The two of you are um...," She searched for the word, "cute."
"How did I fall for that weirdo?" Raven placed her head in her hands.
"Because you two need each other. This world is weird," She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "You can't be alone forever. Nobody should ever have to be alone."
Raven rubbed a hand through her hair; "I lived so long thinking that I would always be alone in this world. I always thought I was a lost cause. Who would ever want to be a demon? My father constantly reminded me of my faults, of my eternal loneliness. With such dark powers who would ever love me? Then Malachoir came and I thought all was forgiven. I thought I had found someone. I grasped onto the fact that I could be loved so quickly that I was ignorant of his manipulation. I was completely blind and didn't see him for who he really was.
The same goes with Beast Boy. I was blind to him for so long. I always thought of him as just a person who didn't belong in the world. I thought of him as a figure trying too hard to impress everyone. I didn't know that inside he hurt as well. I never considered his feelings, never really considered his emotions. Then his Beast manifestation began and I recognized that we all have our troubles in life. That we all have our trials, and I realized that him and I weren't that different, we both had emotional problems, he thought that he'd always be an outcast because of his skin color. He lost his family at an early age and I really in reality lost my family too for my father could never be considered family, family is a group of people who love you… my father didn't love me. We just went about trying to fill our problems differently. I tried to fill my void with being a loner, with trying to find satisfaction in my abandonment. He tried to fill his void with jokes and with trying to be as friendly as possible, never realizing that he was trying too hard – and so was I.
I always made fun of him. I made fun because I didn't realize he was like me, in fact he was so different that the only way I knew how to respond was to belittle him, and yet he continued to try and know more about me. He cared so much but I was so concerned with keeping to myself that I always ignored his kindness.
I wish I could take back every mean and nasty thing I said to him. Even after every name I called him, he still tried his best to make me feel better. He tried his best to tell me that my differences were okay," Raven turned to Starfire, "And I still pushed him away. And yet at his moment of weakness at the point where he almost became too much like an animal… I fell for him. There is a tremendous power inside of him and yet on the outside he looks so frail, and that is when I realized that inside we were much the same.
I worry about this mission. He is so eager to prove that he can be a useful part of the team, but what he doesn't realize is that he truly has nothing to prove. But he wants to prove himself right, that dumb green elf," She sighed and laid her back down against the bed and stared up at the ceiling, "I've been having these images – voices in my head."
"What are they?" Starfire pondered.
"I hope they are nothing more than dreams, but I fear that they are the future. They're images of Beast Boy in a hospital," She closed her eyes, "And he dies."
"You're worried that this plan might be what causes Beast Boy to die?"
"I worry that this plan may cause us all trouble, but I cannot think of anything else to do. We could give up but that won't get us anywhere, we have nowhere to fight and don't even know who to fight. There's only three of us now."
"No we make four now," Star pointed out.
"Jinx doesn't count, she is not a member of this team."
"She wants to find Cyborg just as much as anyone else. She must be given a chance to atone for what she has done. We need to give her a chance. Don't be blind to her like you were with Beast Boy. Easily you could've been an enemy than an ally. If you came here and were welcomed by Slade instead of Robin then you would've stuck with Slade if you had someplace to belong."
Raven didn't know how to respond.
"Every creature in the universe just wants to belong. Even the animals stay in herds so they have a place of being. Belonging is the greatest feeling we can ever have, Beast Boy makes himself a fool in order to belong, and you make yourself a loner so you have your role in belonging. Robin is our leader, Cyborg is our technical expert, importance must find us all and soon she will have a purpose and I propose that her purpose may be good and not that of evil."
Nothing was said for several long moments.
"Nobody gives you enough credit Star, you really know more than you ever let on."
"So what of the plan? Are we still going through with it?"
"Do you think I should talk with Beast Boy again?"
"Because you are afraid you may never see him again? Or to ask about the mission?"
Raven sat up and put her hood back on, "Both," She got up and made her way to the door. She then looked back at her friend, "Thank you Star," and with that she left.
--
Cyborg shouted for nearly ten minutes but Robin stayed on the ground not moving. Not being able to do much else he began reaching down and trying to reconstruct his hips and the upper part of his legs. He figured if he could get his legs moving he could finish repairing himself. It would be faster with Robin but Robin was in no condition to do anything, he just hoped his friend hanged on long enough till he or the Titans could get them out of here.
--
A-Systole charging at two hundred! Clear!
Raven shook her head and turned the corner. She knocked on Beast Boy's door. She heard some rummaging and after about a minute the door opened.
"Sorry," he scratched the back of his head.
She made her way past him and noted his quick cleaning job before he allowed her to enter. Though the place wasn't pristine by any means. She turned around to face him, "The mission starts in another hour."
"I know. I've been practicing," He turned into a dog and began sniffing around.
She rolled her eyes, "This is serious."
He morphed back and crossed his arms, "Hence the practicing."
She rubbed her forehead, "I'm weary of doing this mission. I've been seeing things that make me afraid."
Charging two fifty clear!
"What kind of things?" He took a step closer to her.
"Images, voices, of you in pain, dying," She placed her hands on his chest, "I want to call off this mission."
"You can't call it off."
"Please let me call it off," She pleaded. "You don't have to do this, nobody questions your will."
"Listen," He placed both hands on her shoulder, "This is what we have to do. We can't be paralyzed by nightmares."
"There has to be another way."
He smirked at her; "I'm not leaving you any time soon. If things get rough I'll turn into the Beast, I can more than defend myself in that form," he rubbed his hands down her arm, "trust me."
"I have a bad feeling about this," She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and made her way to the door.
He turned around, "What was that for?"
She looked over her shoulder, "Luck."
--
Jinx was able to steal stuff from Starfire's closet – well not steal, but borrow. She took a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, it was the only thing that wasn't pink in Star's closet.
Starfire wore a long sleeve pink sweater, and a pink skirt. She squealed in delight being able to dress up.
The two of them waited outside of Raven's room, "Come on Raven!"
"I'm not coming out!" Raven shouted.
"Please?" Starfire asked.
Raven looked down at herself. She wore a solid black sleeveless dress that reached down to her shoes – or solid black boots. She sighed and exited out of her room.
"Beautiful," the three girls turned around to see Beast Boy looking at Raven from down the hall. Of course since he was bait he didn't have the pleasure of playing dress up.
Raven felt herself beginning to blush but quickly pushed her feelings aside. "Everyone have their communicators on?"
They all nodded their heads.
"Alright now remember to keep them on. We're going to stay close to each other and near Beast Boy, as soon as someone gets confirmation on our target say so in the communicator and head towards that location. Beast Boy remember, no side streets stay around the general location where Cyborg was taken. Don't go very far away we want everyone to stay relatively close." Raven looked around for any questions, "Titans go!" She received a quick kiss on the cheek, "For luck!" Beast Boy called as he ran out.
--
Raven looked down the street to see Beast Boy morphed as a dog sniffing the ground moving down the street. She looked down on her communicator to see Starfire behind her and Jinx behind Star. Rain began to pour and thunder could be heard in the sky. She looked left and didn't see Beast Boy anymore. She made her way to go to the main street but when she turned she ran into a fence.
Something isn't right….
Drip… Drip… Drip…
She looked up to see water draining down off a roof and landing in a small puddle in front of her.
Something isn't right….
"Everyone come to me," She announced in the communicator. She looked up, a masked figure stood before her, "SLADE!"
--
Beast Boy morphed back and checked his communicator, he rushed towards Raven's position. He was stopped as an explosion hit the ground in front of him. He looked left and right and saw a man in black pointing a gun at him.
--
Starfire and Jinx made their way to Raven and looked to see Slade in front of them wielding a staff.
Starfire flew in the air at Slade, "Give me Robin back!" Her hands glowed of bright green amber and she launched several projectiles at Slade.
Slade deflected several of them away and then side stepped the others. He then charged at Starfire and was going to proceed with an attack except several pink lights stopped him.
Raven flew up in the air and grabbed some light posts and threw them at Slade. One hit him and flung him backwards.
Slade slowly got up a grin showing on his face. "I think you forgot someone."
Raven's eyes grew wide; she was going to fly to the next street over but was suddenly blinded.
Slade threw a flash grenade at the Titans, and made his exit.
--
Beast Boy turned into a chimp and flew off the building evading the blast. He then jumped in a zig-zagged movement towards his enemy avoiding the blasts but not the kick that followed.
He hit the ground and then turned into the Beast. He grabbed a piece of fence that was nearby and flung the wood towards his assailant. The man twirled backwards and flipped out of the way. The Beast charged at the man evading several blasts and then sliding into the ground and trying to trip the gun armed man. But the man jumped away and struck the Beast with a blast and knocked him several feet away.
Beast Boy got up losing his transformation. He trudged a few steps and squinted his eyes. He saw a gun pointed straight at his face. He waved his arm and knocked the gun aside. He then reached with all his strength and tried to pull the gun away. Then it fired.
--
Raven flew back down towards the street and looked at a fallen Beast Boy. She watched a man begin running away but she grabbed a lamp post and flew it at the man and then bent it to capture the man.
--
Raven waited for the ambulance. Normally they would take their injured back to the tower but Cyborg was the medic and he wasn't here. They did learn the name of their new enemy; it was Speedy now named Arsenal. Starfire and Jinx were taking him back to the tower for questioning.
Raven healed Beast Boy as much as she could. He suffered a huge burn mark in his stomach. His pulse still seemed okay and he was breathing on his own, that was all Raven could ask for.
- end of part 29