Part 30
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos
The waterfall quickly flows between the crevices of the rocks and drains into a still lake. The lake cleanses the sandy beach and the seagulls come to claim their land. A thousand whispers can be heard as the wind brushes across the brush, and all that is right and what is wrong is sought in every in every nook, until the water falls down from the mountain and stays still in the lake once more, Azarath.
Mother? Oh Mother? Do you hear me Arella? Mommy? I sit in front of a mirror and search myself inside. True are the sayings you hide from what's inside. A squirrel dances across the leaves and searches for a nut and yet doesn't eat but hides it for when the cold comes. Arella, mother – do you hear me now? I have something wonderful to tell you! You would be so proud, Metrion.
Children clutch a rope and sing as they twirl it in a circle; a child stands inside and jumps as the rope comes by. A thousand green animals huddle around a small scared child. They rub tenderly against her and sit down and warm her, she is no longer scared, and she rests her tired eyes and for once can finally sleep. The clouds dissipate from the sky and the golden sun shines against her violet hair, Zinthos.
Dreams aren't the future. The future is always moving. Nightmares can hide what we think will come. Friends who we think we'll lose are actually the things that will always stay beside us. If we die in our dreams we will always live for tomorrow. The sun will always continue to rise. Be happy in today for today is special and everyone we see should make us happy.
Azarath
Metrion
Zinthos
Raven awoke and rubbed her eyes. She looked around to see she was still in the hospital room. Beast Boy laid in front of her, his chest bandaged, his head tilted to the side – away from her. Looking up she saw the IV drip every hour or two they would push medicine and or vitamins through the IV. He also had a morphine pump for the pain, he could press a button and it would give him more morphine – to an extent. She sighed rubbing his hair, "Why you think you have something to prove I'll never know."
Usually visitors weren't allowed to stay so long, but the Titans have saved the city so many times, nobody questioned Raven when she said she wanted to stay.
There wasn't much wrong with Beast Boy, he did take a beating but after she was able to heal him slightly, he really only sustained a burn mark. They put antibiotic ointment on his burn and covered the wound with petroleum gauze. Beast Boy healed quicker than most others thank to his animalistic DNA, but they still had to clear the burn mark completely and then they would probably have to add a skin graft using skin from another part of his body. The worst case it would take a couple months for all of this to happen. Raven hoped with her healing abilities and Beast Boy's own unique abilities that he could be back to normal within a month, but it was still going to be a lot of time before Beast Boy would be a hundred percent – if ever.
He was on so many drugs at the moment that she doubt he was going to wake up any time soon, she yawned and looked up at the clock, three in the morning. She took out her communicator, "Starfire, what's your status?"
--
Robin awoke and was barely able to get up to his knees. His mind ached, his body ached, his stomach growled, he was falling apart.
"I need your help to put me back together."
Robin glanced over to see Cyborg trying to repair his legs. He crawled over and took a deep breath, "What do I do?"
"You'll see a small micro computer within the both thighs, you need to reset them and power them both back on." Cyborg twisted a wire around and pulled it impossibly tight near his groin area. He then reached over and pulled out a gear and replaced it towards his calf muscle. "I haven't heard Slade in awhile, I don't think he's here."
Robin looked up at him, "Does your sonic cannon work?"
Cyborg nodded, "It should."
"Then blast a hole in this place now, so we don't have to worry about getting caught for blasting later."
Cyborg nudged Robin aside and aimed at the wall across from him. He fired and blasted a small hole in the wall, he then blast again and took a larger chunk out of it, on the other side was darkness. "Forget repairing let's go see if that's the way out."
Both Robin and Cyborg began crawling towards the hole. Robin figured that if it led outside they would be atop Jump City Mountain, since that is where the telescope was placed.
--
Arsenal's hands and feet were bound and he was sitting in a metallic chair in a dark room with a bright light.
Jinx took his mask off and both Starfire and Jinx figured out right away that it was Speedy.
"Why?" Starfire asked.
He didn't say anything.
"She asked why," Jinx repeated.
He just glared at them.
Jinx took one of the guns that was hooked to Arsenal's boots and looked at it. She moved it in her hand side to side and admired its craftsmanship, "You know I'm not a good guy right?"
No answer.
"I really don't mind, testing out what this gun does," She gave him a huge grin, "Want to tell me what it does," she pointed it at him, "Or should I test it?"
No answer.
She shrugged and aimed the gun and fired. The gun blew up the corner of the chair and sent it backwards. Arsenal let out a grunt as his head bounced against the hard cement floor.
"Next time I won't miss, now why are you working with Slade?" Jinx pointed the gun once again.
"Because Sweetie have you ever burned a rock?" He licked his lips at her. "You never done some kitten splitting?"
Starfire turned towards Jinx, "What is he talking about?"
Jinx leaned over and whispered into Starfire's ear, "He's talking about a drug called crack."
"But why? Why turn to drugs?" Starfire asked him.
"Because I was tired of the superhero thing. Everyday you risk your life and barely anyone notices. You put other peoples lives at risks, and they remember."
"So that's it Speedy? Tired of playing second fiddle to Robin?" Jinx looked down at the still fallen Arsenal.
"My name isn't Speedy," He spit out.
"Then what name are you?" Starfire questioned.
He plucked his lips as though he was kissing at her, "The name is Arsenal beautiful."
"You're again playing second fiddle to Robin," Jinx crossed her arms.
"Really where's your Robin now?"
Starfire's hands glowed, "You will tell me where Robin is!"
"By now," He laughed, "In a better place!"
"GRUAH!" Starfire punched Arsenal hard in the face and then lifted him and the chair up, "You will tell me where he is!"
"Forget him, let's talk about us," he winked at her.
She threw him hard against the wall breaking the metallic chair and dropping him against the floor – not moving.
Jinx eyes grew wide and she looked over at Starfire, who was breathing deeply, full of anger. She moved over towards Arsenal's body, he wasn't moving but he did have a pulse, "You knocked him unconscious…."
Starfire's communicator beeped and she turned it on and looked at Raven, "What's your status?" She asked. "Star you don't look right."
Jinx pulled the communicator from Star's hand and Star went and sat down in the corner trying desperately to calm down.
"Starfire kind of knocked our prisoner unconscious," Jinx made an awkward face.
"Who's our prisoner?"
"It's Speedy, but he's going by the name Arsenal now, he's working for Slade."
"Why?" Raven asked.
"Apparently for drugs and because he was tired of being a good guy. I think his ego got in the way, he didn't think he was getting enough credit and he couldn't really take it so he decided to team up with Slade."
"Do we know where Robin and Cyborg are?"
"Um well you see, that's kinda' when Star knocked Speedy or um Arsenal out."
Raven sighed.
--
Cyborg and Robin crawled through the exit they made. Their hard work paid off, for now they could look up and see the night sky, they were finally free.
"We need to head down the mountain, we should be safe at the bottom and I can either find help or we can try to repair you fully," Robin looked down the mountain.
"How do you propose we get down there?" Cyborg asked.
"Carefully, I don't know, I wish I had my communicator." Robin began slowly crawly down making sure he didn't fall over and start rolling down to his death.
Cyborg was better able to go down, for his arm strength due to his robot body was much higher than Robin's. "Wait a minute!" Cyborg was suddenly hit with a brilliant notion.
Robin looked over, "What?"
"I have a distress signal in my arm, I tried using it in the observatory but the walls made it where it wouldn't work, but now that we are outside, I should be able to call the tower."
Robin smiled at Cyborg, "Call me a pizza while you're at it."
--
The alarm sounded it Titan's Tower. "What's that?" Jinx looked over at Starfire.
Starfire flew out of the room and made her way to the computer, "It's Cyborg's distress signal!" She shouted.
Jinx was about to say something, but Starfire already flew out. She looked down to see the communicator still in her hand. She flipped it open and pondered curiously on how to work it. She pressed button and Raven's face appeared. "Raven can you hear me?"
Raven nodded her head, "Go ahead Jinx."
"We just received Cyborg's distress signal. Starfire is flying to it now."
--
"Call back if she finds anything," Raven put her communicator away. She looked down at Beast Boy and wanted to lay her head on his chest but couldn't.
She held his hand, "You know not too long ago, me holding your hand would've caused all the lights to shatter, the tables to fall and the nurses and doctors to scream, but now because of you none of that happens," Her outfit again turned white.
"When I was a small child my mother would tell me a story. There was a small boy who one day noticed a cat outside his window. So he grabbed a bowl full of milk and went outside to the cat. He would then feed the cat, and before he knew it the cat would come to his house every night, and every night he would leave milk for the cat. He gave the cat a name, would tell the cat stories, would pet the cat and love the cat.
His parents weren't aware of this little happening, but then one day his parents decided it was time to move. So during the day their things were packed up. And then that night they got into their car, and the child turned around from the back seat and looked out his window the cat was waiting in the yard, looking for its' milk.
The boy never came back, but the cat waited and waited and waited. Until one day it finally died, in the exact spot where the child would feed the cat. The child grew up and other things in his life would distract him and soon he was a grown man, and he was married, had kids, and an important job.
He grew old and forgot about the cat. He became so old that he could no longer care for him self. So he placed in a place where others took care of him. He would wait for his family to visit him. He would wait and he would wait and he would wait, but his kids grew up as well and then they had kids. And the man continued to wait, until one day he too died."
Raven rubbed Beast Boy's hand, "Anyway the point is, is that life continues to go on, and it's important for us to never forget the ones we love. Even at points in our lives when things become hectic and chaotic we cannot forget the ones we hold dear. For soon enough they will be gone from our lives."
Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos
She leaned over and kissed Beast Boy tenderly on the lips.
-end of part 30.