Disclaimer: See first chapter
To Local Suggester—Great Idea! I had already planned to do that, but if I hadn't, I certainly would now.
Chapter 2
The Titans had searched every inch of the canyon as they moved along, but so far hadn't found anything. How hard is it to find an avalanche site? Beast Boy thought. He was about to ask why Robin suddenly stopped. Starfire asked, "What is it Rob—"
"Shh," he hissed. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cyborg asked.
"It sounds like someone calling for help."
The Titans all listened. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed. He did hear something. It did sound like someone calling for help. And it was coming from...
"Over there." Robin pointed to an area where the path they were following curved. He broke into a run and, closely followed by his teammates, followed the curve and came face to face with an avalanche site. He placed his ear on one of the boulders and listened. "There's someone in here," he asserted. "Come on. We've got to get them out of here."
The Titans began hefting boulders. Robin had to take the smaller ones at the bottom. Beside him, Beast Boy, in the form of a gorilla, and Cyborg handled the larger ones. Starfire carried off huge rocks from higher up. Raven was mentally moving large quantities wherever she thought they would do the most good.
Robin gritted his teeth. This was taking too long. Someone could be hurt under there. They had to find out now.
"Beast Boy."
The shape shifter stopped digging and went back to his human form. "Yeah?"
"We need to see if anyone is hurt. Can you get in there and find whoever got caught in the landslide?"
Beast Boy gave the leader a thumbs up and grinned. "Hey, no problem." He quickly changed into a mouse and squirmed his way through the boulders.
Beneath the rocks, it was incredibly dark. The only light was what seeped through minuscule holes in the granite. Fortunately, that was enough. His eyesight had been exceptional ever since he had been a child. Or, rather, since he had gotten his powers. It amounted to the same thing. No matter what form he was in, he had almost perfect night vision. His eyes, much like a cat's, absorbed whatever light was available and allowed him to see clearly in near perfect darkness. They even glowed with an eerie white light. He should know, he'd spent hours admiring the effect.
Along with the night vision, his regular eyesight was even better than 20/20. He had distance vision like an eagle. His friends didn't know this, though. He didn't like flaunting it.
Beast Boy wriggled through another tight spot, making his way toward the cries for help. He looked around, deciding which way it would be easiest to get through. The sound of a voice was getting clearer, louder. He followed the noise, and soon came to a large empty space. Frowning, he looked around. It was large enough for a few people to be caught in without getting hurt, but there was no one there. Switching back to his human form, Beast Boy crouched to look at the ground. Yup, it was dirt, not rocks. Definitely the ground. He was at the most likely place for the victim to be trapped. So, why wasn't anyone here?
Beast Boy looked around again. Could there be another hole somewhere? Unlikely, but possible. He was just about to leave when his foot kicked something. It was a small tape recorder, something that hadn't been seen for years. The Play button was depressed, and it was playing...
A recording of someone screaming for help.
Beast Boy almost dropped the tape player in shock. Why would someone hide such a thing under an avalanche? It would have taken careful planning to keep it from being crushed. What possible purpose could it serve?
"Beast Boy, have you found anything?" Robin's voice said over the communicator.
Beast Boy took it off his belt and responded. "Yeah, I found something alright. Only it's not a person."
Robin looked at his communicator in confusion, then at the other teens who were listening to the conversation. "Then, what is it?" he asked.
The answer came. "A tape recorder."
Robin looked at the communicator again. "Uh, run that by me again."
"The sound we heard was a recording of someone in trouble. That's what's down here."
Robin shook his head. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would a tape recorder be planted down there? Unless this is a..." Robin stopped as comprehension dawned.
"A trap," Raven finished for him.
Just then, an explosion of rocks erupted close to where the Titans were standing. Robin went immediately into battle mode. "Titans, split up," he ordered. The team instinctively followed his command. They were each followed by a shower of stones that barely missed them.
"Where is that coming from?" Cyborg asked, not really expecting an answer.
"I do not know," Starfire responded, looking around wildly for the culprit.
"Starfire, look out!"
Robin's warning came an instant too late. Before she could move, a huge bolder slammed into her, carrying her to the ground. Her scream of pain reverberated through the canyon.
"Starfire!" Robin rushed to her side where Cyborg and Raven were already kneeling. Starfire was clutching her leg and whimpering in agony.
"It's her leg," Raven said. "It's broken."
A cruel laugh brought their attention to the figures hovering above them on a floating boulder. Slade's eyes gleamed with a callous delight. "I think your aim has improved, Terra," he said, not looking away from Robin. "That was a very well placed throw."
Robin gritted his teeth as he once again faced his archenemy. "Slade," he hissed.
"And Terra." Raven examined the petite blonde. "I thought we left you wrapped up in lava."
Terra glared at her. "You did. You just left me there to rot, and Slade got me out. Now I know who my real friends are."
Robin turned his attention to Terra. "He's not your friend, Terra. He's no one's friend. We would have gotten you out as soon as we could. But now, you can help us defeat him."
Terra tossed her head. "Save your psychology tactics, Robin. It won't work this time." She lifted her arms and sent a shower of rocks onto them. The teens ducked and covered their heads as best they could. Robin looked up just to see Terra head in one direction on a boulder, and Slade running the other way on a plateau. He stood up. "We've got to go after them."
"No way, man," Cyborg said. "Starfire can't fight in her condition. She needs a doctor."
Robin gritted his teeth and watched as the distance between him and Slade steadily grew. "Fine. You get her to a doctor. Raven, you go after Terra." He lowered his voice dramatically. "I'm going after Slade."
Beast Boy wriggled out of the rock pile as quickly as he could. He had heard Raven's prediction that this was a trap, and the crashes and screams that followed. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
He squeezed his rodent body through the opening that took him out of the avalanche. He instantly switched back to human form and looked around for his friends. He didn't see them. Where were they?
Robin leaped from mesa to mesa, closing the gap between himself and Slade. He watched Slade leap into a small canyon, then followed him down. Slade ran through the narrow valley until he reached a dead end. Robin smiled to himself. At long last, he would finally catch Slade. He would win.
Robin stepped boldly forward. "It's over, Slade," he announced. "It's over."
Slade turned to face him. It seemed to Robin that the criminal was smiling behind his mask. But why would he be smiling? He had lost.
Slade looked at Robin and shook his head. "Oh no, Robin. It is far from over. In fact, it is just beginning."
Robin stood for a moment, stunned at his words. Then, with a powerful battle cry, he attacked. Robin ran forward, leaped into the air with one leg out ready to hit Slade in the chest...
And flew right through him.
"Whoa!" Robin turned himself in midair and landed feet first on the ground. Somewhere, Slade laughed as the hologram vanished, leaving Robin alone in the canyon.
Eyes glowing, Raven caught a shower of rocks in midair and sent them back to Terra, who blocked them with even more flying rocks.
"You can't defeat me, Raven," Terra said, throwing three large boulders at the half-demon.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "I have before."
Terra ground her teeth together and let out a yell as she threw more rocks at her.
As she blocked the stones, Raven thought, This isn't getting us anywhere. We're too evenly matched. I need something to tip the odds. But Starfire and Cyborg are gone, Robin went after Slade, and I don't even know what happened to Beast Boy.
A green hawk flew toward the fight between the demon and the elemental. Man, I hope everyone's all right, Beast Boy thought worriedly. He didn't want anymore deaths on his conscience. He landed on the edge of the mesa when he found Raven and Terra. They're a pretty close match, he thought, watching them. If I help, me and Raven can beat her easy. He was just about to change into a tiger when one of Terra's boulders rammed into Raven, knocking her down. And Terra had several more boulders at the ready.
Raven gasped for breath. That one had knocked the wind out of her. Slowly, she started to push herself to her feet as Terra, smiling triumphantly, let several more boulders go, aimed directly at Raven.
Raven fought for the energy to catch them, but having the wind knocked out of her had ruined her focus, and she still didn't have enough breath or time to move out of the way. Time seemed to slow as the boulders flew ever nearer. So this is how it ends, she thought. I really didn't want to die by her hand. The boulders flew closer, and closer still. Raven thought her life must be flashing before her eyes, but she only saw the past few years, the years she had been with the Teen Titans. She thought of Robin and his relentless pursuit of justice, Starfire and her endless enthusiasm for life, Cyborg and his placid friendship, and Beast Boy and his endless jokes and easygoing humor. She really did think he was funny, and she wished she could have told him so. She thought of all this in a mere moment as she watched the rocks that would inevitably end her life draw ever closer. She thought she heard someone call her name, but that was probably her imagination. The rocks were almost here. I hope this doesn't hurt too much, she thought. So close. They were just about to hit her...
"Ah!" Raven cried out as she was pushed aside, out of the way of the deadly stones. She landed several feet away and turned just in time to see the rocks intended for her hit Beast Boy! She scrambled painfully to her feet as the horrible scene played out before her eyes. The rocks hit Beast Boy with such force that he was thrown off the plateau into the side of another one. The mesa he hit had enough loose rocks to start an avalanche at the slightest provocation. And it did. As Beast Boy's limp form fell toward Earth, the rocks from the plateau ledge followed. Raven focused as much energy as she could trying to stop the rocks, but there were too many of them and she had been too late. Dropping to her knees, she was forced to watch her teammate be buried under the rockslide.
A/N: Yay! Longer chapter. I told you I would do it! Please Review!
To Local Suggester—Great Idea! I had already planned to do that, but if I hadn't, I certainly would now.
Chapter 2
The Titans had searched every inch of the canyon as they moved along, but so far hadn't found anything. How hard is it to find an avalanche site? Beast Boy thought. He was about to ask why Robin suddenly stopped. Starfire asked, "What is it Rob—"
"Shh," he hissed. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cyborg asked.
"It sounds like someone calling for help."
The Titans all listened. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed. He did hear something. It did sound like someone calling for help. And it was coming from...
"Over there." Robin pointed to an area where the path they were following curved. He broke into a run and, closely followed by his teammates, followed the curve and came face to face with an avalanche site. He placed his ear on one of the boulders and listened. "There's someone in here," he asserted. "Come on. We've got to get them out of here."
The Titans began hefting boulders. Robin had to take the smaller ones at the bottom. Beside him, Beast Boy, in the form of a gorilla, and Cyborg handled the larger ones. Starfire carried off huge rocks from higher up. Raven was mentally moving large quantities wherever she thought they would do the most good.
Robin gritted his teeth. This was taking too long. Someone could be hurt under there. They had to find out now.
"Beast Boy."
The shape shifter stopped digging and went back to his human form. "Yeah?"
"We need to see if anyone is hurt. Can you get in there and find whoever got caught in the landslide?"
Beast Boy gave the leader a thumbs up and grinned. "Hey, no problem." He quickly changed into a mouse and squirmed his way through the boulders.
Beneath the rocks, it was incredibly dark. The only light was what seeped through minuscule holes in the granite. Fortunately, that was enough. His eyesight had been exceptional ever since he had been a child. Or, rather, since he had gotten his powers. It amounted to the same thing. No matter what form he was in, he had almost perfect night vision. His eyes, much like a cat's, absorbed whatever light was available and allowed him to see clearly in near perfect darkness. They even glowed with an eerie white light. He should know, he'd spent hours admiring the effect.
Along with the night vision, his regular eyesight was even better than 20/20. He had distance vision like an eagle. His friends didn't know this, though. He didn't like flaunting it.
Beast Boy wriggled through another tight spot, making his way toward the cries for help. He looked around, deciding which way it would be easiest to get through. The sound of a voice was getting clearer, louder. He followed the noise, and soon came to a large empty space. Frowning, he looked around. It was large enough for a few people to be caught in without getting hurt, but there was no one there. Switching back to his human form, Beast Boy crouched to look at the ground. Yup, it was dirt, not rocks. Definitely the ground. He was at the most likely place for the victim to be trapped. So, why wasn't anyone here?
Beast Boy looked around again. Could there be another hole somewhere? Unlikely, but possible. He was just about to leave when his foot kicked something. It was a small tape recorder, something that hadn't been seen for years. The Play button was depressed, and it was playing...
A recording of someone screaming for help.
Beast Boy almost dropped the tape player in shock. Why would someone hide such a thing under an avalanche? It would have taken careful planning to keep it from being crushed. What possible purpose could it serve?
"Beast Boy, have you found anything?" Robin's voice said over the communicator.
Beast Boy took it off his belt and responded. "Yeah, I found something alright. Only it's not a person."
Robin looked at his communicator in confusion, then at the other teens who were listening to the conversation. "Then, what is it?" he asked.
The answer came. "A tape recorder."
Robin looked at the communicator again. "Uh, run that by me again."
"The sound we heard was a recording of someone in trouble. That's what's down here."
Robin shook his head. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would a tape recorder be planted down there? Unless this is a..." Robin stopped as comprehension dawned.
"A trap," Raven finished for him.
Just then, an explosion of rocks erupted close to where the Titans were standing. Robin went immediately into battle mode. "Titans, split up," he ordered. The team instinctively followed his command. They were each followed by a shower of stones that barely missed them.
"Where is that coming from?" Cyborg asked, not really expecting an answer.
"I do not know," Starfire responded, looking around wildly for the culprit.
"Starfire, look out!"
Robin's warning came an instant too late. Before she could move, a huge bolder slammed into her, carrying her to the ground. Her scream of pain reverberated through the canyon.
"Starfire!" Robin rushed to her side where Cyborg and Raven were already kneeling. Starfire was clutching her leg and whimpering in agony.
"It's her leg," Raven said. "It's broken."
A cruel laugh brought their attention to the figures hovering above them on a floating boulder. Slade's eyes gleamed with a callous delight. "I think your aim has improved, Terra," he said, not looking away from Robin. "That was a very well placed throw."
Robin gritted his teeth as he once again faced his archenemy. "Slade," he hissed.
"And Terra." Raven examined the petite blonde. "I thought we left you wrapped up in lava."
Terra glared at her. "You did. You just left me there to rot, and Slade got me out. Now I know who my real friends are."
Robin turned his attention to Terra. "He's not your friend, Terra. He's no one's friend. We would have gotten you out as soon as we could. But now, you can help us defeat him."
Terra tossed her head. "Save your psychology tactics, Robin. It won't work this time." She lifted her arms and sent a shower of rocks onto them. The teens ducked and covered their heads as best they could. Robin looked up just to see Terra head in one direction on a boulder, and Slade running the other way on a plateau. He stood up. "We've got to go after them."
"No way, man," Cyborg said. "Starfire can't fight in her condition. She needs a doctor."
Robin gritted his teeth and watched as the distance between him and Slade steadily grew. "Fine. You get her to a doctor. Raven, you go after Terra." He lowered his voice dramatically. "I'm going after Slade."
Beast Boy wriggled out of the rock pile as quickly as he could. He had heard Raven's prediction that this was a trap, and the crashes and screams that followed. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
He squeezed his rodent body through the opening that took him out of the avalanche. He instantly switched back to human form and looked around for his friends. He didn't see them. Where were they?
Robin leaped from mesa to mesa, closing the gap between himself and Slade. He watched Slade leap into a small canyon, then followed him down. Slade ran through the narrow valley until he reached a dead end. Robin smiled to himself. At long last, he would finally catch Slade. He would win.
Robin stepped boldly forward. "It's over, Slade," he announced. "It's over."
Slade turned to face him. It seemed to Robin that the criminal was smiling behind his mask. But why would he be smiling? He had lost.
Slade looked at Robin and shook his head. "Oh no, Robin. It is far from over. In fact, it is just beginning."
Robin stood for a moment, stunned at his words. Then, with a powerful battle cry, he attacked. Robin ran forward, leaped into the air with one leg out ready to hit Slade in the chest...
And flew right through him.
"Whoa!" Robin turned himself in midair and landed feet first on the ground. Somewhere, Slade laughed as the hologram vanished, leaving Robin alone in the canyon.
Eyes glowing, Raven caught a shower of rocks in midair and sent them back to Terra, who blocked them with even more flying rocks.
"You can't defeat me, Raven," Terra said, throwing three large boulders at the half-demon.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "I have before."
Terra ground her teeth together and let out a yell as she threw more rocks at her.
As she blocked the stones, Raven thought, This isn't getting us anywhere. We're too evenly matched. I need something to tip the odds. But Starfire and Cyborg are gone, Robin went after Slade, and I don't even know what happened to Beast Boy.
A green hawk flew toward the fight between the demon and the elemental. Man, I hope everyone's all right, Beast Boy thought worriedly. He didn't want anymore deaths on his conscience. He landed on the edge of the mesa when he found Raven and Terra. They're a pretty close match, he thought, watching them. If I help, me and Raven can beat her easy. He was just about to change into a tiger when one of Terra's boulders rammed into Raven, knocking her down. And Terra had several more boulders at the ready.
Raven gasped for breath. That one had knocked the wind out of her. Slowly, she started to push herself to her feet as Terra, smiling triumphantly, let several more boulders go, aimed directly at Raven.
Raven fought for the energy to catch them, but having the wind knocked out of her had ruined her focus, and she still didn't have enough breath or time to move out of the way. Time seemed to slow as the boulders flew ever nearer. So this is how it ends, she thought. I really didn't want to die by her hand. The boulders flew closer, and closer still. Raven thought her life must be flashing before her eyes, but she only saw the past few years, the years she had been with the Teen Titans. She thought of Robin and his relentless pursuit of justice, Starfire and her endless enthusiasm for life, Cyborg and his placid friendship, and Beast Boy and his endless jokes and easygoing humor. She really did think he was funny, and she wished she could have told him so. She thought of all this in a mere moment as she watched the rocks that would inevitably end her life draw ever closer. She thought she heard someone call her name, but that was probably her imagination. The rocks were almost here. I hope this doesn't hurt too much, she thought. So close. They were just about to hit her...
"Ah!" Raven cried out as she was pushed aside, out of the way of the deadly stones. She landed several feet away and turned just in time to see the rocks intended for her hit Beast Boy! She scrambled painfully to her feet as the horrible scene played out before her eyes. The rocks hit Beast Boy with such force that he was thrown off the plateau into the side of another one. The mesa he hit had enough loose rocks to start an avalanche at the slightest provocation. And it did. As Beast Boy's limp form fell toward Earth, the rocks from the plateau ledge followed. Raven focused as much energy as she could trying to stop the rocks, but there were too many of them and she had been too late. Dropping to her knees, she was forced to watch her teammate be buried under the rockslide.
A/N: Yay! Longer chapter. I told you I would do it! Please Review!