32 Productions Presents…
A HIVE Team StoryThe HIVE Team In…
"Descent into Madness"
Chapter Two
HIVE Tower: Krystal's Room
Krystal reappeared in her room, sniffling. She DID want to see her brother. She just didn't want to see the animal he had become. No, what she wanted was to see that boy with the weak smile who told her how he was going to prove he was better then THEM by not attacking them.
Krystal: …you lied, Shade. Damn stupid liar.
Krystal exited her room. Time for some comfort food…i.e. chili alamode. Tasty and it made her friends gag. You can't pay for better fun then that. She stopped. Blackfire was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and looking fairly displeased.
Blackfire: …you were supposed to come shopping with me.
Krystal: Yeeeaaah…about that. Something kind of came up.
Blackfire pushed herself off the wall and approached her.
Blackfire: So I heard. You should have said something to me. I could have come with you.
Krystal: It's my problem. …want some ice cream?
Blackfire shuddered.
Blackfire: The chili alamode again?
Krystal gave her a subdued grin and nodded. Blackfire sighed.
Blackfire: Sure, why not?
They walked down the hall.
Blackfire: So…how'd it go?
Krystal: …fine. Just told her all I knew about Shade's childhood.
Blackfire: Did you see him?
Krystal: …no. I don't want to…but I do want to…I want to see the old Shade, you know? Have you ever wanted to see the old Koridan'r?
Blackfire ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head.
Blackfire: There is no OLD Koridan'r, mentally speaking. She's always hated me.
Krystal: …oh.
Blackfire: …you sure you're okay?
Krystal: I'm fine. Race you.
Blackfire snorted and shook her head.
Blackfire: Every time we race, you teleport to the end.
Krystal: I won't.
Blackfire: You promise?
Krystal held up her right hand and crossed her heart with her left. Blackfire gave her a doubtful look before sighing.
Blackfire: Alright. Let's go, sweetie.
Krystal grinned and teleported. Blackfire swore and flew down the hall. She found Krystal just outside the room. She stepped in when she saw Blackfire coming. Landing with a huff, Blackfire pointed an accusing finger at her.
Blackfire: You lied to me!
Krystal: Nuh uh. I teleported to just in front of the end. Not the end itself.
Blackfire snapped her fingers. Krystal tricked her. Krystal winked and opened the freezer for the ice cream.
Asylum: Session Room
Shade's behavior was odd…well, odd for a criminally insane beast-man anyway. He was laid back…aloof…and spelling properly. He paused every so often too, tilting his head. Very strange. Oh well.
Denise: Tell me about the Titans, Shade.
Shade: what would you like to know?
He STILL didn't capitalize. That was annoying. Denise wished whatever voice in his head that was telling him how to spell would teach him grammar too.
Denise: Why do you live with them?
Shade: because they accept me. they understand my pain.
Denise: Do you believe they are your friends?
He raised an eyebrow before typing.
Shade: are you suggesting something, doctor?
Denise: What does it seem like I'm suggesting?
Classic psychiatrist move…ask them to answer the question they just asked you. If that fails, ask what they mean or how it makes them feel.
Shade: it seems to me that your suggesting that there not my friends.
Denise: I find it hard to believe that people who rip the skin off still living people have friends.
Shade: only three of us do that. myself changeling and raven.
So he thought they cared about him. That figures.
Denise: Tell me about them as individuals.
Shade: does it bother you? working in an environment with so many dangerous inmates? one escape and you could be kidnapped raped and killed. personally i wouldn't rape you. your disgusting.
Denise's eyes widened with surprise. SHE was disgusting? He had tried to scratch his ear with his foot several times since the session started. Plus he bit at his skin like a dog. He probably had fleas.
Denise: Calm down. Don't let him get to you. How am I disgusting?
Shade: your wearing dirty clothes for starters. must have been in the hamper for a few days.
…how did he know that? Her washing machine broke down last night… He grinned.
Shade: but more importantly you are morally disgusting. you brought my sister in didn't you?
Now that was impossible for him to know…he must be guessing. Just a coincidentally accurate paranoid thought, that's all it was.
Denise: Why would I do that?
Shade: you tell me. i know she was here. i felt her teleport away. we can sense that about each other if we're close enough. but enough of that. answer the question. does it bother you?
Denise: …sometimes.
Shade: only natural. now what was it you asked? oh yes. i can't tell you much about robin. that would be ratting him out you see. starfire is an alien princess. terra is a geomancer from russia. changeling is a shape shifter. cyborg is the fault of scientific idiocy. raven is a beautiful demon human hybrid from the dimension of Azarath.
…wow. That was some sudden craziness. Alien princesses? Demon human hybrids? What was this, a Sci-fi movie? Hmm…that was interesting.
Denise: A "beautiful" demon human hybrid? You feel affection for this, Raven, then.
Shade: only natural for a being who is born of darkness wouldn't you think?
Denise tapped her pen to her notepad as she thought. Was it too early to do this? …no, it had to be said.
Denise: Shade, you're not "born of darkness". You're a meta-human. You're a human being born with unusual powers that are either triggered naturally or are triggered through an event such as chemical exposure. The Titans are the same thing. Starfire and Raven, just meta-humans. Their powers only make them seem like aliens and demons.
Shade: half demon.
Denise: She's not half demon, Shade. She's human like you or me.
Shade fell out of his chair laughing. He sat back up, holding his throat, a grimace of pain on his face. Apparently he hurt himself. Serves him right for laughing at her.
Denise: What's so funny?
Shade: didn't krystal mention? we're not human at all. we're aliens. granted i do suffer a deformity with the ears and all. she just has pointed ears and her teeth aren't nearly as sharp as mine.
Denise: This is part of the reason you're in here, Shade. You're delusional. You're not an alien, you're not an animal, and your so-called friends are simply using you to further their…
Suddenly all the lights went dead and a shriek echoed through the asylum...well, a shriek that sounded somewhat different then the usual ones. The back up generator came on and in the dim red light, Denise saw Shade disappeared in a poof of blackness and reappear on her side of the glass, grinning.
Creepy Female: Further our what, doctor?
Standing…or rather floating in the doorway was Raven, blood dripping down her cloak and skin. Obviously it wasn't hers. She held up the head of the orderly who was guarding the door by the spinal cord that was still attached to the base of the neck. Raven had pulled his head off. Judging from his expression, it must have been painful. She swung it around, blood splattering about.
Raven: Doctor Denise Steiner, I presume. I'm Raven, the beautiful demon human hybrid. …you flatterer.
Raven smirked at Shade who simply shrugged. Raven let the head go and it smacked into the ceiling. Raven's eyes glowed with anger as she glared at the doctor.
Raven: Trying to fill his head with your foul venomous lies...you'll die slowly for that.
Denise: N…no, please…
Raven sighed and shook her head.
Raven: Don't you think I hear that all the time? Why would I listen to you when I won't listen to people I've never even heard of before?
Shade hopped next to her and nuzzled her leg. She looked down, an confused expression on her face.
Raven: What! Have you lost your…
A sinister smile spread across Raven's face slowly. She looked back up at the terrified doctor.
Raven: Yes…I like this idea, Shade. I like it a lot. Congratulations, Doctor Steiner…or should I call you Denise? Either way, I'm going to let you live.
Denise was ready to bless that little beast-man's heart before Raven spoke her next line.
Raven: You listened to Shade tell you about himself and believed them to be the manic ravings of a lunatic. You seem to not understand insanity as well as you should. Perhaps you should see what it's like for yourself.
Raven shot a bolt of energy from her body, striking Denise. She pitched forward. Raven lifted her up with her mind and the pair left the cell. Raven floated down the hall backwards, facing Shade.
Raven: I'm happy to see you too, Shade. Not yet. First we need to go get your belongings from the evidence room…assuming the bastards haven't thrown them out or something.
They found the evidence room and Shade got dressed in his usual outfit. Raven looked around to make sure nobody was looking then hugged Shade.
Raven: I'm so sorry for leaving you here for so long. I'll find some way to make it up to you, my love. …Shade! You naughty little imp! If I wasn't thinking the same thing, I'd tell you to take your mind out of the gutter this instant.
Raven slugged his arm playfully. She really was happy to see him again. Her room felt so…empty without him lounging on the bed. She met the others in the lobby. Changeling grabbed Shade and gave him a noogie.
Changeling: Hey Rot-mouth! The hide out was starting to look clean without you around.
"Rot-mouth" was a name Changeling started calling him after he got a good whiff of Shade's breath. Consuming nothing but meat caused a terrible odor to develop in his mouth. Raven didn't mind it because the smell of rot filled her room in the first place. She kept certain…souvenirs in her room, including the first hand she ever severed, the first head she decapitated, and so on and so forth. Some of them were shriveled lumps, only recognizable by the little label she put in front of them. The others put air fresheners around the hall near her door. Terra rolled her eyes at Changeling's comment.
Terra: No, it just smells more like feet then it does rotten meat.
Changeling: Hey, barefoot is freedom, Terra.
Terra: Not with that fungus.
Starfire: I find it most odd that such organisms can grow on your feet, Changeling. I thought some of those could only sprout upon graves.
Ah, it was good to be together again. Robin pointed to the limp doctor floating in Raven's power.
Robin: What's that? Planning on keeping the whole corpse this time?
Raven grinned and scratched Shade behind his ear.
Raven: This is Shade's doctor. Shade had the most interesting of ideas. We're going to show her what "insanity" really is.
Changeling: How you going to do that?
Raven floated over to Changeling and ran her hand along his face.
Raven: (breathy) Simple, young Garfield. She'll be living in my room for a while. Trust me when I say that by the time we've finished with her, she'll have a totally different perspective on life.
Terra pushed Raven away from Changeling. Raven snickered to herself and turned to Cyborg.
Raven: Are we ready to go now?
Cyborg: Yep.
Robin: Good. Do it.
Cyborg pressed a button on a remote. The back up generator went down, releasing the cell door locks. Giggling, moaning, and screaming echoed through the building as the inmates wandered from their cells. The Titans turned and left quickly. The HIVE could arrive at any time.
END PART TWO