
Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and associated characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being sought and no Copyright infringement is intended.
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
First off, I'd like to thank those who took the time to review chapter 1.
Demigod: I'm ecstatic that a writer who I respect as much as you enjoyed my story. Of course, we've discussed The Titans, comics, and Fanfic in general many times, so no need to dwell on those things here. Nevertheless, any success that I may achieve in writing is due in large part to your input and support, not to mention inspiration from your own tremendous fiction. So once again, I am in your debt. Thank you very much.
Regrem Erutaerc: Guess you were right about me after all, kid. Thank you for all your encouragement. You were one of the first people to suggest that I give writing a try. Thank you for having faith. And no, that's not what's going to happen.
I Should Be Studying: Thank you! Per your Request, here is the continuation. Study Hard!
BlueTitan: "The Beast Within" is one of my all-time favorite episodes of the show, as we are allowed to see a different side of Beastboy. In many ways, I'm trying to keep this story in that spirit . Glad you like what I've done; if it comes out half as good as your own "Birthday Reflections," I'll be very happy indeed.
Eva: Um... Okay, here it is! Seriously, I hope the wait wasn't too long; I'm not a particularly quick worker. But I aim to please, so no need to beg! Here you go... and I hope you enjoy it.!
BBcrazed: Yep, Beastboy and Raven are pretty much my favorite pairing on this show, even though it's not canon, strictly speaking. But the are canon in my little world; such is the beauty of Fanfic.
-Orange-: I'm not sure all the chapters will be quite that long. Ch. 1 was longer than I intended originally, as I wanted to make it through the action sequence. Now that we're in the main plot, they might be a little shorter, but I'm still going to try to put in all the detail that I can. Thank you, and I hope you like the forthcoming chapters.
TDG3RD: I'm glad that you enjoyed the action sequence; I was quite nervous about it, and I still think that I could have done it better. Since it looks like I'm might be doing this for a while, I'll be able to practice. I hope this chapter, and the ones to follow, meet your expectations. Thanks.
the ubermann: Thank you, I appreciate that!
x0xFallenAngelxx: Gee, I don't think I've had one of the best anythings before, so I'm glad to hear that!
FantasyObsessed: Oh boy... (gulp) no need to get violent... see, I updated! (Glances nervously around...) I hope this keeps me in your good graces... heh. (...how did Raven know I'm ticklish...)
caniluvagain: I'm hard at work! I hope you like all my future writings as much as ch.1. Thanks for the kind words.
Corvus no Ankoku the Ryukaiser: Okay, everybody, put the weapons down! I promise to update. Cross my heart. You can all give Corvus his weapons back now...
Fallen Angel: "...Fantastic work..." wow! I never thought I hear anyone say anything like that about my first fic. Praise like that really helps my self-confidence, and spurs me to keep working. I hope I can continue to live up to that standard.
x: A person of few words, I see... but a 10/10 is still high praise indeed. Thank you.
dragoon-bane : Thanks. I tried to put a lot of detail into what I was writing... and while it can be a pain (and result in a lot of revisions) it's worth it in the long run, to me. I think that it helps bring the reader into the story. Thank you, and I hope you like this chapter.
Darkmagic101: I don't think BB will go that far, but the H.I.V.E. kids will never take him lightly ever again, I can tell you that.
Chibi-Hime13: Don't worry! At this point, I foresee no character death in this fic. And if I were going to kill someone off, it wouldn't be Raven... I love her too much.
RavennBeastboy: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for your review! Here's the update. I hope you like it.
Dannyspudge: Greetings from across the pond. Nice to see I've gone international (I'm a huge fan of England and things from there, particularly Monty Python and Newcastle Brown Ale.) Thanks for bringing up grammar. I work hard to make my writing as polished as I can. That said, there's a thousand little things in ch.1 that bug me. Hopefully, successive chapters can be more professional. Thanks again.
Valecia92: Yes, "The Beast Within" is one of my personal favorites, as well (along with "Spellbound'' and ''Birthmark".) That, along with my fondness for the Comic Book, were very influential on me. I'm very happy that you like what I've done, and I hope my work continues to please you. Thanks! (go BBRae.)
Cassandra-Cruxshadows: As you wish... here is the continuation. Thanks for the love!
The Mad shoe1: Read on, and your questions may be answered (and new ones raised, perhaps...)
Raven of Azarath: I hear and obey, My Lady...
CHAPTER 2: To Tame A Savage Beast...
As they exited the western sewer passage, Robin and Starfire paused at the junction of the four tunnels to look around for Cyborg.
''Where is he?'' Robin wondered aloud. " I told him to meet us here..."
"He has probably already proceeded down the tunnel, Robin" Starfire said as she hovered in the middle of the intersection, still carrying the Boy Wonder with one arm, as if he were a mere child. "No doubt he is as concerned for his friends as we are, and decided to attempt to reach them, rather than wait for our arrival.''
Robin considered this. "You're probably right, Starfire. Let's head down the passage, and If we don't run into him right away, I'll call him."
"All right Robin. Hang on!" Using her free hand to illuminate the darkness with her green starbolt energy, the alien girl grasped the Titan's leader tightly around his waist as she flew down the eastern tunnel that their friends Raven and Beastboy had started down earlier. They had not gone more than a few hundred yards down the dark corridor when they came upon Cyborg, who was running down the tunnel with his sonic cannon at the ready, and a look of grim determination upon his features.
Robin called out to his teammate, "Cyborg! Have you found any sign of the others?"
The Cybernetic teen paused as his friends joined him, "Nothing, Robin. I wasn't very far down the north tunnel when you called me, and I got back to the junction pretty quick, so I decided to get a head start. You were pretty vague on the communicator; what happened to Raven and BB?"
Robin sighed. "I'm not sure, I'm afraid. Raven called me to say that they had come to the end of the passage, and then she was suddenly cut off. I tried to call her back, but I can't reach her. I also tried to contact Beastboy, but he's not responding, either. If I had to guess, I'd say they ran into in the H.I.V.E., but I'm not taking anything for granted. Let's hurry, but stay alert for traps."
With as much haste as they dared, the three made their way down the damp tunnel, the lamp mounted in Cyborg's shoulder providing limited light in the darkened shaft. Although they strained with all their senses to penetrate the tenebrous atmosphere that loomed around them, all they could detect was the scuttling of rats, and their own footsteps splashing in the shallow water that pooled on the floor. They noticed no sign of either the H.I.V.E., or their friends.
Then, after what seemed an eternity, Cyborg's acute auditory sensors detected a sound coming around a bend in the tunnel ahead. It was indistinct, but it was definitely moving their way, and quickly. He called them to a halt.
"Guys, wait! Some thing's coming this way."
"Could it be our friends?" Starfire asked, with an anxious note in her voice.
"Couldn't tell ya, Star. The acoustics of this place are too screwy to make anything out clearly. But whatever it is, It's gonna be here in a sec!"
Robin was fully alert now. "All right, everybody. Get ready." He drew his staff from his belt, as Starfire marshaled her starbolt energy, causing her hands and eyes to glow with intense emerald light. Cyborg took up a defensive stance, powering up his arm-mounted sonic cannon.
The sound, now clearly identifiable as running footsteps, came closer to the Titans. Then, Mammoth, carrying Gizmo on his back, burst out of the darkness, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him. The huge criminal was bleeding from numerous cuts and abrasions on his face, arms and torso. Gizmo's backpack, which contained his various technological devices, gadgets, and weapons, was severely damaged, exposed wiring trailing sparks as Mammoth carried him down the sewer passage. Both of the teenage villain's faces were pale, with expressions of mindless fear plastered across their features.
Heedless of the presence of the three Titans, he barreled straight into Cyborg, knocking the Titan to the ground. As if he didn't even notice the obstruction, Mammoth continued to run. Without even attempting to attack them, he quickly made his way completely through the ranks of the astonished Titans, and fled back up the tunnel the three had just come down, not even glancing back over his shoulder at them.
Cyborg looked up at his teammates, his confusion and embarrassment written plainly on his face. "What was up with that?" He rose to his feet and made as if to pursue the two criminals. "Quick, guys! We gotta go after them!"
Robin, however, put a hand on his arm, stopping him . "Wait, Cyborg! We can worry about them later. Finding Raven and Beastboy is more important right now."
Meanwhile, Starfire was peering down the corridor, her glowing green eyes straining to penetrate the darkness. "Robin, Cyborg, Someone else is coming our way. Let us be ready this time!"
Robin quickly came up with a plan. "Cyborg, turn off your light, and use your infra-red vision. We'll all take position on the sides of the tunnel. When you see them, turn on your lamp and we'll grab them. Does that sound good to you?"
Cyborg nodded. "Alright, let's do it." He extinguished the light.
As they prepared themselves, they heard a female voice calling out from around the bend in the tunnel, "Mammoth, wait up! I can't keep up with you, you stupid oaf! Don't leave me behind!"
The footsteps got closer, and as they came around the bend, Cyborg sprung the trap. He re-activated his lamp, and the runner froze with a gasp, blinded by the sudden brightness.
It was Jinx. The young witch looked quite disheveled; her clothing was soaked and covered in grime, as though she had taken a tumble at some point during her flight. One of the horn-like pigtails she normally wore her pink hair in had come loose, and the strands hung limply down one side of her face.
Recovering from her momentary disorientation, Jinx raised her hands, as if to launch her hex bolts at Cyborg, but Starfire was too quick for her. The alien girl dashed up from behind the Sorceress, and wrapped her up in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides.
"Let me go, let me go! " Jinx struggled ineffectually against Starfire's superhuman strength. " I've got to get out of here!"
Robin strode up to the captured witch, his eyes boring into hers. "Why Jinx? What's going on? What are the three of you trying to get away from?"
"And what did you do with Beastboy and Raven?" Cyborg asked angrily.
Jinx looked at them, her eyes wide with fright. "W-we have to get out of here. Please, let's get out of here before it gets us!"
"What, Jinx?" Robin asked, "Before what gets us?"
Just then, the four teenagers heard a blood-chilling howl, a call of animalistic rage, echoing from down the tunnel. It was a sound that the Titans knew all too well.
"That, you morons! I'm trying to get away from your little green pet! After we attacked him and the goth, he went nuts! He changed into some kind of monster and he..." Jinx gulped, the fear evident on her face as she continued. "...We even tried to give up - we were ready to go to jail. But your psycho friend decided to try to take us all out - permanently!"
"Oh, no..." Starfire's said sadly. "Beastboy..."
Cyborg face was shocked. "It cant be... the Beast... how?"
"Cyborg, I thought you gave him an antidote for those chemicals that caused this to happen to him!" Robin's face was grim. He remembered how difficult it was fighting his friend the last time he lost control.
"I did, Robin. I don't understand how this could happen!" He looked down at Jinx, who was cowering in Starfire's arms now, more like a scared child than a prisoner. "What did you H.I.V.E. freaks do to him?" He demanded angrily.
"I already told you, tin-man! W-we attacked them, and he ... changed ... " The usually arrogant young girl was trembling visibly now. "He tossed Mammoth and Gizmo around like they were toys! We can't fight that! We need to run!"
Robin took a deep breath, and spoke in a voice filled with resolve. "No, we can't. If he's out of control again, we have to stop him, before he hurts himself, or someone else." Reaching into a pouch on his belt, he removed a pair of handcuffs, which he used to bind Jinx's wrists together, and looked at Starfire. "Cyborg and I will take care of Beastboy. Hopefully we can bring him down without hurting him too much. I want you to keep an eye on to our... guest here, and make sure she doesn't try anything; we're going to need to ask her some questions later. Take her aside and stay out of the battle, if you can." Besides, he thought to himself, I know how much you don't want to fight your friend, so I'm not going to make you. I know I sure don't want to do this...
Cyborg approached Robin. "I think I have an idea. Did you bring any of those halothane sleep gas disks of yours?"
"Yeah, what do you have in mind?"
"Well, I'll try to pin him down,and keep him at a safe distance. Then you can dash in and hit him with the disks, and the gas will knock him out. That way, maybe we can all avoid getting hurt, including him."
"Do you think the halothane will put him under?"
The cybernetic teenager shrugged his massive shoulders. "Not a clue, Robin, but this is the best I can come up with on short notice. Got a better idea?" Cyborg could now hear the heavy footsteps of the beast, approaching rapidly. "Better hurry, he's getting close..."
Robin shook his head. "Sure don't. Let's give it a try, then."
The two boys took position a few yards down the tunnel from Starfire and Jinx, who were trying to remain inconspicuous in the shadows, while still being able to see what was happening. Cyborg stood in the middle of the passage, with his cannon arm ready and his body braced for combat. Robin, meanwhile, pulled the halothane disks from his utility belt and assumed a crouch, not unlike a sprinter, a few feet behind Cyborg, hoping the Beast might not notice him until he struck. He'd take every advantage he could get in this fight. Poised for battle, they waited for the beast to appear.
They didn't have to wait very long. They heard a growling sound from around the corner, and the Beast strode into the light, sniffing at the air. If anything, the huge creature seemed even more menacing than in their previous encounter. It walked with it's head held low, scanning the tunnel with its fierce eyes as if it were searching for prey. In one of its hands, it held a piece of one of the metal spider legs from Gizmo's backpack, the arachnoid appendage looking as though it had been torn away from the small villain in the course of battle. The Beast spotted Cyborg, and drew back its lips in a snarl, cruel fangs glinting in the light of the Titan's lamp.
Cyborg spoke, keeping his cannon trained on the creature that was formerly his friend, "BB? Listen, man... I hope you can hear me. I really don't want to hurt you. Please, dude, just stay cool... I want to help you!"
The huge green mammal showed no indication of comprehension. With a roar, it dropped the ruined robotic limb from its grasp and lunged towards Cyborg, leading with it's razor-sharp claws. Cyborg aimed his cannon and fired a warning blast across the creatures' muzzle. The Beast ceased its charge, eying the Titan warily.
Cyborg continued to fire his sonic weapon at the Beast, driving it further back down the passage. "Alright Robin, do it!"
The agile Titan dashed out from behind Cyborg, with his two halothane disks poised in his hand for throwing. "Cyborg, get back!" He yelled, as he threw the disks at the huge creature, praying that they would work.
The disks detonated, releasing their payload of greenish-yellow anesthetic gas. The Beast was engulfed by the thick cloud, hiding it from view. For a few seconds, the Titans could hear the sounds of coughing and gasping coming from the Beast, then silence.
Starfire, holding Jinx's upper arm in a firm grasp, emerged from the shadows. She peered intently into the lingering cloud, careful to keep her distance. "Was the gas effective? Is Beastboy incapacitated?"
Robin drew a small respirator from the seemingly never-ending stash of equipment on his belt. As he fitted it over his nose and mouth, he spoke to his team, "I want all you to stay back for the time being. I'll check things out."
With his respirator in place and his Bo staff in hand, Robin slowly stalked up to the now dissipating cloud of vapor. He looked down at the ground, and saw the Beast lying there, with its eyes closed and its chest rising and falling in time with its slow breathing rate. Robin lightly tapped on the huge creatures' torso with his staff. looking for a reaction , but the Beast remained still. With the halothane cloud now mostly dispersed, Robin took off his respirator and turned to speak to the others.
"It looks like it worked worked, everyone. Ok, Starfire, you take Jinx back to the Tower. Cyborg and I will – ughh!"
Suddenly, as Robin was speaking, the Beast sprang to its feet and attacked, striking him from behind with a huge green fist. The blow caught the Boy Wonder completely unaware, and launched him through the air past his stunned comrades. He landed in a heap several yards away from them, dazed from the impact. The Beast stalked forward, showing no effect from the halothane gas, its eyes burning with fury.
"Robin!" Starfire called in distress. Jinx let out a gasp and attempted to flee the scene of the battle, but Starfire maintained her viselike grip on the witch, not forgetting Robin's orders, even in her concerned state.
"Looks like BB was playing possum on us," Cyborg observed. "We'd better think of something, quick. I don't think he's very happy with us right now..."
As the Beast moved closer, it paused, as it seemed to notice Jinx for the first time. Then it let out an angered roar, and rushed toward Starfire and the young sorceress, whose presence seemed to enrage it even more.
"Starfire, watch out!" Cyborg ran forward, firing his sonic cannon at the Beast. The huge creature, however, seemed to anticipate his interference. Seemingly before Cyborg had even begun his attack, the Beast had leaped to the side, agilely avoiding the blue beams from the Titans' weapon. Then it counterattacked with a brutal shoulder tackle, ramming into Cyborg with locomotive-like force. The mechanically-enhanced hero was thrown backwards into the wall of the tunnel, leaving a huge divot in the crumbling bricks. The Titan crumpled the ground, knocked unconscious by the impact. Its opponent dealt with, the Beast turned its attention back to Jinx and Starfire.
By this time, Robin had managed to shake the worst of the cobwebs from his head, and was now coherent enough to notice the two teenage girls' peril. Hauling his self to his feet with the aid of his Bo staff, Robin ran to the aid of his teammate and her captive.
"Beastboy, don't do this! We don't want to hurt you!" The Beast showed no sign of understanding his words, and continued it's advance on them. Robin looked over at Starfire. "Looks like we can't hold anything back, this time. I'm sorry we have to do this, Starfire."
"I am sorry as well, Robin. I do not wish to harm our friend. But I suppose we have no choice." Summoning the energies contained within her body, she raised one of her hands, preparing to fire her starbolts at the Beast. The monstrous green creature continued to advance, not taking its eyes from Jinx.
Before either side could attack the other, however, a soft voice called out from behind the creature. "Beastboy?"
The Beast stopped and wheeled around to look at the speaker, momentarily forgetting its foes. The boundless rage on its face seemed to fade as Raven stepped into view. The dark Titan had her hood down, which revealed several bruises and an ugly-looking abrasion on her left temple, which oozed a thin rivulet of blood down the side of her face. She walked unsteadily, using one hand on the wall to support herself as she slowly made her way toward the combatants.
Her eyes remained focused on the Beast. "Beastboy, I know you can hear me. It's alright, Beastboy, you don't need to fight anymore." Her voice was quiet and calm, as if she were attempting to soothe her out-of-control comrade. She continued to approach the huge animal.
Cyborg, finally regaining his senses after being stunned in the fight against the Beast, rose to his feet and saw Raven walking closer to the Beast. Distressed, he activated his sonic cannon and prepared to defend her.
"Raven, watch out! He's gone crazy again! Move back so we can-"
"No, Cyborg," Raven responded in her monotone voice, "He isn't crazy." With her empathic senses, she could feel the storm of emotions that emanated from the Beast. "He's... confused, and angry, and afraid. If you attack him, It's only going to make things worse. Violence isn't going to help Beastboy." she continued to look at the creature, which seemed to be completely mesmerized by her presence. "Put away your weapons, everyone.. We need to try to calm him down."
As her friends complied with her request, Raven considered what she could do to help Beastboy. As long as he was in this confused mental state, he'd never be able to recognize them, much less be able to change back to his true form. What he needed was peace of mind. The beginnings of an idea began to form in her brain.
"Robin, I'm going to try something... I need you and the others to remain quiet and no matter what, don't disturb either of us."
"What are you going to do, Raven?" Robin asked.
"Do you remember when I linked with your mind, when you were having those visions of Slade?" When Robin nodded, she continued. "I'm going to attempt something similar here. I'm going to try to reach Beastboy and bring the Beast under control. The danger is that this linking will be a little more... complete than what I did with you. If ether of us is distracted, both of our minds could be permanently damaged."
"I understand. You heard her everyone, let's all remain calm, and hope this works."
Starfire looked at her with obvious concern. "Raven, are you certain that he will not try to harm you? After all, this is not the Beastboy that we know..."
"Granted, that's true." she responded. "But when this happened last time, with Adonis, he didn't hurt me then. So I don't think that he will now. He seems to recognize me, for some reason."
"I hope that you are correct, Raven. Please be careful!"
Taking a deep breath to help focus her thoughts, Raven stepped closer to the huge Beast, looking directly into its eyes. The creature seemed to show no signs of aggression or fear at her approach. It's gaze was more... curious than anything else.
Keeping her eyes locked on the Beast's, she cast her mind out attempting to establish a link with consciousness of her friend. As she made contact with the creatures' mind, she was flooded with a wave of images, emotions and feelings. Raven remembered her only previous conversation with Beastboy about the nature of his bestial self, in which he had described it as a "primal" part of his nature. Raven found that description to be quite accurate as it applied to the creatures' thought. She was bombarded with images of various people and events. Some were familiar to her, such as the former Titan Terra. Most, however, she didn't know; she could only assume that they were important people from Beastboy's past, before his time with the Teen Titans. Raven felt the emotions that were associated with the faces of these strangers; mostly loneliness, anger, and grief.
There was no seeming order or reason to the Beasts' mental processes; it was pure chaos The sudden inrush of disorganized thought threatened to overwhelm Raven's own mind. Were it not for the years of rigorous mental conditioning that she had subjected herself to, in order to keep hold of her humanity in the face of the demonic evil within her own soul, she would have been lost. And in that moment, she understood the nature of Beastboy's plight. It was as though the human part of the shapeshifting Titan's mind had been lost within the swirling maelstrom of emotions that were in the Beasts' consciousness. What he needed was a beacon to guide him through the storm.
Raven mentally called out, hoping that the changeling would pick up her thoughts.
'Beastboy? Beastboy, can you hear me? Beastboy, if you are there I need you to answer me...'
There was no response. It was as though her words were swept away by the raging images and feelings within the mind of the Beast. Raven considered this; the Beast showed little understanding of speech... perhaps she would have better results with images instead of words.
Reaching back into her memories, she searched for instances when she and Beastboy had interacted. She had memories of the young Titan's annoying practical jokes, which irritated her to no end; there where also memories of their fights against various villains, which she quickly discarded. The last thing the Beast needed was memories of combat. Then she found what she was looking for... the fondly remembered yet seldom discussed moments when she and Beastboy had been closest. Memories of his many attempts to make her laugh, which on more than a few occasions, almost worked. Memories of the time after her deception at the hands of the dragon Malchior, when Beastboy came to her, to soothe her loneliness and help heal her shattered heart. And memories of the night after their first experience with the Beast, when she had gone to him to provide comfort, reassurance, and to help him face his fear of what lay inside him.
She cast these treasured images into the swirling vortex of the Beast's mind, hoping they could lead her friend back to her.
Her hope was not in vain. As she watched into the mind of the Beast, its raging anger and confusion slipped away. Gradually, as the creature calmed, Raven could sense the consciousness of Beastboy. The young Titan's mind seemed to be in a state of deep sleep, probably due to all the energy he expended during his time in his beast form. If their past experience with the Beast held true, Beastboy would have little, if any memory of his experiences as the Beast.
Her work done, Raven returned her mind to her own body. As she regained her normal senses, she saw Beastboy, now back in his natural form, laying on the ground, in an almost comatose slumber. She slumped down next to him, exhausted from the effort of bringing him back.
As Raven collapsed, her friends rushed up to her.
"Raven, please say that you are unharmed!" Starfire cried out, the emotional girl in obvious distress, still dragging a rather confused looking Jinx around by the arm.
"It's alright, Starfire," Raven replied, "I'm just tired, that's all. Linking with Beastboy's mind took a lot out of me. All I need is a little rest, and some meditation."
"What about BB?" Cyborg asked. "He just kinda stood there, all zoned out like, while you two were doing... whatever it was you were doing. Then he changed back to normal, and just passed out."
"He's probably just exhausted. His conscious mind was asleep when I finally reached him, so don't expect him to remember much when he wakes up." Raven looked over at Robin. "I have enough strength left to teleport back to the Tower. I can take Beastboy back with me."
"Do you think you can take Cyborg and Jinx as well?" He asked. When nodded, he continued. "Then take them back with you, too. Cyborg, put Jinx in one of the cells in Tower. Once we're done questioning her about all this, we can turn her over to the police."
Cyborg nodded. "Got it. And I'll take BB to the medical lab, and run a few tests. Maybe we can figure out why this happened to him."
"Ok." Robin then turned his attention to Jinx. "Alright, what did you three do with the money you took?"
Jinx looked away, reluctant to rat on her partners-in-crime. "Umm... I don't know what the guys did with it. They didn't tell me."
Cyborg sighed. "You always were a crummy liar."
"What are you talking about?"
"Jinx, in the little bit of time I spent undercover at the H.I.V.E academy. I picked up a lot of little tidbits of info about each of you. One thing that I noticed about you is that you can't tell a convincing lie to save your hide. I mean, you could never even cover for us when we used to cut class. Besides, if that wasn't enough..." Cyborg pointed to the high-tech auditory sensors mounted on the mechanical portion of his head, "...voice-stress analyzers. I know you're not telling the truth."
Jinx continued to refuse to look him in the eye, and said nothing.
Cyborg went on. "Look, Mammoth and Gizmo ditched you. They probably figured that BB would be so busy mauling you that they could get away easy. The way I see it, you don't owe them a thing. Besides, if you cooperate now, things might go a little easier for you later on."
Jinx looked down at the ground. Then she sighed and looked up at Cyborg. "They hid the money about a hundred yards down the tunnel, underneath a pile of rubble. Look on the left side, as you go down."
"I shall investigate," Starfire said and flew into the darkness.
"Thanks, Jinx. You did the right thing." Cyborg told the sorceress.
"Yeah, whatever..." Jinx looked away again, and said nothing more.
Moments later, Starfire floated back into the light, carrying the large bag of cash that Mammoth had taken from the Gotham Bank and Trust earlier that day. "I have recovered the stolen currency. Robin, are we going to return it to the place of banking now?"
"Thats right, Starfire. You can return the money while I give a statement to the authorities. They'll want to know what happened to the other H.I.V.E. members, and why we're holding Jinx in our custody. Then I'll grab the R-Cycle and we'll meet the others back at the Tower."
"Very well." Starfire thought a moment. "Wait! What about the T-car? I am certain that Cyborg does not wish to leave it at the crime scene when he teleports with Raven, and I have not yet earned the 'license for driving'..."
Cyborg smiled. "Way ahead of ya, Star. I gave the A.I. in the T-car's on-board computer instructions to drive the car back to the Tower a few minutes ago. It should almost be home by now."
Raven rose to her feet. "We should be going, Cyborg. Bring Jinx over here, next to Beastboy and I."
As Cyborg and Jinx joined Raven and the still unconscious Beastboy, Robin spoke to them. "We should be back at Titans' tower within an hour or so. Then we can start trying to get to the bottom of all this." He looked down at Beastboy. "If he wakes up, keep a close eye on him. Until we can figure out why he went berserk, we can't be sure if it could happen again, and I had enough of chasing him around the city last time."
"I gotcha." Cyborg looked over at Raven. "We're ready when you are."
The half-demon girl spread her arms wide and floated slightly off the ground as she recited the familiar mantra that focused her magical energies.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
As Raven finished her incantation, the four teenagers were engulfed within a nimbus of black energy, which then took a shape that resembled a great, black bird, and carried them back to the Tower.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Authors' notes:
...And so the second chapter ends. Somewhat shorter than the first, I know, but it just took longer than I anticipated to get the Titans out of the sewer, and I figured this was a good place for a break. Expect the next chapter to be somewhat "quieter," (at least, that's how it looks at the moment,) as the team attempts to find the cause of BB's loss of control.
I must say, I was really gratified at all the feedback that I received for the first chapter. Thank you all and please, feel free to keep reviewing. The more feedback I get, the better the writer I can become, and the better the story I can give you. I sincerely hope that you've all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next. Until then, take care.
Regards,
The Doctor
30 July 2005