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.
AUTHORS NOTE:
There seems to be a rumor going about that is punishing authors that respond to their reviewers within their stories. I don't know if this (idiotic) rule change is true, but I am not taking chances. Therefore, I sent those of you who signed your reviews with e-mail addresses a personal response, in lieu of the typical response at the beginning of the chapter. I greatly enjoy interacting with my readership, and intend to continue to do so. If you guys like this, let me know. I am always anxious to hear your thoughts. Also to those of you who didn't have e-mail addresses posted, (Kayasuri-n, Dannyspudge, The Last, yoyo, Neko, Corvus, and anyone else I'm forgetting...) I'd just like you all to know that I enjoyed your reviews, and I hope to continue to hear from you.
Oh, and FantasyObsessed? The Teletubbies scare me. (shudder)
CHAPTER 3: A MATTER OF TRUST
Within moments, the blackness that surrounded the four teenagers dispersed, and they found themselves standing in the clean, antiseptic environs of the Titans Tower Medical Area. Cyborg, being in his element, took charge of the situation.
"Alright, Raven. I want you to take Jinx and put her in one of the holding cells until Robin and Starfire get back. Oh, be sure to keep her hands bound. Her magic is based on hand gesture. She can't use her powers if she can't move her hands. Then you can come back here and give me a hand with BB, if you feel up to it." Being out of the darkened sewer, Cyborg got his first good look at the wound on the side of Raven's head, suffered at the hands of Mammoth. "I can have a look at that cut on your face, too."
"It's fine, Cyborg," Raven replied, "I'm a quick healer. Just focus on Beastboy."
The blue-cloaked girl turned and led the sorceress away.
Cyborg focused his attention to the prone form of Beastboy, who still showed no signs of consciousness. The large Titan easily lifted his smaller teammates' sight form and carried him over to the examination bed.. Gently laying him down, Cyborg began attaching numerous electrodes to the shapeshifter's body; sensors on his forehead and temples monitored brainwave activity, while others placed on his chest and wrists monitored heart rate and blood pressure, respectively. As Cyborg lifted one of Beastboy's eyelids, in order to check his pupils, Raven re-entered the room.
"Have you been able to figure anything out?" she asked.
"So far, nothin'. I've just got started though." Pausing a moment, he changed the subject. "How's Jinx doing? Did she say anything to you on the way to her cell?"
"No. Not a word."
"She seemed really spooked. Just what did go on down there, Raven? What did you see?"
Raven shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't really say very much. We tried to contact Robin, Mammoth clubbed me over the head, and that was it for me. Whatever happened to Beastboy, I was out cold when it happened." She put her fingertips to her forehead, nursing a screaming headache. "When I came to, I could sense Beastboy's emotions back up the tunnel, so I got up, stumbled back up the sewer, and you saw the rest."
"Yeah, we sure did. Not that we really understood any of it." Cyborg thought a moment. "You went into BB's head, right? Did you see anything that might be useful?"
"It was... confusing. Everything was moving around in his head so fast, I couldn't really make sense of anything. I just got impressions of what he was feeling. A lot of anger and sadness, mostly."
"Anger and sadness... we are still talkin' about BB, Right? He's usually so silly."
Raven's look was pensive. "I don't know for certain, but I think there's more going on with Beastboy than he's told us. Did you ever notice how much he dislikes talking about his past?"
Cyborg shrugged. "Well, none of us talk about our pasts, much. We probably all have something to hide."
"I didn't get the impression that he has anything in his past to hide from us, exactly. I think that he doesn't want to remember it, himself." Raven looked down at the sleeping face of her green comrade. "I'm starting to wonder if much of Beastboy's humor is a way to defend himself from some things in his past that have hurt him. " The dark empath continued to look down at Beastboy, as if she were trying to penetrate the secrets locked in the changeling's mind then and there. Then she looked up at Cyborg, who had turned his attention to the array of screens that displayed Beastboy's condition. "How is he, physically?"
Cyborg looked somewhat puzzled. "It's strange... his body has shut down, as if he were in deep sleep, yet his brainwave activity is off the scale. Some of these beta-wave readings are a little contradictory. But then, I can't say that I really understand BB's biology very well. There really isn't anyone else remotely like him in the whole world, after all. The serum I gave him last year should have counteracted the effects of those chemicals he was exposed to during the fight with Adonis, but then, without really knowing how his powers work in the first place..." Cyborg considered the matter briefly, and said, "I think we're gonna need to ask Beastboy about how he got his powers when he wakes up. I don't like the idea of invading his privacy, but I think it's the only way to get to the bottom of this.
"Hey Raven, why don't you go lie down for a while? You've had a pretty full day, after all, and you'd mentioned not sleeping well this morning, right?"
"Aren't you going to need a hand with Beastboy? I should stay and help you." Raven momentarily looked down at Beastboy, the look of obvious concern in her eyes not escaping Cyborg's notice. He smiled at her.
"It's ok, Rae. I'll be sure to wake you if his condition changes. When Robin and Starfire get back,Rob's going to interrogate Jinx, and try to find out exactly what happened. You should get some rest, so you can be ready for whatever comes up."
"Alright. Call me if anything happens." Raven turned and departed for her room.
"Gar? Gar? Stay close to Mommy while you play, ok honey?"
"I will!" The young boy replied.
It was a beautiful day. The afternoon sun shown brightly, bathing the verdant jungle with its heat. In a clearing within the rain forest, a small building, scarcely more than a hut, stood, with the words "UPPER LAMUMBA RESEARCH CENTER" displayed on a sign over the door. In the yard outside the door, a chestnut-haired woman was peering under the raised hood of a battered Jeep, in the process of changing the oil. Several yards away, the young boy that the woman had been talking to played in the tall grass at the verge of the forest.
A rustling in the nearby underbrush drew the boy's attention away from his game. With his natural curiosity aroused, the lad made his way over toward the source of the disturbance, in a thicket of foliage.
As the boy drew near the bushes, a small simian form emerged, alerted to the approach of an intruder. As the child drew closer, the monkey raised the hackles of its green-furred back, and lifted its tail into the air. If the display was intended to be threatening, the boy was oblivious to the warning as he reached out his tiny hand for the animal, fascinated by the unusual creature.
"A green monkey!" the child exclaimed with delight.
The boy had no chance to defend his self as the monkey shrieked and leaped from the bushes to attack the unwary child, sinking its small, sharp teeth into the unprotected flesh of the boy's right upper arm. Crying out loudly, the hapless lad fell to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably.
Within moments, the traumatized child felt the presence of his mother by his side. She gently stroked one hand though his unruly blond hair as she attempted to examine the bleeding wound on his arm.
"Oh my God, Garfield! What happened to you?" The boy could see his mothers' eyes were wide with fright. "What did this to you, baby?"
Lost in his anguish, the child was unable to respond to the question, but a flicker of movement nearby drew his mothers' eye. As she looked up from her suffering son, she saw a green monkey fleeing the scene of the attack.
"A green monkey? It can't be..." The woman paused as if she were thinking for a moment, then her face paled visibly as she seemed to realize something.
"...Sakutia!" Her voice was filled with dread as she spoke the strange word.
The boy felt himself being lifted into the comforting embrace of his mother as she carried him back to the small building in the center of the clearing, Just before he blacked out, he could hear his mother's voice crying out as she ran.
"Mark, Help me! Garfield's been hurt!"
Raven struggled her way back to wakefulness, shaking off the last remnants of the strange dream.
Now that was bizarre. I don't think I've ever dreamed about being a little boy before. Felt kind of odd for a dream, too. Too much detail.
Despite her further attempts at slumber, Raven was restless. She found herself troubled by thoughts of the incident with Beastboy in the sewer. She certainly could relate to the green changeling's plight to a great degree. After all, she had spent the better part of her life struggling to control a dark inner portion of herself. The last thing that she would wish is for someone she cared about to have to endure the sorts of hardships that she had. And despite how it sometimes appeared, Raven did care about her fellow Titans very much; she was simply uncomfortable expressing it.
Still unable to sleep after several hours, the Dark Empath was now floating above her bed, seeking solace in meditation when her a knock at her door alerted her.
"Friend Raven? It is I, Starfire. Beastboy has just awakened, and Cyborg has said that you wished to be alerted when he regained consciousness. We are all gathering in the medical laboratory to check on his condition. Will you be joining us?"
"Just a moment, Starfire." Drifting down to the surface of her bed, Raven unfolded her legs from the lotus position she customarily assumed while in meditation. She rose and walked to the door, and pressed the switch to open it revealing Starfire waiting patiently outside. The young Tamaranean girl looked at Ravens' face rather critically.
"Raven, It still appears that you are quite tired from todays ordeal. Perhaps you should return to rest..."
"No, I'm ok Starfire. I want to help you guys find out what's wrong with Beastboy. Let's go."
The two girls headed down the hallway to the elevator that would carry them to the Medical Lab. After riding to the top floor of the tower,it was a short walk to the entrance to the infirmary. As the door opened, they saw Beastboy sitting upright on the medical bed, in the midst of an apparent argument with Cyborg
"Aw, c'mon, Cy! You have to know something! I mean, why can't you tell what's wrong with me?"
"I can't tell you what's wrong with you, because as far as I can tell, there's nothing wrong with you, physically."
"Nothing's wrong with me physically, huh?" Beastboy's voice held a hint of anger. "So you think I'm crazy, right? Is that it?"
"No man, you're overreacting!"
"Overreacting! You said I lost control and attacked you guys! That I was trying to kill those H.I.V.E. brats! How could I overreact to that!"
Raven could feel the shame and worry radiating from Beastboy like heat from a fire. He would need to be calmed down if they were to gain any useful information from him.
Starfire was upset by the conflict between her friends. "Beastboy, please do not be upset! I am sure that Cyborg will be able to discover what caused you to loose control in the sewer."
"You heard him Star... nothing's wrong with me. Physically." Beastboy seemed to notice Raven's presence for the first time. The defensive look in his eyes softened somewhat as he looked at her. He noticed the fading bruise on th side of her head. "Raven? Are you alright? Those H.I.V.E. punks didn't hurt you, did they?" He paused, then added in a small voice, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"I'm fine, Beastboy. Mammoth knocked me over the head. That's all." Raven replied in her usual monotone. With her empathic sensitivity, she had to work hard to keep herself under control, given the tense atmosphere in the room. She could feel BB's anxiety about what was happening to him, Starfires' sadness regarding Beastboy's distress, and Cyborg's worry about the health of his best friend. The tumult of emotion battered at Ravens' mind, but her defenses held firm. She'd had years of practice to strengthen them.
The doors to the Med Lab hissed open, and Robin walked into the room. The Boy Wonder's face was, as usual, a grim mask of control. Unlike Beastboy or Starfire, who broadcast their emotions like a beacon, Robin was usually rather difficult to read, even for Raven. Unless Starfire was concerned, that was.
"Beastboy, I'm glad to see you're awake. We need to talk."
The defensive look returned to Beastboy's visage. He remembered well how Robin had treated him during their last experience with the changeling's primal side. "What's there to talk about, Robin? Why don't you just take me to jail. That's what you really want to do, isn't it?"
"We just want to ask you a few questions, so that Cyborg will be able to treat you more. We're trying to help you."
"Yeah Robin, I really felt the love from you last time this happened."
Robin sighed, stung by his teammate's words. He had hoped that his behavior during the previous "incident" would not come up. "Listen, Beastboy. I know that I made mistakes the last time. I made a snap judgment, and I was wrong. You know that I never meant you any harm. We had thought you had hurt Raven..."
"That's the problem, Robin! That you could even think that I'd do anything like that! Why can't you trust me?"
"Beastboy, I do trust you. We trust you. We just need to figure out why this happened to you. Why you lost control of yourself. Is there anything you can tell us about what happened?"
The look on Beastboys' face had shifted from defiance to defeat. "I don't understand it," He moaned. "I rememberer Raven being attacked by Mammoth. I was... angry. I thought that Raven was hurt really bad. I attacked Mammoth, but Gizmo got me with something. Whatever he hit me with, It hurt pretty bad. I think I blacked out, or something."
"Do you remember anything that happened while you were the Beast?" Robin asked.
The green Titan shook his head, not looking at his teammates. "No I- I don't remember anything... 'till I woke up here."
Cyborg spoke up. "BB, what we need to know is why you weren't able to control yourself when you were the Beast. I mean, you've taken that form voluntarily before, right? I remember seeing you as the Beast when we were defending Raven against those Fire-things that Trigon sent after her..."
Beastboy took a deep breath, still not looking at them. "I... Uh... actually don't remember much of that, Cy. I was really... hyped up, I guess. I was desperate to defend Raven, and I wanted to take the strongest form I could to keep her safe." He looked up at Raven, then looked away, flushing slightly. " All that mattered to me was protecting Raven. I'm not sure that I really had control then, either. Difference is, I don't think I lost my control then. I gave it up willingly."
Raven felt blood rushing to her face, both embarrassed and flattered by the boy's admission of concern for her. She never thought that anyone could care so much for her, that they would put themselves through something so trying.
Cyborg thought about Beastboy's statement a moment, and then spoke. "So what you're saying is that when you become that creature, you have no conscious control of yourself. What we have to figure out now is what makes that Beast so much different than all the other forms you take. Can you tell me something about your powers, like... how you got them in the first place?"
The shapeshifters' expression grew apprehensive at Cyborg's question. "I... umm... I really don't want to talk about it."
Robin pressed further. "Beastboy, this could be the key to bringing the Beast under control. You need to help us here. Tell us about your powers!"
"I can't! Please... I-I really don't want to talk about this right now. Please..." The young man was practically in tears, his hands trembling violently.
The other four Titans were momentarily silent, shocked at how upset their friend had become. It was Starfire who spoke at last.
"Perhaps we should allow Beastboy to rest for a while. No doubt this will be easier for all of us once he has had a chance to recover from all of the stressful things that he has experienced today."
Robin nodded, smiling inwardly at the alien girls' care for her teammate. "You're right, Starfire. Cyborg, is there any reason that Beastboy needs to stay in medical?"
"No, Robin. Like I said, he's fine physically - near as I can tell, at any rate."
"Alright, then. Beastboy, you can go back to your room and get some rest. We can talk about this more once you're feeling up to it"
"Thanks guys." Beastboy slid off of the bed and shuffled towards the door. Before he left, he paused and looked back at his friends.
"Listen, everyone. I'm really sorry about all of this. I don't understand why this is happening to me. You know that I don't want to hurt anyone-"
"We know, Beastboy." Robin replied. "We'll help you get through this. We promise."
Beastboy nodded silently and left the Medlab.
Robin looked back at his fellow Titans after Beastboy's departure. "What do you guys think?"
Cyborg was the first to speak. "I don't get why he's so scared to tell us about his powers. I mean, he was almost crying when we asked him about it. I've never seen him so messed up."
"I know. Raven, anything to add?"
She shook her head. "Not really. Clearly, his powers are linked to something traumatic from his childhood. We're going to have to be careful approaching him about it."
Starfire spoke next. "Robin, did you attempt to question Jinx?"
"Yeah. She didn't really have anything to add. She basically just repeated what she told us in the tunnel. I don't know if she knows anything that's going to help us with Beastboy.
"What about the bank robbery?" Cyborg asked. "That sort of thing's not exactly the H.I.V.E.s style."
"She said that they were hired by an anonymous client to pull the bank job. I couldn't get her to say much about that, either. We'll let her stew in her cell a while, then try again." He looked at his teammates. "I didn't want to say anything about her around Beastboy; remember, it was the H.I.V.E. he was attacking in the sewer earlier. I'm worried about how he might react if he knew she was in the tower, so I don't think any of us should mention Jinx around Beastboy for the time being, agreed?"
Cyborg nodded his assent. "Good thinking. But this still doesn't solve our main problem: How do we help BB?"
Starfires' expression was thoughtful as she spoke. "Perhaps It would be better if only one of us was to approach Beastboy to ask him about his past. It is possible that he would feel less threatened if he did not have all of us attempting to question him about matters that he is clearly reluctant to talk about."
Robin smiled at her. "Good thinking, Starfire! I think that after dinner might be the best time for you to go to him. That way, you could take him some food too. He's always in a better mood after eating."
"Oh! I was not suggesting that I should be the one to talk to him. I am of the thought that perhaps ... Raven would be a better choice!" Starfire said brightly.
"Me?" Raven cocked an eyebrow at her alien comrade.
"Certainly!" The Red-head beamed back at her. "You are most definitely the perfect choice! You have the empathic ability to sense what Beastboy is feeling, so he will have difficulty concealing the truth from you. Also, you seemed to be able to calm his rage when we were in the sewer earlier today." Starfire continued to direct her sunniest smile at the stoic empath. "You are the only one who can do this!"
Raven narrowed her eyes at Starfire, but could find no logical fault to the Tamaraneans' reasoning. "Fine. I'll do it." She said reluctantly.
"Glorious!"
"Yeah, whatever." She drawled. "I'm going to my room to finish meditating. I'll meet you guys for dinner in hour or so." Raven turned and drifted out of the room.
Cyborg looked at Starfire, "That was good thinking, Star!"
Robin's voice was somewhat suspicious, however. "It sure was, but why do I get the feeling that you weren't telling Raven something?" Robin looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes.
Starfires' smile hadn't left her face. "All of the reasons I stated were true, but there are some others..."
"Such as?"
Starfire giggled slightly "Is it not obvious? Beastboy likes Raven."
Cyborg laughed a little. "Beastboy likes everybody."
"No, you misunderstand! Beastboy likes Raven." Starfire said with a certain emphasis.
As the meaning of the girls' words sank in, Cyborg and Robins faces took on matching expressions of incredulity. "You can't be serious!" Cyborg spoke in disbelief.
"Oh but I am!"
Recovering a little from his shock, Robin was curious "How did you figure this out?"
"It was simple, Robin. We Tamaraneans are very... in touch with our emotions. We pay very close attention to each others feelings, even when they are not spoken aloud. One has noticed how Beastboys' behavior would change in Ravens' presence for some time. How much more he smiles... how his eyes linger on her when she is not looking back at him... he even blushes on occasion..." She sighed wistfully, her eyes a little distant. "It is all so very sweet! One thinks that he has wanted to crush Raven for some time..."
Cyborg couldn't contain his laugh at the alien girls' flawed English. "You meant he 'had a crush on Raven,' Star." He smiled. "Heh, so the little grass stains' sweet on Rae, huh? Poor guy. It's too bad she doesn't feel the same way."
Starfires smile turned slightly mischievous. "Are you so certain, Cyborg?" She said with a gleam in her eye, as she turned and left the Medlab.
Robin simply stared after her. "Women..." He muttered under his breath.
After dinner, Raven went to see Beastboy.
Carrying a covered food tray in one hand, Raven punched in the code on the keypad and entered Beastboy's room, which was in its customary state of disarray. Unwashed clothes littered the floor, intermingled with old magazines, candy wrappers and various other effluvia. Sitting upon the unmade bottom bunk of his bed (why one boy needed a two level bunk bed was anyone's guess,) Raven saw the green Titan, his normally expressive face blank and apathetic. His emerald eyes had none of their typical spark, looking glazed and dull as he stared at the floor.
"Beastboy?"
He looked up at her, and spoke in a quiet, tremulous voice, "Hi, Raven. Looks like you're all healed up."
She nodded slightly. "Yes, well, accelerated healing is one of the few good things about my... parentage. Anyway, the others just wanted me to check and see how you were doing. We're all very worried about you..." She looked around the room, a little nervously, unused to interacting with her teammate this way " I brought you some dinner. So... how are you feeling?"
Beastboy's voice was bitter. "Well I've certainly been better, that's for sure.." He noticed the apparent discomfort in her body language. "Look, Raven, if you don't want to be around me, I understand. I mean, I wouldn't blame you for being afraid of me," A look of sadness crossed his face, "I'm afraid of me, right now."
"No Beastboy! It's not like that. It's just..." She groped for the words to express what she was feeling. "It's just that I'm not used to this. To any of this. To seeing you so upset, to trying to be... comforting. I've worked so hard to keep myself distant from others, that... I'm just not sure what to do, I guess."
Beastboy gazed at her, a little surprised. It was rare to see the normally stoic Raven so unsure of herself. Ever since the defeat of her father, the demon Trigon, Beastboy had noticed slight, subtle changes in her personality. She was still quite mysterious, intensely private, and easily annoyed by his ofttimes juvenile antics, but she also spent more time with him and the rest of the Titans, and took a more active role in their friendship. On a few instances when they were all enjoying each other's company, he had even noticed a ghost of a smile playing about her lips. Beastboy treasured those rare smiles, more than he'd ever said.
"It's ok, Raven. this whole thing is a little tough for all of us. It really means a lot that you came up here to see me, anyway. I was feeling a little lonely, to tell you the truth."
Raven looked at him very directly. "Then I should remind you of a time when I was feeling hurt and alone. Someone came to me and reminded me that I wasn't alone, no matter how I felt. I never forgot that."
Beastboy smiled, remembering the time after the incident with Malchior. "Yeah, I remember that too. I remember being a little scared of you, to be honest. You always hated it whenever I invaded your privacy. But you just seemed so sad... I couldn't let a friend hurt like that, if I could do anything about it."
"That pretty much sums up my feelings, at the moment." Raven paused, hesitant to bring up what she knew would probably be a painful subject. "Cyborg says that part of the reason he can't treat you properly is that he doesn't really understand your biology, or how your powers function. If we're going to help you, you're going to have to tell us about yourself."
Beastboy looked away from her, not anxious to remember the events of his childhood. "Like I said before, I don't want to talk about it..."
Ravens' voice grew more intense. "Listen, you were always pushing me to open up to you and the rest of the Titans. You were always trying to help me, even when I didn't want help. And you never hesitated keep trying to find out more about me, even when I made it clear that I didn't want you in my personal life. But after what happened with my father, it's perfectly clear to me that with the five of us living here together and fighting alongside each other, that we are a part of each other's personal lives, like it or not.
"If we are going to trust each other with our lives, then we have to trust each other. Believe me, I know how frightening it can be, but that's the key to this; Trust." She sighed, then continued, "You've always given me grief about being mysterious, about closing myself off from everyone. But the fact is, you're no different. None of us really know anything about you. You hide yourself behind this clown mask you've taken to wearing, but the time has come to show us who you really are."
Beastboy just looked at her, astonished at this outpouring from the usually reserved girl.
Recovering from his surprise, Beastboy spoke haltingly.
"I... I guess that there's just a lot of things that I'm scared to tell anybody about. The things that went on when I was a kid... not exactly happy stuff. I don't like to remember it. And I really don't want others to know about it."
"Why?"
The boy sighed. "I guess... well, I don't know. I'm worried that people might not like me, if they knew about it."
Setting the food tray down on his cluttered desk, Raven slowly walked over and sat down next to Beastboy, and looked him in the eye. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm something of an expert on childhood trauma. There's nothing you can say that will make me think anything bad about you." She continued to look at him.
"Trust me."
Beastboy found himself unable to look away from Ravens' amethyst eyes. He was almost positive that she could hear the heart pounding in his chest.
He summoned up all the courage he could muster, and spoke.
"All right then... You might want to get comfortable, this could take a bit."
On the outskirts of Jump City, Mammoth and Gizmo, the two remaining At-large H.I.V.E. members, had returned to the rundown, abandoned hotel building that was serving as a makeshift base of operations for the trio. After the nerve-racking ordeal of evading the numerous police patrols, to say nothing of their frightening encounter with the Teen Titans' resident shapeshifter, The two young criminal were not particularly looking forward to the task they were about to undertake: reporting the failure of their robbery attempt to their mysterious employer.
In truth, they knew nothing about their patron. All communications were handled electronically, though the exchange of text messages, with their employer using the pseudonym "Gilgamesh." The ever-curious Gizmo had once attempted to ascertain the identity of the enigmatic person that they were working for by tracing the messages that were sent to them back to their source, using his considerable hacking talents. After six hours of tracing the messages back though various relay stations and false I.D.'s, spanning virtually all areas of the globe, the young electronics prodigy had simply given up in frustration.
Obviously, whoever this person was, they were extremely resourceful.
As the two sat in one of the decaying hotel buildings' rooms, waiting for a message to appear on computer terminal that Gizmo had set up, Mammoth looked at his diminutive partner-in-crime.
"It's your fault." He growled.
"What are you talking about, Pit-Sniffer? If you hadn't let that green freak get the drop on you, we would be sitting here with the money in hand, instead of sitting here, worrying about what this guy might be able to do to us when he finds out we screwed this up!"
"You said that that that stun-gun of yours would be able to put an elephant under! All it did was tick him off!"
"It should have put him out like a candle! I don't know why it didn'-"
A urgent beeping from the terminal alerted Gizmo that their "employer" had connected to their computer.
"Hang on a sec, Mammoth. He's here!"
A second later the first message appeared on-screen.
GILGAMESH: What happened?
This wasn't good. Apparently, "Gilgamesh" was already aware of their failure. Excuses were out of the question. Gizmo decided that this was a case where honesty was the best policy. He quickly typed a reply.
GIZMO: There was a problem. The Titans. We lost the money and Jinx.
GILGAMESH: What sort of problem? You have encountered the Titans before. You should have been prepared.
GIZMO: It was different this time. That green shape-shifting Titan did something we've never seen before. We think he might have got Jinx..
GILGAMSEH: Show me.
Gizmo knew what "Gilgamesh" wanted to see. Not long ago, the childlike criminal had begun recording the crimes that he and his comrades perpetrated using a small digital camera attached to his person. Slipping a small Flash-RAM card into a slot on the terminal, Gizmo sent the recording of their encounter with the Beast to "Gilgamesh."
At the other end of the connection, the mysterious mastermind sat in a darkened chamber, watching the footage of Beastboys' rampage in his bestial form with growing interest. The loss of the profits from the bank robbery was annoying, but a minor setback at worst; He had numerous sources of income that would provide the money he needed to set his schemes in motion.
Besides, the loss of a relatively small amount of cash was a small price to pay for the intriguing information he was seeing at the moment. He had originally planned for Gizmo and Mammoth to become the victims of an unfortunate "accident," as punishment for their failure, but perhaps that was too hasty. They may still be able to serve a purpose, after all.
As he continued to watch the recording of the Beast, he could practically hear the gears turning in his head as the beginnings of a plan began to take shape in his mind.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Authors Notes:
First off, my apologies for the longer than usual update time. This chapter was a royal pain to write. It took me some time to find a direction for this chapter (I'm writing this story a chapter at a time... I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that I have some kind of grand plan for all of this.)
As you can tell, I'm setting up some exposition in the next chapter, regarding Beastboys' past. I thought it'd be a good idea to fill those of you in who might not be totally familiar with BB's comic backstory, as it informs quite a few things that I'm planning to do at this point. I had originally planned to detail Beastboy's past in this chapter, but it was just going on a little too long (Frankly, I'm a little worried that this chapter is too dialog-heavy and boring, as it is.) So I'm holding off on that till the next chapter. At this point, I'm also planning to bring Jinx back into the picture (she was also supposed to show up this chapter, but got pushed back.)
As always, I'm grateful to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. All feedback is eagerly accepted, so feel free to review. I'd also like to give special thanks to Regrem Eruterc, who gave me feedback on a few tough spots, and to the incomparable Vixxelinn, who was kind enough to Beta-read for me.
I hope everyone is enjoying my work, and hope to see you all at chapter four!
Regards,
The Doctor
21 August 2005