Chapter Three: Enemies, Old And New
Beast Boy woke up to the sound of knocking. Looking at his clock he saw that he had been asleep the whole morning, if the green numbers saying 13:00 were any indication.
"Go away," Beast Boy said.
In response, the knocking on his door grew even more insistent. "Beast Boy, it is me, Starfire."
Beast Boy sighed in irritation as he rolled off his bed and proceeded to open his door. "What do you want, Starfire?" Beast Boy he asked curtly.
"I… I had originally wished to speak with you, Beast Boy," Starfire replied uncertainly. "But I see that is not what you desire, so I will come back later," she said, turning away dejectedly.
After she had taken a few steps however she heard Beast Boy ask, "Starfire, wait," and she turned to see Beast Boy running his hands through his hands ruefully. "Sorry for getting angry like that, Star. I've been having a bad day," he said.
"That is all right, Beast Boy," Starfire said. "I too had trouble trying to understand the news my sister and Raven gave me today."
"Yeah, I guess I got kinda emotional too."
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…So, Star, you were knocking on my door because?"
"Well," Starfire said hesitantly, "you had seemed so angry when you received the news about my sister and Raven's… relationship," Starfire began, clearly uncomfortable herself. "And I had thought that by waking you up and providing some pleasurable companionship, we might both become comfortable with them having feelings for each other."
"Can't argue with- wait," Beast Boy said, as a sudden realization made his blood run cold. "What do you mean by 'pleasurable companionship'?"
"Why, videogames of course!" Starfire said, holding up two controllers.
"Videogames?" Beast boy replied, unexplainably relieved. "Yeah, videogames, yeah! And since it's your first time, I'll go easy on you!"
He took a controller and walked off in the direction of the meeting room. Starfire however, paused, taking in what Beast Boy had said, blushed a little, then quickly followed him.
(scene change)
"And the winner is: Voltaire!" the Brainy Bash Brothers announcer declared.
"This is truly a fun game, Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed jubilantly, as she peered at the selection screen. "But you do not have to 'take it easy' on me anymore, Beast Boy; I believe I am already skilled enough to compete against you properly."
"Yeah, er… how about a few more games, huh? Just to make sure," Beast Boy said.
The next three games were along the lines of the first one, and it was in the hopes that Starfire would not repeat her request to 'truly test her skill' (as well as provide some much needed underhand distraction) that Beast Boy asked her "So, where's everybody else?"
"Robin is at the hospital," Starfire answered softly. "Dr. Hook said his arm braces required readjustment. Beast Boy," Starfire said, turning to him with a worried look on her face, "does that mean that Robin's arms may be readjusted? I like them the way they are."
"Don't worry, Star," Beast Boy said. "It just means his- what the?" he exclaimed, as Starfire still managed to pull off the Platonic Tectonic with he eyes still on him. "Look, he'll be okay," Beast Boy said, as he found himself back at the selection screen.
"If you say so, Beast Boy," Starfire replied, a note of doubt still in her voice.
"If I were you, I'd be more worried about what Raven and Blackfire are doing," Beast Boy said quietly. "What are they doing anyway?"
"Blackfire said that Robin asked them to go out on patrol," Starfire replied.
" 'Go on patrol'. Yeah, good one. Like we could trust anything she says."
"Beast Boy, I know you feel a great deal of dislike toward my sister, but-"
"But what? You think I'm being too hard on her? She deserves it."
"No she doesn't!" Starfire said, her own voice starting to rise. "My sister has changed! And even if she hasn't, why must you focus your anger on Raven? What has she done to you?"
"Hello, Earth to Starfire? She betrayed me!" Beast Boy said.
Or would have, had he not stopped himself in time. "Yeah, you're right," he replied instead, his hands pressing buttons aimlessly. "I kinda lost it today, huh?" He sighed, continuing, "But hey, what did you expect me to do? I've always liked her, you know. I mean, no offence, you guys are great too, but, well, Raven's special, you know? She made me feel special. Sure, she didn't laugh at my jokes, but… she's special," he said softly.
His voice rising, he continued, "And suddenly Blackfire comes in out of nowhere and ruins everything."
"But I thought the two of you were friends," Starfire said, over the noise of the computer game that none of them were really paying attention to anymore.
"That's what I thought too," Beast Boy said bitterly. "So did you, last time she visited, and what happened then? Look, I don't mind her betraying me. Well, not much. But I think we both know she's going to betray Raven again. I just wish Raven could see it."
"That is not true, Beast Boy! Blackfire would never betray Raven!"
"Oh really? How can you be so sure? You gotta admit, Starfire, none of us really know your sister."
He looked her straight in the eye as he finished, "Not even you."
To that, Starfire had no reply.
(scene change)
"Anything to report, Cyborg?" Raven asked as she flew above the city roads, Cyborg in the T-Car below her.
"Nope- seems like Jump City's nice and quiet."
Mischievously, Blackfire told them over the channel, "It doesn't have to be."
"I thought you said you weren't ready for that yet," Raven said calmly over the intercom.
"Not ready? Of course I'm ready!" Blackfire began, bewildered. "What's wrong with crashing a few- wait, what did you say?" Blackfire asked, surprised.
"She's got you there, Blackfire," Cyborg laughed as he turned a corner. "Guess you'll have to get used to it."
"Get used to it? I'm Princess Komand'r, heir to the throne of the Tameranian Empire! I don't get used to people, people get used to me," Blackfire said haughtily as she flew to the rendezvous point, to see that Raven had beaten her to it.
"Now if you'll excuse me, Cyborg, I have something I have to do," she said, flying to Raven.
"I'll bet," Cyborg answered. "Cyborg, out."
"Blackfire," Raven acknowledged, as Blackfire stopped in front of her.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Blackfire said. "You know, you're the last person I would have expected that sort of thing from."
"So… you can do that to me, but I can't do it to you?" Raven deadpanned, an eyebrow raised.
"Why Raven," Blackfire said in pretend shock, "how could you say such things? People would blame me for being a bad influence on you- not that I mind, of course."
Raven crossed her arms as she flew to Blackfire. "You were right," she sighed, "you will take getting used to."
"What, you're having second thoughts about us?" Blackfire said.
"Would it matter if I did? You're a Tameranian princess, after all," Raven replied.
"Good, remember that," Blackfire replied, softly, as in one swift motion she placed her arms around Raven and pressed their bodies together…
"Whoo hoo!" someone shouted from below them. "Do it again!" someone added, along with a few "Go for it!"s and even a few "Whopp-whoop-whoop!"s to the more generic whistles and catcalls from the other people there..
"I was wondering why you picked Jump City University as our rendezvous point," Raven sighed.
"Shh, Raven," Blackfire said, rubbing her cheek against Raven's. "You're spoiling the moment. No wait, he's spoiling the moment," she said, pointing to an old man in a white cowboy hat and flamboyant red and blue jacket.
"God hates fags!" he screamed. "You hear that? God hates fags, you hellbound ho- huh wha!" he said as a globe of dark energy enveloped him and dumped him in a nearby fountain.
For a moment, silence, as the crowd stared at the figure now wallowing in the pool. Then-
"Whoo hoo!"
"Do it again!"
"Go for it!"
"Whoop-whoop-whoop!"
And yes, whistles and catcalls.
"Oh Raven, how could you do such a thing! I thought I knew you so well!" Blackfire sighed melodramatically, her hand held to her forehead.
"You're a bad influence," Raven deadpanned.
"I know, I know," Blackfire replied smugly. "But at least I try to be more entertaining than him," she added, pointing to the spluttering preacher trying to climb out of the fountain. "You see? Now that's funny."
Then-"Raven, Blackfire, bad news," Cyborg said from their communicators.
"What is it, Cyborg?" Raven asked.
"Just got a call from the police- there's a hostage situation at Jump City Museum. Starfire and Beast Boy've already got the alert and they're gonna meet us there." The tension in his voice seemed to intensify as he added, "Whoever they are, the police say they've asked for us specifically."
Raven and Blackfire looked at each other. "It's definitely a trap," Blackfire said.
"Does it matter?" Raven answered.
"…No, I guess not," Blackfire answered. Then, to her surprise, Raven kissed her. It was a short, light one on the lips, but it was enough for both of them.
"Thank you," Raven said.
"Guess you're a bad influence on me too," Blackfire said, as the two of them flew off towards the museum. "Not that that's a bad thing," she added.
(scene change)
The Titans soon arrived in front of the Jump City Museum, a large structure that looked like it was somehow teleported from Gotham City. Around it, a ring of police cars and news vans formed a chaotic wall of metal. "That was quick," Lieutenant Gordon Franz said, as the T-Car pulled up near him.
"It's our policy: less than 30 minutes, and they'll be free," Cyborg quipped, stepping out of the T-Car.
"I wish it was that easy," Lt. Franz said.
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked. "We go in there, take out a few bad guys, rescue the hostages, and that's it."
"You know what, Beast Boy? Normally, it would drive me nuts that someone couldn't spot such an obvious trap, but since it's you, well…" Blackfire said.
"Hey, how 'bout we trade Blackfire for the hostages?" Beast Boy seethed.
"Awww, did I hurt widdle Beast Boy's feelings?"
"That's enough, both of you," Raven warned.
"Is this going to be a problem?" Lt. Franz asked, as he watched Beast Boy and Blackfire glare at each other.
"Nah, they just had an argument this morning," Cyborg said, trying to downplay the lieutenant's worries. "You said there might be a problem?" he added, trying to change the subject.
The lieutenant nodded. "I'll get straight to the point: I don't think that what we have here aren't your regular, run-of-the-mill criminals."
"What do you mean?"
"According to the few eyewitness reports we have," Lt. Franz said, "they seemed to move with military precision, come out of nowhere, bypass one of the most advanced security systems in existence and then take over the museum armed with nothing but long knives. Not to mention the fact that we have observed at least twenty of them, all in the kind of black bodysuits you see in spy movies."
"And they want us here."
"That's about the only thing they've said since the siege started," the lieutenant confirmed. "We tried to find a way to get in, but no matter where we go, they've got people there." Franz shook his head. "It's like they've got a goddamn army in there."
"But you don't know who they are?"
"Nope; all they said was that they wanted the Titans, and even that was from a 911 call received from within the museum. Nothing obvious."
"What do we do now, Cyborg?" Starfire asked from behind him.
"I don't know, Star," Cyborg admitted. "Tell the truth, I wish Robin was here."
"I too wish he was here," Starfire said softly, "but he isn't, Cyborg, and Raven is too busy trying to make peace between my sister and Beast Boy, and- and, I know not what to do."
"You've got a point there, your Highness," Lt. Franz began, "but you have to cut him some slack. That museum's security systems better than that at Fort Knox; not even a cockroach can get through."
"You wanna bet on that, lieutenant?" Cyborg said, as a plan began to form. He turned to the lieutenant. "You got any schematics of that place?"
(scene change)
They didn't know where the other hostages were held. To be brutally honest, most of them didn't care. Their world consisted of the basement they were held in, the only light being the circle cast by the fluorescent above them, the masked, black-clad terrorists pacing around them with military- no, make that robotic precision, while in the darkness behind them, the sounds of other terrorists rummaging through old boxes could be heard.
And of course, themselves. Everything, and everyone else didn't matter. That was how it was for most of them.
"Damn it, if someone doesn't shut that guy up, I will!" one man said, the target of his wrath a man in priestly robes, whose barely audible praying had apparently infuriated him.
"Hey man, leave him alone," a teenager said. "He ain't doin' nothing wrong."
"Listen, if he doesn't shut up I'll-"
He fell silent with terror, as the sound of the terrorists' clockwork marching stopped, to be replaced with the soft sound of eight blades sliding out of oiled scabbards at the same time.
He got the hint. He sat down quietly. The knives slid back, as exactly as they had been taken out. The terrorists began their slow march again-
The lights went out.
For a few terrified moments, the hostages thought, to a man, that they had somehow died, that the terrorists had killed them, and this was how death was like.
Then the museum's emergency power supply kicked in and flooded the basement with red light. Above them, two more identically clad terrorists examined a sabotaged fuse box.
The conclusion?
The Titans were inside.
But they knew that already.
In the basement, one terrorist turned around, only to see in the dim red light a bunch of replica chains for the medieval exhibits flying towards him, powered by Raven's dark energy. The impact caused the chains to wrap itself around him, and they flew backwards, the heavy chain no longer carried by Raven's energies, but momentum.
One terrorist moved towards the hostages- "Don't even think about it, buddy," Cyborg said, his laser arm charged.
"You wouldn't dare," the terrorist said, his mask garbling his voice.
"Try me," Cyborg said.
The terrorist moved forward-
and was immediately thrown back as Cyborg's laser cannon threw him back-
"Don't worry," Cyborg said, "it's set to 'stun'."
into a pile of boxes, one of which spilled its contents out: a collection of medieval melee weaponry. As the Titans watched in horror, the terrorist was buried under a massive pile of weapons; if they didn't kill him outright, their weight would have crushed him outright.
And then, before the Titans' and the hostages' eyes, the terrorist's body dissipated into a cloud of black smoke.
"Well," one of the other terrorists said, reaching for his mask, "looks like I won't need I this anymore."
"Bloody nuisance it was anyway," the other said in an all too familiar voice, before the two of them turned to the Titans.
"Ah, hello, Raven," Legion said. "So nice to see you again."