Chap. 21

Searching

"Is this what you wanted?" See-More asked, as he lugged the heavy container of spell components over to where the others stood. Rorek had set up a table and small bowl, and was currently mixing up a blend of powders and other magical components needed for the spell. The rest of the HIVE were placing certain crystals and totems around the bowl, which Rorek insisted were necessary for containing the power that would be released when the spell was performed. He'd explained that otherwise, Raven's magic and the magic of the dragon would run amok and destroy everything around them, instead of being absorbed into Rorek's body. Therefore, See-More wanted everything to go right with this spell. No matter how much power he'd been promised afterwards, he refused to let it make him rush through the set-up. That was the only reason he'd agreed to be Rorek's go-fer, grabbing spell components instead of helping to set up the equipment.

"Hmm….. that will do." Rorek said in a bored tone, as See-More set the container down on the ground. Thankful to be rid of the burden, the young villain arched his back, as Rorek opened the container and removed a handful of white powder. "What is that stuff?" See-More asked, as he watched Rorek add it into the bowl. There was a brief flash, then it was silent. "Powdered griffon beak." Rorek replied, as he wiped his hand. "It will add stability to the spell." "How?" "It's rather complicated, and I don't have time to explain it to you. Besides, I doubt you'd understand." See-More's eye narrowed at that, but the expression vanished a second later when Rorek said, "Now, I need you get me the jar of minotaur tongue." "Which one is that?" See-More asked, as he turned back to the huge wall of spell components that Rorek had brought with him. Apparently, the book had given him the spell necessary to bring all the components of his former laboratory into this time and place. They lay on a huge bookshelf, hundreds of jars and containers, holding strange and disturbing items within them. "It's the large green jar on top." Rorek answered, which caused his go-fer to grit his teeth. That jar was twice the size of this one, and likely twice as heavy. "Well, come on." Rorek snapped. "I can't get it myself, unless you want this place to go up in flames." See-More quickly shook his head, but as he muttered angrily as he turned to begin the climb up the bookcase to get the container.

The blur sped through the streets, generating winds that knocked down everyone who came into contact with them. It zigzagged between the buildings and streets, going past every window it saw. But eventually, it saw enough. The blur began to slow suddenly, until it was once again Neuron. The young speedster looked around once more, wanting to be sure that he was correct in his findings. After all, the speedster knew that the west end of Jump City was filled with abandoned buildings and that alone gave Rorek plenty of places to hide. But so far, Neuron had looked over more then half of those buildings and come up empty. Rorek would never be stupid enough to hide in a populated area, not with everything that he had to do. Brett had taught Neuron about magic and he knew that for a spell like what Rorek was planning, it would take a considerable amount of time and would probably smell like something dead being burned in rubber. But with nothing so far, Neuron was beginning to wonder if the signal had been a diversion. Sighing, he reached for his communicator. Switching it on, he said, "Neuron to Beast Boy. I've checked out the last row of buildings in this section; still nothing. I'm starting to think that this whole thing was a trick. We should call it in."

At that, a shadow appeared above him. Looking up, Neuron saw the falcon change shape and drop to the ground. "Come on, there must be something else here." Beast Boy insisted as he got to his feet. "We've been examining these buildings for almost two hours. I'm sorry, but there is nothing left to postulate. Raven is not here." "She has to be! Why else would I have gotten a communicator signal?" "Rorek could've faked it. Or he could've left it here and turned it on. There's a million other possibilities, and we have to consider them too. Look, why don't we just head back, and see if there's anything we can do from there?"

But Beast Boy shook his head. "No. I'm not gonna go back there and sit a screen while all this happens. I have to find her!" He swore so strongly, that Neuron was actually taken back. He'd never heard such determination within the green one before; it was almost disturbing to hear. And why now? What was it about all this that was affecting Beast Boy so strongly? It has to have something to do with Milhouse told us. The speedster thought. A few days ago, Milhouse, never being good at keeping secrets, said that there was something going on with Beast Boy, something that involved Raven. They had tried to get him to specify, but he'd refused, saying he'd promised Brett not to tell. The other B.R.A.T.S had pondered it for the last few days, trying to figure out what it was. They'd all dismissed love immediately; the idea of those two falling in love was like Groundskeeper Willie becoming a gentleman. But now, despite the illogic of it, Neuron was starting to wonder.

"Listen BB." He said, after a moment had passed. "There's still one more place I haven't searched. Why don't we check it out? And if nothing's there, we'll leave. Deal?" The shape shifter nodded his head almost instantly. "Where is it?" he asked. "This old factory about four blocks down. I figured it would be too run-down for Rorek to use but…." But Beast Boy was already gone, morphing into a cheetah and making tracks for the factory. Neuron shook his head and followed.

"How much further?" Mammoth moaned, as he held the last spire up above the ground. The group had made considerable progress in the last hour; the room was almost ready for the spell. A long stone table stood in the middle of the room, with four large spires adorning it on each side. Along with the crystals and totems, they would help to direct the power directly into Rorek. And that time would be coming soon, since the HIVE were putting the last spire into place. "A little to the left…. A little more… got it!" Gizmo announced, as Mammoth finally dropped the last spire. "Christ those things are heavy." He sighed in exhaustion as he sat on the ground. "But it'll be worth it once this spell goes off." Gizmo sneered. "Just imagine. A whole country to divide up between ourselves." "I can't wait." Billy added, as he walked over. Kyd Wykkyd had already switched with him and was now watching Raven. "I'm a-gonna tax everything- even the air!" Billy said with glee. "Forget the money, I'm gonna have everybody gimme all their tech and let them deal with the real world!" Gizmo countered. "Cool. What about you Jinx?" Mammoth asked, turning to face the young witch. "Huh? Oh, I dunno." Was the sad-sounding answer. "What's with you?" Billy asked. "Don't you wanna have your own country?" "Yeah. But I guess… well, I won't be able to do the thing I really want to do, like you guys can." "Why not?" Mammoth asked. "I just can't ok?" Jinx shot back. "OK, don't bite my head off, jeez." Mammoth muttered. "Look, why don't you just forget about it then?" "I can't." Jinx answered. "Come on, if you can't even say what it is, how much can you really care about?" Gizmo asked. "And besides, you'll have so much other stuff you can do, you'll forget about it."

Jinx could have said that such a thing was a lie, and given her mood, it seemed more then likely. But instead, she just shook her head and gave a smile. "You know what? You're right. Screw it. I'm gonna do more then enough to make up for it." "Finally. I thought you were gonna mope around the whole time." Gizmo snapped. "Don't worry chrome-dome. I just realized that I shouldn't listen to certain people as much as they think I should." Before she could elaborate on that, Rorek threw the last ingredient into the bowl. It exploded with a flash, and a cloud of smoke filled the air. "It's ready." He said. Turning to the HIVE, he said, "Bring Raven and the book."

"Jeez, what a dump." Beast Boy said, as he and Neuron looked the factory over. The building was in ruins, it's twin smokestacks in ruins. Bricks crumbled from every single wall, the windows were broken, and it stank of age and smoke. "How long has this place been abandoned?" the green one asked. "From what I read, about thirty years." Neuron answered. "It'd be a great hiding spot for him, I have to admit." "I'll bet anything they're in there. Come on, we need to get her out." "Um Beast Boy? About her….."

But before the speedster could get an answer, Beast Boy's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he all but ran to the huge doors to the factory. Throwing himself against the side, he slowly moved around to the knob. A second later, Neuron joined at the same spot. "What are you doing?" he whispered from his position behind Beast Boy. "I saw something spark inside. They must be here." The green one replied. Neuron just nodded, and moved to the opposite side, so they could both attack at the same time. Reaching forward, they each grabbed one of the twin door handles, and with a sudden heave, threw them open…..

"You've made sure of it?" Rorek asked, as he stood in front of the table. "Positive. I've checked the exits at least four times. No one's here." See-More answered, doing his best to reassure the wizard. "Good. The last thing I need is for the Titans or someone else to stumble in on this. But thankfully my magic has kept this place hidden. But soon, we will need to hide no longer." Rorek finished as he turned to see Mammoth carrying Raven in, between his massive hands. He kept his grip tight, despite her struggles as he walked to the stone table. Laying her down on the table, Mammoth kept her pinned, as Rorek recited a few words and Raven was once again frozen. "I hope you enjoy this Raven." The wizard said. "I left you awake just for this you know." Raven's response was to spit at Rorek. "When my friends find you…" "it will be too late." Rorek said, as he took the book from Gizmo's hand and placed it on Raven's chest.

The doors swung open, and the two heroes leapt inside, ready to take down whatever villains lay inside. But instead, they were treated to a huge empty room. "What? But I was so sure…." Beast Boy said sadly. "I know man." Neuron said, as he looked over the room. "As bad as you wanted to find her, I'm not surprised." Beast Boy started to say no, but then just shook his head. Maybe Neuron was right; maybe his judgment was clouded. "Maybe we should go back to the Tower." He said dejectedly. "Sounds like a good idea." Neuron said, as he put his arm around the boy's shoulder and started to lead him out.

But suddenly, there was a shrill beeping from their belts. Startled, both boys looked down and saw their communicators going off. Grabbing them, they flipped them open, expecting to hear word that Raven had been found elsewhere. But instead, they found a targeting map, with a beeping signal at…. "Wait a minute, that's here!" Neuron said, as he looked at the map. "How? There's no one here." Beast Boy said. But then, his eyes narrowed as his nostrils flared. Growling, he morphed into a wolf, running for the back of the factory.

"Begin." Rorek said. Around the table, the HIVE began to light the totems, as Rorek began to chant. The words rolled off his tongue like black velvet, smoother then silk in the air. Slowly, the crystals began to glow, as the magic of the spell began to work. "It's really happening." Gizmo whispered eagerly, as the spires began to ignite as well, signaling the next stage of the spell. It was such a sight that none of them heard the approaching steps, until it was too late.

Suddenly, the doors behind them crashed open. The HIVE whipped around, as Rorek stopped chanting. Standing before them was an all too familiar green wolf, teeth bared in a growl. Behind him, an owl-masked figure came into view, his hands glowing with electrical energy. "Lookie what we found Greenie." Neuron said as he stepped forward. "This place has roaches. Good thing we know how to wipe 'em out."