Oh yeah, chapter 7 has arrived! Consider it my Christmas present to you readers. :) Well, I haven't broken my 8-week-no-update record yet, so I think I'm good. War of the Worlds also came out last month. Yeeeeehaw! Awesome movie. Hope you guys like this chapter, and as usual, sorry for the wait. Also, for any of you that might have read the book, there's a tiny scene and a line of dialogue taken from the novel (see if you can spot it).
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 7: Divided
The car lurched forward as it entered the dark confines of the city. Rain pattered against the windshield as the five Titans sped along, hoping that they had arrived in time before the invaders had.
"Guys, that train…they're here already!" Beast Boy panicked.
"Keep driving, Cy! We don't have much time!" Robin urged. Cyborg was more than happy to comply. He pressed his foot against the brakes as the car made a sharp turn at an intersection. It was starting to get dark out, and the clouds only added to the dimness. The streets were abandoned for the most part, there wasn't anybody in sight.
"Looks like it may have been evacuated," Cyborg thought aloud.
"I don't think so," Raven murmured.
"There are cars still here, though," Robin noticed.
"Do we even know where we're going?" Starfire asked nervously.
"Guys, I think I remember on the map there was a river running through here. Let's go check it out."
"Cyborg, turn left," Raven suddenly commanded from the back seat.
"What?"
"Just do it!"
Without question he turned the wheel. Up ahead, he could see what looked like a break in the buildings.
"The people are all gathering ahead. That's where we'll find them," Raven explained.
"Be careful, guys," Robin cautioned. "Scared people can be pretty dangerous. Especially if you have a working vehicle."
Cyborg squinted to see up ahead. There was an abrupt stop in the skyscrapers and a wide open space was apparent. Within, he could see huddled masses of civilians. "Hey guys, I think the river might be up ahead!"
As they drove on, the crowd of civilians grew thicker and thicker. Some pounded on the windows as they went by, startling poor Beast Boy and Starfire. Cyborg responded by going a little faster. They could at last make out bright spotlights lined up along what looked like a dock. They could see large military trucks sticking up out of the crowd. Soldiers dotted the scene here and there. Lined up at the entrance to the docks were a row of soldiers blocking the path to the ferry. Finally, the crowd of people got to thick, and Cyborg was forced to stop.
"Um, guys?" Beast Boy asked worriedly. More people were now pounding on the windows or trying to open the doors. Panicked citizens were shouting, begging, or demanding that they opened the doors.
"Well, this is nice," Robin said sarcastically.
Finally, a loud bang on one of the windows startled everyone in the car. Someone was now trying to break in.
"Guess that's our cue to exit," Cyborg said as he opened the doors. The huge titan stepped out and brandished one of his laser cannons at the crowd.
"Get away! Get back!" he demanded. The frightened civilians all back off in fear. It broke his heart to see their scared faces, but now was no time for niceties. These were dangerous times.
"Hey – you the Teen Titans?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Yeah," Robin said as he stepped out of the car.
"Wonderful. We could use some help here," the soldier said. The other three young heroes poured out of the car. Starfire meekly apologized for the "harsh" treatment to the citizens, at which Cyborg rolled his eyes.
"First, tell us what the heck's going on here!" Robin demanded.
One of the soldiers sighed. "We got reports of some of those tripods heading this way. We don't know how long it'll be, but we don't have that much time before they arrive."
"Can't they drive out of here?" Cyborg asked him.
"No! Those Martians know all about our methods of travel. They're sticking close to the highways now to zap any car that drives by. It isn't safe. Fortunately, they seem to be ignoring the waterways for now. Most people left already either on foot or by car. We're trying to get this ferry out of here to get some of these citizens to safety. Unfortunately, we don't have enough room for everyone."
"That's not true!" an angry man shouted from the crowd. "There's room on that boat!"
"Sir, those cars are taking up too much space and weight on the boat!" one of the soldiers protested. "Too many people and the ferry'll sink, and we don't have enough time to get them all off!"
"But that is not fair!" Starfire suddenly shouted at him. "You cannot just leave them here! They shall die!"
"We don't have a choice!" the soldier said desperately. "It's either save a few or let them all die! I don't like it any more than you do!"
"You can't do this!" a woman shouted from the crowd.
"I have children!" another woman shouted. "This is just inhuman!"
Amidst the shouting and chaos, a loud shot echoed the air. Everyone was silenced, and there stood Cyborg with his hand raised in the air from firing off a round from his laser.
"Robin, we gotta do something," the bionic teen said grimly.
Robin's eyes narrowed as he pondered. "We gotta get every car off this boat," Robin said. His eyes shifted to Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy. "Guys, we're gonna need your help." They all nodded knowingly.
"What's going on?" another soldier who was standing guard at the docks asked.
"Sir," Robin addressed him, "we're going to get these cars off the ferry. We just need a little time."
One of the soldiers, who looked like the commanding officer, finally nodded. "Okay, fine. But you'd better hurry. We ain't got much time."
The Titans all nodded. "Let's go, guys!" Robin shouted. All five of them rushed on to the fairy. Using their massive strength, Starfire and Cyborg lifted cars into the air and tossed them out of the ferry. Raven, using her powers, lifted the cars into the air and off the boat. Beast Boy transformed into a muscular gorilla to assist Cyborg and Starfire in their efforts.
Robin, who couldn't move the cars on his own, could only watch as his teammates work. Using her hidden might, Starfire hoisted a car up in the air and threw it into the water. Cyborg and Beast Boy picked up a rather large truck and tossed it overboard. The boat was now half-empty. In the midst of all their work, the ever-ominous foghorn blast of the tripods sounded in the distance. They were getting closer.
Frantically, the Titans picked up their pace. Raven focused as much as she could on the vehicles below. A swirl of black energy encircled a car below, lifted it, and sent it hurling away. The crowd of frightened citizens and hopeful soldiers watched as the Titans cleared the boat of every vehicle. There were now only a few cars left. His muscles burning, Beast Boy helped Starfire lift another car off the boat. Despite the cool evening air, Starfire had managed to work up a sweat from the exertion. Finally, with a mighty heave, Cyborg sent the last vehicle out.
"Guys, we're done!" Beast Boy shouted from the ferry.
"They're done!" Robin shouted to the guards. "Quick, let them on!"
At the command of their leader, the soldiers stepped aside and assisted the people onto the boat. Everyone rushed into the boat as fast as they could, cramming themselves inside.
"Quick, get in! Hurry!" Robin shouted to them.
"Everyone in! Please board in an orderly fashion!" a soldier's voice sounded over an amplifier.
Robin noticed a man drop a suitcase, which opened and spilled its contents. He frantically bent down to pick everything up. From Robin's perspective, it look like little more than a few personal belongings and money.
"Sir, you'll have to leave that behind! Don't waste time with valuables!" The man stood up to protest, at which Raven rushed over to his side. She grabbed him by the shoulder to get his attention, and pointed off into the distance.
"Do you know what's out there?" she asked him angrily. The man didn't answer, but stared at her in bewilderment.
"Death is coming! Death!" she shouted at him. That must have convinced him, for he forgot about his suitcase and joined the hurrying mass. She always did have a way with words. The rain, which had been pouring on the unfortunate crowd, was now tapering off.
The people poured in until they were packed. Finally, the last person boarded. "Okay, they're all in! Raise that ramp!" Robin shouted. At his command, a pair of soldiers pulled a lever on a winch and the ramp to the ferry rose. The five Titans all stood at the docks as the boat prepared to leave. Behind them, a speeding army jeep came to a screeching halt. A marine stepped out and waved to the rest.
"They're here! They're coming!" he shouted. Right afterward, the Titans could here thunderous footsteps of the Martian war machine approaching. Boom…boom…boom…
The boat's pilot started up the engines, and the ferry pulled away and started heading down the river.
"This is it," Robin said as he prepared himself. The other four lined up beside him as the giant footsteps drew nearer. Boom…boom…boom…
Finally, the giant tripod emerged from behind one of the buildings. The machine let loose another loud blast; its six tentacles waved menacingly.
"Alright, guys. We gotta distract this thing long enough to let that ferry get away," Robin said to the rest of them. He turned to the soldiers. "You guys better get out of here. We'll hold them off." The soldiers were hesitant.
"Kid, you don't actually expect to-"
"Just GO! There's no time!" Robin shouted. They complied, and their vehicles sped away. Their movement caught the attention of the tripod. The humongous walker swiveled its head in their direction and focused its spotlight on them. The bright beam of light pierced the darkness as it shone on them.
"Alright guys, we've been through this before," Cyborg spoke to the rest. "Be fast and smart. Dodge those tentacles, and try to stay as spread out as possible."
"Yeah, and watch out for that heat ray!" Beast Boy added.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted. The five rushed at the tripod. Before it had a chance to even fire a shot, Starfire and Raven were both zipping around the machine like mosquitoes. The force fields rendered all their attacks useless, but it bought them much-needed time. As they had hoped, the Martians focused their attacks on them.
A cheetah Beast Boy ran and dodged the heat rays fired at him. Cyborg let loose with several barrages from his own lasers. The tripod responded by attempting to grab him with one of its tentacles, which he dodged easily.
Starfire and Raven both flew around the tripod's head, throwing out waves of green and black death at the machine. Robin drew out a device he'd been working on for some time – a potent smoke grenade. Dodging another laser blast, he threw the grenade down and it erupted into a thick cloud of smoke. Not wasting a moment, he dashed behind the line of smoke and ducked behind a building.
Not knowing if he was there or not, the tripod fired furiously into the cloud of smoke, hitting nothing but ground. Robin almost laughed at the situation. So far, their strategy was working. Now growing frustrated, the Martians steered their tripod forward and continued down the street toward the river, all while trying to drive off the five heroes at once.
"We can't let them get the ferry!" Beast Boy shouted.
When it exited the row of buildings, the tripod paused, and a portal opened at the top of its head. Immediately, a silvery, metallic cylinder was shot into the air. Suddenly recalling what the first tripod had done, fear momentarily seized Robin. They were trying to use an EMP. Dashing out from behind the building, he called out to Starfire.
"Starfire! Take that thing out!" he pointed at the small cylinder, which hovered in the air and was now starting to spin.
With lightning reflexes, the Tamaran sent a green bolt at the cylinder, blowing it to pieces before it could activate. In response, the tripod's tail-like rear laser fired a red beam at her, which she dodged just in time. The head swiveled and faced the river. Off in the distance, the ferry was still just visible. The tripod's heat rays moved to focus on the boat.
With only seconds to spare, Raven flew in front of the tripod. Focusing with all the strength she could muster, she threw up a solid black wall in front of the tripod just as its heat rays fired. With the impact of a truck, the lasers hit Raven's shield. Fighting as hard as she could, she kept the force field up.
The rest knew she couldn't last long. Reminding himself to thank her later, Beast Boy turned into a massive T-Rex. Picking up a stray car in his jaw, he flung it at the tripod from behind. The vehicle smashed against the tripod's force field, distracting it from Raven. The head swiveled around to focus on the rest of them. Just in time, Beast Boy transformed into a bee and flew to safety.
"Yeeha! Try to catch me!" he mocked.
The Martians seemed to lose interest in the boat and turned all their attention on the Titans. They furiously let lose their heat rays and tentacles, none of them hitting home.
As Robin dodged a tentacle, he heard a noise from behind him. He didn't know what to expect when he turned to look, but he certainly wasn't prepared to see an SUV flying at him. Yelping out unexpectedly, he dodged right before the SUV smashed him into the pavement. Regaining his footing, Robin looked at the direction it had come from. Standing next to the line of buildings, a second tripod stood, with a third one coming up behind it.
"Oh, crap. Looks like our friends called for help," Cyborg shouted.
"Let's get outta here, guys!" Beast Boy yelled to the rest. The five of them abandoned their efforts and made their way toward the cluster of buildings, dodging heat rays as they went. They didn't know if the people had made it to safety, but they also knew they couldn't fight three at once.
One of the heat rays hit a skyscraper, shattering and splintering it as if it were made of toothpicks. The five ran down an abandoned street and turned onto a dark alley. "What do we do now?" Beast Boy asked, panting heavily.
"There's gotta be more coming," Cyborg panted. "We gotta get out of here." Off in the distance, they could hear the Martian heat rays laying waste to the city.
"It won't be long before they reach us. Let's go!" Robin ordered the rest. Starfire immediately responded by picking Cyborg up in her arms. Beast Boy transformed into a large eagle and picked Robin up by the shoulders. The five of them flew out from the labyrinth of skyscrapers toward the outskirts of the city.
"Look!" Cyborg shouted. He pointed off in the distance at a sight which made them gasp. Off in the distance, through the darkness, they could see a large line of tripods heading toward the city. There must have been at least ten, no, at least twenty of them. The wave of machines marched slowly and ominously toward them, their bright spotlights piercing the darkness. It was like looking at a line of walking death.
The Titans flew off away from the advancing line of Martians toward what looked like a safe area. Finally, at last safely away from them, they stopped and landed on top of a small, undeveloped hill. Off in the distance, they could still see the city. Flashes of blue and red pierced the darkness as the Martians unleashed their fiery death upon the city. Mercilessly, they destroyed everything in their midst. Entire buildings crumbled and fell before the Martians' furious onslaught. The Titans could only hope there was nobody left in the city.
Robin just happened to glance over and could see tears falling silently down her face. Not even thinking, he edged closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She responded by leaning her head on his shoulder. The other three merely watched in silence as the scene unfolded before them. Finally, not wanting to see any more, the five of them got up and continued to head away from the destruction.
The five of them were exhausted, but until they were good and far away from the invaders, it wouldn't be safe to rest. They moved on for what seemed like hours. The five of them, now with no vehicle, walked along an old dirt road in a rural part of the area. From behind, there suddenly arose a humming sound off in the distance.
"What is…" Robin began, but his question was prematurely answered. A low-flying line of army helicopters emerged from behind the hilltops. Their bright spotlights cast light around them through the darkness. Robin waved in attempt to catch their attention, but it was to no avail.
"Where are they heading?" Beast Boy asked aloud. Looking off in the distance, he could see flashes of light.
"Quick! Let's get over there!" Cyborg shouted to the rest. As fast as they could, the five of them sped off toward where the flashes of light were coming from. They could hear loud explosions and hisses as they neared. Emerging over the top of a hill, they finally caught glimpse of a chaotic sight.
Hordes of fleeing civilians were scrambling in panic away from what appeared to be a huge battle going on. Lines of army tanks and vehicles rumbled along the grassy hills over the top of another hill. "Oh no. They're here, too," Starfire realized as they neared the battle.
The five of them rushed down the hill and into the valley. They frantically pushed their way through fleeing civilians, all while trying to avoid being run over by tanks. All the soldiers and vehicles were heading up and over the hill above them. Though they couldn't see them, the five Titans knew a group of tripods lurked just over the hill.
An army jeep with three soldiers, one speaking into a radio, stood parked on the hillside. "We have engaged the target. All attempts have no effect. Repeat, no effect!" he shouted into the radio.
"Our mission is to delay their advance until those civilians can get to safety!" another one of them shouted.
"Wait! What's happening!" Robin asked one of them.
"There's three of them just over that hill! We're trying to hold 'em off so these refugees can get to safety! Come on people, let's move!" the soldier shouted.
Everything was mass chaos. The helicopters flew overhead, firing volleys of missiles. The tanks and jeeps rolled up and over the hill, firing at their unseen target. Deafening explosions pierced the air repeatedly, deafening them. Clouds of smoke hung over the area, obstructing their vision and filling their nostrils whenever they breathed.
"Guys, we can help!" Robin shouted over the mass hysteria. "We'll hold them off as long as we can!"
"What?" Beast Boy shouted, unable to hear amidst all the noise.
"Just follow me!" Robin lead them up the hill toward the ensuing battle. Beast Boy caught glimpse of a jeep lit up in flames rolling back down the hill. Gritting his teeth and trying to keep his head level, he pushed on. Up above he saw a blue beam split the night air and hit one of the helicopters overhead. The thing exploded and fell to earth in flames.
"Yikes!" Beast Boy shouted without thinking. Though it was dark out, the scene was repeatedly lit up by the explosions, missiles, and artillery rounds being fired off. The machine gun fire only added to all the noise going off around him to the point where he couldn't even hear himself think.
Raven, who had been in following them from behind, saw another tank lit up in flames rolling down the hill. The huge vehicle rolled down, out of control toward fleeing civilians below. She instinctively focused on it as it rolled down. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shouted. Her black energy enveloped the tank and slowed it down, trying to bring it to a stop. Turning around briefly, Beast Boy noticed she had fallen behind.
"Wait!" Beast Boy shouted to the other three, but none of them heard. "Raven!" the changeling shouted to her.
The small mage snapped her head in his direction. "Beast Boy, just go on without me!" she shouted back. Another missile zipped over there heads as they yelled.
"Raven, I can't just leave you here! It's too dangerous!" he protested. Another helicopter crashed uncomfortably close to where they were standing. He turned his head back. The other three still hadn't noticed they had fallen behind. "Guys, wait!" he shouted again, but it was impossible to hear.
The mage looked at him angrily. "Beast Boy, just-" before she could finish, an explosion, maybe caused by a stray shell, erupted right beside her. The force sent her flying through the air and head-first into a nearby tree.
Beast Boy gasped. "Oh, no! Raven!" he screamed. He turned around again to look for his friends. He tried to look, but it was nearly impossible to see anything amidst all the smoke and confusion. "GUYS!" he shouted one last time. He looked back at Raven. Her body lay limp on the ground, facedown in the dirt. In a blind effort, he dashed over to where she was laying.
He rushed over by her side, hoping she was still alive. He could see a small trickle of blood flowing from where her head was. "Oh, no," he moaned again and desperately turned her over. He was relieved to see her breathing, but her eyes were closed. Upon drawing back her hood, he saw a rather large gash on her forehead where she had hit. "Raven, are you okay?" he asked her loudly. No response. She was unconscious.
Another explosion erupted behind him. Fearing for both their lives, Beast Boy's mind raced through what to do. He couldn't leave her here, it was too dangerous. But what about his friends?
"Where's Beast Boy and Raven?" Cyborg asked when he finally noticed they weren't behind them. Hearing that, Robin and Starfire turned around. "Where are they? Do you see them?" he asked frantically.
"Raven! Beast Boy!" Starfire shouted. Robin looked around, but couldn't spot them.
"Crap! We have to go back and find them!" Robin shouted. Another explosion erupted behind them. All three turned around. A large fire had erupted at the top of the hill. From behind the line of fire, enveloped in flames, arose the massive scorpion head of one of the tripods. Slowly, the huge death machine lifted itself up and over the hill, followed by two others. Another missile from a helicopter streaked toward them and erupted against their force field. The tripod lifted a massive leg and stepped right over the Titans. The humongous machine moved with speed toward the fleeing mass of civilians who still had not gotten very far away.
One of the tripods focused on the soldiers below them. In an eerily familiar sight, two missiles fired out from underneath the tripod's head and streaked toward the ground. "Uh oh," Cyborg said, remembering what they were. The missiles struck the ground, and a thick cloud of black gas erupted from them.
From where he was, Beast Boy could see the gas missiles strike. Now, he had no choice. Having breathed some of the gas in himself at one point, he knew how deadly it was. He had to get Raven to safety, or they would both die. Making up his mind, he transformed into a large, green lion. As gingerly as he could, he picked up the small mage in his jaws. He hoisted her up gently and trotted off away from the carnage.
Desperately peering through the darkness, he scanned the area for some place to hide, anywhere he could just to get Raven to safety. Finally, out of the corner of his eye, Beast Boy spotted a small, solitary house. He didn't know how safe it would be, but of his options, he didn't really have a choice. With his cat speed, he ran off toward the house, praying he wouldn't be seen.
"Robin, we have to get out of here!" Cyborg shouted.
"NO! I'm not leaving Raven and Beast Boy!" Robin shouted. The tripods seemed to simply ignore them and headed off toward the fleeing refugees.
"Robin, I want to find them, too! But we can't stay here! If we stay here, we'll die, too!" to underscore his point, he pointed toward the ever-growing cloud of poisonous gas. At the rate it was spreading, it wouldn't be long before it reached them.
"I'm not going to leave them!" Robin shouted angrily.
"Robin, listen to me!" Cyborg screamed at him. "It's too late! We can't help them! If we stay here, we'll only get ourselves killed! I know it, and you know it, too!"
"Cyborg is right, Robin! We have to leave!" Starfire interjected.
Seething with anger, Robin clenched his fists. "Alright!" he shouted. The three of them sped off to safety.
Beast Boy finally reached the house. Off to the side of the house, he noticed a trapdoor which must have lead to a basement. With small sense of relief, he rushed over to the trapdoor and put Raven down gently. Turning back into human form, he tested the trapdoor and was relieved to find it unlocked. Before going in, he turned one last time toward the scene of chaos. Beyond, he could see the three tripods hovering ominously over the fleeing humans.
Instead of firing at them, as Beast Boy had thought, the tripod were instead reaching up with their tentacles and picking up humans as they fled. One after the other, the metallic tentacles picked up struggling humans into the air. The tentacles then proceeded to drop them into a portal on the back, which sent the humans into two baskets on the underside, which Beast Boy hadn't noticed before.
The frightened changeling gulped as he saw this bizarre "harvest" taking place. Not wanting to see more and with little time on his hands, he switched to gorilla form and picked up Raven's limp body. He wasn't sure if anyone was down there, but at this time it didn't matter.
In his arms, Raven's body seemed so small and light. It was kind of odd, considering she was always bigger than Beast Boy. He grumbled to himself as he realized just how small he really was. Slowly, he descended the stairs into the dark basement. Scanning the surroundings, he saw a small, dirty couch which he proceeded to lay Raven on. Hurrying back up, he closed and locked the trapdoor.
Meanwhile, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg hurried away from the rampaging tripods. They had managed to get some of the refugees away by fleeing under cover of the trees. Some of the more unfortunate ones were picked up kicking and screaming by the tripods' tentacles. The Titans didn't know what they were doing, but they didn't have the time or the desire to think about it. Briefly, Robin was reminded of the plane wreck they had seen earlier. Turning around one last time as he fled, he looked off in hopes that he might see Raven and Beast Boy behind them. But they weren't. "Sorry, guys," he whispered to himself.
After a minute of searching, Beast Boy found a first aid kit in the basement. He smiled a little at finally having some good luck in all this. Taking a cloth, he wiped up some of the blood that had accumulated on her forehead. Then, after applying some antiseptic, he wrapped her head up in bandages. He then propped her head up on one of the pillows. Finally done, he collapsed on the floor next to the couch. Listening, he could here the sound of the tripods fading away into the distance, softer and softer. He hoped to god the others were okay. He also hoped Raven's injury wasn't serious. So many thoughts were racing through his head, but he felt the power of sleeping starting to take him as he drifted off into his dreams once more.
Well, I wanted to get this chapter out last week, but I was loaded with an unexpected amount of homework. I hope you guys like this chapter, as usual. And as usually, don't expect many updates through the winter. Okay, did you figure out which seen it was? Answer: it was the scene in which Raven was yelling at the man who dropped his suitcase. :) Thanks so far to everyone who's been reviewing so far, and thanks especially for your patience! Oh, have a good Christmas, everyone!
