Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, the War of the Worlds, or Microsoft, come to think of it.
Chapter 9: Reflections
Raven could feel herself drifting back into consciousness. As her senses came back to her, she became aware of a strong, throbbing pain in her forehead. She struggled to recall what had just happened. The last thing she could remember was yelling at Beast Boy (something she'd grown used to), then something exploding right next to her. She felt the surface she was lying on. It was warm and soft, almost like a bed.
Her eyes fluttered open. Even though her sight was blurry as her eyes struggled to focus, she could tell she wasn't outside. Light was coming in, but she couldn't tell from where. Leaning up, she propped herself up in order to get a better view of her environment. She was in what looked like a basement of some sort. She knew she hadn't come here on her own, so someone had to have brought her here. She heard a sound off to her left and turned to see Beast Boy leaning over something. The sound was of him humming a peculiar tune she hadn't heard from him before.
Noticing she was awake, he looked up at her and grinned. "Hey, sleeping beauty! I was wondering when you were gonna wake up."
Normally Raven might have responded coldly, but she was too tired for that. "Beast Boy?" was all that came out.
He stood up and approached her. "Yeah, it's me. Maybe you were thinking a Lassie dragged you in here?"
"I was hoping," she responded sarcastically. Pain surged again in her head and she winced. "Why does my head hurt?"
"Yeah, mind your head. Here, drink this," he responded. He sat down next to her and brought a bottle of water near her mouth. Noticing her parched throat, Raven took it and drank a few sips. Her thirsty tongue soaked it up greedily. "Anyway, you took a rather nasty hit last night. Some shell or something went off beside you, and you went flying into a tree headfirst. You were knocked out cold. And you got a nasty cut to go with it."
"How long was I out?" she asked, bringing her hand up to her head to feel the bandages Beast Boy had placed over the cut.
Beast Boy yawned. "I'd say a good nine hours. You took a pretty hard hit. I'm just glad you woke up at all."
She looked around again. "Where are we? What is this?"
"Just some basement in a house I found. It's pretty close to where we were last night. I came here just to get you away from the fighting last night. Things got pretty dangerous."
Her eyes perked up. "Are they still here?"
"No, they're gone, luckily for us."
Raven could sense that something wasn't right. Beast Boy was here, but where were…? "Beast Boy," she asked. "Where are the others?"
The small changeling frowned. "We…got separated. We lost each other in the fight last night."
Raven's closed her eyes and lowered her head. Beast Boy could feel her stress and immediately felt bad for her.
"Raven, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!" he said after a brief pause. "When you got hurt, I couldn't leave you there! It was too dangerous! And then the Martians started gassing the place, and I had to get out of there so we'd live. I-I couldn't think, so I brought you here so we'd at least be safe. I'm sorry." His ears drooped in shame.
"No, it's okay, Beast Boy," he heard Raven say. Shocked, he looked up at her.
Raven almost smiled at the dumb expression of surprise on his face. "It's okay," she said again. "It's not your fault."
"Um, thanks," he said nervously.
"Do you have any idea where they might be?"
Beast Boy shook his head. "Nope, but we might be able to track them if they…made it out." A moment of uncomfortable silence passed.
"Thank you," Raven said out of the blue.
"What?" Beast Boy asked, not sure if he'd heard her right.
"Thank you, Beast Boy. For doing what you did. If it wasn't for you, I…I'd probably be dead."
Beast Boy gulped, but managed to perk up. "Hey, you're welcome. Lassie, at your service!" He winked and made a humorous salute at her. He thought he could see the faintest trace of a smile appear on her face. Nevertheless, he felt slightly dumb and turned away, blushing.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Very cute, Beast Boy," she said to him as she took another sip of water. This might have helped bring back his courage, for he turned to face her again.
"So, um, you hungry?" he asked her.
Actually, food had been the last thing on her mind. But then again, she hadn't even eaten since yesterday morning. "Um, okay," she replied.
"Great! Wait a sec." Beast Boy leapt off the couch and headed toward a small refrigerator near the corner. Raven took the time to examine the room a little more. It seemed to be mostly underground. There were a few small windows near the ceiling which let the daylight shine through. The place seemed rather dirty, but it beat sleeping outdoors. As nice as it was, though, she knew they couldn't stay in the place for long.
Beast Boy came back with a few items of food in his hands. "It's not much, but it's, uh, better than nothing." Among the items were a loaf of stale bread and an old jar of peanut butter. "Want a sandwich?" he asked her hopefully.
Raven rolled her eyes again. "Sure." Beast Boy rapidly went to work.
"Bam!"
"Cool it, Emeril," she said sarcastically.
"Here you go," Beast Boy said as he presented it to her.
"Thanks."
"No problem," he said and sat back down beside her. Raven took a small bite of it. She really didn't care for the taste, and peanut butter's stickiness could get on her nerves, but it was much better than nothing.
"I looked around while you were sleeping. There's not much, but there's food and some supplies we might be able to use. Whoever left this place left it in a hurry. We have enough to last us maybe a week, I think."
"Beast Boy," Raven said as she looked at him with concern. "We can't stay here."
"I know that! I mean, I was saying that we'd have enough for the trip in case we needed it."
"I see." She took another bite. "Aren't you going to have any?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, nah. Not hungry." He began twiddling nervously with his thumbs. "Anyway, I was thinking maybe we'd wait until tomorrow morning to head out again. That way we'd be rested up and would have all day to travel."
"Sounds like a plan. We should be very careful where we choose to travel, though. I'm hoping you maybe found a map in here somewhere?" she asked him.
"Uh, no." Beast Boy mentally kicked himself. "But there's gotta be one around here somewhere. Unless it was already taken."
Raven sighed. "Well, if we can' find one, we'll just have to find a way without it." Ever since leaving Jump City, they had relied on Cyborg's GPS to guide them. Now, they had basically no idea where they were.
"Well, uh, you should probably get some rest," Beast Boy said. "That cut still looks pretty nasty."
"I'm fine right now," Raven replied. She noticed Beast Boy looking down blankly at the ground. There was no lie in his eyes; something was bothering him.
"Beast Boy," she asked. "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" the little changeling perked his ears. "Nothing."
"Beast Boy, you're a terrible liar. What's on your mind?" She already pretty much knew what it was. She was just hoping to get him to open up. Kind of ironic, because usually he was the one trying to get her to talk. Then again, nothing had really been the way it was lately.
Beast Boy sighed and frowned. He didn't know where to begin. "A lot of things, Rae. Pretty much everything that's happened in the last few days pretty much sums it up."
Sadness crept upon Raven's face as well. "I know, Beast Boy. Believe me, I know." She winced. "This entire invasion has gotten to everyone. It's caught us off guard and nobody's even had time to take a breath since. And I don't think they intend to let us rest."
"It shouldn't happen this way! It can't! It just isn't right!" Beast Boy blurted out. "They just land here and start killing everything? What kind of race would do something like that?"
"I think they're desperate," she hypothesized. "Years of living on a dying planet have hardened their hearts. Now, they seek to ensure the survival of their own race at any means necessary. Even if it means removing us."
Beast Boy gulped. She continued, "They don't view us any better than we might view insects. That's what we are to them. An infestation that needs to be crushed. To them, living together is not an option. It's either our race, or theirs. I guess if you want to say it, this planet's not big enough for both of us."
Beast Boy pressed his hand against his head and winced. "Oh man. You know, Rae, I still can't believe this is happening. Ever since the day they landed I've been hoping this is all a dream; that I'll wake up back at Titan's Tower, and everything will be back to normal. But then I wake up, and have to face that it's all real."
"If only all our bad experience were just bad dreams," Raven reflected. "But this is reality, and this is the now. So we have to deal with it."
"There's gotta be some way to beat them!" Beast Boy said anxiously. "They've gotta have a weakness! Nothing's invulnerable."
Raven crossed her arms. "It's not a question of if they have a weakness, but if we can figure out what it is before it's too late."
"I guess so." Beast Boy slumped back. "Boy, I wish none of this had happened! I wish this whole stupid war had never started in the first place!"
Raven shook her head. "This isn't a war, Beast Boy. It never was a war. Any more than there was ever a war between men and ants. This…" she paused. "…is an extermination."
"Raven, don't say that!"
"What else can we call it, Beast Boy? Which side has been doing all the killing? What is their goal – to conquer us, or to remove us from the face of the earth?"
Beast Boy's reply got caught in his throat. All that came out was a sad groan, and he lowered his head.
"We were ripe for the picking, I think. The Martians knew humanity's biggest weakness: disunity. We spend so much time fighting ourselves, and then an outside force comes to destroy us all. And nobody seems to be able to stand against it."
"But this can't be the end!" Beast Boy objected. "You said it yourself, Raven! Remember? That there are no endings, just new beginnings!"
Raven didn't reply. Her sad expression only grew deeper.
"Raven?" Beast Boy asked.
"And if we don't win…it will be the beginning of their world."
Suddenly, Beast Boy felt so small and helpless. He couldn't stand to think about it. But could it be true? Could this really be…the end? No. He pushed that thought out of his mind instantly. He wouldn't accept it.
Raven couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She could tell how he felt; how scared and helpless he felt. A part of her just wanted to go over there and comfort him as much as she could. But another part of her was afraid to.
"Stupid conflicting emotions," she thought to herself. A part of herself was also afraid to show how scared she was, too. There were times when Raven hated having to be the brave one.
Putting her ego aside for a moment, she placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. He looked at her shocked. Raven could tell that tears had just started to gather in his eyes. "Hey," she said. "Whether they win or not, we'll get through this somehow." She couldn't believe what she was saying. But having a fool's hope was better than having none. "So don't be scared."
Beast Boy smiled through his sadness. "I'm not scared. I'm with you, Raven."
That caught her off guard. She just didn't know what to say. She hoped to god she wasn't blushing. "Beast Boy…?"
"Hey, I'm not joking!" he said meekly. "I'm serious, Rae."
"No, I didn't mean…I mean, you, um," god, she was stuttering. She hated that. "I mean, thanks." Truth be told, she had always been under the impression Beast Boy didn't like her. Looking back, she wasn't sure she could blame him, giving how she'd treated him sometimes in the past.
"Raven, I don't know how to tell you this, but…" What could he tell her? Could he admit his feelings right then and there? "Raven, I know we haven't always…gotten along in the past. But I just wanted to tell you that I've always considered you like a big sister to me. The sister I never had. And I guess I just feel safer when I'm with you."
Raven found herself avoiding Beast Boy's eyes. This conversation was starting to go places she had never intended. Emotions started to surface within her that she struggled to control. She struggled to remain calm and dignified despite the situation she was in. She wanted to answer but her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat. God, how she hoped she wasn't blushing.
"I know we're not much alike, Rae," Beast Boy continued. "But you know, there are a lot of things about you I admire. I wish I were more like you."
"What?" Raven answered at last, turning back to meet Beast Boy's eyes.
"Really! I mean, come on, Raven! You think I like always being looked at as the comic relief?"
Raven arched an eyebrow.
"Uh, don't answer that. But there are things about you I wish I had, too." He shrugged. "I mean, you're smart, you're brave, you're calm, you don't get all panicky whenever something bad happens, and the other guys look to you a lot for answers. Me? I'm none of those. Look at me, I get scared all the time, I tend to get freaked out, and I'm sure there have been a lot of times when the other guys have doubted my intelligence."
Raven shook her head and sighed. "That's ironic."
"Ironic? How?"
"Well, I'm sure you'll find this hard to believe, but there are times when I wish I were more like you."
"Huh?" Beast Boy was perplexed, for certain.
Raven wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to say anything that might be interpreted the wrong way... "Think about it, Beast Boy. You're so laid back, you're open, you aren't afraid to show what you're feeling, whether you're tired, scared, happy, or just hungry." She smiled faintly. "And you're not afraid to be silly or to hang around with others, and they're not afraid to hang out with you. Do you think it's easy keeping everyone around you at arm's length? Even your friends? To be counted on to be brave and smart in every single situation, as if you knew all the answers?" She sighed. "It gets kind of old after a while. And in case you didn't notice, there are plenty of things I'm afraid of."
"But Rae, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met! I mean, it's like you never get afraid."
Raven waved in hand in rebuttal. "Beast Boy, being brave doesn't mean you don't get afraid. It means being scared to do something, but going ahead anyway. And believe me, I've seen you do it plenty of times. You may not believe it, but you're one of the bravest people I've ever met."
Beast Boy's green cheeks were now flushed with a shade of pink. "Uh, thanks," he said while scratching his head nervously. "Really, thanks."
"No problem. Just don't let it go to your head." This time, they both laughed.
"And Raven," Beast Boy said. "As I said, I know we don't always get along, but, I just want to tell you, I do like you. As a friend, I mean."
This time, Raven was sure she was blushing she turned away again. She had no idea what to say. But she didn't have to answer, as Beast Boy let out a loud yawn.
"You seem tired," she said to him. "I thought you slept."
"I did, for a little bit," he answered. "But only a couple hours. I spent the rest of the time watching you. I mean, standing guard. I mean, keeping watch." He turned his face to hide his embarrassment.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Well, why don't you get some sleep, okay? You won't get very far tomorrow if you're too tired."
Beast Boy faced her. "But, will you-"
"Beast Boy, I'm fine," she said sharply. Almost on cue, pain shot through the cut on her head and she winced. If Beast Boy found it funny, he was doing a good job of hiding it. "I'm fine enough to watch, okay?" she said a little more softly. "You just get some rest."
Beast Boy yawned again and nodded. "Okay. Good night, Rae." Ironic, since it was broad daylight out. Raven was pretty sure it was about noon. Beast Boy laid back and closed his eyes. Within only a few moments, he drifted off to sleep and his animal-like snores started to fill the room.
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. She was just glad the conversation was done. She thought about her reaction and mentally scolded herself for acting like a silly shy schoolgirl the entire time. She couldn't understand why she had behaved that way. Sure, Beast Boy was her friend, but she didn't expect to behave like that. But there was no denying that certain feelings arose whenever she and Beast Boy were together. The fact they were alone seemed to make those feelings even stronger.
But she didn't want to think about it. She knew she didn't have a crush on Beast Boy. Even if she did have a crush on anybody, it'd be someone less annoying and who told better jokes. Nevertheless, she pushed those thoughts out of her head. There were more important things to think about. The earth was still being invaded, and she still didn't know where the others were. She briefly wondered if they had been looking for her and Beast Boy. A small chance, since most likely they'd have to continue moving on. Once again, she sighed and lay back on the couch as well, not allowing herself to sleep, and trying to ignore the pain in her head.
Later that night.
Beast Boy felt something shaking him. "Wake up," he heard a voice say. He groaned in protest. "Wake up!" the voice said more sharply. He snapped his eyes open. He looked up and saw Raven standing over him. He yawned as he sat up. He noticed that it was now noticeably darker outside.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"I don't know, but the sun set a while ago," she responded. "Where'd you put the medical kit?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's over there," he pointed to a place by the basement stairs. Raven drifted over to the spot. Beast Boy stretched. As he did, he noticed a rumbling in his stomach. The changeling noticed his hunger for the first time. Now he was wishing he had eaten something earlier when he had the chance.
"Can you find it? It should be right over there," he said to Raven. He wasn't surprised she couldn't find it, seeing how dark it was. Suddenly, he remembered the flashlight he had found earlier. He slid off the couch and felt around the floor for it. Feeling the small cylindrical object at last, he picked it up. He was just about to switch it on when a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
He practically yelped in shock, and turned to see Raven glaring at him. "No. We dare not strike a light," she said firmly.
"Uh, sure," he gulped. He mentally kicked himself again.
"Sorry, but it's too dangerous. We don't want to risk being seen," she said to him.
"Oh, no problem," he said, and put the flashlight down. Just then, an idea occurred to him. Within seconds, a green cat walked across the basement floor over to the small refrigerator. Cats could see well enough in the dark. Raven rolled her eyes. Being a changeling really did have benefits.
Beast Boy reverted back to human form, and decided to make a sandwich for himself. The light on the fridge was broken, so it was okay to open it.
"We should set out as early as we can tomorrow," Raven said to him from across the room. "We'll need as much daylight to travel as we can."
Beast Boy nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. It was the first food he'd had all day. He finished it quickly and went back over to the other side of the room.
"Hey Rae," Beast Boy said out of the blue. "What do you think the others are doing right now?"
Raven continued to stare out one of the small windows. She could just see the glimmer of stars in the sky. "Well, I can tell you what they aren't doing. They aren't giving up. They're going to keep on fighting, and they aren't going to forget about us, because they know we're still out here, and they haven't given up hope," she replied.
"Sounds reasonable to me," he said faintly. He stared out at the stars along with her. He just realized how close they were standing.
"Beast Boy," Raven said in the darkness. She couldn't believe she was saying this, but decided to get out with it anyway. She turned her head to face him. "I'm glad you're with me," she said to him.
Beast Boy was glad it was dark, because he was sure his cheeks were now rosy shade of pink. He looked back at met her eyes. "God, am I staring at him?" Raven thought to herself.
Their trance was broken as a faint rumbling sound emerged from the silence. "What the," Raven asked. The rumbling grew louder. It sounded as if something was streaking toward them. Through the window, she could see the glare of a bright, white light filling the sky.
"Oh no," Beast Boy gasped right before a loud crash sounded. A loud, grinding sound filled the air as the gigantic cylinder scraped across the ground. The sound was getting louder. As if it was…
Raven's heart leapt into her throat. "Quick! GET DOWN!" without thinking, she tackled Beast Boy to the ground. A deafening crash sounded as the edges of the colossal cylinder collided with the house. Pieces of wood, concrete, and plaster fell from the ceiling as the walls above them collapsed. Within moments, the noise died down. Raven tried to make out the damage as best she could. Luckily, from what it looked, only a small part of the ceiling had collapsed. She knew the house above them had to have been demolished. She realized that being in the basement may very well have saved their lives.
But there was no mistaking they were now in a very bad situation. What were the odds of this happening?
"Super," she whispered to herself. She simply loved her luck. Remembering Beast Boy, she glanced over at him. Raven didn't think it was physically possible for eyes to get that wide. Seeing she had cupped her hand over his mouth, she took it away. Beast Boy took a deep breath.
"Shh! Be quiet" Raven cautioned him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he responded weakly. "Are we still alive?" he asked.
"Pretty sure," she responded dryly.
"Oh, god," he whispered. "Not good. Not good."
Raven squinted through the darkness. The unseen cylinder above them seemed to be still for the moment.
"Raven, do you think we should get out of here?"
Raven struggled to answer. "I,-" she began.
"What's that sound?" Beast Boy interrupted her. Raven stopped talking and listened. She could hear it, too. An all too familiar sound.
Boom…boom…boom…
"Another one," she said anxiously. This was not good at all. The heavy, metallic sound of the approaching tripod echoed closer and closer.
"I think we're stuck here, Beast Boy," she whispered to him.
The frightened changeling looked up. "Oh, man."
The heavy tripod's footsteps now sounded louder than ever. Raven was sure they were right next to them now. She gulped and gritted her teeth. This was it. Now, they were really on their own.
"Beast Boy," Raven whispered to him. "You with me on this?" she asked him.
He looked over at her, and his expression of fear turned into one of grim determination. "Oh yeah."
There it is. Hope you guys liked it. Normally, I update my two main stories one at a time, but I decided to get this one released earlier since it was originally going to be one chapter. As usual, please drop in a review, and thanks to all those who have been reading and contributing so far. Until next time, adios.
