Here's the next chapter! And just so there's no more confusion, everything in this chapter is in chronological order.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 11: Close Calls
Beast Boy and Raven stayed up to see if the tripods would leave, but they remained. After another couple hours Raven decided to get some sleep, this time with Beast Boy standing guard.
When Raven awoke, it was morning. The sun had only risen maybe a couple hours ago, by what she could tell. The incessant noise created by the huge tripods still came from outside.
"I don't get it! It's like they've decided to make camp here or something," Beast Boy said from the other end of the wall. He was standing on top of a box and peering out the window. Raven was about to say something in response when something caught her eye. She looked at the edges of the window next to her and saw that it now had a red tint. Upon closer examination she saw traces of red roots seeping through the cracks at the window's edges. She grabbed one of the roots and snapped it off. It felt moist and slightly rubbery. The liquid rubbed off and left red blotches on her hands.
"RAE! Rae! Rae!" She heard Beast Boy calling from the other side and rushed over to see what was the matter.
"Beast Boy, keep it down! They might hear you!" she hissed. Beast Boy turned toward her, and she saw traces of a reddish mist on his face. Beast Boy didn't seem to notice, but instead was pointing toward the window. Raven edged him away and peered out the window, making sure first that she wouldn't be seen. Outside, one of the tripods was pacing around. She could see it spraying a red liquid toward the ground through an opening vent in its backside.
"They're seeding," Raven whispered. She looked around and saw patches of the red vines growing outside. She was shocked to see how much it had grown in a matter of hours. She had seen few species of plant that grew as fast as this did.
Beast Boy put a hand to his face to wipe the moisture off. After seeing the mist's red color he frantically wiped the rest of it off. Raven backed away from the window and sat down on the couch, and Beast Boy decided to do the same.
"So, what do we do now?" he asked her.
"What else can we do? We wait. Unless you think we have a chance of escaping detection in broad daylight."
"No thanks," he replied. "How's your head?"
Raven felt the bandages wrapped around her forehead. "It still stings a little. But it's feeling a little better."
"Great! I'm glad that cut's all you got. You took a pretty hard hit."
"No argument here," she said. "Thanks again, Beast Boy."
The shape-shifter blushed. "No problem." Despite the situation, his crush was starting to take hold of him again. There was no use in denying it, he knew he had huge crush on her. He tried to keep his nervousness under control, not wanting to do something stupid. Beast Boy didn't want to ruin it; especially since this was the longest time he and Raven had been together without her wanting to kill him.
Outside, the loud footsteps of the colossal machines continued. Raven and Beast Boy waited for hours, but the machines did not leave. Next thing they knew, it was noon. Raven periodically took a peek out the windows to see what was going on. Outside, the machines appeared to have stopped spraying, but they continued to pace around like gigantic guardians.
When Raven went to sit back down she noticed Beast Boy was sitting and staring at the ground. He appeared to be buried deep in thought. Something that was unusual for him.
"Beast Boy? What's the matter?" she asked him.
He snapped out of his repose and glanced up at her. "Oh, nothin'."
"What are you thinking about?"
Was this a trick question? Beast Boy thought she would have known anyway. She was a mage, after all. Nevertheless, he decided to answer her anyway. "About the invaders, big surprise. I just couldn't help thinking about what would happen if they won. What would happen to us and everyone else?"
Raven sat down beside him. "Can't say I blame you. I wonder a lot, too."
"Yeah. Even though I don't think I should. I mean, we should try thinking about how we can beat them."
"Believe me, I think everyone's tried. I don't think it's gotten us very far, though," she added.
"Tell me about it. I hate to say it but the whole fight has been pretty one-sided so far."
"I know. Sucks, doesn't it?" she said dryly.
Beast Boy chuckled out loud. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was just because he wasn't used to hearing Raven talk like that. "I know," he continued. "I'm just worried what might happen if we're caught. I just hope they don't try to turn me into one of their pets! Like if they keep me around just to do tricks, like that one other alien did." He shuddered.
Raven giggled. "I would worry more about being roasted alive."
"That too." He leaned back. "Poor Cyborg. They might use him for spare parts if he gets caught."
Raven laughed again. She stopped suddenly. Beast Boy paused, too. The shape-shifter's ears perked up. They both just noticed that it had gone quiet. The machines had stopped.
"What happened?" Beast Boy whispered. "Why did they stop?"
Raven edged near the window. She pushed away the wooden plank blocking it and peered outside, but couldn't see anything.
"Are they gone?" Beast Boy asked quietly. Raven shook her head. She could sense they were still there.
Beast Boy heard something stir. He looked around to see where the sound was coming from. He heard it again. His ears instinctively locked on to the sound. He gulped. It was coming from the hole in the ceiling from when it partially collapsed. The noise continued, and it sounded like something pushing objects out of the way.
Raven had already reacted. The mage ducked behind some large crates near the wall and beckoned for Beast Boy to join her. The changeling saw and quickly dashed over to join her. The two hid behind the crates, but their eyes remained fixed on the hole in the ceiling. Another moment passed, and the two saw something slither out of the opening.
It was long and tubular. To beast Boy it almost looked like a tentacle. On the end, however, it had something attached to it. The end almost resembled a closed eyelid. The two heroes watched as the eye-like device opened, revealing a large dark lens. Two small lights flickered to life on either side. By now, the two Titans realized it was a camera and ducked down behind the crates.
Beast Boy listened as hard as he could. A soft electrical hum emanated from the device. He could hear the camera slowly approaching their hiding place. He was about to panic when an idea occurred to him. Raven glanced over and saw that Beast Boy was gone. In his place was a small green spider. She watched as it scuttled out from behind the crates.
The spider-Beast Boy observed the camera's movements. The device snaked along the wall, picking up everything with its large eye. It would periodically stop to look behind an object or examine something more closely. The electronic lens swiveled and focused…right on Beast Boy. The spider-teenager panicked and quickly scuttled back behind the crates and mutated back to his original form. Raven saw his panicked expression and could tell what was happening. She beckoned for Beast Boy to follow her. After taking a quick peek around the crates, she saw the device approaching them from the other side. In a mad dash, the two of them ran out and ducked behind the dusty couch nearby. Beast Boy pressed his hands together in a praying motion, hoping they hadn't been seen.
Raven took another look and saw the camera looking at where the two of them had been hiding seconds before. The mage ducked back down and pressed her back to the couch. She focused with all her might to keep her emotions under control. It wasn't working too well. Her heart was pounding, and she could feel sweat gathering on her forehead. She glanced at Beast Boy and saw that he was sweating as well.
A thousand emotions ran through Raven: fear, anger, desperation… She clenched her fists. If they were spotted down, they were as good as dead. This wasn't fair. They couldn't go out like this. She looked over at Beast Boy again and an idea came to her. He could escape. All he had to do was change into something that could avoid detection – a fly, a spider, or even a mouse. The aliens wouldn't notice it.
"Beast Boy," she whispered. He looked over at her; the fear in his eyes was plain. "Get out of here. Escape while you can."
"Raven, I'm not leaving you," he whispered back.
"Don't worry about me. Just save yourself while you have the chance."
"I'm not leaving you!" he whispered back harshly. He stopped abruptly and hoped the device hadn't heard him. He thought of another idea. "Hold on, Rae," he whispered. He mutated into a mouse and crawled out into the open. He looked and saw the camera had moved to a corner of the basement. It was looking inside a box that was holding what looked like a bunch of random gardening equipment. He scuttled over to the corner on the opposite end of the room.
He quickly shifted back to human form. The camera was distracted, but it would be on Raven soon. He noticed there was a shelf case next to the stairs with a bunch of boxes stored on it. It should be just enough to hide behind… He grabbed a nearby piece of plaster and chucked it over at the other end of the room. It clattered against the wall and the noise prompted the camera to rush over to investigate the source of the noise. Beast Boy motioned with his hand for Raven to come. With the device momentarily distracted, she dashed silently over to where he was, and the two hid behind the case.
Over at the other side of the room, the device lifted its head and snaked its way to the couch. Raven and Beast Boy observed it examine every inch of the room. Their hiding spot was very dusty. Beast Boy drew a breath and some of the dust shot up his nose, agitating it. In an instant, a sneeze rushed through him before he could stop it.
"Ah-" he started. He cupped his hands over his mouth to muffle the noise. But it was too late.
On the other end of the room, the camera's head jerked up and turned to face where the noise had come from. The device spotted the case and snaked its way towards it.
Beast Boy panicked. Raven was caught between a desire to strike him and thinking of a way out of their situation. Her mind raced. The camera moved closer. Its eye focused on the case. It couldn't see past the boxes that were stacked on the shelves, so it slithered around to see what was behind. Its electronic eye came around the other side to see what was behind it…
And saw nothing but floorboards. The camera reared its head as if it were confused. The device remained in the spot and looked around. When it saw nothing back there, it withdrew. Its spotlights switched off and its lens slid shut, and in a few seconds the room was empty once again.
Meanwhile, a black orb was fixed to the basement's ceiling above the case. The orb's black walls disappeared to reveal Raven and a wide-eyed Beast Boy stuck to the ceiling. The pair drifted down; Raven using her powers to prevent them from falling. Once he was on the ground, Beast Boy breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Man, I thought that thing would never leave!" he whispered. Raven had used her powers to move them to the ceiling so the device wouldn't spot them. Fortunately for them, it had looked everywhere but up.
Raven rolled her eyes and rubbed the sweat off her forehead. "Just control your sneezes next time. You almost got us killed," she said sharply.
"Sorry," he quickly apologized. He looked down in embarrassment, even though it really wasn't his fault he sneezed. He perked his ears to listen. The air was still quiet. The machines hadn't started up again. As he listened closer though, his ears picked up something else. It sounded like the sound of many feet walking around outside. The footsteps didn't sound human or normal animal footsteps, so Beast Boy figured the aliens were walking around outside. But why?
"Beast Boy!" Raven called. "They're coming again!"
The shape-shifter could hear the footsteps approaching the house. His eyes picked up a small cupboard under the stairs. "Under there!" he pointed. The two of them ducked inside and shut the door. Luckily for them, it was empty. Seconds afterward, they heard rubble being moved away and footsteps coming down. Raven leaned over and looked through a small crack in the door.
Outside, she could see the gnarled form of a Martian climbing down into the room. It was just as hideous as she remembered – four legs, solid black eyes, a fan-shaped head, and a sickly grayish exoskeleton. The Martian looked around and sniffed the air. Its two large arms felt at objects around it while its two small arms remained folded next to its body like a praying mantis. A loud squeak came out of its mouth, and on signal two more Martians climbed down to join it.
The three of them crawled around the basement, looking and feeling at objects as they went. One of them picked up a small, dusty photograph with its large hands and transferred it to its small hands. Another one was feeling a broom that was hanging up on the wall. It let out a surprised squeak when the broom fell off its hook. The third was examining the refrigerator. With its large hands it opened the door and blinked in surprise when a whiff of cold air hit it. With its small hands it grabbed an old jar of mustard, sniffed it, and handed it to the one standing next to it.
The one that had been looking at the broom crawled over toward the stairs. It stopped and looked down at something on the floor. Raven squinted through the hole to catch a glimpse of what it was. Beside her, Beast Boy was crouched against the corner, trying to be as still and quiet as possible. Raven struggled to focus again. The Martian lifted its head and sniffed the air. For whatever reason, it looked to its left right in Raven's direction. As soon as it did it stopped and a "puzzled" look came over it.
Raven gulped and her heart started beating rapidly. She moved away from the eyehole in an instant. Beast Boy noticed this. "What's wrong?" he whispered. "Did they-"
Raven lifted a finger to silence him. Beast Boy soon figured out what was happening when he heard the Martian's footsteps approaching the cupboard. Sweat gathered on his forehead. He heard the Martian give a loud hiss from outside the cramped cupboard. The other two rushed over to join it. Beast Boy could hear the footfalls approach the cupboard door. They were right outside. Something, maybe a hand, was scraping against the door.
Beast Boy felt like crying. This couldn't be it. He couldn't go out like this… "I'm not ready," he thought.
Raven was caught between rage and desperation. This could be it. Maybe if they fought them they might have a chance at escape. If not…
The door handle rattled. The two of them remained fixed on it, unaware of the fact that they were both gripping each other. It rattled again, and the two of them braced themselves for a fight. And then…
VRRRRUUUUMMMMM! One of the tripods sounded its deafening blast from outside. Raven and Beast Boy heard a hiss and a scatter of feet as the Martians vacated the scene and climbed up and out of the room. Then, the room went silent again.
After a few moments, Raven and Beast Boy both breathed a huge sigh. They looked at each other and blushed when they realized they had been holding each other. Feeling awkward, they both let go and Raven turned away to hide her blush. Beast Boy said nothing, and after a moment of hesitation, opened the door. They both stepped out into the empty basement.
Beast Boy collapsed on the ground in relief and sighed again. "I think that's enough close calls for me."
"Tell me about it." Raven sat down and wiped her forehead. The bandages around her wound were starting to come loose. She would have to replace it soon.
"Why did they leave?" Beast Boy asked from the floor.
Raven shrugged. "I don't know." She thought back to when she heard the blast. She had briefly felt what the Martians were feeling. From what she remembered, it was a light feeling, almost an excited feeling. But why?
"Raven?" she heard Beast Boy ask.
"Oh god," she thought. "Please don't ask about that hug. Please.." she started blushing again.
"Never mind," he said. Raven let out another relieved sigh and turned away so she wouldn't be facing him. A good thing, too, because then she didn't see Beast Boy give a satisfied "Yes!" behind her back.
A few minutes later, the ground started shaking again. They could hear gigantic footsteps approaching the house. It didn't take long for them to realize a third tripod was coming.
Beast Boy shook his head. "Now what?" After a moment, the colossal machine stopped next to the house. Once again, Beast Boy looked out to see what was going on. He could hear something coming from the tripod that had just arrived. As his ears focused, he finally made out what the noise was. Voices!
"Raven! Oh god, there are people on that tripod!"
It was a few hours after noon, now. All three Titans felt absolutely miserable. Neither Robin, nor Starfire, nor Cyborg had anything at all to eat that day, and the heat was maddening. The mosquitoes' newfound attraction for them didn't help things in the least. It was cloudless for now, and the Titans were all sure they'd be sunburned by tomorrow. Only Slade said nothing the entire time.
"Those mountains shouldn't be too much further now," Cyborg said as they climbed up a steep hill. Once Cyborg reached the top of the hill, he at last saw the mountain peaks rising in the distance. "Awesome! There they are, guys!"
Robin sighed in relief. He thought they'd never reach those peaks. The four of them and the rest of the people they had been traveling with set out for them.
They had made it about halfway there when they started hearing some commotion. Robin looked up and to his surprise saw a mass of military helicopters flying over head toward the mountains.
"What the-" he started. He looked down and could make out a mass of military vehicles moving in formation along the mountain's side. Fearing the worst, Robin waved for everyone to follow him. The three Titans and Slade ran for the convoy, hoping to reach them before they had left. One of them had seen them too, however, and a jeep left the convoy and headed for them.
Once it reached them it stopped beside them. A gruff looking sergeant stepped out. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked them.
"We're trying to get these people to safety!" Robin answered. "What's going on here?" Though he already suspected what was going on.
"If you're looking to go to those mountains, don't! We've got a group of scorpions headed this way?"
"Scorpions?" Cyborg asked.
"Um, that's our nickname for them tripods. You guys better get out of here. I'd head south if I were you. Those aliens'll be here any minute!"
"But we've traveled so far already! Everyone is exhausted!" Starfire protested. "Can you not take some of them with you?"
"I'm sorry, but we can't! We need everyone here to hold off those tripods."
"Do you honestly think you'll be able to stop them?" Cyborg asked angrily.
The man paused. "Look, orders are orders, and we wouldn't have enough room for all you guys anyway! Now I gotta get out of here. You people better beat it before they arrive!" With that he stepped into his jeep and it drove away.
"Well, that went well, didn't it?" Slade mused.
"Oh, this is terrible!" Starfire cried.
"Well, we can't panic now!" Robin interjected. "We gotta change our plans now. They're heading this way from the north, so we'd better take his advice and go south. We'll have to get everyone out of here."
Everyone did as he suggested. Not much later, the sounds of the military clashing with the aliens sprang up. Starfire looked and could see them fighting not to far away from where they were now. There were four tripods from what she could tell. They were close enough that she could still make out the shape of the helicopters that were firing missiles at them in vain.
Once everyone had started heading away from the battle, Robin paused to see what was happening. He knew what would happen. He had learned too much already. Yet, he had to see it. He and the others watched as the machines mercilessly cut a path of destruction through the humans. When all was done, the four machines stood like sentinels of war amongst a field of flames and metal scraps. They were about to make a run for it when Cyborg shouted.
"Guys, look!" he pointed out in the distance behind where the war machines were standing.
Out in the distance, a large, dark mass was rising from the horizon. The thing rose higher and higher into the sky. It was a large, flat, dark gray expanse. It was unlike anything they had seen before. Robin gaped at its size. He could tell it had to have been easily at least twice the size of a blimp. A loud mechanical humming sound emanated from the colossal machine. The thing was shaped like a semi-disk with spotlights dotting its underside. For a moment it hovered and rotated in the sky. After a while it descended and disappeared behind the mountain range.
Robin looked at the others. All of them wore expressions of awe and fear. Even Slade looked afraid – which wasn't a good sign.
"Friends, was that-?" Starfire began.
"So much for them not having an air force," Cyborg lamented.
"We had better get out of here now," Slade advised. Actually, it sounded more like a command. The four of them were off in a flash.
"Great," Robin growled to himself. "This is like a bad story."
Yes! School is over! Of course now, I gotta work. But I still have a lot more time on my hands now. I hope to get this fic done by the end of the summer, and I think I will. There's not all that much left to go! Next chapter, BB and Rae finally discover the Martians' "eating habits". Hee hee… What did you think? As always, please R&R. I'm always eager for comments.
