Dammit, I cannot believe the Mavericks lost the stupid game! They let the stupid Miami Heat win. How can you miss that many three pointers? Then again, Wade was unstoppable, but still! Dirk really didn't bring all he had. If they had of won at least one game in Miami, they could have maybe won, but…argh! I am so mad…but hey, at least they made it this far. And they were only three points behind. It pisses me off, though, that they fouled Dirk when it was that…other guy's fault. He shoved him. Dirk was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That other dude (I didn't get his name because I was so ticked) should have gotten it, not Dirk, who, by the way, I am madly in love with. Sorry, but it just makes me so mad that Dallas lost…damn. It also doesn't help that my little baby doggy Jake is having epileptic seizures and my stupid jackass of a father keeps talking to his whore, even though he knows good and well that I hate her…I could so throw a shoe at his hard, empty head…
Okay, so I would have posted this a week ago if FF hadn't been all screwy. It wouldn't let me upload this...so sorry for making you wait this long. And my beta was too busy to correct this, so I corrected it the best I could. I'll repost the corrected chapter when my beta has time to do it, so sorry for the mistakes.
Oh, yes, before I forget, this chapter does contain graphic rape, so if you're offended, you know what to do.
And please keep in mind that I cannot write fighting scenes. They are absolutely horrible, and I know it, so please don't complain that they were too short. I can't think of anything else to write that doesn't come out corny and stupid and completely unbelievable. Right, and I also change between using Kenneth and Jonathan; so if you're confused, blame it on my laziness. I didn't realize I was going it until I read over it and by then, I just wanted to get this posted as soon as I could. So, sorry. This chapter is also much longer than the other. (23 pages long)
Oh, and the band AFI rocks.
I think that's all…yeah, that's it.
Before Beast Boy could even ponder as to why Raven had suddenly pulled back from their telepathic connection, an intense pain ripped through his thigh, forcing him to the ground with a howl of agony.
"What the hell?" Beast Boy yelped, his hands instantly flying to the pain. But as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving Beast Boy panting and confused. He lifted his hand to see if there was blood, but it came away dry. Unsure of what was going on, Beast Boy stumbled to his feet.
"What was that?" Wyatt asked, dark eyebrows drawn together. "You okay?"
"Damn," Beast Boy groaned, pressing his hand against his thigh. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, but froze. The smell of Raven's blood was strong now, smothering the others completely. In fact, it was all he could smell. Raven had to be at least a mile away from him, but if her scent was that potent…
Suddenly, the mind that people swore he didn't have started to churn, slipping pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. When Raven had been in Robin's head so many years ago, she had felt it when Slade had sucker punched Robin. She had later relayed that it hadn't been as strong as what Robin felt, just a preview of his real pain, but had been strong enough to knock her off her feet. So, what if when Raven had abruptly pulled from his mind, a thin connection was still attached to him? What if now, he was feeling a portion of Raven's pain because he was still linked to her mind? That would explain the intense pain he felt, and the strong smell of her blood.
Raven was hurt, maybe even dying. Beast Boy cursed, quickly turning to face Wyatt. The sudden movement made Wyatt pause and blink.
"I need your help," Beast Boy said, his tone deep and serious.
"Uh…okay."
Beast Boy eyed him before saying; "I'm going to morph into a horse so we can get to the girls faster. But since I have a bullet in me, it won't be easy. I might collapse before we even get there, so I need you to kick it up and be the hero. When I fall, do not get me. Don't even check to see if I'm breathing. Just keep running straight for as long as you possibly can, got it? We can't risk losing them, even if my life is in danger."
"But—"
"No buts, Wyatt. I need you to do this for me, okay? No, not for me, but for Mallory. She doesn't deserve this. She needs to be alive to raise her son with you. She doesn't need to wake up every morning with the memory of being brutally raped by a sick bastard because you risked one second. So do this one thing for me, okay?"
"But what about Raven? How will you save her if you're dead?"
Beast Boy wasn't stupid. He had thought of this. "I won't be able to save her. But you can. Wyatt, if things work out how I think they will, I won't be able to be her hero. Just…make sure she gets out unharmed. I know Mallory comes first, but if I'm not there, save her. Can you do that?"
Wyatt tilted his head back to stare at the heavy grey clouds that were pregnant with rain. "You will be the one to save her."
"Wyatt—"
"But if you are unable to for some reason, I'll take care of her. She won't die. I promise you this…as a friend." Wyatt lowered his head to watch Beast Boy's eyes. "But you have to try to save her yourself. Then again, saving two women will do wonders for my reputation." He gave a crooked grin that took away some of the seriousness of the situation.
Beast Boy shook his head in amusement. "Alright, so we have a deal?"
"But wait."
"What?"
Wyatt frowned. "If we switch places and I'm the one who dies, you have to save Mallory. Do I have your word on that?"
Beast Boy smiled. "I'm a Titan, Hallowell. My job is rescuing maidens in distress. Of course I'll save her."
"Deal."
Beast Boy gave on last smile before he morphed into a horse.
The pain was excruciating, worse than what he had imaged, and even the thought of Raven didn't help any. But he refused to fall now, not with so much in stake.
Turing his head, he stared at Wyatt, waiting impatiently for him to get on. Wyatt's eyes went from Beast Boy's bleeding chest to his eyes, debating on if he wanted to risk it even more. Beast Boy neighed, making Wyatt jump.
Dejected, Wyatt muttered, "I've never ridden a horse before."
The look Beast Boy sent him changed Wyatt's mind, though, as he quickly slung one long, muscled leg over his back. He almost slid off, but grabbed Beast Boy's mane just in time.
Wyatt barely had time to adjust himself before Beast Boy took off at full speed towards the woman he loved. The dark teen groaned heavily, remembering why he had avoided coming near horses. Thankfully, Beast Boy managed to evade all branches and clawed roots that spurted from the ground like bony fingers.
Thunder groaned in the distance, a low rumbled that seemed to last forever. A flash of lightning closely followed it. Wyatt braved looking up at the sky while in motion and nearly sighed. The sky was an ominous black that seemed to swallow up all around it and was much more sinister than when Beast Boy and him had talk before. A storm was fast approaching, which, considering the achingly cold air, would probably end up in a snowstorm. That, or the ground beneath them would become a frozen, slippery mass that would add more obstacles that they did not need.
Beast Boy made another strenuous leap over a collapsed tree and Wyatt leaned forward slightly to keep his balance. The move jarred his wounded back and he couldn't help but flinch. But he knew his pain was nothing compared to Beast Boy's.
Without warning, rain fell from the dark sky, drenching everything in its wake in mere seconds. Beast Boy lost his footing a few times, and Wyatt wondered of it was blood loss or the slick ground that had the Titan slipping. Wyatt shook his head slightly. Beast Boy was much stronger than he appeared. The media had portrayed him as the weak point of the team. Few ever showed the strong side of him, even if it was his drive.
Truth be told, Wyatt never saw the Titans as humans (not actually meant in a literal sense, because of Raven and Starfire). He never thought that they would feel pain and hurt, or even fright. He thought of them just as what they were called: Heroes. Most people failed to realize that superheroes or even villains, had emotions that could make or break them. Heroes are supposed to always save the day, and villains always lose, but that was far from the truth. They feel as much as any one else, but because they are supposed to be unbeatable, everyone sees their emotions as a weakness.
And so, because of this stupid unwritten rule, Beast Boy had been singled out and seen as weak because his emotions were always getting in the way. He wasn't like Robin, who always stayed cool and composed, or Raven, who never seemed to get angry or sad. Starfire was an exception, because once in battle, her emotions seemed to take a backseat, and winning became first propriety. Cyborg only seemed to show anger and boastfulness, but Beast Boy showed everything. When he knew it was a losing battle, his eyes would reflect it. Although he would not back down, his eyes would hold his doubt, and for that, he was seen as weak.
Wyatt now realized that he had always thought of Beast Boy as the weakest, only because everyone else saw him as it. The media, fans, enemies, all seemed to think him incapable of being a hero without the help of his team, but how wrong they were. Beast Boy was strong, if not more so than even the legendary Robin.
It was because of his emotions that made him strong. Without emotions, it's impossible to win. If emotions are thrown aside, how can you fight with everything you have? Robin lost because he showed emotions, but it was because he had never shown it before. Beast Boy had, and because of that, he could control it and still be the victor. Now, he was putting everything into saving Raven, even though he knew he would probably die.
Beast Boy stumbled again, nearly sending Wyatt flying off his back. Wyatt sighed again, and leaned foreword completely. His wound ached horribly and was bleeding again. The sensation of hot blood and ice-cold rain blending together against his skin was uncomfortable, but he ignored it as best as he could. Instead, he concentrated upon the thought of rescuing Mallory and reuniting her with her son once again.
He didn't know if he was winning or losing. Having never really even been in a physical fight before, Ethan didn't know how to tell. Was it the first to draw blood? Well, he won that one. The first to send his opponent to his knees? Lost that one. Or was it the one who fell and did not get up? Either way, Kenneth seemed to be on the losing side. Ethan felt pretty confident that Kenneth was in worse condition than he was, but then again, Ethan couldn't see his own face. His wrist was killing him, as well as his eye, mouth, and jaw, and his thigh felt as if a fire was consuming his skin, but other than that, everything was numb. Something dripped into his eye, but he did not know if it was blood or rain. With my luck, it's the former.
Jonathan looked worse for wear, which pleased Ethan to no end. Until the White Rose happenings had occurred, Ethan had never used his fist to hurt someone, but for the looks of it, he was doing on hell of a job for a first timer. Ethan ducked when Jonathan sent a fist hurdling in his direction, quickly dropping on his haunches and sweeping out a foot to knock his opponent off balance. The pain in his thigh almost had him falling to his knees, but he pushed it aside, only concentrating on the battle at hand. Jonathan cursed, but managed to catch himself. Ethan quickly jumped back when the redhead tried to send his foot into his throat.
Ethan cursed himself for being too slow when Jonathan shot out a fist and slammed it beneath his chin. His already sore mouth filled with blood again, but he merely spit it out and wiped the remaining drops with the back of his good hand. Jonathan seemed to back off then, stepping back to catch his breath. Ethan did the same, trying to gather some of the sense that Jonathan knocked out of him.
"Would've never thought a high-and-mighty prep like you could fight," Jonathan sneered, feeling the bridge of his nose. He knew it was broken after than stupid green Titan had slammed his foot into, and after this fight, it seemed to have worsened. It pissed him off to no end that he had been knocked around so by some many damn angry boyfriends. It also didn't help matters any that the mayor's nephew still looked like a model despite the blooded lip, black eye, and bleeding temple. Even the limp he sported didn't take away from his freakishly good looks. It wasn't fair that some people could look so attractive, even when they were locked in the middle of a nasty fight.
"Same here. Guess the fighter in me comes out when Hannah's life is on the line."
Jonathan rolled his aching shoulders before stepping into a fighting stance once again. Ethan stood as he was, arms akimbo and legs slightly parted, though all his weight was on his uninjured thigh. Jonathan was confused, not understanding why the teen was standing so casually, but didn't think much of it. It would be easier to take him down, anyhow.
"You do know she's probably dead by now. If the mayor went through with his plans like he told me, she's probably being ripped into two as well. Too bad you didn't fuck her when you had the chance. It might have made it a little less difficult for her, knowing that you won't be the first man to take her. So sad."
Ethan's blue eyes darkened to a deadly black, but other than that, he stayed immobile. "Since we both know I can't leave here until you're dead, tell me why Raymond hates her so much. Why is he doing this? What did she ever do to him to elicit this much attention?"
"Money," Jonathan said simply. "That, and the fact that she has a body any man would kill for. I know you noticed it when she first came around you. Jones wanted her, tried to take her, but didn't because of her mother. You do know that she's an heiress to a billion dollar company, right? Carson Industries was her father's, and when he died, he left all of it to her. She can't legally have it until she's eighteen or married, but if she were to die, it would go to her mother, her last blood relative."
"And her mother would hand it over to Raymond without a second thought," Ethan concluded with a scowl.
"Exactly. So, Jones figured he would kill two birds with one stone. He came to us, offered us a hiding place and an entire hotel to kidnap her, rape her and let him have a go, then kill her and he would never be tied to it. He would finally get what he wanted, inherit her money—which is so much that she could probably buy a small country and still be able to live comfortably for a century or two—and still be mayor of the city. You know good and well no one would wonder why or how he suddenly got all the money. No one would really even notice that she was gone."
"I would have."
"Sure, kid. That's why you let him beat her and did nothing to stop it. I'm not stupid. You're only worried because of the guilt. That, and you were probably horny and knew she would be an easy catch. Come on, now. You're like the idol of Jump City. Becca told me so. Did you know that you actually slept with her? Do you even remember? Doubt it. She was just another one-night-stand, but she couldn't stop talking about it after that. Kinda takes a blow to the ego when she says that you're better in bed than I am. But that's what happens when your girl sleeps with a man-whore."
Ethan's eyes narrowed but he ignored him, instead asking, "Why did he beat her?"
Jonathan blinked at the change of subject, thinking that the rich kid would surely take offence to his insults. "You mean the mayor? Oh, right. He's just sick. He told me the first time he hit her she screamed, and he loved the sound of it. But after awhile, she stopped, and it pissed him off. You know when people say that if you don't show you're in pain, they'll lose interest in you and move on? It's a lie. The less you scream, the more they want to hurt you. Anyway, I think he liked the sight of her vulnerable and bleeding. That, and the fact that he could do it freely without anyone stopping him, like you."
Ethan stiffened at that. "So he hit her because he could."
"Pretty much. Now that we've had our little discussion, can we get back to me kicking your ass?"
"From the looks of it, you're the one getting your ass handed to you."
Jonathan scowled. "Anymore questions before I kill you?"
"Not really." Ethan's eyes quickly darted behind Jonathan, but quickly returned to his opponent.
"Ladies first," Jonathan sneered.
"Dude, just shut up and attack already."
With a battle cry that had Ethan rolling his eyes, Jonathan leapt forward, planning on slamming his first into Ethan's chin again. He sidestepped it easily, and dodged gracefully when Jonathan tried to come at him from the back when the frontal assault failed. But he didn't expect Jonathan to turn his body completely and ram a fist into his stomach. Thrown off, Ethan stumbled back, closing one eye in pain. The redhead moved forward again, attacking when he was still disoriented from the hit. Jonathan managed to land another blow to his mouth when Ethan jumped back into the battle.
With a curse, Ethan moved his head out of the way when Jonathan tried to hit him again, and grabbed his wrist with his good hand. With a quick flick of his wrist, he snapped the bone, ramming his knee into his nose when Jonathan bent down in pain. The hit sent him reeling backwards, but Ethan jerked him forward again, slamming his temple against Jonathan's. The White Rose accomplice hit the ground with a groan.
Black dots danced before his eyes as Ethan pressed his hand to his throbbing head. "Damn that hurt."
Jonathan painfully turned on his side and tried to crawl to his knees, but Ethan slammed his foot into his ribs, sending him onto his back once again. Jonathan coughed up blood.
With a scowl, Ethan shoved his foot against the redhead's neck, pressing down hard enough to make him choke. He feebly grabbed the teen's ankle, but he was too weak to push him off. His body thrashed wildly, trying anyway possible to throw him off, but he couldn't.
"You don't realize how much I truly want to kill you right now, but death is the to quick. I want you to suffer for hurting Hannah, for making her life a living hell."
Ethan glanced around for something to tie him up with, but could find nothing. But then he remembered the wicked knifes that he had taken from Kate's stash. With an evil grin, Ethan reached into the waistband of his jean and took out two sharp, but short knives. He ran a long finger against the blade, pleased when it cut the skin.
"Eh, this should do the trick."
Jonathan stared at him, eyes jerking between the knives in his hand to his eyes, which held an unusual amount of hate for such a mild mannered kid. Kenneth yelped when Ethan moved his foot from his neck, instead stepping on his wrist instead. It took him but a second to realize what the boy had in store, but before he could do anything, Ethan had shoved the knife into his palm, pinning him to the ground. He made the mistake of reaching for his injured hand, which made it easier to Ethan to pin his other hand to the ground, and do the same thing. His howl of agony reverberated through the forest, sending birds in flight.
Ethan stood back to study his handiwork. Kenneth's body jerked, trying to dislodge his hands from the ground, but the pretty boy lifted a foot and slammed it down on the hilt, sending the entire body of the blade through his hand. His body arched in immeasurable pain, but Ethan did the same to the other hand. Kenneth screamed again.
"Well, since I can't kill you, I figure torture would be best."
"You sick bastard," Kenneth managed to spit out, but Ethan merely shrugged.
"Maybe. But I'm damn proud of it." He smiled slowly, his teeth white against his tan skin.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Nothing. Just leave you here until the police comes." Ethan brought back his foot and slammed it into the side of Kenneth's face.
Ethan knocked him around for a bit to make sure he was out of there before he moved to the still unmoving Colt and Twain. Twain's breathing was labored, but the blood was slowly started to ebb down. Ethan didn't know what to do, knowing full and well that he couldn't carry two grown men with his cast and his leg. But he couldn't just leave them there to die.
Damn. He needed to get to Hannah, but his conscious wouldn't let him just leave them. Ethan glanced at his broken wrist with a scowl. What he needed was a cell phone. He patted himself down, wondering if he had managed to grab it before leaving, but realized he didn't have it. He checked Colt, and then moved to Twain when he found nothing. Twain had a phone, but unfortunately, there was no signal, no matter where he moved.
"Shit," he cursed, chunking the useless technology to the ground. The rain was starting to fall heavier, and the temperature seemed to drop drastically. Thought it wasn't cold enough to turn the rain to snow or sleet, it was cold enough to freeze his skin. Ethan pressed a hand against his aching thigh, wishing for something, anything to help his problem. Why couldn't someone show up and help out? But that would be asking for a miracle. No one knew there were out here; so having someone appear would be like hell freezing over.
"Wow. I expected some blood shed, but this is not what I pictured."
Ethan whirled around to see Cyborg standing there, hands on metal hips. "I take it you're the mastermind behind the redhead pinned to the ground? Man, that's wicked."
He started to the cyborg, mouth slack with shock. Cyborg blinked. "Problem?"
"How…why…what the hell is going on here?"
Cyborg smiled. "I tracked you here."
"…But how?"
"When Robin and Twain came to the Tower, I gave them some gadgets, but I installed a tracking device in each one. Thankfully, Robin managed to keep his flashlight on him, so I tracked it here, and found you. I forgot about that stupid tracking device until I was already on my way here, and the sensor started buzzing. So, I'm here, and it looks like I came just in time."
Ethan glanced around and spotted the flashlight that Cyborg had spoken of. It had obviously fallen when Rebecca had attacked Robin.
Suddenly, it hit him. "Do me a favor."
Cyborg blinked. "What?"
"I need you to take Twain and Colt—"
The said teen groaned from his spot on the ground, and his dark eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty."
Colt managed to glare that the blonde before his lips twisted in a grimace. "Ouch."
Ethan shook his head before turning back to Cyborg. "I need you to call the police as soon as you can. Twain and Colt need an ambulance immediately, and I need to find Hannah and—"
"I'm going with you."
Ethan's pale eyes narrowed upon the curly-headed teen. "No."
Colt struggled to his feet, but was having difficulty, for the pain in his chest was killing him. He pressed a hand to his collarbone, and could actually feel the break. "That's not good," he murmured, but moved forward slightly towards Ethan. "Where you go, I go, got it? I need to see Harley, and I refuse to sit back while you play hero."
"You're hurt, stupid. Don't be Mr. Macho, now. This isn't about ego—"
"I know that, Ethan, but I need Harley. I can't back down until I get to her. Either I go with you, or I follow behind you. I'm going either way."
"Why you stupid, annoying…" Ethan closed his eyes against his boiling anger. "Fine. But if you hold me down—"
"I won't. Put yourself in my position, Matthews."
Ethan grumbled, but turned back to Cyborg, surprised to find him lifting Twain gently in his arms.
"I'll get him to a hospital as soon as I can. It would be useless to call when I can get him there faster. But take this."
Ethan caught the small, round communicator in his hand. "This way, I'll be able to find you again, but this time, I'll have reinforcements."
Ethan smiled at him. "Thanks, Cyborg."
He nodded before jerking his chin up. "Don't you need to be somewhere?"
Colt was already moving forward, one arm holding the other to keep some of the pressure from his broken collarbone. Ethan followed along behind him, not once glancing back.
Cyborg sighed as his eyes took in the pinned villain. "Sick mofo." Cyborg turned on his heel, never noticing the dark eyes that followed him.
It shouldn't have worked out the way it did. He should have never made it farther than them, but somehow, Robin managed to catch up with Beast Boy and Wyatt. Well, actually, catching up wasn't how it worked out.
He had heard the pounding of the hooves, but had figured it to be rain. So when a tan/green horse leapt from out of nowhere, Robin didn't react immediately. It was all too confusing, and Robin figured that he had lost more blood than he thought. It had to be the reason he was seeing a horse come speeding towards him.
Beast Boy spotted Robin seconds before his mind told him to stop. Robin was looking at him in confusion, as if he didn't understand what was going on. Beast Boy dug his hooves into the ground, trying to stop himself from slamming into the Boy Wonder, but instead, he managed to throw Wyatt headlong into Robin, knocking them both to the ground with a painful thud.
Beast Boy's feet slid out from under him and he hit the ground on his side, sliding into them, still in his horse form. Both Robin and Wyatt cursed when two hundred pounds of horse slammed into them, sending them sliding along the slick ground. Thankfully, Beast Boy managed to shift his body back into human form, so when they came to a skidding halt, the three teens were a mass of tangled arms and legs.
"Dammit, would someone please remove their knee from my ass please?" Wyatt snapped, trying to move away from them without hurting himself more than he already was. His wound had ripped, but now, his shoulder was bruised and scrapped, along with his cheek, which had hit the ground first.
"I will as soon as Beast Boy gets his butt out of my face," Robin growled. Beast Boy shoved his body to the side, grunting when someone's elbow connected with this stomach.
"Okay, stop moving!" Beast Boy yelled. All movement stilled. "Now, lets get up one at a time, shall we? I'm on top, so I get off first, kay? Kay. Wow, that sounded beyond wrong," he muttered as an afterthought. Beast Boy managed to crawl away from them with little difficulty, although he did end up kicking Wyatt in the face and kneeing Robin across the head. Despite the pain, he laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Robin didn't find it too funny though. "Damn." Robin took the hand that Beast Boy offered, but when he tried to pull him off, he ended up jerking forward when his foot caught under Wyatt. Wyatt cursed when the movement sent Robin sprawling across his legs.
"Get off!"
"What does it look like I'm trying to do!" Robin pulled himself up, hissing in pain when his muscles started to scream in protest. That hit had jarred him, and his arm was bleeding again.
"What the hell was that?"
"Don't know. How did you get here? I thought we were ahead of you." Beast Boy cringed when his wounds throbbed painfully. He was surprised he was still standing. For some reason, it had been easier to resort back to his original shape.
"So did I. I guess I took a shortcut without knowing it."
Robin reached down to help Wyatt to his feet, noticing when the dark teen paled. "Your back acting up?"
"Yeah. I think I might have pulled a few muscles as well. Not a good combination."
"I wouldn't think so," Robin sympathized. "But I still don't understand how we met up like this. I should have never caught up with you. You were a good ten minutes ahead of me, and since you shifted, that would put more space between us."
"Well, maybe Wyatt and I talked for longer than I thought. Besides that, maybe I took a wrong turn. Horses don't have that great of smell, and maybe when I fell, I turned in the wrong direction and I just never noticed it."
"I guess. But it really doesn't matter. I guess it's better that we're all together. Well, most of us."
"Yeah. I wonder how Colt and Ethan are doing," Wyatt wondered aloud, tilting his head back to stare at the sky. The rain washed away the dirt and rubble from his skinned cheek.
"I don't know. Beast Boy, can you tell me how far we are?"
Beast Boy pressed a hand to his bleeding chest before sniffing the air. With the scent of rain and wet earth adding to the mixture, Raven's scent wasn't as strong. But now, he could smell someone else's blood. No, not just one, but three. No, four. Beast Boy sniffed again.
"I think I smell…Ethan…Colt…Marty…and Jonathan's, but it's faint, like it's far away. But Ethan and Colt are strong…so is Marty's…dude, am I losing it? Marty, I can understand, but Colt and Ethan? They must be close…but why can I smell Jonathan? Weren't they with him?"
"Maybe they defeated him and left him," Robin said, eyes scanning their surroundings, though the downpour made it hard.
"Shouldn't the rain wash away their scent?"
"Not Raven's and Marty, if they're in the cave, but the rest should be washed away, or at least diluted. That's why I don't understand Ethan and Colt. Unless they're moving this way, I shouldn't be able to smell them so strongly, even if they are bleeding badly. They have to be close to us."
"Should we wait?" Wyatt asked.
"I…Robin?" Beast Boy turned to his teammate. "What do you think we should do?"
Robin bit his lip. "I…"
"Wait." Beats Boy help up a long, clawed finger. "Their scent is getting stronger."
"Either they finished off Jonathan pretty fast, or we were tangled up longer than we thought." Wyatt muttered.
"Probably both."
"Ethan? Colt? You out there?" Beast Boy called over the roar over the rain, elfin ears twitching to catch their sound.
"Beast Boy? Where the hell are you?" Came the distant reply.
"Keep heading straight and you'll pop up around us sooner or later."
It took about three minutes for them to find the rest of the group. No one wondered how they came to meet, and at such a short time. All they could think about was getting to their women before they were killed.
For the first time in her innocent life, Starfire wished to kill. She wished to feel their blood upon her hand, to see their life drain from their miserable bodies, and not even her conscious, which was usually as clean and pure as snow, could muster up enough reason for her to not destroy them.
The mayor's double chin trembled in fright, his beady eyes darting from her to his only escape route. His breathing was labored, and as he made a run for it, Starfire snarled, "If you move on more step, I swear I will rip your throat out with my bare hands."
Raymond Jones whimpered, but froze where he was. Starfire watched in disgust as the inside of his pants started to dampen as he urinated himself.
"Disgusting," she growled.
"Please," he pleaded, sinking to his knees while sobbing," I'm begging you. Don't kill me. I'll pay you, if you just let me—"
With inhuman speed, Starfire grabbed the knife that Marty had used to slit Raven's thigh, and, with a flick of her wrist, sent it flying. It hit the mayor's groin with perfect accuracy and his scream of pain filled the cave.
Starfire angled her chin, watching as the mayor's blood dripped onto the dirt floor. "Silence," she said quietly, and the mayor's screams turned to whimpers of pain.
She turned those hauntingly beautiful forest green eyes on Lance, who seemed to be debating on whether or not to run, or fight back. He was starting at the mayor with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"Stay away from me, you sick bitch," he yelped when she moved forward. "You're crazy. You've lost it."
"Perhaps."
Her answer was so calm that Lance stumbled backwards in fear. "I won't let you kill me, you hear."
"We shall see, now won't we?"
Lance reacted quickly, tossing the scalpel that he had used on Harley at her heart. She moved her shoulder just in time, but it still hit her chest, just below the left side of her collarbone. It sunk in deeply, but she still moved forward, as if she had felt nothing. It was a gruesome sight. With her dress leaving her collarbone and shoulders bare, he could actually see the thick blood as it stained her pure white dress. It was like out of a horror movie. Her skin was unusually pale, though she was normally tan, and with her flaming hair falling to her hips in curls and long, billowing dress, she looked like an ethereal ghost haunting him. And he knew she would be merciless, as a demonic spirit would, which made the fear act on its own accord.
Lance pounced, shocking them both, and knocked the unprepared alien off her feet. Her head hit a stone slab hard, but she ignored it, concentrating on the man atop her. Lance jerked the scalpel from her skin and tried to shove it into her throat, but Starfire jerked out of the way just in time. It skimmed her soft skin, but barely broke it. With a growl of fury, Starfire grabbed his neck and threw him off her.
He hit Mallory's slab, but the girl did not awaken. It was then that Starfire took in the appearances of the four innocent girls. Harley was broken and bleeding, her chest and stomach covered in blood that still gushed from deep wounds. Her skin was ashen, and her chest barely rose and fell. Her lip, though covered in blood, was slowly starting to lose all color. Starfire knew, just from looking at her, that she was slowly dying, and if she did not get her out of here, she would bleed to death.
Hannah was almost just as bad. Her torso was bleeding heavily, but what worried Starfire the most were the thin, shallow cuts across her neck and both wrist. Her body was slowly, painfully being drained of life, and Starfire did not know if she would survive this.
Mallory was not as bad off, but her leg was bleeding heavily. That seemed to be her only wound, but if she waited any longer, her friend would bleed to death. But Raven's wound seemed far worse. There was no doubt that Raven was bleeding to death. Already, her body was trembling, and when Starfire brushed her fingers against her ashen skin, she found it cold, too cold for any human to survive. Her throat constricted in pain when she realized that each and every girl she had come to see as her best friend was slowly dying and she did not know if she could do anything.
She wanted to rip Lance's throat open, but she knew she had to get these girls out of here. It was them, or killing Lance. Their lives came first; there was no doubt in her mind. She would have to let him get away, but she knew she would never regret it.
Slowly, the hate started to bleed from her eyes, replaced by a sharp fear. She had to save them. She couldn't let them die. Lance pulled himself to his feet, stumbling slightly. He was surprised when the beautiful redhead turned her back and worked on the chains.
Lance realized what was going on. She was going to try and save them and not attack him. But he couldn't let her do that. He had come too far to let them all get away from him. He would rather die that allow that to happen.
Starfire didn't know Lance was up until he grabbed a fist full of her curls and snapped her head back, pressing the scalpel against her throat. Lance pressed his entire length against her back.
"I can't let you get away from me," he whispered against her ear. "I worked too hard to let you save them."
And then he realized that he had won. All four of the women were dying, and he still could rape the gorgeous redhead. He preferred when they fought, anyhow. Lance smiled a sick grin as he shoved the Titan over her empty stone slab, pinning her stomach against the hard surface. Starfire pushed back against him, trying to move him off her, but Lance pressed the blade against her throat until it bled. He shoved her back down, leaning his front against her back so she could feel his excitement.
"I love it when I win," he snarled before reaching down to shove her dress up. Starfire reached back to slam her elbow into his stomach, but even when it connected, he didn't let up. He cursed, his hips pinning her against the stone. He dropped the scalpel, but before Starfire could move, he grabbed both wrist and pinned them against her back, making sure to squeeze her shattered hand.
Starfire couldn't help but cry out. With the medicine not yet worn off, her normal strength was dulled down to that of a normal human. And with Lance having been trained to take people down, Starfire knew it was hopeless. She had lost. Raven and the rest were dying, bleeding to death while she was about to be brutally raped. Starfire couldn't believe this was how it was going to end. But there was nothing she could do. She should be able to fight him off, to get Raven and the others to safety.
"Jones, wanna help out?"
Starfire's eyes cut up to see the beefy body of the mayor. His crotch was bleeding still, and Starfire felt a wave of pride hit her. But it died quickly when the mayor growled and grabbed her hands, slamming them down beside her head. Pain raced up her arm, but now, she could jerk up. Her crown connected with Lance's jaw and he moved back slightly. It was enough for her to shove her body against his and knock him away. But she never expected the mayor to jerk her arms back. Her pelvis hit the stone hard enough to crack it and she hissed in pain.
With the mayor keeping her at bay, Lance got up easily and slammed his fist against her temple. Stars danced before her eyes, and for a brief moment, she stopped fighting. But it was long enough for them to push her back against the stone slab. Jones shoved her hands above her hands while Lance crawled over her, shoving her thighs open with enough force to pull every possible muscle. Starfire cried out.
Lance lay between her spread thighs so she wouldn't be able to kick him. He shoved her dress around her hips, his mouth curving in a sick grin when he shoved his groin against her.
Starfire tried to jerk away from him, but she couldn't. Her hips shoved into him instead, trying to push him off her, but Lance just drew back his hand and hit her. Ortega grabbed her bodice and ripped it from her, tearing the fabric to the waist, shredding it until her entire dress lay in tatters around her. In a short time, without even moving off her, Ortega had stripped her down to nothing more than a strapless white bra, silk underwear, and white stocking and garters.
Starfire tried desperately to pull her hands from the mayor, not caring if her shattered hand pulled. She couldn't let this happen. She was too strong for this. She couldn't succumb to the fear; she had to fight. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She was supposed to win, to save everyone. She was supposed get out of here, with everything still intact. She was supposed to get Raven, Harley, Hannah, and Mallory to safety. She was supposed to see Robin again, and tell him that he hadn't broken her, that she would be able to survive with him just being her friend. This…wasn't supposed to happen.
Lance grabbed the back of her neck and brought her face to his. "I am going to make sure you regret ever fighting me. I swear to God I will rip you apart until you bleed, you little bitch. No one defeats Lance Ortega and gets away with it." And the he slammed his mouth against hers, forcefully shoving his tongue into her mouth. She tried to bite his tongue, but Ortega expected it. With on hand, he grabbed her jaw, forcing her to keep her mouth open while he ripped the silk cloth from her chest. She tried to fight again, but her movements were becoming panicked.
Ortega grinned while he ran his free hand against her bare chest, bruising her silken flesh. Beneath him, he reduced the strong Titan to a scared, teenage girl who was about to have everything she held dear to her stolen in a brutal fashion. Now, she was no superhero. There was no Starfire of Tameranian now, only a small, vulnerable girl who couldn't fight back, no matter how she tried. It was sad in a way. To think that someone as strong as her could be reduced to a weak, terrified girl.
She tried again feebly to jerk her hands from the mayor's grip, but his beefy hands kept her pinned against the stone. She shoved her hips up again to push Ortega off, but that only seemed to excite him more.
Lance's hand was now moving downward, leaving shallow bloodied marks and bruised skin in his path. Starfire closed her eyes tightly when he shoved aside her underwear to slam two cruel fingers into her. Starfire screamed in agony, jerking her head away from him as pain ripped through her lower abdomen.
Starfire finally broke, tears spilling from her eyes. It was over. There was nothing left. Starfire tried to arch down away from the blinding pain, her hands fisting against the mayor's grip. Her entire body stiffened, and she prayed for it to end, wishing desperately for him to kill her. Anything but this. Starfire screamed again, her body thrashing wildly beneath Lance. Ortega shoved his entire body against hers, a sick smile spreading across his mouth as the Titan beneath him sobbed.
It was amazing that just minutes before, this little hellion had been ready to rip his throat out, but because of her innocent heart, she had chosen her friend's lives over killing him. He knew she never expected him to attack. It had never crossed her mind that he would still rape her, even though she was supposedly one of the strongest women on the planet.
Why you stupid, weak little brat! What the hell are you doing?
Slowly, Starfire's eyes opened as the voice inside her head cursed wildly. Why the hell are you giving up? Stupid! Have you forgotten about your eyes? Gah, do I have to do everything around here?
Who are you? Starfire briefly forgot about Ortega, who was still raping her with his fingers.
Idiot! I'm your mind. Jeez, you stupid blonde, fight back!
But…I cannot.
Dammit, have you forgotten that you're a Tameranian? Hello, you have your eyes. You don't need your strength to win. Blast him off with that handy eye power of yours. That, or fry that beefy fat-ass's hand. Don't you dare start acting like some pathetic worm and say you can't fight back. Oh boohoo. Poor little Starfire is giving up because she thinks she can't do anything. Grow a backbone, you stupid idiot.
I would gladly appreciate it if you stop insulting me. Starfire didn't understand what was going on. This voice inside her head had never made an appearance before. Was it her conscious? Or was she finally losing it?
Then fight back. What, are you waiting for your little Robin to be your knight in shining armor? Hate to break it to you, hun, but you'll be dead by the time he gets back! Don't become a weak human! Use your eyes! We can do this if you just think straight. I know it's hard, but you were the one who said you didn't need a man to save you. You can save Raven and your friends. Just concentrate on your powers and blast this son-of-a-bitch to hell and back. Relax and close your eyes.
Starfire did as she commanded, her tear-filled eyes closing and her body relaxing. Now, think about Darcy, or all those young girls who were raped and killed before they could experience life. Think about Raven, who's bleeding to death beside you, or Mallory, who might never get to see her son again. Think about this bastard on top of you who's trying to take what was meant for Robin, even if he is the biggest jackass in Jump City. There we go. Your blood's boiling now, isn't it? Yeah, the anger's taking over now; don't you love the feel of the strength building within you? Forget about your innocence. Think about your anger, hate, your bravery, and me. Now, are we ready to rip this man's dick from his body?
And Starfire's eyes opened slowly, her eyes completely green, as well as her hands. Her bruised mouth turned into a slow, lethal smirk.
"Uh, Lance?"
He was too busy wrestling with the belt of his pants to pay attention to the mayor. Finally undoing them, he grinned, and glanced down at the women beneath him. His heart stopped. Staring back at him was Starfire, eyes a deadly green.
The mayor yelped in pain when Starfire's skin heated, forcing him to let go. And when he did, Starfire pounced. Her hand shot out, grabbing Lance's neck in a hold so tight that he couldn't breath. It never crossed her mind that her chest was completely bare. All she could focus upon was the man in her hands.
The innocent, naïve Starfire was gone, replaced by something deadly, unfeeling, and so damn furious that Lance felt his blood run cold.
"No man can touch me unless it's Robin," she snarled, her voice deep and sultry: Like her sister's. And without a thought, Starfire slammed her hand into his chest. He hit the wall with a sickening crack, but, much to Starfire's disappointment, started to crawl away.
Starfire clucked her tongue. "You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?"
Ortega whimpered.
"Oh well. I guess killing you immediately wouldn't be pleasing enough." Casually, while Lance tried to scurry away on his hands and knees, Starfire brought her long hair over both shoulders to cover her bare chest.
"You can't get away from me." Starfire floated above him, and slowly landed in front of him, blocking his path. He glanced up, his entire body shaking with pain and fear.
Starfire reached down, grabbed his neck once again, and slammed him against the rock wall. His skull cracked against the hard surface. "You have no idea how much I truly wish to kill you, but death would be the easy way out." She pulled him close to her face. "I want you to suffer."
She threw him down to the ground, rolling him until he was lying on his stomach. He tried to scramble up, to get away from her, but she pressed her foot to his shoulders, shoving him down again with enough force to crack more ribs. His fingers clawed at the ground, which gained her attention. She scowled at hand that had caused her so much pain.
Starfire reached down to grab his wrist, and jerked it upwards so his shoulder snapped from its socket. Lance howled in pain and buried his face against the ground.
"You will regret what you have done." And so, with his still injured arm in her hand, she reached down for the other one, giving it the same treatment. Starfire let the useless arms fall to the ground, which made him scream again. She was surprised that he was still conscious.
Before she could inflict more pain upon the villainous officer, something slammed into her, shoving her against the wall, much as she had done to Ortega. Marty pinned her hands above her head while his free hand wrapped around her neck.
"This time, I will kill you."
But Starfire merely smiled. She didn't feel the sharp rocks that dug into the tender skin of her back as her star bolts slammed into the White Rose murderer. She didn't feel his nails rip into her neck as he fell backwards, his skin burned by the heat of her bolts. All she could feel was the white-hot anger that burned through her veins.
Marty leapt at her again, but she fisted her hand and slammed it into his bleeding face. Although it sent him reeling back, it didn't faze him, and he reached out to grab a fist full of her long hair.
"What is it with you idiots and hair pulling?" She snarled as she slammed her elbow into his forearm, cracking it.
Marty howled in pain, his grip on her hair loosening. As he jerked back, Starfire slammed her fist into his jaw. While he stumbled back, she turned on her heel to slam her foot into his temple. He hit the opposite wall with a crack, his body sliding down in a heap. Starfire glanced at her chest with a grimace, before shoving Lance on his back and taking his white button down shirt. She slipped it on, but only managed to button it so it covered her chest before Marty was up again.
Starfire briefly wondered how he managed to keep getting up, especially when his ribs were probably broken and his temple a nasty shade of black. She couldn't ponder on it long, though, for he shot out a first to slam into her stomach, but she gracefully moved aside, so his first his rock.
But the man didn't even cry out before he was swinging again. His fist clipped her jaw, but did not do any damage. He then copied her move from earlier, and twisted to slam his foot into her. That one connected and sent her back against Harley's slab. Her lower back hit heavily, sending waves of pain through her body.
She cursed in Tameranian as she ducked his foot again, slamming her fist into his knee when she dropped down to her haunches. It cracked beneath the pressure, and Marty went down with a sick scream. But the damn man got up again, making sure to put no weight on his broken leg.
Something in his hand caught the dull light of the lanterns, but she couldn't tell what it was. She didn't think it too important at the moment, for Marty backhanded her with his fist, bruising and splitting her bottom lip. She swept her tongue over the wound, surprised at how much blood she tasted.
Marty leaped for her, but she backed up, so he stumbled forward. Accidentally, he used his broken knee to catch himself, and he howled. But he reached out, grabbing a hold of the lose tail of Ortega's shirt and managed to slam both him and her against the farthest wall. His torso pinned her to the rock, but before she could hit him, Marty shifted his hand, and slammed it into her stomach.
Starfire glanced down, wondering why it felt as if he had shoved his entire hand into her skin.
And froze.
There, clutched in his hand, was the knife he had used to cut Raven, and it was shoved completely into her. At first, there was no pain, just the pounding of her heart in her ears. She watched in a daze as blood coated his fist, nearly drowning him in it.
And then he twisted the knife slowly. Starfire screamed as he ripped through her abdomen. Somehow, despite the pain, Starfire managed to grab his neck and throw him off her. He hit the wall again, but this time, his head connected first. She didn't know if it had killed him, but this time, he didn't get up.
Starfire closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall. Blood roared in her ears, and she realized that, although she had won the fight against The White Rose Killers, she was probably dying. Slowly, Starfire grabbed the hilt of the blade and pulled it from her skin.
She collapsed as pain ripped through her, hitting her knees with a painful thud. She grabbed the wound; head bowed, and pulled her hand away to see how much blood there was.
But her hands were shaking so bad that she couldn't tell. She could hear her blood pouring onto the ground, felt it as it pooled beneath her. She watched in horrid fascination as the hand that she was using to brace herself became soaked in the dark, hot liquid.
Her breathing became shallow and labored as she dug her nails into the ground. How could she have been so stupid as to let this happen? She could have prevented it. If she hadn't of been so damn cocky, she would have known that he had grabbed the knife when he had fallen against the wall. Dammit.
Starfire glanced up at the stone slabs where her friends were bleeding to death. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she stumbled to her feet, nearly falling when the dizziness overtook her. Slowly, she moved forward, but she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to watch the mayor try to run to the exit of the cave.
Despite the fact that she had a fatal wound to her stomach, Starfire scowled, and sent a star bolt at the back of his head. It hit with perfect accuracy, and the mayor collapsed in a heap with a groan.
Using that much energy was stupid, but Starfire didn't dwell on that. She had to at least get the chains off of them before she let the darkness consume her. Weakly, Starfire pulled their wrists' and ankles' from the shackles before her legs gave out from beneath her. She clutched the side of Raven's slab to keep from falling, but the muscles in her arms were trembling.
"I'm so sorry, Raven. I should have saved you, but I failed."
Vaguely, Starfire heard commotion outside of the cave, and could have sworn she heard Robin's voice. She closed her eyes, as the pain seemed to take over her entire being, before leaving her numb and cold. And slowly, she opened her dull green eyes to see Robin at the entrance of the cave. She thought, just for a brief second, that she saw fear and pain run through those beautiful amber eyes before she collapsed.
She never heard Robin scream her name.
