The late afternoon sunlight bled through the blinds, illuminating the countless specks of dust in the air, which followed the nearly imperceptible air currents in the room, moving around as if dancing an aerial dance. Their gentle ballet was as soft as the silence that engulfed the room, and was only punctuated by faint hum of the ventilation system.
The tranquility of the room was sent into oblivion as the double door slid open followed by a veritable stampede that poured into the room. The room's motion sensors turned on the overhead lights and the infirmary was now as bright as it was noisy. Cyborg deposited Raptor onto a med station and rushed to the supply cabinet.
"Star! Get that leotard off of her! And get her hooked up to an ECG! And hurry, we don't have any time to spare!" He bellowed at her while he rifled through the medical supply cabinet.
The tin man quickly found what he was looking for and returned to Raptor's bedside. Her leotard lay shredded on the floor, ripped apart by the princess's might hands. Starfire quickly placed the electrodes on her now exposed chest and turned on the electrocardiograph, which displayed a flat line and beeped its alarm. Cyborg had a defibrillator in his left hand and set it aside with a grimace, knowing that it was of no use if there were no heart beats.
Instead he grabbed a large syringe and plunged its needle into a bottle of adrenaline, sucking it into the syringe's body.
"This'd better work." He mumbled to himself.
He turned to Raptor and plunged the needle into her chest, injecting the powerful hormone into her heart. He turned to the electrocardiograph and frowned.
"C'mon Raptor … don't give up … give me a heartbeat … even an ugly one … just live … dammit!"
The display on the ECG did not change and it continued to beep its flat line alarm.
"Shit!"
Raven and Robin came into the infirmary last. Dick carried Beast Boy's unconscious form, which was he also deposited at a med station. The changeling was also hooked up to an ECG, which displayed a steady sinus wave, much to the sorceress's relief.
"Raven, go help Cyborg and Starfire, I'll keep an eye on him."
She silently nodded her agreement and ran to Raptor's station, her mind racing, trying to discern a way to save her twin. The obvious solution would be to do what Raptor did with the changeling, to give Raptor her own life force, which would mean that Raven would perish. There had to be another way.
Cyborg already looked defeated as he tried every known technique to get a silent heart beating again, but nothing seemed to work. He turned towards his gray friend.
"What happened to her? Why is she dead and why can't I revive her?"
The gray sorceress explained to Cyborg about Beast Boy's death and what followed after. Just moments after Raptor collapsed Raven regained control of her body and Beast Boy materialized from a dark void as she spread her cape.
"So … it's hopeless … she's gone." He remarked in a grave voice.
Raven furrowed her brow.
"I could give her my life force." She replied.
"No dice. You'd be dead … there has to be another way."
Unable to hide her frustration, Raven slammed her fist on a table.
"I … I can't think of anything … and we're running out of time. In a few more minutes her brain will die from oxygen starvation."
"I have an idea."
Raven, Cyborg and Starfire turned around to see that it was Beast Boy, who had sat up in his bed.
"Can't you take a bit of life force from each of us, and give it to her?"
Raven bit her lower lip.
"I'm not sure how to do that …"
"But you might be able to?" Nightwing asked. "Because if you do, then let's go for it … there's no time left."
"Raven, what is your plan?" Starfire added.
The sorceress placed her hands on her twin's torso.
"Place you hands on my shoulders."
The four Titans complied.
"Ok, here's the plan … I will push my life force into her and I should draw some out of each of you to replace what I lose. If this works, we'll all feel very weak … we might even faint."
"Rae, what happens if it doesn't work?" The changeling asked as the four heroes placed their hands on Raven's shoulders.
She ignored his question and continued.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthoooosss."
Her eyes glowed black and Beast Boy began to feel light headed.
"Rae! What happens if it doesn't work?" He asked one more time.
She turned to look at her fiancé.
"I'll die."
As soon as she said those words she collapsed. Beast Boy tried to catch her but he felt sluggish and slow and also found himself succumbing to a sudden sense of exhaustion, unaware that Robin and Starfire were also blacking out. Only Cyborg, whose cybernetic half was unaffected, was able to remain conscious, but barely. As the watchdog circuits in the positronic portion of his brain kicked in and took over some of the functionality of his organic brain he heard what he thought was the most beautiful sound in the world: the electrocardiograph was now reporting that Raptor had a normal heart beat.
He then noticed that his four teammates were collapsed on the floor. He checked Raven first and found that while her blood pressure and heartbeat rate were abnormally low, they were both improving. A quick check on the other three showed similar numbers.
He first attended to Raptor, setting her up with an IV with a lactaid Ringers solution and he covered her with warm blankets. Once he was satisfied that she was safe he placed the other four titans in their med stations and also set them up with IV's and electro cardiographs. He then realized that by sharing their life force they came dangerously close to the abyss themselves, even though the burden had been shared.
He sat down and heaved a sigh of relief, and noticed that the world looked and sounded … different to him. He then understood that his organic half had all but shut down and it was his artificial half that was doing all the work. He could barely see with his real eye and his real ear was practically deaf. It was then that a recovery subroutine kicked in and his organic body was flooded with nutrients and stimulants. He sat still as the world slowly started to look the way he expected.
"Man, that was close … we almost bought the farm ourselves." He whispered to himself.
Raptor began to cough, and Cyborg approached her. She opened her eyes and stared at Cyborg, blinking repeatedly and looking rather perplexed.
"I'm not dead, am I?"
Cyborg smiled.
"No little lady, you're very alive."
She rubbed her head and moaned. Then her eyes popped open wide.
"Gar? Is Gar OK?"
"The grass stain is fine, they all are, they just need to rest, like you do. So get some sleep. Doctor's orders." He smiled.
"Thank Azar …" She replied as she drifted back into unconsciousness.
-( scene break )-
The following morning everyone, including Raptor, was healthy enough to be discharged from the infirmary, but Cyborg reminded them that they were in no shape to take on any missions and he personally informed the Mayor that the Titans would be out of commission for a few days.
Cyborg offered to prepare breakfast for everyone that morning, which they enthusiastically agreed to accept. Everyone that is, except for Raven, who excused herself, saying she needed to be alone for a while.
The first platter was piled with pancakes and as Beast Boy helped himself to a tall stack, Raptor looked around the room, as if looking for something.
"What happened to Terra?"
"I gave her another shot of inhibitol and tossed her sorry butt into one of our cells. She ain't going anywhere." Cyborg replied.
"She must be hungry." Beast Boy remarked. "I'll take her some food."
After piling a plate with some pancakes, eggs and hash browns he took off.
Robin shook his head.
"After all that she did, he still worries about her … go figure."
"He has a big heart." Raptor remarked. "It's why I feel in love with him."
Cyborg chuckled.
"Speaking of hearts … what did it feel like to be dead?"
Her demeanor changed as she took on a very serious tone.
"I could hear his voice … he was calling me. I was following his voice, but I couldn't reach him. Now I know why I couldn't find Gar … I had yet to pass the point of no return."
"How close were you to your beloved?" Starfire asked.
"Very close, a few more minutes and I would have been reunited with him."
Starfire placed a hand on the gray girl's hand.
"Please forgive us Raptor, for we did not know."
She shook her head.
"It's OK, when the life force entered my body Gar called out to me and said it wasn't time yet."
Raptor began to sob.
"I'm sorry … I'm acting like a fool."
"No, you are not. Your heart aches for your beloved."
She nodded.
"When I heard his voice … I was just so happy. As the life force pulled me away he said he would wait for me."
Unable to contain herself, Raptor began to weep. Starfire wrapped her arms around her and drew her into a hug.
"I am in your debt, Raptor, for by your selfless act you saved my dear friend, Garfield."
The gray sorceress continued to weep.
-( scene break )-
Raven entered her room and locked the door. The curtains were closed and she paced around the dark room for at least ten minutes, occasionally stopping to look at a memento of her relationship with Beast Boy: a portrait of them together, a knick knack he gave her, etc. She walked into the closet they now shared and held one of his Doom Patrol costumes, feeling its texture between her fingers.
She emerged from the closet and saw the four poster bed they now shared. She recalled the night a few months earlier when they first consummated the love they shared. She never told him, but had been scared that night, afraid, no, terrified that she might lose control of her emotions and along with them her powers.
At the time she didn't realize it, but it was on that night that Rage broke free. The demonic emotion covered her tracks, so well in fact that Raven never had a clue until Rage kicked Raven out of her own body.
She sat down on the edge of her bed and pondered all that had happened. After killing Beast Boy something snapped in Rage. It was as if she had been broken and she submitted herself without question and Raven tossed her back into her mental dungeon, this time more fortified than ever.
But the question remained, would it be good enough this time? Or would Rage escape again? She knew that Rage was very fond of Garfield, in fact she loved him. How could she not love him? Rage, with all her warts, was part of Raven.
And that was the problem. Rage was … Rage. She could easily lose control and as last night proved if she lost control, which was in her very nature, she could murder Gar, even if she would later regret it.
Raven had to do something about this, and as far as she knew there was only one optiono. She rose from the bed and stepped into the closet. After a few minutes she emerged and had changed out of her signature costume.
She was now wearing a brown habit and she tied a belt that was merely a cord around her waist. She raised the hood and turned to a full length mirror.
And saw a monk of Azarath in the reflection.
-( scene break )-
Terra sat unhappily on the cot in her cell, staring at the floor, pondering everything that had happened in the past few days. She was overwhelmed with a sense of self loathing. She knew that because of her selfish action that Raptor had somehow died in Raven's mind and that Beast Boy might also be dead, poisoned by Rage's venom.
She heard the sound of the cell block's heavily armored door opening and looked away. It was probably Robin or Cyborg coming to tell her the grim news: that Beast Boy was dead and it was all her fault.
"Terra? I brought you some breakfast."
The geomancer fell off the bed when she heard his voice. She leapt to her feet and ran to him. Having forgotten it was there she hit the force field wall and bounced of off it, getting zapped in the process. She quickly recovered and stood up, tears welling in her eyes.
"Beast Boy! You aren't dead, oh thank God!"
She paused as he slipped her plate to her through a small slot that opened in the force field. She hadn't eaten since swapping bodies and was famished.
"I'm so sorry Beast Boy, please forgive me! I never thought it would turn out the way it did."
Beast Boy sat down on a chair outside her cell.
"You'd better eat before it gets cold."
Terra nodded and quickly wolfed down the heaping plate of food. Once she was done she locked eyes with the green Titan. He was no longer the scrawny kid she fell in love with. He was now a man, which she knew well as she still remembered the night she had sex with him while she occupied Raven's body. It was still a strange memory for her as Rage forced her to experience physical intimacy with him. Oddly enough, the memory was not as traumatic as it used to be, and Terra suddenly realized that she was aroused by him. She shook the thought and feeling away,
"Why, Terra, why did you do it?"
She looked away from him, fighting back the tears.
"Because I'm an idiot, I thought I could win you back."
Beast Boy shook his head in dismay.
"Terra … you need help."
"Huh, what do you mean?"
Beast Boy got up from his chair.
"Terra, if you check into a psychiatric hospital on your own … I won't press any kidnapping charges against you."
"What?"
"Terra, you have a criminal record. You could be sent to prison for years … and I don't want that. There's a really good psychiatrist at McKee Mental Health, he could help you Terra."
He paused.
"I know why you do this Terra. You do it because you're afraid … Dr. Ashe can help you Terra."
"You're not kidding BB? Don't you think I belong in jail?"
He shook his head.
"No, I don't. I want you to be happy Terra, I really do."
She frowned.
"But I can't have you …."
"No, you can't … I'm sorry. Dr. Ashe can also help you move on Terra, I really think that you need to do that … I know you can Terra … I believe in you."
Beast Boy's communicator chirped. He flipped it open and saw that it was Raven.
"Gar, would you come to our room?"
"Sure thing babe, I'm on my way."
-( scene break )-
Beast Boy walked down the hallway until he was in front of the door. Even though they had been sharing the room for over a year the sign on the door still said "Raven". He punched in the code and the door slid open. As he entered the room he saw a hooded figure wearing a brown habit, who was staring out the window, facing away from him.
"Raven?"
The shrouded figure turned around and lowered her hood. Beast Boy chuckled.
"What's with the costume Rae? Halloween is already over."
"Gar … we need to talk."
He froze upon hearing the four dreaded words.
"Rae, whatever I did, I'm sorry." He stammered.
She shook her head.
"You don't need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong … but I'm afraid that I have some bad news."
Beast Boy gulped and his mind began to race. It couldn't be, he reasoned, it had to be something else.
"I'm afraid that I'm backing out of our engagement."
"WHAT!"
"I'm sorry Gar, I really am."
"B-but why?" He stammered.
"Gar … you shouldn't marry me … I'm a demon, a monster. I almost murdered you when I lost control of Rage. You deserve better than that."
"We can work on that Rae, and you're not a monster …."
"No, Gar, you're wrong, marrying me is the worst thing you could ever do."
"Shouldn't that be for me to decide?"
"No, because you don't understand what's at stake Gar. You have no idea of who I really am…"
She sighed as she took a long pause while Beast Boy stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
"I'm leaving for Azarath this afternoon."
"Azarath?"
"Yes, I'm going to the monastery, I'm going to take my vows and become a nun."
"No way! Why?"
"I need to spend the rest of my life in meditation … alone. It's the only way to ensure that I won't hurt others, that I won't hurt you ... again."
Beast Boy said nothing while he fought back his tears. He then began to sob.
"I thought you loved me."
"I do, more than life itself."
"Then don't leave."
Raven turned away from him and once again stared out the window.
"Believe me Gar, this isn't easy … I don't want to leave you … I want to marry you."
"THEN STAY, DAMMIT!"
"I can't Gar. There's something … wrong with me …"
She broke down, began to cry and ran to him. They embraced while he stroked her head.
"Oh Gar, why am I the way I am?"
-( scene break )-
So I brought Raptor back from the dead. But now there's another cliffhanger!
So what will happen? Will Raven leave for Azarath forever? If she does, what will happen to Beast Boy? Will he restart a relationship with Raptor or … do I dare say it … with Terra?
Stay tuned. And thanks for the reviews. They are always appreciated.
No mailbag, since I want to post this before it gets too late tonight.
