Let's Play Brother
Beast Boy huddled his knees to his chest, staring at the ground as the bowl of food was placed next to him. The smell of cooked okra and squash filled his sensitive nose, but he looked away. "Eat," said the tribal leader in an accented English, "No one kills a lion on an empty stomach." The green teen sighed and took the bowl. As he munched down, he looked over to the mountain in the north. The tribe had moved further south onto an incline that allowed him to see the mountain range clearly. To the east, Brothers Mountain, which had no snow or clouds hiding its face at the moment, but the murky mental fog and numbing chill in Garfield's heart made it feel like it was the very place of death. It might as well be. Garfield ate little by little. The Chief would shake his shoulder, prompting him to eat more. When he ate the entire bowl, he pushed it aside and went back to gazing at the Marrah Mountain range.
"Why didn't you speak in English?" He asked the Chief.
"To teach you the language. But when the village was ravaged by the elephants, I went back to see the damage. I was there, and only one elephant remained. Then it changed into Toros, and his men came in to burn the village."
"You didn't want him to find out?" Beast Boy asked. The Chief nodded.
"But I didn't know that you were here. I knew he was using you, but I was afraid his men would come back to silence us."
Garfield stood up and sighed, "What am I going to do, Hoofman? I can't go up against Toros. I mean, he's got so much practice... No, I can't fight another person that's a part of my team, my family! He's all I have left since..." He trailed off and hung his head. The Chief stood up and wrinkled his lips into a smile.
"He might be saved."
"How?"
"If you know your brother," The Chief said, "then you know why he's doing this."
"Everything he does is for a reason," Garfield murmured to himself. He looked back at the Marrah Mountains. Clinging his fist, he turned to the Chief, saying, "I think I have a plan, but I need your help."
"Anything within our power, but I will not allow my people to die in a fight."
"You won't fight. I just need you guys to distract them for me."
The old Chief rose his eyebrow. "How?"
Garfield smirked, "By forcing Toros's hand. We'll see if he actually cares."
Meanwhile, the other Titans walked around in their electrified barred cell with their handcuffs. Robin observed the cuffs all around while Cyborg busily tried to break out of them. Starfire kept bashing hers against the rock below, but it wasn't working. Raven calmly meditated in the corner. Then footsteps echoed in the deep dim dungeon, and the team glowered at Toros standing on the other side of the bars. The blonde contorted his lips, "Don't look at me like that. This was the only way to make sure my plan works."
"By betraying us and Beast Boy?" Robin asked.
"I don't make the rules of the world. You want something? You have to analyze every single detail and use it to your advantage." Toros turned to Cyborg and Raven. "Now where is Garfield?"
"I told you, we don't know," Cyborg said.
"Then why don't I believe you?"
"I guess it's the downside of being a villain," Cyborg smirked.
"CUT THE CRUD!" Toros shouted. "I need Beast Boy in order for this plan to work! Now tell me! Be honest!"
"We are being honest with you! We don't know. Why don't you just get your pretty boss to look for him?" Cyborg barked back.
"Pretty?" Robin asked.
"Boss?" Toros growled. He took a long sigh and straightened his back. "Guards, leave."
"Sir?"
"I said leave."
"But... but they're dangerous."
"The cuffs on them are specifically designed to hold them. Now go!" The guards reluctantly left. Toros pulled up a stool nearby and sat down, lacing his fingers together. "I am not the villain here."
"You sure look like it," Robin muttered.
"Look, the Alpha leaders are the ones that kidnapped my parents," He paused to let the information sink in. "When they figured out that I could shape-shift, they told me I could work for them and they would set my parents free."
"And you just jumped at the opportunity, didn't you," Cyborg accused.
"No! Of course not! But after three years of getting nowhere to save them, I didn't have a choice." He spoke in a low voice. "It was my plan to get you guys out of here once I got my parents. That way we could finish this once and for all. So far the only thing I can figure was that the leaders are a man and woman, which confuses the heck out of me."
"If you're just trying to find your parents," Raven finally spoke up, "Then why didn't you come to us first?"
"Because they were going to kill them!" Toros shot out of the stool. "If I didn't do what I did, they would have been killed. It's not like in the city where crooks just stand idling pointing a weapon at hostages' faces. In Africa, people die by the thousands! If not by the government, then by the terrorists. This was the only way I could figure out where my parents were."
"By becoming one of them?" Robin groused.
Toros sighed, "Call it what you will, it worked. And when I couldn't figure out where they were on my own, I needed Beast Boy's help."
"Along with us."
"The more the merrier," Toros chuckled slightly. "Look, I'm sorry I put you guys up to this, but I promise this is for the greater good."
"Do you even know why they want the uranium? For all you know, they could be using it to make a nuclear weapon."
"I don't know!" Toros shouted in a strained whisper at Cyborg. "And to be perfectly honest I don't care. I don't know anything about what they're doing and I think they like that. But if we can work together, we can stop whatever they're trying to do before time runs out, but only if I get Beast Boy here."
"Why do you need Beast Boy?" Raven asked. Toros looked down at the black rock floor.
"Because he's the only one I trust for this mission. He knows how much my parents mean to me." The Titans only glared. Toros sighed and walked out of the prison, ordering the guards. "Make sure that they stay put. If any one of them escapes, your leaders will have your heads."
"Yes sir," Replied the guards as they returned to their positions. The Titans sighed in their cell.
"Where is Beast Boy?"
"We honestly don't know, Star," Cyborg replied. "We knew we were walking into a trap, but we didn't know Toros was in on it. Man, now I know why BB was so antsy about him." Cyborg crashed to the ground. "Now what do we do?" He muttered.
"We get out of here," Robin said. He walked over to Raven and flicked out a skeleton key from his gloves, whispering, "Toros says that these cuffs are designed for us. But... that doesn't mean we can't use our powers on each other's." Robin focused on picking Raven's cuffs. Cyborg covered for them, blocking the guards' view if they turned around. "Got it! Now can you get to Beast Boy?"
"I'll try. Azarath Metron Zinthos." A black, raven-shaped aura flew out of their cave and out to the plains. She flew high above the clouds, peering down. Even though she was using her astral self, she could still be spotted against the partly cloudy sky as a huge raven.
But if she were in her body right now, she would have slapped herself. She realized that trying to find Beast Boy in the lush greens of Africa was going to be difficult. But then the astral projection saw the Dapper Mense walking out of the forest and onto the plains. They were on the southern end of Marrah's crater, and in the very back of the group was a familiar green face. The astral projection flew right into Beast Boy's body. Beast Boy jumped and tumbled to the ground for a moment. "AAAHH!"
"Calm down. It's just me."
"Raven! You're okay! Oh good. But did you have to possess me with your dark black inky thing?!"
"It's called astral projection and yes. It was the only way." Then Raven told Beast Boy everything that happened.
"Oooh that's why he's doing this. But if that's the case then..." He trailed off for a brief moment in thought. "Okay, sit tight. I'll be there in a moment to bust you out."
"Don't die."
"Hey! A little confidence here!" Beast Boy shouted in his mind.
"Okay, please don't die." Raven's projection flew out of the green teen's body and disappeared into the air. The tribe men scattered a bit, but when Beast Boy bolted upright and seemed fine, they closed back in.
"Alright, you guys know what to do," Beast Boy shouted. "I'll go in and get my friends. When the guards come, don't fight. If they start firing, run."
"I'll try my best to keep them safe," The Chief said. The Titan nodded, transformed into a falcon, and flew into the air.
Meanwhile, Toros stormed out of the holding cell and out of the cave just above the Marrah crater on the north side. Suddenly, he saw a growing spot on the horizon. "What the?" He picked up his radio. "Hey, what's that on the southern side?"
"A native tribe, sir. I'll dispose of them."
"No! Do not hurt or harm any of them! They're unarmed. I'll be down there in a moment!" The blonde turned into a Pygmy Falcon and flew through the air.
Midway to the tribe, Toros felt a cold shadow cross over him and a steel eye watching him from above. The bird twisted its head sideways. It was just another falcon. It flew across the sun, briefly casting its shadow on him. Or maybe it was looking at him, scowling at his very presence. Toros didn't know.
He didn't want to.
Flying towards the scene, Toros saw the tribesmen standing, not blocking anything. He touched down and transformed back. "Hoofman, what's going on here?" The old man stayed silent. "Dapper Mense why are you here? This place is dangerous for you. You have to leave." The people didn't say a word. Toros ran his hand through his golden hair, but he could see each one of the tribesmen glaring at him with netted brows. "I don't get it. Why are they just standing there?" Finally, he scoffed. "I don't have time for this. Just... leave them alone and don't hurt them!" Toros ordered the guards. "They're just standing here. No reason to-"
"Sir! Sir!"
"What now?" Toros growled, picking up his radio. "What is it?"
"Sir! They're AHHH!"
"Hello? Hello!" Toros shouted. Only radio static got through. Grinding his teeth, Toros threw the radio down and crushed it under his heel. "Okay, something's going on. Where are you, Garfield?"
BAANNG!
The Earth laughed and sent everyone tumbling to the ground. The wind blew across the plains as the shockwave echoed. Toros snapped his head around and saw the northern mountain of Marrah covered by a thick rising cloud of black smoke. "What the heck!"
Suddenly, a sparkling flare shot high in the air.
Then the Chief shouted, "GAAN!" The tribe ran for the forest before the guards could get up. Toros watched the billowing smoke climb into the air. The explosion couldn't have been caused by the tribe. But who?
"Sir," Said one of the guards looking through a set of binoculars, "There's someone on the mountain!" Toros snatched the binoculars and peered through them. A pair of steely deep green eyes glared right at him. Even though the mountain was a mile away, Toros felt the familiar chill of those eyes on him, just like the falcon that flew past him.
I knew that bird looked green, Toros thought and growled to himself.
"They've destroyed the communication jammer," Said the guard.
"Forget about it," Toros grumbled.
"But if we don't get it fixed-"
"I said forget it!" Shouted Toros. "If the prisoners get to the base, there's no telling what will happen! Get to Brothers' Mountain now!" The men looked at each other. "You've got beeswax in your ears?! Let's move!" The guards jumped into their jeeps while Toros stared at the burning mountain. "Well played, Gar. You've gotten better. So you wanna play? Okay, let's play."
Continued...
