Sitting laid back in a recliner chair, Arny held an original Gameboy in his sleeve covered palms. The theme of Super Mario Bros. rang out from the handheld console.
'Blip'... 'bleep'... 'bloop'... shooting a brief glance to his left he noticed the audience was back. "Ah, I see you've all returned for the next chapter." He pauses the game and placing it down on his desk. "Welp... so have I, and I just gotta say I've been reading the handful a comments I've been sent." He smirks mischievously. "It seems some of you have got the idea that I'm pulling a huge prank on the Titans. Welp, to set the record straight... No. I am not responsible for all the events that happen in this fic. I'm just here to host it, so don't expect me to be the mastermind behind the curtain cuz that ain't happenin'."
Satisfied with his short speech he picks up the TV remote. "Alright, with that settled lets see what happens next." He unpaused the TV.
THE DISPATCH
Part 3: Fog Bound
"Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all." - Yvon chouinard
Just a few short seconds after Cyborg and Beast Boy fled the room to start chasing after the intruder, another pair off double doors burst open. Robin, Starfire and Raven emerged inside only to find a silent, empty and dark room with no sign of life. "Oh great...! now where did he go?!" Robin let out frustrated sigh, having lost their target. It had been a rather tense chase since they were powerless to try and get ahead of the fleeing figure. "Robin? I am the most curious as to know what the unknown foe was doing?" Starfire questioned. Robin thought back to what they had witnessed the figure doing earlier. "I don't know Star, but from what I saw, I could only amuse it was some kind of ritual. That's why I had to take action, I couldn't take the risk something dangerous entering our world."
He looked towards Raven. "Especially with what we've had to deal with in the past." She gave him a subtle nod in agreement. "Understandable, we can't take any chances when intermediations are involved." With that though brought out they turned towards the room.
They edged forward, squinting their eyes to try and see through the surrounding darkness. Raven's foot bumped something, it rolled away across the floor, catching the others attention. "Raven, are you OK?" Robin called over. Regaining her composure she called back reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just bumped into something." Curious as to what she hit the dark girl followed the sound of the rolling object. Nearing it she bent down, reaching out, touching it with one hand. She felt a medium sized, cylinder shaped object that was warm in the middle. She immediately identified it as the electrical lantern that had been knocked over during the intruders attack. Robin reached out with his other arm and pressed forward. That's when his hand make contact with something cold and metal. "Huh?" He was confused, as he was sure he hadn't reached the end of the room yet.
"Eeeeeeeeenooooooossssss..." A haunting whisper caused them all to halt in their places.
"That noise again, just where is it coming from?" Robin glanced around, it didn't make any sense at all. It sounded close... very close... as though someone else was in the room with them.
Sensing that they might be in danger, Raven lifted the lantern up right and grabbed hold of it's electric cable. She swiftly made her way to the far right hand side of the room, where she remembered was the location of the portable generator. After a brief search she found the small power source, kneeling down she fumbled around the wall until she located the socket and reattached the cable.
The lantern came to life, lighting up half of the room and nearly blinding Raven in the processes. Robin and especially Starfire were instantly startled by the sudden blast of light. It was then he made the discovery that it wasn't a wall he was leaning on, but the large black metal door he found earlier. It was swung wide open. "When did this open up?" He questioned out loud. Raven rubbed her eyes to regain her vision and turned to face her friends. The moment she saw the wide open door... her eyes widened. The darkness that lay beyond it was too dark, even for her to see.
A soft breeze then entered the room, the temperature began to drop again. "R-Robin... I-I am feeling... t-the cold again..." Starfire began rubbing her bear arms. "I'm here Star." Robin reacted to her distress and draped his cape around her again. "Robin... I-I am wanting... t-to do the... l-leaving please!" He stared at the red headed girl who was now trembling within his grasp. He then looked over to Raven who in return, sent him a troubled look. Seeing the Tamaranean warrior in such a vulnerable stat of mind was enough to convince her that they should vacate the facility. With two Titans powerless, no communication and the intruder now long gone, Robin breathed out a defeated sigh. "Okay... we'll regroup with the others and search for a way out." He concluded and they proceeded to leave the room.
(MSP): Aalborg Fantasy Soundtracks - Will-o'-The-Wisp
Suddenly, the breeze became stronger and changed direction. The three Titans suddenly found themselves being pulled back by a strong wind. "H-hey whats going on?!" Robin yelled as he tried to move forward. Starfire shreaked as she slid out from his grasp. "R-ROBIN! IT IS LIKE THE HURRY OF KANES!" He spun round to see both her and Raven being pulled towards the open vault. It was sucking them in like a giant vacuum! "I'm coming!" Reaching into his utility belt he drew out his grappling gun, he took aim at the opposite wall and fired! it penetrated the concrete with ease. Ignoring his own safety he lunged toward them, grabbing one of Stafire's arms just before they reached the large opening. Starfire screamed while Raven desperately clung onto the panicking Tamaranean's waist.
The wind was accompanied by a massive, horrid screeching. Starfire squeeze her eyes shut, she had never heard such a haunting sound. Raven clenched her teeth, looking over Robin's should, her eyes snapped open in horror as a multitude of crates, cabinets and anything metal started sliding towards them. "ROBIN LOOK OUT!" She shrieked. Her leader snapped his head around just in time to see a table headding straight at him. In one swift move he jumped to the left, pulling the two girls with him and they slammed against the black metal door. They grunted in pain as the wind tossed them back on fourth against the door. Robin twisted his body around so he could see if anything else was coming, then to his utter shock, Starfire began to lose her grip. "I... cannot hold on... much longer!" She cried, her eyes seeping with tears. "NO STAR! DON'T LET GO!" He called to her. Raven fully agreed and immediately tried to assist her friend, only to lose her own grip in the process.
With a joint scream they were now each clutching themselves to one of their leaders legs, clinging on for dear life. "HOLD ON TIGHT!" Robin called over the incredible noise. He released his trigger finger, but nothing happened. "No...!" He whispered in disbelief. His gun had jammed! he pressed the trigger again frantically, then he resort to hitting it. "C'mon, work!" He looked up to where the grapple had implanted itself, shock filled his eyes as cracks had started to form around the grapple. His heart pounding, he watch helplessly as the grapple began to dislodge itself. "ROBIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Raven yelled from behind him. Robin slowly turned his head towards his two teammates that he'd known for so long, his masked face showing both fear and remorse, he uttered two words.
"I'm sorry..."
The grapple broke from the wall.
The echoing cries of the two female Titans were the last sounds made as they were sucked into the vault, vanishing into the darkness. The screaming stopped. The wind stopped. The temperature went back up and... they were gone. The room was now devoid of all furniture, the electrical lantern was sucked in right after the Titans, leaving the room once again in total darkness. For a short moment... all was eerily quiet.
(MSP)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Cyborg turned a corner into a corridor that lead towards the vault room, Beast Boy followed just behind him. "Man, whoever that was, sure wasn't your typical burglar. I dunno how we're gonna explain this to Robin, and the fact that the intruder was the driver of that strange car we encountered less than an hour ago. Whatcha think B?" Beast Boy didn't answer. Cyborg looked over to see he had come to a halt a few yards behind him. His gaze was staring off into the distance, his right ear twitched visibly. "Hey BB... you okay...?"
"Shh!" Beast Boy raised his hand. "I can hear something dude." Cyborg paused and listened out for a few seconds. "I don't hear anythin' B-" Beast Boy silenced him again. "It's something only my super sensitive ears can pick up." He explained. "You know how animals have a much higher sense than humans? and they can sense approaching danger where humans can't?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Ya mean like when the cows start layin' down cuz they know when a storms a comin'?" Beast Boy sent him a troubled look.
"Yeah, and right now my senses is tellin' me that something as big as a storm is headin' this way..." His expression then turned to confusion."...but it's comin' from the inside of the base."
A distant rumbling was heard.
(MSP) Kevin MacLeod - Hush
The two snapped their heads towards the double doors at the end of the hall. They couldn't explain it, a roaring thunder... getting louder... louder... Louder to the point where the hall began to vibrate. They two boys began to back away quickly. "Aw jeeeeeez! Cyborg groaned. A blinding amber-ish colored light filled up the doors windows. Beast Boy screamed in horror and turned tail, running for his life. Cyborg quickly took off after him. "YO! what kind of an earthquake is this?!" He yelled over the loud rumbling. "DUDE! it's not an earthquake!" Beast Boy called back. They rounded a corner at the end of the hall. An explosion was heard, the double doors were blow off their hinges, the bright light thundered down the hall. They ran down several corridors and hallways, twisting and turning in hopes of gaining some distance.
Cyborg chanced a look behind him, his human eye widening as he saw the bright light baring down on them. "Run faster BB! it's comin' straight for us!" Beast Boy glanced back to see the hallway being engulfed buy the light. He screamed again and morphed into a greyhound, scurrying further ahead of Cyborg. They rounded another corner which lead them back into the garage area, entering the large room Cyborg looked around desperately searching for a way out. Beast Boy started barking urgently, he shone his shoulder-light over in time, landing on the gaping hole in the metallic door where the intruder had made it's escape. Mentally thanking the unknown figure for leaving them an exit, he sprinted towards it.
The bright light burst into the room, accompanied by the loud rumbling, it loomed towards them, ready to consume their existence. The room began to shake violently as the ceiling began to fall apart above them. Cyborg stumbled over the fallen debris, he glanced down at the greyhound that was narrowly avoiding the large pieces of metal that fell into his path. Looking back at the hole, it was at that moment that he made a split second decision. Reaching over with his left arm, he scooped up the green dog into his arms, holding him close in a tight grip against his metal chest. "HANG ON LITTLE BUDDY! Gangwaaaaaay!" Like pro football player going for a touchdown, he charged forward and threw himself through the hole!
(MSP)
Everything went white... there was no sound. No movement. Just a long period of complete silence.
Slowly, the white began to clear, revealing a Galapagos turtle laying on the cold ground. Beast Boy curled up inside the shell, waiting for the impending danger to end. He'd changed into the well-armored creature as a last ditch effort to protect himself, knowing it could survive just about anything. After a few tense seconds, he slowly... slowly... peaked his head out from the shell, shifting it's head this way, then the other. Shifting back to human, he staggered to his feet and turned around, only to let out an audible gasp.
The research facility was gone.
(MSP) Kevin MacLeod - Aftermath
"What the...?" All that remained was an outline of concrete slabs surrounding a large pit full of dirt and bricks. It was as if the building had imploded on itself. "Dude... what happened?" He uttered and looked around in confusion. What was going on? what was that bright light? who was the mystery figure? and what was with that huge door? he took a step back, trying to make sense of everything that happened. His foot bumped something on the ground, he looked down and was instantly startled.
It was one of Cyborg's arms.
"CYBORG!" He shriek and bent down to pickup the severed appendage. It was his left arm, the one that contained his sonic cannon, it had been blown clean off from just above the elbow. "I gotta find the rest of ya! an' fast!" He turned away to being his search, only to stop in his tracks at what he saw next... or more like... what he didn't see. A hazy, dark mist had descended over Jump City, obscuring it from view. "That's weird... I don't remember fog being in forecast." He mumbled. It was still dark out, the moon was full and the only light to see by. Getting back to the matter of locating his robotic teammate, he shifted into a sniffer dog, ready to track him down. He spent a good few minutes of trying to latch onto any sort of sent, but there just wasn't any. Letting out a small whimper he prepared to shift back.
'Beeeeeeep!'
The green dog froze, raising his right ear, he listened out.
'Beeeeeeep!'
It was faint, but loud enough for his highly sensitive ears to pick up. Something nearby was make a small, electronic noise. Twisting his head in the direction that it was coming from, still in dog form he proceeded towards it.
'Beeeeeeep!'
Had something survived the earlier explosion? was it even an explosion to being with? trying not to think too much into it, he followed the sound to the left of the pit and near the hillside.
'Beeeeeeep!'
Through the thick fog, he could see a small red light, blinking on and off. He quickened his pace, unsure of what he was about to find. There was something slumped up against a pile of rubble. What ever it was, the beeping noise was transmitting from it. Readying himself for any potential danger, he edged through the fog. What he saw made his eyes shrink in shock and horror.
He had found what was left of Cyborg.
His upper torso and head lay there motionless, both his legs were missing and his right arm was half detached, it hung on by just a few strands of wire. The lower half of his torso had been blown of, rendering him immobile. "Cyborg! NOOOOO!" Beast Boy had never seen him in such a bad state, he grabbed hold of his broad shoulders. "Wake up Cy! wake up!" He shook him for several moments, he then resorted to lightly slapping his face. "C'mon Cy! WAKE UP!" He was now getting desperate. "YA JUST GOTTA WAKE UP NOW PAL! YA JUST GOTTA!" It was no use, his damaged friend remained silent. The only response he did get was-
'Beeeeeeep!'
Kneeling against his friend's remains he let out distraught sigh, his attention was then drawn to the flashing red light which turned out to be his robotic eye. At even intervals it would light up in sync with the constant 'Beeping' noise. It was then he remembered one time that Cyborg had explained to the team that if there was ever a case where he was severally damaged, his body would go into 'Shut Down' mode. However, his brain activity would still be active and would be able to transmit a distress call. That was it. The beeping he could hear was his call for help. "I'm here for ya buddy." Beast Boy smiled weakly. Cyborg's usual blue glow was absent, but that one little red light showed that he wasn't dead, but... he wasn't alive either. He stood up and took his communicator. "Robin! Starfire! Raven! ANYONE! I need help!" Just like before, there was no response. Where could they be? what could of happened to them? were they even still..." Beast Boy shook his head, squashing the last though out, he looked at his downed teammate. "I gotta get you back to the tower, and hook you up with some power... hey that rhymed!" He tried to lighten the mood, but got no laughs.
He then realized that he had another dilemma. Just how was he going to get Cyborg back to the tower? with no way of tracking the others, he was on his own. He frowned, trying to think of a solution. He couldn't fly him back to the tower, Cyborg was a heavy weight, even with half a body. He opted to carry him in gorilla form, it would take longer but he would at least have the strength to support his weight. With that decided he transformed into a gorilla, grabbed hold of Cyborg's torso and lifted him up off the ground. With him safely tucked under his large hairy arm, they headed back towards the road.
(MSP)
With one last glance at the remains of the research facility, they began to head towards the city. He walked a few yards before coming to an immediate halt, a mid-sized, black silhouette appeared in the center of the road. Squinting his eyes he edged forward to see through the fog. His eyes winded as a familiar shape and color combination came into view.
It was the T-Car.
(MSP) Audionautix - Deep Space
He walked over to the vehicle that was Cyborg's pride and joy. How had it gotten over here? this was certainly not the same place they'd left it when they arrived, it was now parked pacifically in the center of the road, pointing away from the complex. Gently placing his said friend down, he shifted back to human and approached the driver's door and peered inside. It was empty and looked relatively untouched. "Weirdness..." He whispered and tried the driver's side door. It opened with ease. Who could have moved it? and how? Cyborg was the only one with the keys, which he kept securely inside one of his chest plates. Realizing that fact he rushed back over to Cyborg, knelling down in front of him he inspected the robotic man's torso. "Okay... how am I supposed to get them?" He questioned and began prodding his friends metal chest. He ran his hands all over the torso, trying to find a way to activate the plate panel that contained they keys. "I could really use your help here pal!" He continued searching, hoping to find a hidden switch or something. "C'mon Cy, gimme a hint!" He groaned in frustration and slammed his forehead against Cyborg's chest.
ka-cha! Zzzzzzzzzzzt
A panel ejected itself from the left side of Cyborg's chest. Beast Boy recoiled back with a yelp as few electric sparks discharged from the open hole that was now in his chest. He looked down at the small compartment that had landed near him, his eyes caught something shiny inside it. THE KEYS! reaching down he picked the most sacred item that belonged to Cyborg. Grasping them carefully in his gloved hand, he couldn't help but felt a little proud of himself at what he'd achieved, even if it was pure accidental. "Thanks Cy... um... sorry about the extra damage." He awkwardly spoke, feeling a tad guilty for inflecting more damage on the already downed Titan.
He went back to the car and sat in the driver's seat, casting his gaze around the interior, the dash was filled with numerous buttons, knobs and dials. He only now realized just how complex the T-Car was, just like everything Cyborg built. He could never get his head round how everything the Tin Man made was so awesome yet so difficult to use. That pledged him with another question, how did whoever moved it manage to bypass the alarm system? then again, it wouldn't be the first time someone stole the T-Car. Cyborg had it fitted with more upgrades than the T-Tower's security system. Beast Boy just hoped that he had made the starting procedure easy to use. Looking under the steering column, he was relieved to find the ignition barrel. With the key in his hand he carefully inserted into the barrel, twisting is slowly.
The car whirred to life with a rev of it's engine. "We have contact!" Beast Boy cheered, stepping back out he opened the rear passenger door, then morphed once more into a gorilla. He lifted up Cyborg, placing his torso and severed arm onto the back seat, he then leaned over him to grab his safety belt, pulling it across him and slotting it into place. Satisfied that he was secure, he morphed back to human and closed the door. Getting back in the driver's seat, he looked up into the rear view mirror so he could see Cyborg's unconscious form behind him. "Heh, I don't know how you'll feel about me driving the T-Car Cy, but right now... it's kinda our only option." Beast Boy smiled nervously at the immobile Titan, knowing he'd get no response. He looked down to his right at the transmission which fortunately for him was an automatic. He shifted it out of 'Park' and gently pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. The engine revved but the car didn't move. Confused at this he looked back at the transmission, he then discovered the handbrake was on. Mentally scolding himself for missing that minor detail, he reached down and pulled the lever up. The car jerked forward, startling the changeling as he grabbed the wheel, quickly releasing his foot from the gas, the car rolled to a stop. Breathing hard, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, heh... I err... I guess I should put my own safety belt on fist." With that said he pulled the belt across himself, slotting it into place.
He looked up at the fog covered road ahead. Swallowing, he took hold of the steering wheel and eased his foot on the gas pedal again, this time the car slowly moved forward. "Don't worry Cy, I'll get you back to the tower. Then we can try and find the others." He announced confidently to his friend as he drove the car slowly into the thick fog.
(MSP)
The TV pauses once again. "Heh, looks like someone could use some drivin' lessons. Anyhow, the next chapter will take less than a month, I promise. My creator tends to get... distracted a lot, so if you can, leave review. I'm gonna continue with my game now." Arny picks up the Gameboy and unpauses it, 'boing'... 'coin'... 'power up'... Star music starts playing. "Ha, ha, run! Goomba! run!"
