Alright, your choices were all taken into account. And I am happy to say that I found two who I thought would fit in very well for the coming chapters. Yep, you heard me right. Chapters. That fight scene I mentioned before, well it evolved in my brain. You guys are in for one hell of a shock.
Also, we passed the 100 favorites mark! Woohoo, congragulations guys! 200 is just around the corner (I'd be surprised if this even got that high in follows). We also passed 200 reviews! You guys are awesome! Enjoy the chapter my wonderful readers!
Mailbox Time! (chapters 19 and 20)
bearhow: Yep, you guessed who it was. And yeah, I wanted to include the Doom Patrol too. Make it a more believable AU in that way. And who knew? Raven would like the tuba, or in this case, the tuborkel. Enjoy the chapter!
NATSUxERZA 123456: Well, first off, sorry I blew your theory out of the water. But I'm glad I was able to use some fluffiness to repay for that :). I hope that you'll also enjoy this chapter!
BELIEVE IN THE NIGHT: First off, awesome name. Second, thanks. I hope you continue to like the story :).
Golem XIV: I wonder how he'll react too. I have a feeling you might be on the right track with Zatanna. If the Doom Patrol is there, the Brotherhood might not be far behind. Thanks for the nice comments! And I hope you enjoy the chapter!
alfred19: Yeah I don't want to take forever on this fic. If boring stuff is going to happen in the space of a week, I'm not going to bother with it. Hope you enjoy the chapter! A greeting.
Foamsatmouth: I loved the Beast doing that too. As to Nabu, yeah I know you already know who he is. Kudos to you for figuring out my major villain. But not my major major villain. And yeah, I want Raven to see the gradual fall of her emoticlones towards more... naughty territory. Enjoy!
HornedGoddess: Yeah, she who will not be named. I kind of hate her, but that hate is mainly focused on her comic persona. Her TV persona I merely hated for the horrible decisions she made. And for breaking Beast Boy's heart. Enjoy the chapter!
Bluedog197: Just know friend, I still have several tricks up my sleeve. I planned the villainy in this very well. In fact, only one person has gotten it right so far. I give a hint in this chapter as to who else could be manipulated. But that is for you to figure out, and not for me to blurt out. This chapter isn't really focused on cliffhangers, but rather on humor for a certain individual I liked from Young Justice. Enjoy the chapter!
LIONESS STEPHANIE: Yep, more Beast moments. I suggest you do a little research on Nabu, and who his current host is. Yep, the greatest evil ever. Taking control of RobStar (I'm wondering when their wedding will be, and if they'll be normal or not when the time comes). As to how the Beast came up with it, I just decided to say why Beast Boy did it in the show. To get Raven to smile. I think you might be happy with me at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!
Azarath Cat: Yep. Double yep. And I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Vin: I'm glad you like the effort I put into the story. I don't try to make Terra evil or crazy on accident in a fic. Because that's her comic counterpart, and not the TV version. When I do do it though, there is a valid reason. So know she might come off a little evil, but there is a valid excuse behind it. I hope you don't hate this for it. As to your second suggestion, tempting, very tempting. But no, I'm sad to say that the demon army has something else in store for them. Enjoy!
RPGPersona: Oh, if only she had seen the drawing. That's what his parents were, even after he got his powers. I think they were the only source of light he was able to hold onto in his childhood. Maybe that is where the penny is hiding... who would be brave enough to grab it though? Just know, it wasn't a naked Raven. It was just the image of her, in that skin tight leotard, with the knowledge that there was nothing underneath it. The Doom Patrol would be uncontrollable, I believe the person who first formed them could testify to that. The next chapter, well you have to read it. Also, did you do your research on Nabu? Enjoy!
Guest: I do hope to finish this someday. Hopefully you'll be around then to see it :). For now, enjoy!
Latisha McPeanuts: (Garfield, Raven, Rage, and Beast) That was what the Beast meant. Sorry for the confusion. Enjoy!
swemanD47: While I'm sorry to say I didn't end up with either of these choices, I think you'll be satisfied with the two heroes chosen for these next couple chapters. And do know, those two heroes are powerful. Enjoy the chapter!
Thedas743: We'll see about the Doom Patrol's fate. And to the identity of the blonde girl. Not sure who Mera is, but we could see the other two in the future. For now, I have these two choices at the bottom. Enjoy!
Guest: Sorry, I've tried to ramble a little less in these later chapters. Those first few were to only help to understand what was going on in the background. So I had to add some detailed explanations that I don't have to do as often in these later chapters. Hope you're enjoying the story!
Mind : I have seen it, but this is based off the original Teen Titans. Hope you still manage to enjoy the story!
Dark Azarathian: Well, I'm bringing out your feelings at least... hope you managed to catch up! Enjoy!
Captain Ea Rayos: Yep!
ForThereWillComeSoftRains: Not sure about pro material, but it's getting there. I'm glad you like the fluidity of the chapters though! I try to not leave any plot holes or things like that. And I'm glad to see that it's paying off! I hope you continue to enjoy this story dude, or dudette?
IHaveaFanficProblem: Shazam, though funny, will likely be used later. As will Hal Jordan. Valkery chick, do you mean Wonder Woman? Hope you like this chapter!
Since Last Time: 7 more favs, 4 more follows (Total: 104 favs, 126 follows)
Updated: October 28, 2016 11:30 P.M.
Disclaimer: I don't in any way, shape, or form, own this!
Chapter Twenty: Midway City: Dayton Estates
Ah, Midway City.
In some ways, it was similar to that of Jump City. What with its large size, it's bustling skyscrapers, it's docks to the great lakes, the layout of it was almost like a perfect replica to Jump City. Even the sprawling suburbs that stretched out from it, along with the mountains and forests surrounding it almost would have made people think it was Jump City.
The weather, however, was far different. With it being farther north than Jump City.
The streets, despite the efforts of many good snow plows, still had a good half foot of snow packed on them. Made nearly impossible to completely remove thanks to all the traffic who drove over it, packing it down into the street, and because of all the cars that were parked everywhere on the sides of the street. Making it near impossible to get the snow off the middle of the road without a car paying the price.
Many a person could be seen cursing after a retreating snow plow in the distance. While their car was under a pile of dirty snow the plow had managed to remove from the street.
That was another thing. The people themselves were also far different than that of the people of Jump City.
I don't say this because of the fact that most if not all were in some heavy jacket or another. With a scarf around their neck, or gloves on their hands. Their clothing wasn't the thing that made them different.
I say they were different because it seemed like the weather itself had made the people here cold. No one could be seen talking to each other, unless it was an argument. No one listened to their phones, unless it was something for a business arrangement on their way to work. Hardly anyone even smiled, as such an action appeared to be looked down upon in this cold place.
Maybe the cold weather just made the people themselves act cold... Or maybe they had already been like that, and the weather had nothing to do with it.
But wherever you looked, you would only see people bustling about their business. Not making any eye contact with each other. Just ignoring the fact that people existed in general around them, unless they were bumped into by someone. In which case they would turn in that direction and call said person one word or another. Words like 'excuse me' or 'I'm sorry' didn't exist here. Only words like 'I'm late' or 'you ***hole' were the calls of the crowds.
Another difference to point out would be the cops themselves. It would be an understatement to say the police were more brutal here than in Jump. Compared to some villains, the police almost made them look like goody two shoes.
Whether because of all the years of dealing with these people, or because of how brutal it's own heroes were, no one knew. What they did know, was that the cops showed no mercy. It didn't matter your age, race, religion, whatever. If you committed a crime, any crime, they came down on you. And they came down on you hard.
Don't believe me. Just look at that person across the street. The one being tazed by four different cops. What was his crime? Shoplifting from the store behind him. It was only a simple candy bar. And now they're beating up the poor guy.
Like I said, no mercy.
Even the cars had their own sounds. From the beeping of horns, to the lowering of windows and bursts of colorful language at the intersection that was jammed yet again. Many a parent could be seen trying to cover their kids ears in vain from the noise around them. Yet the kids themselves conversed with each other in the same language.
This definitely was not the warm fuzzy feeling you got standing in the park at Jump City. As two rather normal looking people observing the crowd of people from the shadow of a lamppost saw.
One figure was a short, yet good looking black haired girl. Her hair was silky and smooth, and almost went to her shoulders. Her skin was a little pale, but you could hardly tell since the clouds blocked out the sun overhead. She wore a navy blue coat, a pair of black heavy pants, and a pair of familiar blue looking boots. She had her hands in the pockets of the coat. She also had a pair of startling blue eyes with tints of purple in her irises. She was breathing in and out heavily, as if she had just ran a marathon.
The figure standing next to her was even shorter than she was, though not by much. His skin was white, yet still had a little tan to it from the summer sun. He had short, yet wavy blonde hair covering his head. He was wearing a black jacket with a hoodie on it. Along with what looked to be a pair of jeans, and a pair of green boots. He looked oddly underdressed for the current temperature. His eyes were blue as well, though they were a lighter shade with tints of green in his irises. Unlike the girl next to him, he appeared to be just fine, if not a little bit impatient.
On both of the figures hands were a pair of rings.
The girl was looking at everything around her with a deadpan expression as she tried to catch her breath. Yet on the inside, she was secretly shocked.
'Azar, I didn't realize how walking around so much would kill me!' Raven exaggerated to herself.
'Oh c'mon! We need the exercise leader bitch! You've been having us gain a few pounds lately in case you couldn't tell! And they were not in the right places!' Rude shouted rather rudely.
Raven chose to ignore what Rude had said.
'And his old team's home base was here!? I don't even think Jump City has ever looked this depressing before.' Raven thought in astonishment to herself as she looked at all the gloomy faces walking the streets. She was more deadpan, but she hadn't ever looked gloomy before. Besides when it appeared inevitable that the prophecy would come true.
'This place makes me feel sad.' Happy said.
'Yeah, the only emotion being shown is that fight going on over there.' Brave said as Raven saw two angry people getting in a fist fight over some random stupid thing.
'At least this still isn't nearly as bad as Gotham when we first came to this dimension. The cops actually do seem to care here.' Knowledge said from her mind.
'Yeah, at least the criminals here aren't as bad as the ones in Gotham and Jump.' Raven thought to herself, as she looked another way and saw a pick pocketer get tackled by a cop.
'That's probably because of the Doom Patrol's reputation, and all the police brutality we see here.' Wisdom said wisely, as Raven saw the guy get beat up and handcuffed before being forcefully pushed into a cop car. People didn't even take notice of it, and if they did, they didn't care. It was another common criminal being taken off the streets, likely to not be seen in Midway again when he got out of jail. The criminals thought with the Doom Patrol's long absence, they could finally come out.
The police were proving that fact to be wrong. Very wrong.
'Yeah, that would probably keep most crime off the street.' Raven thought logically. Before she looked to her friend, who was staring around at the city. She found herself studying her friend, in all of his normalcy.
'Is this what he could have looked like if he was normal?' Raven thought to herself, and not her emoticlones. Her gaze was lost in the color of his normal tanned skin.
'Would I have even met him if he had been normal?'
...
'Man, it's been so long since I've been here… home sweet home.'
'Nothing looks sweet about this scene master.'
Beast Boy looked around himself. Seeing the gloomy faces of the people, and the pickpocketer being driven away with a look of fear on his bruised face.
'Yeah, the people here weren't really all that much fun before. Though we still aren't to my old home yet Beast. I wonder if they still have all their nice servants tending to the place?'
'You mean that den worthy for a king of the animal kingdom?'
'Yes that one… Man that place was so huge… I swear I almost starved to death one time when I was trying to find the kitchen. I took a wrong turn down a stairwell and ended up in a room full of hunting trophies. I was lost in that manor for three whole days I swear.'
'... That sounds like a horrible way to die master.'
'It probably is. But there are worse ways to go. I discovered a game room on the second day that was stocked with junk food.' Beast Boy thought, as he turned to Raven, to see her looking at him. She was breathing a little more easily now, but she was looking at him. And her eyes seemed to be a little lost.
'Wonder what's up with her? That's been happening every time we've stopped for a break.'
'Not sure master. I mean, it can't be obvious why our mate is studying us?' Was that sarcasm in his tone? If there was, Beast Boy didn't catch it.
"Anything wrong Rae?" He asked.
Raven blinked her eyes and then shook her head as she looked away. "No, it's nothing."
Beast Boy didn't press her. He asked that the last few times, and she had said the same thing every time. So Beast Boy decided to assume it wasn't as important as the matter at hand.
"Are you ready to get moving again Rae?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven shakily nodded her head, as she let herself stop leaning on the lamppost to stand straight. Her legs shook as they took her weight again for the trillionth time that day inside her mind.
'Note to self. Do more training that doesn't involve floating around everywhere.' Raven thought to herself.
'I told you we should have done more leg work a long time ago. But did you listen, nooooo. You thought all we would need was our powers. With the occasional hand to hand combat. You totally didn't see us having to walk miles through a city. I mean, it wasn't like we were going to be in front of people eventually...' Rude continued to drawl sarcastically inside her mind.
Raven ignored it.
She started to shakily walk alongside normal Beast Boy again. She did her best to hide her weakness, but he was able to see her struggle out of the corner of his eyes. He had a frown on his face, and not from the weather.
'Man, could Rae be moving any slower?'
'Give our mate some credit master. Who knows the last time she had to walk this far on those gorgeous... pale legs of hers.'
A mental image of those legs came into his mind, almost getting rid of his frown. '... Okay, I get your point. But dude, we're already a couple months behind what happened as it is.'
'And a few breaks for our mate is going to ensure their deaths master?'
'Do you know how much I hate it when you're the logical one.'
'Only when it involves our mate master.'
'A certain incident involving condoms told me otherwise.'
The two only managed to get another four blocks in before Raven had to stop again. And Beast Boy almost growled out loud as she leaned against a mailbox to catch her breath. So close, and they were stopping now! Yet he remembered the Beast's advice and tried to stay calm. Raven was still able to pick to pick up on his frustration though, yet she didn't say anything.
It had already taken them a few hours to get as far as they already had into the city. It had been a little easy at first, with them 'borrowing' some clothes to stay warm. They had even quickly stopped by a supermarket to get something to eat and stock up on food. With Beast Boy putting all their purchases in the pouch Raven had trusted to him. They were able to pay for it all with the cash in the packs, of which there was still a hefty sum.
But the thing was, Raven didn't really… walk around everywhere. She would if she was reading a good book, or if her powers were acting up and she needed to meditate. But for the most part, she floated almost everywhere. So for her to walk through a whole city…
Raven swiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. Who would have known walking could be this exhausting. The silence between the two seemed to grow for a while.
"I'm sorry Gar; for slowing us down. I know how worried you are about your family, and how you want to get there as quick as you can." Raven finally said to him. When she felt his frustration reach a peak inside his emotional beacon.
Beast Boy let out a sigh as he pinched his nose. "No, I'm sorry Rae. I should have known that we wouldn't be able to… you know, while we're here. I'd hail us a cab… but I didn't want an up close camera getting a good look at us." He said discreetly.
Even though they were disguised, just one wrong word could potentially expose them. Even getting to close to any cameras could risk their identiities. So superpowers and taxis were a big nono while they were still in the city.
Raven nodded her head, as she looked down at the ground. "How much farther do we have to walk?"
Beast Boy thought it over in his head. 'Let's see, we just walked past 5th street. And the manor is located on a large patch of land between…'
"We have about three more blocks to go Rae. We're getting close. Think you're going to make it?" Beast Boy asked in a teasing tone.
'Oh Azar… three whole blocks!' "Of course Gar. I'm not that weak." Raven said in a deadpan voice.
Beast Boy shrugged at her answer. "Alright. Once we arrive, I think it will be safe for us to be a bit normal."
Raven only nodded her head at that, as she tried to prep her body for the last leg. Only her legs were wanting to stay put, with her leaning on the mailbox. It was as if they were willingly rebelling against her for abusing them so much that day.
A brief thought of asking Beast Boy to be a lean to as they walked crossed her mind. It would have made it easier for her for sure, but unfortunately, her pride won out. So she stayed put, resting a little more as Beast Boy tapped his foot impatiently.
She happened to look up after a moment, only to see Beast Boy's normal skin pigment again. She knew it was only a hologram, but she couldn't help the words that finally came out of her mouth.
"You know Gar, it's just odd, seeing you look like that."
Beast Boy looked down at himself. Seeing the clothes they had 'borrowed' from someone. The holorings could change their appearance, but unlike Cyborg, they did need clothing on… that preferably didn't smell… and though their uniforms were tough, they weren't exactly winter material. So even though they still had them on underneath, they were being shown as only wearing the winter clothing.
"What, not being seen in our regular uniforms getting to ya Rae?" Beast Boy asked in a lighthearted voice.
Raven shook her head. "No, just seeing the two of us look so… normal."
Beast Boy scratched his blonde hair at that. He hadn't been expecting that answer. Especially from Raven. Had this been what was bothering her all day?
"What's so odd about looking normal?"
Raven merely shook her head. "Nothing… it's just a little disconcerting that no one is staring at us because we're… different." Raven had to pause to find the right words.
"I know what you mean. It's been a long time since my own appearance didn't draw any attention to me. Where I could just walk through a group of people and not receive odd stares." Beast Boy replied back instantly.
"You mean before the time when you changed?" Raven asked.
Beast Boy's body tensed up slightly at that. And his frown seemed to deepen on his face. Raven mentally winced at what she had said.
"I don't mean to pry Gar." Raven said in a quick tone. "I was just stating what I thought you meant. I didn't mean to offend you."
Beast Boy took a deep breath to let himself relax. "It's fine Rae. It didn't offend me. Just… yeah. It's fine." He said before he started to walk again.
"Wait, Gar. I still need a little more time." Raven said behind him. Her legs were still wanting to stay put.
Beast Boy just continued to walk forward as he spoke. "You're moving too slowly Rae. It's not that far anyways." He said in a harsh voice before he was absorbed into the crowd.
'Master!'
Beast Boy didn't bother to reply to the Beast.
Raven almost wanted to use her powers to smack the green boy. But instead, she gritted her teeth as she got up and forced her legs to quickly stumble after Beast Boy.
'Damn it Raven! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' Raven mentally berated herself.
Raven didn't know how she did it, but somehow she managed to catch up to Beast Boy. Good thing to, or else she could have gotten lost in the city. He didn't even look to the side to acknowledge her, nor did his facial expression change. Raven wanted to slap herself for what she had said. But was too focused on trying to keep her legs moving forward to do that.
So she merely gritted her teeth and tried to focus on something other than her fatigued legs. Her mind ended up being the perfect thing. 'Is there anything I can say that won't set him off!? It's like I'm trying to walk through a minefield at times!'
'We could just stay silent Raven. He always seems a little sensitive when he gets this serious. So maybe not talking would be the best thing. And it's not like we're not used to silence.' Knowledge told her.
'Yeah, silence in a city. Good one sister.' Brave said a little sarcastically.
'You know what I meant!' Knowledge said irritably.
'Yeah, and being silent around him will certainly help us out. We tried the silent treatment before, and look where that got us!' Brave argued back.
'Besides, BB has been there for us through a lot of things. And I think it would be selfish if we were to just not try to talk to him. Who knows what he had to go through in his past.' Happy said next.
'Yeah, but we promised we would wait until he was ready. Bringing it up only serves to make him angry and resentful.' Raven and Knowledge said together.
'Why d-don't we t-try t-t-to a-apologize?' Timid suggested.
The other emoticlones went silent. And Raven was afraid that they were contemplating getting the penny again. Just what she would need, her own emotions running haywire inside her mind, again.
'Why should we?! He's the one acting like he has a stick up his ***!' Rude shouted.
'Rude!' At least three other emoticlones and Raven said in shock.
'What? You know it's true! He's been acting like an inconsiderate jerk to us ever since that damn probe ruined our ****ing paradise!' Rude defended herself.
'But this is his own family! His own past we're talking about here! Wouldn't we do the same thing for ours!?' Brave asked.
'Pbth! You mean our mother! Please, she didn't even love us! And we certain as hell don't love our father and our many half siblings! So why the hell would we act like this in his situation!?' Rage shouted this time.
From there, the argument between her emoticlones escalated. And Raven felt a large headache forming in her head as her emoticlones increased in volume. She was barely able to focus enough on the real world to keep up with Beast Boy. And she was slowly starting to fall behind.
She didn't see the glance he gave her when he looked back to see her rubbing her head. Nor did she see the look of slight guilt that crossed his face before he continued walking forward, albeit at a slower pace. She didn't even register she was walking behind him again as she tried to bring order to her mind.
About that time though, a certain emoticlone had finally had enough.
'ENOUGH!'
The other emoticlones were silenced, but not from the command. But rather from the shock of who had said it. Raven could almost imagine her pink cloak swirling around the emoticlone's angry form.
'Maybe our mom didn't love us! Maybe our dad only wanted to use us! But we can't say the same for BB's parents! We have no clue as to how he grew up! But if you ask me, I have a feeling he loved them very much from that picture he showed us! And they loved him just as much, if not more in return! So what if this is the Doom Patrol he is taking us to! He called them family, and that has to mean he loves them! So don't you dare say he has no excuse to act the way he does! If we loved our parents or family as much as he does, wouldn't we be acting the same way if Arella was in danger! Or if Trigon was dying! WOULDN'T WE!' Happy yelled.
That statement alone silenced everyone in her mind. Even Rage who had been at the blunt end of the argument was stunned into silence.
'I hate to admit it. But for once, Happy is right.' Raven thought.
A collective sigh was heard. As one by one, the other emoticlones agreed. Even Rude and Rage.
'Look, I'm sorry about that. I really am. It's just… argh! He just really gets on my nerves at times with his freaking mood swings! I like it when he's carefree. But I hate it when he is to stuck in that damn serious mode of his to be carefree.' Rude admitted. Rage only stayed silent, not wanting to admit why she was so peeved by it.
'Okay, let's just deal with it as we go along for now. Okay?' Raven thought to herself.
In the real world, Raven leaned against a wall, not wanting to take another step. Her legs were shaking horribly, and she felt it she had to take another step then she would collapse. The crowd passed by the side of her, not caring about the normal girl who leaned against the wall. She wondered how long it would be until she could walk again...
When she felt a hand appear under her shoulder, and help her up from the wall. She instantly looked up, ready to swat the person who was touching her, when she saw Beast Boy's face staring straight ahead. He said nothing as he helped her to start moving forward again. Yet, at a pace that wasn't too fast for her tired legs.
'Wait… he's… helping me?'
Raven didn't know what to do. Her pride wanted to slap him for helping her to do something as simple as walking. Yet, her emoticlones themselves, were sighing in contentment. Whether from not having to walk alone anymore, or because they were so close to Beast Boy, she didn't know.
What she did know was that she felt a lot better with him helping her. Her legs didn't hurt as much to walk anymore with him helping her. And right now, she frankly didn't care how embarrassing it was that he was helping her to walk. Or that she only had one and a half blocks to go. She decided to be grateful and let Beast Boy help her without saying a word.
A small smile came onto her face. And this time, Beast Boy's frown changed into a small smile.
'Was this so hard to do now master?'
…
'Shut up.'
'And that is the sign that I'm right again.' The Beast said smugly before he delved back into the deep parts of Beast Boy's mind.
Beast Boy only chuckled to himself as he led him and Raven down towards Dayton Manor.
Viewing from the lens of a camera
'The enemy has taken the bait.'
… 'Are you certain?'
'Of course. Their parameters, heights, and even their mannerisms match up to what we have been looking for. Those two are the targets.'
'But how can you tell? I mean, those two look pretty normal to me.'
'Look at their hands.'
'... Whoa! They're wearing those holo-rings Cyborg showed me!... It has to be them then.'
On the screen, the couple stopped outside the gate to a large property. Before he produced a key from his pouch and opened it. He led the young woman in, closed the gate, and locked it before proceeding to walk with the young woman towards the trees and bushes by the wall of the manor.
'I suggest surprise attack with our sonic cannons at 100% power.'
'Won't that kill them though?'
'Of course. Isn't that the goal?'
'No! The goal is to capture them!... though I do like your plan of surprise attacking. Let's wait to see what they're doing here first, and then get them when they're not expecting it.'
…
'I still highly recommend my first strategy.'
'And I highly recommend that I see a therapist when I somehow get you detached from my spine!'
Back to our heroes
Beast Boy and Raven had to only walk a few feet past the gate before their figures were enveloped by the trees and bushes. It was almost comical how quickly Raven tore off her rings and used her powers to float off the ground. The look of relief that came onto her face would have made Beast Boy laugh, if he wasn't focused on his old home a few hundred feet away.
After a couple moments of floating, Raven also looked to the manor that Beast Boy had said was his old home. She hadn't really gotten a good look at it when they first walked in, but now that her brain was feeling a little more clear… her jaw almost dropped at the sight. But she managed to keep her face stoic.
Her loud whisper though, was a different story. "This was your old home!?"
Beast Boy simply nodded his head, as he started to move forward through the underbrush. "Yep, you could say being part of the Doom Patrol had its benefits."
To say it was large would have been an understatement. It was three stories tall, and probably had some lower levels to it as well. They had came in the back way, so Raven could easily see the covering over the Olympic sized pool a good hundred feet from the doors of the manor. Outside of it, there was many trees and bushes growing in perfect patches of tended land. Some even looked like they were made to thrive in the winter snow that was underneath the beautiful pieces of nature.
It was almost as if it had been made for Beast Boy.
'This could rival some of the gardens Azar showed me in Azarath.' Raven thought to herself.
Beast Boy led her on a path through the many different parts of the large yard. Stopping every now and then to peak around a trunk at different parts of the house. Raven patiently glided along behind him, her pale skin helping her to almost blend into the snow now that it was undisguised.
Finally, after about five minutes of careful travel, they were by the large manor. Or more specifically, they were standing outside a window. Beast Boy looked up at both sides of the manor by it, before he opened it from the outside. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Just as she promised."
Before Raven could question the random statement, Beast Boy changed into a small bird and flew into the manor. Raven sighed to herself as she floated through the small opening and quietly followed Beast Boy inside Dayton Estates.
…
The rooms were all dark. And a fine layer of dust seemed to cover every surface in reach. It even floated around in the air, as the rooms hadn't been aired out in months. Nobody had definitely visited these parts in a while.
Yet Beast Boy was able to see just fine in the darkness. His nighttime vision was the main thing that helped with this. Behind him, he was able to hear Raven quietly floating through the air. Coughing every now and then to clear her throat of the dust that kept on going into it. Other than that, she remained mostly silent. The two had shed their winter clothing as soon as they had entered and closed the window, so they were only in their regular uniforms.
The room they had entered had been a small old storage room. Filled with decaying boxes of old useless junk. The room they were in now was much larger, and looked to have something covered up in the middle of it. But Beast Boy moved past it towards the other end of the room. Where he opened up a door and peered into the three way hallway.
"Alright, that was Rita's favorite place to play, so that means… um…" Beast Boy pointed to the left. "This way."
Raven didn't question him as he led the two deeper into the depths of the manor.
Every now and then, the two came to an intersection in the hallways, and Beast Boy would stop to examine his surroundings in the darkness. Before leading the two in a seemingly random direction.
'Or maybe he doesn't know where he's going.' Raven thought to herself.
'He's lived here before Raven. Have a little faith in him.' Wisdom said inside her mind.
"Are you sure you know where we're going Garfield?" Raven asked after the fifth such turn.
'Yeah master, are you sure you know where we're going?' The Beast asked.
'Of course I do! That last room I saw as we walked past was that game room! And before that… was that random... Aw ****.'
'Judging by your language, I'd say we're lost master.'
Beast Boy chose not to answer. "I think it's just around the corner Rae." Beast Boy said, as he walked around another corner while muttering to himself about how he certainly wasn't lost. Raven merely rolled her eyes behind him.
'Maybe I could try phasing us through the walls until we reach something he recognizes.' Raven thought to herself.
But when they turned the corner, Beast Boy's eyes sparkled. 'Ha! I recognize that stairwell! It leads to my room! So that way has to lead towards the kitchen and living room! We are so not lost after all!'
"C'mon Rae, we're getting closer now." Beast Boy said in an urgent tone behind him, before hurrying forward on light toes.
Raven rolled her eyes as she followed. 'At least we didn't end up lost in here forever… would that have been such a bad thing though? At least I would have been stuck with him… wait, why am I even thinking that? I'm already stuck with him!'
Sure enough, a couple turns later, and the two were suddenly in a large room. At one end was a large modernized kitchen, while by it was a large table that looked like it could sit fifty if not more. At the other end of the room was a large TV with a few couches placed in front of it. The rest of the area had either large bookcases or curtained windows covering the walls.
It was one of these walls that Beast Boy ended up approaching. He started to look through the book titles for a specific one. Raven scrutinized him from behind.
"Is now really a good time to try and read something Gar?" Raven asked sarcastically. Beast Boy ignored her sarcastic question.
"It's around here somewhere… and… there!" Beast Boy's green hand reached forward and pulled a specific book back, it had been labeled 'Doom Patrol.'
The book only pulled back a little bit before it clicked, causing Beast Boy to step back. The bookcase in front of them started to open outwards, showing… a large metal door with a panel. Raven's eyebrow raised at it.
"A secret doorway behind a bookcase. Isn't that a classic." Raven monotonously said.
Beast Boy looked back to her with a calm expression. "Trust me Rae. This was an older team of heroes I used to be apart of. To them, this was normal."
Raven said nothing, as Beast Boy took a step forward and placed his palm on the scanner. It turned red for a few seconds as it examined his hand, before it beeped a sudden green light.
'Doom Patrol Member. Garfield Mark Logan, AKA Beast Boy 06... Welcome home young master.' A polite computerized spoke, before the palm scanner retracted into the door. It then opened up, revealing the center of the Doom Patrol's headquarters.
Beast Boy looked back to Raven with a look of determination on his face. "Okay Rae, whatever happened to my old family, we'll find our answers behind this doorway. If it was months ago, the danger should be long gone. But just in case… Are you ready?"
Raven's sarcastic reply was immediate. "Born ready."
Beast Boy only nodded his head at her, as she walked first through the doorway. Her hood up covering her face in shadow. Beast Boy was walking in right behind her, when he stopped.
What had that been in the corner of his eye?
He turned to look at the room again, and saw only what he had seen before. The kitchen, the dining table, and the living room. Along with the bookcases and curtained windows along the walls.
'Odd, I could have sworn I saw a streak of yellow… nah, it couldn't be… I must be seeing things again.'
Beast Boy shrugged to himself, as he walked into the headquarters of the Doom Patrol behind Raven. The bookcase slid shut behind the two.
If only Beast Boy had taken note of something else inside the room. He would have seen the figure he had barely missed hiding behind a curtain. Along with a security camera on the wall that had zoomed in on the hidden doorway.
"Diana, the two targets have gotten into the Doom Patrol's headquarters. Your orders?" The person at the end of the security camera feed asked.
"Keep monitoring Jaimes. Me and Superboy will get into position for capture. While we have Kori and John in for backup." A authorative womanly voice responded.
"And what about Kori's friend?" Jaimes asked.
"She will appear when it is necessary." The woman mysteriously replied, before hanging up.
'When it is necessary. This is only one girl. How can she do what five other heroes couldn't?'
'She does hold power over the Earth. Power I wish that I could harness for us.'
'And what would you do with that power? Cause a massive earthquake to defeat our enemies?'
'Precisely. You are getting more in tune with me as we go I assume.'
'Ugh, I must be going crazy after all.'
'My logistics say there is a twenty-three percent chance of that happening.'
'GAH!'
Author's Notes:
Well guys, I've been updating consistently for a few months now. But I'm deciding to take like a two week break from this story so I can work on some one-shots that have been gathering in my Drive. Along with a story request from someone.
So please, when you don't see an update for this next week, don't yell and scream in frustration. It will come, just a little later than usual. For now, leave your comments on what you think about the chapter. Favorite if you liked it, and follow if you want more.
Till Next Time
Allen
