Ch. 3: Her Decision Pt. 1
"Remember, if anything happens, get out." Beast Boy's usual quirkiness was masqueraded by his anxiety for the sorceress' well-being.
The two teenage heroes stood on the roof of Titan's Tower. The moon was almost full, and its white light illuminated the two marbled faces.
Fear swirled between them.
"Beast Boy, stop pacing. You're giving me a headache." The empath clenched and unclenched her fists. Her nausea had subsided, but her sore muscles and shaking hands still remained and haunted her from the nightmare that happened barely an hour ago.
Beast Boy scoffed and stopped dead in his path. His face was inches from Raven's.
"I'm not going to tell Robin what happened," His eyes fell and he looked down at his battered sneakers. "But, ya gotta stay honest with me here Rae. Be careful." The boy looked broken and defeated.
A gust of wind seemed to pass right through them. It tousled the green changeling's forest hair ever-so-slightly, and Raven was able to catch a glimpse of the small, subtle scar on his forehead from when she had broken the light bulb just seven days prior.
Beast Boy's concern for the empath enraged her. Even through his deepest concerns for her, she felt alone. No one, not one of the Titans, were able to tell her what exactly happened with Slade. The nightmares, the deep rooted terror she felt every time their alarms went off, stems from something. The answers were just out of her grasp, but alas her fingers barely brushed them.
Raven felt her energy, her powers, cloak around her.
The temperamental sorceress brushed past the green changeling, and without a second glance back, dove off of the roof towards the darkened city.
Beast Boy followed suit and morphed into a mossy green crow- tailing the sorceress close behind. His emerald feathers were flossed by the cool night air, and he was able to feel the edge of his anxiety fly away.
The glowing orb in the sky never seemed to falter- its fluorescent beams guided the two heroes towards the chaotic mess at the Children's Hospital.
Even though it was still nighttime, the red and blue flashing lights chased away most of the darkness. Four patrol cruisers sat at the entrance of the building. Their sirens echoed through the deserted streets of Jump City.
There was a big, stocky looking man standing parallel to the front door. His broad shoulders and bald head made him easy to spot, even from fifty feet in the air.
"Found Robin." Raven pointed a ghostly finger towards the figure and sure enough, the leader was there, talking with the girthy man.
"Man, I knew Robin was short," Beast Boy cooed as he and the empath padded softly down on the sidewalk, "but he looks so tiny compared to that dude."
Their shoes scuffed the ground as they made their way towards the leader. The masked boy's arms were tangled, tightly crossed against his chest and his mouth was a straight line below his pinched brows.
"Anything new here Robin?" Beast Boy was the first to speak as he strode past Raven and towards both the men.
The empath could practically feel the testosterone radiating from the two leaders. Robin's ears perked as he shifted his gaze to the two heroes gliding towards them.
"No, not yet. Information is still the same - I recommend you two start down this road here," he nodded his head towards the building next to the hospital, "quickly scope the inside of the parking garage and see if you can find anyone or anything. If nothing's found, do a quick sweep of the neighboring back roads and streets. He," Robin cleared his throat, "They couldn't have made it far."
Raven shuddered internally at the thought of finding Slade. She grit her teeth and broke away from the boys.
"You got it boss" Raven heard Beast Boy's voice trail behind her as she neared the entrance to the garage.
The street lights and fluorescent bulbs in the garage buzzed and turned Raven's stomach. Shadows were cast along the cement walls, and they practically danced in her peripheral vision.
She could feel something was off, the garage felt alive with energy.
"Hello? Anybody -"
"Shush!" The empath hissed. "Don't be so loud. Give me a second here Gar."
The sorceress closed her already heavy-lidded eyes and took a deep breath. The warm, musky air filling her lungs with a new, refreshing power.
Beast Boy watched in awe as the sorceress began to levitate. Her hair began to twirl with an imaginary wind and her once amethyst eyes opened to show two white orbs in their place.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos" The girl purred.
A black shadow appeared to radiate from her body, and formed the shape of a translucent bird. Its large wings spawned from where the sorceress' arms were, and its head then held two white eyes as well.
With a screech, the Raven took flight and glided through the empty car lot. Its large wings barely made a sound with each quick beat.
Raven felt rejuvenated with every hum of her mantra. It had been over a week since she was allowed to use her physical and spiritual powers, and it was the perfect time to test them out.
In her mind's eye, she wistfully scanned the area. The sorceress' powers allowed her to feel everything; the cold energy rising from the concrete ground, or the warm persistent radiation from the yellow lights.
Beast Boy was not too thrilled at Raven's sudden burst of vigor when it came to her powers. He allowed a small whine to escape his lips before he reached a hand to her shoulder.
"Anything Rae?" He whispered.
Raven's head swiveled back and forth. Nothing.
As her soul-self approached the very far-end of the garage, she felt a shiver physically creep up the back of her neck. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand erect, and goose bumps followed suite. Her shoulders tensed absent-mindedly.
There was a single, metal framed door next to the staircase leading to the upper levels of the garage. The spirit bird slowed as it neared the lonely door. Through her mind's eye Raven saw the aura surrounding the entrance. Blue hues radiated from the cold, sheets of metal. Yellow radiated from the hissing light above it.
Frantic, red and orange energy beamed in the middle of it all.
Raven's breathing increased. "Found something" She barely muttered.
The green changeling swiftly moved to the front of the sorceress, his eyes pleading with worry "Alright Raven, come back now" he sucked in a breath "I can handle this.."
The ghost bird crept closer to the center of where the energy was radiating from.
Her physical form swirled with anticipation as beads of sweat formed on her forehead…
A harsh, creaking moan of metal caused the green boy's head to turn towards the empty blackness of the parking lot. "Damn…" The changeling morphed into a large, emerald wolf and bounded towards the sound.
Before the spirit was able to investigate any further, a red, ironclad translucent fist emerged from the door and gripped the raven by its smooth neck.
Raven's physical body gasped as she willed the spirit bird to fight and free itself. She could feel her physical self struggle to breathe and panic rose in her throat. The bird thrashed wildly in a vain attempt to escape.
With perfect fluidity, the demonic-looking hand crushed the bird even tighter between its fingers and wretched the bird through the metal door and into the small room.
"Ravennn…" A low, rumbling voice purred her name as the grip on the raven loosened.
There was a small child curled in the fetus position cowering against the back corner of the supply room. Her brunette curls were matted to her face by sweat and tears; her eyes were hidden behind two trembling hands.
"This is your fault you know," The voice was soft, barely a whisper. As the raven slowed its pounding wings, the ghostly fist slowly transformed itself into the shape of a full man's body. His right hand still gripping the raven's neck. The man's glowing red eye seared into the raven's white one. He leaned his masked face close, "the more you tempt my patience, the more of yours you risk to lose...Raven" His words were like a magic spell, and in that instant the bird formed the body of a girl to which it was spawned from.
Raven's physical body continued to levitate in the garage. Under Slade's new found capability, he captured Raven's consciousness and morphed it whith her ghost-self.
Raven's toes were an inch from the ground. Her translucent body acted as a rag-doll's trapped in Slade's grasp. Her neck was still being crushed by the man, and her amethyst hair cascaded over the iron fist like a waterfall.
"I hope this serves as your final warning Raven." The man slowly released his hand from Raven. Each finger moved one by one, "There will be no mercy next time."
As his final finger removed contact from Raven's neck, a blade appeared between his fingers.
There was a whip of air against Raven's face. Her ghostly feet touched the ground. There was a sickening, high pitch scream. It wasn't Raven's.
-line break-
Beast Boy pawed at the door anxiously, his nose was nudging under the slab of metal hoping to catch the smell of something, or someone. Raven! The boy whined. The hairs on his emerald scruff stood on end, and that's when her heard her scream.
Morphing into a massive gorilla, Beast Boy gripped the door handle with his now thick and callused hands and yanked hard.
The thin, metal door came crashing down from its now broken hinges. Adrenaline coursed through the hero's veins as he returned to human from.
"Raven!?" The boy's voice cracked as he rushed in. The smell of iron hit him like a brick wall. Whimpering in the corner of the room was the girl with curled, brunette hair.
His emerald eyes scanned the room, and then stopped immediately when they found the growing spot of red warmth on the girl's stomach.
"Oh man…" The green boy had to swallow hard before advancing, his nausea already escalated due to his rising anxiety and adrenaline.
The boy moved forward and kneeled down next to the girl. She was slowly losing consciousness as the blood soaked through her yellow nightgown. His eyes quickly scanned the inside of the room to see if his partner was there. His heart sank a little when he saw the empty innards of the supply room. Using one hand to hold pressure down on her stomach, and the other to cradle her small form in his arms, Beast Boy carried the girl back to the hospital. He couldn't tell if his pace was quickened because he held a bleeding girl in his arms, or if it was because Raven was nowhere to be found.
Hey ya'll! Thanks for reading! This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed it! Work has been crazy so apologies in advance to the long wait! The next chapter is 50 percent finished already, so stay-tuned for more to come!
As always, thanks so much for all your support! Reviews are always welcome!
Until next time,
Sabrina :D