Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. This FanFiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not used for monetary gain.

Beast boy looked around himself in complete confusion. There was nothing but darkness here, not shadows but a complete absence of light. Looking down he took note that the floor was encased in darkness as well and it almost immediately threw off his equilibrium. Looking at his hands, however, he noted that his form was illuminated as though he were standing in the midday sun.

"Where am I?" Beast boy quietly asked himself aloud as he cautiously took a step forward. His shoe landed solidly upon whatever floor there was here but made no noise, as though the air around him was being silenced. "This place is too strange."

A voice spoke from the depths of the void around him, quiet as a whisper yet echoing all around him. "Do you not recognize the recesses of your own mind Garfield?"

"What? Who are you? What do you mean?" Beast boy questioned rapidly as he spun around to try and locate the source of the voice.

A low and frustrated growl emanated around him before the voice spoke again. "For too long we've been at each others throats Garfield, too long has this tug of war gone on. You tried so hard to dispose of me out of fear of what I would do… but in the end it was you that caused the most damage."

"What are you talking about?" Beast boy exclaimed as he began to panic amidst his blackened surroundings. He spun in circles, desperately looking for an exit.

"You know what I'm speaking of, even if you won't admit it… and you know fully well who I am…"

Beast boy stopped mid turn as he finally made eye contact with the hulking beast that had suddenly appeared behind him. Although all of his instincts screamed to fight or run, all he could do was look into the eyes of the beast as they glowed a brilliant white. Moments later the bright white overtook the world around him and Beast boy's consciousness seemed to slip away from his grasp.

Slowly Beast boy's eyes began to open, adjusting to the blinding light that filled the room. As his eyes adjusted and his surrounding began visible, Beast boy immediately recognized the medical bay that he was in. He carefully began to raise himself to a sitting position and felt all of his muscles ache from the motion. Looking over he noticed Cyborg hunched over the main computer terminal with his back to Beast boy, obviously unaware that the young changing had awoken.

With a coarse voice Beast boy spoke in just above a whisper. 'How long have I been out?"

Cyborg's head spun around fast enough to give a normal human whiplash and a concerned smile donned his face. "Hey B, how you feeling?"

Beast boy did his best to stretch his aching muscles, but it barely helped. "Gotta say I've been better. What happened anyway? The last thing I can really remember was a lot of pain and feeling like I was flying."

Cyborg cringed slightly at the memory of his small friend's body helplessly flailing across the room after he collapsed on the speeding treadmill. "Well, you collapsed while in the last lap of your endurance training and… well… you can thank the treadmill for the flying feeling."

After quickly realizing what Cyborg meant, Beast boys face dropped significantly, "That explains the rug burn. I'm surprised the others aren't here."

"You've been out for a few hours now, I sent them on their ways a while back. Star gave me a bit of a fight, but I managed to convince her to give you some rest." Cyborg turned back to the terminal and started typing something in as he continued to speak. "If I were to guess; Rae is probably meditating, Star is probably cuddling with Silkie on the couch and I know Robin has been putting in some extra training with the punching bag."

Cyborg finished up his computer work and walked over to Beast boy, calmly beginning to check his vitals. "I've gotta say B, you gave everyone one heck of a shock. You seemed like you were doing great and then boom, you're passed out cold and flying across the room. What happened?"

Beast boy broke eye contact with his friend and began to stare blankly at the floor as he began to recall the events from earlier that day. "I'm not sure Cy, I was a little sore this morning when I woke up and I started feeling pain while I was doing my training. Next thing I know, I tried to morph to get some more speed and my whole body just exploded in so much pain that I just couldn't handle it. I felt myself revert back to my human form and next thing I know I'm waking up in here."

Cyborg looked carefully at his friend before he moved towards a nearby medical cabinet. After some rummaging around, Cyborg returned to Beast boy's bedside with a blood draw kit in hand. "Well I've got to be honest with you B, whatever happened is a lot deeper than a pulled muscle or a bruised bone. I gave you a full physical exam when I brought you down here and, disregarding the injuries caused from the fall, I couldn't actually find any major damage. That is, until I looked deeper, and discovered that many of your internal organs have sustained minor injuries. Given what I've found during your exams and what you've told me, I think I need to do another blood and DNA work-up on you."

Beast boy shuddered at the thought of being stuck with those needles... man did he hate needles. "DNA too? You think something might be wrong with my DNA?"

Cyborg sighed deeply, the look of concern of his face growing more evident. "I hate saying this B, but as of right now, I have no idea what happened to you earlier. Let's start with these tests and we'll see what we find, no sense in getting grim without any evidence, right?"

Beast boy smiled at his friend, but he knew it was a hollow gesture. "You got it tin man. Should we tell the others I'm awake?"

"After I'm done taking your blood I'll be happy to give them a ring for ya." Cyborg said as he began to sterilize a spot on Beast boys arm. A few minutes later and the proper samples had been drawn and stored for later testing. Cyborg then flipped open his forearm and called Robin's communicator, who answered within moments.

"Cyborg, any developments?" Robin asked with a stern yet concerned expression plastered across his face.

"Yeah, B's awake. He's looking alright given the circumstances and is ready for visitors if you want to give the others a heads up." Robins face visibly relaxed as Cyborg relayed the news.

"I'll let the others know and I'm on my way." Robins image disappeared from the small screen and Cyborg closed the compartment in his arm gently. He had barely made it to the edge of Beast boy's bedside when the tower shook slightly and a muffled blast echoed through the halls. Cyborg looked to his friend and smiled widely. "Brace yourself."

Beast boy immediately understood what Cyborg meant as Starfire fly excitedly into the med-bay, almost knocking the door off it's hinges in the process. Without hesitation she embraced the changeling fiercely, relieved that he was awake.

"Oh Beast boy you are awake! I was worried about your injuries but I am joyed that you are feeling better!" Starfire finally released her grip on Beast boy; who inhaled deeply and coughed slightly, happy to have use of his lungs again.

Cyborg looked at the now battered door and ran his hand over his metallic head as repair costs began to calculate in his mind. "Star, did you break the sound barrier again on your way down here?"

Suddenly realized her mistake, Starfire placed her hand on her mouth and looked to her robotic friend. "Oh, yes I may have. I am sorry Cyborg, I got a little too excited when I heard about Beast boy's recovery."

Sighing deeply, Cyborg looked at Starfire calmly. "It's alright Star, I didn't hear any windows break this time so no harm done."

It was at this time that Raven and Robin arrived, both immediately noticing the door in disrepair but neither bothering to comment on it. Robin approached Beast boy with a smile that both expressed relief and concern simultaneously. "How you holding up Beast boy? That was one heck of a tumble you had."

Beast boy chuckled lightly while scratching the back of his head nervously. "I'm a bit sore, but I think I'm alright."

Before long Robin began to delve into his detective role and started asking Beastboy to recap everything that had happened, which he gladly did in the same level of detail he had done for Cyborg. After everything had been conveyed; Robin turned to Cyborg with his stern expression once again in place. "Alright Cyborg, time for the tough question. What are Beast boy's restrictions for the time being?"

Cyborg glanced towards Beast boy and spoke in a serious tone. "Given your current injuries I can clear you to move about freely and sleep in your own bed for the evening. That being said however, I have to recommend that you be temporarily suspended from active duty. No missions and no training until I figure out exactly what happened today." Beast boys groan of disapproval made Cyborg feel even worse for what he had to say next. "I'm sorry Beast boy, but I'm just trying to look out for you. That being said, there is one other stipulation that you're not going to like."

Cyborg breathed in deeply and exhaled calmly as he looked his smaller green friend square in the eyes. "Due to a direct correlation between your current injuries and your ability to morph... I have to recommend that you no longer use your powers until we have figured everything out."

Woot! Another chapter done!

Well I certainly hope that everyone is enjoying the story thus far. Next chapter we'll find out exactly what's happening to our poor changeling and I'm excited to write it up!

I'm also noticing that my chapter lengths are slowly starting to bulk up, so just bear with me folks.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll see ya soon!

-Mr. Rico