A/N: Hello Everyone! Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews so far, I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story thus far.
Fair warning however; over the next few weeks updates may become a bit scarce at times. I'm about to move AND start a new job simultaneously so things are getting progressively more hectic. That being said, I'll still do my best to write new chapters and update whenever I get some free time. Just bear with me :)
Alright, enough of my blabbering… to the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant for monetary gain.
Beast boy sat on the edge of his bed in his light less room, silently staring at a framed photograph of the entire team. He sighed sadly and set the frame upon his nearby dresser before falling backwards onto his bed. The events from that afternoon were something he would unfortunately remember for the rest of his days. The Titans had barely received Cyborg's update about Beast boy's condition when the tower alerts began to blare loudly. Mumbo was once again up to no good and trying to rob yet another bank. The Titans sprang into action as per usual, but Beast boy remained in the common room and watched the fight from the big screen.
Although the team was down a man, they managed to take down Mumbo without too much trouble. Beast boy watched each teammate closely as they fought and communicated information when he could, but overall he considered himself of little help. Prior to the titans return home, Beast boy had retreated to his quarters to mull over the news and consider what the future might hold for him. At this point evening had fallen and the tower had grown quiet while a thick blanket of uneasiness covered them all.
A sudden knock of his bedroom door jarred him from his thoughts and was immediately followed by the voice of his fearless leader. "Beast boy, it's Robin; I think we should talk for a few minutes about earlier."
Beast boy sighed quietly as he slowly rose from his bed and made his way to the door. He knew Robin would show up eventually to talk, but most of the conversations Beast boy had imagined them having didn't end well. Beast boy pressed a button and the door glided open quietly as he motioned for Robin to enter.
Robin walked into Beast Boy's room and made a mental note of clean it had become since his last visit. He pulled up a nearby chair and watched as Beast Boy flopped unenthusiastically onto his bed. Taking a seat in the chair facing Beast boy, Robin began the discussion while trying his level best to remove his leader tone. "I spoke with Cyborg about developing a cure. Apparently he had an antidote for the serum when he originally created it, in the event that it didn't react well with your body. Unfortunately, your recent genetic mutations have made the original antidote… Unusable."
Beast boy picked up on Robin's pause immediately and spoke up with a bit of frustration leaking into his voice. "Robin, you need to not be sugar coating things right now. I was told today that I can't use my powers anymore or I die. Whatever hesitation you have about giving it to me straight… just get rid of it. I've heard the bad news and have begun to anticipate the worst case scenarios; whatever you possibly have to tell me couldn't amount to what I've come to expect."
Robin looked at his friend and was almost left speechless at the hopelessness that shown in Beast boy's eyes. Seeing his once joyful and boisterous teammate in such a devastated form made it difficult to continue. "A-Alright, I'll be blunt and spare no detail. Cyborg has been running hundreds of simulations in an effort to modify the original antidote ever since he discovered your diagnosis last night. So far his best case scenario is an antidote with a five percent success rate."
"Okay, what happens the other ninety-five percent of the time? I'm guessing that it's not good, otherwise you would have started with that." Beast boy said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You're right, it's not a good result. Simply put everything about this situation is extremely volatile and, if not handled correctly, will cause irreparable harm. In it's current form, the antidote has a ninety-five percent chance to dissolve the B27 gene from your DNA completely. This would apparently lead to a lot of pain and, mostly likely, death… hence the term 'Unusable'"
Beast boy chuckled slightly, "Any chance tin man has a time frame or is this going to become an ongoing affair?"
"Obviously Cyborg has been going full tilt in trying to get an antidote that won't completely destroy you; but until we can get a little closer than five percent, we're anticipating this to be an ongoing affair." Robin watched his friend sigh slightly and gently place his face in his palms. Robin gently reached out an placed a hand on the changeling's shoulder. "We're going to fix this Beast boy, you just have to be patient."
Beast boy lifted his head and looked to his leader with emotionless eyes. "I've had a lot to deal with today Rob, you mind if we pick this up tomorrow or something? I'd kind of like to get some sleep."
Robin slowly stood from his chair before tucking it away under a nearby desk. As he made his way to the door and opened it, he spoke to Beast boy with small inklings of sorrow bleeding into his voice. "Get some sleep Beast boy, tomorrow will be a better day." As Robin walked into the hallway; closing Beast boy's door behind him, he could only hope that tomorrow really would be a better day.
Deep beneath the earth, in a cave turned hideout sat a lone figure before a large flickering screen that was currently displaying a recent battle between the Titans and Mumbo Jumbo. The figure watched intently from behind his mask; taking in every movement, every slip-up, every breath that the titans took. He slowly stood and began to pace his make-shift fortress while speaking quietly to himself.
"These infernal Titans have been allowed to run unchecked for far too long. In my absence they've begun to spread; Titans East, Titans West, Honorary Titans… They've multiplied faster than a virus. They all connect back here though, back to the original five Titans." The figure stood before a large board that currently had a photo of each of the five titans tacked to it's surface. Accompanying each photo was sheet after sheet of facts about the individual titan, from possible alias' to known weaknesses.
"These five are the true leaders of all the titans, they always have been. Once I destroy them, the others will become leaderless and fall in their own time. Play time is over Titans." With one swift swing, five razor sharp kunai flew from the figures hands and embedded themselves into each of the titans photos. The figure calmly turned on his heel and began to make his way further into the cave. "You're enemies have become weak and unworthy of your effort Titans, They'll never match up to the original."
Sorry this is such a short chapter everyone, but the story is just starting to ramp up!
Stay tuned and leave a review so I know what's going through your mind. :)
-Mr. Rico