Bargains and Balance
I don't own Teen Titans.
His mission was simple. He had gone through it every day since it had been assigned, ready to use what he had created to see what would happen, and hopefully earn the respect he deserved from his friends, his family, his master; people.
His mission was faultless, dangerous, and oh, so very wild. And it was perfect. Very perfect. So perfect that nothing could mess it up. Nothing could change it. Nothing that he had thought of, and he had thought of everything. Hadn't he?
He crept to the edge of the Tower in his specialized boots that he had made that let the molecules in the invisible lasers go straight through his feet. He turned a knob on his ankle and both of the boots made a humming sound as he silently floated upwards along the side of the tower, hidden by the Tower's shadow in the half-moon's light.
He put a small blinking device on the undersides of the "T" and up the vertical sides. He then placed some more of the blinking devices on the roof in an organized pattern. He floated backwards, and admired his careful handiwork.
No matter what angle an individual approached the building from, the almost ant sized devices were practically invisible. He grinned. This was way too easy.
But he was entirely ready to be patient. He had gained a new sense of bitterness in his heart and soul after the green one had gotten into his home. He had realized he was sickening and weak and very vulnerable. Especially after the scorn he received from his master.
But that had changed. Now it was all about revenge. Not about his family nor the people he respected. And so far, everything was perfect. Especially since they had gotten much of the girl's powers.
She was very powerful, and she almost didn't realize it, he mused. The fact of the matter was, she could level the entire city without trying if she desired to. Raise mountains, move buildings, control people (quite literally).
It was almost unbelievable when he had recognized her true potential. Almost. After all, his master had told him about her father and how she got him to leave. Most impressive, indeed.
As he slowly lowered himself down he lurched to a stop at one of the windows and saw something that almost completely changed his plan. But for the better, he reasoned with himself.
He peered closer to see if what he was seeing was real. And it was.
The girl had leaned over and as she stroked the green one's hair, had gently brushed her mouth against his with a whisper of what he guessed was a promise to return soon.
When she had left the room, he only hovered in the same spot as his mind travelled. He shook his head and blinked.
Her and him?! It was almost impossible.
A grin spread itself across his face. But it was incredibly helpful. He had finally found her true weakness. And here he was thinking it was with the little acrobatic Bird Boy. But it didn't matter. He would get to her by getting him.
Even if the green one was already under the influence of another.
He shook his head and lowered himself to the ground completely and ran off to his small boat. This was better than perfect. This was destiny.
Raven cupped some water in her hands and threw it into her face to try and wash away the incredible drowsiness that had somehow overtaken her.
The last thing she wanted was to drift off into a nice slumber before her "daddy" decided to give his "blessing" once more. And if her suspicions were correct, her father was already having a nice little conversation with her treasured green . . . friend? She had no idea what to consider him now.
She had kissed him twice. Well, the second time he was unaware, and the first one he was completely stunned, but she knew that he had been pleased it had happened. Anywho, she really hadn't gotten the time to actually see what he thought about it all, and of course, the first mission that happened to occur when she wasn't able to use her powers, Beast Boy was in a supernatural coma in which no one knew what would happen.
Raven dried her face off and put her hood over her head as she exited the bathroom and headed for the roof to think and possibly meditate.
There was a lot to think about. Slade had once again teamed up with her father again as far as she knew, and what was possibly worse, Slade hadn't teamed up with Trigon.
The problem with them still being separate was that she would now have two very powerful beings trying to get her for their own needs, and she knew that they would do whatever necessary to get whatever they needed. Meaning her entire family in the Titans Tower was completely in jeopardy.
Raven made her way to the roof before pausing and then after making the decision, phased into the floor and came up into her room. She needed to talk to someone important right now; someone who would know exactly what to do, and how she should deal with it and Beast Boy and everything in between.
Raven picked up the mirror on her dresser and sat on her bed as she spun it in between her fingers. She held it still, took a deep breath, and felt the familiar tugging sensation that she had never really gotten used to.
Yeah, Raven needed to talk to someone incredibly important. Raven needed to have a little chat with herself.
Robin was in shambles. He was baffled, angry, unfocused, and although he would never admit it aloud: frightened beyond belief.
Slade had outwardly threatened his family. Again. But something was different this time. Something about Slade was completely different than when Robin had last seen the armored man in the Trigon possessed Earth.
Slade seemed more confident, if that was possible, more thoughtful, more patient, more cunning, and most evil. Slade had stooped to blackmail, Robin had been the victim. But, however, with afterthought, Robin realized that he had fallen for a very convincing bluff. Slade wouldn't have killed his friends, nor even let them endure long periods of torture.
But then, after Trigon and Raven's sixteenth birthday . . . well he had disappeared. Then BAM. He comes back with a force that Robin found impossible.
Robin sat down behind his desk and ran his hair through his gel filled hair that was quickly coming undone.
Slade had taken one of his dearest friends and had held her in a cell and drained her powers until they were almost non-existant. Of course, Slade couldn't completely drain her of her powers without killing her, because her powers came with her demonic side which would always be with her for as long as she lived.
Then the monster had gotten Beast Boy. Robin had known immediately who had sent that thing and he had known that they couldn't beat it. But he had thought that maybe if they could get the upper hand for just a small period of time, possibly the person in charge of the monster would've shown himself in surprise or fear.
But they had returned on top of the small line that separated humans from life and death. Now Beast Boy was stuck in a limbo all by himself.
It had been four days since that had happened, and nothing had changed about the changeling's conditions. Starfire's Tamaranian side had healed her quickly, and Robin had recovered and as soon as he could, had locked himself in his study.
Robin shifted a few files on his desk and booted up his computer. The screen saver was of the Titans Tower.
Robin went to his computer files and a few clicks and passwords later, found himself one click away from something he had avoided for a very long time.
But what he was avoiding had many resources that Robin himself needed.
Someone knocked on the door.
"I'm here," Robin called.
Starfire opened the door (she was the only one who knew the code that could open his door; Raven phased through the door).
"Robin, you have been most upset lately. Do you wish to do the talking about it?" she said softly as she walked up to his desk.
Robin up his head his hands.
"Yes. No. I don't know!" he lifted his head. "I feel like this is my fault for being to forceful. If I had just called off the attack, Beast Boy would still be here, the monster would've disappeared, no one would've gotten hurt. And when I told them to attack the thing that took Raven! Who attacks water?! No one, that's who!"
Starfire stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders and he sat still in his seat. She felt him relax under the soft touch of her hands and she gave a small smile.
"I do not know much of what to say, but what I do know is that you are a leader and a friend. We trust you and we know that your gut of instincts is most correct in its decisions. And remember, we have not lost friend Beast Boy yet," Starfire comforted Robin.
He stood up and faced her with a newfound acceptance. She hadn't really said much, but he knew she had faith in him that he didn't have himself.
"Thanks, Star." He started to walk away but paused as if he had remembered something.
He walked back to her and gave her a nice hug. She pecked him on the cheek as he pulled back.
"You know exactly what to say."
Beast Boy was terrified and absolutely lost. The amused chuckling had been getting louder until it eventually turned into an all out hysterical laugh.
Beast Boy felt tendrils wrap themselves around him and he suppressed a shudder. They were cold, and blended in with the inky blackness in a way that told Beast Boy that they too were darker than night.
"What . . . what do you want?" Beast Boy called into the darkness.
"Want?" came a deep, soft yet malicious voice. "I want everything. I want what you want, and more. Technology, people to respect me, and a newfound favorite, a blue cloaked friend."
Beast Boy was glad it was dark because he flushed at the last comment. "So what are you? My mind? Like in Raven's mirror portal place?"
The voice chuckled again. "No, small one. But yes, to a certain extent. I am your mind but I am myself. I need you to get her."
The way the voice spoke of Raven and the way it said her name told Beast Boy exactly who was talking to him. "Trigon! We. . . we kicked your butt! Raven kicked your butt! You were gone!"
"Ah, small changeling. But I am absolutely here." Beast Boy felt himself being lifted by the tendrils and stop as he felt warm breath on his face. "Inside your mind. Inside your thoughts, and almost one with you."
Beast Boy opened his mouth in a silent scream as he was suddenly faced with four impossibly large red eyes in the incredibly darkness.
He could hear the demon smile as he spoke. "You may be wondering why I would need someone such as yourself."
"No, not really."
"Well," Trigon continued as if nothing had been said, "I need my daughter to become absolutely hopeless to the point where she'll believe that she has nothing to lose to help me. I'll come back and everyone and everything will be as I desire it to be."
"Why tell me this?" Beast Boy asked boldly.
"Because when you wake up, you won't be yourself. When you wake up, you'll be dead, and I'll have a body once more."
Beast Boy gulped. "I . . . I won't let you!"
"Foolish mortal! Do you have no brain? I blocked off your chakra from which your powers come from! You can't fight me!"
Beast Boy felt something in him growl in defiance, and he knew exactly what he was going to do, even if it took years.
"You may have blocked my powers, but it's my brain, and I have more than just my powers within me. I also have a Beast. Trigon, meet Frank."
And with that, Beast Boy let the Beast take over.
"R . . . Rae. . . don't . . . . can't . . . . don't hurt . . . my . . . Ra -"
Raven watched in what can only be described as fascination as Beast Boy burped and lay still and quiet once more. The small changeling hadn't moved or said anything since the battle, and the first thing that came out of that pie hole of his was her name. Or her nickname anyway.
She felt confused, exasperated, and proud at the same time.
Beast Boy was thinking of her. And that only meant one thing: that he had already encountered her father. But there was one thought that overrode that scary little thought: he had met Trigon, but he was fighting back.
And that just made her smile.
Character development, some plot movement, nothing too big. Just a longer chapter after the long wait. :P
Review! The review rate has slowed down so much that my grandma's turtle could catch it. C'mon, guys!
Thank you, you loyal supporters! (I'm just kidding, but seriously, review.)
Farewell, loyal peeps. 'Till next time!
-Belgaria