Chapter 14: Soothe the Savage Beast.
Immortus watched, horrified, as his CCTV cameras panned over a scene of complete destruction. His robotic army lay in pieces, none of which were above a square foot in size. Arms, legs and torsos lay scattered in the corridors, sparks flying from the wires that protruded from their shredded ends.
But of the attacker itself, there was no sign.
Immortus's brain was a whir. What kind of creature could have done this? Nothing on earth that had this kind of destructive power could fit in the corridors, he was sure of it! In fact, he had designed his base with that in mind!
He would have gone over to his console and reviewed the security footage, had he not been interrupted by a knock on the door.
The doors to his inner sanctum were made of a titanium-adamantium alloy. This meant that they were the strongest metal commercially available. Those suckers could stop a grenade. There was no way in hell that any animal was getting through those, and Immortus knew it.
Unfortunately, no one seemed to have told whatever it was that was on the other side.
Immortus watched as dent after dent appeared in the door, claws raking its surface, causing torturous whines to emanate from its surface. At one point, the creature managed to get three claws clear through the metal, which screamed in protest, and Immortus noticed through the growing fear a flash of green, visible through the new holes.
Eventually, the doors gave up, and once the dust had cleared, Immortus found himself looking at the strangest animal he had ever seen. In terms of physique, its forearms resembled that of a gorilla, but ended in huge, clawed paws. Its hind legs were canine in appearance, and its head looked like a strange fusion of wolf, monkey and bat. This hideous amalgamation sported a long, trailing mane, quite unlike anything seen in nature.
With a great, booming roar, the creature charged towards him, cavernous mouth agape. Immortus's brain was screaming instructions, but it was ignored as the behemoth sprang…
Straight over his head, and disappeared into the shadows of his lair. The sound of his roar had awakened the other Titans, and they were looking around in astonishment at their predicament. The being roared again, the echoes in the room making it completely impossible to tell where it was. Immortus snatched up a rifle from his desk and brandished it. He heard the creature move, but it was hard- for something its size, it was exceptionally stealthy. He backed up, still looking wildly around, and hit the wall. Alright, now he had his back to a solid object, the thing couldn't sneak up on him. He felt warm air tickle his ear, and surmised he must be near a window.
Wait, since when had he installed windows in an underground lair?
With a scream, Immortus turned and found himself staring deep into the eyes of a nightmare.
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Raven noted the Beast's surprise when the man fainted, but what happened next worried her. The Beast picked the geriatric villain in one huge paw, and raised him above his head, apparently preparing to dash his brains out on the floor.
"Beast Boy, stop!" Her cry was frantic. Beast Boy had been through enough recently; he didn't need a murder on his conscience.
To her eternal relief, the Beast stopped, and dropped the comatose general unceremoniously on the floor. The creature padded towards her, but she panicked when he raised his arm above his head, readying his claws. The others gasped at this seeming act of aggression, but Raven's thoughts were suddenly cast back.
The Beast is me. Not some demonic possession, not some Hulk-like alter ego, but me
He's quiet around you.
As far as I can tell, he thinks you're the only 'loyal' pack member.
With Beast Boy's words resounding in her brain, she held her ground, as the razor claws came crashing down, snapping her restraints. She looked up to the Beast, and found herself lost in his eyes.
They were white. No iris, no cornea, just a pure, brilliant white. Nothing on earth had eyes like that. She thought she could see a spark there, a feral, primal intelligence that had nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with the heat of the sun and the feel of the earth and the sounds of wind through the evergreens and the smell after the rains. She was pulled back by the sight of the creature grinning at her, an action that seemed at once so alien, yet so familiar. Slowly, the Beast shrank and contorted, turning into the form of a young, elfin figure, who gave her a weak smile before collapsing.
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