CH. 3

Beast Boy:

Beast Boy rode all through the night, kicking up sand as his doom buggy sped on. He finally slammed on the brakes to take a good look around. He leaned over to the side and rummaged along a small box to see if there were any goggles. He gave a "ha!" of triumph and pulled them out. He put them to his eyes and slowly gazed over the horizon. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon. A small breeze ruffled his hair and a small smell caught his nose. Breakfast had called. Another big change he had in the Great War was that it was hard to come across anything vegetarian. So he had to force himself to once again eat meat. What he smelled a Gila monster. He threw the binoculars to the seat next to him and leaped out of the doom buggy. He raced toward the smell until he came to a set of rocks.

Underneath, hissing loudly at him was the orange and black poisonous lizard. He licked his lips as he pulled out his sword. His gun was for killing aliens only. He couldn't waste ammo on breakfast. He leapt forward and sliced. The Gila monster had moved quick and bit down on the sword, not letting go. Beast Boy used this to his advantage and yanked it from its hiding place. He grabbed it by the back of its neck and still it did not let go of the sword. He twisted and heard a crack as the neck broke. He wrenched it from his sword and put it back into its sheath at his waist. He jogged back to his doom buggy and rummaged for his lighter. It was at that moment that he remembered that he had left it by accident. He cursed himself and changed into a green wolf. He put one paw on the lizard's back and gave a growl before greedily chomping on the scaly flesh.

When he had finished, he wiped his snout in the ground and used his wolf paw to brush it clean of any blood. He changed back, stomach full of lizard. He crawled back into the doom buggy and drove on. He would have to find some shelter so he could have a quick cat nap in the shade. He looked at where the radio knob was. Music wouldn't be playing since the stations were also leveled to the ground, but maybe whoever owned this had a CD still in it. He pressed a button and glorious music played loud. It just so happened to be Lynard Skynard… Sweet Home Alabama. He sighed in happiness and sat back, listening to the familiar words. By now, the sun was fully in the sky.

Turn it up!

Beast Boy grinned as he flicked the knob as far as it would go. This was real music to him. Nothing better.

Big wheels keep on turnin!

Beast Boy opened his mouth and sang along, feeling giddy and excited. Five years without any real music could really take its toll on a guy. (AN: I'm sure the lyrics are incorrect at least a bit. The reason is because my mom won't let me copy them. So I apologize to any Lynard Skynard fans)

Takin me home to see my kin!

Beast Boy tapped the steering wheel along with the piano's tune.

Singin songs about the south land!

Beast Boy didn't notice that something was following the sound of the music and closing in.

I miss our family once again, I think it's a sin… yeah!

The Sweeper was getting closer and the aliens inside were floored at how easy this kill would be.

"Thissss will be number three your majessssty," one hissed into the radio. Beast Boy was still singing at the top of his voice and having fun making the doom buggy do fishtails, throwing sand everywhere.

Well I heard Mr. Young singin bout her; well he don't need ta put her down!

The guns on the Sweeper tried aiming at the vehicle, but with all the swerving, it had a hard time keeping a good steady hold.

Well I hope Mr. Young will remember; a southern man don't need him around anyhow!

The machine beeped loudly. They had a mark.

Sweet Home Alabama!

The aliens fired. Luckily, Beast Boy swerved just in time for the blast to explode just feet from his left side. The doom buggy lifted onto its right side. Beast Boy leaned to the left, music still blaring and his own shouts of surprise and fear mingling with the roar of the Sweeper engine and the guns whining up for another blast. Beast Boy landed back on all four wheels and felt his right side lift ever so slightly before settling again. He banked a hard right as the blast hit four feet from his retreating tail. He glanced over his shoulder to see the aliens aiming once again.

"Shit!" he cursed as they fired. He hit the brakes and skidded to a halt. The laser beam flew over his head and buggy, exploding in front of him. And at that moment, the Sweeper flew over him, sonic boom over loud to his sensitive ears. He aimed with the rocket launcher and fired, blowing their tail to flames. The Sweeper had only been nicked by the rocket and they came careening in a wide circle. They finally crashed to the ground and skidded a few feet in the sand before coming to a complete stop. The two surviving aliens wobbled out of the wreckage, guns in hands. Beast Boy revved the doom buggy loudly, causing them to whirl around, eyes wide. Beast Boy slammed his foot on the gas, causing the buggy to skid from side to side in place before kicking up sand and speeding forward, picking up speed by ten miles an hour with each passing second.

One alien had enough sense to roll out of the way. The other was either to stupid or to scared. Beast Boy plowed through him… and through him was no a figure of speech. This alien was sliced in half from the force that Beast Boy had exerted on him. Flecks of blood hit the front window as the top half flew over the turret and the bottom was crushed. The whole front of his buggy was blackish purple with blood and had bits of skin and sinew still attached. Beast Boy jerked the wheel, making the buggy whirl around to face the one left over. Beast By didn't bother trying to run him over. He leaped up into the third seat and took hold of the mounted turret.

"How ya like me now Bitch!?" he yelled and squeezed the trigger. Bullets rapidly tore across the sand, sending it flying. The alien tried backpedaling away, but the bullets caught him and he flew back over a large piece of metal, bullet holes covering his chest and armor. His legs dangled over the edge and Beast Boy yelled in triumph. He sat back in the driver's seat and squinted up at the once again clear blue sky. He reached over and grabbed a water bottle, guzzling thirstily. He breathed heavily as he turned the steering wheel and pressed down on the gas pedal. The buggy turned and made its way across the desert. Beast Boy tuned his ears back into the music in time to hear the last of the song.

Sweet Home Alabama, oh sweet home, Where the skies are so blue, and home is true. Sweet home Alabama, Looooord oh, Lord I'm comin home ta you! Whoo whoo! Yeeeeeah yeah!

He sighed as he glanced back at the carnage he had left behind. When would this war end? He was the last human… would they hunt until he died of old age or they killed him? Or would he kill them, scare them away, and die old, alone, and crippled. He honestly didn't want to know the answer. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice another Sweeper closing in fast from behind. To bent on listening to the music of a long dead artist who the aliens killed, trying to forget his past and not look to much in his own future to realize that it was getting closer.

Robin:

Robin was sitting in the back of the Sweeper Indian style. He had his back arched forward and his right fist knuckling his forehead. The other rested limply in his lap. If Raven was alive… what about Starfire. His heart leapt to his throat. Oh God how he hoped she was. He prayed with every fiber in his being that she was alive and well. Her luscious and silky hair, her perfect curves, and her smile. Those eyes, which enchanted him and made him nothing but a slobbering fish out of water. He sighed. Raven's head cocked slightly in his direction, as if to better hear him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, her smile dimming slightly. Finding out that at least Robin was alive made her ecstatic. How to describe the absolutely happy feeling that she was no longer alone in the world and had an old friend? There were no words for it.

"Yes… I'm afraid we won't be able to find Star or the others. What if it was just us who lived? You and me?" Raven's happiness toned down a lot by that. She did not want to think about Beast Boy no longer being alive. It would kill her, probably literally, from grief. The thought of ever being reunited with him was the one thing that had kept her going all this time. She didn't answer and kept driving, trying to concentrate on getting to Africa. Robin reached behind him and grabbed his gun. He fished around in his pocket and withdrew the soaked rag he used for cleaning. He wrung it out, making water echo its splats throughout the Sweeper. After it was reasonably dry, he began to take apart and clean his gun. Raven was watching in a reflection on the computer screen.

He was still the way she remembered him from five years ago when they parted: precise, obsessive in everything being perfect and falling neatly into place, worried for his team and friends, caring. He hadn't changed a bit. But his ice blue eyes had a new look. Sure she had never seen them before, but the look was probably the same one she held; hard, unforgiving, and ruthless. The look of a killer… a hunter. He must have seen everything she had and more. Seen men and women die at his side and killed thousands of aliens. Robin's fingers and rag moved with precise accuracy and motions. Soon, the gun was back together and he fished around for his ammo supply. He had fifteen bullets not in the magazine.

The magazine held fifteen as well. He wouldn't have survived much longer. Raven had no idea how badly she had just saved him. He loaded the last bullets into his gun and cocked it once. He looked it over a few times. Luckily, it wasn't dinged or dented in all it had been through. He was very proud of his gun. It had seen him through thick and thin.

"We're coming in on Africa now," Raven's voice said from the driver's seat. Robin nodded and grunted in acknowledgment. He hoped Beast Boy was alive. The connection he had with Raven allowed him to know that if he was dead, there was no doubt in his mind that Raven would fall dead where she stood. Her heart could not take the pain of losing him. She loved him that much. Robin got up and stretched before slinging his gun over his back. He just happened to notice that smoke was billowing into the sky.

"Look," he said pointing out the small round window. Raven steered toward it. As they got closer, they noticed ten Sweepers burning and on fire. The wreckage only got worse as they flew over a high sand dune. Raven's eyes widened and her hands covered her mouth. A single tear of fear rolled down her face. Robin's eyes mirrored hers.

"Dear God," he whispered. It was absolute carnage. The aliens must have wanted him pretty bad. There had to be at least fifty Sweepers burned black and full of flames. Beast Boy had destroyed them all. As they slowly flew over, they came to a smaller fire. It looked to be the remains of a doom buggy. A rocket launcher lay feet from it. Beast Boy, tamer of deserts and animals, appeared to be dead. They were too late. Robin looked on, his eyes blank and yet brimming with tears. He was completely oblivious to Raven's wails of despair and yells of:

"No no no no no! God no! BEAST BOOOOOOY!"

Cyborg:

Cyborg awoke to find Starfire peering down at him, tear stained face full of sadness and total fear.

"Star?" he asked in disbelief. Starfire flew into his arms and proceeded to cry on his shoulder.

"Friend Cyborg!" she yelled. Cyborg hugged her back. He hadn't seen her in five long years. She still looked as beautiful as ever, albeit dirty and in desperate need of a bath.

"I've missed you to Star," he said lovingly as he patted her shuddering back. Despite being in the "belly of the beast" so to speak, he was bursting with joy at finding Starfire.

"Friend Cyborg. They threatened to eat me," she said shaking all over as she clung to him. Cyborg's eyes darkened.

"I won't let them touch you. Don't you worry one bit," he said coldly. Starfire was still clinging to him tightly. Starfire was one of those people who needed human contact in order to survive properly. Having a familiar face to hug was why she was being so clingy. Cyborg stood up and gently pried Starfire off of him. She stepped back and fiddled with her fingers, looking as if she had no idea what to do with them. The dark cell had a bench on the back underneath the window, which showed the stars glowing in all their beauty. Starfire sat on this and cradled her head in her hands, crying softly. Cyborg sat down next to her ad he saw her body heave, heard her sniffles and low moans of absolute loss. She seemed to have lost her spirit and seemed like she had given up on the world. She was close to her meltdown.

"Star," Cyborg said sadly. Starfire looked up at him. Her eyes covered with tears and puffy.

"Yes?" she asked sadly. Cyborg leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looked into Starfire's eyes.

"Don't give up. Please. I don't have enough bravery for the both of us. I need you by my side so that we can think of a way out of here," he said quietly. Starfire nodded.

"But friend Robin is most surely dead. I never got to… to…" she buried her head in her hands again, wailing loudly. One reptile alien sighed in annoyance.

"Shut the filthy female up or I'll do it mysssself," he snarled over his shoulder. Cyborg's cannon came out and he fired at him. It never made it to its mark. The large beam fizzled out before it even made it halfway to the cell door.

"Energy absorberssss are in the air. They eat at raw energy. Good luck using your powerssss you filthy humanssss," the other snarled without even sparing a glance over his shoulder. There was a loud click-click noise as an alien walked up and made odd hissing noises. The guards grinned evilly and they stepped aside. The bars disappeared and the alien walked in. He didn't waste time as he fired his gun at Cyborg, knocking him unconscious. It happened so fast that he never saw it coming.

Starfire:

She screamed. Screamed loudly as Cyborg fell unconscious to the ground with a loud clang.

"Pirncessss Koriand'r, come now," the alien said. She stood up, eyes burning green with hate and rage. The alien tightened his hold on the gun. More than enough of a warning. Starfire suppressed her rage for later as she was lead out of the cell. They walked down a metal hallway until they came to a dead end. But the wall seemed to melt away. They walked on through and as they passed the threshold, it melted in reverse and recovered the way to the prison bay. With the gun jammed into her back, Starfire walked on. The halls were endless and all looked the same. So many doors and different rooms. She was taken through a hallway with windows and she spared a glance out one and saw a docking bay with troops upon troops of aliens in rows of 9 by 9. One lone alien led them in their formation.

Sweepers dotted the ground and the doors that led out to space were covered by a sapphire blue force field. The doors outside were enormous; at least 20 stories tall and dwarfed the tiny Sweepers. There had to be something larger to leave out. Possibly a larger fighter. A sharp nudge in the small of her back told her to keep moving. She continued to walk until she came to another door which melted away. She couldn't help it… she gasped, her mouth falling open in awe. The bridge was nothing compared to the docking bay. It had to be three football fields tall and five football fields wide. Computers lined the walls with smaller, slimmer alien creatures typing away with eye covers. The larger male aliens walked back and forth, making sure everyone was working hard and not slaking. In the very middle, facing the football field sized window showing the earth outside was a chair, half a football field tall.

Another nudge made her walk towards the chair. She walked up to it and it slowly turned. There sat a smaller and more petite alien who seemed to have oversized breasts that lay uncovered, unlike her workers at the computers, who were covered with the same black armor. She wore armor as well, but of pure gold. Her crown was large, purple and seemed to be made of every skin known to man, including human. She distinctly saw Tameranian skin in there somewhere. Rage boiled once again to the surface. This female alien was as barbaric as the very troops she ordered.

"Greetings Tameranian," she hissed softly. The first thing she noticed was that this queen did not speak like the others. She sounded more intellectual and didn't carry her S's. Starfire did not speak. She merely glared, and she filled that one look with all the hate, rage, and loathing she already held for this race. The queen seemed amused.

"You have spirit Tameranian. I admire this. But come closer," she said beckoning with her long fore finger. The alien behind her smashed his gun into her back, sending her flying forward and onto her hands and knees before the queen, giving her a sickening sight of the underside of her scaled breasts. Starfire felt bile rise and she resisted the urge to hurl at the mere sight. She fought to rise, but the alien behind her held his gun barrel against the back of her neck.

"Listen Tameranian, and listen well. All that you stand for has perished; all that you are is coming to that same end. In life, there are only two classes of species: prey and predator. We are predators. We have been told that there is a female, who lives on the third planet from the sun that has the ability to control time. Now since there are thousands of solar systems, we have been searching for over twenty of your earth years. My troops believe that you are the one," she stated as she looked down upon Starfire.

"What will you do?" she asked shakily. Not from fear, but pure hatred.

"You will become my successor. You will rule my people when I am gone and control them for all eternity. You will wed my best man Zeng," she motioned to her left where a larger than normal bodyguard stood there. His waist was vacant of any gun. A cruel looking sword hung at his waist. Zeng looked her up and down before grunting. Starfire frowned.

"But it is not I who controls time… that's Raven," she gasped and looked horrified at the information she had just given.

"You are not the one? Pity. Take her back to her male friend," the queen ordered. As she walked away, she didn't hear the queen mutter to Zeng.

"Have the truth serum ready in one earth day. I want you to find out everything there is to know about this Raven."

Raven:

It wasn't true! It just couldn't be true! She finally found a way to save Beast Boy and he was once again snatched out of her reach! He couldn't be dead. Not after all they had been through. She landed the Sweeper with a large bump, causing Robin to jump into the air and land hard on his rear. Raven flung the door open and ran as fast as she could to the unrecognizable doom buggy. As soon as she got there, she covered the fire with her powers and killed it. She then used them to frantically throw objects away, looking for her lost love. Robin ran up, sand flying and his head wiping this way and that, looking out for trouble. His gun was drawn as Raven, tears flying in every direction, threw objects out of her way.

"He's not here!" she shouted frantically. Hope filled her. Maybe he was still alive… or maybe they did like every other body and took it with them. Robin came up and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Raven," he said. The sun was already getting to him and sweat made his skin glisten, "He's gone. There's nothing left that we can do." Raven's eyes filled with tears of sorrow and felt her knees hit the sand. Gone… it just couldn't be true. A lone tear fell to the ground and was immediately swallowed by the ever thirsty desert. Her back and shoulders shuddered with sobs as Robin just kept his hand on her shoulder.

"Beast Boy?" she moaned pleadingly. Tears roamed her cheeks as she looked up. Her crying stopped. What was that in the distance? It was small. That meant it was far away. She looked a little bit more in front of the blackened doom buggy. Footprints led away from five dead alien bodies that they had not seen before.

"Beast Boy," she whispered. She was up and running, waving her arms and screaming his name. Robin's eyes followed to where she was running and widened. Then he smiled. He went back to the Sweeper where it was cool, a smile on his face.

"Beast Boy! Beeeeast Boooooy!" Raven cried. Beast Boy, having heard his name, turned slowly around in confusion. His eyes widened, heart leaping into his mouth. Was that Raven running pell mell toward him waving her arms like a lunatic? It was. Happiness, indescribable happiness exploded in his chest. He was laughing before he knew it. Raven flew into his arms, legs wrapped around his sweaty waist and her hands gripping his greasy hair. Her lips crushed into his own. This was all too much and Beast Boy fell onto his elbows and back. He immediately returned the kiss for all he was worth, wrapping his arms around Raven's back. Raven stopped kissing to breathe and peered into the forest green eyes she had missed so very much. Love and passion that words cannot describe overflowed her.

"Oh Beast Boy," she said and began kissing him again. Tears of absolute joy at finding her lost love fell down her face. She released him and hugged him tight, placing her head to his chest. Her eyes closed. He stank to high heaven, no worse than she, but he somehow still held that piney scent she had always loved.

"I'm never leaving your side again as long as I live," she declared. Beast Boy gave a low masculine chuckle that sent shivers down her spine.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he said lovingly. He got up, and carried her in his arms back to the Sweeper, Robin leaning against the doorway, knowing smile still on his face.

How was it? I want to know your every thought. Reviews are what keeps my stories up. so please review ppl! love ya all!