I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.
Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 26
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They never found the body of Victor Stone. Starfire searched outside for over an hour. Unfortunately, the dark of the Antarctica night, the whirling snow and ice, and the complete lack of markers regarding the direction the Cyborg might have taken, or even if he began leaping away from the building in his final madness, made the search almost futile. The severe winds and blowing snow could have quickly buried his body anywhere, sealing it in an icy tomb that would last eons.
Back inside, the remaining titans worked to repair the damage done by their lost friend. Raven quickly used her abilities to manipulate objects to move the airlock from its current placement. Cyborg had blown through the wall near the juncture where the airlock was situated. It had to be moved back roughly twenty yards to put the opening to the Antarctica cold in front of the lock so that the temperature could be returned to a livable condition.
While Raven was manipulating her black energy, carefully, as the airlock was a sensitive piece of equipment and they now no longer had anyone with the capabilities to repair it, Robin and Beast Boy were hauling the various cables and cords back along with the airlock. It had to be done at the same pace as Raven was moving the lock, otherwise they would pull the cables out, rendering the lock just as useless.
After about a half an hour, the procedure was complete and the air in the corridor began the slow process of warming up again. It was fortunate that the heaters continued to work as the titans had had no time to change into warmer clothes, not that Beast Boy had any, still, the frigid air blowing through the corridor did not make for comfortable working conditions.
Nor did the knowledge that their friend was dead.
After they were finished, Robin turned to the sorceress. "Raven, get your thermal gear on and a strong flashlight. You and I are going through the airlock to where Vic had his breakdown. He sounded as if he saw something. I don't know if he was imagining things or not, but I want to take a look. If there IS something deep in this building, I want to know about it."
The shapeshifter remained quiet at this. He knew that this was the right thing to do, but it relegated him to the sidelines once again, since there was no way he could go beyond the warmth of the enclave. Instead he did what he could. "Robin, I'm going to check the on board systems. Maybe there's something, anything, that could give us an idea. If there IS something out there, it would appear on the scopes."
"Couldn't hurt." There was still a considerable frostiness in the boy wonder's voice. However, with one death and the possibility of something still inhabiting the city, this was not the time to get distracted by rivalries.
The titans split up to pursue their separate courses of action. A short while later, Robin and Raven met back at the airlock dressed in their thermal gear. Making their way through the lock, they felt the frigid Antarctica night seep into their very bones once again. Walking the twenty yards to the place where the airlock had formerly been, they passed by the blasted wall.
"Raven, when you were reading his emotions, did he actually SEE anything, or was it the madness?"
She paused for a moment, recollecting the chaos within Cyborg's mind, the turmoil that had flooded every part of his being. "Truthfully, I'm not sure if he could tell what was real anymore."
"Still," continued Robin, "something must have triggered it. He kept telling something to get away. Was it the wings he was hearing? Or something we still haven't found?" To this, there was no answer.
The two titans continued to the spot where the airlock had previously been. It was at a corner of the corridor. Turning the corner, Robin flashed his light down the hall.
There was nothing there.
"So, it was only madness," Raven commented sadly.
"Maybe, maybe not." She looked at the titan leader in puzzlement. "Look at the ground. It's hard to tell if the ice and snow has been disturbed. The opening to the outside caused the wind to shift everything here. It's hard to read the signs. I don't see anything, but I can't rule it out conclusively."
"How would we be able to rule it out?" the purple haired girl asked.
"We'd have to explore it thoroughly." With a sigh, Robin shook his head. "There's no way we can do that. We don't have time or resources. This city could be huge. We're limited to a small enclosure for our survival, we need to uncover that mosaic and see if there are directions to R'yleh." Slamming his fist into his open hand, Robin shouted, "THERE'S NO TIME!"
"So, how do we protect ourselves IF there is something down there?"
Robin looked at her. "I'm not sure. Since we don't know what's there, if anything, our best bet is to block the opening to the corridor from the star chamber. Then set up a rotating guard." He pondered the situation for a few more minutes. "Perhaps, perhaps the airlock keeps it…them….whatever, at bay. Nothing has shown up before this and we've been here for several days."
"Maybe there's nothing here."
"I'm not willing to take that chance, especially after what happened to Vic."
That seemed to end the discussion. Robin and Raven made their way back inside the protected area.
Once they returned to the chamber, there was no longer any distraction for them from facing the reality of the death of Cyborg. People who are used to action, when the action has ended, are forced to face the consequences of their situation. Now, stuck waiting until the ice melted enough to unveil the mosaic, the titans were left alone with their individual thoughts.
In this case, Raven needed to meditate. Given that her powers demanded that she maintain a rigid control over the more vibrant of her emotions, the emotional turmoil of the death of a friend was bringing her exceedingly close to a complete breakdown in these controls. It was several hours later that she was able to feel she was at least a little more in control.
The death of her friend was a situation that had never occurred to the grey girl. During her years on Azerath, she still had her mother, her teachers. There had been no deaths that she was directly related to. Once on earth, she had not been close to many until she met up with the titans. Probably the nearest she had ever been to having someone die that she knew more than in passing was Terra. Even then, there was the belief that she could still come back. Beast Boy said she was already back, but Raven had never gone to investigate. The events surrounding the geomancer's betrayal and fall were not something she cared to recollect.
Leaving her compartment, Raven went into the main body of the T-Jet. Intending to go through the portal to the star chamber, she saw a green figure sitting at the small table, his back to her, face to the wall. He was staring at the spot that Cyborg had been crouched at a few days ago, when the panic attack revealed the most obvious symptoms of his madness.
As she made her way over to him, Beast Boy spoke. "I should have done something. I should have realized how much trouble he was in. God, I'm such a failure." The emotional waves emanating from the changeling were deep-seated and severe. This was not some minor insecurity Raven was feeling from him.
"Beast Boy, all of us saw it. There was nothing any of us could have done."
"You did something. You tried to calm him, tried to help him. I did what I always do, I failed."
"What do you mean?"
He turned to the grey girl, eyes red and wet with unshed tears. "Mom, Dad, King Tawaba, the Chief, Terra, now Vic. Everyone I get close to is dead. And what do I do? Watch! I don't help, I can't help them. I'm stuck watching." With every word, the self loathing came closer and closer to the surface. The fun prankster was completely gone now, the tormented, troubled youth was standing before her.
Raven was stunned. Her knowledge of the past life of Beast Boy was minimal. Now, to hear him go through a litany of people he'd seen die, a litany he rattled off as if they were his constant companions was upsetting.
"Beast Boy, what's happened to you? Who was the king you mentioned, who was the chief?"
Taking a deep breath, his voice cracking, the green teen said, "King Tawaba was the king of the tribe my folks were staying with doing research. He adopted me after….after…." He stifled a sob. A moment later, regaining his composure, he continued. "He was killed by the tribal medicine man. The Chief, Niles Caulder, was the original leader and founder of the Doom Patrol. Mento only became the leader after he was murdered by the Brotherhood of Evil."
Raven's eyes widened, to realize that death after death had followed the young teen around his life, brief though it had been, was a revelation. How had he survived? How had he continued day after day?
"I'm so tired Rae. Death after death, how do people keep going? How do you do it? How do you keep yourself together? It feels like it will never end." The changeling dropped his head and ran his hands through his hair, shaking it from side to side as if to dislodge the memories it contained.
"I've never had to go through what you've gone through. Beast Boy, Vic is the first real friend I've had who's died."
"Then you're lucky." The self-loathing was now on the surface. "You were able to help, somewhat, at least. You can hold your head up that you tried." The emotional black pit that was Beast Boy was deepening.
"Beast Boy, this is different. Vic was my teammate, my friend. I've never lost a loved parent. I've never lost my guardians, I've never lost my best friend." Beast Boy raised his eyes to her at this. After a moment, he spoke.
"Vic was my best bud, my pal. He wasn't my best friend, you are."
The purple haired mistress was stunned by this pronouncement. "Me, his best friend? All we do is fight and argue. I don't understand."
"Please Raven, please promise me you'll stay safe. Please promise me you'll stay alive. I couldn't.." his voice broke at this and a sob escaped. "I couldn't last another moment if you weren't here. I would be completely shattered. I love you."
The Azerathean girl's eyes opened wide at this statement. Stunned beyond all measure, Raven just stood there.
Meanwhile, several thousand miles away to the north, in a tower of glass and steel, there was a room. It was dark and deserted, a layer of dust covered most of the room as the resident had not been back in a number of weeks. On the bureau was a rather ornate hand mirror with a red gem at the crown. The mirror was suddenly encased in a black aura. It rose off of the bureau and began to spin, overloaded with energy. The glass with the frame splintered and cracked with an explosive force, shattering the mirror and turning the glass within to shards and dust. Spinning around and around in a maelstrom of turbulence, the broken shards rearranged themselves and settled again in the mirror's frame. With one final burst of energy, the glass was fused into a solid whole again. Completely sound, but completely different.
Raven stared at her teammate. Moving over to face him, as she had once before, she hugged him.
"Garfield, don't worry. I will never leave you. I will always be with you. I love you." And she kissed him, gently, but with the intention that they would be together, now and forever.
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In the star chamber, Robin continued to work away at the ice covering the mosaic. As when there was any emotional discord within him, Robin focused on one thing, work. Anything to avoid the consequences of facing the emotional reality that existed. And so, he chipped slowly away at the ice on the wall, rather than the ice in his soul.
Starfire had come back from her fruitless search of the surrounding area. After standing off to the side for a period of time, she came to a decision. She moved over to the boy wonder and faced him.
"Robin, I wish to assist me in a Tamaranean ceremony."
Robin stopped his work on the mosaic. "What kind of ceremony? I won't have to eat any pudding, will I?"
"This is a serious ceremony. It is the Ritual of Remembrance. Whenever a warrior dies, a Tamaranean who wishes to honor the deceased chooses a companion for the ritual. I wish to do so for friend Victor and I wish you to assist me."
Putting down his tools, Robin turned towards the princess. "Very well, I am honored that you would ask me to assist you in this ritual. What do I need to do?"
Taking a deep breath, Starfire said, "Please take off your clothes." The teen detective's eyes widened at this request.
"WHAT?"
"Robin, the Ritual involves making a replacement for the departed warrior. We are a people of warriors. Whenever a warrior dies, those who wish to honor the dead mate in order to replace the lost warrior and name the child after the dead warrior. The more children who are born as a result of this ritual, the greater the warrior. It is to show the worth of the departed. The greatest warrior in Tamaranean history was Krandoria, who had 2,247 children named after him. He was mighty indeed to need that many replacements."
"I know that on earth, you do not honor your dead this way. But, this is how I wish to honor our friend's passing. You are the mightiest warrior I know on the planet and our child would be a worthy replacement for Victor. Even if I am the only one who wishes to honor him this way, it is something I feel honor bound to do."
Robin was breathing very heavily during these statements. This was NOT something he had been expected. "Starfire, I…I…I.."
"I understand from Raven that you find me desirable. At least Beast Boy seems to think so, and Raven concurs. At least she explained to me what a 'hard on' was. Therefore, I do not believe that you will find it difficult to fulfill your part in the Ritual."
"Starfire, I…I…I…." Robin was starting to hyperventilate. Trying to regain some measure of composure, he continued, "Ummm, this isn't anything I was really expecting. You know on earth, men and women don't generally just, ummmm, mate."
"That is not the impression I get from your movies and TV shows. Nevertheless, this is not just some random mating. This is to honor Victor."
Robin was starting to puff out his cheeks, breathing heavily. "Well, uhhh, well, uhhh. There's no guarantee that this will result in a….uhhhh….replacement."
"Oh, yes it will. Tamaraneans have the ability to conceive at need. There is no need for you to worry regarding that."
The boy wonder's eyes opened even wider at that statement. "Right, of course, I should have known. Starfire, can we, uhhh, maybe, uhhh, do this somewhere a little more private? What if the others come in?" Robin's face was turning red at the thought.
"Hmmm, oh, of course, your human concept of modesty. Well, we can certainly find someplace a bit more comfortable. If I understand right, the ice would not be helpful to your part of the ritual."
"Which is why I take cold showers," muttered Robin.
"Let us go to one of the antechambers that we set up as sleeping quarters. There are bunks and heaters in there that will afford us some measure of privacy and comfort."
"Do you have to be so business like? I was hoping for a bit more romance."
"Then you should have moved quicker and not let me do all the work. Besides," at this, Starfire lowered her head and, with a shy smile, said, "the ritual is usually done between people who are attracted to one another and are either involved or wish to be involved."
If Robin's eyes could have opened wider they would have. At this stage, he was completely stunned and beyond all conscious thought. Starfire took his hand and led him to one of the antechambers for the Ritual of Remembrance.
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Couldn't resist. Much of the last 20+ chapters have been designed to get to THIS chapter. Had it planned out from the beginning. A rather, suggestive, interlude after madness and death. Still, I've found that once a strong emotion is unleashed, in this case grief, it frees up many others. In this case, love and desire. Everyone is too emotionally open to be able to hide their feelings and they are searching for comfort in any way they can. Human (& Azerathean & Tamaranean) nature. People are people.
Meanwhile, speaking of people. I am getting a considerable number of hits. Far more than I am used to. Not nearly what Force or Novus generally get, but good for me. Right now, my TOTAL hits for the story since its beginning is roughly 3700 and I'm getting between 70-90 hits for each chapter.
As could be expected, the main point regarding the past chapter was the death of Cyborg. Before anyone asks, yes, he's really dead. Lovecraft's world is a dangerous one. The vast majority of protagonists end up either mad or dead or both. In this case, it was both. I'm trying to be consistent with the genre.
Still, even though the sentiments of my review was similar, I am most appreciative of their responses. As always, in order,
ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – In the world of HP Lovecraft, things can ALWAYS get worse. And it will, I promise.
Hawkgirl90 – I'm sorry for the upset regarding your second favorite character. But, if you look back, you will see that this was inevitable from the beginning. By the way, I pronounce it Cthulhu, (K-thool-hoo) don't know if that's right, that's just the way I pronounce it.
Bluesummers2012 – Comfortable, no, not particularly. But the story demanded it. If one is to stay consistent with the genre, one has to be willing to abide by its rules. Lovecraft demands death and madness, as I have plans for the other four (Bwah-ha-ha), Cyborg was the sacrifice.
Punk – Glad you're enjoying the suspense. Not much in this chapter, but I guarantee, this will be the LAST peaceful interlude. The action (or buildup) will resume next chapter.
Soulseekerthe13th – Thought you'd enjoy this one. A good Lovecraftian rant is always fun. Where is your posting, on your webpage? I confess, I've been so caught up in getting these chapters out, I'm flagging in my reading.
Alf – I swear, I only have five fingers on my right hand. You must be looking for someone else (have fun storming the castle).
Novus Ordo Seclorum – Didn't think you were going to make this cut. I posted days ago and you'd not responded. (Force was first, as usual). To some extent you are correct, tragedy, as you can see, will bring some people together. They will have time to grieve, even if abbreviated. BB and Robin, well, let's say their story is not yet done.
This chapter took longer than usual to write. My 26th chapter in four months. I'm working on a pace of two chapters a week. I will still finish this story (I have anywhere from six to eight chapters to go), but I can feel myself getting tired. Hopefully, I won't slow down too much, but attempting to keep the mood and the 'growing despair' gets tiring. Occasionally, I need the lightness of a chapter like this, or at least some action. After I'm done, I may take a bit of a sabbatical. (No, I will NOT give up my turn at Ganguro, I'm enjoying that too much), but I will take a break before my next project. I have an idea that is germinating, an adventure starring Beast Boy and Robin (I've maligned the poor fellow so much recently, I need to rehabilitate him).
Until next time my friends, sleep well.