I do not own anything relating to the Teen Titans.
Opening the Closet Door a Crack – Chapter 27
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It was significantly later when Raven left the cabin to find a quiet place to meditate. While love is a much more pleasant emotion than rage, it is still just as powerful. Therefore, the goth girl needed time for meditation in order to keep her powers under control. Going back into the galley, Raven positioned herself in a lotus and began to chant her mantra.
Several hours later, after determining that she had fully reasserted her control over the potential emotional overload, Raven opened her eyes. Sitting in front of her was Starfire, just watching.
"How long have you been sitting there? WHY are you sitting there?"
"I wish to engage in 'girl talk'. Something wonderful happened last night and I wish to tell you about it."
The purple haired girl let out a long suffering sigh. One of Starfire's wonderful events could be anything from discovering a new TV show (unlikely under the current circumstances) to the announcement that it was klomforch day on Tamaran and everyone had to wear stripes. Right now, Raven was feeling unusually at peace because of the events of the past several hours and wanted to enjoy the mood. Still, when Starfire was in one of her 'wonderful' phases, there was no avoiding it.
"All right, what do you want to tell me?"
"Robin and I performed the Ritual of Remembrance for Victor."
"That's nice. I'm sure Victor would appreciate it."
"Yes it was, very nice. I would like to tell you about it."
Raven sighed again. A long, extremely boring Tamaranean ceremony was NOT on her agenda for the morning. "Very well, what happened?"
"Well, after we removed our clothes,"
"WHAT?" The ceiling light blew out and the coffee maker began sparking. The backup light came on.
"I said after we removed.."
"I HEARD THAT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT! I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT! YOU DON'T SEE ME TALKING ABOUT GAR AND ME!" Raven winced after saying that last sentence. She hadn't intended to say anything to anyone about what had just happened between them, it was still too new to her.
Starfire raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Hmmm," she murmured, "Sounds like Robin and I weren't the only ones engaged in the Ritual of Remembrance." Raven began to blush furiously. "Well, all I can say is that it about time. Friend Beast Boy has been in love with you for a long while and I am glad you finally accepted that you love him as well." At that, Raven pulled her hood over her head.
She muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not?"
"Because…" she paused, "because…" she stopped again, "because I don't know why! I just don't!" The sorceress was becoming very flustered.
"Perhaps it is too new to you," replied Starfire. "You are not yet comfortable with this new situation? Please take your hood down so I can see your face." Raven sheepishly complied. "Thank you, it is difficult to speak with someone when one cannot see their face."
"It's just….I'm not sure how…..we didn't plan….he told me he loved me." She paused, remembering that moment. "He meant it, I could feel his emotions."
"He always has. His devotion to you has been remarkable."
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Very well, when Robin and I started in the Ritual…"
"NOT THAT!" Starfire looked a bit put out and remained quiet.
After a moment, Raven couldn't resist. "Well, I do have ONE question." Starfire's eyebrows were raised. Raven blushed again. "Umm, what color eyes does Robin have?"
At that, the princess's face fell. "I still do not know. He never removed his mask, not during the entire Ritual. Given how uncomfortable he was, I did not press him."
"Ooooh, Kay. That's starting to fall under the heading of too much information. Can we discuss something, ANYTHING, else?"
Starfire let out a deep sigh. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. She would NEVER understand the bizarre customs and taboos on this planet.
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Life over the next several days began to fall into a recognizable pattern for the surviving titans, albeit, in a far different form than they had previously known. While they still grieved for their lost friend, the newfound closeness that had resulted from each seeking comfort strengthened and appeared to be a permanent fixture of their lives. Before, it was boys in one room, girls in another. Now, it was Robin and Starfire in one, Beast Boy and Raven in another.
While the new accommodations helped the four titans emotionally deal with the loss of Victor Stone, it also assisted in another important way. It kept Beast Boy and Robin apart. This was becoming more and more vital as the enmity between the two was growing. Originally, the two seemed to be able to be in the same room and at least tolerate each other.
However, it seemed that with the death of Cyborg, the glue that held the two together as teammates completely dissolved. Robin watched the green teen with undisguised loathing. When Beast Boy saw the boy wonder, there was abject hatred in his eyes. So far, thanks to the efforts of the two remaining titans, the boys had been kept far apart.
This was not easy as both wanted to work on removing the ice from the walls of the star chamber. And in truth, it needed all four titans working together as the ice was eons old and thick. Its removal had to be done delicately so that the underlying mosaic would not be disturbed or damaged. Therefore, the heat had to be turned up considerably (no one objected to that) and the boys kept on opposite sides of the room, working. As a safety measure, Starfire worked closely with Robin and Raven with Beast Boy, anticipating that if some spark set off a confrontation, they would be able to prevent them from attacking each other.
And so, the work continued, slowly the ice was removed and more and more of the mosaic was revealed. It was a delicate balance, trying to accomplish their task all while dealing with the grief over the loss of Victor and the increasing animosity between Robin and Beast Boy. Both girls believed they knew the origins of the growing hatred, Robin's humiliation, Beast Boy's debasement over the years; without a buffer, the two had no release, no way of siphoning off their growing rage with one another. Two individuals, so alike, yet so different. Starfire and Raven did what they could to provide emotional support for the two, but the team's balance had been broken. The death of Cyborg had irretrievably severed the bonds of the team.
Compounding all of the emotional stress was the continued stress of the Antarctica night, the cold, the dark, the enclosed area, sealed, with no room to maneuver, no escape. Trapped in a room that obeyed none of the accepted laws of mathematics, at least as known by humanity. Where at times, the ceiling looked to be 20 feet high, another time, only 10; where for a period, the walls were concave, then suddenly convex. Where the mosaic slowly being unveiled revealed horror after horror, as creatures unimaginable to human consciousness attacked, killed and consumed each other. There was no rest, no peace, save only in sleep, and in the arms of their lovers.
And so, the tension built. Robin began to make uncharacteristically sarcastic comments to the green shape shifter at either the slightest provocation or no provocation at all. Beast Boy began to growl occasionally at the boy wonder, his hair standing on end. At times, his body coiled, as if ready to leap at the teen detective. At that time, only the ministrations and distractions of Raven could deter him.
And she did so. The growing emotional charges being exhibited by the two boys were a constant strain on her control, yet control them she did. At times, usually after Beast Boy had fallen into a deep, if restless, sleep, did the sorceress engage in the meditation necessary for her own emotional well being. At those times, it was Starfire who kept the peace, watching that Raven was kept safe and that the two boys were kept apart.
Only once over that period did it appear that the truce was failing. At one point, a large block of ice fell from the wall between the two male titans, startling them. Robin turned towards Beast Boy, releasing his birdarang at the changeling, who had already morphed into a rhinoceros. Starfire grabbed the birdarang in mid-air, crushing it. Raven had encased Beast Boy in an energy bubble.
"Please Gar, change back." She stated in her monotone. There was an undercurrent of trepidation in her voice despite this, as if she hated what she was doing, but would not hesitate to prevent her lover from harming another, in keeping with the promise she made him days ago.
The green rhino became a teenage boy once again. Tightly wound, he nodded his head in acknowledgement of what she had done and why. Breathing heavily and quickly, he moved to her side and hugged her, thanking her soundless for preventing him from completing the one action that would finish him.
At the same time, Robin was looking at Starfire, his face an unreadable mask. Without a word, he turned back to the wall and resumed the task of chipping at the ice.
Finally, a week or so after Cyborg's death, the titans completed the work of removing the ice and could view the mosaic in its entirety.
In its entirety, it was just as hideous as was the original uncovered piece, more considering the subject matter. It seemed to be a battle between the Elder Ones and the Deep Ones. No quarter was given, the fight appeared to be to extermination. More so, there were other entities that were represented on the mosaic, monstrous creatures that had no right to existence in any sane universe. While the battle spread over the entire room, there was one quarter of the room that seemed to show the central location of the Deep Ones, an island covered in algae, fungus and warped versions of undersea life. On it was a massive stone sarcophagus.
"So, is this real, or just a representation of the battle?" asked Raven.
"No way to tell. My guess is that that island over there is supposed to be R'yleh." Robin replied. "Starfire, does that correspond with your knowledge."
The princess had been carefully looking at the mosaic, turning round and round as she attempted to take in the subject in its entirety. "Yes Robin, I believe this is one of the battles that took place on earth between the Elder Ones and the Deep Ones."
"Wait a minute, are you trying to tell me that completely by accident, we stumbled on the answer on the first TRY? Even I'm not willing to go for that."
Raven looked at the green changeling. "You know, I hate to admit it, but Gar does have a point." He beamed, "Don't get used to it, I'm only agreeing under duress." Beast Boy gave a chuckle at that, the first one heard out of him in over a week. "That IS carrying coincidence too far. Is this supposed to be a museum? A private home?"
"I am not certain. My knowledge of the Elder Ones is limited. With the disappearance of the Old Ones, they fell out of galactic history and are little studied. If I had to make a guess, I would say this is a museum dedicated to the war against the Outer Gods and their disciples. As that was the entire purpose of the Elder Ones existence, it would be their main focus."
"OK, even if we go with that, this doesn't really help us much. We STILL don't know where the island is." Raven pointed out.
Robin was pondering, muttering aloud, "Longitudinal coordinates are out, didn't have them back then. Comparatives distances are out due to continental drift. Star positions are out, after millions of years the star map has shifted. Hmm," he continued to stare at the mosaic, looking at the place in the mosaic where R'yleh was located. There were a number of stars and other objects in the night sky above the island.
"So Robin," interrupted Starfire, "Do you NOW believe that R'yleh is on earth?"
"Oh yes, there's no doubt of that, there's the moon over there, there's Venus and Mars and the other planets, so its….definitely…" Robin stopped for a moment and stared. "THAT'S IT! The stars may have moved, but the planets are consistently around the sun and the earth, we just need to figure out this configuration and adjust for any minor drift over the eons, shouldn't be much, gravitational forces are pretty dependable. Look, they've even got all the planets out to Neptune in the picture. We should be able to figure this out."
"How can you tell it's Neptune?" asked Raven.
"See the color and the moons. These creatures had the same concept, they needed to be able to find the island no matter when and where they were. We just need to load this configuration into the computer and let it come up with a geographical place where this configuration can be seen in THIS particular reference in the South Pacific."
"Excuse me genius," interrupted Beast Boy, "but the antenna's out and we don't have access to the main titan computer back at the tower."
"Listen you," Robin turned to the shape shifter, "butt out regarding things you're too stupid to know about."
"Bird Brain, I know enough that you can't do this with a paper and pencil, regardless of how delusional you are about your brainpower."
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" shouted Raven. Various objects nearby took on an ominous black glow. "DON'T FORCE ME TO SEND YOU TO SEPARATE DIMENSIONS. AND BEFORE YOU EVEN HINT IT, GAR, I LOVE YOU AND I WILL STILL THROW YOU THROUGH THE WALL WHEN YOU ANNOY ME." Beast Boy immediately backed down and looked sheepish. Then a small smile came through.
"That's my girl. I live for abuse."
Raven narrowed her eyes at the changeling, then a small smile appeared on her face as well. The black aura that had appeared in various placed dissipated.
Taking a deep breath, Robin said in a toneless voice, "We can still use the onboard computer. It's not as powerful and will probably take a day or so to come up with a location. But it's worth a try."
"That is marvelous," squealed Starfire, "we can be on our way tomorrow! When will you start programming the computer?"
"I'll start now. While I'm programming, you can break camp and load everything back on the T-jet. We can probably take off while the computer is working. We know the location is somewhere in the South Pacific and it'll take a while to get off of this continent."
With that, the titans parted, each to their task. With Raven's energy manipulation and Starfire's strength, the task of breaking camp was not as onerous as you might expect. It still took a few hours, but it was not something that would take an excessive amount of time.
During that time, Raven came upon Beast Boy standing at the entrance to the corridor where Victor had spent his last few days. It was obvious that the green teen had been reeling in the cords and cables. However, he was now standing still, cords in hand, unmoving. The grey girl came up to him.
"Gar, are you ok?"
Beast Boy turned to his love, there were tears in his eyes. "I'm gonna miss him Rae." The tears began to flow freely. Raven moved towards him and hugged him, letting him get his grief out. He held her tightly as he quietly cried into her shoulder.
After a few moments, Raven interrupted him. "Why don't you say your goodbye to Vic now. I'll retrieve the airlock."
"No, I'll help. I've said my goodbye to him. I hope he's finally happy and at peace."
There was nothing to say after that.
After removing all of their equipment to the T-Jet, Raven took down the portal, sealing the four titans in their craft. While the computer worked, the titans slept. After roughly seven hours, they awoke. The computer was still working on the problem, but they could finally, at long last leave that desolate land.
As the T-Jet flew away from that ancient city, each breathed a sigh of relieve. Although they had left one of their own behind, they were glad to leave that land of darkness and night. Of cold and wind and snow. Leaving those mountains of madness that had claimed one of their own. They knew that the wind and the ice would eventually cover up the mosaic they had uncovered, as it had buried the body of Victor Stone, as it would eventually cover up the hole in the wall that he had created.
A wall that had already been repaired.
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Finally, we're finished with the Mountains of Madness arc and are ready for the final arc, "The Call of Cthulhu", Lovecraft's classic work that started it all. I think there are about four chapters left, maybe five. Depends on how I play out the actions on the island.
Meanwhile, my thanks and appreciation for everyone who has been reading this work, who has stuck with it through all of these chapters of madness and death, I am extremely grateful.
On to the reviewers,
Novus Ordo Seclorum – A first my friend, you were first to review. My thanks as always for the compliments. As for the mirror, my intent was not to show that she changed herself, but that she underwent a rearranging of herself. With the realization that she loves Gar, that new understanding of herself caused a considerable readjustment of awareness of who and what she was. Don't we all go through that when we fall in love?
ForceIsStrongWithThisOne – That's the real key. Will the heroes survive? How many will survive (could be all, could be one, only I know the answer. And I'm not telling.) and what condition will they be in? I'm glad you're enjoying the horror story and think highly of it. I have plans for Robin.
Hawkgirl90 – As I said, I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since the very beginning. Glad it helped with the grieving.
Deadly-Sinner – Welcome to the story's reviewers. Glad you've been enjoying the tale. Glad you liked the first mate's statement, I very much enjoyed writing that.
Ijpowers92 – TVTropes FanFic Recommendations? Until you mentioned it, I was not even aware of such a site. Looking through it, I thought it was pretty cool, although I didn't see 'Opening' listed anywhere. Although I very easily could have been looking in the wrong place (just my luck).
Punk – Happy you liked it. I do like to throw people a curve occasionally. You can only write doom and gloom for so long (at least I can). I happen to like sweet.
Kenzie – You're back! Actually, the Hercules scene is consistent with Greek mythology. That was one of the reasons I introduced the hags back in the beginning. I wanted an unequivocal death that no one would not know was final. The hags/fates accomplished this. I'm thrilled I'm in your top 5. My humble thanks.
Bluesummer2012 – Don't worry, as you can see, the Titans are heading for warmer climes now. You know, I have rather the same feeling towards Cyborg. I like him, but without the tether of a romantic interest, he always seems to be added on, a fifth wheel. He's fun, enjoyable, yet he doesn't stir the same interest that I have in the others. Don't really know why myself.
Soulseekerthe13th – Thanks for the 'hints', even I think I might find them now. As I said previously, you can only have so much doom and gloom without SOME light. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), it will be all doom and gloom from now on. It's R'yleh, what do you expect?
Until next time my friends, sleep well.