Apex Predator
By Bubbajack
Beta Diller
Disclaimer: I don't own any DC or Marvel characters that may show up in this fic.
Ch.2: Rough Reunions.
(...)
A thousand and one thoughts rushed through Beast Boys' head as he stared at the ghost in front of him.
'He should be dead, I saw him go over a one-hundred twenty foot waterfall. If he was alive why didn't he come get me? Why did I have to live with Nicholas Galtry? Why did I have to become a thief? Why, why, why..?'
That single word echoed in his mind over and again as he stared at his long-lost father confusion turned to anger, anger turned to rage, and rage turned to the Dark Sid-I mean wrath.
Both Raven and Professor Xavier sensed the turmoil going on within the changeling's psyche and Raven tentatively reached out and placing a hand on his shoulder asked "Gar, are you ok?"
In response, Beast Boy slowly raised his trembling hands and removed his holoring, revealing his true appearance to all present before calmly handing it to Raven without looking at her and saying "Rae, hang onto this for me will ya?"
Moments later he locked eyes with his father, and Logan tensed upon seeing the mixture of hurt, anger and betrayal his son was giving him. Making a calming gesture he said "Now I realize your upset kiddo but-"
"Shut up, just shut the fuck up!" Garfield roared his voice becoming bestial and guttural, akin to the roar of a primal enraged animal before he did something he wasn't even aware of in his state of frenzy...
He sprouted a pair of five foot long barbed arm blades that looked distinctly like snouts of sawfish from his forearms before charging at his missing parental figure and slamming into him with enough force to send them both toppling out the window. Professor Xavier tried to stop them both with his powers only for an orb of black energy to cocoon around himself, Beast, Ororo, and his pupils.
Looking over at the only occupant of the room that currently wasn't trapped in a sphere of black energy, Xavier asked "Why are you doing this Miss Roth?"
Raven, her eyes glowing white and her hands encased in black energy answered "I'm doing this for Garfield's sake Professor. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against you personally, but if you had even the slightest clue what Garfield has had to go through because he thought both his parents were dead, then you would understand why I'm doing this."
Raven's eyes still pouring out pure white light softened as did her voice as she continued "I won't say much as it's not my story to tell, it's his, but I will say this, Beast Boy hasn't had very many good role models in his life and somehow he's not a villain when by rights he should be."
Raven suppressed a shiver which still went noticed by the paraplegic telepath before she finished "Most if not all of the terrible events in his life could've been avoided if his father had just been there for him. Now to be fair; he thought his father was dead, but now he finds out he's been alive these past ten years and...Well, let's just say this is a good way for him to work through some of his issues." The empath finished while locking eyes with the telepath.
After a moment Charles nodded and said "Very well, I will let this play out but if this becomes a danger to my students-" Xavier warned only for Raven to finish "Don't worry, I'll stop him before it gets that far; you have my word."
Xavier nodded and Raven released them from her spheres, after which Rogue said "Well, ah think we can trust em, don' you Professor?"
Xavier nodded before addressing Raven "Well Miss Roth, allow me to welcome you to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, a place where children with special gifts can come and hone their unique talents. Talents like the one you just displayed."
Ravens' eyes widened ever so slightly before she asked "Wait you mean the purpose of this institute is to seek out and train people with superpowers?"
Xavier smiled slightly and nodded saying "Something like that yes, except we specifically look for people like ourselves, fellow mutants, like young Garfield to offer guidance to so he does not use his powers for nefarious ends."
Raven nodded in understanding "I see, but I'm not a mutant my powers come from...a different source." She said evasively.
The others tensed but Xavier remained calm and merely said "I see, no doubt it is something you would rather not discuss and so I shall not force you, but you just like the rest of us are different and so, you too are welcome here if you so wish."
Raven actually smiled a bit at that. "Thank you Professor, that's very generous of you." She said in her monotone.
"Think nothing of it Miss Roth." Xavier replied before he telekinetically moved his wheelchair towards the window to oversee the fight while the others joined him.
(...)
Beast Boy stabbed his father in the gut repeatedly, as they fell a good three stories towards the cobblestone driveway below. They missed the driveway however and ended up landing on Scott's convertible, totaling the machine. With Logan beneath him the impact was severely lessened and, shaking off a minor dizzy spell, Garfield went to stab him in the face...only to be thrown through the air as Logan tossed him off of him using his legs, before rolling to his feet, his healing factor already at work knitting back together his torn and ravaged innards. Beast Boy turned into a swallow in midair to catch himself midflight and, turning around, dive bombed the still healing mutant before turning into a Siberian tiger and lunging at his throat.
Wolverine threw himself backwards like something out of the matrix, causing the jungle cat to fly over him, and land on its feet before it turned around and snarled at him viciously. Straightening and turning around Wolverine looked his son in the eye and said "Garfield...son, I know your angry at me, and you have every right to be, but please...please just give me a chance to explain."
The tiger crouched its hackles raised and it snarled at the elder feral before he began to pace, his eyes never leaving his father's as he changed back to his human form and, folding his arms over chest and glaring at him he said "You have one minute before I do everything in my power to rip you to shreds. Go."
Sighing Wolverine began "As you can probably guess, I survived the falls because of my healing factor. I made it back to the village easy enough but King Tawaba said you never arrived. So I headed back out into the jungle looking for you, but by the time I picked up the trail of the guys who took you, it had started to rain."
Scowling the green teenager asked "So what, you just gave up, and what about mom?"
Logan looked away at the mention of Marie, his wife; before suppressing another sigh and looking back at his son before saying "All I could find of your mother was bloody rags; there was no way she could've survived Gar."
"You did." The changeling said pointedly.
Glaring at his son slightly Logan responded "But in case you haven't noticed bub, I'm not exactly normal."
A clearly false look of shock and awe passed Garfields face, he gasped before he said "Oh, no shit! I never would've guessed, considering, you know, you have a healing factor and all."
Logan chuckled "I walked right into that one huh?"
"No shit, bud." Gar deadpanned.
Clearing his throat awkwardly Logan then continued "Well anyway, after I finally tracked you down to the states, I found you were living with that Galtry fella we hired to look after ya should anything happen to us. It was then I realized I couldn't explain how I'd survived the waterfall. So I figured it would just be best if I left ya with him I mean you were save and you had more than enough money so I-kid, what's wrong?" Logan asked as he noticed Garfield had started trembling, with his eyes downcast.
After a moment his head then snapped up and locked with the people standing in the window and what they saw made them take a step back in fear...Garfield's eyes were stark white, and tears were pouring from them.
"Scott?" he said his tone dark, but not quite the guttural tone it had been.
Poking his head out of the window Cyclops nervously asked "Yeah?"
"Remind me later I owe you a car." Beast Boy said before he turned into a Silverback Gorilla and, picking up the car with both of the creatures muscular arms, proceeded to use the vehicle as a makeshift baseball bat and beat Wolverine rapidly and mercilessly with it before it started to warp and smoke causing him to toss the and Logan a fair distance away. When the remains of the convertible landed it went up in a massive fireball taking Wolverine with it; as Garfield, now back in human form, and panting heavily in spent rage and exertion, watched on.
After a moment he slowly turned around and silently turning into a hummingbird before flying back into the open window before resuming his human form and slumping to the ground, his back against the wall, his ears drooping, and his eyes despondent. Raven slowly made her way to the shapeshifter, gently sliding down the wall until she was right next to him on his right, with Rogue doing the same on his left. The two Goths shared a look then, and a moment of silent communication passed between them the likes of which could only pass between two women before they nodded to each other slightly.
Hesitantly placing her hand on his shoulder, Raven asked "Gar, are you ok?"
He shook his head silently, causing Rogue to ask "What happened sugar? When he said he left you with that Galtry fella-"She fell silent when he growled out "Don't say that name!"
Nodding she tried again "Sorry, Gar but Ah'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with ya. Ah'm worried about ya is all."
"Why did you did you lose it when you heard your fa-"Raven stopped when she heard him growl and she reworded her question-"When Logan left you with that person?"
Taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh, Garfield spoke without looking at either of them "Nicholas Galtry, Nicholas Galtry was supposed to look after me until I could claim the inheritance my 'deceased' parents had left for me in the form of several hundred million dollars. However, he was a corrupt and greedy man. Before he ever found me, he had embezzled a good portion of my inheritance. After he brought me back to the States, he constantly tried to poison me."
Garfield chuckled hollowly before saying "I didn't even notice. Thanks to my unique physiology I'm more or less immune to poison or chemical warfare in general. After that; Galtry began hiring assassins to kill me. All of them failed...all forty-seven of them."
Everyone in the room gasped, as the realization of what Logan had done set in. In leaving his son with someone he thought would keep him safe, he had all but damned him to a life of fear and despair.
"Soon after that, Galtry tried to kill me himself; donning a costume taking up the name Arsenal, it was then that I went to the Doom Patrol for help and Rita and Steve ended up adopting me. Eventually I left the Doom Patrol..."
Garfield then looked over towards the doorway, where a cute redhead and his father, clad in just the burnt remains of his jeans stood before he said "Remember this Logan, you reap what you sow."
He then got up and turned to the Professor "Sorry about the mess man, but-"Beast Boy stopped talking when Xavier raised his hand, he then said "I understand why you did it Mr. Logan, though I do hope you won't make this a habit?"
The green changeling narrowed his eyes in annoyance "Just call me Garfield or Gar please; and there won't be any more trouble as long as he doesn't try to act like a parent to me." Gar said point a thumb at Logan and finishing "It's far too late for that."
Xavier saw a look of pain flash through the feral man's eyes briefly before he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and finally nodded. Closing his own eyes before sighing, Xavier responded "While I doubt Logan will try to mother hen you, he is still a teacher here and as such I expect you to show him a modicum of respect. Is that understood?"
His eyes half lidded Garfield stared into Xavier's own eyes before shrugging and saying "What's he teach, P.E.? he asked. Seeing the look on Xavier's face he sighed and said "If you say so bud."
Xavier stared at the green teen for a moment before thinking 'This is going to be difficult.'
Nodding Xavier said "Very well, now perhaps we can properly introduce ourselves I've already acquainted myself with Ms. Roth. I am Charles Xavier I am the principle and founder of Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.
"Garfield Mark Logan, nice to meet ya Chuckie." Garfield said with a smirk.
"You should show the Professor more respect." Scott said disapprovingly.
Garfield flicked his eyes over to Scott for a moment before saying "Respect, as well as trust, is earned, not given." Before turning back to the Professor and saying "No offense Chuckie, but I've learned that lesson the hard way."
Xavier nodded sagely "I quite understand, Garfield. I shall do the best I can to earn both. As will the fellow teachers here I'm sure." He said nodding towards both the dark-skinned woman and the...Beast covered in blue fur wearing a suit.
Upon laying eyes on the woman his eyes widened and he spoke in a foreign dialect "Salamu hali ya hewa mungu na msamaha wangu wanyenyekevu kwa si kutambua wewe mapema. Greetings weather goddess and my humblest apologies for not recognizing you sooner."
Storm's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she walked forward and, cupping Garfield head in her hands and raising his head to look her in the face replied in the same tongue "Hakuna haja ya kuwa hivyo uchaji mtoto. Tafadhali, just simu yangu Ororo; mimi si mungu katika muda mrefu, muda mrefu. No need to be so reverent child. Please, just call me Ororo; I haven't been a goddess in a long, long time."
"Ororo huh, cool?" Beast boy said ignoring all the odd looks both he and the former African weather goddess were receiving and turning to Beast and saying "No, no wait, lemme guess, we're somehow related aren't we?"
Beast chuckled at the young boy's joke, but shook his head. "I'm afraid not, I checked when I first met Logan."
Garfield shrugged "Bummer, I was hoping to have a cool uncle to hang out with."
Chuckling again, Beast held out a hand, which Garfield shook as he introduced himself "Hank McCoy Biochemist and Geneticist PHD at your service."
Smiling himself Garfield said "I see, well I'd do you one better, Garfield Mark Logan; Biochemist, Geneticist, Zoologist, and Theoretical Science PHD."
Everyone in the room looked shocked none more than Raven, Beast, and Logan. After a moment of silence Beast managed to get out "H-how could you have attained so many degrees so quickly? You're only what, sixteen?" Seeing the boy nod, Beast scratched his head in confusion trying to figure out the puzzle that was Wolverine's progeny.
"You have four PHD's?" Raven asked her amethyst eyes wide.
Now embarrassed he rubbed the back of his head and said "Uh well yeah, Rita wanted me to have a real career to fall back on incase this whole hero thing didn't work out. I tried acting at first; and it didn't pan out. So then I took online classes in stuff I thought would help me understand my powers better, hence genetics, zoology, and genetics, as for theoretical science-"Beast Boy shrugged "With all the aliens and other weird shit that happens on this rock, why not?"
"So you're a genius then?" Raven asked at length?"
To which Garfield scoffed and said "Hardly, but once I read something, I never forget it, but that doesn't mean I understand it. If someone is kind enough to explain something in laymen's terms I can easily follow and even come up with some crazy concepts of my own. The reason I was able to get my PHD's is because for most of them, I had an advantage no one else had...firsthand experience."
Everyone except Beast was confused "Ah, I think I understand." Seeing everyone else looking at him he elaborated "What young Garfield means is; while most Zoologist, need to study animals in their natural habitat to figure out how their minds work he took a shortcut and simply became the animal itself. I imagine you used similar methods to attain your other PHD's as well?" Beast asked.
"Well, all of them except for the theoretical science one. There was no law against it, so yeah." He replied before letting out a yawn.
Turning to the Professor tiredly, he said "Umm, not to sound rude or anything Chuckie, but I've got a serious case of jetlag and on top of that I'm emotionally drained. Is there someplace I can crash for like the next eight days or so?"
Seeing the boy was clearly fatigued, Xavier nodded before he looked towards the cute redhead and said "Jean, would you be so kind as to so Garfield and Miss Roth to the rooms they'll be using for their stay?"
Nodding the now named Jean said "Of course Professor." She then smiled kindly at the two guests, and their bags suddenly levitated off the ground and she said "C'mon you two, and don't worry I've got your bags."
Without another word, Garfield left the study, but not without giving his all but disowned father a glare. Raven however paused in front of him and said "You screwed up big time you know?"
Logan grunted, narrowing his eyes at her slightly before nodding "Yeah I'm beginning to get that distinct impression."
Rolling her eyes the empath couldn't help but ask "Was it the convertible to the face that gave you that idea?"
Logan let out a chuckle from deep within his throat "Yeah, it mighta been."
Shaking her head slightly Raven said "Well let me give you some free advice, for right now, just leave him alone. He needs time to adjust and accept the fact that you are not in fact dead."
Raising an eyebrow Logan asked "Are you a shrink or sumthin' girlie?"
Shaking her head Raven replied "No, I'm an empath and besides that I can guess what Beast Boy is thinking right now." Raven then reached out and patted his arm before saying "Just give him some time. Goodnight Mr. Logan."
"G'night, girlie." Logan grunted out as she left him deep in thought over his son.
(...)
Their guide, who introduced herself as Jean Grey, led the duo to a room before turning around and saying "Ok, Garfield, your room is right here." She said pointing to the door on her right before turning to Raven and saying "Rachel, your room is the first one on the right when you turn the corner at the end of the hall. That's where the rest of us girls sleep. Will that be ok?" she asked.
The two nodded and Jean looked up and down the hall briefly before she leaned in and whispered "Look Garfield I know I may be out of line for me to say this but about Logan; try giving him a chance ok?"
Upon seeing the incredulous look she was being given she said "I'm not saying forgive him, but terrible things have happened to Logan in the time you've been apart too. He's lost most of his memories and it haunts him, it really does."
Shaking his head Garfield replied "That shouldn't even matter to him. Instead of worrying about what he can or can't remember he should've worried about the present back then which involved protecting his son. Good night Raven, good night Jean."
After the two telekinetics bid him good night they made their way down the hall, halfway to her room, Jean dared to ask "So you wouldn't happen to be Raven of the Teen Titans would you?"
Seeing no point in hiding it Raven took off her holoring revealing her amethyst colored eyes, grey skin and blue-black hair before she nodded and said "Yes I am, why?"
Jean became slightly nervous before she said "Well it's just that, all of us here at the institute look up to heroes. Most look up to Spiderman or the Avengers because there based in New York, but there all so much older than us, at least the Avengers are, I'm not sure about Spiderman. Anyway I looked for a team of heroes who were around my age who had to deal with the issues of not being taken seriously being teenagers and yet still being able to use their gifts to help others."
"And you came across us." Raven said filling in the blanks, to which Jean nodded continuing "Yes I did, and I would just like to say I'm so happy to finally meet two of you in person, especially you Raven." Jean said giving her a smile.
"Me?" Raven didn't see this coming; she didn't have much in the way of fans to her knowledge even back in Jump so for this kind girl roughly a year older than her to say something like this...
Jean nodded "We're similar you and I, we both have powers that revolve around the manipulation of objects and, correct me if I'm wrong or stepping out of bounds but you have other mental abilities too don't you?"
Hearing the near desperation in the girls voice Raven couldn't help but feel like she needed to be truthful to her.
'Besides, what's the harm?' she thought.
"I'm also an Empath I can sense people's emotions." She told the redhead.
"I'm a telepath as well as a telekinetic. I-I can't really turn off my telepathy but I've taught myself to tune out other people's thoughts."
They stopped at another door Raven assumed was hers. Raven had a feeling of dejavue and it took her a moment to remember where.
'Terra, this girl, no every student in this institute is just like Terra! None of them can properly control their powers and there training to do just that.' she realized.
"That's right, though I'm not sure who this Terra is. Sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop it just happened." Jean apologized.
"Don't worry about it, as for who terra was, she was a geokenetic she joined our team briefly, only to leave when we found out she couldn't control her powers. She eventually betrayed us to our leader's archenemy Slade, only to double cross him and save the city from an active volcano killing him and herself in the process." She said as anger seeped into her monotone causing a nearby painting to fly off the wall, only for Jean to catch it with her powers on reflex.
Looking away embarrassed Raven apologized "Sorry about that."
Jean shook her head waving of the apology, before covering her mouth with her hands and gasping, her eyes wide with shock before she lowered her hands and said "That poor girl."
Seeing the look Raven was giving her she elaborated "To betray her friends to gain control over what she feared only to attempt to destroy the only people who accepted her, and in the end, sacrificing her life for the greater good. If that isn't the exemplar of a hero, what is?"
"I...suppose you have a point." Raven said having never thought of it like that before and never been able to, as just the thought of the blonde girl fueled her rage, which she couldn't afford to lose control of.
Awkwardly clearing her throat Jean said "Umm, I hope I'm not being too forward seeing as we just met, but could I ask you for a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Raven asked curiosity flecking her monotone.
"I was wondering if you might be able to teach me to better control my telepathy while you're here, if you don't mind that is." Jean asked humbly.
Raven hummed in thought for a moment before she said "You realize I'm an empath, not a telepath right?"
Jean nodded "I still want your help though. The Professor helps when he can but I'd like someone with a different perspective on things and new methods."
Raven nodded accepting her logic "Alright, but on two conditions. First, you do exactly what I tell you, no matter what it is. Secondly, you need to help me with my telekinesis, do we have a deal?" Raven asked holding out her hand.
Jean looked at the teen heroine's outstretched hand for a moment, before gently grasping it and giving it a light shake "We have a deal."
"Good, then meet me in my room at five tomorrow morning."
Ok-wait what?" Jean asked alarmed at having to get up so early.
"You heard me, and remember you said to do what I told you to. Goodnight Jean." Raven said before she shut the door to her guest room.
"Goodnight Raven." Jean said weakly as she began to wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew.
(...)
Later that night
It was late, past midnight, according to Beast Boy's internal clock. He was thankful that Raven had decided not to bother him after Jean had showed them to their rooms, because he didn't feel like playing twenty questions Garfield Edition right now. What he really wanted was a drink, which thankfully, he had on him. Steve may have been a hardass, but one of the few things he picked up training under him was that when he transformed, anything he had on his person was transformed too. Usually the items in question were atomized and kept on his person and reconstituted once he regained his human form...but not all the time.
Over time, Beast Boy taught himself how to store items within the biomass of his own body, in essence turning himself into a pocket dimension for things he wanted to keep hidden, safe, or both. He was now concentrating on the item he wanted, and in a matter of moments it took shape. 'It' was a bottle of Suntory Yamazaki; a single malt whiskey made in Japan that was always aged twelve to eighteen years in oak casks before being bottled and sold to the public. The bottle he held was dated 1986 making it an eighteen year old bottle when he bought it.
This particular bottle he stole from Mento, emptying out his 'private stash' before he left the Doom Patrol for good, it was also special because it was bought by him as a gift for Steve and Rita's wedding.
Smiling at the bottle he thought 'those were good times...they were married almost six years.'
Sighing to himself he slicked the golden plastic off before twisting off the top and taking a swig before muttering to himself "What would you have done in my place Rita?"
He was about to take another gulp of the liquor when he suddenly heard a light tapping on his door. He thought about hiding the bottle; but then just shrugged and thought 'Fuck it.' Before he sniffed the air verifying that whoever it was, it wasn't Raven, nor was it anyone he'd already met yet his caller was female.
"Come in!" he called, still lost in thought.
Without needing further prompting, a girl about his age by the look of this with normal pale skin, brown hair, and light blue eyes standing at 5'2 and wearing black shorts and a t-shirt came into his room...by phasing through the door. This didn't affect him too much though as he had seen Raven do it enough times back at the tower that it was common place to him. So he merely raised his bottle slightly in salutations and said "What's up, dudette?"
"Like, hi." She said cheerfully in a valley girl accent before she noticed the bottle in his hand and frowning asked "Should you be like, drinking that?"
Looking at the bottle before taking another swig he replied "No, probably not, but it helps me to remember to forget."
"I see, so you're the guy who beat up Logan and trashed Scott's car huh?" She said making her way forward.
He nodded "And you're the girl who phased through my door like it wasn't even there."
Chuckling at his joke, she held out her hand and said "I'm Kathrine Pryde, but everyone calls me Kitty."
Taking her hand and turning it over before placing a kiss on the back of her palm, he said suavely "Garfield Mark Logan at your service."
Giggling again, though this time with a slight blush, Kitty said "You're pretty funny."
Shrugging he said "I try." Before taking another gulp of his whiskey and saying "Thanks for reminding me about the car, I need to make a quick phone call."
He then pulled out an I-phone, and using the touch pad dialed a number and waited. After a moment the voice of an elderly man with a British accent came on the line. "Logan Manor, this is Aloysius Pendergast butler and steward speaking, how may I help you?"
Smiling at hearing the familiar voice Garfield said "Hey Grandpa Al, it's me Gar."
"Hello young master." He said sounding relieved before continuing "I was beginning to grow concerned when you didn't phone in like you usually did."
Sorry about that Al, but I was on a round trip flight to NYC." He explained.
"New York City? What are you doing in that...cesspool of car fumes and conglomeration of humanity master Garfield?" he said with obvious distaste.
Frowning a bit; Gar replied "Now Al, I know you're not a giants fan but seriously, too harsh man."
Sighing was heard on the other end of the line before Aloysius said "You know full well that sports teams aren't why I disapprove of that city young master. That city plays host to no less than a dozen heroes' and, regardless of that, it still has one of the highest crime rates in the United States. That place seems to be a magnet for the worst of humanity."
Garfield nodded even though he knew his butler couldn't see the motion and said "Yeah I know what you mean, but don't worry I can handle myself."
"Of that, I have no doubt. Now, I have a feeling you didn't just call to let me know you were traveling were you?" Aloysius said curiously.
"Heh, you caught me...I've got...news." Garfield finished lamely not sure whether to call him father somehow being alive 'good news' or not.
"What kind of news?" Aloysius said suspiciously "You didn't get one of those girls on that team of yours pregnant did you?" he suddenly asked concerned.
Gar, who had taken a drink at that moment, did a spit-take before coughing and wheezing out "W-w-what?" he asked before noticing he'd accidently spat his drink out on Kitty.
Sheepishly mouthing an apology, as she glared at him he asked "Why would you think that?"
"The worst case scenarios are usually the correct ones when dealing with teenaged superheroes I've found." The butler dryly replied.
"Ha-ha-ha very funny Al, and for the record no, neither Raven nor Starfire is pregnant by me." The changeling replied blandly.
"Thank goodness." Aloysius said sighing in relief.
"Nope, it's worse than that...I found dad, he's alive Al." Gar said quietly yet in a rush hoping to just get it out of the way.
There was a long silence on the end of the line and when Aloysius finally spoke again there was both concern and disbelief in his voice "Young Master, are you certain? You are aware that your father has been declared deceased for the past ten years correct?"
Sighing, Gar spoke into the phone in a no-nonsense tone "I'm fully aware of that Al, and I'm not losing my mind either. However I recently found out he has special abilities like me, it turns out that dad has an advanced healing factor one that allowed him to survive the waterfall."
"I see, and he didn't bother to let us know he was alive and left you in the care of that horrid man because?"
Resisting the urge to shudder upon hearing the rage building up in his caregivers' tone, Gar rolled his eyes and said "Apparently he thought I would be better off with Galtry surrounded by money. I didn't really let him explain much more after that, as I was too busy trying to beat him to death with someone's convertible, which is the other reason why I called, I owe someone a car."
"I see...It seems a visit is in order. I shall arrive as soon as possible Master Logan and I shall be brining all necessary items with me, including your wardrobe." He said firmly.
"Wait, what hang on a sec-which wardrobe?" he asked.
Clearing his throat the butler replied "Which one do you want; the formal, informal, casual or 'that' one?"
Garfield thought about it, thinking back to the conversation he and Raven had in her room before they ended up leaving Titans Tower...
Flashback
Beast Boy was sitting somewhat nervously on the edge of Ravens' bed swinging his legs. He was nervous; because the last time he was in here he'd been sucked into Raven's mirror and through there into her psyche. Raven, who had taken her cloak off, draped it over a swivel chair glanced back at him briefly and asked "Are you ok?"
"Yeah just a bit nervous, last time I was in here, well..." he glanced worriedly at her meditation mirror.
"Ah, well no need to worry about that this time as long as you don't get too close and look into it of course. Besides I invited you, so just relax Beast Boy."
"Right." He said before taking a deep breath and letting it out forcing the tension out of his body.
The two lapsed into a slightly awkward silence which the changeling tried to break via a joke. "Hey Raven, what's black, blue, and red all over?"
Deciding to humor him she said "I don't know what?"
"Robin after going ten rounds with a Slade-bot."
Raven smiled and chuckled a little at the jab towards their leader and his obsession towards his masked nemesis. "Nice one."
Standing up and bowing theatrically he said "Thank you, thank you, you've been a wonderful audience I'll be here till Thursday."
The empath rolled her eyes before saying "You don't need to act like that you know?"
"Act like what?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Like a goofball, I know for a fact you're more mature than you let on, you'd have to be to survive the Doom Patrol if even half of what I've heard about them is true."
His ears twitched at the mention of his old team and he became guarded "Oh, and what have you heard about them?"
Giving him a pointed stare she replied "I know that they are very militaristic, that they do whatever it takes to bring down there enemies and that their training is harsh in the extreme making what we do here look like children at play. There methods usually involve obscene amounts of property damage and, if operating in a highly populated area, civilian causalities' are to be expected as if the first attempt at defeating their target fails, they go for the kill in an attempt to permanently take care of a problem, making them more akin to anti-heroes like Deadpool or the Punisher than not."
Her eyes softened and she said in a softer monotone "You don't need to pretend with me Beast Boy; I know that the happy-go-lucky prankster isn't really you. You can just be yourself around me, and the others we won't judge you, we're your family."
"Be myself huh?" he said tiredly before something flashed in his eyes and he looked down. Not making eye contact with her he continued speaking "It isn't as easy as all that Rae, I've got a shit ton of emotional baggage, and for me, the Titans are a chance to recapture the childhood I never really got to have."
Raven chuckled making him raise his head, glare at her slightly, and ask "Is something I said funny to you?"
Raven met his gaze and it was only thanks to years of being trained to control her emotions that she didn't flinch. His eyes were cold, hard, focused, and predatory; lacking any and all pretenses of the warmth, kindness, and lazy child-like wonder they usually held. His body too, was tensed like a coiled spring, like a predator just waiting to pounce on his prey. And right now, Raven felt like prey.
Seeing that she must've offended him she said quickly "No, I'm not laughing at what you said just at us."
Seeing his confusion she elaborated "We really do belong together you and I, don't we; you, with all you emotional baggage, and me, the girl who isn't allowed to feel any emotion at all lest she destroy everything around her."
She shook her head at the absurdity of it all "By Azar what a messed up pair we are." She mused.
This caused him relax and for 'the predator' to seemingly disappear, receding back from whence it came into her friend causing her to relax and him to smirk and chuckle before saying "Welcome to the funny farm Rae, I hope you enjoy your stay."
She laughed nervously before deciding to ask "Beast Boy, what was that just now?"
"Me, the real me, albeit slightly ticked off." He responded before adding "And call me Gar will ya Rae? I'm getting sick of the Beast Boy this and Beast Boy that."
Cocking her head to the side she asked "Gar?"
"It's short for Garfield...what you're not going to laugh?" he asked perplexed.
The empath shook her head "My mother wanted to name me Rachel, but the monks and everyone else on Azarath called me Raven because they are considered heralds of doom and escort the of souls of the living to the afterlife."
"Assholes, I think Rachel is a pretty name." he said honestly.
"Thanks." She replied blushing slightly.
Lying back on her bed with his hands folded behind his head he said "You know, I wish I was as strong as you."
"What do you mean?" she asked as she cocked an eyebrow.
"You're destined to destroy the world but instead you spend your time trying to save it, you're smart, pretty, funny, and you don't give two shits about what anyone thinks of you. I wish I could be as strong as you are every day, and if that wasn't enough you hold in all your emotions so the people around you don't get hurt. Superman's got nothing on you girl; he may need to watch his strength, but at least he's allowed to feel, to laugh and cry with his loved ones."
He suddenly found himself tackled by the empath who was doing her best to once again squeeze the air out of his lungs. "Raven?" He asked in concern.
"Thanks, I needed to hear that." She said in response before she lifted her head from his chest and said "But your wrong about one thing Gar, you're stronger than me."
This caused the changeling to blink owlishly before he laughed and said "Nice one Rae, but you can lift things with a few words, enter people's heads, project a soul version of you and even heal the team. Me, I can turn into various animals. I'm pretty sure you've got me beat."
Shaking her head she replied "Gar, don't you see what your capable of? You turned into a germ once for goodness sakes and multiplied to destroy a virus in Cyborg."
"One that I put there." He refuted.
"Not the point. If you can turn into a cell which is arguably the building block of all life everywhere, then what else can you do? Or, more precisely what is the upper most limit of what you are capable of?" Raven questioned.
He shrugged with her on top of him "I dunno, I've never really thought about it."
Raven didn't let him know that she knew he was lying to her. Instead she said "Well, in any case; all you need is to be more confident in yourself Gar, if people don't like you for you then who needs them. Just be yourself, nothing else matters." She told him sincerely.
"Because you'll love me anyway?" he asked.
Chuckling she nodded and said "Yes, because I'll love you no matter what." she replied before kissing him again.
(...)
"Yeah bring in 'That' wardrobe." He told Al after a moments' thought. The wardrobe in question consisted of clothes he always found cool, but he lacked the confidence to wear out in public...until now.
"Very good sir, and as for the car, is there anything you could recommend?"
Rubbing his chin in thought for a moment Garfield replied "Yeah, the new Dodge should do just fine, it's red right?"
"Yes sir, and what type of vehicle should I bring for yourself?" Aloysius asked.
"Surprise me; I'm sure Logan will be when you show up tomorrow."
"Of that I have no doubt, pleasant dreams young master; I'll call when I land in the human cesspool." Aloysius said.
"Night Al, see ya tomorrow." He said before ending the phone call.
After the call was ended he turned to Kitty and said "Sorry about earlier."
Giggling she replied "So not a big deal, I would've totally done the same if I'd been asked by my folks if I was pregnant." She then leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially "So, what kind of car are you giving Scott?"
"Can you keep it a secret?" he asked.
"Totally, I totally can!" Kitty swore, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Giving her a slightly hard look he said you'd better because I want to see the dumbstruck look on his face when he sees I'm giving him a..."
(...)
Xavier Mansion, Next morning, Breakfast-
The other students at Xavier's told Scott they were sorry for the loss of his car, knowing how much he cared about it. Kurt even suggested they give it a funeral as it was technically an unofficial X-member, and while he appreciated the thought, he waved it off, calling it unnecessary.
Scott didn't know why it was, but whenever Kitty looked at him this morning, she looked away and burst into a fit of giggles. He was beginning to think she'd developed a crush on him or something.
'I hope that's not the case, she's sweet and all, but I like somebody else.' He thought looking across from him at Jean who looked slightly tired.
Concerned, he asked "Jean is everything ok?"
For her part, Jean managed to give him a tired smile and say everything's fine Scott; I'm just a little tired from my early mental training with Raven."
Said empath who was sitting on Jeans left sipping herbal tea decided to speak "She did quite well for her first time in my opinion."
"What were you doing?" he asked curious.
Setting her cup down Raven replied "Meditation, I was teaching her how to meditate and actively control her telepathy."
Before Scott could ask any more questions the beginning notes of "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger began to play and Garfield slid sideways into the dining room. He was wearing tight black leather pants being held up by a black leather belt adorned with a silver wolves head, and zipped up swat boots. A pair of fingerless gloves was the only form of clothing covering his upper body, showing off his lean but well defined physique, causing all of the women sans Storm, to stare.
Raising an eyebrow Raven said "Gar, did you forget to finish getting dressed this morning?"
Smiling at her cockily he replied "Nope, just doing what you said Rae and being more confident."
"By walking around shirtless?" she asked.
To which he shrugged and said "Hey, for me this is a big deal."
"If you say so, but leather pants, really?" she asked being unable to resist the jab.
"What, you don't think I look good in these?" he asked turning around and modeling a little.
"Ah, dunno Raven." Rogue said as she stared keenly at his behind "Ah think he looks...nice."
"He looks hot!"
Both Rogue and Raven turned and stared at Kitty who had said that. The valley girl just shrugged and said "What; like he totally is hot, he clearly has it, and he's totally flaunting it."
Looking back at each other Rogue asked "Did you understand ah word she jus said?"
Shaking her head Raven replied "Nope, not a bit."
"If you're done undressing me with your eyes ladies, what's for breakfast?" he asked.
"Ze are ze love drunk ya?" Kurt said in his thick German accented English.
"Ah, stuff it blue." Rogue said good-naturedly.
Scoffing Spike replied "Truer words have never been spoken man. Ouch!" he said upon receiving a kick to the shin from Amara aka Magma.
"Dude, are you and Dr. McCoy somehow related?" he asked Kurt as he was currently not wearing his holowatch.
Shaking his head Kurt replied "Nein, Dr. McCoy and I are not relatives though that does seem likely at first glance, jah?" Kurt asked.
"No kidding dude, by the way I'm-"he was cut off by Kitty who said "They like know who you are Gar, did you honestly expect anyone not to find out about the guy who wrecked Scotts ride and totaled Logan at the same time?" she asked rhetorically, causing the older feral to grunt in annoyance.
"Well that's all well and good, but I don't know who they are Kitty." He reminded her.
"Oh, well like, you've already met Scott Jean and me so all that's left is Kurt, Evan, Bobby, Sam, Ray, Roberto, Jamie, Jubilee, Tabitha, Amara, and Rhea." Kitty said pointing each one out in turn.
Garfield blinked before saying "Can we go over that one more time?"
Suddenly the sound of a helicopters rotor blades was heard moments before the doorbell was wrung, making both the changeling and the phaser smirk before he rushed towards the door. Upon opening it he found a tall and slender elderly man in a crisp black suit with pale corpse-like skin, slicked back platinum blond hair, and ice-blue eyes smiling back at him.
Smiling like the cat that caught the canary; Garfield threw his arms around his friend surrogate family member, who hugged him in return.
"Stand back and let me get a good look at you." He said holding him at arm's length for a moment before he nodded "You've gotten bigger and it seems stronger as well. I couldn't decide what to bring you so..."
He waved a hand vaguely behind him showing a helicopter finishing placing a giant container on the ground before he said "I brought the whole fleet."
Shaking his head in amazement Garfield said "Al, your awesome you know that?"
"So I have been told by you young master, many times in fact."
"Aloysius, what the hell are you doing here with that shipping container?" A gruff voice asked.
"I could ask you the same considering you have been dead for the past ten years and I find it rather disturbing to be holding a conversation with a dead man." Aloysius said locking eyes with Wolverine.
They stared at each other for a moment before the butler looked back to his young charge and asked "Young master, have you eaten yet today?"
Seeing the boy shake his head, Aloysius said "why don't you go do that first and then come out here and inspect the fleet? Also, here is the wardrobe you requested." He said standing aside as several workhands pushed six or so wheeled racks that were full of clothes in front of the teen.
"Thanks, Al I know I've said it once today, but your awesome." He said before putting on a purple silk shirt and a faux alligator skin jacket which he left open completing his look.
"Well how do I look?" he asked.
"Just grand sir." Aloysius said honestly.
"Like a pimp from the seventies kid." Logan said bluntly.
Rolling his eyes at Logan's comment Garfield headed back inside to have breakfast. Once he was sure the young boy was gone, Pendergast promptly turned to the feral mutant and struck him with a powerful right hook, splitting his lip which promptly healed in the process.
"I deserved that." He said.
Glaring at him, the butler replied "You deserve much more than that after all this boy has been through! Do you have any idea what you've condemned him to Mark, any at all? His childhood practically ended the day both you and Miss Marie supposedly perished, forced to steal for the very people who killed you, then almost murdered by the very person you hired to look out for his best interest nearly fifty times! If that wasn't enough he joined that damned Doom Patrol and allowed himself to be legally adopted by that fool Dayton nearly getting him killed everytime I saw him on the news. Then that 'event' happened and he left not even bothering to tell me where he was going again I found out on the news..."
The butler paused to catch his breath and straighten the wrinkles in his suit "You are considered legally dead by the courts, as such I am under no such obligation to follow your orders any longer, nor do I recognize you as Sir Mark Logan, the only Logan I shall be taking orders from anymore is the young master am I clear on this?"
"Crystal bub." Logan grunted.
The butler glared at him a moment before nodding once briefly and saying "Good, now perhaps you can make yourself useful and help me move the fleet out for inspection?"
Although he phrased it like a question it was clear it wasn't one, Logan raised an eyebrow and asked "The Fleet?"
Smirking, the butler nodded and said "Yes the young master's pride and joy come, let me show you."
(...)
Having eaten breakfast and explained that his butler had shown up with his new wardrobe, and after ensuring Xavier he was perfectly capable of dealing with people with special abilities, Garfield asked the others to assemble on the front lawn, as he had something to show them all. Meeting them in the hallway he stood in front of the doors and said "Now, as you all know, I totally wrecked Scott's car the other day. Well, like I told him yesterday, I owe him a car and I keep my promises."
Garfield reached into his pants pocket before pulling out a large ring of keys selecting one, he took it off the keyring and said "I think this'll make us even, Summer's."
He then opened the door and lead the way outside, he couldn't help but smirk as everyone gasped. There on the mansion's front lawn parked in a straight row were thirty five vehicles ranging from muscle cars, motorcycles, to sports cars, to...
"Like, holy crap, is that a tank?!" Kitty questioned pointing at a huge mass of metal with treads on it.
Nodding Garfield said "Yep, that's my M4 Sherman, and it's fully armed and operational too." Seeing the crazy looks he was getting he shrugged and said "What, you never know when you might need to blow something up."
"El Camino, nice!" Roberto, a dark-skinned Brazilian said spotting a purple and black hood striped car, with a truck bed.
"Thanks, but we're here for the one on the end covered in the tarp." Gar said leading the way to one such vehicle.
Stopping in front of it; Gar couldn't help but ask "How do you feel about snakes Scott?"
Shrugging the shade wearing boy replied "I don't mind them."
Smirking and nodding at Kitty to get ready he said "Then your gonna love this dude!"
Pulling off the tarp, Garfield revealed what lay underneath. A cherry red 2013 Dodge STR Viper. Scott didn't notice when his jaw hit the floor, or even when Kitty took several pictures to use for blackmail later the only thing going through Scott's mind in that moment was...
"I can't accept this Garfield."
Looking at him funny the changeling asked "Why not Scott?"
"This is worth ten times what my old car was." Cyclops responded.
The Changeling shrugged "So in case you haven't noticed I. Have. A. Tank! It's worth a lot more than that car is, so I'm pretty sure I can just go out and buy another car. Trust me Scott, if I didn't want you to have this car, I wouldn't have offered." He finished sincerely.
"You sure?" Scott asked obviously warming up to the idea.
Giving him a deadpan look Garfield replied "Dude, just take the damn car already!"
Finally relenting Scott nodded before running towards the car like a kid on Christmas morning, causing the girls to collectively roll their eyes and think 'Boys.'
"It seems as though Mr. Summers is enjoying his gift Master Garfield."
Turning the changeling replied "So it seems Al, so it seems. Al, this is Raven, my teammate on the Titans." He said introducing the elderly man to the young empath.
"Madame, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person though I've heard so much of you from the young master, I feel as though we've already met." He said while bowing at the waist.
"All good things I hope?" she asked while giving the green boy a sideways glance.
"Only the best of things Madame." The butler replied, straightening.
"Yo guys!" Spike called getting their attention before pointing at the tank...which was taking off down the driveway.
Doing a quick headcount, Gar found his culprits "What do Jubilee and Tabitha think their doing?"
"Shall I fetch the Davy Crocket sir?" Aloysius inquired.
Shaking his head, Garfield responded "No, no that's overkill, plus it would kill them."
"What is zis Davey Crocket?" Kurt asked as Wolverine paled said "Please tell me your kiddin kid, you don't really have one of those in working order do ya?"
"Yep, it's a part of my second hobby." He replied stoically.
"What's that, getting us all killed?!" Logan growled.
Kurt tried again "Vhut is zis Davey Crocket and vwey is it so dangerous?"
Turning to him Logan said "A Davey Crocket is a recoilless rifle developed during the Cold War Elf. It was basically a portable nuke launcher, that consisted of a barrel and the warhead; and once fired, it would lay waste to everything within a three mile radius including the person who fired it; and more often than not, according to tests, even if they were far enough from the blast zone if they were down wind they could still die from radiation poisoning."
Garfield was suddenly slapped upside the head by Raven "Ouch what was that for?!"
"What do you think? Why the hell would you even buy such a thing in the first place, let alone have it brought here?" she asked angrily.
"Well when I bought it, it seemed like a good idea at the time." He said receiving another smack. "As for why it's here, Al has standing orders to never let it get too far away from him because I don't want it stolen."
Raven nodded slowly before asking "So let me get this straight, you bought an active nuclear warhead launcher, on a whim and then ordered your butler to carry it with him at all times even in heavily populated areas such as New York City?"
"Well it sounds a lot worse than it is when you put it like that Rae." Beast Boy pouted receiving another smack.
Raven was about to chant her mantra to stop the tank, only to find Jean had already done so while they were talking; now Ororo, Beast, and Xavier were berating the two misfit teens.
[Garfield, while I find the idea of a tank on my lawn unsettling, I find the idea of a nuclear warhead on my lawn frightening.] The Professor said speaking through telepathy as he was still giving the girls a talking to.
'You worry too much Professor, that thing hasn't gone off in all the time I've had it. It's totally secure.' He assured the telepath.
[And, just how long has that been exactly?] Xavier asked.
'Oh, about five years now.' He replied.
Xavier made his way over to the teen and said "Regardless of how long you've had it, I would sleep much easier without it here in the mansion."
Oh, c'mon dude I bet you've got kids here whose powers are even more dangerous than a nuke, and twice as likely to accidently go off!" Beast Boy complained.
"That's true some of the students here have abilities that if used improperly could far outstrip that of a nuclear warhead." Xavier conceded.
"And if it hasn't gone off yet, what makes you think it's gonna happen now? I mean, Al and I mostly Al, have done a damn good job so far right?" he continued.
"Yes, yes you have." Xavier replied "Though I can't help but wonder why you bought it in the first place."
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." He said again, parroting what he told Raven.
"What could've been so bad, that it made buying fully functional nuclear warhead delivery systems seem like a good idea?" Raven asked.
Letting out something between a sigh and a chuckle Beast Boy replied "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya Rae."
"Sugar, ah think ah speak fer everyone when ah say, we'll believe whatever ya damn well tell us is the truth." Rogue said causing the others to nod.
"Ok." He said as if not believing his own words before he continued "As I'm sure some of you are aware, I was a member of the Doom Patrol, a very militaristic superhero team that did whatever it took to take down the bad guys, even if it meant some innocent people had to get hurt in the process."
He paused to collect his thoughts before he continued "A little over a year and a half ago now, the Doom Patrol was called to a small fishing village of Codsville Maine where we heard reports of the Brotherhood of Evil being spotted...it was a trap. In the end; we had two choices. Evacuate the civilians and die or sacrifice the civilians and defeat the Brotherhood. We chose the former, and in the end, the only survivors were Mento and I. The loss of Rita drove him mad, and he blamed me for the deaths of the rest of the Doom Patrol, and nearly killed me but I gave as good as I got before I left, and I've been running ever since, because even if the papers say he's dead, I know otherwise and I won't believe so until I see a body."
"So the nuke is-?"Wolverine asked.
"An insurance policy in case he ever shows back up, yeah. I know a couple of animal forms that can survive an explosion, but can he?" Beast Boy scoffed "I doubt it."
'Oh, c'mon; hasn't he been through enough crap already? He doesn't need or deserve this.' Rogue thought to herself.
Raven was having thoughts along a different vein 'I just need to find Mento and decapitate him for daring to harm my mate, sounds easy enough.'
While Kitty was thinking 'Overkill much Gar? I mean, like, a nuke? Seriously dude?'
Both Professor X and Jean heard all of this and besides agreeing not to piss off raven in the near future they also agreed that the changeling didn't deserve his lot in live and that using a nuclear warhead to kill one man was overkill in the extreme.
Xavier then decided to ask a question "Garfield, do you think you could defeat Mento now that all this time has passed?"
"Hard to say honestly; if he's still nutso, then there's no way in hell Chuckie. He did some scary shit to me the first time. Scary shit of the mentally scaring variety. I'd rather not-I wouldn't want anyone to go through that" Garfield replied with a shudder.
Steepling his hands, Xavier kept his own council for a moment before nodding and coming to a decision "Garfield, I've decided...you may keep your missile." He said shocking all of his students.
"But Professor-"Scott began only to fall silent when Xavier raised his hand and spoke "For someone of Garfields caliber to resort to use of a weapon of mass destruction to eradicate one man tells me only one thing, that this person is mentally unstable and highly dangerous. I am assuming he is a telepath at the very least?" Xavier asked.
"Yep; telepath, telekinetic, he can fly, and he's psychic which is funny cause he couldn't see himself going bonkers." The changeling mocked.
"So we have a mentally unstable psi user to deal with, great." Raven said.
"No, I have a mentally unstable psi-user to deal with, Mento is my problem and no one else needs to get involved." Garfield corrected firmly.
Raven opened her mouth to argue only for the changeling to beat her to the punch "I've already lost enough in my life, I won't lose any more Raven; I won't!" he told her before turning into a peregrine falcon and winging his way towards New York.
(...)
Unknown Location
"Soon Garfield, soon you will pay for what you did, you will pay for killing my Rita, as well as Larry and Cliff. Soon, oh so soon..."
(...)
Chapter Length: 10,460 – Date Completed: 6/11/14
(...)
AN: Ok I'm gonna break this up into sections so it's easier to digest.
First up, X-23 and the Harem. Some people have brought up the fact that adding X-23 (Wolverines' clone) to the Harem and having Logan as Garfield's biological father makes it incest. My answer to this is that is BB's DNA is SO screwed up and diverse that it's really not, plus BB rewrites his DNA everytime he morphs and X-23 has a healing factor, I think they'll be ok. Also another note on the harem before I forget, it's larger than just the three listed, much larger.
BB's PHD's: I have a feeling someone is gonna bring this up, so I might as well talk about it here and now and get it out of the way. I had him gain these specific degrees in those specific fields so he could better understand his own abilities. Is he a genius? Nope, not like Mr. Fantastic or Iron man but he'll have his moments I assure you.
BB's money: I just feel like I should mention this one just in case, in comic canon it is said that Nicholas Galtry (BB's legal guardian who tried to kill him.) Embezzled MILLIONS from the inheritance his parents left him before he found him and then tried to kill him to claim the rest. So I can only assume he's quite well off, add onto that the fact that he was adopted by Steve Dayton and his wife and BB is one rich kid. Also crazy axe-killer Mento blaming BB for the Doom Patrols death and trying to kill him was comic canon too.
Well I hope you all liked the chapter everyone and till the next one, Bubbajack out!