Chapter 38
Beast Boy watched the hand slowly rotate around the circular face of the cheap watch. He had bought it off of a street vendor, seeing as how he had left his communicator at home. The action was purposeful; he didn't need the others coming after him, trying to stop him from doing what he was about to do.
"Move faster, dammit!" he growled at the device in a low voice. He had waited for two days to strike, despite his complete lack of patience. There was no room for error in this operation and he needed the time to refine his plan, even though it killed him to wait much longer. Who knew how long whatever spell Raven had set up would last? She probably intended for him to find her note much, much sooner.
Now that he was in the final stretch of his wait, the minutes he spent slumped on the city bench seemed to move by even more slowly. For a long time he had been trying to push thoughts of her away, to "move on" as everyone had been telling him to do. But now that he could have her back again, she was all that he could think about. Everything from passing by a coffee shop and catching the scent of tea to seeing purple violets planted along the sidewalk reminded him of her. He couldn't and wouldn't think of anything else until she was standing in front of him again.
He watched the device intently as the last long, tortuous seconds went by. He rose from his seat and set off at a brisk pace towards the prison, a mere two blocks from where he had sat.
It was midnight. Finally time to put his plan into action.
Malchior supposed it could have been worse. Medieval prisons were dreadful places; even though this was apparently "maximum security," it was simply cushy by comparison. The book, though he was still technically bound to it, was even worse. He had been in there for over a thousand years. At least now he could stretch his limbs, even if they were made of paper.
As usual, he had woken up this morning cursing his decisions. He was only in here because of that joke of an alliance called the Brotherhood of Evil, or something ridiculous like that. It was a rude awakening when his book was once again opened, but it seemed like a good idea to work with the people. After all, they had broken him out of Titans Tower and promised him a sorcerer capable of breaking his spell. They only asked that when he was finally free, he was to fight against those who had defeated him: the Titans and their allies. It seemed like a win-win situation. Revenge and freedom, all in one package.
He wasn't counting on losing that battle, however. He was sucked through some portal to Heaven knew where and left there in that odd dimension for some time. Before he knew what was happening, that demon girl Raven was back to bind him to the book and deposit him in the prison. His days now were a mix of reading, sleeping and conversing with the staff that guarded him. They were sour at first, but came around after he showed some feigned gentlemanly charm. Though still wary, they were at least a device to pass the time and learn more about the era he had been awakened to. After all, there was only so much you could learn from a book.
His eyes scanned his cell lazily as he tried to find a distraction. He assumed it was night time, though the room had no windows and he did not have the biological functions to tell him when to rest. He only slept to pass the time, as there was much to pass. As usual, his eyes landed on the book across the room. His book.
Because he was bound to it, the prison thought it wise to separate him from the book with high-tech security and a panel of thick, bullet-proof glass. He could see it, but could not touch it, nor could anyone else, making escape impossible. He sighed as he gazed at it. He could still dream.
His ears vaguely registered that something sounded amiss. The cell was normally silent, save for his own movements. But now there was an almost imperceptible buzzing sound. His eyes caught sight of movement and he whipped his head to the side to follow it.
Strangely enough, it was a fly. He resisted the urge to swat at it as it flew closer to his head. He currently sat at the small table and chair that was provided in the cell, watching the thing move around the room before it finally settled at the center of the floor.
I suppose it would be a good time to eliminate the thing, he thought as he rose, ready to step on the insect. If it stayed in here any longer, it's faint noise was going to drive him mad.
He was not expecting what happened next. Before he even took a step forward, the thing grew instantly into a person. Malchior, though usually collected, was taken aback. Standing in front of him was a young man with green skin in a purple and black uniform.
He pursed his paper lips. "Beast Boy."
Surprisingly, the green man gave him a sly grin. "Nice to see you too."
"What do you want?" he bit out, wasting no time on pleasantries.
For the second time today, the man surprised him. Crossing his arms, his almost venomous grin grew wider. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kick your ass. Not yet. In fact, I have a proposition for you." He paused for just a moment. "But first I need to break you out."
Beast Boy knew he would be met with a certain amount of skepticism, but he was slightly taken aback when Malchior started to laugh.
"You've got to be joking," he said in that deceptively dashing accent of his. Beast Boy grit his teeth.
"I'm not," he said as coldly and seriously as possible, letting the paper man know he meant business.
The amused expression wore off his face and he drew his eyebrows together. "Am I missing something? Since when did you change sides of the law?"
"I didn't, but something... important has come up." He tried to be as vague as possible, hoping Malchior wouldn't question him. Unfortunately, he did.
"And why does it involve me? And breaking me out of jail for that matter?" he sneered.
Beast Boy bit back his frustration. "Look, do you want out of here or not?"
"Of course I do. There's just the little problem that I can't leave." As soon as he finished his sentence the unmistakable blare of an alarm rang through the room. Shit, he cursed mentally. He had hoped to be further along in the breakout process by now.
"Why the hell not?" He shouted over the alarm, moving closer to Malchior. He pointed a papery finger in the opposite direction. Beast Boy turned to see the familiar book he was bound to encased in some glass protection system.
"Not only would you need to free the book, but you have to get both of us out of here, which is an entirely different feat. In addition I expect armed guards at any minute, meaning your plan has already failed." Damn, the guy was pessimistic. Beast Boy gave a grunt and turned back to the case. He let his lips turn up in a barely perceptible grin.
"Little-known fact about bullet-proof glass," he shouted as he drew closer towards the thing. "It's not indestructible like they say it is." He swiftly transformed into a bull, gaining speed and ramming into the thing with all his strength. He backed up to see the spider-web of cracks in it, then rammed into it again, letting the pieces of acrylic fall over him as the window shattered. "With enough force, it'll break." Now in his human form, he grabbed the book from amongst the shattered glass and turned back to Malchior.
"Impressive," he said flatly. "Now what?"
"Now I bust us out of here. Stand back," he instructed as he turned towards another wall. He could vaguely hear Malchior shout something along the lines of "you've got to be kidding," but he was too focused on changing into a Tyrannosaurus Rex to notice. As his form grew, he directed his growth towards the wall, pushing against it before it finally gave out in an explosion of cinder blocks.
Something hit his shoulder, stinging as it made impact. He turned his head to find a line of guards, firing away at both him and the prisoner he was breaking out. There was no time for discussion. Beast Boy shifted into another dinosaur, this time a pterodactyl, and grabbed the book in one claw and Malchior's shoulder in the other before taking flight out of the hole he had busted in the wall. As expected for a man made out of paper, Malchior weighted next to nothing. He felt the sting of a laser once more on his wing before flying far enough that he was out of range.
To anyone out on the street at this time of night, it would have been an incredibly strange sight. One giant green reptile, a bundle of paper in tow, soaring over the city of Paris, further and further away from the commotion at La Santé.
"He did what?" Robin seethed, glaring at the woman sitting across the desk. She looked just as angry as he did, though she probably had more of a right to be.
"After meeting with me to discuss the release of prisoner 4096, otherwise known as Malchior, he decided that my answer of "no" was unsatisfactory and took matters into his own hands." She bit out the words venomously, staring the three of them down with her icy glare.
Robin grit his teeth, trying to keep his growing anger towards Beast Boy at bay.
"Please, are you most certain it was our friend?" Starfire asked innocently. Robin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How many other green shape-shifters were there?
"Absolutely. We have his image on camera numerous times." Starfire's head hung low at her answer, knowing what it all meant.
Robin stood abruptly from where he was seated in the warden's office.
"Where are you going?" she asked sharply.
"We're going to find them, return your prisoner, and maybe hand over Beast Boy while we're at it." Cyborg stood alongside him, though he moved closer to the woman's desk.
"Look, we're really sorry about everything. I don't know what's gotten into BB, but he's really messed up right now. This isn't what he's normally like, I swear. We'll return Malchior and fix the damage to the prison, just please don't be hard on the guy."
She pursed her lips, considering his words. "You are the team that brought down the Brotherhood of Evil in our city, no?"
"Yes, that was most definitely us!" Starfire supplied, eager to move onto a more positive topic. Robin remained silent, watching carefully where this conversation was going.
"I am willing to, as you say, look the other way, as long as you are true to your words." She spoke with an air of finality, letting them know the matter was settled.
"Thank you! I promise we will not disappoint!" Starfire assured her. Robin turned again, walking from the room without a word. He thought it was the best course of action, considering his seething attitude at this point. The others stayed behind for a second to say whatever final words they had for the warden before following him out of the office and down the hall. The guards looked at them, but didn't say a word as they made their way to the exit, only buzzing them through at checkpoints when they got there. One of the perks of being a hero was the ability to move freely through a prison.
Neither of his teammates said a word until they had made it outside after their lengthy exit. Robin stopped at the curb where the T-car was parked, staring into the reflective glass of the windows.
"Robin?" Starfire asked hesitantly.
"I'm going to kill him," he bit out matter-of-factly.
"Okay, what he did was stupid, but I'm sure he had a reason. I mean, I hope he had a reason," Cyborg muttered.
"What reason could there possibly be for him to break a dangerous criminal out of a foreign, maximum security prison?!" he shouted. "What was he thinking?"
"I am afraid he was not," Starfire replied, laying a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. Robin took deep breaths, trying to compose himself.
"Dude, we'll find him. We just have to figure out what he's up to, and what he wants with Malchior."
"I know what he wants! He thinks there's some way to bring Raven back to life, and somehow Malchior's going to help him." He paused, considering his own words. He brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples. "I know where he is," he spat out.
"Where?" his friends asked in unison, both surprised.
Robin shook his head as he opened the passenger side door. "He's trying to bring back Raven. He has to be back in Jump City."
AN: Short, I know. Up next, Beast Boy and Malchior get to spend some quality time together. ALSO, I absolutely have to mention that Ravaar has been drawing scenes from the story, which are awesome and can be found at her deviantART page here: /art/BBxRae-1-400911647 ( go to the website and paste this at the end. It's annoying they won't let us post links, I know). Until next time!
Gwen