Meep!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Cyborg looked at his tracker, the green button still blinking. They were walking through the forest, dusk falling over them. "How are we doing?" Robin asked.
"Just fine," Cyborg said, "If this thing is right, we should be almost the-," Cyborg paused with confusion.
Robin and Starfire turned to look at him, all slowing down to a stop. "What's wrong?" Robin asked.
"It... It's gone," Cyborg replied. He tapped at his arm, refreshing the small screen. "Nothing. That's impossible!"
Starfire raised an eyebrow. "I am confused."
"Beast Boy's belt isn't showing up on my tracker," Cyborg said, still staring down at his arm.
Robin shook his head and grabbed Cyborg's arm, eyes narrow. "What do you mean he isn't showing up? I thought you said we had him if he kept that belt on."
"It's impossible," Cyborg replied, "It should be working…. The belt sends a signal that is not battery powered, but works only by radar waves. The only possible way for it to be cut off is if he's extremely far underground…" Robin let go of Cyborg's arm and rubbed his temples.
Robin sighed and said, "We know we were going the right way. We have to keep moving, there's not much else we can do, guys."
The three continued on through the thick woods. As they walked, the sun lowered into the horizon and the moon began to shine through a darkened sky like a lightbulb. A feeling a guilt fell upon the three remaining Titans. Guilt for not listening to Beast Boy. Guilt for losing track of him. Guilt for almost keeping him away from someone he truly cared about. It was something the Titans had never experienced before. Something that, no matter how much they thought about it, could not comprehend. Unconditional love. Even if Beast Boy did not realize it himself, he cared for Raven on a much deeper level than any of the teens had ever expected.
The cliché saying "opposites attract" had no stronger example at the moment. They were different in so many uncountable ways. It was almost unbelievable.
"I still don't get it, man," Cyborg said, the thoughts dancing through his mind. "Beast Boy and Raven…"
Robin shrugged, "I can't say I didn't see it coming."
"How did you?" Starfire asked. The sky was pitch black, Cyborg's flashlight their only guide through the forest.
Robin explained, "Their strengths are each other's weaknesses. It's like… they complete each other." He cringed at his use of words. "I always saw it. Beast Boy is loud and expressive. Raven hides her emotions. Beast Boy is… Beast Boy… and Raven puts up with that." He thought for a moment. "They always had a strong connection."
Robin's words floated off into silence as the three came to a stop. "We have to rest for a bit, man," Cyborg said, "We've been walking for hours."
"You're right," Robin said. "Let's take a breather. 5 minutes, then we continue." The three collapsed onto the ground, laying back and watching the stars in silence.
There was only one thing they were absolutely sure of at the moment. Although it was taking them ages to find him, if Beast Boy found Raven, they would be alright.
There were only two things Raven was absolutely sure of. The first was that Beast Boy must care for her as much as she cares for him. Why else would he have risked his life on his own to come rescue her? The second was that Beast Boy was in grave danger.
"Oh, how sweet," the silky voice of Slade said from behind Beast Boy's back. Beast Boy turned and Raven stepped in front of Beast Boy with narrow, violet eyes. "What have we here?" Slade chuckled and turned to Trulok. who stood stoic and emotionless. "I believe there is an intruder."
Beast Boy yelled, "Let her go, Slade!"
"My apologies, Beast Boy, but I do require Raven's presence," Slade said smoothly. He gestured towards the two with his head, eyes still on Trulok.
Tulok nodded slowly. He stepped forward and raised his hand. "LET HER GO, OR ELSE!" Beast Boy yelled, hiding Raven behind him. He quickly morphed into a T-Rex, aiming to head butt the two. As Beast Boy began to step towards them, Trulok raised a metallic fist. A blue ray of energy was sent up to the tall, rock roof of the cell, exploding on contact and shaking the rocks around them. As pieces of earth crumbled down over them, Slade simply chuckled and shook his head. Beast Boy morphed into his human form and backed towards Raven, arm extended in front of her. After a moment, Beast Boy said, "Take me instead."
The ground shook underneath the three Titans. Starfire jumped up and looked around with a shocked expression. Cyborg exclaimed, "An earthquake?" He shone his light around, a small clearing coming into view.
The three ran towards the opening, treetops creating a large circle around them. They scanned the area cautiously. A sudden realization hit the Tamaranean as she walked around. "Is this not…" Starfire trailed off. Cyborg turned and paused as his flashlight illuminated a familiar sight.
"Terra's cave," Cyborg answered softly. Starfire and Robin turned to face the hillside. Their mouths opened sightly.
Robin nodded and began forward, "Let's go."
"Are you sure about this, Rob?" Cyborg asked. Robin looked back at them and frowned.
He exclaimed, "Of course I'm sure! We're wasting time, let's go!"
"Calm down," Slade said stoically, "You are not what we need." With that, a blue spark erupted from Tulok's fist and exploded over Beast Boy.
Black smoke filled the cell, making it impossible to make out anything at all. Raven's eyes went wide and she yelled, "Beast Boy?!" The smoke slowly receded and Raven looked over at the changeling. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. The entirety of Beast Boy's body was covered with metal. His muffled screams were the only thing indicating that he was still conscious.
Raven turned to Slade, rushing forward with her arm up to punch. Two robots grabbed her arms and pulled her back into the cell, next to Beast Boy. "You will pay for this," Raven hissed in her raspy monotone. "Change him back!"
"He can be our practice target," Slade said, turning to Trulok.
Trulok said, in a low, metallic voice, "Unur loe quili be'rki 'nvaa."
"Yes," Slade replied, "Prepare the launch pads." The two turned and exited the cell, motioning for the robots to follow. Unhooking Raven's arms, the robots left the cell and locked it behind them. Raven stared at the bars, panting slightly with fear and confusion.
Beast Boy's scream caught her attention, and she turned to face the metal bound changeling. "Beast Boy?" Raven asked, placing her hands on his metal face. "Can you hear me?" Beast Boy continued to scream. Raven turned and ran to the bars, placing her hands on them tightly. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" She yelled.
Slade turned from his position in front of a large screen to stare at Raven through his mask. "You are the key ingredient to our project."
"Project?" Raven shook her head. "What project?"
Slade turned his head away, looking at the screen. Raven felt the tension in the room rise as she watched him with anticipation. He sighed to himself and replied, "The demolition of the obscure. Or, as I prefer to call it, obscurition."
Whew. I'm trying to get as much done as I can before next week starts up. It's gonna get crazy.
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