Titans: Elemental

Chapter 27: Fear Itself

We return to Jump city with dark storm clouds and flashes of lightning patrolling the night sky.

During this, at a video story, a crowd of panicking customers bursts out and breaks for cover. Inside, a clerk screams and backs across the floor. Some large thing with many long, sparking appendages rears up before her, causing her to stumble down, showing this thing as coaxial cables. The main body, a large television set whose static-filled screen frames an evilly grinning face with narrowed red eyes.

It brings two of the cable ends together, striking an arc, and leans toward the imperiled young woman; she cries out and shields her face.

Suddenly, the perpetrator of this crime presses a button on a frightening looking remote control.

This stops the big screen in its tracks, wipes out the static, and leaves just a blank expression on the face.

The remote's user is standing atop the shelves near a wall of video screens, and, well, he looks like the biggest nerd in the world. Fat, long straggly hair, dressed after the fashion of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Chewbacca in Star Wars, a dark gray overcoat topping off the ensemble: this is Control Freak.

Control Freak said, "okay. Either you admit that Warp Trek Five, which reunited the entire original cast of the classic TV series, deserved to be on your 'Favorite Rentals', list, or…."

When he says the movie name, he points the remote at the screens and brings up an image of a green-skinned starship crewman to make his point. After he finishes saying this, he aims the device toward the television monster, and it comes back to life. The clerk scuttles back toward the candy counter!

The clerk said, "please! I-I don't even know what Warp Trek is!"

Control Freak said, "and that, my little tribble, is why you must be destroyed!"

Another button pressed; the screen roars, strikes sparks from two cables, and reaches toward her. She screams and dives over the counter to get out of striking range.

She is behind the display and looking up fearfully; the thing floating steadily toward her hiding place.

Before it can get to her, though, a sonic cannon blast drives it off to one side. Control Freak covers his face as dust flies back from the area of its collision with the far wall. He looks up with a gasp; and at the entrance is where the Titans have arrived on the scene and Vic has his weapon at the ready.

The overweight movie nut hops nimbly from one shelf to the next, approaching them.

Control Freak said, "Well, well, well. If it isn't my old arch-nemesis…. Ses…. The Titans!"

BB asked, "um, yeah. Who is this guy?"

Vic shrugs, equally puzzled.

Bryan said, "he looks like a guy I wedgied in high school."

They all get their answer when the screens all come up showing an image of Control Freak at the click of his remote.

Control Freak said, "I am the master of monsters! I am your darkest nightmares come to life! Pull back again. I am…. Control Freak!"

The genuine article stands up into view on the end of this and produces applause and clapping with the right button.

Raven said, "a couch potato with a souped-up remote. I'm petrified."

Rose said, "with an outfit like that, who wouldn't be scared."

Control Freak said, "you will be. You will be."

Jack said, "okay, I'm a movie buff, and even I have to say; get a life."

Control Freak laughs and fires up the controller; near Raven, a video drop box grows considerably and turns its deposit slot into a toothy mouth. She gasps and backs up from its expanding shadow as it growls in a very rusty manner.

The drop box stomps toward her, when Vic leaps in and hits the thing broadside with a flying shoulder to knock it away, but it soon recovers and locks up with him.

Vic says, "don't worry, Raven", he picks it up, "I can drop the drop box!"

He tosses it across the store; it fetches up against several sets of shelves, and he leaps in with a yell to do a little old-school clobbering.

Control Freak points his remote at the clearance section and yells, "here is a blast from the past!"

When he presses the button, an old VHS player sprouts long legs made of wires and begins stalking out of the hallway and attacks Jack, who quickly freezes it and smashes it as several more chase after him!

Jack yelled, "this is why I switched to DVD!"

Dick exclaimed, "get his remote!"

He dashes across, followed by Starfire, Blackfire and BB.

Control Freak said, "show's not over, Titans. And if you thought Part One was scary, just wait for the sequels!"

Blackfire said, "why? It's gonna suck anyway!"

He aims his remote at the two cash registers; as the cowering clerk cries out in fear, evil faces appear on the price displays and the handheld scanners float up of their own accord.

The Titans, save Vic, look from here to Control Freak, who has dropped to the floor and now brings a set of shelves to life. The video boxes on the top level are red while those below are white, and most of them fall away to leave the unit with two eyes and a snarling mouth. It moves in.

Now the others look elsewhere and see the portly enemy twirling around the floor. Another click, this one with the remote aimed under his upraised leg, and at a large cardboard cutout of an alien in samurai armor. He jumps in the air and brings to life a cutout of a large robot with glowing eyes. Its eyes glow red as it brings the blade back for a swing, to the sound of the geek's laughter. The bewildered Titans look at it all and then to Control Freak, who waves derisively at them.

The two-dimensional samurai warrior and Dick face off, and as the former charges, the latter brings his fighting staff out, extends it, and leaps away. He comes down behind it and sends it flying with a well-placed swing; in an instant, though, it stretches its body and strikes at him like a snake. Dick is sent flying across the room.

Rose begins using her sword to block laser blasts sent at her by the robot as Bryan shoots at it with his laser gun.

A stream of coins lances through the area like a machine-gun fusillade. Here comes Starfire and Blackfire, swooping through with the two cash registers in hot pursuit and spitting their change at them. The chase swings low down one aisle as BB backs into view at its far end. The mutated set of shelves is bearing down on him here. In no time flat, he has transformed into a roaring tyrannosaurus rex; the unit screams shrilly, all its "teeth" and "eyes" falling out, and he tears into it.

Meanwhile, Raven skids backward away from Control Freak as he approaches at a leisurely pace.

Raven growled, "you like bad movies, right?"

She levitates several scattered videos and propels them toward him. His first response is to work the remote, bringing them to a stop in midair.

Control Freak said, "yeah, but they like you!"

He sends them right back at her; they line up into an unbroken string, like a group of dominoes laid end to end, and wrap her up from shoulders to waist.

Vic, meanwhile, has hoisted up the shelving unit BB fought, its "face" is back together, and slams it to the floor. He wipes his hands smugly, but his mood quickly changes to one of surprise.

Vic says, "huh?"

Control Freak, once again spinning across the floor, hits a button. Behind Vic, the candy counter is affected; all the goodies leap off the shelves and come snarling after him.

Bryan lands nearby from the robot punching him and says, "you gotta be kidding me!"

The sugary horde leaps at him and attaches itself all over his body; he cries out and tries to back away.

Vic yelled, "bad candy, bad candy! Get off! Hey, hey! Stop that! Stop! That's not yours!"

The cash registers rocket across, spilling bills here and there, with Starfire and Blackfire now chasing them and firing starbolts. Staefire shoots one down with ease, but the other takes evasive action and slows down to fall in behind Blackfire. It then starts to fire off coins; she is thrown briefly off balance, but gets herself under control and bounces off a wall straight back at the thing. One point-blank shot puts the crazed piece of retail hardware out of action for good.

Their boots touch down amid the clinking change and fluttering currency. Starfire picks up a coin and looks at it with a curious smile. An instant later, one of the big-screen monster's cables whips into view, wraps her up, and gives her a shock that forces a loud squeal out of her. She is quickly hauled toward the face with Blackfire blasting starbolts at it as Dick backs into view, trading hits with the cardboard samurai-now back to original humanoid form. It goes into a new charge, and he gets a wingding ready. With a brilliant white streak slashing across the area, the weapon finds its mark, and he comes down from a leap. Behind him, the figure has stopped in its tracks.

He runs off after a moment, it falls apart, having been split down the middle by his throw.

Rose is dodging the robot over and over until a huge ball of frozen VHS players hits it, breaking it apart!

Jack approached Rose as she said, "thanks."

Jack said, "no problem."

That set of deranged shelves slides backward into view. Its "face" shows how scared it is, and for good reason, as we see when BB charges in as a bull and gores it. The thing skids farther and crashes into other shelves, throwing up a curtain of dust. Out comes the green Titan, back in human form and badly dazed from the collision. He staggers a bit, and stops when another cardboard cutout is partially in view. This snaps his brain back into its groove; he stares silently for a second and then flails his arms with a high-pitched scream.

The display's base shows a movie title in red letters that look as if painted in blood, "Wicked Scary."

Above this are several tentacles issuing from under the hem of a long, tattered robe a figure is wearing. They are very tall, hood up, no facial features visible within except for one glowing red pinpoint of an eye.

BB exclaimed, "dude! Wicked Scary is out on video?"

Stars appear in his eyes; Control Freak comes up next to him, his eyes doing likewise.

Control Freak said, "I know! Director's cut, digitally remastered, alternate ending, it's great."

Jack actually goes up and says, "God I love horror films!"

But then he has to run off as another VHS player attacks him!

Bryan and Rose face-palm at the geekiness. Especially since even Jack went crazy over the film.

BB exclaimed, "cool!"

The happy moment ends when he realizes that this man is actually an enemy.

BB squeaked, "not cool."

Control Freak grins nastily and fires up his remote. The display then comes to life. Those tentacles flash toward BB, who lets off a terrified scream. Raven is still bound by the videos she tried to sling at the foe. Her legs are free, and she backs up as a swarm of cassettes floats toward her; each has long loops of tape hanging down, and the reels have become red eyes. Those loops snap out and bind Raven from head to toe. She starts to topple backward, then gathers herself and breaks free with a mighty burst of her powers.

Raven said, "you don't scare me."

BB yelled, "look out, he'll eat your brains!"

The Wicked Scary cutout goes after him; a moment later, more tape strands from the flying cassettes lash toward her and she dives away.

Vic crawls along the carpet as the mad candies chew on him.

Vic yelled, "ow, ow, ow, ow, OW", he stands up, "ALRIGHT", he tears several candies loose, "if y'all are biting Cyborg, Cyborg's biting back!"

He shovels the handfuls into his mouth, chews happily, and swallows.

Vic said, "mmm-mmm! Never knew evil tasted so good."

The others scream in fear, detach themselves from his body, and beat a hasty retreat. As he stands there grinning, a loud rumble makes itself heard from within: what he just ate has disagreed with him violently. His face goes slack, then green and sweaty.

Vic said, "oh, boy..."

He rushes out and vomits into the first trash can he finds.

Inside, Starfire is still held fast in one of the big-screen monster's snaking cables as Blackfire tries to free her, but Dick's wingding flashes across and cuts her loose before sticking in the ceiling. He rushes up, staff ready to swing, and lands a thundering blow that would shatter the screen of any normal television set. This one just gets knocked backward, hard, and crashes into the wall. Dick leaps and catches the still-bound Starfire, whose cables fall off when they both touch down.

He looks across the store and sees Raven and BB backing toward each other from their respective threats.

Jack, Rose and Bryan are dashing across the store from more of the old tech that had been brought to life with evil intent.

Behind Dick, Control Freak's laughter makes itself heard; he moves aside to show the villain standing in the aisle. A button pressed, and the insane television moves back into the free-for-all. A swinging cable forces Dick, Blackfire and Starfire to dive in opposite directions; when he lands, he looks up at the ceiling. He looks at the sprinklers on the ceiling. The big screen closes in, and Dick makes up his mind and brings out two wingdings. Making a huge leap that takes him higher than any regular pair of legs can carry a person, he lets them fly; they weave all over the place and slice through all the sprinklers.

Water gushes down from the broken pipes. The attacking cassettes yield under the deluge and tumble to the floor; the cardboard display softens and crumples, and the VHS players fall to the ground in a sparking mess. BB laughs, Raven smiles, Bryan and Jack high-five, Rose kicks one of the tapes, and the clerk peeks up over the counter. Last to go is the television; a big drop of sweat slides down the edge of the screen, the static winks out, and the face becomes very uneasy. Sparks crackle from the shorting circuits as it topples backward and crashes to the floor at Control Freak's feet. He voices a strangled cry.

Control Freak yelled, "my remote! I can't live without my remote!"

Dick takes it away and grabs a fistful of shirt.

Dick said, "ever think maybe you watch too much TV?"

Control Freak yelled, "this isn't over! You hear me? This isn't over!"

Vic has returned now.

Raven said, "looks pretty over to me."

BB waves his arms excitedly as Vic staggers a bit, moaning and clutching his gut.

BB exclaimed, "guys!"

He ducks, video boxes fly up into view, he is rummaging on the floor, and Vic's stomach rumbles anew. The Titan who overindulged claps a hand to his mouth and runs back out to vomit again.

Bryan said, "I'll go help Vic get everything out of his system."

Rose said, "better you than me babe."

BB stands up, holding a copy of Wicked Scary. The hooded creature is on the cover, as are a couple of terrified people.

BB exclaimed, "check it out! Movie night!"

At the counter, the clerk has not yet gotten to her feet. He sets the video down and starts to fish around in the pouches of his belt. Raven stands behind him, her posture and face showing just how little she thinks of the whole run-in, and Dick, Blackfire and Starfire drag Control Freak away.

Blackfire said, "let's hope we don't see this guy again."

Dick said, "I doubt this is the last of him."

BB said, "um, I-I know I've got my rental card somewhere."

He removes one boot and shakes it to see if the card is stuck in there. The video is thrust into view toward him.

The clerk said, "just take it!"

He blinks bemusedly down at the offering.

Jack joked, "heh, that's a pretty good reward."

….

Later at the tower, we see a room whose walls display a wealth of objects connected with the Titans' previous adventures, with Dick at the far end. We now see glass cases in the center of the floor, holding more items. This is the evidence room of Titans Tower. Dick goes to a small pedestal; his shadow falls over it, and he reaches into view to set Control Freak's remote atop it. A burst of feedback is heard over an intercom speaker, shaking him out of his brief reverie.

BB yelled, "Dick! Emergency! Get up here now!"

He runs for the door and soon gets to the living room, which opens to admit him. Rain is heard outside.

Dick said, "report!"

BB stands on the far side of the coffee table, while the other Titans are on the couch.

Dick asked, "what's the problem?"

BB holds up the video, "the problem is, it's showtime, and you're not in your seat."

Dick steams at having been called up for something as trivial as this, and a vein throbs in his forehead. As Raven reads a book, Starfire holds a large bowl of candy.

Starfire asked, "Victor? You are certain you do not desire unhealthy sugar candies?"

He recoils and moans weakly.

Vic groaned, "make it go away…."

Bryan is already digging into some popcorn he made as Jack gets closer to Raven. Rose looks terrified about watching the movie.

Dick vaults onto the couch.

BB said, "ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the scariest night of your lives. Maybe Control Freak's monsters didn't scare you, but this movie is going to freak you out."

The last word puts him right next to Raven, who has not looked up from her reading.

Raven said, "whatever."

Dick said, "it can't be any creepier than the documentary on hot dogs Starfire made us watch."

Blackfire said, "oh God, I couldn't eat pork for a week after that!"

Starfire said, "it was fascinating! I had no idea that Earth people ate so many pigs, and insects."

Her words set off a new wave of indigestion in Vic's gut; his face goes green, and he hangs over the back of the couch to vomit once more. Luckily, there was a can there for him to empty his stomach into.

BB said, "yeah, yeah, bugs and hot dogs, big deal. This movie is supposed to be cursed. When people watch it, strange things happen."

He leans toward them and his face goes red.

BB said, "and creepy evil things."

His complexion returns to normal as he backs off and laughs maniacally. Lightning cracks out through the windows behind him. Not a bit of this has changed Raven's demeanor or made her close the book.

Raven said, "just start the movie."

Jack said, "yeah, I'm eager to see how scary it is."

Rose said, "I'm not!"

Rose covers her remaining eye with her patch and snuggles closer to Bryan.

BB's face falls and a vein throbs in his temple as he pulls out the television remote. The screen fills with static and blacks out.

The movie's title fades in, appearing as it did on the box.

….

We see the Titans in the middle of the movie. They all look utterly terrified as it plays out.

The lights have been shut off, so that the only illumination is from the screen and the night sky outside. They all stare as the sound of low, unearthly chuckling comes from the speakers. Starfire has grabbed the end of Dick's shirt and is huddled behind it. Rose closed her eye tightly as she snuggled into Bryan more. Jack was actually holding onto Raven!

….

As the movie finished up, the thunderstorm outside got worse and worse.

In the movie, a woman backs up in the approaching shadow of the tentacled creature seen on the box and screams in pure terror. The screen snaps to black, against which the word "END" fades into view in big red letters.

They are still frozen from the sheer horror of what they have just witnessed; Starfire's eyes are now shut tight. BB carefully peeks up from behind the couch, he has been hiding here the entire time.

BB asked, "is it over?"

Jack said, "dear God, I hope it is."

Starfire said, "I dare not open my eyes to find out."

Blackfire also peaks out from behind the couch and says, "I'll never be able to sleep again after this."

Rose said, "I'm not moving my patch back until it is!"

Vic groaned, "now I'm really sick to my stomach."

Bryan said, "I can't even finish my popcorn."

Dick said, "I've fought psychotic villains, robot commandos, and giant oozing monsters-"

Raven's hood is down, but she quickly composes herself, puts it up, and turns away as Dick continues.

Dick said, "-but THAT is the scariest thing I have ever seen."

They all trade wide-eyed stares for a long, tense moment, and then break out in exuberant laughter and chatter.

BB asked, "did I tell you or did I tell you?"

Blackfire said, "God, you were right!"

Starfire said, "thrilling, Beast Boy! It was wonderfully horrible!"

Jack said, "you made a good choice, dude."

Vic said, "yeah, when she went into the basement-"

Dick said, "-and it was right behind her and she turned and-"

Bryan said, "-that bloodcurdling scream!"

Vic exclaimed, "I was freaking out! I wanted to turn it off."

Rose exclaimed, "same here!"

Raven turns the rest of the way back and puts her hood down as BB leans over to her.

BB said, "so…. Come on, Raven, admit it. You were totally scared."

Raven said, "I don't do fear."

Jack said, "come on babe, admit it!"

Raven said, "not gonna happen."

…..

Later that night, the raging storm continues on. Sheets of water pour over the windows.

We sew Raven, asleep in bed. A flash of lightning shows a profile view of her, sitting up with a sharp gasp. She has taken off her cloak to sleep.

She looks out the window, then across the room. She gazed at her four-eyed drama masks, and finally to a bookend statue that looks like an enlarged copy of the small black birds in her mind world that Jack, BB and Vic went to.

Raven said, "maybe I should consider redecorating. Like a motivational cat poster?"

She looks out uneasily for a moment more and then settles back down to sleep. All is quiet until a piercing scream rips through the air and snaps her bolt upright again; it sounds just like the one in the final scene of Wicked Scary.

….

Raven runs into the living room with her cloak on.

Raven asked, "who screamed?"

The other Titans have gathered there and switched the lights back on.

Dick said, "sounded like something from the movie. Did we leave the TV on?"

Blackfire said, "don't look at me."

Starfire says, "we did not", she picks up the video, "and the movie is right here."

Jack asked, "is it still in the case?"

Starfire opens it and says, "yes."

Out go the lights.

Vic said, "okay. That's creepy."

He extends a small flashlight from his shoulder and turns it on.

Bryan begins shining a light from his cybernetic eye and says, "you took the words right out of my mouth."

Swiveling slowly in place, Vic lets the beam play over the kitchen, from counter to tables. Dick steps into the circle of light.

Dick said, "the storm. Probably just tripped a circuit breaker."

Rose said, "right, that's gotta be it."

That's when a tentacle reaches into view to touch his shoulder. Giving it only a raised eyebrow, he says nothing else as the others cry out; now he smiles.

Dick said, "okay, Beast Boy, you got us", he pushed the tentacle off, "good one."

The onlookers remain stock-still as BB leans into view next to them.

BB said in fear, "uh…. Dude?"

Jack said in fear, "that ain't Beast Boy..."

Now both of Dick's eyebrows are all the way up as he turns his attention back toward the source of that touch. Vic and Bryan's flash moves that way, and rests on the robed one-eyed terror now standing in the room. It rips away the garments to show all of itself: blue-gray skin, mouths all over its body, long tangled hair, two normal arms in addition to the tentacles, and a large red eye to either side of the one seen under its hood. It backs up and lets off a primal roar; the Titans stare, their feet nailed to the floor with terror.

The couch is grabbed in one long tentacle and tossed aside with ease; now many others lash out and force the nine to scatter. Dick tries to deliver a kick, but gets knocked backward before he can drive it home. He tumbles past BB, who becomes a T-rex and roars in the creature's face. Its answering yell scares him so badly that he changes into a cat and runs off with a startled, little yowl.

Jack tries shooting fire at it, but it merely swats it away and sends him careening into the kitchen.

Bryan and Rose back up as the thing smiles broadly from all its mouths, but its mood goes sour when a starbolt blasts into its back. It turns and finds Starfire and Blackfire floating in midair; they throw several more shots, which it deflects with one arm before snaking two tentacles up and seizing them. They are reeled in with screams, at which point Vic jumps up to wrestle with the monster. As the three Titans struggle against it, Raven steps up.

Raven tried to chant, "Azarath Metrion Zinth-"

Lightning cracks out as she cuts herself off sharply. Her hands, which should be black with her powers by this point in the incantation, are still completely normal in appearance. She regards them with considerable surprise.

Raven muttered, "my powers!"

Dick and Bryan rush in to give Starfire, Blackfire and Vic some backup and are seized; BB, as a falcon, swoops along next and dodges a swipe. He turns into an octopus just before reaching the three-eyed face and wraps all eight of his own tentacles around it. Jack starts trying to freeze the tentacles as Rose swings her sword around to try to slice into them. Dick, Bryan and Vic redouble their assaults on the limbs that hold them, and Raven begins a charge. It is cut short when a tentacle slams into her, driving her back next to the stairs that lead up to the side door.

Jack exclaimed, "Raven!"

The monster disappears without any warning and leaves the other Titans tumbling to the floor in a heap. A cry is heard from Starfire.

Starfire yelled, "someone's claws are on my grebnacks!"

BB said, "heh…. My bad."

Bb stands up in human form, whatever form he had taken, some part of it touched her in the wrong place, and the other Titans in the pile straighten up as well.

Bryan asked, "um, do grebnacks mean…?"

Blackfire clarified, "yes."

Rose said, "ew."

They are thoroughly bewildered by this turn of events. Vic's shoulder flashlight has retracted, and Bryan has deactivated his eye's light.

Vic asked, "there was a monster here, right?"

Jack said, "last I checked. Something did throw me into the kitchen afterall."

Dick asked, "but where did it go?"

Starfire asked, "and from where did it come?"

Rose asked, "and how the heck did it get into the tower?"

Bryan said, "million dollar questions."

BB said, "hel-lo? Isn't it obvious? The movie's curse! Watching it opened a portal to another dimension. The monster came through the portal, now it's going to hunt us down and eat us! And I'm probably delicious!"

After he finishes, the others are having big trouble swallowing even one word of this theory.

Vic asked, "or…?"

Dick said, "Control Freak must have escaped and come to the Tower to get his remote, and take his revenge."

Starfire cries out and steps aside; Raven is behind her.

Raven said, "but that doesn't explain why my powers aren't working."

Jack said, "yeah, none of our powers were affected. So why Raven's?"

Vic said, "if that remote can turn candy evil, who knows what else it can do?"

Bryan said, "for all we know, a whole lot worse."

Dick said, "whatever's going on, we need to get to the bottom of it. Split up and search the Tower!"

All but BB scatter. He turns into an octopus again and yanks them back, then resumes human form.

BB said in exasperation, "split up? Split up?! Did you not see the movie? When you split up, the monster hunts you down one at a time, starting with the good-looking comic relief guy", he grabs Dick's tunic, "me!"

He shudders and curls himself around the shoulders of the leader, who struggles to pull him off during the next line.

Dick said, "get a grip, Beast Boy! The monster's not going to eat anybody."

Rose said, "least of all you."

Jack said, "he's right though. Splitting up isn't a good idea. "

Raven said, "he's right. There's nothing to be afraid of."

A violent lightning strike throws its glare over her and makes everyone face the windows for the next bolt.

...

Later in the hall...

Vic's flashlight beam marks his approach from around a corner, and he leads the Titans along the passage. BB brings up the rear and keeps looking back the way they came. As they pass the stairs, a small voice floats up to them.

"Help! Help me!"

Blackfire exclaimed, "gah! What the-?!"

Dick said, "this way!"

He moves off to BB's room as the door slides open and the group peers in. The flash roves across the pigsty that is the green goofball's living space and stops on a closed door.

"Help me!"

Dick steps into the room, moves toward the door, and wraps his fingers around its handle. He braces himself as the other Titans hunker down behind him as best they can. A sudden heave slides the portal open on its track; behind it, something very large starts to move. As all five scream, panic-stricken, the mass tumbles over them, dirty laundry and lots of it. Dick has just opened BB's closet. When the pile has settled, we see on top of it a small toy monkey banging a pair of cymbals together. The unwashed clothes have entirely covered the Titans. The plaything speaks with the voice just heard.

Toy monkey, "help me, help me, help me count! One…. Two…. Three…. Four…. Five…. Six…. Seven…. Eight…."

As it counts, BB and then Raven put their heads up from the pile. The former grins sheepishly as a big drop of sweat rolls down his temple; the latter is just annoyed.

BB said, "um…. I really oughta get rid of that thing."

Jack said, "I'll say. What're you, five?"

Out in the hall. Vic leads the team out of the room and makes exaggerated horror-movie moans, poking fun at the encounter.

Vic said, "look out, y'all, big scary monkey! Hahaha!"

BB said, "hehe, yeah, Raven. You shoulda seen the look on your face."

Raven growled, "you mean this look?!"

Her face goes bright red and she thrusts it toward him. Her normal color resumes as he speaks.

BB said, "no, that's more angry than scared."

Raven said, "I already told you, I don't get scared."

There is a loud growling from the unlit area of the hall past these two. The source comes forth; the creature that disappeared from the living room, all its teeth bared to strike.

Dick yelled, "Titans! Move!"

All of them make tracks. Now Raven is at the rear of the group, and the look on her face when she glances back toward the pursuer gives the lie to her repeated denial of fear. The apparition races after them, scraping sparks from both walls with its clawed fingers, and they turn into another hall to give it the slip. Jack grabs Raven's hand as they run.

They all turn into an opening hallway, and into the air of a rather large room.

Each drops screaming into the empty space as soon as his/her feet cross the threshold; BB becomes a falcon to stay aloft. Starfire catches Vic by the shoulders and brings him up, while Dick fires a grappling hook that embeds itself in the ceiling of this place. The line pulls taut under his weight and Rose's; he has caught her around the waist to stop her fall. Bryan grabs the wall with his cybernetic arm as Blackfire flies into the air. Jack uses his wind powers to keep him dn Raven in the air.

Starfire peers gingerly out from the doorway. Nothing there.

Starfire said, "the creature is gone", and she led them out. BB turns back into human form, "we are safe, for the moment."

BB said, "okay. Don't even try to tell me that didn't scare y-"

Suddenly, the tentacles sneak up behind him, and they take a firm hold and begin to drag him away, causing him to trail off into a scream. Starfire's voice gets stuck on one horrified, quivering note as she stares.

Dick yelled, "Beast Boy!"

BB yelled, "what did I tell you? Funny guy goes fiiiiirrrrrsssssttttt!"

He disappears through an open door and into the shadows. It slams shut just before Dick runs up; he struggles to force it open. Slowly, they open the door to the evidence room.

Except for Dick and the other Titans, no living thing is in sight here. Starfire gasps.

Starfire said, "Beast Boy! He is-"

Raven said, "-gone."

Rose yelled, "but, he can't be!?"

Dick said, "give me some light."

Vic's onboard flashlight puts out a high-intensity beam.

Vic said, "the evidence room. What are we looking for?"

Dick said, "something that shouldn't be here."

Jack said, "the remote?"

Dick nodded. He leads them in, straight down a center aisle, and stops at the far wall to pick up….

Raven said, "Control Freak's remote."

Dick said, "right where I left it."

Blackfire said, "but wait, that doesn't make sense."

Starfire said, "my sister is right. How could he conjure these monsters without his technology?"

Vic said, "maybe he had an extra remote. I mean, we got, like, nine."

Bryan said, "since you and Beast Boy constantly lose them."

Dick said, "I'm starting to think Control Freak doesn't have anything to do with what's been happening."

Jack said, "that just raises more questions."

Raven said, "well, whoever is doing it, they're not gonna scare us."

Dick thinks hard for a moment. And then it hits him!

Dick said, "fear! That's it! The movie, the monsters, Raven's powers, the answer's right in front of us! If Control Freak isn't behind this, it has to be-"

Red eyes appear behind him, followed by a couple of tentacles. Before he can finish the sentence, his head is securely wrapped up and he is yanked toward the wall. The tentacles have passed through it from the other side. His body slams up against it, stuck for a moment, and Raven, Rose and Starfire attempt to pull him free; they are stopped when more tentacles emerge and swat them away. Now he starts to disappear into the wall, but Vic moves in and grabs his free hand to begin a tug-of-war with the Titans' leader as the rope and the prize. The beast's grip proves too strong and Dick is torn away. Vic tumbles to the floor on his back, but stays there for only a moment; as the wall seals itself again, he dashes to the spot.

Vic yelled, "Dick!"

He lets off a frustrated groan, then cocks one fist back and punches out the wall. Dust and debris fly everywhere; when the view clears, we see a very new hole in the architecture and no one on the other side of it. He turns to face the girls.

Vic said, "I don't suppose any of you know what he was about to say."

They all shake their heads.

….

Later, as the storm continues at full force. Inside the living room, Starfire leans over the kitchen counter and checks behind it, using a spot of light from her hand to help the view, while Vic inspects a couch cushion.

Starfire called out, "Richard? Beast Boy?"

Bryan and Rose watch as the storm rages on when Raven and Jack come in.

Raven said, "they aren't here. We've already looked here."

Vic said, "we've already looked everywhere."

Raven said, "almost everywhere."

Blackfire said, "oh X'hal, not there."

Starfire gives a shuddering gasp and her eyes pop as the cushion drops from Vic's hands.

….

The remaining Titans stand at the entrance to the basement, and Vic turns on his flashlight, while Bryan uses his eye again. Jack also uses his powers to light the way with a ball of fire in his palm

Raven leads them down the stairs; when they reach the bottom, they see an electric generator sitting nearby. Huddled behind Vic, Starfire peeks out, looks around, and gasps sharply.

Starfire said, "oh, well", she backs up the stairs, "our friends are not present. Let us quickly go back up and see if they-"

He plants one oversized hand and yanks her bodily off the flight; she voices a terrified little squeal.

Vic said, "not yet. We have to get to the bottom of this."

Starfire asked, "this unpleasant room is not the bottom?"

Blackfire said, "a figure of speech, sister."

Raven said, "come on."

She leads them on, her steps illuminated by both the flashlight and Starfire's glowing hand. A dark shape, resembling a giant rat with glowing red eyes, runs across nearby; the high-strung Tamaranean shrieks and throws a starbolt toward it. No hit, but a lot of smoke.

Vic asked, "what is it?"

Starfire said, "the floor! I saw something!"

Raven said, "I didn't."

Rose said, "I don't like the sound of this."

Vic adjusts his eye implant a bit.

Vic said, "night vision scanners aren't picking up anything either. Let's keep moving."

Bryan said, "my sensors can't pick up anything other than our heartbeats."

He and Raven continue across the area, leaving Starfire too scared to pick up her feet; after a moment, she gathers her nerve and goes to catch up. More small critters zip across behind her, and she cries out and fires one off after them. This blast causes Vic and Raven to flinch.

Jack said, "Star, calm down!"

Raven said, "yeah, please stop doing that. There's nothing to be afraid of, all right? It's probably just a few rats."

Starfire exclaimed, "those are not rats!

They all look to see where she has indicated, and tilt up to the overhead girders. Many pairs of small red eyes open in the blackness here. Vic's beam moves across the creatures, which number in the thousands.

Vic yelled, "run!"

Rose yelled, "understatement of the night!"

These creatures have rat bodies, with heads matching those of the four-eyed birds that attacked BB, Jack and Vic in Raven's mind.

Vic yelled, "run!"

As they do so, the mass of bizarre vermin surges forward from both the girders and the floor. Raven and Vic pass Starfire and Rose, who have both frozen in place due to sheer terror; as he fires a cannon shot back toward the creatures, they get their feet and starbolts in gear. Raven is first to reach the stairs, Jack right beside her, Vic, Bryan and Blackfire are not far behind her, but Starfire stops and floats up from the floor to unload on the rodents, with Rose trying to slice at them for backup. Yet more of them scuttle into view and leap toward them. They look up with startled cries and are buffeted back and forth by the dropping bodies.

Just before they drop, Raven starts to climb and Vic and the others catch up to her.

Vic yelled, "hurry! We're almost-"

Two screams stop them cold.

Vic yelled, "Starfire!"

Bryan yelled, "Rose!"

Blackfire exclaimed, "sister!"

The creatures have swarmed up Rose and Starfire's waists. Starfire fires a few point-blank shots into them before she and Rose are sucked into the pile with screams that would have been audible ten miles away. Vic hurls himself toward them, but an instant too late; the horde evaporates, leaving him to crash down on the empty patch of floor where Starfire had stood.

Vic called out, "Star?"

Bryan called out, "Rose?"

Raven comes up behind him and he sighs.

Blackfire and Bryan both have tears in their eyes, as they had watched the people closest to them get swarmed.

Raven yelled, "no!"

Jack said, "this just keeps getting worse and worse!"

They stand before the basement door as it opens to admit the remaining Titans, who stop near a flight of stairs leading up from here.

Raven yelled, "we should go back! Maybe there's still a way to save her!"

Vic said, "we won't save anybody if whatever this is gets us, too. We have to get outta here and come back with help."

He breaks out his cannon and trains both it and his flashlight on the stairs, and up they go.

Vic stops to sweep the light across the dark expanse as Raven gets up to the last step.

Vic said, "we'll get through this, all right? Don't be scared."

Raven said, "for the last time, I am not afraid."

She steps into the hall and ahead. Jack quickly follows with Bryan.

Blackfire and Vic stop behind them with shocked expressions.

As another flash of lightning happens, they're gone!

Raven said, "Vic, we could use a little more light."

She stops and turns toward the camera; surprise writes itself all over her face in bold type.

Raven asked, "Vic? Victor?"

Bryan said, "God no. It's only us left."

Jack said, "we gotta get outta here before anything else happens!"

That's right when several tentacles emerge from the ceiling and grab Bryan!

Bryan yelled, "ah! Get off!"

Jack yelled, "Bryan!"

Jack grabs onto his brother as Raven grabs onto Jack!

Bryan yelled, "don't let go man!"

Jack yelled, "tell that to them!"

The pulling gets stronger and stronger, until one tentacle hits Raven hard enough to send her back, and quickly pulls the brothers up into the ceiling!

Raven yelled, "Jack! Bryan!"

Raven begins breathing heavily as she realizes that she's the only one left, when she hears a loud, horrendous screech!

An enormous winged creature flaps around the corner toward her: black, four red eyes, long tail, and she backs up and sets off at a dead run. The thing chases her around corner after corner before she comes up on the closed elevator door and punches furiously at the call button. Still screeching, it flaps inexorably along; the door opens and she ducks into the elevator.

She lunges toward the controls and gets the door shut just as the monster snaps its head out to strike. The impact of its beak puts a major-league dent in the panels and throws her against the back wall. The elevator starts to move, rising up. Inside, Raven gets to her feet and braces for more action. She lets off a visible sigh of relief at having eluded capture, but the mood changes to one of panic as the sound of something boiling is heard.

Raven yelled, "no!"

We now see that the floor has turned into some thick, glutinous liquid, which begins to rise with alarming speed within the car. In almost no time, the level has passed her head and blacked out the entire elevator. Once it reaches another floor, the bell rings and the UP arrow lights to signal its arrival, and the doors open to spill both the foul tide and the screaming girl across the floor.

….

She has reached the living room, where she washes up not far from the couch. She stands up and shakes off some of this muck. A loud thump from behind the closed elevator door catches her by surprise, as does the bulging of the barrier due to the monster on its other side. Backing up toward one side door, she is again brought up short by growling from its shadows and the appearance of two red eyes. Sure enough, here comes the tentacled beast that first attacked the Titans.

It advances out of the passageway and stands up to its formidable full height. Raven backs up fearfully toward the couch as lightning rages outside, then whirls into a run for the other side door. While the huge creature comes up fast behind, she stops with a gasp; there, in the gloom, hundreds of doubled pairs of eyes wink up and the rat-like creatures from the basement swarm out. One reaches her feet, then another and another, and she retreats onto the coffee table; her temporary refuge ends when the giant roars and pounds both hands against the piece of furniture. She is thrown to the ground.

As the black rodents move in a body toward her, she gets to her feet and jumps onto the ledge that runs in front of the windows. With them closing in from the sides and in front, and the glass at her back, she is now completely hemmed in. Behind the mass, the huge terror looms over her, and the windows turn black while two pairs of red eyes appear on them. She turns toward this.

Raven yelled, "stay back!"

She steps back. From the flat black expanse, a colossal animal shape begins to emerge and reach for her.

Raven yelled, "you don't scare me!"

The new apparition comes out far enough to show itself as a wolf-like thing with a bird's head. She turns her face away and closes her eyes.

Raven said over and over, "I'm not afraid…. I'm not afraid….", it roars; she drops to her knees, puts her hands to her head, "... I'm not afraid!"

Behind the huge black creature, the windows have now returned to normal. Ravens eyes are shut tight and her teeth clenched so hard they might break at any moment. After a long second, she relaxes and opens her eyes wide.

Raven said, "I…. I am afraid. I'm afraid..."

Her eyes turn pure black, with no sign of irises or whites, and she stands up.

Raven growled, "but that doesn't mean I can't fight back!"

The rat-things back up in uncertainty, the growling leviathan behind them.

Raven rises from the floor and yells, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A huge wave of black energy radiates out from her-the powers that fizzled out earlier. They have returned-to instantly evaporate the hordes of vermin. The tentacled giant is engulfed, then the wolf-thing that came from the window. Raven descends towards the floor. The remains of the unearthly onslaught swirl around her in a large circle, from which the head and wings of a four-eyed bird emerge.

This apparition emerges from the roof-fully formed, with a wingspan at least ten times the width of the tower. It lets off one long, tortured screech as lightning rips the heavens, then disintegrates into random pieces that are sucked back in through the roof. Inside the living room, Raven drops to the floor and collapses.

….

A few moments later, Raven comes too, seeing all of the other Titans around her. None are any worse for wear.

Dick said, "Raven."

Raven looks around, puzzled. Her eyes are normal again.

Raven asked, "you're all okay?"

Vic and Jack help her up. She hugs Jack tightly as Dick says, "we were never in any danger."

Vic asked, "say what?"

Bryan asked, "seriously?"

BB asked, "did you not see the monsters?"

Blackfire yelled, "I know I did!"

Dick said, "we saw them, but they were never really there. Raven was afraid, but when she wouldn't talk about it, the truth hits home; the fear found another way out."

Starfire said, "her powers!"

Jack said, "that explains why she couldn't use them!"

Dick said, "once you accepted your fear, you regained control over it."

BB asked, "you mean Raven made all those creepy-crawlies by accident?"

Raven blushes and smiles nervously, "uh…. Sorry?"

Jack hugs her and says, "no harm done."

Rose was about to say something, but Bryan put a hand over her mouth.

Light steals over the room as the Titans look toward the source, the sun coming up over the shore of Jump City Bay. Dick, Blackfire, and Starfire head for the side door while Vic yawns and stretches expansively. The storm is over.

Vic yawned, "sunrise. Time for bed."

He too turns to leave, as does Bryan and Rose.

Rose said, "I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks."

Bryan said, "same here."

BB, Jack and Raven have stayed put. She aims a slightly worried look out the window.

BB said, "you know, your haunted house was way creepier than that stupid movie. Any chance you'd want to do all this again for Halloween?"

He beams at having come up with this idea, but she does not alter her expression in the slightest.

Raven said, "I'm afraid not..."

BB shrugs as he walks away.

Jack asked, "you wanna snuggle in my room? I doubt either of us wanna sleep alone right now."

Raven nods as she and Jack go to his room.

Percy was curled up on the bed, having somehow slept through all of the crazy things that had occurred that night.

Both Jack and Raven lay on the bed in one another's arms, drifting off to a peaceful sleep….

….

Reviews:

Bailey Radcliff: glad you enjoyed the chapter. Happy late Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Canadude2029: thanks for being patient and I'm glad you liked the chapter.

SuperSentai199: well, I'm very happy you enjoyed this chapter.

….

Thanks to everyone for being patient. I wanted to wait until the entire notification issue was fixed. And keep in mind, chapters will take a little longer to be published. Going through a lot of stuff during the holidays that make things pretty busy.