Chapter 3 An Angel's Embrace is Cold
A green rat skittered through the ventilation ducts of the San Francisco Research Institute of Science and Technology. It was moving much faster than the other rats scattered throughout the facility and for good reason.
"I can't believe I'm going to steal this time gun thingy." Beast Boy thought. "I've never stolen anything in my life. . . . Well, there was that chew toy at the pet store and that overpriced fudge from the candy store, but that kid dropped it on the floor. That shouldn't count. No! Focus Beast Boy. You have to do this for Raven. She's only got a couple days left."
He peered through the grate of the central storge facility and saw a large vault on the far side of the room. According to Cyborg, a device called the Chronon Accelerator lay behind it—a device that could manipulate time over very concentrated spaces. At least, that was what the reports said.
He morphed into a fly and descended into the room. Then, he unplugged the cameras and landed in front of the vault. Morphing into a werewolf, he ripped the vault from its hinges and ran inside, only to find it empty.
"Okay, this means Robin already stole it and forgot to tell me, right?" he said to himself.
"Freeze!" A cold light shone into the barren vault.
"Police!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Wait, I didn't steal anything. I mean, I might have ripped your door off the wall, but—"
He felt a sharp pain in his stomach and looked down to see a light blue tranquilizer dart."
"Way to go, Beast Boy." he muttered. "Why not get arrested when she needs you the most?"
When Beast Boy awoke, he was lying on a row of chairs at the police station. The San Francisco chief of police, Rob Bolen, was sitting across the room on a couch, smoking a cigar.
"I know you're a Titan, kid, so I won't throw you in a cell, but I'll have to detain you for a bit." The sheriff gave him a good-natured grin, but he did not sound friendly at all. "What were you doing at the research institute?"
Beast Boy sat up and rubbed his head. "Helping a friend. . . . Dude, why is it so cold in here?"
"It feels fine to me, dude." There was a hint of irony in his voice. "I suppose you thought ripping that vault open would really help out your friend, huh?"
"Yeah, I thought it would." He exhaled deeply. "Seriously, man, it's gotta be fifty degrees in here. I would know. I'm cold-blooded sometimes."
The chief frowned. "Then let's get a blanket for the stray titan."
"No." Beast Boy stood up. "Blankets don't help. I'm getting used to it now."
"Then I'll get ya a coffee. I could use one myself."
He left Beast Boy alone in the lobby. He sighed and hugged himself. It seemed he was getting chills four or five times a day now, and not just a chill of the body but a chill of the mind. It was a mental cold that darkened his thoughts, like it was pulling him away from this mortal world and closer to the grave.
The chief returned later than expected, but he was holding a phone and, to Beast Boy's disappointment, had no coffee in sight.
"A call just came in for you." He tossed him the phone.
"Robin!" Beast Boy shouted into the receiver. "Why didn't you use my communicator."
"Because I'm not Robin." the chilling voice replied. "Hello Beast Boy. I think I have something you want."
"Slade?" He nearly dropped the phone. "You . . . you realize the police are listening to this call, right?"
"Oh, I know. I'm trying to acquit you, so we can get this show on the road. I got to the Chronon Accelerator before you. Don't try to deny it. I know you're down one titan and in desperate need of the accelerator, so let's not waste any time. I have something you want and you have something I want. Meet me at the warehouse on pier 12, and if you bring the police or your friends, I'll destroy the accelerator. . . . Do we have a deal?"
"Why do you want me?" He tried to mask his fear with boyish overconfidence. "What could I possibly have that you want?"
There was some hesitation in Slade's voice that surprised even Beast Boy. "There's a certain . . . guardian angel who's been following you the past few days. Or perhaps a fallen angel is more appropriate. Come alone, and if you make me wait too long . . . I'll come to you."
The phone went dead, and Beast Boy stared at Rob who was sitting behind his desk, typing vigorously at his keyboard.
"We already traced the call. He's at the marina. You want backup?"
"No, you heard him. I've gotta go alone." Beast Boy walked to the door, but the chief stepped in front of him.
"Psychos like him always make vague, empty threats like that."
"Rob, it's Slade. They're not empty."
Rob wiped the sweat from his brow. "Maybe. . . . You sure about this, kid?"
"Surer than I've ever been." Beast Boy stepped through the door, and into the cold, dry San Francisco night.
When Beast Boy arrived at the warehouse, he was surprised to find Slade standing under the solitary light that hung from the ceiling. The light swayed back and forth, causing the metallic man to go in and out of his vision. He was standing on a tarp that was surrounded by several wooden crates.
"Hello, Beast Boy." Slade folded his hands behind his back, concealing the accelerator. "I see you aren't feeling reckless tonight. That's good."
He watched Slade, waiting for him to make the first move. Suddenly, the chill left him, and he noticed Slade's eye dilate.
He inhaled sharply. "It seems you brought my angel as well. Are you prepared for the transaction?"
Beast Boy grit his teeth. "Give me the gun. That's all we're transacting here."
Slade laughed slightly. "You have a quaint way with words, but I'm afraid you're wrong."
He stomped forward, stepping on the tarp. "I don't have time for this. Raven doesn't have time for this! Just give me the gun, so I can go home."
Slade stepped out of the light and pointed the accelerator at Beast Boy's head. "Perhaps I need to teach you how to conduct business in the darker corners of society. If you're not going to give me what I want, then I suppose I'll have to take it myself, but don't worry. That was what I had intended."
He pulled back the tarp with his foot and shot the Chronon Accelerator at a pentagram etched in the concrete. Beast Boy fell on his back as the tarp swept him off his feet. He had never felt as powerless as he felt in that moment. The pentagram glowed to life and formed a red lattice cage in the air. Raven's astral projection materialized in the cage, doubled over in pain.
Slade leapt onto a crate to get a better view. "Ah, there's my angel."
Beast Boy changed into a rhinoceros and charged the cage. It merely shocked him and threw him aside.
"I'm afraid it will take more than brute strength to break this hex. It was designed centuries ago to capture runaway souls and return them to their hosts, but instead, I think we'll wait here a few minutes until Raven's body dies."
Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla and smashed the concrete around the base. He shattered the pentagram, but the cage remained.
Slade threw up his hands. "Do you really want to waste your final moments with your friend like this? If you have anything to share, I'd do it now."
He morphed into a wolf and leapt at Slade. He dropped the accelerator and wrapped his arms around his middle. Then, he kneed the wolf in the stomach, sending it flying into the air. A second later, a mammoth was crashing down on him. Slade dove to the side, watching the Chronon Accelerator shatter under Beast Boy's bulk.
"That was foolish." Slade cracked his knuckles. "You could have used the accelerator to defeat me easily. Robin would have, but I suppose I shouldn't expect such ingenuity from a child."
Beast Boy looked at Raven and then back to Slade. "Can a child do this?"
He changed into his werewolf form and clawed Slade across the chest, sending him flying through the wall and into another warehouse. Beast Boy charged through the wall, making a larger opening. Slade dusted off his armor and braced for another impact as Beast Boy lunged at him again. Slade pole vaulted over him with his metal staff and slammed it into his face.
"That won't work again." Slade landed behind him. "You'll have to get more creative."
He morphed into a python, wrapped around his staff, and snapped it in two. He then wrapped himself around his neck, but Slade through him off.
"Are you just stalling, or do you actually want to save your friend? Time's running out, you know."
Beast Boy morphed into a T-Rex, grabbed Slade in his teeth, and threw him back into the other warehouse. He crashed into a stack of crates but recovered almost immediately.
"Even if you rip me to shreds, it won't save your friend. I cast that hex to contain only Raven's soul and only I can release her. . . . Perhaps I should leave you two alone—give you both a moment to say goodbye."
He felt to his knees and looked up at Raven's astral projection, writhing in the cage. He wondered if she could feel that pain.
"Let her go, please. . . . I'll do anything." Beast Boy told himself he wasn't crying, but he knew it was a lie.
Slade shrugged. "And why would I do that when I can rid myself of one titan, maybe two depending on how the night continues?"
He smiled. "Then I guess it's time to grow up and use my brain for once."
"That would be a sight to see."
Beast Boy stared at Raven's soul. If she could speak, she would tell him how to get out of this, but he was alone. He would save her or die. He thought back to all their experiences together. Was there anything he had learned from her, anything that could break this hex?
"I guess it's worth a shot." He morphed into a raven and flew at the cage.
His vision reddened, and his body burned white hot. He could feel his DNA mutating, adapting to whatever was holding her captive. He entered the cage, flew into Raven's soul, and the red lattice bars shattered. Her soul immediately flew out of the warehouse and towards the tower.
Beast Boy landed on his butt in the center of the room, his head dazed and smoking.
Slade walked up to him with a heavy gait. "Magic was never my style, anyway. These spells always have their exceptions, don't they? And you, Beast Boy, are quite the exception. You'll always find the fluke. That's your role on the team, isn't it?"
Beast Boy shook himself out of his stupor and stood up. "It's over, Slade! You've lost."
"Have I?" he laughed richly. "Your guardian angel's gone, you're weak, and you've put me in a bad mood. Does that sound like a winning situation to you?"
Starfire sat beside Raven's hospital bed in Titans' Tower. She looked up at the computer, watching her dangerously low vitals fall even lower.
"Oh, Raven, please return to us. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy are all trying so hard to save you, but I could not bear to leave your side. I wish to see your half smile, so natural on your face, and listen to your sardonic jokes at Beast Boy's expense, even the jokes I cannot comprehend."
Starfire bowed her head, and the window shattered, throwing glass all over the room. A cold Shadow flew to Raven's bed, and she shot up with a long, painful gasp.
"Slade!" she screamed.
"Raven!" Starfire wrapped her arms around her neck. "You have reunited your spirit self with your actual self. I had almost given up all hope of your return."
Raven grabbed her by the shoulders. "Beast Boy's fighting Slade alone. He's in trouble."
"Slade?" Starfire put a finger to her chin. "If he had encountered such a dangerous foe, he would have called, yes?"
Raven released her and flew out the window. "There's no time to explain. Let's go."
They flew to the warehouse and pier 12 and found only a ruin. Raven looked around in abject horror.
"Get this rubble cleared. He's here. I can feel it."
Starfire gave her a reassuring smile. "Have no fear, Raven. We will find him."
Raven swept away the rubble with her dark telepathy while Starfire flung the steel girders into the ocean. She found Beast Boy under one of the girders and screamed. Raven flew to her and screamed as well, but it was the quiet, pitiful scream of a scared child. His body was contorted in an unnatural shape, and his face was covered with blood and bruises.
He opened one eye just enough to see his saviors and smiled. "You're safe . . . and you came back for me. That was nice."
Raven hastily wiped away her tears and tried to smile. She wanted to sound happy, but her voice came out sounding weak and hoarse.
"Of course I came back because I like you. . . . I like you a lot."
Beast Boy stared at her and smiled. "Oh yeah, that was the last thing I said to you. . . . I thought I'd have a joke ready for this moment, but I can't think of one. . . . I probably won't tell anymore jokes for a while."
"Good." Raven's face darkened and her eyes lit up with dark power. "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Slade left you for dead, and he's going to pay."