Chapter 5
Although training started at ten in the morning, Beast Boy and Robin had very different interpretations as to what ten actually looked like.
Beast Boy knew that to Robin, training was a sacred task that must be upheld with a sense of dignity, determination, and humility. Therefore, one should arrive no less than fifteen minutes early to stretch, visualize, and contemplate the task ahead. This was done to prepare one's mind, body, and one's soul for the assignment.
Beast Boy completely understood the stretching part (having a wicked leg cramp after one strenuous exercise was enough to drill that one into his head) but the introspection before the activity didn't make too much sense to Beast Boy.
While he did have his moments planning and strategizing, in the heat of a battle, there was one thing that Beast Boy trusted more than anything else: his instincts.
He couldn't tell you how he knew to turn into a rhino to knock down a bad guy or when to switch to a snake to wrap himself around a pair of legs. Sometimes it was as though he was watching himself as his body reacted to the foes around him. He found he would blink after a heated battle only to realize he was a little unclear as to how he had got there.
Of course, it didn't happen with most fights. Usually, he would have to think ahead and switch forms mid-air, and these split-second decisions took time and concentration. But those rare times when the odds were stacked against him, when all hope seemed lost, or when something triggered his animalistic senses, he let his body take over. In those times, he allowed it to fight tooth, nail, claw, or whatever form it needed to get the bad guy down.
Of course, there was one danger to doing this, a rather large predatorial danger: the Beast.
Although unsure exactly what triggered this primal aspect of him, it was something he was keenly aware of and something he knew he had to hold back at all costs. Following his instincts was one thing, but the Beast was quite another.
But if he were being completely honest with himself, there was a little part of him that had the teeniest, tiniest inkling as to what brought the Beast to the forefront to take control. It seemed it had something to do with-
Nope! Nope, nope, nopety nope. He wouldn't allow himself to even think of it.
Every time that thought crept into his brain, he squashed it and buried it back into the cobwebs of his mind again. It was too outrageous, too improbable, too ridiculous too ….
No. It can't be that.
Thankfully, he hadn't reverted to this aspect in quite some time, and there was no indication that it would happen anytime soon. He hoped. Control of the Beast was shaky at best, although the fact that it hadn't surfaced in a while was arguably a good indication that he had at least some control over it. Or so he maintained to the rest of his team.
At least he knew that in that form, he still wanted what was best for those he cared about, and he was going to stick to that- for the sake of his sanity.
Yet even with the prospect of becoming werewolf extreme, Beast Boy knew he could rely on his guts and the natural, all-important drive of self-preservation. It was one of the things that although everyone (including the Boy Wonder) had, Beast Boy had it in spades. Protect himself, protect his pack. It was a simple concept which meant he didn't need an extra fifteen minutes to get in the right 'mind space' for training.
So, when he strolled in at 10:04, to Robin's evident frown, he knew he was going to get a tongue-lashing from the walking traffic light. Robin had never bought Beast Boy's 'instinct' spiel, no matter how much Beast Boy wrapped it up in nice little vernacular bows. Robin boiled down tardiness to Beast Boy's laziness and wouldn't hear any more of it.
"Nice of you to join us, Beast Boy," Robin predictably said. "Now that you are finally here, we can make a start on the obstacle course. Please make sure you stretch and get yourself motivated for this task. Starfire, would you like to go first?" Robin's face visibly softened when he mentioned his girlfriend's name.
With an enthusiastic nod, Starfire floated to the start of the course while Robin walked up to the controls at the top of the hill. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy shuffled to the observation deck where they were out of the way of any misfiring arrows or flying discs.
A buzzer sounded as the clock started on Starfire's run on the course. Beast Boy watched (and stretched. Robin was a jackass, but he did have a point about stretching) as her eyes glowed green, and she met with her first hurdle on the course.
Over the years, the obstacle course had been given extensive upgrades. These included holographic images and high-tech androids (not unlike the famous Slade-bots) as well as the physical hurdles they had competed against in the past. Cyborg and Robin had spent endless hours painstakingly detailing every barrier to challenge each Titan and their weaknesses. It was so sophisticated that until you hit a 'villain' you were never quite sure whether it was a robot (whose outward appearance was uncannily authentic) or one of Cyborg's holographic images. Not only that, but the terrain had had upgrades, from deep canyons to mountainous peaks, with only a push of a button.
While Robin kept control of the track, there were definite levels as to how difficult the sequence would be. It could run from as simple as stealing candy from a baby (albeit a cranky baby who may know kung-foo and won't hesitate to kick your ass) to so difficult that you are crying in the corner as not only did you break every bone in your body, but you were so frightened by the dragon/zombies/killer squirrels that you peed your pants and now wanted to die of embarrassment. Needless to say, to have it on a high level was to play with fire, and getting burned (both physically and mentally) was a definite possibility.
Grabbing his ankle to stretch his quads, Beast Boy observed Starfire dodge through lasers as holographic bad guys tried to hit her with their swords. It looked to be on a higher level, and if Robin was being hard on his alien powerhouse girlfriend, Beast Boy knew he was in for a treat when his turn came up.
"So….. wasn't last night….. great?" Cyborg had sneaked beside the changeling and had one of the biggest smirks Beast Boy had ever seen on his friend's face.
But Cyborg's reference to Beast Boy's awkwardness last night felt like a lifetime ago, and Beast Boy was in no mood for his friend's antics.
"Whatever you say, Cy." Beast Boy dropped his leg and grabbed the opposite ankle, ready to stretch the other.
Not to be defeated, Cyborg continued in his attempt to tease the green teen, but Beast Boy pointedly ignored his friend. Thankfully, Cyborg quickly got the hint to drop the conversation. It probably helped that Robin kept twisting his head to give them the stank eye every time Cyborg opened his mouth.
Although also in the small space, the younger Raven treated him with her usual disdain, and Beast Boy was, for once, happy for the snub.
Beast Boy knew that last night he had been clumsy in his attempt to conceal his secret, but after seeing the older Raven again this morning, talking to her while she drank her tea from the café, he knew he had to strengthen his hold on himself. She was counting on his discretion, as well as his protection and Beast Boy was going to try to be worthy of such a humbling responsibility.
It did help that this younger Raven was so different from the one he was with only moments before. He watched as she lined up towards the course, Starfire's time now up and the alien panting by the sidelines.
Raven's hair and belly were different, of course, and the displaying of emotions was a given, but even the way she stood seemed so different to Beast Boy. This Raven's stance was rigid, with her shoulders back, chin high, and face set in a mask of indifference. She stood as if the world was still on her young shoulders and the burden was a somber one. Yet her older counterpart this morning had seemed so relaxed, so ready for the day in an enthusiastic, almost cheerful way. Her movements, even just picking up her mug, seemed so coordinated, elegant even, especially when he compared it to the stiff actions that the Raven before him was showing. They were like two different people, and yet they were not.
Thinking about it, the separation of present and future Raven was something that even the older Raven was doing. He had noticed that in every conversation he had with her, she never mentioned the younger Raven as me or I. It was always "Raven" as if she were referring to a different person who happened to have the same name. But he supposed, in a way, she was a different person. Ten-ish years was a long time, and wasn't it right for people to grow up, change, and become a better version of themselves?
Beast Boy cringed when he thought about the young hero who had just left the Doom Patrol, wearing a stupid mask and practically begging for friends. He had matured (a little bit at least), had loved and lost, and even had a few new skills under his belt. He supposed that thinking about that guy and the person he was now was like comparing apples and oranges.
While he mulled over these new philosophical ideas, the present Raven had finished her course and was listening intently as Robin pointed out some areas to work on.
"Your kick to the holo-dummy on that fourth turn was excellent- you've really been working on your leg muscles, but your punch didn't have the force behind it to completely knock the other one down. You might need to spend more time with weights, Raven. But I commend you for using more of your training and not completely relying on your powers. Great work."
Beast Boys tried hard not to roll his eyes at Robin's famous 'positive sandwich' approach. It was just another one of the managerial techniques he had picked up through the years that he seemed overly fond of. Admittedly, he had to give props to the dude, as Batman would have probably just barked out everything she did wrong and make her do it again. Twice.
"Beast Boy!" Robin called out. "You're up. I'm gonna crank it up a notch or two. Think you can handle it?" He gave Beast Boy a crooked smile, and the changeling knew that this was in retaliation for not only his late start but also this morning's hair comment.
He took back every nice thought he had about the guy. Robin was a jerk.
"Sure thing, oh fearless leader. Crank it," Beast Boy said, giving Robin a two-finger salute and a death glare.
Robin lifted a brow and gave an evil chuckle, and Beast Boy watched as the dial turned from 'pretty hard' to 'not a prayer.'
With a silent gulp, Beast Boy stepped up to the front of the course. He could hear the shouts of encouragement from Starfire and Cyborg back in the observation deck. He knew Raven would never demean herself by cheering for anyone, let alone the green shapeshifter.
But hey, he told himself, nothing new there. Older Raven though…
The timer started, and his course began.
Immediately a 20-foot wall shot up from the ground. Automatically, he shifted into a mountain lion, hunching his hind legs and leaping over the wall with apparent ease. Coming back down from the wall and halfway through the air, he shifted again, this time into an armadillo, able to curl into a ball and spin across the section until he came to the end of the hurdle. Jumping up as his human self, he sprinted towards the next obstacle.
What comes up, must come down, and he wasn't surprised to see the floor open beneath him, and a pit full of fire rapidly came into his vision.
Simple enough, he thought to himself as he did a quick shift into a peregrine falcon. When is the hard stuff gonna start?
His thoughts seemed to have manifested as metal discs, the size of Frisbee's, hurled their way toward him to try and steer him off his course.
Ignoring the fire beneath his feathers, he concentrated on the end of the pit just beyond him, dodging discs as they came to his periphery.
He twisted through the discs, a roller coaster's worth of ups and downs and loop-de-loops. Had he been in human form, his stomach would have lurched, and he probably would have lost his breakfast. The edge of the fiery pit came into view as he stretched his wings to make the final landing.
He went into his human form for the landing on the edge of the pit. With a barrel roll to help him ease from his shift, he landed with one hand in the air while the other balanced himself out from the rotation.
Determined, he blindly ran towards the next barrier.
And he fell.
Great. Another pit.
He shifted into a bird again, this time an albatross, with a wingspan so wide he could touch both sides of the canyon with the tip of his wings. Gliding, soaring, he easily darted around the clumsy discs that continued to assault him.
But size didn't help when the lasers started.
Hot, red shots come at him from all sides all at once.
And they burned. Oh, how they burned.
Small, he thought. Think small. Immediately he changed into a bee. Granted the discs and the lasers seemed more aggressive and MUCH larger when seeing them as such a small insect but he knew that Cyborg's and Robin's program would not be able to pick up on such a tiny creature and would confuse the A.I. of the assault course.
At least, in theory.
In reality, he had to fly fast and erratically to evade the scorching lasers and debilitating discs that were launched at him from all directions.
Narrowly avoiding a laser to the gut, Beast Boy looked ahead of him in hopes of some relief from the eclectic landscape. He was quite done with all of this dodging and was ready to start fighting.
And… Another pit. Great. Just…. Great.
Not only was it another pit, but the ocean itself. Beast Boy couldn't remember a time they had utilized their surroundings in a battle simulation so well. Robin must have really cranked the level up, as this was almost unprecedented.
Without really thinking, he morphed into a fish. Water equals fish, his brain told him. Swim, Swim, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, his brain continued. He wasn't sure if that was instinct or Finding Nemo but it seemed to be working so he continued.
He was a salmon now, ready to haul it upstream if he had to. Fast, Fast, Fast, he told himself. What new torture did the little bird have for him next?
Sharks. Like duh. Of course, there were sharks. Sharks were on his tail. Literally, trying to bite off his fishy tail. Water obstacles must always have sharks in them, he huffed to himself. It's almost obligatory. He wasn't sure if they were real sharks or one of Cyborg's freaky mechanical ones, but it didn't matter. Teeth were teeth, and Beast Boy was happy with keeping all his faculties intact. As long as they didn't have laser beams attached to their freakin' heads, it was alright.
Thankfully, the sharks and their multiple teeth ended up being easy to dodge. A quick change into an octopus, he squirted black ink upon his unsuspecting toothy victims, and away Beast Boy swam, leaving the mechanical (or real?!) predators swimming in darkness.
He spotted the shore quickly, recognizing he had probably gone around the island, and shifted into a pterodactyl.
C'mon fake bad guys, he thought as he shifted back to himself and landed back on dry land. His frown was set, his fists were curled, and he was ready to fight.
Finally getting his wish, he sensed a figure to his left. Ducking a punch to his head, he rolled onto his side and kicked his enemy with his foot. The holo faded into nothingness as another tried to tackle him from behind. This one got a punch to the gut, and it too, disintegrated away.
While attempting to rise from his crouched position, Beast Boy heard the air above him sing. Realizing his new adversary was falling from the skies, Beast Boy rolled away from the oncoming attack in a side roll, jumped to his feet, and gave the assailant a hard punch before it even landed on the ground.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Fu-
Too late he realized that this foe was one of the metal robots that Robin had decided to throw in.
Fists stinging with pain, Beast Boy pushed through the discomfort to morph into a Kangaroo and gave the damn machine a good kick with his legs, flinging the robot to what Beast Boy saw as the final hurdle to the race.
About fifty feet away, it looked to be another canyon (of course) only this time monkey bars allowed the challenger to cross from one end to the other.
He wasn't sure what was on the bottom of the pit, but he could only guess it was some sort of lava. Or Lava monsters. Or Lava monsters with fire demons. Or Lava monsters and fire demons with their pet guinea pigs who were hell-bent on world domination. You know, the usual.
Shifting back into his human form, Beast Boy gave a cocky one-sided smile and prepared himself for the final obstacle-
Then he heard a noise.
Whipping his head towards the sound, his pupils constricted, and he stopped dead as if his feet were glued to the floor. Every one of his senses, every muscle, every thought focused on the sound's origin. The obstacle course, the robotic opponents, the shouts from his friends, and the very sky and sea ceased to exist. If sounds were to take form, this would have been an arrow that had let loose and torpedoed itself right into Beast Boy's heart.
The disruption to Beast Boy's reasoning lay only a few metres away, close to the edge of the artificial gorge, and swaddled in a pink blanket.
The baby's desperate cries seemed to impossibly echo throughout the island.
As if to mirror its lament, another shriek called to the weeping babe. From what could be gathered, it appeared to be the shape of the child's mother, on the other side of the gorge, screaming and calling out for her lost baby.
Logically, his first thought should have been how the hell the baby got there in the first place. It was quite obviously a sophisticated fabrication of the A.I. meant to confuse and disarm him. No real mother in their right mind would EVER allow their child within 10 feet of the Titans hazardous obstacle course.
The second thought should have been how on earth it sounded so real and how the wails of its mother on the other side of the pit sounded so tragic. Had someone recorded those screams?
He should have used his sensitive nose which couldn't detect any real baby or any distraught mother. He should have known that you can never trick his nose.
He should've heard the very real and very powerful gasps of his teammates from the observation area as they saw what disturbing scenario Robin had dreamed up for Beast Boy.
He should've heard Cyborg's outrage as he would never program such a deplorable scene in his simulation.
He should have listened to Starfire shrieking her protests in harsh Tamerean. If he could have interpreted the language, he would've heard her expletive comments and her repetition of a rather vulgar word for 'despicable'.
He should've heard Raven's cajoling to turn off the course as it could potentially damage a person's psyche.
Realistically, he should have been aware of all these things, but the rational side of his mind had been cut off the moment he heard the cries from the robot baby. His usual smiling face was blank as without thought, without emotion, without any of his usual ego, Beast Boy took a deep breath in through his nose and started running.
With an aura of determination, he took long, purposeful strides toward the babe and scooped it up with the strong yet delicate arms of a large silverback gorilla. Blink and you would've missed his rapid transition from human to ape.
Running with a speed no normal gorilla could possess, Beast Boy raced toward the edge of the canyon.
But the simulation was not finished in its torment and the moment the 'baby' was in Beast Boy's gorilla arms, the lasers started again with a vengeance.
Coming at him from every angle, Beast Boy didn't even attempt to dodge these but merely clutched the baby tighter to his chest and continued sprinting forward despite the hits he had taken to his back and legs.
When a robot tried to tackle him from his side, Beast Boy grabbed it by its neck and with a vicious howl, flung it towards another android who had been attempting to climb up the cliff to assault the hero.
Not even a second later, a holo-image appeared and raised a sword as if to decapitate Beast Boy. Sliding into a crouch, his knees scraping the pebbles on the ground, Beast Boy grabbed a boulder with his free arm and hurled it toward the figure.
As it dissolved into nothingness, another image jumped up from the ground and attempted to give a round-house kick to Beast Boy's head. Leaning in to block the kick with his child-free arm, Beast Boy didn't see a robot spring up and give a heavy punch to his other shoulder.
The distinctive popping of bone dislocating from muscle could be heard- even by his friends, whose voices continued to loudly protest the simulation.
Beast Boy grasped at his joint and snarled loudly at the robot.
His friends winced in solidarity. They all had experience with this injury and knew how excruciating the pain would be. They also knew that Beast Boy was not in his right mind, and their cries dimmed only a little as they braced themselves for Beast Boy's ruthless retaliation.
Yet instead of getting revenge on his foe, gorilla Beast Boy softly angled his protective hold on the baby by gently re-arranging the infant-bot so that his now useless arm was tucked under and held tight towards his hairy green chest. He soothingly swayed side to side as if not only calming the baby but testing the grip to ensure he was still able to support it with his dislocated shoulder.
This quiet devotion took mere seconds, and now an enraged green gorilla stood on his hind legs, lifted his head to the sky, and flashed his large yellow canines with a mighty roar that rumbled the very ground the Titans stood on.
Stunned to silence, his teammates watched in horrified fascination as Beast Boy turned his attention towards the robot.
If androids could shiver in fear, this robot certainly would have. The rage in Beast Boy's eyes was unmatched, and his fury seemed to heat the air around him.
With a quick backhanded blow, Beast Boy swatted the robot away like it was a mere fly and not a 200-pound hunk of metal.
Without stopping his sprint toward the edge of the cliff, Beast Boy rushed into his next foe headfirst and proceeded to trample the android to the ground. He tore through the metallic casing with his toes, slashing his padded feet in the process.
Despite his bloodied feet, Beast Boy snarled his way through his enemies, kicking, punching, and leaping around the holo-images and robots, taking every hit they gave him yet never letting go of his precious burden.
The A.I. only relented its onslaught when he finally reached the monkey bars.
With a giant leap, Beast Boy grabbed at the first rung and furiously swung himself back and forth to gather momentum for his next swing. Just as he was about to leap to the next rung, clay discs started to launch themselves at the changeling.
With a pitcher's force and accuracy, the discs hurled toward Beast Boy and beat into his emerald skin. Beast Boy's eyes narrowed in concentration, but his focus didn't waver as he hurled himself to the next rung.
Despite the vicious battle below them, the other Titans continued staring in open-mouthed silence as Beast Boy's already bruised and bloodied body continued the course with a speed and ferocity they hardly ever saw him in. They flinched as he took a hit to the knee and covered their mouths as one of the rungs he seized sent a bolt of electricity through his body.
Yet despite the hits, the electrocution, the dislocated arm, and the pools of sweat dripping off his gorilla-shaped body, Beast Boy remained steadfast and focused on his goal. All while holding onto the small bundle snuggled into his dead arm.
The team's silence turned to cheers and shouts of encouragement as Beast Boy's large hand grabbed the last rung on the monkey bars- he was almost there.
With a final swing, his two feet landed hard on the ground, and with four quick steps, he bent down and placed the baby-bot on the ground by the feet of its fake mother.
The timer stopped, the robots and the holographic images disappeared, and the course around him went back to normal. Beast Boy, now back to his usual self, stayed on his knees, his chest heaving, staring hard into the ground with a blank expression.
With whoops and cheers, his friends surrounded him. Cyborg, forgetting about his dislocated shoulder, patted him on the back and started running a detailed commentary on his performance with an awe-inspired tone to his voice. Raven kept calling him an idiot over and over while she kneeled on the ground next to him, attempting to heal his wounds. Starfire was hard to hear as her pitch seemed to get higher and higher with each sentence, but the word 'great warrior' was repeated often enough to get the gist of her praise. Robin mumbled apologies while also congratulating the changeling and asking how the course could improve in the future. They eagerly talked over each other, finishing the other's sentences and reveling in Beast Boy's accomplishment.
He heard none of it.
Finally, as if breaking out of a daze, Beast Boy looked up and gawked at his friends, as if he was surprised to see them there.
As if on cue, the chatty Titans stopped talking and gaped at Beast Boy. The only sound was the gentle hum of Raven's magic as she attempted to heal Beast Boy's shoulder.
"Beast Boy…" Raven said softly, tentatively breaking the silence.
Beast Boy slowly turned his head towards the girl. His glassy eyes seemed to look right through her, despite the fact their noses were almost touching. "Raven?" he whispered vaguely as if he was trying to grasp something unknown.
Then, as if waking from a dream, his head shook slightly. He blinked, and then his eyes went wide and were full of panic. "Raven!"
In a flash, he bolted upright and pushed aside his confused friends as he hurriedly limped towards the tower.
"Gotta go," he called back.
Cyborg grabbed his best friend by his wrist before he could scurry away.
"Dude, you were banged up pretty badly. Stay here a sec, then we can take you to the infirmary. Whatever you need to do can wait." Concern for his friend was all over his cybernetic face.
"No- accelerated healing- am fine." Beast Boy's words came out disjointedly as his focus from the tower never left.
Cyborg dropped his grip on Beast Boy in surprise, and the green changeling continued his shuffle towards the tower.
Although it was painful and took a moment of concentration, he morphed himself into a blue jay and started towards the Tower. Below him, his friends continued to call him back down. Ignoring their concerns, Beast Boy glided up the building and aimed for his open window.
Right where he left her only an hour before, older Raven sat at his desk, scribbling away at an opened journal and eating one of the many muffins he had purchased for her.
Like cool water on a hot day, a calming sense of relief washed over Beast Boy. He didn't know where it came from or why, but it was as if all of the animals in his head had given a collective sigh, and he felt his aching muscles relax ever so slightly. Switching back to himself and landing on his knees he breathed out, "You're okay. You're both okay."
"G- Beast Boy!" Raven exclaimed, dropping her food and racing to him. "What on earth happened? What did Robin make you do? Are you okay?"
Although it hurt him to do it, he smiled widely, "I might've pushed Robin into setting the course kinda high."
She huffed at him, "Well that will do it. You're an idiot." Despite the reprimand, her healing hands started working on his burns and bruises.
Feeling a little woozy, Beast Boy only chuckled. "Probably. It's all part of the charm."
Raven only shook her head in mock annoyance as she continued to treat his wounds.
The cooling sensation that Raven's healing gave began to soothe Beast Boy and he could feel himself swaying under her touch. He was probably going to pass out any moment now. First, though, he needed some answers.
"I'm just glad you are both okay. Did you find your spell? Can you go home soon?" He was mumbling but he knew she understood him.
"We are fine, Beast Boy. I found the spell, but there's ... a complication. I might have to stay a little longer than I would like. I'm so sorry."
He physically perked up at this and his words became clearer, "Don't be sorry. If you can't go yet, it means I will get you for a little bit longer."
"Flatterer," Raven snorted.
They sat in silence for a moment, but Beast Boy could feel the pull of going under getting stronger and stronger.
"Are we gonna tell the others? What about Raven?" His eyes were starting to close.
She sighed in response, "I don't think we have a choice. As for Raven…. I have a couple of ideas."
Beast Boy nodded; his head felt like a tennis ball on top of a toothpick. "Hey Rave- I'm really glad you're here."
Delirium was on the horizon.
"Thank you, Beast Boy," he heard her softly say.
"And I-I think I'm gonna pass out now," he whispered.
"I think that is an accurate assumption," she whispered back, the warmth of her breath tickling his ear.
He gave out a short, soft chuckle, "Mmmmkkkk. See ya."
And Beast Boy fell into Raven's arms. Completely knocked out.
Author's Note:
When I sat down to write his fic I told myself that it would be a simple story. It would have less than 20,000 words (ha!), it would be only four chapters (double ha!) and it would not, under any circumstance, have any action scenes in it (triple, quadruple ha!).
Once the idea for this chapter popped into my head, I knew I couldn't turn back from it. I also knew how difficult I was going to find writing it and I did end up having a lot of brain-storming sessions with my husband and four solid months of attempt after attempt. This is the result and I've come away pretty happy with it. I've also come away with a newfound respect for anyone who can write action scenes- I tip my hat off to you!
No action next week (thank goodness!) but there are some fun scenes in it. Hope you enjoy it!