Disclaimer: By this means, I rightfully claim ownership to this fanfiction story and my original character within it, by my trademark signature T.M.O at the conclusion of every update. Any other characters that may appear in this work and are new, these are the rightful properties by their creators as well and cannot be reproduced, or duplicated without their individual consent. I do not own anything within the DC Universe, from Warner Brothers, or on Cartoon Network. The only original character and the name that I created for him; that I accept half ownership on is Falcon from this telling. Scififanfreak222 owns the second half of him as well, for drawing him upon a collaboration of various new designs and sketches within the year of 2010; and cannot be knowingly placed into another literary document, writing community, comic book series, and or televised broadcast without either of our written or verbal consent in front of legal consultants. TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, Scififanfreak222, xSaffire55x, Novus Ordo Seclorum, and RavenxIsxAxBlackxRose; each of these fellow writers have helped me to press onwards with this story, every-time I have come across writers block. Without their outstanding guidance, the updates would have taken me even longer to complete.
Chapter 9 is up! Counter moves are made, Beast Boy has a pivotal duel with Cinderblock, as a harsh reality, settles in. "Doubt is a pain, too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother" - Kahlil Gibran
Chapter 9 - Exasperated Judgments
"Your move." Red X said while standing, barely two inches from the detonator on the ground. "It's either this, or me. You can't have both."
Robin was panting heavily, the scuffle between the deadly mercenary and him, had ended in a draw. He had cornered the thief, nearby a chain-linked fence, while dozens of security guards, were swarming alongside the Teen Titan's fervent leader. The Boy Wonder, was still just out of reach, from getting the handheld device.
The moment was getting intense, and the Mexican Standoff, held everyone on the tips of their toes. If Red X went for the detonator, he would have been shot, yet if Robin or the security detail rushed in, then Red X would unleash an array of gadgets from his suit, and he could escape.
"There is nowhere to go." Robin said as both his, and his adversaries capes, flapped in the breeze outside the runway. "You have no more moves to make, it's over."
Robin stepped forwards, holding out his green gloved left hand.
Red X in turn, he glanced from the guards, pointing their blasters at him, to his one token, just sitting on the ground, and then back to The Boy Wonder. This goose-chase, it meant little to him.
Then, a small window of opportunity had presented itself, it was a new way, to create a crafty distraction. The calculations for escape were not adding up, but there was single, unusual factor, which he had not even considered before, and it quickly appealed to the masked criminal.
"Head's up, chumps!" Red X said, with a pinch of laughter in his tone.
The Boy Wonder squinted his eyes, where, in the blink of a few seconds, the rouge mercenary tossed down three smoke pellets with one hand, and he threw a shuriken at the detonator, with his other, forcing it to slide away from him.
Robin dove for the remote, and as he caught it, Red X 's movements became sporadic, with the ten guards all shooting around him, yet they were unable to hit their mark. He cloaked himself by tapping upon the center clasp of his belt, and he vanished, while jumping in mid-air!
As the Teen Titan got back to his feet, he held the device in his grasp and looked around, but the illusive thief had fled.
"He-he just … disappeared!" one of the guards spoke.
"Where did he go?" asked another.
Robin slowly stood up, glancing about the battleground, with the detonator in his hand. The other guards remained in place, scratching their heads in utter confusion.
"He couldn't have gotten far. Spread out, search the area!" One of the commanding guards spoke up.
"Yes sir!" came the reply of everyone else.
Robin hurried back inside of the hanger, and he shut down the explosives. With the security at the airport on full alert, the Titan's Captain went outside again, and he felt the ground, where his defiant adversary had been standing, just moments ago.
The Boy Wonder grinned, and quietly spoke to himself; "Well, it looks like he had one more move to make, after all."
Soon, an intense explosion, deep in the heart of the metropolis, rippled across the cool air! This forced Robin, to immediately stand at attention, along with everyone else nearby. He turned to the sound, coming from the east, where the powerful echo, boomeranged itself across every single building, dark alleyway, and structure about Jump City, making a nauseating knot, tighten within his stomach.
"That, can't be good."
The faraway sirens going off, and the faint spectacle of smoke, rising from some unnatural crater, this only worried Robin. He had to find out, what was happening in his city, he needed to know that his teammates were okay, and while he stared, at the skyscrapers in the background, fear began to cloud his concentration.
Suddenly, the idea of getting a quick head-count on his teammates, was all that mattered. The deafening blast, was too far out of range, to pinpoint any specific location. It could have been the Bay Bridge, or possibly the train station, or any number of areas, that he and his friends, had not accounted, as being a target.
"Robin calling Titans … report." The Boy Wonder held his communicator to his lips, as he depressed the call button.
There was an uncomfortably long silence, before anything happened. His heart-rate quickened, by a few more palpable beats.
"Come on guys, answer me here." He whispered to himself.
*Starfire calling Robin … what is the problem?*
*Beast Boy here, go ahead.*
*Starfire … Beast Boy, please tell me, that you guys heard that.*
*I did hear … some type of explosion.* Starfire answered, in a downcast mood.
*I'm sorry dude, but I just entered the dam right now.* Beast Boy rasped, *I'm kind of busy, looking for the bomb around here.*
*Starfire, you heard something?* Robin questioned.
*Yes … and as I look to the east, of my current location on the Jump City Bridge, I can now observe smoke, that is rising from somewhere … in the middle of the city.*
*The center of the city … what could it be?* Beast Boy chimed in.
*Robin, what do you think it was?*
The Team Captain thought, and thought, for a few more lingering seconds, and then he bowed his head as a sign of disgruntled grief.
*I think … that one of the bombs Slade planted, has detonated.*
Both Starfire and Beast Boy, gasped in horror at this conclusion. They quickly realized, that they had until sun-rise, to stop the devices from going off, and apparently, one of them did. The question that caused them all to tremble, was who of their group, could be potentially injured?
*I have been commencing the fight, against Jinx.* Starfire turned her face away, from the screen. *She has fled, abandoning this location, thus allowing me to secure the area, and to safely defuse the bombs here.*
*Nice work Star.* Robin congratulated her. *But this only has me thinking, that we are running short on time. We need to get to the other locations, before its too late.*
*Good luck with that.* Cyborg cut-in next, as the brawl in the prison-yard, was heavily underway. *But from where I am, I've got enough problems, battling Gizmo and Mammoth … I think I might be stuck here, for a while!*
There was a steady flow of static, on everybody's receivers, and it quickly died out. It was caused from the team mechanic's end.
*We cannot stay here, and argue about this. One of the devices has gone off!* Robin spoke angrily.
*We know Robin, but right now, something worse just happened.* Cyborg replied, as he held onto his breath. *One of the explosives has detonated, but that also means, that someone in our group, could be in far worse trouble.*
*Cyborg, please elaborate for us.* Starfire pleaded.
*Well, there is us, but the other two, who are still unaccounted for; would be Raven, and Falcon.* said Cyborg.
*Uh guys, I'm seriously not liking, where this conversation is going.* Beast Boy rasped.
*None of us do.* Cyborg answered, using the sudden pause, to gather his thoughts. *I had a really bad feeling from the start on this one.*
*It doesn't matter.* Robin replied, *What does matter, is that we have to keep on our search, before another one of those bombs, goes off.*
*But what if Falcon … or … or Raven is hurt? Surely, we can splinter off, and go help them.* Beast Boy asked.
*No.* Robin's answer was stern, *We need to stay focused now, more than ever.*
*You don't get it Robin.* Cyborg cut-in again, *Either Falcon, or Raven sent an emergency distress call out. My cybernetic half, picked up on the faint beacon, and for two solid minutes … it chirped away, until-*
*Until … er, what Cyborg?* asked Beast Boy.
*It stopped.* Cyborg's tone became crestfallen, *I know it typically keeps going, when someone presses it, but this … I-I can't make heads or tails of it.*
*Friend, please do try.* Starfire's words, eased the tension a little.
*In layman's terms, the communicator has been, destroyed.*
A bewildering gasp from all others, cut into the conversation a second time. They remained mute, while trying to re-evaluate, these grim details.
*Cyborg;* Beast Boy slowly started, *You don't think-"
*That Raven or Falcon is hurt right now, yeah, I do.* The mechanic solemnly answered.*And that means, one of us has to go and see, if we can help them.*
*What are you guys talking about, I'm still here.* The gravelly monotone of the Empath, came into the discussion, cutting through the air waves, like a swift and unexpected knife.
Raven's voice quickly alleviated the heroes, but the startling realization, that it was the crimson cloaked Necromancer, who had yet to report in, the awful bitterness quickly devoured their jubilation.
Raven was standing in the parking-lot of the Power Plant, the fulsome yellow glow of the arched lights, lit up much of the early morning darkness, about the desert canyon. A few policemen, in the same uniforms, as those of the isolated prison that the gear-head was at, were noticed walking in the background of her screen.
Dr. Light was in handcuffs, and he was being escorted away, into a paddy wagon. Raven had a grin across her face, she was quiet pleased with her handy-work, while her mission was a success.
Cyborg's human right eye revealed, dark bags of sleep deprivation. And as Raven glanced from each of their faces on her communicator, his was the most startling.
*Um, guys-* Raven began speaking, *Why does Cyborg seem … agitated? I take it, that maybe it had something to do, with that explosion going off?*
There was a quick pause, allowing Starfire to fill in the missing pieces.
*Raven, it is indeed good to hear your voice, and for us to know, that you are … unharmed.*
*Yeah!* said Beast Boy, *You know, you had me worried for a moment.*
*But there is a troubling new development, and it has to do, with our recent addition to the team.* said Starfire.
*Falcon.* Raven's voice became quieter.
*There was some terrible explosion, too far away for me to hear, but, close enough for you guys, and one of the communicators sent out a distress signal.* Beast Boy caught his breath, *At first, we didn't know who it was, but now …*
*Now you know, it had to have come from Falcon.* Raven finished his sentence.
Robin and Cyborg slowly started to bicker at one another in the background of this topic, where the other three, after having been brought up to speed, finally refocused onto their team leader, and co-captain.
Starfire began to muse over the recent memory, of when she gave The Fire Wielder a hug, and he blushed. Beast Boy recalled, the strange bonding moment, when they sat on the roof of Titans Tower together, with the sunlight, arching over half of his face.
Raven dwelled over the first day they had hung out, and the anger that was built, but that displeasing memory switched to a better one, when she and him, battled members of the H.I.V.E. in the junkyard. She could still see him, standing up after brushing himself off, he was determined to fight, for justice, just as they all were.
Robin was currently thinking on getting things done, pushing through the night, and then, helping Falcon. It could be said, that he was abandoning his newest ally, and for a while, he started to regret his decision, of using Beast Boy to get information.
*Guys …* Robin began speaking, *There are bigger things at stake here. As much as I want to drop everything, and to have us all, go to him, need I remind you, that we still have a job to do.*
*You are not seriously thinking, of what I know you are.* Cyborg cut-in.
*Dudes, for like one minute, can we please just try to recap what we already know, before rushing off and doing something, incredibly stupid?* Beast Boy questioned.
*Alright.* Robin answered.*There were six bomb locations across the city, how many are left, that we need to take care of?*
*Well, mine at the Jump City Bay Bridge, is out of commission.* Starfire spoke next. *Jinx has fled on foot, where I ask of the permission, to go and apprehend her.*
*No.* said Robin. *Stick with the plan, head to the dockyards, and search that area. My guess is, that Jinx will have gone there, trying to set another ambush.*
*How many more locations, are there?* asked Beast Boy.
*If I remember correctly, Falcon's last whereabouts were at the Jump City Railways.* Raven chimed in.*With my location at the Nuclear Plant secure, the bombs having been located and shut-down, that proves three areas, are done for the night.*
*Right, The Bay Bridge, The Nuclear Plant, and The Train Station.* Robin sighed, *Well, add mine to the list also, so that is four out, yet two more locations remain.*
Beast Boy stopped moving, as he patiently stood in front of a light, on the wall. The repetitive hum of the turbines was getting louder, on his end.
*This dam is huge!* Beast Boy's voice bounced across the walls. *I ran into Cinderblock, and I have to say, he was not too happy to see me.*
*On top of that, there really wouldn't be much more of a reason, to have planted a bomb here, at the prison.* Cyborg replied. *My scanners didn't pick up anything, I'm going to try and wrap things up, and then I'll head over to the train station, to check on Falcon.*
*Leave that to me.* said Robin. *You are closer to Starfire anyway, and with what happened to Falcon, maybe we should regroup a little.*
The technological expert squinted his human eye, as a laser blast, exploded by the wall he crouched alongside. He was getting perturbed, and he did not like his fearless leader's blind ambition, to wrap things up. Cyborg wanted to do things his way, and he was ready to challenge, their captain about his leadership abilities.
*Hold on man, you just want to leave Falcon, ALONE!* Cyborg angrily shouted back;*This is wrong, and if it were any one of us, would you honestly do the same?*
*Calm down Cyborg.* Robin pleaded, *Things are always going to get worse, before they can get better. Falcon knew the risks involved, he volunteered to go.*
*This is not your decision Robin.* The gear-head fired back. *Don't do this, not to him … not to us.*
*Raven-* The Boy Wonder, thought up a new tactic. *Since Beast Boy is struggling to get to the bomb at his location, I would like you, to link up with him and do what you can. Besides, the two of you against Cinderblock, that should balance the odds, in our favor.*
*Robin-* The team mechanic, was cut-off.
*Cyborg, when you are finished with your end, head over to the dockyards.* The Boy Wonder continued.
*Robin-*
*I know it might not be the most popular plan, but it is the most sound.*
*ROBIN!* Cyborg jumped back into the conversation. *Falcon could be hurt!*
*True, but right now, this is our priority.*
*Oh, so then, Falcon is not a priority?*
The sound of a motor bike revving, and the distant shadow of a figure, getting upon his prized vehicle, who was noticed by the Dark Knight's protege, this captured the Boy Wonder's focus away from his communicator. It was Red X, and he was spotted nodding in the direction of Robin, then driving away, from a side parking-lot.
*Look, I need to catch Red X. Falcon will be fine for now, and I'm going after him. Maybe, he can lead me to Slade.*
*WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?* Cyborg's blood was bubbling within his veins, as the notion of abandoning their newest friend, all for the sake of getting the job done, it did not sit right with him.
*Yeah dude, chill.* said Beast Boy. *I don't think that Slade, would even give up his location, to anybody. Least of all, to Red X.*
*You guys aren't thinking clearly on this. I need to stop him, I need to find out where Slade is! Red X, is the best chance for that.* Robin fired back.
*Robin, you're not thinking clearly on this.* Cyborg responded, while looking to his wrist. *I for one, will do my duty to protect this city. Hell, we all are, but, I will not knowingly abandon a friend, just for the sake of trying to prove something.*
*I'm not trying to prove anything!*
*Robin.* The Tamaranean Princess's voice, calmed the mood, slightly. *I do not wish to abandon Falcon. We should take Cyborg's option into account.*
*We should regroup, and check on him. Then, we can deal with tracking down Slade.* Cyborg's voice picked up.
*There isn't any time.* The Boy Wonder, was fast to retort. *You have your secondary objectives to follow-through with. Titans, move out!*
*Fine.* Cyborg countered cynically, *Just know this. When I am done with helping Starfire, I WILL be going to the train station, to check on Falcon. You can do whatever you want, but I for one, am going to salvage this mess, as best I can.*
*Cyborg, that's not-* Robin was cut-off this time.
*Then, you can be the one, to explain why you felt it was in his best interest, to leave him behind. All for some wild theory, and some stupid principle, of catching Red X, to maybe, possibly, locating Slade's hidden base.*
Robin pulled his head back, he was rather shocked, at his orders being questioned, by one of his closest friends. By one, who always stayed by him. Cyborg was second in command, and he had many opportunities, to offer his replacement, as the rightful leader.
The Boy Wonder knew this all two well, and the conflict between the two was starting to grow wider over the years, as this conversation was becoming more and more imminent, of how different each felt, that the team should act.
*I know this won't be easy, but Slade must be stopped. If we all rush onto Falcon's location, then how are we to stop the remaining explosives, from going off?* Robin questioned their motives. *Perhaps, I can uncover a new plot, before it even develops!*
*How can you say, with such a calm demeanor, that we should just leave one of our own, behind?* Cyborg tossed the question out, for the rest on their team, to muse over.
*How many more lives, are you willing to put at risk?* Robin fired back, *We cannot put value of one life, over the means of the many. We will deal with this later, as of right now, we have a city to protect.*
The group became totally silent once again, their leader was right, and their lives and feelings must be put on hold, in order to secure the safety of their city. They swore to protect the innocent, and uphold the law, to defend the helpless, the weak from criminals of all kinds, yet it still felt wrong, to leave one of their own behind, just to do this heroic task.
Being a hero at times, was like a double bladed sword, putting the values of others, ahead of their own, it was very strong and a noble trait, yet what of the person, who was in danger, what if they were beginning to show traits, of friendship? What if the others could act, to do something about it, but decided not to?
Falcon was their friend, and Slade had caused the team to stumble, right into his trap. They were now entangled, in a rather difficult choice, and they each knew, if it were one of them that were in the Necromancer's place, they would hope that the others would come. Yet, if they did not, how could the person who was potentially wounded, consider the actions of the others noble, in any light?
How would they be able to find forgiveness, and when it came to someone like Falcon, who was still rather distant, the choice that the others would have to make, it should have been easy to cast his bond of fellowship aside, and yet, they still struggled, over the act.
If it were Robin, he would tell them all to keep going in the mission, and to only come to his aid, when they had completed their tasks, but this was someone else, someone who had come into their lives and hearts just a few days ago.
There would only be more distance between him and them, and it would only deepen Falcon's chances, of wanting to leave, after their trust would forever be shaken, in his new family.
*Soooo … aren't we going to help him, or what?* Beast Boy questioned.
*Unfortunately, the best course of action that we must take, is to complete our current objective.* Robin took a deep breath, while rubbing his forehead. *I don't want to leave him, we won't, but, with you guys working in pairs, we can end this, much faster.*
Once more, a lengthy silence gripped the hearts of everyone. They each struggled with what they should do, they wanted to do something, but in hearing their fearless captain, explain things, it only gave them pause, to reflect on everything.
*This burden … it is mine alone to bear.* Robin spoke quietly, while he thought over the individual duty, of leading others through hell and back. It was now, another dark hour, and he had to make a sudden decision. As the team leader, he did not have the luxury of doubt, he was thinking about the needs of an entire city, outweighing the needs, of just one person.
*Titans, GO!*
Outside the Jump City Railways, the great building was in shambles, and it was deeply caved in. A blazing inferno, from the gas station in the facility over, continued to roar wildly upwards into the dark, morning skyline.
The few cars nearby, were also caked in dust, and some that were at the pumps, they were burned to an incredible degree, as the roof of the gas station had folded downwards, and only fed the hot flames, to build even wider, and taller.
Multiple columns along the outside of the long stairs, were toppled and broken, some of them were still holding parts of the roof up. Yet, the many explosions had taken their toll, not only to the inside of the long building, but they had also caused equally serious damage, to the outside.
Mostly all of the Parthenon architecture, and beautifully sculpted designs, were charred by ash from the nearby fire, and the triangular archway, had collapsed. The many long windows, and glass doors to the entranceway, they were shattered and crushed; they were bent and twisted, all across the ground, as the ghastly wreckage, stuck out of countless new openings.
Broken bricks, that had fallen away from the side walls, they lay strewn about the street, and a crowd of people began to gather. They were mostly residents who lived nearby, as sirens of multiple first responders, continue to grow, from the vast distances to their ears.
So much rubble was blasted outwards, it was as though, a volcano had erupted in the heart of Jump City, and the ruins had spewed debris everywhere. Most of the wreckage, was scraps of metal, shards of wood, chunks of concrete posts, toppled pillars, and a fine powdery dust, almost like snow that caked the ground.
The two mighty granite lions, that were roaring at the base of the stairs, they were doused with the ash, and soot. Lampposts had their power cut, as the downtown area was enshrouded, in near perpetual darkness.
There were multiple rain puddles, that had formed throughout the night, and the gunk and light debris, coated in the ashy powder, floated into the storm-drains, and down the sewers.
The congested crowd, only continued to increase in size, from what started out as a minor handful of drifters, to twelve nearby apartment dwellers, and then droves of people began to flood into the street, to stand in awe at the complete devastation.
People were dressed in their pajama, bathrobes and nightgowns, while a few children were holding their parents hands, with everybody gawking and staring, at the horrific sight. A few firetrucks began to arrive, while policemen got out of their cruisers, and began to cordon off the location.
Firemen started to put out the worst of the blaze, at the gas-station, while people took out their smart phones and began to record, what was happening. Curiosity got the better of many bystanders, and most who lived a few blocks away, they could not help themselves, but to observe what was transpiring.
Moments before the explosives had detonated, and a number of streets away, a local diner that was open all hours, offered hot food and beverages, to people working the graveyard shifts about the city.
From nurses and doctors of the hospital staff, to even a few secretaries, to people who stocked the shelves late at night in grocery stores, and a few truck drivers; there was almost always, a tiny influx of people, coming and going from their jobs, to get a second wind.
It was a 1950's brick-layered building, where the electrical buzz of the neon sign out front, gave the patrons a place to rest for a while, and to refuel for the coming morning. There were red padded booths, long tables, and there was a pleasant enough staff of three waitresses on hand, along with one cook to keep things in order, and to make meals for people.
Sitting down at one of the booths, a young teenage girl with a caucasian skin completion, peered into the tea she had in front of her. The slow steam, swirled upwards and tickled her nose, as the gentle scent put her at ease, from her long night.
This was her favorite booth, the padding was worn and cracked, the table had a chunk of one of the sides missing, while the distance to the lavatory was close enough, and she was in view of the big doors, where the staff would come and go, to the kitchen to retrieve the orders.
She was on her way home, from the hospital, where she worked as an intern for the nursing staff, of Jump City Central. Already, she had a single year of helping the general public under her belt, she was a certified life-guard, she knew C.P.R. she did ride-alongs with the first responders in ambulances, she helped the elderly, and, she volunteered her weekends, to study trauma and surgeries in the emergency wing.
Like most medical departments across the country, many were understaffed, and in desperate need of any and all assistance with people, who had an interest in medicine. Despite the fact that she was a young teenage girl, her skills were far above average, and she knew a great deal of treating sick, and ill patients.
She appeared like she was eighteen years old, but in fact, she was only fourteen. She was in school, and on certain days during the night, she spent her time at the hospital, to offer what help that she could.
The tea kept her awake, while a smoking slice of apple pie across from it, was not even dug into yet. She preferred to sit alone, to be alone, and to take the time to think about her life, and the duties she preformed.
There were always difficult choices that were going to be made, and it irritated her to no end, when people thought that they knew her, but it was far from the truth. Her past life, was filled with much sadness and pain, and she worked as a medical intern, striving to become a doctor, or a nurse, hoping to heal others in need.
The young girl, leisurely took a sip from her tea, and she closed her eyes to absorb the comfortable moment, fully. She had changed from her hospital scrubs, after taking a nice long shower, and was now in her civilian clothes. Her dark blue hair was neatly pulled back in a bun, she wore a spaghetti strapped, black colored tank top, with a blood red Phoenix on the front. Her Jean Capri pants covered her smooth legs, while a dark purple hoodie, and a black shoulder bag, were draped along the seat.
She used to be a brunette, a long time ago, where she blinked her sapphire colored eyes, after she put the cup onto the table again. She brushed a lone strand of hair away from her face, after exhaling from her nose.
She was in the middle of reading a dusty old book, the pages were worn and the sharp green cover was faded.
As she looked up, her eyes caught the Frank Sinatra picture that was hung upon the wall, with his signature beneath it. Her focus gradually drifted away, to the window of her booth, and to the world outside.
The streetlight arched over the pavement, lighting up much of the darkness, while a few of the taller skyscrapers also had their own glow, emanating from windows here and there. The sound of a few people eating around her, of forks and spoons clinking against the plates and mugs, and the lights of the buildings outside, this reminded her, that not everyone was asleep at night.
She yawned, emphasizing the exhaustion that she had endured from the long day's work. A gray haired waitress in her mid fifties came by, with a white apron tied about her yellow blouse, where the fourteen-year-old smiled, at her host.
"Thanks, but I'm good for now." said the quiet girl.
"Sure." replied the waitress; "if you need another refill, or anything else, just wave me over hon."
The server then walked away, with a pot of hot coffee in one hand, and a notepad with a pen in the other, heading down the isle, and towards another booth.
The young teenage girl spent many of her nights, working the graveyard shift. It was very irregular, for any person to bear, least of all, for a girl still in middle school. However exhausting that it could be, she had found a neat way to adjust.
She wanted to do something with her life, where the path that she was following, helped her to grow and to excel, in this rather daunting field.
She began to think back, to a critically injured patient that had almost died from a hit and run, barely a week ago. The severe case dealt with a boy, six years of age, where she could not shake the image of his broken bones, and blood covering his mangled body.
The crimson liquid pooled about the hospital gurney, collecting on the floor of the emergency room. He had a cracked tailbone, a fractured right tibia, his clavicle was broken, and his neck was punctured with a sharp piece of metal, from a bicycle, only worsening his internal hemorrhaging.
She and the rest of the surgeons, had managed to stop the intense bleeding, they created a new airway, in order to work on his injured jugular vein, while the heavy flow of blood, squirted across his face. Every second was precious, and this teenager remained calm, gathering the proper equipment, and doing what she could, to assist the medical staff in saving this child's life.
Memories like this, began to blur across her thoughts. They were now, sporadic flashes, she slowly phased into a drained mental state, now that she was out of the hospital environment, where she could fully reflect, on all that she did.
The face of an old man came to her thoughts, as he was in cardiac arrest. She used the defibrillator paddles, jolting his body, and forcing his heart to reset. With each shock to his system, the old man was thrust upwards, and the girl tried harder the next time, to be sure that the process would work.
She did not give up on him, and when the time came, that most would call the time of death, she hit him with another powerful shock, using the chest paddles, and the old man came back.
Unlike these nights, she primarily kept an eye the patients. She shadowed fellow nurses, and checked on vital signs, going over the charts for people, understanding medication that some were allergic to, and brushing up on her studying, of ailments of the human body.
She would go from room to room, talking with the patients, trying to keep their troubled thoughts away from surgery, or other illnesses. She would refill the IV lines, she would re-adjust their posture in bed, and she would bring a smile to the room.
As she stirred her cup with the tea bag, she revealed a half grin, as the faces of countless children in the intensive care unit, the cancer patients were always looking forwards to seeing her. She helped all kinds of people, she saved many lives, and while she was very young to be doing any of this, she felt good about it.
She sipped from her drink, where her entire body felt the warm liquid trickling down her esophagus, clearing her sinuses.
The way she helped people, it was truly heroic, but it was not given much credit. She was not given much thought, by most citizens of her community, but she did play a vital role. The Teen Titans were very well known, and they were always thanked for their actions, but she did not do what she did, for the sole gratitude of others.
She had observed Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans chasing after the villain Johnny Rancid, a year ago. Both young men were speeding by, on their motorcycles of choice. She was on her way home late one night, per usual, and Rancid appeared to be causing bedlam about the city, as the Boy Wonder raced onwards, to stop him.
As she looked on, from the walkway of the Bay Bridge, the screeching of tires echoed, forcing her to turn and look with other pedestrians. Johnny Rancid shot his pistol at the Teen Titan, trying to evade capture where the young girl pondered, who was there to pick up the mess?
Where the Teen Titans may have had a thrill, and a joy in doing what they did, this young intern was humbled by the family reunions, in the hospital waiting rooms. She may have been too young to go to college, but age did not deter her one bit, in learning and studying the human anatomy.
Time and again she proved and tweaked her skills, and she knew where she wanted to go in life. For anybody, finding the path of ones own future is truly difficult, but to be so determined at the age of fourteen, that was a trait of high praise, in any standing.
While she sat, loosening the stiffness in her neck, a massive explosion had erupted, just down the block! This forced the entire ground to shake, where the rest of the patrons turned, and they all looked around themselves, in sudden fright.
Some of the glass plates that were stacked, tumbled down and shattered, while a few overhanging lights in the booths swayed. Some of the customers even ducked under the tables, while others froze in place, not moving.
"Earthquake!" someone shouted.
"Calm down." The fourteen-year-old, trainee replied, as the low tremor slowly ceased. "I don't think that, that … was an earthquake."
A couple of nearby car alarms started to go off, as the rumbling died down, and everybody slowly got back to their feet. She quickly threw down a ten dollar bill, for her tab, where she grabbed her hoodie and beat-up black shoulder bag, and she raced out the door, to uncover what had happened.
She silently stood on the street corner, with the sling of the heavy sack filled with books, across her right side. The quiet girl remained, peering down the road, in dread. In a matter of seconds, a group of six customers hurried alongside her, and waited nearby. The billowing smoke from the rubble, mounted and spiraled upwards, into the clouds.
Her mouth was agape, as the contour of the night sky, was fading into a lighter blue. Her shift at the hospital was over and yet, the unrelenting drive in her, to put her skills to use, it churned within her again.
Before she knew it, her legs were moving, in the direction of the mountain of smoke. She needed to know what the situation was, and if people were injured, then she could be of some assistance.
"What's going on?" The fourteen-year-old asked, in a bell like tone.
One person in the crowd turned his head partially to the side, his eyes were revealing dark bags of unrest, against the shadows. He wore a black and red, checker-boarded bathrobe with a gold colored rope, tied about his waist.
"I don't know." He replied softly; "nobody really knows what happened."
The nursing intern, and the elderly man who appeared to be in his mid thirties, both of them stood in complete silence. They began to observe, and study the dilapidated ruins, where he moved his gaze away from the destruction, and he glanced at her in confusion.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. It's just, that you seem to be the same age as my daughter."
She gradually bowed her head, and after closing her eyes, she replied; "I get that a lot. Listen, I am fourteen, but that doesn't mean I don't have a life, or anything."
"Right."
The reverberating noises of metal, and broken stone crashed deep inside the facility, this caused the gathering crowd to wince. Then, a disturbing and faint voice, of a young man crying in pain rang out, like a shot at the gun range, which was unmistakable to everyone.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, while leaning closer.
He turned his head from his left, and then to his right, peering ahead to decipher what his eardrums had picked up.
"I … I don't know." he replied.
The fleeting echo of a person's voice, pleading in awful agony, it seeped outwards once more. Then, there was only silence.
The teenager squinted her entrancing sapphire eyes, and after a brief time to reconcile what her eardrums had told her, she cleared her throat.
"Well," she began, "I didn't come down here for nothing."
"Wait, what are you-"
"Don't look so surprised." she cut-him short. "I am a nurse, at the local hospital."
"And your point in the matter?"
She rolled her eyes, "It's my duty to help people if they are injured or sick. Being that I don't see anybody else here, as a medic, that means I'm up to bat."
The girl quickly sped up the steps, while some of the people in the crowd, got on their phones and dialed the authorities, as the rest began to chatter amongst themselves. As she neared the middle row, she stopped and turned back.
"Hey." She called to the man. "I don't know how to say this exactly, but, you might be able to help me on this."
"Oh." He took a step forwards. "I don't know C.P.R. or anything like that, I'm not a doctor or nothing. I work, as a bank teller."
"It doesn't matter." She answered. "There is a person trapped in there, and each second we delay out here, waiting for the EMT'S to arrive, it could already be too late."
"Fair enough."
The young intern glanced from her companion, back to the ruins of the train station. She understood full well, that someone was in there, and they needed aid. The unmistakable voice of a person, yelping in pain, that sound above all else, shook her very soul.
The fire department was there, battling the blaze of the gas station. Some members of the police department had even arrived, but they were trying to hold back the ever expanding crowd. The ashy powder, looked like snowflakes falling from above, but it was the dust and debris that blew, from across the street.
The tiniest act of any medical support, it could potentially save a person's life. Why would she turn away now, she had come this far, and while she did not want to drag another civilian into this mess, an extra pair of hands could prove very useful.
"Do you have any idea, in what you are doing?" he asked, as he finally caught up to her.
"I think I see an opening … come on." She answered him quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"
"It's John." he replied, "I apologize if I seem to be giving you, a strange look, you just … you remind me of my daughter."
"If I had a dollar for every-time I heard that …" she shook her head; "Come on."
While this unlikely pair of simple bystanders, reached the top of the stairs, and they finally entered a new opening of the train station, Beast Boy in the meantime, had arrived deep within the belly of the facility. It was wide, and various aspects of the concrete structure, mirrored the Hoover Dam.
There were eight hydro electric generators, each one was massive in scale, where the towering turbines allowed water to rush into the machines, from nearby pipes, to spin the great metal blades, thus generating electricity.
These towering devices, were lined alongside one another, and they were made of a thick steel with a red paint, added to their bases. The upper portion was a solid gray, as a ladder was placed along each one, for the engineers to do their maintenance work.
Just behind the turbines, a flat control panel resided. It had many rows of lights, where the different sections, were connected to each of the eight generators. The bulky obelisk-like structures, had white numbers painted along their sides, and they corresponded to the control panel.
A straight path of lights, built into the ceiling were turned on, and they beamed a low white glow downwards, casting Beast Boy's shadow behind him. The spinning of the heavy blades created a deafening humming sound, and it canceled out mostly all of the running water, rushing inside.
Beast Boy slowly walked across the enameled, beige colored floor. He continuously turned his focus around him, marveling at the man-made structure. He had to locate the explosives, and with no trace of Cinderblock, his heart-rate began to quicken.
"Man, where could a big guy like Cinderblock, run off to?" Beast Boy groaned momentarily. "He sure is making this a challenge."
Above the turbines, a pair of red eyes stealthily observed the unfolding situation, carefully. There would be a moment to strike, but for now, the mysterious figure remained in the shadows, the trap could not yet be sprung.
As Beast Boy paused by the eighth turbine, along the back of the wall, he spotted a briefcase that should not, have been sitting there. The silver container stood out amongst the surroundings, quiet easily and the shapeshifter gradually approached it.
"There you are." Beast Boy hummed; "But why would Slade leave this here, of all places? Oh well, I have no idea what his game is, and with Falcon possibly hurt, I cannot afford to take this situation, lightly."
The changeling squatted, in front of the briefcase. It was not connected to anything, and he smelt something rather peculiar, about the room he was in. As he turned his focus from the briefcase, to the darkness down the hallway, his eyes caught something else, through the void.
It was faint, yet the little blinking green light, it caused the young hero to stand up, and to move towards it. He scratched his head after moving forwards, and as he glanced upwards, he noticed what the thing was.
"No." He said, as a gut-wrenching fear startled him.
The little blinking green light, was the glow of a digital watch, strung upon a hefty bundle of TNT. Countless wires connected this device, to various others all lined along the ceiling, of this path. The changeling was unsure of how, to disarm the explosives, but for some reason, the briefcase beckoned his attention once again.
"Great!" He said to himself, "I don't think there is an off-switch to those, but, maybe that briefcase is the trigger, or something?" He pulled out his communicator, and as he held onto it, he closed his eyes to rationalize his next move. "No … the others were fine on their own, I have to do this, myself."
With the quiet hesitation now passed, Beast Boy walked back into the room with the turbines, and he squatted down, in front of the metal container. He shape-shifted into an octopus, using this creature's eight tentacles, to carefully lift the package.
He placed it down again, and then he morphed into a blood-hound, smelling the silver container, searching if there were any oddities about it. With nothing but the scent of cold metal, he transformed once more, this time as a chimpanzee, and he scratched the top of his head, totally bewildered with how to best handle the situation.
With all of his other animal instincts telling him, that he was in the clear, to attempt to even open the top gold covered latches, Beast Boy shape-shifted back into his normal, scrawny, teenage self.
"Uhhh … right, what was it that Cyborg was always telling me, about defusing explosives?"
"Always remember green bean, if you ever find yourself alone, and you are left to defuse a bomb. Never, and I mean NEVER cut the-" The voice of Cyborg was suddenly tuned-out.
"Yeah, yeah … I think you can do it. I don't have time right now, I'm kind of in the mood, to play some video games."
Beast Boy feverishly shook his head, as the brief memory faded away. He slapped his forehead, in aggravation at his own laziness. The technological wizard on the team, was trying to explain something of vital importance to him, but the shapeshifter decided to focus his precious time on other, less important matters.
"Whoops. He-he." Beast Boy blushed, "Oh man, if only they had a video game, for a situation like this then, I could have actually learned something. Dang-it!"
"I told ya to listen to the lesson, that it was important." Cyborg's floating head, popped alongside the changeling. "But do you ever listen, NO!"
Beast Boy began swatting, the imaginary thing away.
"Okay Beast Boy, it's time to do this." The changeling rasped, and everything became still once more.
He unlocked the top buckles, and they gave a sudden, click! He gradually pulled the opposite ends apart, with his right hand covering his eyes, as he peered through the cracks, at whatever he was bound to unleash.
A sigh of relief was let out, as the back end of the briefcase, had a computer built into it. There was a keyboard on the lower half, and a timer on the screen revealed several minutes remained.
Sitting cross-legged, the changeling raised his eyebrows as he tried to figure out, the best way to stop the mechanism from going off. He wanted to disconnect the front panel, and unhook the wires, but that would take much too long, and he needed to come up with a plan, now.
Beast Boy swiped away a few beads of sweat, trickling down his brow. He recalled the last time Slade has done something like this, where the large Chronoton Detonator, which was mainly a ploy to lure the Titans away from Robin, it had also blasted them with millions of nano bots, that could destroy them without any warning.
The green hero knew, that the masked villain always played his cards carefully, and there was a long list of back-up plans, to his objectives. But this, planting explosives around the entire city, using old adversaries to distract the Teen Titans, willing to harm and potentially murder, thousands of innocent lives, this was a new tactic.
"Dang it! Why does this have to be so hard!?" Beast Boy grumbled, "There has to be some way, of getting through this, there just has to be!"
He desperately wanted to just smash the laptop, but he understood, that it would not solve his predicament. Then he saw it, as he leaned his head against the screen, a way to save the day! He let out a gravelly groan, as he could not believe, that he did not even notice it before.
Along the right side, a control panel was located, and there were three individual buttons. One was red, another was blue, and the bottom one was green.
"Hmmm, I bet Cyborg's bomb defusing lessons, never would have covered something of this sort." Beast Boy rubbed his chin, "I take it, that these buttons are connected to the explosives, I just have to pick the right one, to stop the count-down. But which one do I pick?"
His Adam's Apple moved, as he gulped. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he held his right hand out, moving his index finger up and down from the three choices.
"One out of three chances, that's not so bad." His face quivered, as he expressed total confusion. "Either I get this right, and we live, or I pick wrong, and a huge wave of water, crashes into the valley dwellers below. Yeah, no problem. Uh, eeny, meeny, miny …" He took a long and deep breath, as his finger stopped over the middle blue button; "Moe!"
He made his decision, and the the lingering second, continued to drag on. He slowly parted his hand away from his face, as the countdown blinked rapidly, and then, the screen went dark.
Beast Boy exhaled heavily, as the terribly anticipated fear had subsided. The constant jack-hammering of his heartbeat within his ribcage, it finally began to slow back down to normal, as the realization of having made the correct choice, by sheer luck, crashed over him.
"Well now, with that taken care of, I should be able to contact the others and tell them things are all good here."
As the changeling stood, with his communicator in hand, the cement behemoth dropped across the room from the archway above, causing the ground to tremble, and for Beast Boy to lose his balance.
The destructive villain ran forwards, and then kicked the changeling in the chest, forcing the boy to sail across the room, as the communicator was dropped!
"Oh, right … I almost forgot about Cinderblock." Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, "Maybe having Raven come in, might not be such a bad thing."
Beast Boy's eyes grew wide, as he noticed the gold colored T-Communicator, was out of reach.
"RAWR!" Cinderblock retorted in the only vocabulary he could give.
He was blocking the main doors that led back to the surface, the direction Beast Boy had entered from, and with so much pressure of him running out of time, now a new fear began to affect the hero, for he did not have a way to contact anybody, and he did not wish to damage, too much of the infrastructure.
The stone leviathan was ready to unleash more pain to the shapeshifter, and with enclosed surroundings, the only possible way to get out, was by getting past him. The stone giant fought better with his prey cornered, like a drowning rat, and his menacing shadow arched long and far ahead of him, where Beast Boy's eyes bulged with dread.
"Cinderblock .. um, I think we started this night out, on the wrong foot." Beast Boy said, as the massive juggernaut, was observed squeezing his fists, ready to pummel the hero into total oblivion. "I don't suppose, you would mind letting me out of here, would you?"
Cinderblock grinned, and then, he rushed forwards like a huge derailed train, barreling down upon the green Titan.
"Well, it was worth a try." Beast Boy said, as he hopped to the side last minute, morphing into a duck, avoiding the powerful knock-out blow.
A few of the bird's green feathers, dropped behind him, as the mighty sledgehammer-like arms plowed into the wall, causing marks of a spider web pattern, across the place that the hero once stood. Beast Boy morphed back into his scrawny teenage self, and he shook his head from side to side.
"Alright, I tried to talk calmly, and nicely to you, and still you won't listen." Beast Boy tilted his eyes up, and he revealed an artful smirk. "You really are, just a stubborn old rock, aren't you?"
"GRRrrrr!" The mighty villain answered, and he hurried to the new spot, just unable to grab the hero as he transformed, this time as a small bat, and flying up to a nearby beam. The witty remarks were only boiling the monster's blood further.
The shapeshifter looked about his surroundings, as he tried to locate anything that could assist him in the brawl. He could evade Cinderblock for so long, where he was going to have to duel him, and while that may have frightened him, his adrenaline pumping was giving him a new high, on living.
Raven was still a long distance off, and the changeling needed to buy her more time. Robin had somehow managed to take down Cinderblock, by himself, when Beast Boy and the others raced to stop the Chronoton Detonator, from flash-freezing time.
Without wasting another second, Cinderblock tore off a curved water pipe from a side wall, and he hurled it upwards, at the I beam that the changeling clung to! Beast Boy flapped his wings, and he lowered himself to the ground, as the clanging of metal against thick steel, bounced across the background.
"Okay tough guy, you want it …" Beast Boy squinted his green eyes, "You got it!"
Beast Boy switched his form again, this time as a rhinoceros, and he flared this creature's nostrils, as he exhaled for the coming charge. The shadow of the concrete pillars, holding parts of the roof masked half of his presence, and he pointed his horns at the intended target, ready to ram into his fierce opponent.
Slade's deadly henchman, had more than enough time to dodge this fruitless assault, and Cinderblock was quick to jump aside, as the hero crashed into a wall!
Completely disoriented, the green rhino switched back into Beast Boy, unaware of this lapse in judgment. He had allowed for a new opportunity to strike. The bulky rock creature, had landed a solid right hook, into the gut of the hero!
The changeling's eyes bulged in agony, as the wind was immediately taken out of his sails. The powerful momentum, forced the hero to somersault backwards, and he crashed against a post! One of the pipes above his head burst, and it sprinkled water across his Doom Patrol Uniform.
The hero picked himself up, and after rubbing his stomach while partially hunched over, he transformed into a Grizzly Bear, unleashing a proud and deafening roar. The gigantic, green fur covered bear, trotted ahead, and then, as he stood upon his hind legs, he slashed the claws at his enemy.
Now with Cinderblock caught off guard, Beast Boy transformed into a garden snake, he slithered around his far bigger foe's legs, and as an Elephant, he used the trunk to disorient the villain even more, where he lowered his head, to push forwards!
The impressive thirteen thousand pounds of weight, shoved the henchman clear through another wall, causing dust and rubble to expand all around them.
The green elephant stopped, as Cinderblock lay across from him, in the new room. There were more computer monitors noticed, as well as windows arched overhead, to allow the rays of early sunlight to enter.
It was a victory short lived however, where Cinderblock groaned and stood up, with bits of broken rubble, tumbling off from his mighty shoulders. Round one, at the surface may have been given to the Teen Titan, but it was intentional, to lure the boy deeper, and the monster lightly chuckled, causing the brave young hero to stand in utter disbelief.
With an enormous, and inexplicable push off from the ground, Cinderblock shot forwards and with his left arm, acting as a shaft of a baseball bat, he collapsed his elbow around Beast Boy, as he was unfortunate enough, to still be in the way!
Beast Boy tumbled and rolled backwards, directly out of the hole he had just created.
"Ugh .. dude … this is not looking good." The Teen Titan winced. "This is bad, this really bad."
The impregnable leviathan howled in glory, where the pounding of his his heavy feet, crashed against the ground. Beast Boy had only just gotten back to a kneeling position, when the magnificent enemy pummeled him down again, hitting his back with a staggering elbow-drop!
Beast Boy was hit four more times, until finally, Cinderblock held the boy with both of his hands, and he tossed him into one of the generators!
CRASH!
Beast Boy felt his entire chest vibrating, after a momentary black-out from the staggering shock, to his body. He had cracked a rib, after having landed with his mid-section against the base of the steel turbine.
Beast Boy cried in total anguish, he wished that he had not hesitated, and he should have kept up with his own attack, but it was too late, to make up for his current dilemma. There was no doubt about it, things would be even harder now, but he could still fight, he just had to stand.
Slowly he brought himself up, with the salty sweat, pouring down his face. His legs felt like they were made of jello, and his right side was terribly sore, most likely because he had suffered a broken rib, and he would now need medical attention, to fix it.
The skinny green lad, held a hand against his torso, clutching his hip tightly as the symptom felt like a nasty Charley Horse, where the searing burn, traveled down the entire side of his body. With the tears in his eyes, he blinked, desperately trying to get the fuzziness out, where he managed to see, the gigantic opponent charging right for him again!
Pushing oneself over their limit, was a thing his leader had done, time and again, and now he would employ that tactful skill, to stay alive. Instead of waiting for the stone menace to crush him where he was, he unexpectedly felt his legs spring forth, and he jumped away, just barely in the nick-of-time.
Beast Boy may have been hurt, but he was small and nimble, where compared to his much larger enemy, this enabled him to move about quicker and much easier. He had to keep fighting, there was no alternative.
The Jump City Dam was secure, for now, but if they continued battling inside of the concrete super-structure, that notion of security, would all but evaporate.
Cinderblock spun around, he began to swing and stomp after the changeling, where Beast Boy dodged and twisted away from each heavy blow. Yet every time he moved his hip, the movement of his body worked against him, and this brought a startling pain back to him.
As Beast Boy somersaulted away from a labor-some punch, the rock hand smashed clear through another generator in the room, and it was in this moment that the hero remembered the telepathic link, between himself and Raven.
The red eyes of the behemoth, burned with vengeance, and Beast Boy stared right back, his green eyes were not flinching.
"Think Beast Boy, come on, think." Beast Boy tapped his noggin, where he shuffled around Cinderblock. "How the heck am I supposed to just calm down, and focus, when I am in the middle of a fight for my life!?"
His heart thumped louder, with every passing second, the rushing blood coursed throughout his body, as the heat of the brawl, was getting to him. The perspiration was clinging to his clothes, and the battle raged on.
Beast Boy transformed himself into a triceratops, swiveling the animal's broad shield of a head back and forth, slamming the horns against the underbelly of Cinderblock once more. This bought him some time, and he plowed forwards, ramming at a full gallop into another wall!
Falcon's ordeal was beginning to worry him, and Beast Boy like the rest of his friends started to feel a grave sense of guilt, over the choice he made. In the form of an Australian Kangaroo, the shapeshifter batted the head of his enemy relentlessly, with this animal's overpowered legs.
Hit and annoyed, Cinderblock collapsed backwards, and this gave Beast Boy a moment to morph into a Siberian Tiger, to pounce up and claw at the face of his opponent. A new scar quickly appeared across his right cheek, and the changeling darted into the shadows, to find a new spot to strike.
"All I need to do, is concentrate … just focus hard enough and maybe, just maybe, this can work. Oh man, if only I had my stupid communicator."
While Beast Boy cowered in the darkness, two arms came hurtling down, and they pummeled against the backside of the boy. The Titan grimaced in deeper pain, as his hiding place had been foiled.
"Focus your mind, come on, that is what she would say." Beast Boy squinted his eyes, as he tried to imagine the Empath's face, and he decided to speak through his mind. "Raven. Raven! … RAVEN!"
"Beast Boy!?" The rasping voice of his teammate was heard, echoing within his noggin.
The shapeshifter partially smiled, the telepathic bond she had formed with him, somehow, he had gotten to make it work, where the burning within his lungs made him realize, that the battle was still underway.
"Raven … I didn't think I would be able to get this to work." Beast Boy answered back.
"Calm down, it's alright." She said. "Just tell me what is happening."
"Well, Cinderblock is putting up quiet the fight, and I-"
"Beast Boy!"
Beast Boy morphed into a massive Anaconda Snake, from the Amazon Rain Forest. He wrapped the serpent's tail, around the tree-trunk like legs, tripping Cinderblock to the floor. With his enemy down, Beast Boy switched back into his normal form, and he scurried away.
In a secluded corner of the monitoring room, Beast Boy slowly backed himself against a wall, and he tightly clutched his battered hip. The fresh wound was still tender, and he was in a staggering amount of pain.
"Beast Boy, what happened?"
"Nothing … just a bit of a scuffle, with blockhead from earlier." The changeling gasped; "Look, I don't think I can hold him off for much longer."
"Right, I'm almost there now." Raven reassured him. "Dr. Light was no match for me, per usual. I was expecting him to put up more of a fight than he did."
"Well, that's good news."
"How are you holding up?"
Beast Boy's eyes grew wide, as the villain stood before him. The fierce mood was turning uglier with every passing minute. The hero pulled his arms into a Ju-jitsu tier he had remembered, one that Robin had taught him.
"The bombs were taken care of, but Raven … you'd better hurry up, for I don't know how long I can keep this going for." He spoke aloud.
The henchman used his shoulder as a battering ram, and he plowed forwards into the wide room. Beast Boy leaped aside, as the fight resumed, there did not seem to be any way, to outmaneuver his larger enemy.
"I'm coming Beast Boy. Just hang on!"
Beast Boy shut his eyes, and the link was severed. He had made contact, but there was still an issue of the brawl. With every strike he gave to the impregnable walking wall, he only got back up. With another hesitation, Cinderblock had flanked around the hero, and he slapped him across his broken rib!
The fifteen-year-old plummeted across the room, he needed to stay on his task, and both of the challengers realized at this moment, the dogged battle had at long last, reached its climax. Beast Boy sluggishly dragged his hands across the floor, pushing himself to a kneeling position.
The smirk, it twisted itself into a sinister smile of absolute pleasure, across Beast Boy's lips. With or without Raven's assistance, he was going to finish the job. He had incredible willpower, the animal traits he had learned and honed during his crime fighting, and training, this only helped the boy to carry on.
The main issue was, that he could not get out. The only exit was beyond the generator room, and it was blocked by a goliath creature that remained mute.
"I think I can speak for the both of us." Beast Boy stood up fully, and he pressed his chest forwards, undaunted. "Let's finish this."
Cinderblock squeezed his fists, as he locked his death glare upon the teenager. The claw mark was still visible against the light, and the newest scratch, would need to be repaid in blood. The somewhat labored wheezing for oxygen from the shapeshifter, this told him that the absolute apex had at last been realized.
Stepping backwards, the leviathan combatant got himself into position, while Beast Boy dug his feet into the ground. Then, without any warning and in the blink of an eye, Cinderblock charged headlong, with the plan of plowing down his far smaller adversary, then, wanting to pick the broken lad up, to squeeze the life out of him.
With every trembling step that the massive villain took, the ripples trickled across the room. Beast Boy's body was swaying a little, as if he was shoved by a sudden gust of wind, but he remained in the direct path of the oncoming force.
Beast Boy side-stepped, forcing the momentum to work against Cinderblock, and the boy kept a leg out, to trip the feet of his opponent. As the criminal stumbled to face his enemy, the crime fighter morphed into a muscular African Guerrilla, and he thumped his chest, boasting that now the fight was about to truly end.
Their arms quickly became tangled in a grappling match above their heads, they pushed and shoved against one another, and like two equally met wrestlers in the ring, they tugged and stepped to get the upper hand, yet neither one would give in.
The green ape let go of his right hand, where he was punched across the upper shoulder, and while it hurt, the injury to his hip was worse. He used his free hand, to reach below Cinderblock's knee, and while leaning down, he rolled on-top of him, to then snarl in the villainous warrior's face.
The concrete goliath regained his composure, and he head-butted the primate's forehead with his own thick skull, forcing the green ape to stumble backwards, where the green animal located a steel beam, alongside his feet.
The ferocious beast picked up the tool, and he wielded it as a sword, slashing downwards at Cinderblock! The green animal snapped his sharp teeth at the criminal, where the henchman did his best to block every swing, destined to finish him.
Cinderblock grabbed the middle of the shaft, upon taking a nasty hit to his face, and a tug of war match became the center-piece of their bout. The cement monster quickly felt his legs moving backwards however, as the ground was covered in a pool of water, and Beast Boy used the slickness to his advantage.
With his attention at the ground, and not at the ape pushing him across the room, Beast Boy jostled the far right end of the staff free, and he slapped it across his enemy's head! He landed blow after blow, and the tenth hit was the most devastating, where Cinderblock finally went unconscious, and he collapsed.
The green gorilla roared in victory, and he dropped the weapon behind him. With Cinderblock dazed, the hero transformed into Sasquatch, he located a forklift near a corner, and he used the blades to clamp around his challenger, bending the metal so the villain could not evade capture, or pose any more of a threat.
He had done it, Beast Boy had broken the unbreakable cement wall, known and feared across Jump City. He changed back into his teenager form, and quickly keeled over, where the broken rib, and sore joints in his body were terrible reminders, of the price he had paid.
Sparks were heard buzzing and popping from a few smashed computers, water continued to pour onto the floor, and the mixture of dust and shifting light, obscured the environment. The bombs were defused, the enemy challenger had been neutralized, and now Raven was on her way.
Beast Boy sighed, where one challenge had ended, another was bound to come forwards. He had to find out if Falcon was alright, and now he could leave, to fulfill that obligation. Cyborg and Starfire would be preoccupied at the Dockyards for a while, and Robin was too busy being Robin.
He had to contact the others, and while the mind-link to Raven was good, it was not connected to anyone else. With his communicator laying across the floor, he grinned, and slowly he walked over to the device.
As he picked it up, his nostrils twitched, as a strange scent tickled his memory. It was like a faint warning, but the main threat was over, Cinderblock was contained, and Beast Boy was about to move on with his mission, yet something else felt out of place.
The vision of the fire wielder smiling in Titans Tower, came to the shapeshifter, and his grin crumpled into a frown. His back was to the observation room from above, where darkness from this restricted area blocked any signs of a person, but someone was there, watching him.
Barely sticking through the void, the long barrel of a sniper rifle, rested upon its tripod. The shooter remained concealed, yet the target was in his line of sights. He clicked the safety switch off, and he slowed his breathing.
The repeated thumping of his heart, it sounded as though footsteps were just down the hallway walking towards the gunman. The rifle he used, was a military grade PSG-1, Heckler and Koch precision automatic weapon.
It was a bolt action manufactured gun, upgraded for the modern world, yet despite the disadvantage in its rather slow reloading capabilities, this sniper rifle made up for that, in its incredible range, and the whopping stopping power through any of its 7.26x51 caliber bullets.
The weapon was tinted dark black, where the shoulder butt was an oak brown, while the tip was silver, glimmering away the light. Upon the left side of the stock, a sharp crimson letter S was engraved, across the thick wood that rested against his right shoulder.
The dripping water that pooled onto the ground, echoed in the background, as the hum of the turbines continued to churn on the floor below him. As the fifteen-year-old was raising the communicator to his lips, the cross-hairs of his high-powered scope had a good clear frame, of the hero's chest.
The silent assassin's right index finger moved into position, away from the trigger-guard, and just above the little lever. Arching the barrel downwards, the boy's left leg became the new pristine target, where the Popliteal Artery, was a major function for the knee joint.
CRA-CRACK!
The assassin had pulled the trigger, forcing the stock of the rifle to pop against his right shoulder. The long bullet had passed down the chamber, spinning the entire way, destined for its mark well over the speed of sound.
The first boom of the rifle, was the round exiting the chamber, as the empty shell casing remained lodged within the shaft, as the second explosive sound, ricocheted across the room telling anybody nearby, that the bullet had broken the speed barrier.
As soon as the shooter pulled back the bolt mechanism, to load another round, the click … click bounced back, while the empty gold tinted brass shell casing, went flying to the side. Once the sniper repositioned himself, back into his first position again, he peered down the scope and observed his impressive handy-work.
Beast Boy was sprawled onto the floor, as a dark stain became visible upon his left pant leg. There was a quarter sized diameter hole in his knee, and he screamed in complete horror, after being shot.
The tapered round had penetrated through the crucial joint, and like taking out the infrastructure out of a Jenga tower, the boy had collapsed across the ground, clutching his bloodied limb. His communicator had been dropped, and tears began to flow down his cheeks. The incredible pain overtook him, as it felt like a hot poker was embedded through his very skin!
CRA-CRACK!
A second bullet had been fired, where the changeling looked up and behind him, only to take the new round directly into his upper right shoulder! The first bullet may have weakened him, but with this second shot going through his arm, there was no defense. He came crashing backwards, his mouth was agape yet he did not speak another word.
Beast Boy began to bleed profusely, as he curled his limbs, and the pool of a scarlet liquid began to expand around him. His right arm, and left leg had gone totally numb, where the similar feeling of the joints not receiving blood flow, this caused his limbs to become dead-weight.
While his right hand was unresponsive, he could still squeeze his left into a fist. He needed to go to the hospital, and the fear of bleeding to death, crashed over him. A tourniquet to stop the profuse loss of blood was required, he had a belt, but he could not maneuver himself to undo it, to then tie it, across one of his limbs.
The green changeling rolled onto his back, to take the awful pressure away from his battered chest. His vision began to darken, as the foreboding noise of footsteps, echoed in the shadows. The unknown sniper was coming down to meet him, but why had he not shot him earlier? Why did he not kill him, when the struggle with Cinderblock was underway?
Questions like these rattled across his thinking, and he wrestled with his very body, trying to keep awake. The footsteps were getting louder, until finally they stopped. Beast Boy lazily opened his tear filled eyes, and he turned his head to the boots of his assailant.
He moved his eyes upwards, where the dark armor and the pompous stance of his attacker, had come into full view at last. The Titan's green eyes bulged wide, at who was now in the room with him.
Beast Boy stared in confounded disbelief, his wounds were excruciating, but he dealt with the pain as he managed to let his next words, slip under his breath.
"Slade."
{{ End Of Scene }}
Hit Meter: 1,262
Mail Bag Time:
Wolvmbm: "Great update to the story. :D I must say it was great seeing each Titan gain a spotlight within their separate battles. :D Also it's great of you to give Jinx a reason of why she's on the bad guys side and it was understandable. :D That fight with Slade and Falcon was worth the wait, as once again Slade is feeding words into the latest Titan, and who knows if this is to end badly like Terra did. :( Still it was a great fight as I can see that Raven's battle, is going to be the first to be over within the next chapter. :D Also, it's great to see that Robin have doubts over his recent decision, on regarding Beast Boy as a spy on Falcon, as it could end badly for him.:("
~~Chapter 8 really wore me out, (Well, they all do, but this one in particular) it just, would not feel quiet right, if certain scenes were left out, so I decided to add in a little bit of everyone, for fan service. ;-) Jinx needed more depth, and I really wanted Slade to prove, why we enjoy him as the main villain so much. Robin's plan is still in the dark for Beast Boy, but, like all unintended things, secrets tend to snowball out of control, sooner or later.~~
Saffire55: "Please make the next chapter soon! This story is awesome!"
~~Again, the chapters take me boundless weeks, (more like a month at minimum) just writing the scenes out. On top of it all, re-writing, re-reading and editing the entire chapter, fact checking, before posting any of them to the site, it takes a LOT out of me. Still, in seeing my work bring out joy, then I know I am doing my job. Thanks ;-)~~
Shac89: "Great story, keep up the good work, and update soon. PEACE OUT."
~~I do hope to keep up the good work. To me, every single scene, it just needs to topple the previous one. I think of it this way, where any work from an artist, the pieces are like the various layers, of a delicious desert. You want to keep digging, especially when the last scene, is still fresh on the mind. Most people enjoy the tasty end-product, but without the main elements, in their proper places, then the whole story can fall apart. It's all about the little things, that make the bigger parts of the story, worth telling.~~
scififanfreak222: "O.O WOW! That's soooooooo cool! I love how you added Red X and Slade. AWESOME! Awesome chap, can't wait to read more! :)"
~~It always felt like it could become an interesting partnership, so I am still toying around, with where things can go for Red X and Slade. I'm rather open-minded, to hear any suggestions.~~
~~ T.M.O ~~