The Paragon Of Animals-Ch 1

Disclaimer:  The Teen Titans and associated characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner.  This story is being written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being sought and no Copyright infringement is intended.  



CHAPTER ONE: RUDE AWAKENINGS


Fear.

The scent was was unmistakable.  It provided an invisible trail that she  could follow easily with her  keen olfactory senses.  The predatory instincts within spurred the feral creature on,  faster towards her hapless prey.  Indeed,  instincts were the key, for there was no malice in her actions. It was simply the order of things:  predator and prey. Cruel, but necessary.

Sensing that she was close to her quarry,  she paused,  training her keen ears to the surrounding forest,  trying to judge the distance to the fleeing deer she had been tracking.  Straining to hear her prey over the other sounds of the woodland night,  she detected the sound of something racing through the underbrush,  not more than 20 yards distant. It was time to close in and finish the hunt.

With a fluid grace that belied her great size,  she bunched her powerful muscles and launched herself towards the deer.  Her loping strides quickly ate up the short distance between her and the doomed animal.  When she was within ten yards,  she sprang into the air with her claws extended and her fang-filled muzzle agape.  There was little the deer could do as she wrapped her arms around the terrified animal's torso and brought it to the ground.  The fallen buck struggled briefly as she sank her three-inch long canines into it's throat,  and then laid still.  It was over in seconds.

Lifting her head from her kill,  she raised her eyes to the night sky and let out a howl of triumph.

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With a startled gasp, Raven's eyes flew open as she surged upright in bed.  Running a trembling hand through her sweat-dampened hair,  she tried to gather her thoughts.

What was that? She wondered to herself.  A nightmare?  Strange... My nightmares are usually more ... Gothic, not so much like something out of Animal Planet.

Taking deep breaths,  she tried to calm herself and slow her her racing heart.  Through her bedroom window,  she could see the first rays of dawn's light staining the eastern horizon. Glancing over at the clock at her bedside she abandoned any thoughts of retuning to sleep.

Ehh... 5:45.   The others are probably already getting up, so I might as well get moving. Besides,  it's Beastboy's turn to cook, and I don't relish the idea of an all-tofu breakfast.  Maybe I can grab something before he gets to the kitchen.

With a groan, Raven slid out of bed and made her way over to her closet and pulled out a clean blue cloak and black leotard, grabbed a towel and headed off to the bathroom to shower. After the events of her dream,  she felt an intense need to bathe,  as though she could feel the traces of the animal she had slain in her dream on her body.  As much as she tried to clear her head,  the remnants of the nightmare lingered in her mind,  like the coppery taste of the deer's blood in her mouth.

Suddenly breakfast doesn't sound quite so appealing...

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After her shower,  Raven made her way from the living quarters on the upper levels of Titan's Tower to the  living areas below.  As she glided into the kitchen,  she noticed Cyborg at the stove, intently watching over a skillet.   As she reached into the cupboard for her chamomile tea,  she glanced over at what the cybernetic teen was cooking.

“Huh, that's a bacon, ham, and sausage omelette.   Beastboy's  going to be thrilled with you this morning,”    The dark empath observed,  as she heated a mug of water in the microwave.  

“Yeah, I kinda wanted to get some real food in my stomach before BB tries to cram all that tofu down our throats,”  Cyborg said with a grin. “Want some?”

“No thank you.  I can't say that I really have much of an appetite this morning. I think I'll just stick with herbal tea.”

Cyborg looked up from his cooking to peer at his teammate's face underneath her ever-present hood, noting the dark circles under her amethyst eyes.  “You look a little out of it this morning, Raven.  Ya feeling alright?”

“Just a bit of trouble sleeping, that's all.  I should be fine once I'm up and active for a while. And that shouldn't be a problem,  given that Robin's supposed to be putting us all through training today,  if time permits.”

Cyborg made a face, “Yeah,  things have been sort of quiet in the city recently so I guess he thinks we might be getting soft, or something. Plus, he hasn't had Slade to obsess over for a while, so he's probably just full of pent-up energy.  That boy seriously needs a hobby.”

“I guess his dedication is admirable,  but its hard to admire anything after your fifth time through the obstacle course.  But we have had it a little easy lately,  so some practice couldn't hurt us, annoying as it is.” As she made her way to the kitchen table with her teacup, she couldn't help but notice how quiet the tower was.  “And speaking of annoying, where's Beastboy?  He should be down here preparing breakfast, or what passes for it in his world, anyway.”

Cyborg plated his food and joined her at the table.  “Hmm, good question.  It isn't like him to be late for a meal. His stomach is the one thing in life he always pays attention to.”  As Cyborg said this, he heard someone walking into the kitchen.  He turned to see the small green form of his changeling teammate shuffling into the room, rubbing into his eyes. “Speak of the devil. How are ya, B?”

“Uh.” the wiry teen grunted.  The obviously still sleepy Beastboy sat plopped down in the chair next to Cyborg. Then, he sniffed the air a few times,  catching the aroma of Cyborg's breakfast. With a vaguely disgusted look on his face,  he got up and moved to the seat adjacent to Raven, at the other end of the table.  “So,  how many innocent animals died so that you could eat this morning, Cyborg?”

“It's just your basic omelette.  Four eggs, cheese, ham, bacon, sausage...”

“What, no cow?”  Beastboy quipped. “You're slipping, Cy.”

Cyborg snapped his fingers.  “You're right, BB. I knew it was missing something.  Thanks, bro!”

The green shapeshifter shuddered.    

“Anyway,  I figured you'd be too busy stuffing your face with bean curd to even notice what I'm eating.”  Cyborg said.  “After all, your gonna need lots of energy for today, what with all the training that Robin has planned for us today.”

“Aww, does it it have to be today?”  Beastboy complained,  “I didn't get a wink of sleep last night.”  

“You too, huh?  Must be something contagious.  Raven said she didn't sleep well either.  Maybe there's a bug going around.”  Cyborg stroked his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds,  then looked at his two teammates with a leer. “You know,  a person could draw some interesting conclusions about a certain young man and a certain young woman not getting much sleep on the same night,”  Cyborg remarked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“A person shouldn't draw such conclusions, unless they wished to experience a whole new universe of pain.”  Raven's glare from under her hood could have melted lead.

“Umm... good  point.”  Cyborg said, a bit nervously.

“So, what does our fearless leader have in store for us today, anyway?”  Beastboy asked.  “If it's the same old obstacle course training, big deal.  I've been through that thing so many times I could do it blindfolded.”

“Don't be too cocky, B,” Cyborg warned.  “I helped him upgrade the course with some of the new training equipment that Steel and the Justice League dropped off when they visited last month.”

“The League gave us stuff?”  Beastboy asked, scratching his head in perplexity.  “I don't remember that...”

“You wouldn't. You were too busy ogling Supergirl to notice anything else that was going on,”   Cyborg noted with a laugh.

“Hey, I resent that!  I was not ogling Supergirl.”  Beastboy objected indignantly.  The young changeling paused to think for a moment.  “It was Zatanna.”

Cyborg just shook his head.

Beastboy smirked at his friend. “Well, if you're going to accuse me of something, you should at least get the details right. Besides, you gotta admit, dude,  the outfit... you know with the top-hat and all... it's pretty cute, isn't it?”

“I'll be sure to mention that to Mumbo the next time we see him.  I'm sure he'll be flattered.”

“Very funny, Cy.”

Raven sighed, listening to her teammates  light-hearted bantering.  “This is just great,”  she groused,  to no one in particular.  “I get almost no sleep,  I wake up for breakfast with no appetite,  for stimulating conversation I get you two, and all I have to look forward to is being put through the ringer by our own resident Napoleon.  My day couldn't possibly get any better.”

“Joyous morning, my friends!”  a gleeful feminine voice rang out from the kitchen entrance.

“I stand corrected.”

Starfire floated into the room followed closely by Robin.  The two Titans joined their fellows at the table.

Cyborg nodded a greeting to the auburn-haired alien girl.  “Hi there,  Star.  It's nice to see somebody's in a good mood this morning.”

“Of course I am,”  Starfire smiled warmly as she replied with her trademark zest,  “Mornings are bright and filled with possibilities.”

“Yeah,  the disappointments don't usually show up until the afternoon.”  Raven remarked dryly. It wasn't that the half-demon girl necessarily disliked her Tamaranean comrade's bright,  ebullient personae.  In fact,  she envied her a bit.  She just wished she'd  take it down a notch sometimes.

Starfire chuckled at Raven's characteristic sarcasm,  then continued, “In addition I have been anxiously awaiting the training on the new course that  Robin has prepared for us today. It is wise that we should periodically work to improve our skills.”

“I think you've been hanging out with Robin too much,  Starfire,”  Beastboy noted.  “If we don't step in and do something soon,  we'll have another stiff to deal with around here.”  He cocked an eyebrow in the direction of Raven,  seated  directly to his right.  The empathic girl pointedly ignored him,  not wanting to get drawn into Beastboy's teasing.

“Don't pay attention to Beastboy,  Starfire.”  Robin said.  “He's just cranky because he hasn't been fed yet.  Come to think of it,  wasn't it your turn to make breakfast,  BB?”

“Yeah,  uh. Sorry Rob.  I guess I was kinda late getting up this morning.  I didn't sleep too good.  I've been having some seriously freaky dreams the last few nights.”  Beastboy was looking at Robin as he spoke,  and thus failed to notice the rather intent look that Raven gave him as he made this statement.    

Robin smiled at him.  “That's all right,  Beastboy;  I'll let you off the hook,  this time.” What the Titan's de facto leader didn't mention was that he wasn't any more fond of  the green teenager's vegetarian cuisine than any of his fellow Titans.  Actually,  Starfire didn't mind it too much,  but then the alien girl seemed to be able to consume absolutely anything with gusto.

Robin continued,  “Everyone can make themselves a little something to eat,  and we'll meet at the Training Room in...”  He looked at the chronograph on his Titan's communicator, “ 90 minutes.”  

As soon as the Boy Wonder finished his statement,  bright red lights in the ceiling began to flash and the Tower was filled with shrieking sound of alarms.

“...Or not,”  Beastboy said.

“Looks like we've got trouble.  Let's see if we can find out what the situation is.” Robin and his fellow Teen Titans rushed from the kitchen to the central room of Titan's Tower.  Robin immediately made his way to the large computer terminal that dominated the room.

“Apparently,  an alarm has been triggered at the Gotham Bank and Trust on 17th  and Main,”  The masked Titan reported.

“Are any more details available?”  Starfire inquired.

“No,  it looks like someone's pulled a silent alarm.  At a guess,  I'd say that we've got a bank heist on our hands.”

“Attempted bank heist, you mean,”  Beastboy corrected him, as he looked at the screen from behind Robin's shoulder. There was an excited gleam in his emerald eyes.  As much as he affected being a light-hearted jester,  the shape-changing teen always took his crime-fighting duties quite seriously.

Robin gave him an encouraging nod.  “That's the spirit. Since we don't have much in the way of details,  we'll just have to play this by ear. “  He looked at his friends, who had all gathered together at his side.  “Guess we're  in for some on-the-job training today,  guys. Let's move out!”

At their leader's command,  the five Teen Titans set out to protect the citizens of Jump City yet again.

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The Titans hastened to the location of the alarm,  with Robin leading the way on the R-Cycle;  Cyborg followed closely behind him in the T-Car.  Above the two young men,  Raven and Starfire flew side-by-side through the air effortlessly. Beastboy soared above the rest of the team,  having taken the form of a falcon. The shapeshifting teenager used the bird's hyper-acute vision to scan ahead of the group for potential dangers.  As Robin had said back at the Tower,  they had no real info as to who or what they would find when they reached Gotham Bank and Trust,  so they couldn't be too careful.

When the team arrived at the financial institution,  Robin stopped his cycle and dismounted.  As he removed his helmet,  his the rest of the group gathered around him.  The leader of the Titans warily looked over the Bank and its surrounds,  with Cyborg at his side.

“Actually,  it's kinda quiet 'round here.  There doesn't seem to be an emergency... maybe it was a false alarm...”  Cyborg looked at his teammates hopefully.

As soon as the cybernetic teen finished his statement,  the large glass doors at the bank's entrance were blown from their hinges by a blast of concussive force.  Terrified civilians streamed out of the building,  climbing over one another in a frantic attempt to get away from whatever was happening inside.

Beastboy gave Cyborg a wry look.  “You were saying...”

From the ruined entryway of the bank,  a diminutive, bald figure emerged, hovering in mid-air with the aid of a jet pack strapped to his back.  It was a person with whom the Titan's were quite familiar:  Gizmo,   a member of the supervillain academy known as the H.I.V.E.

Robin's face was grim.  “I should have known.  It's been awhile since we've had trouble with the HIVE.  And chances are ,  he's not alone.”.

As he surveyed the area across the street,  Gizmo spied the five heroes.  “Crud,  looks like the party-poopers have arrived.”  The childlike villain looked back over his shoulder and shouted into the building. “Hey you two! Quit messin' around and give me a hand.  We have company!”   

The tiny technophile was soon joined by his two usual partners-in-crime:  the hulking,  bestial Mammoth,  who was carrying a large bag that appeared to be filled with cash,  and the pink haired sorceress Jinx.

Robin face was a study in intensity as he addressed his companions.  “Alright, team.  It looks like Mammoth's carrying the money, so he's the priority.  Starfire and I will handle him.”  

“I've got the runt,”  Cyborg said

“And I'll take care of the witch,”  Raven intoned from within the depths of her hood,  her eyes already blazing white with power.

Robin nodded his affirmation.  “Fine.  Beastboy,  give Raven a hand,  if she needs it.  But keep an eye on the situation.  They'll probably try to make a break for it at some point,  but don't let them get away.  I want some answers from them.”  The Titan's commander gave his friends one last serious look.  “Be careful,  everyone.  We all know how much trouble these three can be.”

Robin then turned back to the trio of villainous youths,  who had taken up a defensive position at the top of the stairs leading from the street to the bank.  

Classic high ground,  Robin thought.  This isn't going to be easy.

“I don't know why you're doing this,”  he called out to them,  “but I'll give you one chance to surrender and come quietly!”

His reply came in the form of a salvo of pink hex bolts,  courtesy of Jinx, which Robin evaded easily with his excellent reflexes.

The young girl's catlike magenta eyes were mere slits as she spoke to Robin,  her voice full of disdain.  “Sorry,  Boy Blunder. We're not feeling too accommodating today.”

“I guess that's it, then.  Titans, Go!”  At the sound of Robin's familiar battle cry, the Teen Titans rushed their opponents,  each making for their pre-selected targets.

Starfire,  Her jade eyes incandescent with righteous fury,  launched a barrage of starbolts at Mammoth,  which the massive H.I.V.E. Member dodged with ease, due to Starfire's lack of accuracy.  Marksmanship was not the concern of the young Tamaranean,  however.  Her true purpose was to provide the necessary cover to allow Robin to outflank Mammoth.  As the smoke cleared from Starfire's bolts,  Robin dashed in and launched himself into the air, attempting to land a powerful flying heel kick to the side of Mammoth's head.

Unfortunately,  the brutish villain sensed Robin's advance,  and was able to brace himself for the attack,  taking most of the blow with little effect.  He retaliated with a wild roundhouse punch that would have surely knocked the Titan senseless, had he not been quick enough to duck it. Robin quickly removed his collapseable Bo staff from his belt and assumed a defensive stance. Overhead,  Starfire looked frantically for a opening to employ her starbolts,  but was worried by Robin's close proximity to their opponent.  Rather than risking his safety,  she hung back and watched the two boys exchange blows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Meanwhile,  Cyborg wasn't having an easier time with Gizmo.  The tiny miscreant was using his jetpack-enhanced speed advantage to dodge Cyborg's attempts to shoot him down with his sonic cannon.  Gizmo returned fire with a small laser mounted on his backpack.  The beam weapon scored a direct hit to Cyborg's torso.  To Gizmo's dismay,  however,  it was dispersed by the Titan's armor,  leaving only a slight scorch mark at it's point of impact.

“What the-?!  You pit-sniffin'  cludgehead!  How'd you do that?”  Gizmo yelled, seemingly outraged at his weapon's failure.

Cyborg grinned at him.  “Upgrades,  shorty!”

At the bottom of the stairway,  Raven was  engaged in combat with Jinx .  The H.I.V.E.'s resident sorceress was having great difficulty with her blue-cloaked opponent,  however,  as her hex bolts were ineffective against the shields of black energy that Raven generated.  
Seeing that she would need to adjust her tactics,  Jinx fired off a massive volley of her pink force bolts,   which passed harmlessly over Raven's head.

"You're making this too easy," Raven growled as raised her hand.  From her fingertips a torrent of dark force burst forth,  in the shape of a great black talon.  

The energy claw wrapped around Jinx's slender form,  pinning her to the wall behind her.  Raven regarded her immobilized opponent coldly.

"It's over,  Jinx." Raven's voice was grim.

Jinx looked at her captor for a moment,  and then smiled maliciously.  "It sure is..."

Raven heard a loud metallic shriek behind her.  Letting go of her enemy she turned her head to look back over her shoulder,  and froze as she saw the source of the sound;  Jinx's bolts hadn't missed their intended target at all,  as a huge street lamp,  weakened by the earlier deluge of pink energy,  came crashing down towards the empath. Her opponent forgotten,  she could only stare at the doom approaching her.  Just before the expected impact,  Raven was pushed aside by a swiftly moving flash of green fur, as Beastboy,  now in the shape of a tiger,  pounced on her and pushed her away from the falling mass of metal.

As this happened,  Gizmo broke off from his fight with Cyborg and yelled to his companions.  “That's enough!  Lets get outta here,  guys!”  As he said this, he released a cloud of thick black smoke from his backpack that caused Cyborg to loose sight of his diminutive enemy as he made his retreat. At the same moment,  Mammoth,  hearing Gizmo's call,  evaded a powerful overhand staff blow from Robin,  and picked up the young man by his cape.  With a roar,  he flung  the helpless Titan directly at Starfire,  who was quickly descending in an attempt to aid her friend.  Breaking off her dive,  she caught the masked boy easily with her superhuman strength.  Mammoth used the distraction to make his escape as well.  money still in hand.

“Nice catch,”  Robin said with a slight smile as they hovered in midair.

“It was no problem,  Robin!”  the Tamaranean girl blushed prettily at the close proximity of the boy in her arms.

On the street below,  Beastboy shifted back into his true shape and looked down at the gray girl, his face reflection his anxiety.  “Are you alright,  Raven?”  

“Yes,  I'm OK,  thank you.”  Raven replied,  as she looked up from her supine position,  with Beastboy still on top of her.  “You can get off me, now.”  she spoke with exaggerated casualness.

“Oh, right!,  ...Sorry, Rae!”   the embarrassed changeling felt himself flushing slightly as he stood up and helped the irritated Raven to her feet.  As he did so,  he saw Jinx quickly fleeing the scene of the battle, with the other H.I.V.E. members following close behind.

“Hey gang!”  Beastboy called to his teammates ,  “they're trying to get away!”

“We see 'em,  let's get moving,  guys!”  Cyborg called as ran northward up 17th avenue,  with the other Titans joining the pursuit.

The H.I.V.E.  teens had a sizable head start,  however,  and were able to duck around a corner after leading the Titans for a few blocks.  When the Titans came to the intersection,  there was no trace of their quarry.

“Where did they escape to?”  Starfire asked as she looked around the area. The side street they had turned down ended it a blind alley  with no obvious exits.

“We can find out quick enough,”  Robin replied.  He looked over at Beastboy. “Do you think you can track them?”

“No prob,  Rob!”  He said,  as he shifted into the form of a wolf.  His sensitive nose to the ground,  Beastboy followed the trail up the alley and behind a dumpster.  Behind the trash receptacle,  there was no further sign of the three criminals,  but Beastboy noticed something on the ground.  He signaled his companions over.  “Come take a look at this!”

When they arrived at his side,  Beastboy pointed to the open manhole on the ground.  “The scent ends here,”  he informed them.  “I think they went down there.”

“Then that's where we're going,  too,”  Robin said firmly.  “ We have to recover the cash, and I still want to know what they're up to.  Let's move!”  With Robin in the lead,  the Titans made their way down the ladder,  one at a time.

At the bottom,  they found themselves in a narrow,  low-ceilinged sewer passage,  no more than ten feet from wall to wall.  The floor of the passage was covered in several inches of cold ,  filthy water.  It was  quite dark,  and  the stench of decay filled the air.

“Ugh!  It is most fortunate that we did not have time to eat before we left the tower!”  Starfire noted,  with a slightly sick look on her face.  “The smell here is most...  overpowering...”

Robin looked about him.  “The passage is blocked off with a  grate back behind us,  and it doesn't look like it's been forced,  so they must of went...”he indicated up the passage, leading north  “that way.  Cyborg,  can you give us some light?”.

“Gotcha,”  A small lamp appeared out of Cyborg's shoulder,  which illuminated the dark passageway for about ten yards in front of the group.  “I'll take front, since I've got the light.  I should be able to pick them up on infra-red, as well,  so we might be able to get the drop on 'em.”  

Robin nodded.  “Right. Everyone follow Cyborg.  And stay together.”   

The Titans proceeded down the shadowy corridor for several minuted with no sign of their enemies until the sewer passage came to an four-way intersection.  The passage the were currently following continued north while two other tunnels extended east and west. They paused to take a look around and decide on a course of action.

“Beastboy,  is there any way you can tell which way they went?  Maybe pick up a scent?”  Robin asked him.

“No way, dude.  Even if the ground wasn't covered with running water,  It stinks too bad down here to smell anything,  no matter what I turn into,”  the green teenager replied with a grimace.
“I fear we shall have to separate,”  Starfire said with a look of concern on her features.  “There is no other way to search all three tunnels quickly enough.”

“I guess you're right, Starfire,”  Robin wasn't happy about the idea,  but had no alternatives to offer,  and every second gave the H.I.V.E.  more time to make good their escape.  “How should we do this?”

“I can take a passage by myself,”  Cyborg offered,  “After all, I've got infra-red vision and enough firepower to at least hold them off myself,  for a while.”

“I can change into something with goodnight vision,”  Beastboy put in.

“I am capable of making some light,  myself,  Robin.”  Starfire announced,  with one of her hands glowing with starbolt energy.

“Alright, then.  Cyborg,  you take north.  Starfire and I will take the west tunnel,  and Raven and Beastboy can take the east.”  Robin gave them a serious look.  “As soon as you find anything,  give the rest of us a call,  so we can back you up.  I don't want anyone taking on the H.I.V.E.   by themselves,  if they don't have to.  Good luck,  everyone and be careful!”  With this,  the group split,  to search the three tunnels.


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Raven and Beastboy didn't speak as they searched the east sewer tunnel, not that Beastboy would have been able to say much in the jaguar form he had shifted into,  choosing the feline predator's shape for its excellent night vision and hearing.  Raven Glided along close behind,  staying close so as not to become separated from her partner.  She strained to hear something over the dripping water of the sewer,  but to no avail.  She was wholly dependent on her animal companion's acute senses to alert her to potential danger.

After what seemed like miles of walking,  the tunnel came to a stop,  as they reached an area where the ceiling had caved in.  The two teenagers stopped to examine the scene.

“There's no way they came this way,”  Beastboy declared as he shifted back into his humanoid form.  “It looks like this has been blocked for years.  You want to call Robin?”

“I guess were done here,”  Raven said  as she opened her communicator. ”Maybe we can meet with Cyborg and give him a hand.”  

Beastboy stepped closer to her as she activated the device and signaled Robin.  They pair were so intent on contacting their comrade,  that they failed to notice a shimmering in the darkness of the tunnel behind them,  almost like waves of heat rising off of a street on a hot summer's day.  From the distortion, three shapes emerged,  stalking slowly up behind the Titans,  as they spoke to their leader.

“Robin,  this is Raven.  We've come to the end of the east tunnel.”  

“Did you find anything?”  Robin's voice was rang tinnily out of the communicator's tiny speaker.

“No,  just a dead end.”

“What an appropriate choice of words!”  a female voice said behind them.

With a gasp,  Raven looked up from her communicator and spun around,  just in time to see Mammoth's huge left fist strike her in the jaw with a powerful backhanded swing.  The force of the blow lifted the slight girl off of the ground, and propelled her head-first into the wall of the passageway.  The stricken Titan's skull hit the wall with a loud crack,  and then she crumpled to the ground,  motionless.  Her communicator fell to the ground beside her,

“Raven!”  Beastboy cried as he saw his friend fall.  He turned to look down the dark passageway they had followed down,  only to see the three H.I.V.E.  members they had been searching for striding up to him.  He couldn't figure out how the criminals had managed to take the two of them by surprise.  “How did you-?”  he stammered out,  in shock.

“Cloaking device,  snot brain!”  Gizmo,  striding on huge metal spider legs that were attached to his backpack,  pointed to a small electronic instrument on the front of his outfit.  “Did you like it?”

“I hope he did,”  Jinx stated,  her eyes sparkling evilly.  “It's just sad that he won't be able to tell anyone about it.

“Hope he puts up more fight than his girlfriend did,”  Mammoth grunted in his near unintelligible voice.  “She's no fun at all.”

Beastboy looked  to Raven, where she laid deathly still.  He felt his heart pounding in his chest with fear for his friends life.

Raven,  no!  Oh my god,  please don't be gone,  please!

He then looked back up at his attackers, who could plainly see the fear on his face.

“Aww,  are you gonna cry now, little man?”  the brutish mammoth taunted with a chuckle.  “Don't worry about her... we'll take good care of her...”

Beastboy could take it no longer.  With a bloodthirsty scream,  he hurled himself at Mammoth,  taking the shape of a lion as sprang at the huge criminal. Mammoth was unable to prepare himself for Beastboy's sudden attack,  and was tackled to the floor of the passage,  with the green lion's huge teen dangerously close to his throat.

Beastboy's mind was aflame with rage...

...I'll kill him...  I'll Kill him...  I don't care if Robin takes me to prison... if she's dead,  I swear to god... I'LL KILL HIM!

Beastboy wasn't given the chance to act out his possibly homicidal impulses, however,  as the green lion was knocked from atop the struggling form on mammoth by a fusillade of pink hex bolts from Jinx,  which sent him sprawling on his side some distance away.  Before he had a chance to recover,  Gizmo launched a small dart,  with a thin strand of wire behind it,  from a pistol-like device that he held.  The dart lodged itself firmly in Beastboy's side.

“Bad Kitty!”  Gizmo sneered as he looked on the fallen Titan.  “Let's see if this will teach you some manners!”  He pressed a button on the side of the device he held,  and a massive electrical charge was sent into Beastboy's body,  causing him to revert to his true form,  as he screamed in agony.

What do I do? He thought underneath the waves of pain,  I can' change,  and they'll finish me before the other's get here...!

The last thing he saw before rational thought left him was the still unmoving form of Raven on the ground not far from where he lay.

I'm so sorry,  Raven...

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“Raven?  Raven?  Are you there?  Beastboy,  Come in!”  Robin voice was frantic as he tried to contact his teammates as he and Starfire raced down the west Tunnel.

“Is there no word from our friends?”  Starfire asked worriedly  as she flew along side Robin, who was sprinting as fast as he could.

“No nothing,  since Raven was cut off in mid transmission.  And I can't get Beastboy, either.  Something is very wrong...”  He switched channels on his communicator.  ”Cyborg,  meet me and Starfire in the east tunnel.  .I think Raven and Beastboy are in trouble.”

“I hear you Rob.  I'm on my way!”  

Robin closed his communicator and clipped it to his belt.  He then suddenly felt hands wrapping around his waist

“What the-?”  he felt his feet leave the ground as he was hoisted into the air by the hovering alien girl beside him

As Starfire lifted him from the ground she spoke to him.  “Robin, I can carry you and still fly much faster than you can run,  even it I am using my other hand to light our way.  We must spare no haste in reaching our friends!”

“Right. Let's go!”

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Gizmo looked down at Beastboy,  who was laying on the ground,  his body wracked with tremors.

“Let's go,  before  this crudbrain's pals get here.”  He said.

Jinx walked slowly up to look at the fallen boy.  “Wait,  Gizmo.  Some thing's wrong with him...”

Gizmo rolled his eyes.  “Of course some thing's wrong with him!  I just put 100,000 volts into him!”

“That's not what I meant,  half pint!”  She crept closer  “He's... growling...”

Mammoth strode over to him and lifted his booted foot,  preparing to bring it down on Beastboy's skull.  “I'll quiet him down... Wah--!”

Suddenly,  Beastboy's head snapped up and he grabbed Mammoth's ankle with an iron grip.  Then,  with an inhuman roar,  he picked up the huge villain and flung him some distance away.  Mammoth stood up and shook his head, trying to stop the ringing in his ears from his impact with the ground.  “How did the runt do that?”  he asked, dazed.

Jinx's voice was very worried,  as she watched Beastboy rise to his feet. “Guys,  look!  Some thing's happening to him!”

As he stood up,  Beastboy screamed in pain,  clutching his head.  In the dim light of the sewer, the H.I.V.E.  trio could just barely see what was happening to the Titan's body.

It was a change,  but unlike the typical fluid shifting of form that the three were used to seeing the green changeling perform.  Rather,  this was a torturous, agonizingly slow change,  as if his very body itself were trying to resist the metamorphosis.  Shocked,  they could actually see his bones change shape and re-arrange themselves,  watch his muscles expand and fill out his powerful new frame. Razor sharp talons extended from his now massive hands. A dense coat of green fur sprouted to cover his body, and his small fangs lengthened into ferocious tusks.

When the change was complete,  all remnants of the Titan were gone,  and before them stood a Beast.  

His green eyes gleamed with feral intelligence as he looked at them.  The H.I.V.E.  students were too shocked to move,  being uncomfortably reminded of a cat looking at mice.  Jinx spoke in a fearful whisper.

“Uh...  did any of you know he could do that?”

The beast let out a savage roar as he lunged at them...



TO BE CONTINUED  (hopefully)

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Authors' notes:
First off,  I'd like to express my boundless gratitude to Demigod,  who has been a source of great inspiration to me.

Also,  special thanks to Regrem,  who was always pushing me to do this,  despite my trepidation.

Well, honestly,   I never thought that ever I'd be doing something like this.  What you have just read is the first piece of creative writing that I've done since my freshman year of High School,  which was... well, lets just say it was a long time ago, and leave it at that (I'm feeling my age rather heavily at the moment;  having just celebrated a birthday.)

I've been reading Fan Fiction for many years now,  and started actively reviewing fairly recently.  And that's part of why I decided to take this little project up,  I guess. After all,  what right have I to judge the hard work and creativity of others,  if I haven't at least attempted the same thing myself?  

So, behold the motivating power of guilt!

Anyway,  even over the course of this first chapter, I can definitely say that I've learned a new appreciation for writers.  I salute you you all.

I do sincerely hope that you're enjoying my first attempt at Fan Fiction as much as I've enjoyed writing it.  Any feedback that you guys can give me me will be appreciated heartily,  so please feel free to review!

Regards,
The Doctor
17 July 2005