Fan Fiction ❯ After The End ❯ Secret Identities ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, unfortunately. Any views or opinions expressed in this fan-fiction are strictly those of the author, me. The latter statement is probably just a formality, unless I somehow work my love of all things Canadian (GO CANADA) into this fan-fiction. Cheese is the root of all evil. If I were to use one word to describe all of the themes to all of my fics so far, I wonder what that word would be. Happy multicolored explosions in the sky day. I didn't see any fireworks go off on the fourth of July.

 

Please Read and review. Constructive criticism wanted.

 

Chapter 5: Secret Identities

 

Things were different for Beast Boy now as he once again walked through the remains of Jump City. No matter how much chaos there was going on around him, he was safe as long as he wore the choker Raven had placed around his neck. That very fact ate at his heart as he helplessly walked through the city. He was safe and his identity was hidden from Trigon's servants, but the people he was supposed to protect were dieing all around him. Thus, he did all he could for the city as he passed through.

 

Every time he saw a human being or about to be tortured or eaten, Beast Boy ran foreword ordering them to let the humans go. What Raven had told him was right. The bloodthirsty aliens obeyed him without a second thought as soon as they saw the choker he wore. Without any hesitation, all of the aliens in the area scurried away hastily, leaving sometimes half dead humans behind to continue to suffer. With the danger for the remaining people passed, he did his best to organize them all and to direct them to someplace safe. After that, he was forced to continue onward. His time was painfully too short, and he could only spare so much to help the survivors of Jump City, no matter how much he wanted to help them all.

 

It seemed like it took an eternity to pass through the city, but in reality, it was just less than an hour. Time seemed to haunt the changeling as he was forced to hear the screams of people just out of his reach. He would have given almost anything to go back and help them, but at the moment, his life was just too big a price to pay. Raven would kill him if he was not there on time, and his death would only cause the eventual destruction of Raven. He could not allow that to happen. As a hero, his duty was to the people, but deep down, he was no hero. He knew in his heart that he would sacrifice everyone n earth just to get Raven back. Some hero he was.

 

Eventually, Beast Boy arrived at the very spot Raven told him to be, but there was no Raven waiting for him. In fact, he did not see anyone, human or alien, around this place as far as he could see. It was strange to say the least. The last time he was here, he could see movement on the tower's island, but it was completely still now. Sensing no danger around him usually would have comforted beast Boy, but it was only making him more nervous. Something was definitely going on somewhere that required anything found outside the city. That could not be good for anyone anywhere.

 

Slowly, the final few inches of what now looked like a red sun passed beneath the western skyline, allowing the first signs of darkness, even if it was just a darker shade of red, to spread across the city. As if on cue, a large, black, raven-shaped aura emerged in the distance, coming straight towards Beast Boy's position. The changeling ad seen Raven use this power several times before, and it did not take long for it to click in his head that he would not be alone for much longer. With every inch she drew closer to him, fear swelled more and more within the changeling. Hopefully unnoticeably, Beast Boy quickly checked his pockets for the tranquilizers and he went over each step of the plan in his head again. He had to get this right the first time, or he, Robin, and Starfire would die, and it was not helping things that knowing that their lives depended on him made him more scared than he ever had before.

 

Beast Boy snapped back to reality when he heard the familiar sound of Raven's feet gently touching down on the ground mere feet in front of him. Trying desperately to force anything from his eyes that would give their plan away, the changeling slowly lifted his head to meet the once beautiful face of Raven. Now, it just screamed of evil, which, despite her being a half demon, did not suit her at all. It was almost sad to see Raven fall this much after she had spent her life dragging herself up from where she now stood. Yet, there was no reason for pity when he knew they could still save her. Somehow, he would save her.

 

Raven grinned sinisterly as she stood in front of the changeling, gazing in to his eyes. They were filled with only pain and sadness, and none of the cheerfulness they once held could be seen. The evil half demon took great pride in that fact, especially because she knew it was her doing. Yet, deep down in a corner of Raven's heart that could no longer be heard, there was a pang of guilt. Yet, this new evil Raven felt none of it. She was more than glad for what he had done to the changeling, but she was far from done. She planned to break his spirit. It was only a matter of time.

 

“Beast Boy,” Raven said calmly but mockingly as she cupped the changeling's cheek with her hand, “oh Beast Boy. You don't have to hide yourself from me. Besides,” Raven gripped Beast Boy's face tighter, almost painfully so, “there's no point to it. You're mine now, and that includes your powers. So, let me see the real you before I get angry.” Raven let go of Beast Boy and stepped back a few feet smirking at him.

 

Reluctantly, Beast Boy slipped off the hologram generator ring Cyborg had given him, and his guise instantly faded back into his real, green self. Beast Boy's eyes were downcast on the ground now. He had hoped that if he had just continued to act like a normal human, Raven would have thought that her previous guess was wrong, but now he had no choice. Speaking out against Raven would only result in his voice giving him away. He had no choice, and now Raven knew she was right.

 

Raven's grin widened as Beast Boy's true form was revealed. “There,” she almost laughed at her small victory, “that's more like it. Isn't it always better to just be yourself, Beast Boy? After all, I'm your friend, aren't I? And, there's no need to hide things from friends.”

 

“You may look like Raven,” Beast Boy began before he could stop himself, “but you are far from the girl I knew. Do not claim the place she had in my life when it does not belong to you.” The changeling forced himself to look straight into her eyes, and his eyes showed no more pain, just a stern sincerity. “It will never belong to you. You could never replace her.”

 

Raven's smile never diminished from what Beast Boy had said to her. In fact, it only grew larger as the seconds of silence that followed passed until she eventually burst into an evil laughter. The laughter lasted less than a minute, but the coldness of Raven's laughs echoed in Beast Boy's mind. They were mocking him, as Raven meant them to.

 

“And, what makes you so certain that I am not the real Raven, Beast boy,” the half demon said calmly, almost soothingly as she stepped closer to the changeling before her. “After all, if it looks like a Raven and talks like a Raven, then it just might be a Raven.” Raven leaned close to Beast Boy so that their faces were mere inches apart. “Some say that it is the experiences of a person that make up who they are. I remember everything from the day I was born to now. Some say it is how they feel on the inside that defines someone. My emotions are always as they have been. Some even go as far as to say that people are created by their own desires.” Raven held the back of beast Boy's head in place as she leaned just slightly closer so that their lips were almost touching. “My desires are as clear as the day I realized them.” Raven swiftly pulled away, letting go of Beast Boy as she stepped backwards a comfortable distance smiling. “All signs point to me being the Raven you knew.”

 

Beast Boy took a moment to clear his head. Their closeness had brought back thoughts and dreams about the real Raven, and it had made it difficult to focus. Yet, once his mind cleared, the facts were evident. He knew he was right. “I believe that it is our actions, though sometimes extreme, misjudged, or not quite thought through, that tell us who we are. Even in her darkest moments, Raven could never act like this. You may have once been Raven, but something has been done to you to change that. I can see it physically, and I can sense it emotionally. You are not my Raven, but I know she's in there somewhere.”

 

“What conviction,” Raven laughed sinisterly. “I don't know whether to be flattered that you have such faith in who you think is me or to be angry that you just can't accept the truth. This is Raven now, whether you want to believe it or not. Now, come on.” Raven reached out and forcefully pulled Beast Boy into her arms. “This conversation has lost all purpose. I am expected outside the city, and we are already late.” With that, Raven began to levitate off the ground with Beast Boy in her arms, and they headed for the outskirts of the city.

 

While raven held him tightly, Beast Boy tried desperately to look away from the raven imposter. “I can still transform with this choker on, you know,” the changeling said softly as he kept telling himself that it was not really Raven in an attempt to fight off the blush forming on his cheeks. “You really don't have to carry me.”

 

Raven looked down at the green Titan in her arms, but not with the four glowing red eyes she had previously. They had been replaced with raven's natural violet ones, much to Beast Boy's surprise. “Maybe I just want to. Besides, you really don't have a choice. You do what I want, or I'll kill you, got it?”

Beast Boy's eyes were now transfixed on the evil raven's violet ones as she stared into his emerald ones. They were much easier to read than the four demonic versions of eyes she had previously. He could see a lot of things in her eyes, but anger… rage was the most prevalent. Yet, none of that rage was focused on him, never on him. “You changed your eyes.”

 

“Aren't we mister observation,” Raven mocked before her eyes glowed red and split once again, now returning to their demonic state. “I can change a lot of things but it doesn't mean I am allowed to, nor does it mean I like looking the way I do now. I hate it, but father ordered all his followers not to obey me unless I let my demon side, the side he gave me, show. I hate him for it. I've always hated him. I hate his worthless followers. I loathe this planet. I abhor its people. I despise the meaninglessness of life itself. I don't like a lot of things, Beast Boy. I guess you could say that I'm always filled with-”

 

“Rage,” Beast Boy seemingly finished calmly.

 

“Bingo,” Raven said emotionlessly. “You win absolutely nothing, which is a lot better than that stupid chicken you won me. I hate that thing, you know.”

 

“No,” Beast Boy stated simply, looking her straight into the glowing red eyes. “That's not what I meant. You were right when you said you were Raven, but you were wrong too. You're only a part of her, the one me and Cyborg helped Raven fight when we got sucked into Raven's mind.”

 

“I never told him how much I hated him for that,” Raven growled.

 

“Exactly!” Beast Boy almost yelled. “You hate everything. You're Rage, or I assume that's your name since when we fought you always said `Rage will consume you,' and you were looking a lot like Raven's father.”

 

“I told you before,” Raven said coldly, “I am Raven.”

 

“That's what all the other emotions said too,” Beast Boy grinned. “Dude, this rocks. I knew Raven would never do the things you've been doing. It's not your fault either, Rage… er… Raven. You're doing it because you're feeling rage towards everything because that's what you are supposed to do.” Without thinking, Beast Boy wrapped his arms tightly around Raven in a celebratory hug. “I knew it.”

 

Raven stopped flying and glared at the changeling. “Get your hands off of me!” She yelled angrily and Beast Boy's hands fell to his sides swiftly. She still held him close, though, and beast Boy could have sworn that h saw the tiniest bit of a smile on her lips. “I hate hugs of any kind, so don't do it again.”

 

“But,” Beast Boy said in disbelief, “you've sort of been hugging me this entire time we've been flying. You're the one who said you wanted to in the first place.”

 

Rage averted her gaze from the changeling. “Shut up,” she simply stated, but it lacked the force she had intended to put behind it. She hated a lot of things, but there were two things she hated the most. The first was her father, and the second was when she was wrong and Beast Boy was right. `Out of everyone in the universe, you are the only one that Raven does not allow me to hate.' Raven thought to herself. `I hate her for that.'

 

“As you wish, Raven,” Beast Boy smiled and held back a laugh. “I am here to serve.”

 

“You're mocking me,” Raven glared at the changeling. “You know I could kill you for being so insolent.”

 

“Somehow, Raven,” Beast Boy grinned at the dark empath, “I get the feeling that you wouldn't kill me even if you wanted to. After all, there's a soft spot to even your rage. I can sense it.”

 

Raven continued to glare at the green Titan in her arms as she began to once again fly toward her destination. No more words were spoken between the two. For Beast Boy, it was because he did not want to risk finding out what he suspected was false the hard way. For Raven, it was because it took everything she had to battle this new surge of emotions erupting within her. That dark corner of her heart which never was heard was rebelling, and it was getting stronger with each passing moment. Through great struggle, Raven managed to subdue the uprising of emotions within her. Once again there were only two things controlling Raven's heart. Rage was obvious, but the other only survived because Rage could never get rid of it but she could not hate it for that.

 

Eventually, Raven and Beast Boy arrived at their destination which was just outside the city, and Beast Boy's eyes widened at what he saw. There was an uncountable number of Arkaens and Grediens gathered, all in formation lined in rows. Yet, that was not all of them. The changeling could see more coming from the city to meet up with the group. Obviously, they were stragglers who wanted to get one more kill before leaving the city. However, the sheer numbers that were already there were enough to leave Beast Boy in awe. He had not imagined that so many were in the remains of Jump City. It certainly never looked that way during some one the scouting missions Robin sent him on. It scared him.

 

Some of the Arkaens eyed beast Boy evilly as he walked alongside Raven to the front of the group, but one quick glare from the dark empath sent them recoiling in fear. Other smarter Arkaens noticed the choker on Beast Boy's neck and paid no attention to the fact that he was one of the Titans they had been warned about. His life was Raven's now, so his presence was no more of a concern to them than an insignificant bug's. The Grediens, lacking any mental capacity to differentiate between targets, did what they always did. They just stood there, waiting for a target to be pointed out to them by whomever they were following. They were, in a manor of speaking, trained war pets of the universe. That was their place, and none thought enough to object to it.

 

Reaching the front of the lines of Trigon's followers, Raven stopped and Beast Boy quickly followed suit. “You have all been gathered here for one reason,” Raven yelled her orders loud enough for all before her to hear. “There is one final task in this city to be done before it is truly conquered. This,” Raven pointed to Beast Boy, “is a Titan, a member of a team of mostly super powered teenagers sworn to protect this city. Needless to say, they have failed, but that does not mean that they gave up. It was previously assumed that they had died off with most of the other humans. This Titan's presence proves otherwise. You all have been informed of who the Titans are. Some of you may even have encountered them when you first arrived. They are still in the city, and I hereby order you to not rest until they are found. Find them, and bring them to me alive,” Raven smiled wickedly, “unless that is impossible. Then, by all means, don't hesitate to kill them.” With that, a roar of delight spread throughout the mass of Trigon's followers, and they all rushed foreword towards the city.

 

Beast Boy watched on in horror as the army ran full speed to Jump City. There was nothing he could do to stop them, and anything he did do would only bring about his premature death. “Why?” The green Titan asked painfully as his head was downcast to the ground. “You might just have sentenced the others, your friends, to their deaths.” Beast Boy could feel the tears begin to form in his eyes, but he forced himself to look up when he felt Raven's arms around him once again.

 

“They won't die,” Raven said soothingly, although she hated comforting others. “As much as I hate to admit it, they are too cunning to fall to this tactic. We'll see them again, but the fact will remain that they are currently not on the side I am. However,” Raven stated as they began to levitate off the ground again, “we must leave again now.”

 

“Where to this time, Raven?” Beast Boy asked, his despair still quite clear.

 

“The front lines,” Raven stated hatefully. “To my father. He wants to speak with me, and he will want to meet you as well.”