Fan Fiction ❯ Will D. Beest ❯ The Return of Mad Mod ( Chapter 4 )

Note: All characters are based (sometimes loosely) on the TV versions, unless otherwise noted.

I'm not sure how the comics handled it, but here, the baby will "grow" a little after each time he transforms. Which means I won't be able to keep calling him "the baby" for long.

Extra Note: The Wildebeest on TV actually WAS a good model of what a mutated one could look like. The ones I've seen usually have dark gray fur, horns, and elongated faces, like that one did.

Chapter 4: The Return of Mad Mod

"WHERE IS HE?!" Beast Boy shouted as he burst into Starfire's room.

The alien girl paused in the middle of brushing her hair. "What troubles you, Beast Boy?"

"Wildy! He's GONE!!!"

Starfire's green eyes widened. "What?! That cannot be!"

"He's not in the crib, he's not asleep on the dryer, and he's not watching Scooby Doo re-reruns! Where ELSE could he be?!"

Beast Boy's shouts soon brought Robin and Cyborg running.

"Are we being attacked?!" Cyborg asked.

"No, it's worse!" Starfire moaned. "Fuzzy is missing!"

Robin blinked a few times. "You've already checked all over the Tower?"

"Yes!" Beast Boy insisted, panic in his voice.

"EVERY room?"

"YES!!!"

"Even Raven's?"

Beast Boy stared at him. "Dude, no way. Why would he be in there?"

Robin smirked. "Cyborg, if you wouldn't mind?"

"On it, Rob," Cyborg replied as he jogged towards Raven's room.

"I'm telling you, there's no way he could be in there! Raven doesn't even LIKE him!"

"No one else here knows where he is, BB. It's only logical that Raven would. Even if she didn't, she could find him with her telepathy."

A minute later, Cyborg returned, a look of surprise on his face. "Found this on her door," he muttered, handing Robin a note.

Beast Boy and Starfire crowded around as Robin read the note: "Went to check some things. Took the baby. Don't worry."

"DON'T WORRY?!" Beast Boy absolutely shouted. "SHE TOOK MY BABY!!!"

"OUR baby," Starfire said firmly. "Anyway…I am sure Raven only wanted to spend time with Fuzzy. Perhaps she is getting in touch with her maternal instincts."

"Yeah…well…she could've asked first," Beast Boy mumbled angrily, crossing his arms over his chest.

* * * * *

Raven frowned when the guard was done speaking. "You're telling me Overload has been on the streets for how long?"

"At least for a week, miss," the guard replied uneasily. "See, when we brought him in last time, he was completely paralyzed. So we got used to seeing no activity on the scanner he was hooked up to. We still don't know how he got out, but there's been no record of any activity on the scanner. For all we know, that fried circuit board should still contain a paralyzed Overload. We're just not used to containing prisoners made entirely out of electricity."

Raven sighed and handed him a card with a number on it. "Call this number and ask for their files on Livewire. It's a moot point now, but you never know."

"S.T.A.R. Labs?" The guard eyed her curiously. "Say, it's none of my business, but…you look like you've got a monkey on your back."

For a moment, Raven thought he was joking. But then a soft, furry, green hand reached over her shoulder and patted her cheek fondly. "Oh. You meant THAT monkey."

"I did," the guard replied, obviously waiting for an explanation.

Raven sighed. "Beast Boy had an accident." She shrugged. "He'll be stuck like this for a while. We're working on it."

"Good luck with that, then."

"Thanks." Raven spun on her heel and quickly left the prison. When she was sure the coast was clear, she took the harness off of her back and held its bundled occupant before her face. "You promised you wouldn't draw attention to yourself," she scolded.

The baby giggled and clapped his hands.

"No, it was NOT funny. You're going to get us caught. That green dye will only last so long, and the authorities will be looking for anything with brown fur. The least you could do is help me keep you safe. I'm just trying to return the favor."

The baby actually looked repentant. "Baby sowwy, Nana," he mumbled.

Raven looked surprised, but only for a moment. "You're getting smarter. And I'll bet it has something to do with how often you transform."

He reached up and tugged gently on a lock of violet hair. "Baby hungwy. Nana feed Baby now?"

She sighed and carefully pried his furry little fist loose. "Fine, we'll stop somewhere for lunch. But no more letting people see you."

The baby obediently drew his arms back into the bundle.

Raven smiled slightly as she placed him back into the harness. After a moment's hesitation, she patted his head briefly. "Good boy."

"Baby always good for Nana," he said quietly, as she slipped the harness onto her back and headed down the street.

* * * * *

"I want that creature."

"With all due respect. Sir. It wasn't part of the deal," Jinx replied firmly.

"I wasn't talking to you. I was merely expressing my desire aloud, my dear. I would never entrust such a potentially lethal task to your team."

"You think we couldn't handle it? Mammoth could beat him easy."

"Perhaps. But I am not willing to risk losing him to find out. Your only task is to deal with the Teen Titans. Leave the beast to me."

"You saw the tapes," Jinx said, motioning to the screen that repeatedly showed Dr. Light's last moments. "It's not like we can just ignore the thing. It'll come after us."

"Only if it thinks you mean to harm the Titans. But it won't lay a paw on you if it thinks you're a Titan."

Jinx frowned. "I don't understand, sir."

"You don't need to," Slade replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just keep them busy. I will handle the rest."

* * * * *

Raven was mobbed the instant she set foot in the living room.

"My BABY!!!"

"Raven! How was your afternoon with Fuzzy??? Did he make the adorable 'feed-me-NOW' noises?"

"I still can't believe you voluntarily took him out in public!"

"I told you he'd be fine with Raven. You guys need to have a little faith."

Raven grimaced. "Beast Boy, shut UP," she snapped, handing him the baby. "No, he TOLD me to feed him. Yes, I did; next time, it's YOUR turn. And thank you for the vote of confidence, Robin." With that, Raven headed for her room. She hadn't gotten far when she felt a tug on her cloak.

Wildy began to whimper. "Nana go 'way?" he asked, still clinging to her.

"Yes," Raven insisted. "Frankly, you're exhausting, even for just a few hours."

"Nana go nap-nap?"

All too aware of the grinning faces around her, Raven sighed in defeat. "Yes," she agreed quietly, "Nana go nap-nap."

"Baby miss Nana." He pulled on her cloak until she came closer, and then gave her a furry kiss on the nose. "Nite-nite, Nana!"

Her face thoroughly red, Raven instantly phased through the floor and dropped out of sight.

"I think we found ourselves a preferred babysitter," Beast Boy said with a wide grin.

"Now that's just plain unsanitary, my duckies!" said a familiar voice with a British accent. "Who knows where that creature's been?"

"Mad Mod!" Robin growled, whipping out his staff.

Raven's head reappeared briefly on the floor, and she glanced at Mad Mod. "Hologram." With that, she was gone again.

"Up to your old tricks?" Beast Boy asked. "Well, they won't work on us anymore!"

"Now, now, let's not be hasty!" Mad Mod chuckled. "I've seen the error of my ways, I have. Just came to let you tykes know I'm making a fresh start!"

"So we'll have to lock you back up in what, a week, tops?" Cyborg grunted.

Mad Mod placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me, lad. But no hard feelings! Just to show all's on the up and up, how's about you and the gang come see my new operation? Give you the grand tour!"

"How do we know we can trust you?" Starfire asked.

"Aw, don't be that way, luv! Never know unless you try and all, right?"

Robin frowned. "We'll be there."

"That's the spirit, mate!" Mad Mod said with a grin. "Check you at seven sharp, my duckies!" The hologram faded away at once.

"Uh…I don't know about this," Beast Boy muttered.

Robin nodded. "It sounds like a trap, but I do want to know what he's up to. Cyborg and I will check it out. We'll call for backup if we need it."

* * * * *

"We'll be ready," Jinx said, just before the transmission ended.

"So everything's still on?" Mammoth grunted.

She nodded. "Tonight, we take the Titans down. For good."

Gizmo gave her a doubtful look. "I think you're forgetting something, oh fearless leader. There's three of us, three and a half if you count our 'principal' who doesn't actually fight, and FIVE Titans."

"We've beaten them before," Jinx argued.

"Yeah, but NOW they know how we think."

"Yes, and NOW we also have these booster collars," she reminded him, tapping the thick metal ring around her neck. "Your tech runs faster, my hexes are more powerful, and Mammoth's ten times as strong as he used to be. If all that isn't enough, I'll bring in our foreign exchange plan."

"Our what, now?" Mammoth asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"You know, foreign exchange plan. Slade's money exchanges hands, and we get ringers. Get it, big guy?"

"I thought WE were the ringers," Gizmo mumbled.

"Nah, we're the grunts," Jinx admitted, though she didn't seem too upset about it. "That's why we have to wear these goofy school uniforms…"

"That's ANOTHER thing I don't like about this plan!" Gizmo snapped. "The school theme is getting REAL old REAL fast!"

"Look at it this way," she replied. "No one can get mad if they 'accidentally' get ripped in battle."

Gizmo grinned at her. "I never thought I'd say this, but I love your fashion sense."

* * * * *

"These are the coordinates that Mad Mod sent," Cyborg announced, checking the readout on his arm.

"Typical," Robin muttered as he stared up at the abandoned school building. "Well, we'd better get started. It's my turn to read Wildy a bedtime story tonight."

Cyborg chuckled as they stepped through the gate. "Look at it this way. Now you can bore him to sleep with the gripping tale of how we searched an empty school for no good reason."

"Oh, but class is now in session, my duckies!" crowed a familiar, amplified voice. "Ready for homeroom? Report to Classroom 666!"

Cyborg frowned. "Somehow, I don't like the sound of that."

"You shouldn't," Robin replied, glancing around warily. "It's the number of The Beast."

There was an earthshaking explosion as an enormous figure burst from the ground and landed in front of them. "Close enough."

"Am I crazy, or did that guy sound like Mammoth?" Robin asked.

Cyborg looked up…and up…and up. "I'd have to say both, Rob. Either Big M's been eating his Wheaties, or he just ate the whole Wheaties production plant…"

Robin's gaze landed on the thick steel rings circling each of Mammoth's limbs. "My guess is those rings have something to do with his growth spurt. If we can get rid of them-"

Cyborg blinked slowly as Mammoth's enormous fist flew straight at them. "Easier said than done, Rob…"

* * * * *

Raven was trying to mediate. 'Trying' being the keyword, because for the first time in a long time, she couldn't focus. Her mind, for some reason, insisted on continually taking her back to her outing with the baby. Despite the fact that he wasn't even in the room, she could still feel his furry little face pressed into her neck, or his tiny heart beating slowly against her chest, or his warm breath brushing her cheek.

With a frustrated sigh, Raven redoubled her efforts. Once she reminded herself that Beast Boy and Starfire were perfectly capable of taking care of Wildy, it was somewhat easier to focus her thoughts.

Of course, that was the moment when her communicator began to pulse.

"Guys, we could really use that backup right about now!" Robin's voice shouted over an ominous crash.

Before Raven could respond, Starfire broke in with: "We will all be there shortly to assist you!"

"ALL of us?" Beast Boy asked excitedly. "Even Wildy?"

"Um…well…"

"Actually, Star," Robin interrupted, "I think Wildy is just who we need to even up this battle. Mammoth's been taking his vitamins!"

"By the truckload!" Cyborg shouted in the background.

"And if my hunch is right, his HIVE buddies are in with Mad Mod, too. We haven't seen them yet, but these guys rarely work alone."

"C'mon, Star!" Beast Boy insisted. "Wildy can take care of himself! I mean…we all know what happened to Doctor Li-"

"SHHH! Raven might be listening!" Starfire hissed.

Raven's heart stopped. How had they found out about that? How long had they known? Well, she wasn't too surprised. Robin was a very skilled detective, all things considered. A quick look at the crime scene would've told him everything he needed to know. And, of course, he would inform the other Titans that Wildy had a dangerous side, just to be safe. But why hadn't he approached her? Perhaps he already knew that she knew. But, in that case, why did Starfire think they had to hide it from her?

Her communicator pulsed again.

"Raven," Robin said. "I need a favor."

"I'm listening," she answered.

"Stay in the Tower. Jinx and Gizmo might show up to wreck the place again."

"Will do. Good luck."

"Thanks. We're gonna need it…"

* * * * *

Next Time: Gizmo & Jinx join the party, but so do Star, BB, and Wildy! But what do Mad Mod and the HIVE kids have in store for the baby beast, and can Raven come out on top in her next battle with Sylvan? And in the midst of all that, don't you DARE forget about Slade!

(I decided to split this chapter in two parts, since it was taking so damn long…)

Reviews~!

Alan Wilkinson

It's possible that Overload was just dispersed over a wide distance, and that all he needs to do is bring himself together. Or it's possible that he was so deeply integrated into Dr. Light's suit that one couldn't function without the other. Who can really say? ^_^

As for the whole "Nana" thing, I plan to make Raven veeeeery uncomfortable.

Jess Scefing

I knew I forgot something! I'll add Broody to my MMO fics later, if I don't forget again. My main source for Titans info (other than the few comics I recall reading a while back) is Titantower.net, a HUGE database with pictures and the whole nine. Great help for writing fanfics, or just refreshing one's memory. The character's name is Wildebeest, the title is just a pun on his name.

It's been so long since I heard someone say Cor! and Cripes! It's like going home again...if I'd ever lived anywhere people talked like that...which I haven't. ^_^; But it's nice all the same.