Fan Fiction ❯ Will D. Beest ❯ The Sound of the Fury ( Chapter 5 )

Notes: "Saving Titan Twinkleface" will get another chapter. But it's trying to turn into a series.

Chapter 5: The Sound of the Fury

Starfire couldn't help giggling quietly as Fuzzy's furry little hand tickled her cheek. In truth, she was glad that Beast Boy had opted to let her carry the baby into battle this time. As it was, the harness would only hinder Beast Boy's transformations and possibly endanger the baby. Starfire had been flying much longer than he had, and had a better chance of protecting the baby with her body, should the need arise. Beast Boy could be tough, but he didn't have alien strength on his side.

Not far away, Beast Boy had assumed the shape of an eagle as they flew towards Robin and Cyborg's last coordinates. There was a steely glint in his eye, more from the eagle's natural demeanor than his choice, but it reminded Starfire that this was serious business. There would always be time to play later.

Of course, she guessed Fuzzy didn't realize that, as he kept reaching around to pat her cheek or tug on her hair. She caught the little fist (though it was a bit larger than she remembered) and gave it a tender kiss. "Not now, my little one," she scolded gently. "It's time for the Hiding Game."

Fuzzy instantly complied by withdrawing into the bundle of blue blanket as much as he could. He seemed to enjoy the `game,' first thought up by Cyborg, more than any of them could've hoped. It was made a bit more difficult by his sudden increase in size, but that was remedied with a slightly larger blanket. No doubt, it would look mighty suspicious to any supervillain, but perhaps that would make them a bit more wary of the Teen Titans. Not that Dr. Light's mysterious death hadn't done that already, though.

The eagle sprouted Beast Boy's head in place of it's own without warning. "We're almost there, Star," he said, before realizing the sudden increase in weight was pulling him out of the sky and reverting back to eagle form.

Starfire nodded and increased her speed a bit, hoping that Robin and Cyborg had managed to hold their own against Mammoth. However, that hope was dashed when they finally spotted the huge warehouse-and then, after seeing it MOVE, realized that the hulking structure was actually Mammoth. He had pinned both Robin and Cyborg to the ground, each Titan under one enormous hand.

"About time you two showed up," Mammoth chuckled, his laughter sounding more like a guttural growl.

"Robin! Cyborg!" Starfire cried. "You are unharmed???"

"Uncomfortable is more like it!" Cyborg shouted back.

"We're fine! Watch your backs!" Robin warned.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked. "There's nobody else here!"

"You need your eyes checked!" cackled a voice above them.

The night sky shimmered and solidified into a spider-like figure that immediately pounced on Beast Boy, entrapping him between its metal legs. Gizmo smirked triumphantly down at his captive.

"What's the matter, Booger Boy? You never heard of camouflage tech? Meet the new and improved me!"

Beast boy didn't seem too worried. "I think I liked the old you. HE was less dorky, at least. And you're not the only one that's improved. Welcome to my parlor, said the griffin to the spider."

Gizmo frowned. "What? That's not how it AAAAAAHHH!!!"

His legs were violently torn out from under him as Beast Boy became little more than a flurry of feathers and claws. Gizmo quickly detached himself from his metal harness and leaped away, carried clear by rocket pack on his back. He looked back mournfully to find his spider legs twisted and torn.

Starfire watched in awe as Beast Boy finally stopped moving, revealing his new transformation. It was indeed a regal, green griffin that stood atop the junk pile with wings outstretched, glaring menacingly at Mammoth. "Beast Boy…you are…???"

"Griffin, Star," it replied with practiced ease. "Guess reading Harry Potter to Wildy gave me some ideas."

"Then it's fitting that magic will be your downfall," said Jinx as she appeared before him. "Should I embarrass you now, or after I've dealt with Starfire?"

The green griffin leaped at her in answer, his claws and wings extended.

"Sorry, BB, but this is a no-flying zone." Jinx twiddled her fingers, and a violet sphere appeared around the griffin, growing smaller and smaller until he was forced to revert to Beast Boy. "Looks like I've got a new pet."

"I am NOT a pet!" Beast Boy shouted as he transformed into various stronger animals that had a chance of escaping.

"You'll only wear yourself out, but go right ahead if you want." She turned back to face Starfire. "Your turn!"

Starfire hesitated for a moment. "I am not a fan of enclosed spheres, and even if I was, I would not wish to be imprisoned in one!"

Jinx gave her an odd look. "Anyone ever tell you that you talk weird?"

"I do not!" Starfire cried, just before Fuzzy's harness was suddenly ripped from her back.

"Hot spud!" Gizmo called as he dropped the bundle into Jinx's waiting arms.

"Hmm. So this is the little guy that Slade's after, huh?" Jinx asked as she opened up the blanket.

"You leave Fuzzy alone!" Starfire shouted, zooming at Jinx with her eyes blazing emerald.

"Oh, relax. We're not going to HURT him." Jinx stared intensely at a thick slab of cement, which tore itself from ground just in time to have Starfire run straight into it. The cement crumbled from the sheer force of the collision, but the alien girl that crashed to a stop at Jinx's feet was obviously unconscious.

"Well, THAT was easy," Gizmo snorted as he touched down next to her.

"Yeah. Too bad they didn't bring Raven. I wanted to play with her," Jinx sighed.

"She'll come," Mammoth said confidently. "They always do."

"Got a point there." She turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. "Hey, little guy! Know who I am? I'm your new big sis! Yes, I am, you little cutey, you…"

* * * * *

Raven was drawn out of her meditation by a feeling of wrongness. It was not urgent or troublesome, just…wrong. And it was enough to make focusing on anything else impossible. With a sigh, she took out her communicator and tried to contact the other Titans.

After several tries with no response, she finally became worried. She began to wonder if Robin had greatly underestimated the HIVE kids, or if there had been some reinforcements waiting. Perhaps Beast Boy or Starfire had been distracted by Wildy, or maybe Wildy himself had gotten hurt.

Instantly brushing that last thought from her mind, Raven decided she would go against Robin's orders just this once. If nothing else, she could claim that she sensed the Titans needed her help. It wasn't really something any of them could disprove, and in the end, she thought, they'd all be better off if she was there to help. The last thing she was going to do was just sit there when her teammates might be in danger.

But as she set one foot outside her room, something happened. Raven was not sure what at first, but it soon became obvious that she had been teleported somewhere else. One second, she stepping into the hallway. The next, she was floating it what seemed to be outer space. It wasn't, of course, as she could breathe and move easily.

"We are within my mindscape, Raven," said a familiar voice. "Our next battleground."

She was not at all surprised to find Sylvan hovering nearby. "You have really lousy timing. I was in the middle of something."

He arched an eyebrow. "You are a child of Trigon. I would think nothing would be more important to you than ensuring his permanent downfall."

"My friends are more important," Raven snapped, "and right now, they need my help!"

"Then perhaps you had better hurry and defeat me," Sylvan replied. "That is the only way you shall leave this place, Seedling."

Raven glared at him. "Fine. Just remember you asked for this. I'm not in a good mood right now."

"Good. I would prefer you fought me that way. In fact, don't think of me as myself. Think of me as him."

She paused. "You know I can't do that, Sylvan…"

He frowned. "Perhaps you are not ready for that, yet. But we will do battle…and I will not make it easy for you." Even as he spoke, the air around them seemed to come alive. The winds picked up, becoming rough and icy.

"What are you doing?!" Raven shouted over the noise of the winds.

"I am using the gifts my mother passed on to me," Sylvan replied, his green eyes gleaming. "I am harnessing my control over nature for the first time in years."

"But…you said if you did that-!"

"That I could lose control over Father's taint?" His voice became emotionless. "Yes. I know. If that happens, I will not hold back. At that point, I would suggest you didn't, either."

"Don't do this!" Raven pleaded. "There has to be another way to find out which of us is better prepared to take down Trigon!"

"There isn't." Sylvan nodded, and all the wind present seemed to rush at Raven in one huge, chilling blast, sending her flying through the air like a rag doll. "If the fate of your friends matters so much to you, I would think you might put up a better fight than that, Seedling."

Raven growled as she regained her footing, her eyes beginning to glow red. "Don't push me, Sylvan. You're not the only one with his taint around here."

"No. But I'm not the one that's afraid to unleash mine. If the only way for you defeat me is to immerse yourself in his darkness, then you will never defeat Trigon."

"Shouldn't the same go for you?"

His eyes narrowed and thick vines suddenly appeared, winding quickly around Raven's limbs and stretching her body painfully. "No more talking. We've wasted enough time as it is."

"Have it your way!" Raven extended her power outward, smirking triumphantly as the vines were coated with black energy. "Just like I thought." The vines around her arms became hissing snakes, which she tossed at Sylvan.

He backed away in fear and surprise, banishing the snakes with a wave of his hand. "How did you do that?! You don't have that kind of power!"

"Normally, I wouldn't," Raven replied as she easily freed herself. "But I guess I was right about you. Deep down, not only do you not want to fight me, but you want me to beat you. That's why I could turn those vines into snakes. We're in your mind, so there's no way I could cheat, unless you helped me do it."

"No. You are wrong, Raven," he insisted.

"I don't think I am," she responded as she launched herself at him.

Sylvan continued to backpedal, throwing a handful of seeds at Raven. They instantly burst open and solidified into a tall tree, trapping her within the bark. But it wasn't long before Raven vanished from view, and a dark, birdlike shadow slipped out of the bark.

"Give it up, Sylvan," Raven murmured as she appeared directly in front of him. "Your heart isn't in this fight. Rather, it's influencing your head, which is only helping me instead of you. But there's one thing I don't get." She reached up and pressed her hand to his pale cheek. "Are you really doing this because you think it'll make me strong enough to defeat Trigon? Or are you just too afraid to attempt it yourself?"

"I…" The fury in Sylvan's eyes seemed to give way to overwhelming sadness. "Curse you, Seedling," he whispered, before fading from sight.

"Wait!" Raven cried, even as she suddenly found herself outside the warehouse at Mad Mod's coordinates. She sighed in frustration. "For someone so strong, he sure runs away a lot…"

* * * * *

Gizmo growled in frustration as he turned away from the console. "Slade was right. Hairy over here is a tough not to crack. I can't alter any of his memories of the Titans, and those are the ones we want."

"That's why Mad Mod's Thinking Cap only distorts his vision," Jinx replied, holding up what looked like a metal bowl. "We don't have to bother his memories, as long as he thinks we're the Titans. But remember, we have to dress the part to aid the illusion. Good thing I remembered how dull Raven's fashion sense is."

"And I'll be Cyborg. I still have that mechanical double I was working on."

Jinx shook her head. "YOU can't be Cyborg. Who else could Mammoth possibly pose as? Their build is roughly identical. Anyway, you're already wearing green…"

"I am NOT going to be that loser Beast Boy!!!" Gizmo snapped. "Why can't I be Robin?!"

"Get over it, Giz. You don't even need a costume. All you have to do is make animal noises every now and then. He won't know the difference with this on." Jinx began fiddling with the Thinking Cap. "If this thing really works, I bet we'll be able to move back in the Tower."

"And if it doesn't?"

Jinx shrugged. "Then I hope you can run really fast."

Before Gizmo could reply, the door slid open, and Mad Mod walked in. "All right, my duckies! Let's get this show on the road, shall we? The beastie's all strapped in?"

"Yes, sir," Jinx answered. "We were just awaiting your approval to proceed."

"Now, that's what I like to hear, luv! Time to make this missing link our new guard dog!"

Jinx crossed the room and stopped beside a small crib, where Wildy was sleeping peacefully. She carefully attached the Thinking Cap to his head (gently tickling his chin all the while). "Thinking Cap ready, sir."

"Hit it, sprog!" Mad Mod said, pointing at Gizmo.

Muttering under his breath, Gizmo activated the machine. "Operation: D.U.N.C.E. is online. All systems green. Activating brain fog now."

In the crib, Wildy twitched slightly, but did not wake up.

"Releasing growth hormones. Transformation to begin in 3…2…1."

Wildy's eyes snapped open and spun crazily around the room before landing on Jinx.

"Is he supposed to look like that?" she asked fearfully.

Gizmo shrugged. "Considering I expected his head to explode, I'd say looking like that is a good thing."

Jinx watched as Wildy quickly began to increase in size, until the crib exploded, forcing her to back away. And still Wildy continued to grow, until he was easily ten feet tall.

"…I think it actually worked," Gizmo muttered, checking the readout. "Pulse decreasing to normal. No damage to nervous system detected. Everything looks okay for now."

"But is he ours yet?" Mad Mod asked. "Better test him, luv."

Jinx hesitantly approached the hulking, hairy creature before her. "Um…hi. Remember me?" She made sure that the blue cloak she wore was in plain view.

The creature leaned down and stared at her uncertainly for a moment. A red light on the Thinking Cap flashed, and his eyes seemed to glaze over. "Nana," he growled softly, petting Jinx's head with a finger that nearly knocked her down.

"Well, I guess he's not going to eat her," Gizmo decided. "Crap. I owe Mammoth twenty bucks…"

* * * * *

"Ooooh…my head," Starfire moaned as she came to.

"Easy, Star," Beast Boy warned from somewhere nearby. "You hit that cement pretty hard."

"Beast Boy…? Where…where is Fuzzy?"

"They took him," he muttered sadly. "We did our best, but…they were too strong."

"It is all my fault," Starfire whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"No. I'm the one that wanted to bring him."

"I'm the one that told you to," Robin added.

Starfire looked up to see all the other Titans attached to the wall in similar fashions. Beast Boy and Cyborg's manacles seemed especially large, and were probably keeping them from using their powers. But then, she imagined her own were like that as well. "At least we are all safe for now."

"Uh…anyone heard from Ray?" Cyborg asked suddenly.

Everyone looked at Robin, who shook his head. "Not a word. But she'll know that something is wrong. Raven is a telepath, after all."

"But those HIVE jerks will be ready for her. I just wish we could warn her that they're stronger…and that they have our furry friend."

"No good. Our communicators are gone, and so is my belt. I think we're in here until Raven springs us."

Cyborg grunted with effort. "If I could just get one arm free, I could signal her. But these shackles must have jammers in them."

"Hey, I can help!" Beast Boy's head transformed into that of a llama.

Cyborg stared at his friend in confusion before it dawned on him. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!!!"

A huge wad of spit flew from the llama's lips and splattered noisily on the side of Cyborg's face.

A large sweatdrop rolled down the back of Beast Boy's head as he changed back. "Heh. Sorry, dude."

"Work. On. Your. AIM!!!" Cyborg shouted angrily.

"Wait. Those shackles don't block your powers?" Robin asked.

"Um…only when I try to change my entire body at once," Beast Boy replied. "I can change individual body parts easy, though. Why?"

"You had the right idea…sort of. We may be able to free ourselves without Raven's help."

* * * * *

Raven frowned as she entered the warehouse. For a few seconds, she sensed something that very much resembled Wildy's thoughts, but it was gone now…at least, she could no longer sense it. Which worried her a great deal.

It was easy enough to locate the Titans, though, so she focused on their thoughts and headed straight for them. But she hadn't gone far when she felt another flash from the thoughts that resembled Wildy's. Raven stopped, trying to decide what she would do. From the sound of it, Robin already had a plan to free their teammates, so there was nothing to worry about there. On the other hand, if Wildy was in danger, time was of the essence.

"I knew getting close to him would get me in trouble," Raven sighed as she chose to try and find him.

The trail led her to a large chamber, where she found Jinx waiting for her.

"So there you are. Took your time getting here, little birdie," Jinx teased with a grin. "But don't worry, we saved a BIG surprise for you."

Raven sighed as she took in Jinx's cape. "Okay. `Be Like Raven Day' ends right now."

"This isn't the only thing of yours I stole, Raven." Jinx whistled sharply. "Time for you to meet the newest member of our happy little family. Say hello, Woolly!"

Before Raven could ask, a huge shadow fell over her. She darted away just in time to avoid being crushed by an enormous weight that crashed into the floor seconds later. But after looking back, she was shocked to realize that the hulking, furry mass before her was strangely familiar. Her face fell as it finally clicked a moment later. "Oh no…Wildy…"

"That's Woolly!" Jinx snapped. "You'll make him mad if you get his name wrong!" She paused and giggled. "Never mind, call him whatever you want." She pointed at Raven. "Woolly! This bad lady is bothering your Nana! Get rid of her!"

Raven didn't move at first, partially because she was still recovering from the shock, but mostly because she didn't think Wildy would ever hurt her. But when a red light on the odd helmet he wore flashed, the creature thundered forward with startling speed, his mouth open in a primal roar as he raised a large fist. Raven gasped and scrambled out of the way as the fist just missed crushing her legs. "Wildy, stop! What are you doing?! It's me!" she cried.

"Aww," Jinx fake moaned, shaking her head. "Seems like he doesn't remember you, Raven. Maybe you two just need some quality time alone together. So I'll just make sure you're not interrupted." With a wave of her hand, the door Raven had entered through slammed shut and locked. "Call me when you're done…if you can." Jinx vanished with another wave, but not before sticking her tongue out at Raven.

Actually, Raven was somewhat relieved when Jinx left. It would make what she had to do next far less embarrassing. Shrinking back to the wall of the chamber, she took a deep breath. "Wildy," she said gently to the creature glaring down at her. "You know me. I'm your Nana."

"Bad lady!" he growled, raising a fist again as he approached. "Nana no like you!"

"Don't make me hurt you," Raven threatened, though she wasn't even convinced that she could. Even if she brought herself to do it, the chances of her even slowing him down were slim to none. All the same, she summoned her powers and charged her hands with dark energy.

The creature paused momentarily as he noticed this, and actually seemed to back off slightly. But then the red light flashed again, and he continued forward.

Any thoughts of attacking left Raven's mind at once, and she flew into the air to avoid the fist that crashed into the spot she'd been standing seconds before. "I guess you're not going to make this easy on me. But at least I know you can't fly."

The creature glared up at her for a long moment before sinking to the floor, as if he'd given up his pursuit of her. Then, without warning, he leaped powerfully upwards, so fast that he'd passed Raven's current height before she realized it. By the time she did, the hard, hairy palm was already headed straight for her. She tried to dodge it, but it slammed into her side before she could move. Raven's senses were flooded with pain at once, and the sensation only doubled when she hit the ground a few seconds later. She was only vaguely aware of the creature landing nearby, as the stars had not yet faded from her eyes, and all she could hear was dull throb gradually overtaking her brain.

"No," Raven whispered. "Not now. I can't…hurt Wildy…" But had a mirror been available, she knew she would find her eyes beginning to flare crimson. Her body seemed to know that she was unwilling to fight, and it was running on pure instinct now: instinct that stated if Raven wouldn't fight, there was at least part of her that always would, and then some.

Then the creature was standing over her, his fists joined to deliver one final, massive blow. And as he raised them and opened his jaws, Raven heard something let loose an animal howl of triumph. What scared her most, however, was that she couldn't tell if it had come from some deep, dark part of Wildy, or some even deeper, darker part of herself.

* * * * *

"Well, well," Slade murmured as he watched the battle unfold before him. "How far are you willing to go against a former ally, Raven? I suppose we'll find out together."

"You never told me she could do that," said a voice at his side.

"Are you worried, my dear?" Slade asked.

"No way. I just wish I'd known before. I thought this was gonna be boring. Glad to see I was wrong."

"Why aren't Jinx and the others helping?" demanded a second voice. "They should either gang up on Raven or at least be getting rid of the other Titans!"

"Patience, Blackfire," Slade said to the Tamaranean girl. "I thought you wanted the pleasure of your sister's defeat?"

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean she can't get roughed up a bit first," Blackfire sighed. "It just leaves more room for the HIVE gang to make a mistake and leave themselves wide open."

"But that's where you come in. If the Titans are victorious, then you and Terra will sweep in and crush them before they can even think of celebrating."

"You meant that literally, right?" Terra asked with a malicious gleam in her blue eyes. "Please tell me you did."

Slade chuckled and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Let's not be too anxious, Terra. We want them taken alive…for now. They can still be of some use to us."

Terra pouted. "You never let me have any fun."

"You want fun, huh?" Blackfire asked. "Race you there?"

Terra grinned at her. "Winner gets dibs on Robin?"

"No way! I already called him!"

"I wasn't ready then! And no way are you sticking me with the green one!"

"I thought you said he was cute?"

"That was BEFORE I saw Robin!"

"No, it wasn't."

Slade turned backed to the feed from Mad Mod's warehouse as the two girls walked off. "Hmm. Wasn't expecting that…but arrangements can be made."

* * * * *

Next Time: Raven's battle with Woolly (ten points if you can guess his full name and where it came from!) heats up, Terra & Blackfire enter the fray, and Starfire is forced to make a difficult choice!

Reviews! (which I'm just combining from now on, as it's too much work to create two different copies of the same chapter for each crowd of readers; so mingle, because I command it…)

FF.net:

Blackheart Syaoran

I too know the troubles of updating. Heck, I'm in the midst of final exams now (and should prolly be working on that last paper, rather than this…but I think you'll agree this is more fun!). Stick with it as best you can, maybe you'll get lucky and catch a break where you're majorly inspired. Or that's how it works for me, anyway. Good luck!

Raven Grey Ghost

Don't stress yourself over the "Nana" bit. The baby just needs simple labels to identify his caregivers. HE doesn't know the history of the word. It's just how he identifies Raven. For all he knows, Raven COULD be his grandmother. He already has two "parents" as it is. It's not meant to confuse Raven (or you), it's meant to annoy her. Which it does, but she adjusts. As any good nanny (related or otherwise) would. ^_^

On an interesting note, Raven DOES resemble Red Riding Hood in blue. Maybe that's where the grandma thing comes from. Just, um…don't tell her I said that. ^_^;

AT-chan

I wouldn't care if you reviewed at 5:49 AM, so long as you did review! ^_^

I never really intended for there to be any pairings in this story. That may change later on. Wildy will bring BB & Star closer, but they're not really a couple; they're just his primary caregivers. But I won't say they aren't awfully cute together. Cuz they are.

It would depend on WHICH Supergirl you want to see again. If you mean the one that brought Wildy to this timeline, there's a good chance she'll pop up later. If you mean the one from Titans: Revealed that beat BB at video games (and is a reserve Titan), she MIGHT turn up, here or elsewhere. But rest assured one or both will appear in this story later on. No, I'm not being vague on purpose. Or am I?

Raven A. Star

Still want the "baby" now? *laughs maniacally before lapsing into a coughing fit* >_<

Ahem. Yes, well. Anyway. Glad you like the story…

MM.org:

Pluukapalooka

Thanks for the tip! I've tried to keep Starfire's speech as "Starry" as possible. Frankly, I had to re-watch the Mad Mod episode just so I could get his patterns down. Thankfully, I've dealt with British accents before, though I'm a little rusty. But I'll get better with people like you helping me out, so thanks again!

If I overlooked/forgot to answer anyone's questions, just…um…ask it again or shout at me, either should work… ^_^;