Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Conduit ❯ Through A Nightmare, Darkly ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

conduit Pt 2

*Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and am not making any money off this. Sue me and I'll throw rocks at you*

Through a Nightmare, Darkly

"Geez, I'm tired..." i muttered, walking out of the Teen Titans training room. Or rather, my training room. After my massive loss of control, I went to the training room and lost it once again. the resulting damage to the room made it impractical for use by anyone other that me. to make up for it, i started making breakfast for everyone, despite my loathing hatred for mornings. Only Raven woke as early as i did, and she usually ignored me.
The others had moved to a previously vacant room and put everything back to thier previous set up. My room seemed to be a scorched hell hole filled with twisted mettal and craters. thankfully, behind the concrete walls and floor was a titanium frame, which was much harder to damage, even for me.
The room was deviod of any outside energies, so i was forced to resort to the heat around me and the energies of my own body, there was only so much i could do with that, so i teneded to train for an hour, then call it a day. i thought about installing a space heater in the room, but i'd probably sap the electricity and then i'd affect the entire building.
After a quick shower, i stepped out to the room and just watched the city from my vantage point, sitting on the edge. I'd found that if i fell i could simply sap my own kinetic energy to a point and drift down harmlessly. I'd yet to figure out flying. I wasn't too fond of the idea flying and then for lack of energy around me, plummeting to an unpleasent end.
The other titans had been gone for a few days, leaving me to watch the tower, but not the city. Titans east was taking care of that. They stayed at the tower, and once they met me and found out who i was, basically ignored me. not that i minded. it kept the area quiet, something i'd learned to appreciate once i'd moved in with the original titans. Beastboy and Cyborg got rowdy a little too often.
"Penny for your thoughts," BumbleBee asked from behind me.
"Not much, really. just contemplating my situation. I feel kinda useless to the team as it is. though i can direct my powers i cant control them. I simply evoke them, you know?"
"I know it seems hard, but the others have told me that even as you are, you are a good addition to the team," Bumblebee sat next to me. "Not everyone is gifted like we are. Even fewer know everything about our powers. You recieved these powers all of a month ago, and you have almost complete control over them. and when you do lose your hold on them, you are at least able to direct them in a safe direction. Thats more than most anyone can say. Just give yourself a little more time."
"Its about all I can do, right?"
"She stood, then headed over tho the blue T-ship of Titans east. The others were tossing their bags into thier cargo areas and mounting up. "You guys heading out?"
"Yep, yer roomies are heading back as we speak. Should be back in a few hours," Speedy told me. I nodded and went back inside once the Titans East had taken off. I sat on the U shaped couch and watched some tv when i heard the familiar whine of the T-Ship's engines. I went up to meet them.
"How'd everything go?" Robin asked as he leapt down from the aircraft. I shrugged.
"Not bad, I suppose." I walked over and helped Raven down. "You guy's bring me anything from China?"
"Cyborg might have some cold Lo Mein noodles left over from last night's dinner," Beastboy quipped.
"Nope, ate those for breakfast," the half machine replied, grinning. I shrugged.
"No matter. I'm starting to think of a theory about what happened that night."
"Great, you can explain it over dinner," Cyborg stated, lifting all the bags at once, seemingly effortlessly.
"It's not even lunch time yet...." I told him. "You need to get use to time here. jet lag. sounds fun." I waved and headed back in, folowed by the others.
Later that night i explained how i was basically an energy sink. i could sotre the energy around me once activated, but if i store too much or let it sit for too long, i effectivly explode. the others seemed satisfied with this explanation, but provided little else.
after dinner i was watching robin do his martial arts training when he offered to teach me some. i shrugged and agreed, figureing a little hand to hand couldn't hurt. i was wrong...
though He only showed me a few basic moves, kicking punching evading and the like, i got my ass handed back to me. We had a few quick sparring matches, mostly him beating up on me while i did what i could to strike back or dodge. it wasn't easy.

****

And so it was for the following several months. I'd usually train for a while, then relax, then train and then relax. it was a boring cycle that i seemed to get caught up in.
Spring slowly arrived and with it a lull in criminal activity, even i was appalled by the lack of crime. any major criminal or super thief or villan had long since been captured and the police were fairly efficient in catching normal crooks.
"Oh my GOD!" i cried out while training one morning. It had been about 4 months since my last overload. but the constant focusing and releaseing of energy and the honing of every physical aspect of my body left little chance of overextending myself or my powers. i was occationally catching myself use it for mundane tasks like melting butter for cooking, or turning on the lights to my room. these small tasks helped me exercise subtlety, something that i hadn't control enough of to do before.
Giving up on the training for the morning, i strolled out to the kitchen and fixed myself an omelette, and grabbed one of my favorite cherry flavored sports drinks. Sitting at the couch i flicked on the tv and surfed until i settled on the news from the east coast.
maybe 15 minutes later Raven walked in, and began to pull out her usual mug for her usual tea. however...
"James, have you seen my tea?"
"Its on the counter, next to the tea kettle. the water should still be hot." i smirked to myself and continued watching my show.
"oh...you set that up for me?"
"Indded i did."
"...Thanks." She sat next to me and sipped her tea as we watched the news. Eventually this fragile peace was shattered with beastboy and cyborg rushing out to the living room and shouting things incoherent. Raven and i sighed in unison and parted ways. I found myself on the roof, thinking about my previous life and wondering how, in just 6 months i managed to acomplish all this.
my communicator went off, and i answered robin.
"Yeah, whats up?"
"Can you meet us in the living room? there some things we need to talk about."
"yeah, sure. i'll be right down." I stepped to the edge of the roof and dropped down, slowing myslef before i hit the ground and entered in through the front door.
"Whats going on?" i asked.
"VACATION!" Beastboy yelled at me, throwing a yellow duckie inner tube. i caught it and smiled. I'd grown up on the beach and i thought it'd be awesome to soak in the sun and maybe a few waves, though i was never all that great at surfing. but i could swim like a fish. well, i suppose that i couldn't, compared to beastboy, but still, for a normal person, i swam rather well.
So, despite the early spring weather, one rather warm day, the team and i headed to sunny southern california. i hadn't been to the beach recently, so i was really looking forward to this.
Beastboy had said something about a private beach, but i was fairly certain he had been exagerating. As it turned out, he was closer to the truth than i thought. i walked the perimeter of the beach, a small, secluded cove and found it to be lined with a simple chicken wire fence and signs proclaiming it as government property. though only mildly surprised by this, i suppose it made sence that the planets protectors be a part of the government, however loosly they kept in contact.
everyone went about setting up thier personal area. i managed to haggle a large umbrella away from beastboy and laid one towel under it, while the other, just outside its shade. There's nothing quite so nice as sleeping under the sun.
Cyborg began setting up his grill, immediatly starting on making lunch.i didn't offer to help. It may have seemed rude, but i'd been doing a mighty lot of cooking, no easy chore for six 20 year olds, especially when one of htem is a vegan. I spent the day swiimming, sunbathing eating and just generally having a god time. around 4o'clock, i noticed that raven was missing. upon inquiry i learned that she often meditated in one of the tidal caves nearby.
"I wouldn't go and bug her, Norm. She isn't much a beach person," cyborg told be in between bites of his burger. I nodded, but decided to chance it anyway. The caves were a small, semi-intracate network that did minimal winding. I found raven sitting on a smooth rock, in a pool of sunlight.
"Raven?" i called. she didnt answer. i walked a bit closer and found a horned hand-mirror laying next to her. absently, i picked it up and looked into it. i saw myself looking back. A moment later i was falling.
"SHIT!" I yelled, slowing my decent to a floating rock. I didn't find it prudent to question how it was floating. "Whoa...where am i?" i spoke aloud. This...place, i suppose, it was creepy. and i'm usually not creeped out by my normal surroundings. there were floating rocks with rings of mist around thier bases, twisted gnarled dead trees, several perpetual eclipses and red stars everywhere.
Before i could really react, several of the nearby floating rocks lined up, creating a pathway. I shrugged and began to walk. it was uneventful for a few minutes,provided you count the creepy atmosphere and bleakness uneventful. i neared an archway and heard a soft voice...followed by more soft voices.
"How are youuuuu?" it whispered.
"Go away...."
"Tuuuuuurn baaaack..."
"You aren't supposed to be heeeereeee...."
A moment later i found the source of hte voices: talking raven chicks with glowing red eyes. the baby birds looked harmless enough, and out of lack of anything else to do, i spoke to them.
"Yeah...where am i?"
"Tuuuuuurn baaaack..."
"Tuuuuuurn baaaack..."
"Tuuuuuurn baaaack..."
"TURN BAAAACK!!!"
"Oh holy crap!" I yelled, stepping back as the birds grew full sized an extra set of eyes and beaks with teeth...al in about a half a second. knowing the way behind was a dead end, i dashed forward, braving hte teeth and talons to get by. I was soon swarmed over, the flock of pissed ravens pecking and biting at me. i lost my footing and fell off the narrow path.
Automatically, i used some of the heat around me to boost forward and grab at the cliff when gravity seemed to invert itself on me. I faceplanted into what was previously the underside of hte path.
"OOOOWWWWW...." i sat up, rubbing my nose, and looking around for the killer crows. "Allllllright.... change of gravity, The Birds...thats sci fi and horror down. comedy next?" i was listing off movie genres to myself, in hopes of getting less freaked out...but it wasn't really helping. i stood, rechecked my bearings and continued on.
"Why are you here, boy?" a haughty, yet familiar voice called to me. Raven materialized in fron of me, adorned in a purple robe. i rationalized it as the red stars casting thier light on her blue robe, making it look purple. i totally ignored the fact that i wasn't a red tint myself.
"Sorry...i tried to talk to you and you didnt answer."
"And why would i? one such as...UNWORTHY, as you, has no right to speak to a decendant of Azarath."
"Oh, gee, thanks raven! here i am, trying to get to know you and you send me to some other dimention as my way of reward?! Fuck, and here i thought you liked me." i shoved past her, now pissed. then i realized, i still had no idea where i was, nor how i was getting back.
"...Hey...how do i get back to the beach."
"ANY imbecile would know to continue down the path until you reach the forbidden door. But, i suppose, you need a little more Prodding than most cattle does." raven raised her hand and pointed the way i was going. "THAT way..." she was going out of her way to be insulting. i boiled to myself, but continued.
"damn her. what did i ever do to deserve that?!" i was ranting to myself. i do that occationally. "i mean, i thought i'd been nothing but nice but noooooo--whoa..." i'd passed through a doorway into a large library. i mean HUUUUUGE. a maze of books and shelves. i continued along the broadest avenue of shelves till i reached a circular area, somwhat cleared out with a table in the center. at the table, was raven. wearing glasses and a yellow robe, but still raven...i thought.
"um...raven...?"
"hmmm?" she didnt look up whilst acknowledging me.
"are you messing around with me?"
"messing around: playing with, teasing, toying with. slang: intercourse, coitus, fondling. No, i am not 'messing around' with you."

. . . . . . . . . .too much information.

"oooooohhhhhkay... where am i?" i asked her.
"you are here. standing in front of me at an angle of 342.5 degrees, presuming directly in front of me is zero, and at a distance of twelve point eight two feet.

O.o

"Where do i go to leave this place?"
"wherever you wish. that knowledge is undefinable. specify."

o.O

"Which direction to the forbidden door?"
"down the hall to my right, your left, continue down it for 376 feet, turn right, climb up the first ladder on your left 26 feet, turn left at the top, continue 506 feet forward, jump to the platform on your left, climb up that ladder 56 feet and open the hatch. you will be on a path that leads you directly to the door after-"
"Got it. bye."

-_-

as she'd said the directions, i'd traced the path mentally, hoping i could remember where i was supposed to go. judging by the numbers she gave me, i was supposed to pass her again at some point, only on top of the shelf, rather than ground floor.
I did what i was told and easily reached the hatch. pushing it open, i climbed out into a foul stinking area with as much cleanliness as beastboy's room.
"Oh boy... what the hell?"
it really did stink. try mixing foul milk, stale pizza, mold, rotten eggs, dirty socks, sweat, flatulence and haggis. you might now be smelling what i was smelling.
"hey." raven called from a throne made out of bean bag chairs. she was now in a dirty spotted orange robe. she was also feasting on a pizza straight out of the box and drinking from a 2 litter bottle of soda. i noticed she also seemed to be a little on the chuby side...or maybe i was imagining it. she belched loudly.
"uh...which way do i go to leave?"
"eh, off that way somewhere," she replied non-commitally, waving off behind her, eye's glued to a tv. I looked at it. it was wrestling... what was going on here.
"raven, are you okay?"
"yeah, never better. I haven't showered in 3 weeks!"

0_0

"yeah...right raven...where is that exit?"
"oh, behind that poster of batman i think...or was it the green lantern? eh, whatever."
so, with at least a few leads to go on, i searched the walls for a door. it was behind green lantern. i opened it and found myself back in the creepy place, with all the red and black. once again, i was creeped out.
i sat down for a moment, trying to wrap my brain around what the HELL was going on. raven, despite what she said to me in the library, was playing a prank on me...i think...i still had no idea how she managed to change the scenery.
"Okay, gotta be getting close to getting out of here."
"thats a good way of thinking." raven replied from behind me. startled, i leapt up. "Just one foot in front of the other, thats the way to get things done." i cast a look over my shoulder at raven. she was now in a hearty brown color. i sighed and didnt reply.
"good idea, no time to waste on idle chatter." she called after me. i ignored her. further down the path i realized i was getting lonely. several minutes later, i felt like i hadnt made any progress.then i noticed that the stone i was walking on was rotating to matche my pace exactly...creeeepy... i hopped forward onto a non-moving stone and began forward...only to have a large stone wall leap up in front of me. within moments i was surounded by walls too high for me to safely leap over. by high i mean maybe 20 feet up or so.
"Just great..." i looked around and noticed a passage to my right. "ah, a labrynth. classic." i rolled my eyes and continued making my way through it and knowed over raven in the process, who was just around the corner.
"Oh, sorry raven. you okay?" i offered my hand to her but she shied away. "did i hurt you?"
"...no...but i thought..."
"come on, on yer feet." i gently helped her up, and noticed she was now in a grey robe. "so, you okay?" slowly, raven nodded. "good. i need to get out of here. know hte way?"
"uh-huh...but if i take you, i think you wont like me anymore." she turned and led the way. through the entire maze she kept appoligzing to me and reiterating what offensive things she said or did to me. and i kept forgiving her. by this time i was starting to think that raven might actually have been in trouble, having seperated into multiple bodies when she was here in this...place. but i had nothing to go on.
eventually, after the torture that was sad weepy raven, we hit a dead end.
"This is the end." she stated, touching the wall an it opened. a pair of statues guarded the exit, thier faces obscene mockery of the drama mask symbol. i recalled seeing such a symbol in raven's room.
"great. now, to get the hell outa ah DAMN IT."
the statues animated and slammed together, as swords materialized in thier hands. they looked fairly threatening, but cinderblock was more so. with a single massive pulse of kinetic energy, i threw the statue off the end of the once again narrow path.
"OOOOH, NICE ONE!" raven yelled. "I didnt even have to help you like i did the other two!" she hoped down fron her perch on the wall behind me and held up her hand. "HIGH FIVE, C'MON!" without really knowing how to react, i did as she suggested, feebly slaping her upraised hand. "So, what brings you here?"
"wow, a helpful raven? finally."
"Nah, not really. i just wanted to hear you talk. yer voice has ALWAYS interested me. so calm and collected, yet so very vibrant when you get angry. its AWESOME."
"okay Raven, WHAT THE HELL?!" i cried out.
"eh?"
"this freakish place, then you bitch me out, then you give me all these literal terms and answers and crap! after that you're epicly lazy and sorta blow me off, then all weep and appoligetic, and now your hitting on me! WHAT IS WRONG with you?!"
"nothing."
"DAMN IT."
i whirled off, avoiding any further contact with this crasy tom-boyish raven.
"Be careful. SHE guards the Door," the green raven called after me. i waved and continued on.
'SHE' turned out to be a raven in red. i ignored her and walked by.
"you can't leave. you know too much," she hissed, i looked at her and found four red stils for eyes.
"oh boy...trigon's got raven." i muttered to myself, preparing for a fight.
"trigon? that fool? no, this is pure Rage." raven attacked, shooting red beams of energy at me, which i deflected or avoided before firing back.
the exchange was evenly matched, niether one of us getting injured or gaining advantage. she was obviously struggling against something, but i had no idea what it was.
then, in an instant, everything vanished.
The stars, the path the red raven. everything. it all turned black, then slowly to white.
"whoa...now what?"
"Now, i ask, why are you here?"
i spun and found raven there, right behind me, dressed in blue. thank god for that. she sounded a little irate, but not pissed.
"Im...not really sure. i called you in the cave, and you didnt answer. figureing you were deep in trance i left you alone."
"did you look in the mirror?"
"oh, yeah, i did. was i not supposed to?" i took an aprehensive step back. raven waved at the background and her room materialized. i raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"sit." i did so, as did she. "the mirror is a portal into my mind. as i said to beastboy NOT A TOY!" she screamed at me. i was afraid for my life at that point.
"im sorry. i meant nothing by it, i swear."
"i know. and i forgive you. you saw facets of my personality, all distilled to thier most natureal forms of me." she looked at me and gave a light smile. "just how many of me DID you meet, anyway?"
"hmmm? oh, lessee... bitchy you, purple robe. pride, arrogance?"
"yeah, close enough." she replied.
"there was yellow, inteligence, my guess." raven nodded in responce. "then orange you...lazyness?"
"ugh, yeah."
"then... brown robe...didnt stay too long, but she seemed sensible...if a little too sensible."
"practicality."
"i had...sad/timid you. grey robe."
"yeah, cyborg and beastboy met her." raven replied. "now you know many of my regrets too."
"i wont tell if you dont want me to. and then there was green you...i think she hit on me..."
raven didn't reply, but lightly blushed.
"finally, there was red you, anger, rage. she didnt like me very much."
"she doesn't even like me."
"and that was it."
"you missed happiness, but i suppose it doesnt matter. now you see why i have to mediate so often and supress my emotions? if i don't, any of those other personalities might rear thier heads and take over. and since my powers are fueled by emotion, it can lead to widespread damage."
"oh. for what its worth, im sorry for yelling at you..."
"no worries. it wasn't me, at least, not fully." she stood. "come on, lets get outa my head. one set of emotions is enough for me." i nodded and took her pro-offered hand. in a moment, i was back in the cave, my head in Raven's lap, looking up at her.
she was looking down at me. without thinking, i reached up, and pulled her face down to mine and gently kissed her.
it was chaste, as kisses go, but she pulled away blushing.

To contact me about serious fuck ups, drop me an email at
normanja88@yahoo.com
(no need to tell me the writing's juvenile, i know that. no need to tell me i have no talent, i've already figured this out. no need to flame me for no reason cause i'll laugh and just hit *delete*.)