Issue 5: "The Beast Within, Part One"

The boy darted from shadow to shadow, avoiding the pools of light cast by the streetlamps. His silhouette, little more than a dark splotch, showed the matted, straggly hair that hung down almost to his waist. He seemed to glow softly in the darkness, throbbing a dull green as he scrambled through the alleyways of Miami, rasping for breath. Hopping over a garbage bin, he dodged a plume of light and sprung upwards at the fire escape of the building before him. His hands swiped at the ladder, but missed and he fell, tumbling back into the light.

“Argh!” he exclaimed, clamping one hand over his eyes. His emerald skin glistened in the light briefly before he scrambled to safety, coating himself in the blackness once again…

The cool spray coated Starfire’s lithe body as she darted across the ocean, her crimson locks streaking outward behind her in a fiery blaze. She was not her usual self, however. Her emerald eyes were clouded with fear, and her clenched fists were glowing brightly. Her mouth was twisted into a snarl, wrinkles creasing her forehead. The circumstances which found her zooming across the ocean this beautiful night did not match the perfection of the scenery. She aimed herself upwards, accelerating and plunging through the clouds, shaking her hair free as she did so. Such movements helped to soothe her fiery nerves, but they didn’t help as much as she’d like.

She dropped once again, darting towards her destination: the magnificent Miami. As she neared it, weaving in and out of the clouds that blocked her path, her wandering eyes found something.

A Gordanian? she mused, faltering momentarily. If it was, then it was a small one, even from this height; it was lurking on a rooftop, its eyes locking on the nightlife below.

The energy in her hands intensified as she altered her trajectory, heading for the green blip.

Dick Grayson was perched on the edge of a chair, his fingers steepled and supporting his chin as he pondered Starfire’s fate. The letter she had left had been very mysterious; it did not tell them where she had gone, and her communicator had also been left behind so that they couldn’t contact or track her. Concern clouded his thoughts. Such a rash action wasn’t like her. Something about this felt wrong. Very wrong.

“She’s nowhere in the city,” a yellow blur informed him, flashing around him. “I searched everywhere – literally everywhere – and she’s nowhere to be seen.”

“Damn!” Dick growled, leaping to his feet and slamming his fist into the wall with a cry of frustration. “This isn’t her, Wally.”

“I know, Dick,” the blur, Wally, responded. He hesitated before continuing, still dashing from corner to corner. “That’s what worries me.”

His voice was solemn, his tone grave. He sounded…different somehow. “What’s wrong, Wally?” Dick reluctantly enquired. Trouble seemed to be plaguing them lately. Now was not exactly the perfect time for Wally to be having problems.

“I…” Wally allowed the sentence to trail off and increased his speed. Other people paced…Wally flashed. “I’m scared.”

“You can’t be scared,” Dick shot back instinctively. He began to talk further, but quickly discontinued his train of thought. Saying things like that wouldn’t help Wally. He couldn’t help, however, but hear it playing over and over in his head – You’re the joker. You’re the one that plays pranks when the bad guy won. You’re the one that laughs when Plasmus covers us in goo. You’re the one that always wears a smile. You’re the one that never gets scared. Ever.

“Yes, I can,” Wally hissed. He wondered whether it was obvious that he was still speeding to hide the grimace that had distorted his usually bright face. “Roy’s lying in a coma. Kory is gone. We just got smashed by some bounty hunter, and we still don’t know who he was working for. And Raven…”

“What about Raven?”

Wally paused for thought, finally allowing the streaks of golden lightning all around him to dissipate. Before they had completely cleared, however, he was ‘pacing’ again, dashing about the room. “She’s distant. I hardly ever talk to her alone anymore.”

Dick’s frown deepened. “She’s always been distant, hasn’t she? Come on, man, it’s Raven.”

Wally gritted his teeth. He didn’t understand. Nobody would. “Listen, Dick, I’ve just got some stuff to sort out. I realize now that this isn’t exactly the picnic I thought it was gonna be.”

“You can’t leave now!” Dick retorted, his eyes widening. “If you leave, then - -”

“Please don’t make me feel any worse than I do already.”

Dick’s head fell, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. “Where are you going to go?” he asked, his tone grim.

“Back to Central City,” Wally replied. “I need to talk through some stuff with Flash.”

Dick nodded, restraining any negative emotions. Instead, he allowed a small, supportive smile to touch his mouth. “Good luck, Wally. I hope you sort that stuff out.”

“Thanks, Dick,” Wally replied genuinely. “I’ll be back before you can say - -”

He was gone.

Dick slumped back onto the chair and ran a gloved hand back through his ebony hair. The team was falling apart. Now, he had to pull it back together, piece by piece.

“Dick!” a familiar voice beckoned. Raven appeared in the doorway, cloaked in her usual dark robes. “I’ve found something.”

Why? Why me?

These two words filled the green one’s mind as he flitted through the night, his fur rippling as his muscles pumped wildly. He had just been minding his own business, doing nothing wrong…he had thought of the Teen Titans, superheroes and celebrities, as unprejudiced and unbiased. He’d even had fantasies of joining them one day, being a true Titan and wearing the old spandex costume his parents had made for him when the…operation had taken place.

This was not the case.

He could see now that they were just like everyone else.

And the cold-hearted witch pursuing him was relentless. Perhaps she’d kill him, and put an end to the eternal misery that seemed to envelop his life.

One of the energy balls slammed into the concrete before him, spraying shards into his face and obscuring his vision. He staggered through the stony mist and directly into a water hydrant that sent him spiraling to the ground. He tried to stand, but a final starbolt found him in the shattered remains of a shop window. Faceless mannequins lay next to him.

He was just as insignificant as they were. He was just another faceless, nameless freak to them.

“Identify yourself,” Starfire repeated, hovering before him. Her bruised cheek was swelling, and scarlet liquid was gushing from her elbows. At least he had gone out fighting.

“You’re no hero,” he croaked, his voice nothing more than a rasp.

She was taken aback by this comment. Dropping to the ground, her feet tapping lightly against the floor, she gulped. “I - - I didn’t know - - I - -”

“You’re no better than them.” He gestured to the cautious bystanders peering at the green ‘monster’.

“Kill him!” one shouted.

A second enforced this. “Yeah, give the bum what he deserves!”

He peered into Starfire’s eyes. They were pools of emotion, filled with self-doubt. Behind that was something shining so brightly that he was stunned to see it displayed so blatantly. Sincerity. She was actually sorry for what she had done. She realized it was a mistake.

“I am sorry.” She lowered her head in shame. When she looked up, the boy had gone.

“Ah-ha.”

“Found her, Ace?” a male grunted to his female companion.

“Sure have, King,” Ace responded silkily.

“Then can we do this? I’m itching to get into battle.”

“Okay…get Seven in here.”

“I’m here,” another male responded, his voice little more than a thin murmur.

Ace nodded her head in satisfaction. “Locked on with my telepathy…get ready to…uh…she’s stronger than I expected.”

“Trouble?” King growled.

“No,” Ace replied, her voice slightly strained. “We’ll just have to cut the - - agh!”

King braced Ace as her knees buckled. Seven’s eyes fluttered closed as he linked himself to Ace through her telepathy and found the girl that was assaulting her. Reaching out with one hand, he concentrated onto her.

“Teleporting us in now!” he hissed. His body began to tremble as his hands glowed…and then he shrieked as Ace’s attacker unleashed a backlash that sent him reeling. The phosphorescence permeating his fists dived into the centre of the room. Six other beings, dressed in the same outrageous, card-styled costumes as the main trio, charged into the room.

“What’s going on?” one barked.

“She reversed my teleportation,” Seven hacked as he pulled himself to his feet. Ace let out a breath and slowly began to orientate herself.

“What do you mean, reversed?” Seven snapped.

“They’re coming here,” Seven whispered grimly.

The soft light began to pulse. The nine metahumans gathered gritted their teeth as it elongated into a portal, striking out with explosions of light.

“They’re coming through.”

Teleportation was a strange phenomena; this kind was, anyway.

They suddenly found themselves in a warped merging of sights, sounds, colors, and smells. Gravity failed as solid blocks of light closed in upon them…or were they moving away? Colors exploded violently around them in brutal bursts of astounding, mind-boggling, senses-smashing flashes…and then it was over. They were in a dark, dingy chamber. A musty aroma wafted up their nostrils. Stale, recycled air filled their lungs.

A group of nine costumed beings were poised before them.

The female in the forefront wore an arrogant smile.

“We’re the Royal Flush Gang,” she greeted smoothly. “We hope you enjoy your stay.”

“We’re the Titans,” Dick growled, stepping forward. “And we know we will.”

Starfire was deeply troubled.

Reclining against the trunk of a tree, she ran her hands through the tender blades of grass, allowing her eyes to close as the night breeze sifted through her hair with a gentle whoosh. After the enigmatic boy had mysteriously vanished, she had managed to evade the media and settled in the park, in the shadows, to reflect on the past few days. They had been bad, possibly some of the worst in her life.

“I will never forgive myself for hurting him,” she murmured under her breath, referring to the green-skinned one. “Whoever summoned me here – whoever threatened my friends and made me hurt an innocent child – they will pay. I swear it.” The wind carried her words away as she gritted her teeth in determination.

“I’m not a child.”

A tiny, rasping voice interjected, derailing her train of thought. She leapt to her feet, her palms glowing once again as she scanned the area around her.

“Who’s there?” she called, her voice faltering. The darkness surrounding her did not supply an answer.

Before she could take another breath, a red stream of energy lanced out and struck her in the back, cutting her down to the grass. Her back smoked, the misty tendrils unfurling and clashing with the wind as it forced the steam away. Starfire was limp, her body motionless. Her palms were now empty, and her eyelids were firmly closed. She let out a small moan, and fell silent.

A strange, armored being appeared beside her, a strange smoking weapon clenched in one hand. He hissed something in an unintelligible language, and two more of the aliens broke through the shadows. Scooping up the lifeless girl in their arms, they turned on their heels and plodded through the park into a small clearing. Wading into the lake running through it, they did not notice as a small insect shadowed them, dropping onto one of their padded shoulders.

The leader hit a switch on his wrist and an elongated vehicle of some kind shimmered into view. It was drenched from the water that encircled it, and the yellow coloring was worn off, leaving only small patches of its former vibrancy. Small blackened viewports were positioned at the front of the ship. Another switch was pressed, and the aliens climbed up the ramp that was extended. The insect dropped off the shoulder as the ramp slid closed, and clung to the wall as they made their way into what looked to be the craft’s cockpit.

The insect fluttered away, slipping into a smaller chamber filled with large metallic crates and barrels. The shuttle trembled violently and the engines started up with a fierce whine. The insect settled behind a crate, and morphed into a human.

For the first time since he became different, Garfield Logan stepped into the light.