The Tower was filled with a dark and disturbing chill. Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire sat on the couch with Terra in the living area. On the coffee table in front of them was a half eaten pizza that had lost its delicious warmth and was now cold.
Robin was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked down at the cold pizza with his right hand on his chin as he continued to search for the answers he never recieved.
"Robin?" Starfire said softly, "what troubles you? You did not part take in the feast of the pizza..."
"Something's not right Star," Robin replied honestly, "something about this seems like it's happened before," Robin squint his eyes, thinking harder, "but I can't put my finger on it..."
Starfire looked at the pizza he was staring at and began thinking about what he said. Cyborg and Terra sat quietly watching Robin and Starfire tear their minds apart searching for anything that might shed some llight on the subject.
Terra now felt like a burden. It was her idea to go out late last night to see if she could get her memories back. It was her fault they were in this mess. She felt an uneasy pain in her stomach. Like Robin, she didn't eat any pizza with the others. Instead, she wallowed in her guilt and watched Starfire and Cyborg eat in front of her. She thought back to their encounter. Memories of when Slade forced her to be her apprentice started flashing through her mind. She could remember being controled by him when she wore his armor.
"Maybe Slade has some kind of control over her?" Terra spoke up, "like when he had control over me?"
"But she would have had to been wearing something he could use to control her," Cyborg countered, "the only thing that she had from him was that collar."
"Perhaps, he found a new kind of technology to command her mind," Starfire suggested.
"I don't think Slade is doing anything here," Robin responded to the three of them, "if there's one thing we know about Slade, when he gets his hands on you he will go to extreme lengths to make sure you don't slip away... He wouldn't just let Raven go and there's no way Raven could fight back if that collar really did subdue her powers." Robin looked down to his feet from the pizza. His head was starting to pound from how hard he was thinking. After a long moment he lowered his hand from his chin with a sigh and hung his head low as if giving up, "if I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that isn't-" He stopped his sentence short and his eyes went wide as his body sat up straight, stiff as a board.
He then threw himself over the back of the couch into a full sprint to the hallway door.
The others jumped to their feet in shock. Robin only ever acted like this when there was literally no time to waste not even on words or an explanation.
"Robin?!" Starfire shout as she began flying in the same direction.
Terra and Cyborg looked at each other and began running to follow them.
The medical room was dimly lit allowing Beastboy to rest easily. However, right now he wouldn't be getting any rest. The heart monitor connected to him beeped with every heart beat. The beeping was steadily increasing in speed displaying the fear he harboured to the whole room. Madam Rouge smiled as if the sound was music to her ears. She boldly kept her appearance of the dark Titan wearing Raven's face like a mask. To Beastboy it was like salt in an open wound which is exactly what Rouge wanted.
She morphed her arm into what looked like a sharp sword with a pointed tip and raised it high above Beastboy aligning the blade with his neck. She intended to butcher him like the animals he could become.
Beastboy was frozen in fear. Rouge was by far the most evil and most challenging villain he ever faced from his time with The Doom Patrol. She was as ruthless as a venomus snake and twice as deadly. His face held the expression of a toddler staring death itself in the face.
"I have vwaited a long time for this!" Rouge exclaimed as she savored every moment of Beastboy's fear, "don't be too sad," she mocked, "your creepy friend vwill be joining you soon."
With a chilling yell Rouge brought her arm down like a guillotine towards Beastboy's neck. In Beastboy's eyes, time slowed down. He watched the morphed arm coming down at him in slow motion one inch at a time. But what Rouge said sent his mind into a frenzy.
Beastboy's fear vanished. Even with this psychopath's blade coming down at him. He was no longer scared for himself but actually... Scared for Raven. If she wasn't here... then where was she? And what did Rouge mean when she said your creepy friend will be joining you? Do they intend to kill her?
Images of Raven began pouring through his mind. The time she healed his injuries from their first battle with Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth. The time she hugged him tightly after defeating Malchior. Then at the diner when she comfort him in his darkest hour. And again at the carnival when their faces came so close that they almost...
Beastboy realized something in that moment. Raven was precious to him. A true friend he couldn't live without. Someone he couldn't just leave behind when she needed him most. He wouldn't make the same mistake like he did with Terra. No. This time he would save her. He wouldn't let himself die here without a fight. Not while Raven needed him!
Time sped up and Rouge's arm came crashing with furious speed. Beastboy's face went from fear to anger. His heart was filled with a burning fire fueled by determination. He morphed into a small mouse easily dodging his attacker.
Rouge's arm cut through the bed Beastboy laid on with a loud crash as it sliced through. The bed lurched flinging the little green mouse into the air where he then changed into a small humming bird.
Rouge looked up at the bird and withdrew her arm returning it to its natural state. Her wicked smile only grew as if she were about to enjoy the hunt for the changeling.
"You seem to be fine now... Good," She mocked, "I vwas hoping you vwould make it interesting!" She lunged both her hands into the air stretching them out like rubber snakes.
Like heat seeking missiles, they traced through the air trying to track down the green bird. But Beastboy was too fast for her to keep up and eventually her arms receded back to her body to think up a different plan.
Beastboy returned to his normal body landing in a crouched position on the other side of the medical room near the windows. The only thing that stood between them was a half sliced medical bed that Beastboy was laying in just moments ago.
"What have you done with Raven?! Where is she?!" Beastboy demanded. His voice had a serious and bloodthirsty tone behind it.
"vWhat makes you think I care?" Madam Rouge said darkly. She then stretched an arm out to the chopped medical bed and snapped her arm back like a rubber band sending the bed flying across the room against the wall with a shattering clash as it fell to pieces on the floor. With the bed out of the way she walked slowly across the room towards Beastboy without a care in the world. Rouge changed herself back into her original form as if discarding her full body mask of Raven.
Beastboy's energy was spiking. The rush of adrenaline numbed everything in his body. He didn't feel any pain. He didn't feel any remorse. He would rip this evil woman limb from limb until she told him what he wanted to know.
As Rouge got closer Beastboy transformed into a massive grizzly bear that stood twice as tall as her. With a loud roar he threw himself at her.
This took rouge by surprise. She thought he would still be pretty weak from his injuries but here he is... Strong enough to fight back at full strength. He wrapped his powerful arms around her squeezing her with a literal bear hug.
Rouge strained in pain as she was crushed by the green bear. But she was cunning and quickly thought a way out. Moving quickly, she flattened her body and slithered to the ground stepping through Beastboy's legs. His wide stance made it easier for the rest of her flat body to follow her movement through his legs and regain her normal form standing behind him. Beastboy bent over looking under his legs behind him to see Rouge's legs standing there without a scratch.
Rouge regained her posture and delivered a flawless spinning heel kick, striking Beastboy from behind, sending him tumbling face first to the ground and sliding to a stop across the room.
Beastboy grit his teeth as his blood began to boil with rage. He stood up and whipped around morphing into a giant gorilla pounding on his chest unleashing a fierce roar.
Rouge cracked an evil smirk. She hadn't fought a gorilla since the last time she sparred with Mala. Now that he and the brain were gone she got a taste of nostalgia as the green gorilla continued to beat its chest.
The shapeshifter charged at Rouge bearing his teeth with a terrifying face. Rouge stood her ground as if a puppy were charging her. The look of confidence on her was taunting Beastboy, enraging him even more.
At full speed he swung a powerful back fist with his left arm. However, he only struck air as Rouge ducked under it to Beastboy's right side. Beastboy react quickly knowing the fighting style of his long time enemy and reached out with his right hand and grabbed her by the waist with one of his giant ape-like hands.
Rouge was about to shrink herself again to slip away as she always does but Beastboy knew better. Without wasting any time he made a fist in his left hand that had missed just a second earlier and threw it with all his might towards his right fist that gripped his enemy.
Rouge's eyes went wide seeing how there was no chance she could dodge this strike in time. The enormous fist landed perfectly on Rouge's right cheek and dazed her for a moment while Beastboy maintained his grip. He brought her close to his face to observe her more clearly if she were still able to fight or if she were down for the count.
Rouge looked up with a fire in her eyes. Now she was getting angry. After she noticed how close she was to Beastboy, she stretched her arms out in front of her and wrapped them around Beastboy's neck three times before squeezing tightly.
Beastboy released her and began reaching for his neck trying to free himself of her grip. But even with all his brute strength as a powerful gorilla she proved to be to strong and her grip was unbreakable.
Beastboy let out a squeal of desperation. It was like an anaconda wrapped itself round his neck and wouldn't let go. The changeling started whipping out every animal in his arsenal. He changed to a horse, to a hippo, to an egale, to a T-rex. He changed from animal to animal to try to shake her off but with each animal he changed into her girp only got tighter. Beastboy then changed back to himself and started to reach out in front of him at Rouge in a febal attempt to free himself. He gripped her arms and began sqeezing them tightly as if they would just break in his hands setting him free.
Rouge chuckled softly as her arms wrapped tighter once more. She watched the the little green hero choke and gag, fighting for air and failing to obtain any. The evil smirk returned to her face as she began to drink in the satisfaction of destroying her foe.
Beastboy's eyes were beginning to close as his struggle to survive began to fade. The restless flailing and desperate swings and strikes to free himself were growing weaker and weaker.
"Shhhh. Shh. Shh," Rouge maniacally comforted him, "it vwill all be over soon." Her evil smile grew wider as if she were enjoying every last moment of this.
But her joy didn't last went a concussive blast from one of Robin's explosive disks struck her in the back forcing her to release Beastboy on impact.
Beastboy fell to his knees coughing relentlessly and gasping for air. As he did he looked up through blurry eyes to see Robin, Cyborg and Starfire standing in the doorway to the medical room ready to fight like their lives depended on it.
Rouge yelled in pain and her rage burned like a wild fire. She spun around only to be met with a second blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon sending her flying across the room landing on her side next to the windows. As she stood up she didn't even have time to breathe when a thrid blast from Starfire shooting a starbolt from her eyes hit Rouge in the center of the chest lifting her off her feet and sending her through the window, shattering the glass.
Rouge screamed as she fell from the Tower. But the fall wouldn't be enough to kill her. It most likely wouldn't even be enough to damage her. She was more likely screaming due to the anger she felt from losing her chance at destroying Beastboy with her own bare hands.
Starfire still had starbolts around her fists and her eyes glowed with a powerful green light. She flew to the window to chase down her enemy but when she looked down at the waves crashing on the rocks of the island, she was surprised to see Rouge was no where to be found. Her green glow faded and she turned back to her friends to see Cyborg and Robin kneeling next to Beastboy trying to help however they could.
Terra Stood in the doorway looking on helplessly. She was fighting back tears gripping the doorframe with her one good arm as if unleashing her fury on the innocent building. She couldn't believe that they didn't figure it out sooner. She couldn't believe that someone could do this to such a good person. It made her so angry she wanted to scream.
Beastboy continued to cough after every two or three breaths he would take in. He was struggling to find a rhythm in his breathing.
"Easy, easy," Cyborg said trying to slow his friend down, "just take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds."
Beastboy did as he was told. He took in a long deep breath and held it for a few long seconds before finally releasing his exhale. He coughed once more but then looked up at the team with a petrifed look on his face. But it was more than that. There were tears in his eyes as well...
"Raven?!" He shouted, desperately looking from Titan to Titan for an answer. When he didn't see her. He turned his gaze to Robin as a few tears fell down his cheeks. He stared deeply at his friend begging for reassurance that she was ok. But Robin's face told a different story and Beastboy began to panic, "WHERE'S RAVEN?!"