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Broken Spirit

Chapter 7: Brood Swing

Raven hovered a few inches in the air with her cloak hanging just above the floor, reading quietly four separate books occupying the space in front of her. One directly in front of her, another on each side, and a fourth hanging above, all of them levitating by the black glowing backings of their pages. Reading, comparing, and cross referencing between every other page. Her eyes moved seamlessly from one book to the next. How she was able to do so without her eyes tripping over one another was a wonder.
But her extensive research into BeastBoy’s condition and a possible treatment was now in full swing.

A short distance away laid BeastBoy flat on his stomach, elbows up, holding his chin atop Raven’s bed. Unmoving and ever watching. It was hard to say how much time had passed. More than an hour, but less than a lifetime. At least by his standard of time.

“Well… I suppose that’s something.”
Raven’s previous statement seemed to replay itself time and time again in BeastBoy’s head. The tone in her voice. The look in her eyes. It was gnawing at him.
Was she mad? No, Raven did anger so much more vividly. Almost passionately. Depressed? Nnngh… maybe. But honestly who wouldn’t be fighting a little gloominess about now? Either way, hardly a bet he’d put money on. And Raven could do a far better job concealing both to the point where he wouldn’t notice anyway. This was something else.

He’d wanted her to talk. About what was on her mind right from the start was a bit much to hope for. But at least an opening. Small talk. Ease into it. But she hadn’t said a word since she started. Not even moving her lips when she read.

He just stared at her. Watching her. Watching her read. Which was almost the equivalent to watching paint dry. But he had to wait.
Getting the ball rolling in conversation with Raven was a skill even he hadn’t quite mastered. And that was when she wasn’t in one of her moods. Past experiences dictated the best thing to do was wait. Even Raven couldn’t keep quiet forever. (At least that was the hope.)

BeastBoy shifted his head to the side leaning from both hands onto one, weighing down and tilting his arm slightly. He wasn’t used to such prolonged silence. Even around Raven. Even her breathing was quieter than usual.
Or maybe it was the perpetual waiting that was starting to get to him. After all it’d been so quiet for so long he was starting to wonder if Raven was even aware he was still in the room.

“Uh…” he softly began, lifting his hand towards her.

But Raven remained focused solely on her books. Flipping pages in two of them and backtracking a chapter on the top book to review something. Totally oblivious to his meek attempt at interaction.

Slowly BeastBoy’s mouth retracted shut, lowering his hand back onto the bed, somewhat sinking his head back between his shoulders.

BeastBoy had opened his mouth to speak a few times to try to pry the atmosphere open. But every time he did, no matter what he’d mentally debated as an opening statement, he was met with at least three separate negative scenarios in his mind that resulted in either Raven shutting back down, unintentional angry verbal backlash, or any combination of the two. Which in turn caused him to close his mouth and either wait for a better mental outcome or for Raven to initiate conversation on her own.

His eyes began to drift, climbing the walls. Looking all around Raven’s room. Studying every dark corner, every cramped shelf. He knew the room was dreary but never fully realized to what extent until now.
No real view to be had as evidenced by the thick curtains blocking out natural light. Raven preferred as little outside distraction as possible when fully enveloped in her reading. And darkness was pretty much her element after all.

There was also an absence of pictures. No photographs, framed or otherwise.

No external communication aside from her communicator, which lay on the nightstand.

No television.

…

Okay, that last one was more of a personal preference of his. BUT the point was Raven’s solitary lifestyle was starting to feel more and more like solitary confinement.

It was… depressing. More so than he ever thought it could be.
Still he continued to scrutinize his surroundings, trying to find something to take his mind off things. Or even still try to find a semblance of hope in this dreary dungeon. This was a big part of Raven’s life and her room was a reflection of that. And if BeastBoy was going to continue as he had with Raven before, it was something he had to understand. And with nothing else to focus on and nothing but time on his hands now was as good a time as any.

A short while later Raven waved her hand forward, closing the four books as they gently drifted onto the floor, neatly stacking on top of one another in a pile.
She steadied herself onto her feet, shutting her eyes tight. Rubbing between her nose she gave a low sigh as her thumb and index finger pushed against the edges of her eyelids.
A little eyestrain was nothing new to her. But she’d been reading so much more prodigiously than she intended. And for all her efforts, she still had nothing to show for it. Every lead she’d come across was a dead end. Er… um… make that, ah… an unusable or non-feasible means of undoing BeastBoy’s present condition.

Raven gave pause. On the subject of the former, she turned, somewhat distressed at the prolonged silence and a small sense of alarm if BeastBoy’s was still present with her.

However her fears were soon put to rest as she found BeastBoy square in her sights with just a quarter turn of her head. To which she exhaled a soft sense of relief having almost forgotten about him completely amidst her in-depth literary endeavor.

There he lay, atop her bed, right where she left him.

Raven rested her hand on her chest as the last of the momentary tension vacated her lungs. She turned back to her bookshelf ready to try a new selection of reading material. But stopped after only a single step forward.
She looked back, as if unable to shake the notion she’d missed something.

She looked at BeastBoy. Still there, as she’d previously been relieved to notice, but upon closer examination he seemed a bit… off.
He was laying flat on his stomach, one arm tucked under his chin where he rested his head. His other arm rested on the bed, extended, with his hand outstretched in front of him.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand, phasing his fingertips through the bed. Then a few seconds later lifted his hand back up, bringing his fingers back into plain view.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand again, this time phasing down to the joints of his fingers, allowing half of his digits to briefly disappear from view. A few seconds later, he pulled them back up.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand once more, now phasing his fingers entirely down to the knuckles. And then as before lifted his hand back up, making it whole within a few seconds.

He would then repeat this pattern.

Raven looked from his hand to his face, which wore a dull and somewhat disheartened look. Not all that dissimilar from her own.
“BeastBoy?” she called.

BeastBoy remained prone in position. Still watching his hand sink in and out of the bed.

“BeastBoy,” Raven called a little louder.

The green boy shook for a split second, turning his head up with a quick blink of his eyes signaling he was brought out of whatever trance he’d been in.

Raven shifted her head to the side with a smaller sense of relief than before but still able to draw comfort that he was still in tune and responsive to her. “Just making sure you’re still alive,” she said as she turned back to the bookshelf.

BeastBoy shook his head. “Oh, ha ha,” he feigned a weak chuckle to mask his broken train of thought.

“Stimulating as always, I see,” Raven dryly responded as she plucked only a single book from the shelf deciding to slow her pace. Both to give her eyes a bit of a rest and to reinforce BeastBoy’s current state.

He rolled his eyes in turn.

But just as quickly his eyes went wide. His pupils darted. The silence was broken. Raven was talking. This was what he’d been waiting for. Hoping for. He had to act before she fully absorbed herself into another book. And knowing Raven, that wouldn’t take long.
He scratched the top of his head as if hoping to re-ignite a brain cell or two. His lips quivering as if ready to fire off the first syllable.

“Wh-h… uhm… ga” he mouthed, tripping over his own tongue. His train of thought was clearly derailed. That feeling you get when you want to say something but your brain backs up at that one critical moment you want to say it? BeastBoy was there. And with the mother of all brain farts.
He squeezed and strained every last neuron in his cranium, just trying to get his thoughts rolling again. Trying to think of what to say to keep Raven talking.

“Erregg…aaaghhh,” he dropped his head back down onto the bed.
He had nothing. Helpless to watch as Raven turned the page, taking up reading position above the floor once again. It may as well have been a time lock on a bank vault door, sealing Raven’s mouth and any chance to talk with it.
BeastBoy sighed.

He slumped back into prone position, letting his arm hang off the bed. He lifted it briefly, casting his eyes down at his palm, flexing his fingers. His thoughts drifting like before. Almost able to feel the dark emptiness of the room bear down on him.

“Was…”

Raven looked up.

BeastBoy just stared at his hand.

“Yes?” Raven replied.

BeastBoy looked up, bewildered. Completely unaware he’d started to talk out loud, thinking he was musing to himself in his head. He quickly looked back down.

“Go on,” she encouraged him, holding her hand over the page she was on, keeping her place.

A moment passed. But still Raven kept her eyes on BeastBoy as he kept his eyes downwardly focused on his hand, waiting patiently.

“Was… it always like this?” he traced his eyes across the ceiling before looking back at her. “For you, I mean? Before. Before… me… and you… were…?”

Raven’s eyes slowly shifted from one side of the room to the other as she softly closed her book and rested it on her lap. She had an idea where he was going with this. Her room. Her isolation.
“Comfortable?” she ad-libbed.

“Us?” He interjected.

Raven just stared.

“In here, by yourself, nothin’ but books and smelly candles.” He sat up, spreading his arms wide as if presenting the atmosphere from his point of view. “I-I don’t mean that to sound like it’s depressing.” He held up his hands as if not wanting to offend her or her sensibilities.

“It wasn’t. But… it was as lonely as you make it out to be.” She hung her head off to the side, casting her eyes to the floor.

BeastBoy leaned back, pulling in his legs, holding his knees. “I get that space is one of your things. Private time, and all. But, didn’t ya ever… I don’t know… wanna’ reach out a little? Maybe? Maybe not me, but… somebody?”

“At times. Then I just took a hard look in the mirror. It sounds off-putting but there is a logic to it,” Raven replied.

“So what else is new,” BeastBoy shrugged off the abundance of logic, which at this point seemed almost toxic.

Her eyes never once came up from the floor. As if convinced of her own certainty.

BeastBoy had to think fast. The door for conversation was open, but he wasn’t keen on where this talk was turning. It was time to 180 this trip to lonely town.
“Uh, B-But hey! Look on the bright side. Ya got me, now. Which means either logic is on vacation or you realized how wrong you were.” He beamed with pride as if she could overcome anything if she let herself think a little less. “Either way, sweet.”

Raven pulled her eyes up from the floor, crooking a frown alongside her brow.

BeastBoy maintained a healthy grin, but could feel himself starting to sweat.

Slowly, her frown bent just enough to signal the most miniscule smirk. Just enough charm and lowbrow idiocy to trigger a mood reset. Slightly above passive to hopeful.
“Maybe I’m just stuck with you,” she shut her eyes as she exhaled, glancing back down through the pages of her book.

He smiled. “Well, I mean… yeah. That makes sense. You bein’ drawn to me and all.” He half joked in the playful sense with a waggle of his eyebrows, but also plainly referring to the fact that she was still the only one who could see him.

“Actually, it would probably be the other way around. My powers might just be the only thing linking us together.” She skimmed a few more pages.

BeastBoy leaned back scratching his chin. “Maybe cause of how many smacks ya give me all the time. Your powers are a little piece of you, right? So maybe every time ya hit me, a little bit of that rubbed off on me. And… now that one part of me is gone, all those smacks and all those built up bits of power have, like… pulled me to you.”

Raven looked up, staring into the distance. She couldn’t believe that actually sounded feasible.
As strange as it sounded, in a way it made sense. Raven did have to put a little bit of herself into guiding her powers. And as cold as it sounded all those telekinetic disciplinary (INTENTIONALLY NONFATAL) and otherwise low level strikes might very well have saturated his being both physically and spiritually right down to his essence and served as a means of keeping him in tune to her senses.

“Let’s… put a pin in that theory. For now let’s just agree that my powers are the most probable factor.” Raven shook her head with a smile, turning away.
She wanted to keep BeastBoy’s head from getting too big from ‘one’ admittedly well thought and presented idea. Even a broken clock was right twice a day. And as much as she enjoyed nurturing his under utilized intelligence and critical thinking skills, at this point it would be an invitation for who knew what kind of playful and otherwise suggestive interpretations he could or couldn’t disprove regarding their situation.

“Powers. Yeah. Right.” he nodded just happy to be given any kind of credit at all. “I mean… that makes sense. They did kinda’ zap me and…”

THUNK!

Raven’s book dropped to the ground, causing BeastBoy to jump back a few inches on the bed.

BeastBoy slowly looked up from the fallen book to Raven with her back to him. Stiff and unmoving save for a slight tremble in her shoulders.
It took a minute for his brain to process but…

Powers…

Zap me…

“Well… I suppose that’s something.”

Oh.

. . .

OH!

He got to his feet, holding out both hands. “NO! NOT POWERS! Well, yes powers. BUT NOT YOURS… well yes, yours obviousl- NO-NO! CONTROL FREAK! CONTROL FREAK zapped me! All Control Freak! NONE YOU, ALL HIM!” he franticly contested every notion that might be going through her head.

But it was too late. The damage was done. Raven blamed herself for what happened to him. And BeastBoy figuring it out didn’t ease the burden any. In fact it just made her feel worse. Not only was he without physical form. He could now piece together the circumstances in their entirety.

Silence.

“Raven?”

She remained still.

BeastBoy got up, cautiously moving beside her. “Rae?”

She bent down, picking up her book from the floor. Opening and sifting through a few pages she walked to the far corner of the room, nose deep in print. And not so much as a word in response. After all, what was there to say?

“Raven, I didn’t mean it like that. C’mon.” He pleaded.

But she remained silent.

“Please?”

No response.

He peered over her shoulder. “Puh-leeze?” BeastBoy made an apologetic baby face at her, allowing his lower lip to quiver and his eyes going wide.

Raven turned the page. Unable to concentrate on reading, but trying to bluff that she’d shut him out.

SHWOO

BeastBoy phased his face right through the back of the book, eye to eye. “Raven?” he gently whispered.

BLAM!

Raven slammed the book shut right on BeastBoy’s face. Though with the exception of a minor flinch, he remained still and unfazed. Glued to the spot, standing in the center of the room, watching as Raven marched back to the bookshelf.
“Ya can’t shut yourself in your room, not this time. I mean, you really can’t. You’re already there.”

She dragged her finger across a few thick volumes as if trying to find a particular book. But BeastBoy knew better. She was ignoring him. Not content to argue, and keep on blaming herself.

“What?” he began. “Do ya want me to agree with you? Get mad? Tell you it’s your fault?”

Raven continued to feign her browsing of the shelves. Though her movements slowed.

“Raven, I don’t blame you for this. I never did. And even if I had, I woulda’ forgiven ya for it WAY before now,” he let his arms fall flat against his sides.

Silence.

“Is beatin’ yourself up really gonna’ make you feel all that better?” he leaned to the side. “Even I know that ain’t right, and ‘I’ tried to play a video game on a microwave in Cyborg’s workshop just cause it looked like a supped up Game Station.”

Still nothing.

“C’mon, Raven. Please talk to me. You should at least be tellin’ me to shut up by now. Tell me that I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about.” He perked up slightly as if a light turned on in his head. “Yeah! Call me an idiot. Call me brainless. Call me anything. Just don’t shut me out like this.”

Raven remained unresponsive.

“Okay, I’ll get ya started. I’M AN IDIOT! I’M BRAINLESS! I AM THE MOST CLUELESS, EMPTY HEADED, DUNDERBRAINED, tragically good-looking, AND ALL AROUND DUMBEST NOT SMART PERSON EVER!”

Raven pulled a new book from the shelf, turning and walking right towards BeastBoy.

SHWOO

She walked right through him, moving to seat herself on the edge of her bed. She opened the book and seemingly began to read.

BeastBoy spun around to face her, a mildly irritated look on his face. How many times had Raven talked down to him about his lack of maturity and here she was blowing him off like a pouting child.
He raised an accusatory finger, reeling back, drawing breath to give her a piece of his mind.

. . .

But no more than a thought later, his posture sunk, letting out whatever air he’d collected in a cleansing sigh. It wasn’t the answer. All a stern talking to was going to accomplish was exacerbate the situation. Raven would either keep stewing or verbally retaliate. Before long, it’d be a full-blown verbal ping-pong match, volleying insults. And the last thing either of them needed is more negative influence weighing either of them down.
This had to be handled delicately.

BeastBoy took a deep breath, pushing the momentary unpleasant feelings of stubbornness and irrationality out of his head. “Just… take a break for a sec. You probably got too much BB on the brain. Not that I could blame ya.” He turned with a half smile, making for the door. “I’ll go check on the others. Ya know, not too many flowers for my incredibly intricate memorial statue.”

SHWOO

PLAP!

A hardbound book sailed right through BeastBoy, less than four steps from his exit striking the door.

Caught off guard but otherwise unharmed he turned back.

Raven was now opposite of him, turned around, sitting atop the bed with her back to him. No doubt trying to play off that she was reading. Though without a book presently in hand.

Under normal circumstances, this would be cause for concern. At the very least grounds for pressing an argument or persisting a petty squabble. But BeastBoy just smiled to himself.
She plainly knew she couldn’t hurt him. Not that way anyway. And for her to throw something like that, without warning or verbal remark afterward? He knew Raven well enough to know that was her silent, timid way of saying, ‘thank you’.

SHWOO

BeastBoy walked through the door and out into the hallway.

Raven sat up for just a minute longer after she was certain he’d left before sinking forward, pulling her knees in. She rested her forehead against her knees, cradling her arms around the top of her head, almost curling into a ball. Raven steadied her breathing, shutting her eyes, biting down on her lip. Waiting quietly for the warm dampness in her eye to dry itself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

SHWOO

BeastBoy’s head phased through the door, looking left and right before cautiously entering the room.
It was a smaller room just off the main hall on the upper level. Originally used as a backup ready room and later for storage. But ever since the team’s encounters with Slade way back when, Robin had unofficially made it his own private think tank. A depravation chamber of sorts to filter out the distractions of the rest of the tower to ponder and analyze the more intensive cases they were faced with.

The walls were lined with mug shots and coordinating maps with markings and push pins trailing discernable patterns. Large file cabinets lined the wall. And against the far wall, a computer terminal tied into the main server of the tower’s mainframe. Four flat screen monitors mounted in grid formation were illuminated, displaying spreadsheets and established facts relevant to their present ongoing investigation. Control Freak, as evidenced by the few scattered photos littered around the various screens.

In front of the terminal sat Robin, leaning forward, elbows up on a desk, tapping his fingers lightly as his eyes scanned from screen to screen. He’d been focusing a deeper look into Control Freak’s past. Preferred targets of opportunity, known associates, hobbies, the works. Trying to find something he might have missed. Trying to find that angle he needed to make Freak more… agreeable to their terms and enlist his cooperation with returning BeastBoy.
But so far, no such luck.

Besides Raven he hadn’t spent much time around the others and needed to double-check to make sure they still were unaffected to his presence.
BeastBoy leaned in right beside Robin, looking from the screens to the side of his face. Unable to help from waving a hand in front of him, followed shortly after by snapping his fingers a few times just a few inches from his nose. But Robin didn’t so much as flinch.
The atmosphere was tense. He was almost choking on the intensity.

“There has to be something here. Something I’m missing,” Robin hunched over the keyboard, widening a search on Control Freak’s file.

“Oh, something’s missin’ all right,” BeastBoy shook his head. “You’re totally obsessin’ over a demented fan boy’s profile page, checkin’ out his preferred hang outs and hot spots, and learning everything about him but his shoe size. You tryin’ to interrogate’em or date’em?”

BeastBoy was certainly grateful for the boy wonder’s efforts. But sometimes Robin was too serious for his own good.
“Ease back a little, dude.” He attempted to pat him on the back, only for his hand to phase through the young detective. “It’ll come to ya.”

Robin scratched his chin. “Maybe I need to go back farther,” he said confidently to himself as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “Complete background history on previous encounters, cross check all altercations involving his remote. Maybe I can find something on how the technology evolved into what it is now and the materials he used to make it from surveillance footage. Did he make it on his own? Did he have help? Maybe double check his school records for possible influences and accomplices.”

BeastBoy shook his head with a low sigh. No point getting his hopes up on Robin de-boarding the serious express. But hey, if it worked for him, may as well run with it.
“Well, I’ll just leave you two alone,” he walked back to the door with a small smile. If nothing else, it was good to know that someone besides Raven hadn’t given up on him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

BeastBoy entered the kitchen finding Starfire diligently at work behind the stove. Atop the burners sat three large pots on high heat and a saucepan brought to a simmer. Various size bowls and platters were scattered about the countertop amidst a wide assortment of freshly chopped fruits and vegetables. Not to mention a slew of other ingredients he couldn’t identify. No doubt of alien origin, emphasis on the alien. And almost the entire spice rack was deployed and at the ready. From a glance it looked as though Starfire was preparing a feast.

She stirred the saucepan with a wooden spoon, reducing down a light orange colored liquid, presumably a sauce of some kind. Starfire lifted the spoon from the sauce, sampling the tip of the spoon with a lick of her tongue, smacking her lips softly.
“Hmm…” she pondered, trying to deduce how to properly heighten the flavor. She snapped her fingers just before seizing a shaker of pepper to give a few vigorous shakes over the pan.

She then picked up a nearby onion holding it up in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, glowing bright green just before…

PEW!

A narrow beam of green energy burst from her eyes striking the core of the onion. The onion fell apart into smaller pieces with a waft of rising steam, instantly sautéed, as she tilted her hand dumping the now prepared seasoning into a pot.
Starfire then stirred the contents with a long ladle in between a few generous squirts from a mustard bottle. “Ooh, that shall add the richness,” she giddily remarked with a sniff.

She then turned her attention to another pot, now coming to a boil.

“Oh! Forgetfulness abounds,” she playfully palmed the side of her head. “Friend BeastBoy also enjoys the delectable flavoring of the tofu.”

Starfire opened the refrigerator removing a large square container before closing the fridge door behind her. She opened the container, turning it upside down, allowing the large gelatinous cube of soy to slowly slide into her palm as she discarded the empty container over her shoulder.

BeastBoy couldn’t help but feel somewhat nostalgic finding his thoughts centered on food. In his present state sensations such as hunger were somewhat foreign to him. But that didn’t mean he’d forgotten the simple joys of stuffing his face.
“Aww, Star,” he smiled warmly. “I can’t think of wanting to eat anything more than ‘your’ cookin’ right now. And THAT’s sayin’ something.”

She returned to her position at the stove in front of the largest pot on the front burner. No sooner than which had the pot began to shiver and shake.

“Huh?” BeastBoy queried, leaning over as if trying to look within the bubbling stew that filled just to an inch from the top of the pot.

A large purple tentacle surfaced from the broth, glistening in the steam with a large yellow eyeball staring straight at the young tamaranian girl.

Starfire merely gave a merry smile as it blinked at her. She tossed the tofu into the air, just above the pot before turning to make ready the next course.

The base of the tentacle sprung open revealing a row of razor sharp teeth, snapping the tofu into its mouth with an audible gulp. Then descending back down into the murky depths of the stew.

BeastBoy remained still, wide-eyed, and speechless. “Uh… maybe it’s a little undercooked. Or… overcooked. I can never tell with Star.” He scratched his head.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

BeastBoy rounded the hallway, making his way for the main room, peering through the occasional wall as he went. He’d been to the ops center, the workshop, the garage, the med lab, and personal quarters. But his search was proving fruitless.

The only Titan left unaccounted for was Cyborg. But it’d been some time since last he saw his friend and he’d already explored most of the tower already. He’d been searching thoroughly for the last twenty minutes or so. Yet still, no trace.

“C’mon, Cy,” he called out, though plainly aware he was more or less talking to himself. “Where’d ya go?” He phased through the door, coming to a stop in the center of the main room verifying it to be empty. The tv was off, the couch was vacant, not even a butt imprint in the cushions. Empty, just like every other location he’d previously visited.

“Maybe he’s out,” he shrugged. “Maybe overhaulin’ the T-car on a road test. Yeah. Tinkering always helps him think. Maybe he’s stockin’ up on gear to supe up the gamestation. Maybe he’s raidin’ the junkyards for spare parts. Maybe… he needs a girlfriend.” He gave serious thought to some of Cyborg’s recreational activities.
He started back towards the hall, about to start from the top of the tower on the roof and work his way downward.

A sudden flash caught his eye just as he passed the window, stopping him mid step and backing up to peer out the window at the ground below. Squinting, he leaned forward, phasing his head through the glass just outside the window.

Below, on the rocky coast near the base of the tower, Cyborg had set up a small steel workbench. Atop which sat a few tools and a couple pages worth of notes and diagrams. About thirty feet away were scattered bits of metal scrap, as if something had recently been aggressively disassembled. Or rather blown up, judging by the seared markings and traces of soot and smoke.
Cyborg held a clipboard in his hand making a few notations.

BeastBoy jogged up beside him. “Dude, I been lookin’ all over for you,” he called with a sense of relief and enthusiasm.

Cyborg pressed a button on his forearm, giving an audible beep.

A metal shutter built into the ground slid open as a small, scale model, aluminum human mannequin popped up with a support holding it up from the back a few inches from the ground.

Cyborg pressed another button, this time causing a mechanical arm to rise up from the opening beneath the mannequin. In its hand it held what appeared to be a can of spray paint.
It shook the can vigorously before spritzing a cloud of green paint sloppily all over the life-size figure.

“Is… that supposed to be me?” BeastBoy asked curiously, tilting his head at the figure.

The mechanical hand disappeared back down into the opening, its job seemingly finished.

Cyborg set down the clipboard onto the workbench as his chest compartment opened. Reaching inside, he pulled a remote control from within, similar in appearance to Control Freak’s. Though this one had more of his own unique style and craftsmanship as evidenced by the white metal casing, which mirrored his outer housing and blue glowing circuitry.
Cyborg had been tinkering with Control Freak’s design. And while the odds of making the original remote function properly without Control Freak’s assistance were slim, the chances of reproducing the technology via his own more streamlined construction and design were just high enough to warrant a trial run.

That was precisely what this seemed to be. A makeshift testing range.

A small microphone extended beneath Cyborg’s jaw. Tapping the tip to verify it was picking up audio. “Prototype remote, function test thirteen,” he spoke, lifting his arm and taking aim at the green mannequin. “Commencing now.”

Cyborg pressed his thumb firmly to one of the remote’s buttons, discharging a bright blue beam of energy.
The beam hit the mannequin, energy surging through it causing its limbs to flail and its body to shake. The mannequin grew brighter, irradiating a faint blue glow.

BeastBoy jumped behind Cyborg for cover, but instinctively peered out just enough to watch, shielding his eyes as the glow was becoming brighter.

Cyborg too brought up his arm to shield his face.

The light faded.

Cyborg cautiously lowered his arm.

BeastBoy phased his head through Cyborg’s chest, eager to see.

The mannequin was knocked off its support, lying on the ground. It’s parts completely rearranged. The left leg sticking out of the right arm socket, the right arming sticking straight out of the neck. The other leg poked out of the chest, upside down. The left hand was joined just below the waist where one of the legs was meant to go. Where as the left arm, from the forearm to the shoulder, were bent upwards connected to the pelvis, with the head where the hand previously had been.

Cyborg took a moment to process this… development. “Testing complete,” he resumed his recording. “Results… um… ‘mixed’.”

“Ya think?” BeastBoy said modestly.

“Further testing required,” he picked up the clipboard, turning to mark the results of that particular function. “On a positive note, test subject remains in one piece and absent of damage, fire or electrically induced to the point of combust…”

A single spark surged between the right hand’s fingers with a low crackle right before-

BA-BLAM!

The mannequin detonated with the equivalent of a small backyard fireworks display, scattering its parts and pieces.

Cyborg turned slowly, peering over his shoulder with a bitter scowl, tossing the clipboard over his shoulder.

The mannequin’s green head rolled along the ground, stopping short of Cyborg’s feet.

He leaned down, picking up the severed metal cranium. “Attempt at digital molecular deconstruction… failed,” he sighed with a softened look on his face. “Function deemed non-viable for physical restoration and/or reconstruction purposes.”

BeastBoy rubbed his head, trying to think of how to respond. “Uh… well, ya… took’em apart. That’s the first step before ya can put somethin’ back together. Right?” BeastBoy forced a smile.
But even though his friend couldn’t hear him, couldn’t see him, Cyborg’s reaction felt as genuine as if it were the contrary. Like he was just trying to block it out to fully absorb the disappointment bearing down on him.

Cyborg gently set the head back onto the ground, taking care not to smudge the few charred chips in the green paint. He slumped in his posture, closing his eyes, as if taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Hey, c’mon Cy,” BeastBoy leaned down, trying to peer up into his face, desperate to snap him out of it. “That ain’t me. I’da made a way cooler explosi… uh… I mean, don’t take it so personal.”

But the cybernetic teen was unresponsive.

“I’m still here, dude.”
BeastBoy looked back, up at the tower. He was glad that his friends hadn’t given up hope. Hadn’t given up on him. All the more reason he had to keep it together. And on the subject of ‘keeping together’…

“Take a break, bro,” he tried to put a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Grab a snack, a quick game of Bubble Bots, change your oil, and then? Totally own this stupid remote,” he grinned.
He started back towards the tower. “I gotta’ see a girl about a magic trick.”

A moment passed.

Cyborg took a deep breath. Then walked over a few steps behind him, leaning down to pick up the clipboard, dusting it off.
“Prototype remote, function test fourteen,” he pressed a button on his forearm, dispatching a new mannequin to the range.

To be Continued...

Description
Broken Spirit

Chapter 7: Brood Swing

Raven hovered a few inches in the air with her cloak hanging just above the floor, reading quietly four separate books occupying the space in front of her. One directly in front of her, another on each side, and a fourth hanging above, all of them levitating by the black glowing backings of their pages. Reading, comparing, and cross referencing between every other page. Her eyes moved seamlessly from one book to the next. How she was able to do so without her eyes tripping over one another was a wonder.
But her extensive research into BeastBoy’s condition and a possible treatment was now in full swing.

A short distance away laid BeastBoy flat on his stomach, elbows up, holding his chin atop Raven’s bed. Unmoving and ever watching. It was hard to say how much time had passed. More than an hour, but less than a lifetime. At least by his standard of time.

“Well… I suppose that’s something.”
Raven’s previous statement seemed to replay itself time and time again in BeastBoy’s head. The tone in her voice. The look in her eyes. It was gnawing at him.
Was she mad? No, Raven did anger so much more vividly. Almost passionately. Depressed? Nnngh… maybe. But honestly who wouldn’t be fighting a little gloominess about now? Either way, hardly a bet he’d put money on. And Raven could do a far better job concealing both to the point where he wouldn’t notice anyway. This was something else.

He’d wanted her to talk. About what was on her mind right from the start was a bit much to hope for. But at least an opening. Small talk. Ease into it. But she hadn’t said a word since she started. Not even moving her lips when she read.

He just stared at her. Watching her. Watching her read. Which was almost the equivalent to watching paint dry. But he had to wait.
Getting the ball rolling in conversation with Raven was a skill even he hadn’t quite mastered. And that was when she wasn’t in one of her moods. Past experiences dictated the best thing to do was wait. Even Raven couldn’t keep quiet forever. (At least that was the hope.)

BeastBoy shifted his head to the side leaning from both hands onto one, weighing down and tilting his arm slightly. He wasn’t used to such prolonged silence. Even around Raven. Even her breathing was quieter than usual.
Or maybe it was the perpetual waiting that was starting to get to him. After all it’d been so quiet for so long he was starting to wonder if Raven was even aware he was still in the room.

“Uh…” he softly began, lifting his hand towards her.

But Raven remained focused solely on her books. Flipping pages in two of them and backtracking a chapter on the top book to review something. Totally oblivious to his meek attempt at interaction.

Slowly BeastBoy’s mouth retracted shut, lowering his hand back onto the bed, somewhat sinking his head back between his shoulders.

BeastBoy had opened his mouth to speak a few times to try to pry the atmosphere open. But every time he did, no matter what he’d mentally debated as an opening statement, he was met with at least three separate negative scenarios in his mind that resulted in either Raven shutting back down, unintentional angry verbal backlash, or any combination of the two. Which in turn caused him to close his mouth and either wait for a better mental outcome or for Raven to initiate conversation on her own.

His eyes began to drift, climbing the walls. Looking all around Raven’s room. Studying every dark corner, every cramped shelf. He knew the room was dreary but never fully realized to what extent until now.
No real view to be had as evidenced by the thick curtains blocking out natural light. Raven preferred as little outside distraction as possible when fully enveloped in her reading. And darkness was pretty much her element after all.

There was also an absence of pictures. No photographs, framed or otherwise.

No external communication aside from her communicator, which lay on the nightstand.

No television.

…

Okay, that last one was more of a personal preference of his. BUT the point was Raven’s solitary lifestyle was starting to feel more and more like solitary confinement.

It was… depressing. More so than he ever thought it could be.
Still he continued to scrutinize his surroundings, trying to find something to take his mind off things. Or even still try to find a semblance of hope in this dreary dungeon. This was a big part of Raven’s life and her room was a reflection of that. And if BeastBoy was going to continue as he had with Raven before, it was something he had to understand. And with nothing else to focus on and nothing but time on his hands now was as good a time as any.

A short while later Raven waved her hand forward, closing the four books as they gently drifted onto the floor, neatly stacking on top of one another in a pile.
She steadied herself onto her feet, shutting her eyes tight. Rubbing between her nose she gave a low sigh as her thumb and index finger pushed against the edges of her eyelids.
A little eyestrain was nothing new to her. But she’d been reading so much more prodigiously than she intended. And for all her efforts, she still had nothing to show for it. Every lead she’d come across was a dead end. Er… um… make that, ah… an unusable or non-feasible means of undoing BeastBoy’s present condition.

Raven gave pause. On the subject of the former, she turned, somewhat distressed at the prolonged silence and a small sense of alarm if BeastBoy’s was still present with her.

However her fears were soon put to rest as she found BeastBoy square in her sights with just a quarter turn of her head. To which she exhaled a soft sense of relief having almost forgotten about him completely amidst her in-depth literary endeavor.

There he lay, atop her bed, right where she left him.

Raven rested her hand on her chest as the last of the momentary tension vacated her lungs. She turned back to her bookshelf ready to try a new selection of reading material. But stopped after only a single step forward.
She looked back, as if unable to shake the notion she’d missed something.

She looked at BeastBoy. Still there, as she’d previously been relieved to notice, but upon closer examination he seemed a bit… off.
He was laying flat on his stomach, one arm tucked under his chin where he rested his head. His other arm rested on the bed, extended, with his hand outstretched in front of him.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand, phasing his fingertips through the bed. Then a few seconds later lifted his hand back up, bringing his fingers back into plain view.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand again, this time phasing down to the joints of his fingers, allowing half of his digits to briefly disappear from view. A few seconds later, he pulled them back up.

SSHWOO

He dipped his hand once more, now phasing his fingers entirely down to the knuckles. And then as before lifted his hand back up, making it whole within a few seconds.

He would then repeat this pattern.

Raven looked from his hand to his face, which wore a dull and somewhat disheartened look. Not all that dissimilar from her own.
“BeastBoy?” she called.

BeastBoy remained prone in position. Still watching his hand sink in and out of the bed.

“BeastBoy,” Raven called a little louder.

The green boy shook for a split second, turning his head up with a quick blink of his eyes signaling he was brought out of whatever trance he’d been in.

Raven shifted her head to the side with a smaller sense of relief than before but still able to draw comfort that he was still in tune and responsive to her. “Just making sure you’re still alive,” she said as she turned back to the bookshelf.

BeastBoy shook his head. “Oh, ha ha,” he feigned a weak chuckle to mask his broken train of thought.

“Stimulating as always, I see,” Raven dryly responded as she plucked only a single book from the shelf deciding to slow her pace. Both to give her eyes a bit of a rest and to reinforce BeastBoy’s current state.

He rolled his eyes in turn.

But just as quickly his eyes went wide. His pupils darted. The silence was broken. Raven was talking. This was what he’d been waiting for. Hoping for. He had to act before she fully absorbed herself into another book. And knowing Raven, that wouldn’t take long.
He scratched the top of his head as if hoping to re-ignite a brain cell or two. His lips quivering as if ready to fire off the first syllable.

“Wh-h… uhm… ga” he mouthed, tripping over his own tongue. His train of thought was clearly derailed. That feeling you get when you want to say something but your brain backs up at that one critical moment you want to say it? BeastBoy was there. And with the mother of all brain farts.
He squeezed and strained every last neuron in his cranium, just trying to get his thoughts rolling again. Trying to think of what to say to keep Raven talking.

“Erregg…aaaghhh,” he dropped his head back down onto the bed.
He had nothing. Helpless to watch as Raven turned the page, taking up reading position above the floor once again. It may as well have been a time lock on a bank vault door, sealing Raven’s mouth and any chance to talk with it.
BeastBoy sighed.

He slumped back into prone position, letting his arm hang off the bed. He lifted it briefly, casting his eyes down at his palm, flexing his fingers. His thoughts drifting like before. Almost able to feel the dark emptiness of the room bear down on him.

“Was…”

Raven looked up.

BeastBoy just stared at his hand.

“Yes?” Raven replied.

BeastBoy looked up, bewildered. Completely unaware he’d started to talk out loud, thinking he was musing to himself in his head. He quickly looked back down.

“Go on,” she encouraged him, holding her hand over the page she was on, keeping her place.

A moment passed. But still Raven kept her eyes on BeastBoy as he kept his eyes downwardly focused on his hand, waiting patiently.

“Was… it always like this?” he traced his eyes across the ceiling before looking back at her. “For you, I mean? Before. Before… me… and you… were…?”

Raven’s eyes slowly shifted from one side of the room to the other as she softly closed her book and rested it on her lap. She had an idea where he was going with this. Her room. Her isolation.
“Comfortable?” she ad-libbed.

“Us?” He interjected.

Raven just stared.

“In here, by yourself, nothin’ but books and smelly candles.” He sat up, spreading his arms wide as if presenting the atmosphere from his point of view. “I-I don’t mean that to sound like it’s depressing.” He held up his hands as if not wanting to offend her or her sensibilities.

“It wasn’t. But… it was as lonely as you make it out to be.” She hung her head off to the side, casting her eyes to the floor.

BeastBoy leaned back, pulling in his legs, holding his knees. “I get that space is one of your things. Private time, and all. But, didn’t ya ever… I don’t know… wanna’ reach out a little? Maybe? Maybe not me, but… somebody?”

“At times. Then I just took a hard look in the mirror. It sounds off-putting but there is a logic to it,” Raven replied.

“So what else is new,” BeastBoy shrugged off the abundance of logic, which at this point seemed almost toxic.

Her eyes never once came up from the floor. As if convinced of her own certainty.

BeastBoy had to think fast. The door for conversation was open, but he wasn’t keen on where this talk was turning. It was time to 180 this trip to lonely town.
“Uh, B-But hey! Look on the bright side. Ya got me, now. Which means either logic is on vacation or you realized how wrong you were.” He beamed with pride as if she could overcome anything if she let herself think a little less. “Either way, sweet.”

Raven pulled her eyes up from the floor, crooking a frown alongside her brow.

BeastBoy maintained a healthy grin, but could feel himself starting to sweat.

Slowly, her frown bent just enough to signal the most miniscule smirk. Just enough charm and lowbrow idiocy to trigger a mood reset. Slightly above passive to hopeful.
“Maybe I’m just stuck with you,” she shut her eyes as she exhaled, glancing back down through the pages of her book.

He smiled. “Well, I mean… yeah. That makes sense. You bein’ drawn to me and all.” He half joked in the playful sense with a waggle of his eyebrows, but also plainly referring to the fact that she was still the only one who could see him.

“Actually, it would probably be the other way around. My powers might just be the only thing linking us together.” She skimmed a few more pages.

BeastBoy leaned back scratching his chin. “Maybe cause of how many smacks ya give me all the time. Your powers are a little piece of you, right? So maybe every time ya hit me, a little bit of that rubbed off on me. And… now that one part of me is gone, all those smacks and all those built up bits of power have, like… pulled me to you.”

Raven looked up, staring into the distance. She couldn’t believe that actually sounded feasible.
As strange as it sounded, in a way it made sense. Raven did have to put a little bit of herself into guiding her powers. And as cold as it sounded all those telekinetic disciplinary (INTENTIONALLY NONFATAL) and otherwise low level strikes might very well have saturated his being both physically and spiritually right down to his essence and served as a means of keeping him in tune to her senses.

“Let’s… put a pin in that theory. For now let’s just agree that my powers are the most probable factor.” Raven shook her head with a smile, turning away.
She wanted to keep BeastBoy’s head from getting too big from ‘one’ admittedly well thought and presented idea. Even a broken clock was right twice a day. And as much as she enjoyed nurturing his under utilized intelligence and critical thinking skills, at this point it would be an invitation for who knew what kind of playful and otherwise suggestive interpretations he could or couldn’t disprove regarding their situation.

“Powers. Yeah. Right.” he nodded just happy to be given any kind of credit at all. “I mean… that makes sense. They did kinda’ zap me and…”

THUNK!

Raven’s book dropped to the ground, causing BeastBoy to jump back a few inches on the bed.

BeastBoy slowly looked up from the fallen book to Raven with her back to him. Stiff and unmoving save for a slight tremble in her shoulders.
It took a minute for his brain to process but…

Powers…

Zap me…

“Well… I suppose that’s something.”

Oh.

. . .

OH!

He got to his feet, holding out both hands. “NO! NOT POWERS! Well, yes powers. BUT NOT YOURS… well yes, yours obviousl- NO-NO! CONTROL FREAK! CONTROL FREAK zapped me! All Control Freak! NONE YOU, ALL HIM!” he franticly contested every notion that might be going through her head.

But it was too late. The damage was done. Raven blamed herself for what happened to him. And BeastBoy figuring it out didn’t ease the burden any. In fact it just made her feel worse. Not only was he without physical form. He could now piece together the circumstances in their entirety.

Silence.

“Raven?”

She remained still.

BeastBoy got up, cautiously moving beside her. “Rae?”

She bent down, picking up her book from the floor. Opening and sifting through a few pages she walked to the far corner of the room, nose deep in print. And not so much as a word in response. After all, what was there to say?

“Raven, I didn’t mean it like that. C’mon.” He pleaded.

But she remained silent.

“Please?”

No response.

He peered over her shoulder. “Puh-leeze?” BeastBoy made an apologetic baby face at her, allowing his lower lip to quiver and his eyes going wide.

Raven turned the page. Unable to concentrate on reading, but trying to bluff that she’d shut him out.

SHWOO

BeastBoy phased his face right through the back of the book, eye to eye. “Raven?” he gently whispered.

BLAM!

Raven slammed the book shut right on BeastBoy’s face. Though with the exception of a minor flinch, he remained still and unfazed. Glued to the spot, standing in the center of the room, watching as Raven marched back to the bookshelf.
“Ya can’t shut yourself in your room, not this time. I mean, you really can’t. You’re already there.”

She dragged her finger across a few thick volumes as if trying to find a particular book. But BeastBoy knew better. She was ignoring him. Not content to argue, and keep on blaming herself.

“What?” he began. “Do ya want me to agree with you? Get mad? Tell you it’s your fault?”

Raven continued to feign her browsing of the shelves. Though her movements slowed.

“Raven, I don’t blame you for this. I never did. And even if I had, I woulda’ forgiven ya for it WAY before now,” he let his arms fall flat against his sides.

Silence.

“Is beatin’ yourself up really gonna’ make you feel all that better?” he leaned to the side. “Even I know that ain’t right, and ‘I’ tried to play a video game on a microwave in Cyborg’s workshop just cause it looked like a supped up Game Station.”

Still nothing.

“C’mon, Raven. Please talk to me. You should at least be tellin’ me to shut up by now. Tell me that I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about.” He perked up slightly as if a light turned on in his head. “Yeah! Call me an idiot. Call me brainless. Call me anything. Just don’t shut me out like this.”

Raven remained unresponsive.

“Okay, I’ll get ya started. I’M AN IDIOT! I’M BRAINLESS! I AM THE MOST CLUELESS, EMPTY HEADED, DUNDERBRAINED, tragically good-looking, AND ALL AROUND DUMBEST NOT SMART PERSON EVER!”

Raven pulled a new book from the shelf, turning and walking right towards BeastBoy.

SHWOO

She walked right through him, moving to seat herself on the edge of her bed. She opened the book and seemingly began to read.

BeastBoy spun around to face her, a mildly irritated look on his face. How many times had Raven talked down to him about his lack of maturity and here she was blowing him off like a pouting child.
He raised an accusatory finger, reeling back, drawing breath to give her a piece of his mind.

. . .

But no more than a thought later, his posture sunk, letting out whatever air he’d collected in a cleansing sigh. It wasn’t the answer. All a stern talking to was going to accomplish was exacerbate the situation. Raven would either keep stewing or verbally retaliate. Before long, it’d be a full-blown verbal ping-pong match, volleying insults. And the last thing either of them needed is more negative influence weighing either of them down.
This had to be handled delicately.

BeastBoy took a deep breath, pushing the momentary unpleasant feelings of stubbornness and irrationality out of his head. “Just… take a break for a sec. You probably got too much BB on the brain. Not that I could blame ya.” He turned with a half smile, making for the door. “I’ll go check on the others. Ya know, not too many flowers for my incredibly intricate memorial statue.”

SHWOO

PLAP!

A hardbound book sailed right through BeastBoy, less than four steps from his exit striking the door.

Caught off guard but otherwise unharmed he turned back.

Raven was now opposite of him, turned around, sitting atop the bed with her back to him. No doubt trying to play off that she was reading. Though without a book presently in hand.

Under normal circumstances, this would be cause for concern. At the very least grounds for pressing an argument or persisting a petty squabble. But BeastBoy just smiled to himself.
She plainly knew she couldn’t hurt him. Not that way anyway. And for her to throw something like that, without warning or verbal remark afterward? He knew Raven well enough to know that was her silent, timid way of saying, ‘thank you’.

SHWOO

BeastBoy walked through the door and out into the hallway.

Raven sat up for just a minute longer after she was certain he’d left before sinking forward, pulling her knees in. She rested her forehead against her knees, cradling her arms around the top of her head, almost curling into a ball. Raven steadied her breathing, shutting her eyes, biting down on her lip. Waiting quietly for the warm dampness in her eye to dry itself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

SHWOO

BeastBoy’s head phased through the door, looking left and right before cautiously entering the room.
It was a smaller room just off the main hall on the upper level. Originally used as a backup ready room and later for storage. But ever since the team’s encounters with Slade way back when, Robin had unofficially made it his own private think tank. A depravation chamber of sorts to filter out the distractions of the rest of the tower to ponder and analyze the more intensive cases they were faced with.

The walls were lined with mug shots and coordinating maps with markings and push pins trailing discernable patterns. Large file cabinets lined the wall. And against the far wall, a computer terminal tied into the main server of the tower’s mainframe. Four flat screen monitors mounted in grid formation were illuminated, displaying spreadsheets and established facts relevant to their present ongoing investigation. Control Freak, as evidenced by the few scattered photos littered around the various screens.

In front of the terminal sat Robin, leaning forward, elbows up on a desk, tapping his fingers lightly as his eyes scanned from screen to screen. He’d been focusing a deeper look into Control Freak’s past. Preferred targets of opportunity, known associates, hobbies, the works. Trying to find something he might have missed. Trying to find that angle he needed to make Freak more… agreeable to their terms and enlist his cooperation with returning BeastBoy.
But so far, no such luck.

Besides Raven he hadn’t spent much time around the others and needed to double-check to make sure they still were unaffected to his presence.
BeastBoy leaned in right beside Robin, looking from the screens to the side of his face. Unable to help from waving a hand in front of him, followed shortly after by snapping his fingers a few times just a few inches from his nose. But Robin didn’t so much as flinch.
The atmosphere was tense. He was almost choking on the intensity.

“There has to be something here. Something I’m missing,” Robin hunched over the keyboard, widening a search on Control Freak’s file.

“Oh, something’s missin’ all right,” BeastBoy shook his head. “You’re totally obsessin’ over a demented fan boy’s profile page, checkin’ out his preferred hang outs and hot spots, and learning everything about him but his shoe size. You tryin’ to interrogate’em or date’em?”

BeastBoy was certainly grateful for the boy wonder’s efforts. But sometimes Robin was too serious for his own good.
“Ease back a little, dude.” He attempted to pat him on the back, only for his hand to phase through the young detective. “It’ll come to ya.”

Robin scratched his chin. “Maybe I need to go back farther,” he said confidently to himself as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “Complete background history on previous encounters, cross check all altercations involving his remote. Maybe I can find something on how the technology evolved into what it is now and the materials he used to make it from surveillance footage. Did he make it on his own? Did he have help? Maybe double check his school records for possible influences and accomplices.”

BeastBoy shook his head with a low sigh. No point getting his hopes up on Robin de-boarding the serious express. But hey, if it worked for him, may as well run with it.
“Well, I’ll just leave you two alone,” he walked back to the door with a small smile. If nothing else, it was good to know that someone besides Raven hadn’t given up on him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

BeastBoy entered the kitchen finding Starfire diligently at work behind the stove. Atop the burners sat three large pots on high heat and a saucepan brought to a simmer. Various size bowls and platters were scattered about the countertop amidst a wide assortment of freshly chopped fruits and vegetables. Not to mention a slew of other ingredients he couldn’t identify. No doubt of alien origin, emphasis on the alien. And almost the entire spice rack was deployed and at the ready. From a glance it looked as though Starfire was preparing a feast.

She stirred the saucepan with a wooden spoon, reducing down a light orange colored liquid, presumably a sauce of some kind. Starfire lifted the spoon from the sauce, sampling the tip of the spoon with a lick of her tongue, smacking her lips softly.
“Hmm…” she pondered, trying to deduce how to properly heighten the flavor. She snapped her fingers just before seizing a shaker of pepper to give a few vigorous shakes over the pan.

She then picked up a nearby onion holding it up in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, glowing bright green just before…

PEW!

A narrow beam of green energy burst from her eyes striking the core of the onion. The onion fell apart into smaller pieces with a waft of rising steam, instantly sautéed, as she tilted her hand dumping the now prepared seasoning into a pot.
Starfire then stirred the contents with a long ladle in between a few generous squirts from a mustard bottle. “Ooh, that shall add the richness,” she giddily remarked with a sniff.

She then turned her attention to another pot, now coming to a boil.

“Oh! Forgetfulness abounds,” she playfully palmed the side of her head. “Friend BeastBoy also enjoys the delectable flavoring of the tofu.”

Starfire opened the refrigerator removing a large square container before closing the fridge door behind her. She opened the container, turning it upside down, allowing the large gelatinous cube of soy to slowly slide into her palm as she discarded the empty container over her shoulder.

BeastBoy couldn’t help but feel somewhat nostalgic finding his thoughts centered on food. In his present state sensations such as hunger were somewhat foreign to him. But that didn’t mean he’d forgotten the simple joys of stuffing his face.
“Aww, Star,” he smiled warmly. “I can’t think of wanting to eat anything more than ‘your’ cookin’ right now. And THAT’s sayin’ something.”

She returned to her position at the stove in front of the largest pot on the front burner. No sooner than which had the pot began to shiver and shake.

“Huh?” BeastBoy queried, leaning over as if trying to look within the bubbling stew that filled just to an inch from the top of the pot.

A large purple tentacle surfaced from the broth, glistening in the steam with a large yellow eyeball staring straight at the young tamaranian girl.

Starfire merely gave a merry smile as it blinked at her. She tossed the tofu into the air, just above the pot before turning to make ready the next course.

The base of the tentacle sprung open revealing a row of razor sharp teeth, snapping the tofu into its mouth with an audible gulp. Then descending back down into the murky depths of the stew.

BeastBoy remained still, wide-eyed, and speechless. “Uh… maybe it’s a little undercooked. Or… overcooked. I can never tell with Star.” He scratched his head.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

BeastBoy rounded the hallway, making his way for the main room, peering through the occasional wall as he went. He’d been to the ops center, the workshop, the garage, the med lab, and personal quarters. But his search was proving fruitless.

The only Titan left unaccounted for was Cyborg. But it’d been some time since last he saw his friend and he’d already explored most of the tower already. He’d been searching thoroughly for the last twenty minutes or so. Yet still, no trace.

“C’mon, Cy,” he called out, though plainly aware he was more or less talking to himself. “Where’d ya go?” He phased through the door, coming to a stop in the center of the main room verifying it to be empty. The tv was off, the couch was vacant, not even a butt imprint in the cushions. Empty, just like every other location he’d previously visited.

“Maybe he’s out,” he shrugged. “Maybe overhaulin’ the T-car on a road test. Yeah. Tinkering always helps him think. Maybe he’s stockin’ up on gear to supe up the gamestation. Maybe he’s raidin’ the junkyards for spare parts. Maybe… he needs a girlfriend.” He gave serious thought to some of Cyborg’s recreational activities.
He started back towards the hall, about to start from the top of the tower on the roof and work his way downward.

A sudden flash caught his eye just as he passed the window, stopping him mid step and backing up to peer out the window at the ground below. Squinting, he leaned forward, phasing his head through the glass just outside the window.

Below, on the rocky coast near the base of the tower, Cyborg had set up a small steel workbench. Atop which sat a few tools and a couple pages worth of notes and diagrams. About thirty feet away were scattered bits of metal scrap, as if something had recently been aggressively disassembled. Or rather blown up, judging by the seared markings and traces of soot and smoke.
Cyborg held a clipboard in his hand making a few notations.

BeastBoy jogged up beside him. “Dude, I been lookin’ all over for you,” he called with a sense of relief and enthusiasm.

Cyborg pressed a button on his forearm, giving an audible beep.

A metal shutter built into the ground slid open as a small, scale model, aluminum human mannequin popped up with a support holding it up from the back a few inches from the ground.

Cyborg pressed another button, this time causing a mechanical arm to rise up from the opening beneath the mannequin. In its hand it held what appeared to be a can of spray paint.
It shook the can vigorously before spritzing a cloud of green paint sloppily all over the life-size figure.

“Is… that supposed to be me?” BeastBoy asked curiously, tilting his head at the figure.

The mechanical hand disappeared back down into the opening, its job seemingly finished.

Cyborg set down the clipboard onto the workbench as his chest compartment opened. Reaching inside, he pulled a remote control from within, similar in appearance to Control Freak’s. Though this one had more of his own unique style and craftsmanship as evidenced by the white metal casing, which mirrored his outer housing and blue glowing circuitry.
Cyborg had been tinkering with Control Freak’s design. And while the odds of making the original remote function properly without Control Freak’s assistance were slim, the chances of reproducing the technology via his own more streamlined construction and design were just high enough to warrant a trial run.

That was precisely what this seemed to be. A makeshift testing range.

A small microphone extended beneath Cyborg’s jaw. Tapping the tip to verify it was picking up audio. “Prototype remote, function test thirteen,” he spoke, lifting his arm and taking aim at the green mannequin. “Commencing now.”

Cyborg pressed his thumb firmly to one of the remote’s buttons, discharging a bright blue beam of energy.
The beam hit the mannequin, energy surging through it causing its limbs to flail and its body to shake. The mannequin grew brighter, irradiating a faint blue glow.

BeastBoy jumped behind Cyborg for cover, but instinctively peered out just enough to watch, shielding his eyes as the glow was becoming brighter.

Cyborg too brought up his arm to shield his face.

The light faded.

Cyborg cautiously lowered his arm.

BeastBoy phased his head through Cyborg’s chest, eager to see.

The mannequin was knocked off its support, lying on the ground. It’s parts completely rearranged. The left leg sticking out of the right arm socket, the right arming sticking straight out of the neck. The other leg poked out of the chest, upside down. The left hand was joined just below the waist where one of the legs was meant to go. Where as the left arm, from the forearm to the shoulder, were bent upwards connected to the pelvis, with the head where the hand previously had been.

Cyborg took a moment to process this… development. “Testing complete,” he resumed his recording. “Results… um… ‘mixed’.”

“Ya think?” BeastBoy said modestly.

“Further testing required,” he picked up the clipboard, turning to mark the results of that particular function. “On a positive note, test subject remains in one piece and absent of damage, fire or electrically induced to the point of combust…”

A single spark surged between the right hand’s fingers with a low crackle right before-

BA-BLAM!

The mannequin detonated with the equivalent of a small backyard fireworks display, scattering its parts and pieces.

Cyborg turned slowly, peering over his shoulder with a bitter scowl, tossing the clipboard over his shoulder.

The mannequin’s green head rolled along the ground, stopping short of Cyborg’s feet.

He leaned down, picking up the severed metal cranium. “Attempt at digital molecular deconstruction… failed,” he sighed with a softened look on his face. “Function deemed non-viable for physical restoration and/or reconstruction purposes.”

BeastBoy rubbed his head, trying to think of how to respond. “Uh… well, ya… took’em apart. That’s the first step before ya can put somethin’ back together. Right?” BeastBoy forced a smile.
But even though his friend couldn’t hear him, couldn’t see him, Cyborg’s reaction felt as genuine as if it were the contrary. Like he was just trying to block it out to fully absorb the disappointment bearing down on him.

Cyborg gently set the head back onto the ground, taking care not to smudge the few charred chips in the green paint. He slumped in his posture, closing his eyes, as if taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Hey, c’mon Cy,” BeastBoy leaned down, trying to peer up into his face, desperate to snap him out of it. “That ain’t me. I’da made a way cooler explosi… uh… I mean, don’t take it so personal.”

But the cybernetic teen was unresponsive.

“I’m still here, dude.”
BeastBoy looked back, up at the tower. He was glad that his friends hadn’t given up hope. Hadn’t given up on him. All the more reason he had to keep it together. And on the subject of ‘keeping together’…

“Take a break, bro,” he tried to put a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Grab a snack, a quick game of Bubble Bots, change your oil, and then? Totally own this stupid remote,” he grinned.
He started back towards the tower. “I gotta’ see a girl about a magic trick.”

A moment passed.

Cyborg took a deep breath. Then walked over a few steps behind him, leaning down to pick up the clipboard, dusting it off.
“Prototype remote, function test fourteen,” he pressed a button on his forearm, dispatching a new mannequin to the range.

To be Continued...