Ten Seconds: Chapter 6

Chapter Six
The weather was miserable. Rain pounded on the roof of the tower and no training would be done today. Even Robin admitted that is was far too risky with lightning striking the sea surrounding them.

The team opted to have a lax day, attempting to use this time to rest for the possible hardships ahead. Robin and Cyborg were glued to the couch, staring at the screen as if their lives depended on it. Starfire had decided to join them, still jumping at any opportunity to learn Earthly behavior.

Still unsure of how to act if faced with Beast Boy, Raven chose to spend the time in meditation. This solitude was exactly what she needed. She had finally gotten him out of her head and was now able to think of something other than their constantly changing relationship.

She had already spent the past three days in emotional distress. Their kiss and the following eruption of passion had completely unnerved her, so now that she was able to regain some normalcy, she was determined to make it last as long as possible. Beast Boy had plagued her mind long enough. It was now time to focus on herself...

It was at that same time, however, that Beast Boy was thinking the exact opposite. He was desperately wracking his brain in an attempt to think of something he could do for Raven. A gift, a gesture, anything! What exactly could he give her that would speak his heart? She hated everything he enjoyed... Come to think of it, she hated almost everything... The only things she ever showed much appreciation for were... OF COURSE! Books!

Raven had always been a bookworm, though her choice in literature was always dark, morbid, and abysmal.  Perhaps he could bring something to her, that would help stabilize the bridge he was attempting to form. Jump City had changed a lot, but surely there was still a book store that carried her personal preference in literature...

As he headed out into the torrential downpour, though, he soon found that his task was much more difficult then he had imagined. The city layout was completely different. Every store he had known of was gone! Not one remained. As he walked the now unfamiliar streets of his home, he was constantly reminded of how quickly things can change. He passed store after store hoping that something would catch his eye. Something, anything to offer him the key to his salvation... And hopefully, her heart as well. And then, he found it.

He had almost passed it by. A dirty old book store, with deep cracks forming in its brick exterior. Graffiti covered the walls, and the visibility in the windows was almost non-existent. But he had seen it: A little blue book, a journal, with gothic-esque stylized patterns on its front and back, and green cloth sewing the pages into the spine. He quickly rushed through the door to get a better look. Now he could see it in full detail. Though a thin layer of dust covered it, the detail put into it was obvious. Small roses were imprinted all over its corners and edges. It was perfect! As he held it in his hands he couldn't help but feel that God had just answered his prayers.

"Oh, a customer..." He heard a frail, feminine voice say. He turned to see a small, elderly woman, sitting at the cash register. Her gray hair was tied back in a bun and her blue eyes were hidden behind a tiny pair of glasses.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" Beast Boy said, trying to contain his excitement. "How much is this book?" He asked.
The woman straightened her glasses and strained her eyes. After a brief moment of silence, her soft voice responded. "Oh I'm sorry, dear. That book isn't for sale."

Beast Boy's heart dropped. His excitement and joy quickly turned into sadness and disbelief. "What? Why not?" He asked.
"That book was a gift from my late husband. He made it for me back when we were still young. I'm afraid it's far too important to sell..." She says, still smiling.

"What? Then why was it in the window?" He asks confused. "Well, it is one of my prettier books, and it does bring in more business." She chuckles. "And it reminds me of him. Every time I look at it and see the effort he put into making it, I'm reminded of how much he loved me. I've never actually written a single word in it. I was too scared that I would mess it up..." Slight sadness can be heard in her voice.

Beast Boy looked down at the beautiful book in his hands. It screamed 'Raven", but then, he looked at the shop owner and could see how much it meant to her. "... Thank you, for your time, ma'am..." He says as he hands her the book. Slowly, the green changeling turns around and begins to walk out of the store.

The shop keeper looks at her book, then she gazes up at the young green lad and smiles. "Excuse me, young man. Who were you intending to give this to?"
"... Her name is Raven... I mean, Rachel..." He says sadly.
"Rachel... How important is she to you...?" The woman asks
"... I'm out in the rain in a random book store..." He says sarcastically. "I guess that means she's pretty important to me..."

The woman smiles. "Then it's yours... Take it..." She says as she holds the book out.
"Are you sure...?" He asks the woman, obviously confused.
"This book does mean a lot to me. It's a testament to the love my husband had for me... It helps to ease my mind, knowing how much he cared. But I will see him soon enough and I feel that you and this special someone can use it in a similar manner... Perhaps it will say everything you wish to say for you..."

Beast Boy approaches the woman, still skeptical. "But you have to promise me one thing..." She says. "What's that?" He asks, slightly wary of the old woman. "Promise to love her like he loved me..." She requests. Beast Boy nods his head.

The old woman pulls out a green pen. Then, she opens the book to the first page. "You should write a message to her. Even though the book may speak to her, it's always nice to have an actual message from the gift-giver."

Beast Boy takes the pen. "I don't know what to write..." He says, slightly embarrassed. "Just write from your heart. You can't go wrong if you do that."
He looks at the blank page and imagines Raven's face. He thinks about how much she means to him and how she makes him feel. Before he even realizes it, he has scrawled out a small message, only two sentences, but still they say exactly how he feels. The woman reads his words. "That's so sweet... She'll love it..." She says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't thank you enough, Mrs..." He starts.
"Arella..." She says in a kind voice. "Now, you should be on your way. I can only imagine that you want to give her your gift as soon as possible."
"Yes, ma'am!" He says, now nervous. "Thank you, again!" He yells as he dashes out of the store and heads back to Titan's Tower.
"My, what an interesting boy..." She says with a smile.

Beast Boy sprints down the streets, his eagerness to share his gift is overwhelming.
The rain pelting his face keeps bringing him back to the day that started it all. He thought of how Raven's single tear allowed him a portal into the inner sanctum of her soul. He couldn't help but wonder what this gift would bring about. Maybe, just maybe, It would be enough to fix their now strained relationship. He tries his best to remain calm, but the combined relief and happiness that he feels is suffocating. He feels as if he will die if he doesn't get there faster.

But as Beast Boy turns the corner, his excitement turns to shock. He stares in awe at a massive pileup on the city bridge. Dozens of cars are mangled, and several teeter on the edge of the concrete, threatening all of those trapped inside. Sirens wail in the distance, but he can tell they are too far away to be of much use. By the time they get there, the cars on the edge would have sunken into the depths of the ocean. Beast Boy tucks the book safely under the back of his shirt and prepares himself for the grueling task ahead. Though his heart beacons him to his goal, his head reminds him that he is a hero. This is his duty, and he will not turn his back on these people.

He takes the form of an eagle and sores over to one of the dangling cars. His bones crack as he transforms into a large gorilla. His massive strength enables him to easily tear the car door off. As he reaches in to help the injured civilians, they scream in fear. "Of course..." He thinks. "They're already scared. The last thing they need is a large, frightening beast clawing at them..." He quickly reverts back to normal and calls to the people. "I'm trying to help you. You need to trust me!" The victims, though still scared, agree and allow him to help them out. After the last one has exited what remained of their vehicle, he feels strong gust pick up behind him. The cars on the edge were now in severe danger of falling into the frigid waters below.

Beast Boy repeats the process several times, but as he finishes with wreck number nine, fatigue begins to grasp him firmly, unwilling to let him go. He heads towards the next car, his resolve serving as his only fuel. Just as he snatches the door off of the trashed car, a semi full of gas, falls over the edge. The driver leaps to safety, but the huge tanker grates against the concrete, igniting and exploding. The bridge trembles from the shock of the mighty explosion and Beast Boy is brought to his knees. He looks up and watches in horror as a safety line, a thick metal rope, snaps and plummets towards a truck full of trapped citizens. He lunges at the vehicle just as the rope is about to come crashing down on top of it.

BWEEP! BWEEP! BWEEP! The alert at Titans Tower goes off. The team quickly assembles to assess the situation.

"What's going on!?" Cyborg shouts.
"This is bad! A massive wreck on the bridge! Dozens of people are in danger of falling!" Says Robin. "Rescue workers are doing all they can, but it's not enough!"
"Let's move, then!" Shouts Cyborg.
"Wait, where is Beast Boy?" Starfire asks.
Robin flips open his communicator. "... It says... He's already there! We gotta move! He can't do this alone!"
Raven's eyes widen with fear.
The team rushes to their comrade's aid.

Beast Boy grips his left arm in pain. Blood flows from a deep gash on his shoulder. He had saved the people inside the truck. He had pulled them to safety just in time... But he was not fast enough to get out of the severed safety line's way. He had been struck hard and now his head was starting to spin a little from the blood loss. Just as he began to think he could go no further, the cries of scared children overpower this feeling.

He dashes over to the next car and rips the door off. Changing back to his human form was beginning to take a toll on him. His joints ached from the strain that he was putting on himself. But what could he do? He couldn't just let these innocent people die. He pulled them from the wreckage and looked up to see more than twenty other cars in similar situations. Just as he started to try to figure out a plan, he felt the bridge shake. The support beams were buckling. The whole bridge would come down soon.

Defeated, Beast Boy fell to his knees. He couldn't save them all... And he couldn't Abandon them... He had no choice... He had to go with them. Just as hopelessness began to set in, he heard an all too familiar sound. A high pitched blast of sorts. Like a laser. Star-bolts! Starfire was there. She was using her immense strength to lift the fractured bridge back up and was melting the cracks on the metal support beams, creating seals.

Dozens of zip lines shoot around the bridge, locking onto another support beam. The cars that were in danger of falling are now held fast, right where they are. Beast Boy turns to see Robin. He was trying to buy his teammates more time.

A battle cry erupts from behind Beast Boy. A silver flash launches itself over him and lifts several cars up. Cyborg walks past him holding the 2 ton vehicles like they were nothing. "Come on, B! We aren't finished, yet!"

Then he noticed it. The black energy surrounding the cars around him and pulling them to stable ground. He turned to see her, flying high in the sky, like an angel, ensuring him that everything would be alright... Raven.

Now, his resolve to save these people was reinforced by his determination to avoid looking weak in front of her.
He resumes his primal form and begins to free more and more people. "Starfire!" Robin shouts. "These ropes won't hold much longer!" He yells into his communicator.

"I am almost done, Robin!" She says as she places both hands under the immense structure and uses her focussed eye beams to continue her task. Just as she is about to finish, fate decides to throw a wild card into the mix. A large lightning bolt strikes the bridge sending Starfire plummeting to the water below. Before she can crash into it, she recovers, though visually fatigued.

The jolt sends thousands of volts through Cyborg and Beast Boy, bringing them to their knees. Robin is knocked back by the blast. Dazed, he attempts to get back on his feet. Raven is thrown onto the wet pavement. She struggles to get back up. Finally, a handful of the restraints snaps, allowing a car to slip through the gap and fall back into a life or death game of balance.

Beast Boy looks at Raven. Her eyes show determination to save the people, but her face shows pain. He stares into her eyes, as if assuring her he will not let them fall. Cyborg's mechanical body is still momentarily incapacitated, so Beast Boy takes it upon himself to deal with the last car. Inside, a mother and child, desperately scream for help. "I got them!" Beast Boy shouts as he launches himself towards the vehicle. He grabs the door and attempts to pull in off, but another rope gives weigh, causing the vehicle and its inhabitants to fall several feet down.

Beast Boy morphs into his Sasquatch form and grabs onto the railing of the bridge. Then, he reaches out and catches the bumper, just as the car is about to fall. "Oh my God!" The woman shouts, seeing the monster outside of her window. "LADY, GIVE ME A BREAK!" He thinks to himself. His thoughts are interrupted by a sharp pain. The wound on his left should makes it impossible for him to hold on much longer. He feels his muscles beginning to tear.

He looks at her, hoping she'll move, but fear holds her fast where she is. Beast Boy struggles, knowing that if he reverts to his human form to say something, he'll end up dropping the car and killing the people. "Grrrr... L.... Lady..." He manages to grunt out. The woman's eyes widen. "If... you wanna'... save your kid... Get out NOW!!!" He manages to 'say'. She stares in disbelief, then complies. She slides out of the car and carefully climbs up his back to safety. Beast Boy breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone is safe. Just as she makes it onto solid ground, though, her foot knocks something loose from under Beast Boy's fur: THE BOOK!

He watches as the beautiful blue testament falls downward, towards the water. "NO!" He thinks as he releases the car and falls after his precious gift. He tries to transform into a bird, but his wound hurts him too much. He is forced to revert back to his original human form. Refusing to give up though, he gives one last reach for the book and catches it before it can hit the water. He claws violently at the air until his nail scrape against the metals support beam. His feet land on an large bolt, desperately he tries to  catch himself on it. His body jerks to a stop as his legs lock firmly around the metal rod.

Raven stirs just in time to see what happens next. Another large support line snaps, swinging down towards Beast Boy. Realizing what is about to happen, he does the only thing he can think of. "RAVEN!!!" He desperately screams. He tosses the book to her. In his panic, he places it at the top of his priority list. She turns and catches it in her black energy and witnesses in horror as the metal rope slams into Beast Boys human chest, smacking him down fiercely towards the cold water below.

"BEAST BOY!!!" Raven yells as she attempts to catch him. Black energy halts his body and stops it from falling into a watery grave. She quickly moves him to the safety of the bridge. The others have not realized what has happened yet. Raven leans over him. "Beast Boy! Garfield!" She shouts. He coughs up blood and wheezes out a random question. "Did you... Catch the book...?" He asks weakly. She nods her head, scared for his life. "That's good..." He says as the color begins to drain from his face. "... Please, Rae... Just look at the first page..." She slowly complies. She opens the book and sees the heart felt inscription: "May your heart's desires, your fantasies, and all that you hope for line the pages of this safe haven. Know that no matter what the future brings, I shall be by your side."
She covers her mouth, not sure what to say. But when she looks back up, she sees that Beast Boy is not moving... And he is barely breathing.

"...  I guess... I can't keep that... Promise..." He says with a faint smile. Slowly, his eyes close and his body goes limp.

"...No... Beast Boy..." The rain pounds the Earth even harder, as if the world is weeping for this one moment. "BEAST BOY!!!"